May Dawney - Survival Instincts

Her heart thumped, and she felt just as naked as when she’d asked Dani for a hug. “Can I see Skeever? Please?”

Kate froze.

Lynn held her breath.

After several seconds of silence, Kate retrieved the key, unlocked the door, and pulled it shut behind her.

A short while later, Cody threw the door open wide. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the flower girl up and about!”

Lynn jumped and scrambled off the bed, sending the chain jingling. Her entire being flared with pain, but she could only think about Kate’s promise to have Cody kill her. She doesn’t know where Richard is yet! She can’t kill me now! She gripped the chain. Maybe I can choke him.

Then Eduardo entered and gave her a nervous little wave.

Lynn hesitated. His amicable behavior muddled her panic.

“Chill. We’re moving you to your new digs.” Cody smirked as he pushed her aside to make room for him to swing the mattress off the wooden bed frame.

Lynn stumbled and stepped back as much as the chain’s slack allowed. Asshole . She picked up the food bag that had gone tumbling and hoisted it onto her undamaged shoulder. Slowly, her heartbeat settled. “Where’s Kate?” And Skeever?

“We’ll move the bed first, then we’ll come back for you and your leash so Kate can talk to you.” Cody turned to Eduardo. “Come on, let’s get this done.” He pushed the frame away from the wall, bent down, and lifted.

At the other end of the bed, Eduardo hurried to do the same.

Both strained under the weight, but they managed to find a balance.

Lynn watched them struggle to get the bed out of the room and resisted the urge to slump down to the ground as her dropping adrenaline levels left her trembling.

“How far away from your anchor point can you go?” Flint’s hand settled on his pistol again.

Lynn gritted her teeth and walked toward him. She stretched out her arms, pulling against the chain. Pain flared in both her shoulder and forearm.

Flint watched her test her range and picked up the chair from beside Dani’s bed. He pulled it back to just beyond her reach, ensuring she couldn’t harm him, and then sat and watched her. “You can relax again.”

Stumbling a little, Lynn stepped back and dropped her arms. She refused to show Flint how much that little exercise had taken out of her, so she strode to her bed as casually as she could and sat down before her legs had a chance to give out.

Cody had left her with a second length of chain. Her new domain centered on her bed and allowed her to come within ten feet of the window on one side and just reach Dani’s bed on the other. Of course, the Homesteaders had no intention of leaving her alone with her.

Flint picked up a book from the foot of Dani’s bed and opened it. The Old-World relic cracked dangerously but held. He started to read, but Lynn had no doubt he was aware of every little move she made.

Dani lay motionless on the bed, breathing shallowly. Only her fever blush colored her cheeks. They were in the same room now, but she seemed farther away than ever—lost in her own world of misery. Lynn liked to imagine that the real Dani—the person who lived inside the body—was waiting for that body to recover enough to once more be a worthy vessel for a woman as strong as she.

Now was not that time, and Lynn didn’t know how to speed up the process. She turned her head away and took in Flint again. “What are you reading?”

“Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick .” He did not look up from the pages.

Never heard of it . “Is it any good?”

Now he did glance at her, just long enough to send her a look that clearly accused her of being an uneducated, uncultured Wilder.

“Whatever.” She lay down on the bed. Her stomach growled, but she didn’t feel like eating.

Flint flipped the page.

Lynn watched Dani take in shallow, irregular breaths. Her empty stomach slowly filled up with a ball of worry that took all of her hunger away.

The stillness was shattered by a very familiar bark, followed by the scratching of nails against the outside of the door.

Skeever! Lynn pushed up as quickly as she could, heart pounding. She let him come!

Kate tried to hold Skeever back as she entered, but with just the one arm, it was impossible to restrain him and open the door at the same time.

He shot out like an arrow from a bow and beelined for her on his three good legs, easily knocking her down.

She didn’t care; she laughed as he nuzzled her hair, trying to lick it through the intricate cup she’d woven to cover his muzzle. His tail waggled as if it were possessed. He smelled just right, felt just right, and something inside her reknitted and was made whole. She buried her face in his fur and held on to his wriggling bulk.

Tears pricked in Lynn’s eyes, threatening to fall. She held on more tightly and let his presence wash away all her loneliness and the stress of the last few day. After a few moments of intense joy, she pushed at Skeever and met Kate’s eyes. “Shhh, quiet.” She patted his flank. “Skeeve, quiet.”

He stepped back just enough to let Lynn get up.

Her legs trembled with fatigue as she got them under her, but they cooperated long enough for her to sit down on the edge of her bed. Instinctively, she checked on Dani, who was still out like a light. A sideways glance at the chair showed that Flint had made himself scarce.

Kate heavily lowered herself down onto the seat he’d vacated.

Skeever tried to jump up next to Lynn on the bed but couldn’t make it on his three legs. She got him up, then smiled as he settled with his head on her thigh.

“I held up my end, now hold up yours.” Exhaustion crept into Kate’s voice. She pulled the map from her waistband.

Lynn gathered her thoughts and guts; once she told Kate where to find Richard’s body, she would be completely at her mercy. She took a deep breath. “If you go north over the Whitestone Bridge, you’ll come to the 695 Interstate.” She continued to describe the route she’d taken, adding details such as the exit number and notable landmarks on the way there.

Kate listened, asked clarifying questions, then repeated a summary back to her.

“That should get you there.” Lynn stroked Skeever’s back. Her stomach growled again.

They both ignored it.

In the silence that followed, Kate studied her. “Am I going to find my husband there, Lynn, or the animal that did that?” She inclined her head to Dani without taking her eyes off Lynn. For the first time, the words didn’t sound like an accusation, but a plea.

Lynn felt a small tug at her heartstrings. “The bear’s dead, and I have not been lying to you. I didn’t lie about how he died, about burying him, nor about where his body is right now. Unless something got in there, he’ll be in the bakery, wrapped up and ready to be taken home.”

When Kate stood, Lynn gripped Skeever’s collar, instinctively fearful he’d be taken away again.

“I’ll tell you if you were right in three days.” Kate glanced down at Skeever, hesitated, but then turned and walked away.

Lynn fought her relief until the door closed behind Kate, then pulled her painful body up on the bed and wrapped her arms around Skeever. “Let’s go see Dani, okay? I’m sure she’s missed you too.” Hopefully, it would also keep her mind off the possibility that scavengers had found a way into the bakery and Richard’s body would no longer be there.