Suburban Island V

Black Swan (Aftermath)

Black Swan (Aftermath)

Annie was taken by helicopter to the floating base. Kate and Kenji were by her side on the way there. The girl was barely conscious. She struggled to breathe. Annie looked so pale. She slurred her words when she spoke. Kate put her hand on her daughter's forehead.

"She's ice cold!" she said. Kenji put his hand on her shoulder. Kate turned her head. The old man had a stern look in his face. His daughter-in-law started to say something but closed her mouth.

"It's okay, miss," one of the medics said. "Whatever that coyote gave her seemed to slow down the poison. We can work from here."

"And she's going to be okay?" Kate asked.

"Yes," the medic said. The sergeant breathed out in relief.

"Thank you," she said. Kenji nodded.

Annie was taken to the military hospital. The doctors pumped Annie full of antibodies and counter toxins. Kate and Kenji sat in the waiting room. The sergeant buried her head in her hands. She sighed aloud. This shouldn't have happened. How absent had she been from her daughter's life? Something had to change.

Kate looked over at Kenji. He probably knew it too. She had to come out and say it.

"I'm taking Annie to live with me," she said.

"You will do no such thing," Kenji growled.

"Old man," Kate said. "This isn't the time. The mainland is dying. We don't have much time! I am her mother and I am stepping up for a change. I won't let you stop me this time." Kenji gave her a cold look.

"Look, you are coming too," she said.

"No," Kenji said in a cold voice.

"I am not going to fight with you anymore," Kate said. "I am not going to let my daughter die in our house."

"It is not your house," her father-in-law said. Kate did her best to stay calm. She clenched her fists in her hands.

"We will talk about this later," the sergeant said. She clicked her tongue. Mother and grandfather would have to wait and see.

----------

Annie was going to have to stay in the hospital for a few days. All she mostly did was sleep. The doctors and nurses checked in on her many times a day. She could barely answer them at first. She didn't feel cold to the touch anymore.

"Mama," Annie said one day. "Mama." One of the nurses looked up.

"Hm?" she asked. She walked over to the girl's bed.

"Did you want your mom?" she asked. Annie slowly nodded.

"Okay," the nurse said. She walked out of the room as she pulled out her phone. Moments later, Kate came into the room. Annie lifted her head.

"Mama?" she asked.

"Hey baby," Kate said. She walked over and sat down on the bed.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Tired," Annie mumbled.

"You're starting to look better," Kate said. She brushed her daughter's bangs out of her forehead. Annie looked so pitiful. Her mother frowned.

"What were you thinking?" she asked. "Why would you go underground?"

"I'm sorry," Annie said in a weak voice. Kate sighed and shook her head.

"Honestly," she said. "You know how dangerous the roots are. If Jim hadn't been there, you would've died." Kate sighed and patted her on the head.

"Don't do that again," she said. "You hear me, Annie?" Her daughter nodded. Kate hugged the girl to her chest. Annie's chest heaved as she breathed.

Over time, Annie slowly got her strength back. Her mother and grandfather came to visit her. However, no one knew the extent of the damage yet. They were going to have to run tests.

--------

Meanwhile, time was running out. It all started out when the time started to consume what was left of California. Don was the one to notice it. He stood up in his chair when he looked at the monitor.

"Huh?" he asked. Don took a closer look at the monitor. He scrolled around with the mouse. A grim looked washed over his face.

"No... No... No!" he said. Don reached over and pressed the panic button. The other technicians ran in for a look. It didn't take long to see the problem. The black forest had grown faster than they last predicted. The trees were starting to get to one of the islands. They looked like they could break through the barrier.

"How long do we have left before the trees break through the barrier?" Van asked as she looked at the monitor. Don moved the mouse as he scrolled around.

"I don't know," he said. "It looks like five to ten days tops." No matter how he put it, this wasn't good. Evacuations began almost immediately.

---------

Meanwhile, Kate had made up her mind. Kenji wasn't going to agree with it. But you know what? Fuck him. This was Annie's life at stake. Kate was going to do everything in her power to save her family. If she was going to have to knock Kenji out to drag him along onto the floating base, then she wasn't going to hesitate.

She combed Annie's hair as she thought about this. Her daughter looked up at her.

"When can I go home?" she asked. Kate lowered the brush.

"Sweetheart, I think you and your grandfather will be moving in with me from now on," she said.

"Huh?" Annie asked. Kate shook her head.

"We'll talk after your tests," she said. The sergeant decided not to tell her daughter the gravity of the situation just yet. They had to deal with the aftermath of this crisis at first. The family didn't need more problems piling up with this latest crisis on the mainland. Kate picked up the brush and went back to brushing Annie's hair. Mother and daughter didn't say anything after that. The subject didn't come up again for the rest of the day either.