May Dawney - Survival Instincts

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Survival Instincts: краткое содержание, описание и аннотация

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Civilization ended long before Lynn Tanner was born. Wild animals roam the streets, but mankind is still the biggest threat to a woman alone in the ruins of a world reclaimed by nature. Lynn survives by sleeping with one eye open at all times and trusting no one but her dog.
When she is forced to go on a dangerous journey through the concrete jungle of New York City, Lynn does all she can to scheme her way to safety. Her guard, Dani Wilson, won’t be played that easily, however. As their lives become entwined, Lynn finds herself developing feelings for Dani and is forced to find the answer to the question that scares her most: is staying alone really the best way to survive?
Fast-paced and full of adventure, “Survival Instincts” introduces a post-war dystopian world where the only person you can rely on is yourself… unless you fall in love.

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Lynn put her hands on her sides. All she wanted was to lie down, curl herself around Dani, and go to sleep, but she couldn’t. She took as deep a breath as her painful ribs allowed. “Time to get to work.”

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It was well past midnight when Lynn found herself nodding off over three tins with identical contents: a bit of water, flour, whatever goat cheese she’d been able to find, and bear blood. She stirred each in turn as they heated up over the fire. Her porridge had the thickness and consistency of pumpkin soup but with a dark pink hue. An acrid stench that Lynn could taste on her tongue hung heavily in the air. It was like licking her knife but ten times worse, and it drowned out the scent of sizzling bear meat on a stick.

Even Dani reacted to it: her features had scrunched up the moment the blood had heated, and the frown had stuck as the stench lingered.

The mixture in the first of the tins started to bubble beyond the head of foam that had formed.

Lynn forced herself to wakefulness. She took the tin off the fire and tested a spoonful of its contents. The heavy metallic taste tripled, and the mixture of salt and sweet caused her to shudder. She swallowed before she could fully register its flavor nuances. “I’ll never learn to appreciate that.” She’d eaten a lot of meals featuring blood as a kid. Nothing went to waste, after all, when an animal was killed—especially in a settlement. The other two tins came to a boil as well, and Lynn took them off the coals.

“Dani?” Lynn carried the first tin and her spoon over. She knelt down by Dani’s head and stroked her cheek. “Dinnertime.”

Dani’s features relaxed under the touch, but that was all.

Lynn tapped her cheek. “Dani, wake up.”

“Nnnggh.” Dani swallowed, and her eyelids fluttered.

Lynn smiled, far more relieved to see such obvious signs of life than she had expected. “That’s it. Can you open your eyes?”

Dani struggled visibly with the request, but then her eyelids finally lifted all the way and eyes the color of hazelnuts appeared. After a few seconds, they focused on Lynn’s, and Dani whimpered.

“Hey.” Lynn swallowed against the lump in her throat. She took Dani’s hand and squeezed lightly. “You suck at your job, you know?” The world went blurry as tears welled up.

“L-Ly—” The whispered rasp sounded painful. Dani’s eyes closed again.

“Yeah, right here. We’re safe. I made you food. It’s not going to taste good, but it’s good for you. Do you think you can help me by eating it?”

“W-Wha—?”

“Bear’s blood, mostly, but with some cheese and flour so you’ll be able to stomach it better.” Lynn scooted until she could lift Dani’s head upon her crossed ankles.

Dani groaned.

“Just relax. Let me move you. Try not to put tension on your stomach, or you’ll bleed more.” She prepared a small spoonful of the warm mixture and leaned over Dani’s head. “Open wide.”

Dani licked her lips, then parted them.

Lynn set the spoon on her bottom lip and tipped it so the liquids rolled off.

Dani’s face contorted, but she swallowed. She whimpered, then opened her mouth for more.

Lynn prepared another spoonful. “You’re going to be okay, you know?”

The second bite went down as well.

“I’ll make sure of it.”

A single tear slid down the side of Dani’s face and disappeared into the hairline by her ear. She opened her mouth again. Her lips and teeth were stained red.

Lynn fed her a third spoonful of the mix, then a fourth.

Dani swallowed them both with grim determination.

“You just have to eat and rest. That’s all you have to do. Eat, rest, and we’ll be fine.”

Dani accepted another bite. Then she struggled to slide up her hand until her fingertips brushed the side of Lynn’s knee. She licked her lips and sucked in a breath.

Lynn halted the next spoonful over the tin and leaned forward. “What is it?”

Dani frowned. She seemed to gather energy. “I-I want to… g-go… home.”

Who could blame her? She sighed and stroked her cheek. “We’ll get there.” I have no idea how or when, but we’ll get there. “As long as you eat.”

More tears escaped the corners of Dani’s eyes, but she parted her lips. Her fingertips closed around the wool of Lynn’s pants, and she held on in a beautiful display of stubborn determination that gave Lynn hope she might actually be able to deliver on the promises she was making.

CHAPTER 21

LYNN WATCHED PEARLS OF SWEAT form on Dani’s forehead. Another twitch jerked through her hand. Somewhere around daybreak, Dani had developed a fever. The bear’s claws must have carried something that had infected the wounds, and Lynn didn’t know what more she could do to make her better.

As night had stretched into morning and rolled into midday, Lynn had settled into a cyclical grind that was about to start its eighth iteration. She took care of the fire, fed Dani, ate and drank herself, completed one chore—take care of Skeever’s leg, hang out her clothes, sort food, change Dani’s bandages, cut wood—then rested until she jerked awake and did it all over again.

While Dani was losing strength, Lynn was slowly starting to feel better. Her body was still in shambles, but every time she woke up, some strength had returned to her muscles. Her dizziness lessened, then disappeared. Sparks no longer flared up behind her eyelids whenever she stood, and her vision remained steady and clear.

Skeever’s paw was broken in at least two places, and he hated the splint Lynn had wrestled around it. He tried to get it off every opportunity he got, but that had become a lot harder to do once Lynn had found enough energy to braid a muzzle out of strips of leather. Now he lay at the opposite side of the fire and sulked.

It was time to face facts: there was a choice to make, and the window to make it was closing rapidly. Within the next two hours, she had to decide if they were staying another night or if she was going to pack everyone and everything up and leave.

She dreaded the thought of pulling the cart for hours on end, and she didn’t know if she could physically persevere through the strain, but she had motivation to do so: if she could make it to the house where Dani and she had spent the night when they had first met up again, they would be half a day closer to the Homestead. With Dani’s injuries, that was where she had to be. Not only was the Homestead a safe haven—for Dani, at least—but they had food, water, and medical supplies. Ren also seemed to have at least basic knowledge of herbs and other home remedies.

If she didn’t leave within the next few hours, she wouldn’t make it to the house before nightfall, and she couldn’t risk a night in the open in the state they were both in. She could leave tomorrow morning so they could both rest more, but if she delayed getting Dani help even for half a day, the infection might end up killing her.

On the other hand, the same injury that was making Dani sick also made Lynn hesitant to move her. Lynn would have to transport her on the cart, and every bump would open up the wounds again. Dani could bleed to death long before she would be able to get her to the Homestead. Lynn desperately wished she could discuss the situation with Dani, but the greater hold the fever got, the less sense she made, so the burden of deciding was on Lynn.

She reached out and stroked matted hair from Dani’s face. So much had changed. Just a few days ago, Lynn wouldn’t even have entertained the thought of putting her own physical health at risk for another person, but here she lay by Dani’s side, basing her decision almost entirely on whatever would be best for Dani.

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