Stranded

Chapter 18 ~ Hannah

I arrive back at our now fortified camp. The fence now has outer coverings and the gates have slits as to look out. I have no idea how we managed this. I guess I didn't notice when we left to spy.

Jack's doing what Cassie predicted, he's trying to get the other boys to join his 'tribe.' Many of the girls are already inside.

"Hey! Hannah! Alexia!" I hear Sophie call. I turn and see her, Alice, and Allie with Simon. Then I notice his head is limp, his feet aren't moving, and that it almost looks like Sophie and Allie are carrying him. That can't be good.

"What's wrong with him?" I ask as we run over.

"We have no idea," Sophie says. "But he didn't wake up when we threw water on him and his nose is bleeding real bad."

"Come on, put him an empty hut, we'll see if he's better after the meeting," Allie says. "No one speaks of this to anyone else."

We move him to one of the huts that has a pig skin acting as a door before we go into the main hut.

***

I watch as the last five girls file in. It is deathly silent as everyone waits for me to speak. The fire dances under the pig throwing shadows everywhere.

"Who called the meeting and why?" I ask.

"I did," Hannah says. "Jack is having a feast and has invited the other boys to join his tribe."

"It seems that there are now two boy Chiefs, and Jack is planning to just hunt and play more than Ralph's group," Alexia says. So, Jack's doing as I've predicted.

"Another thing," Alice says. I look at her, puzzled. She was not with Hannah on this shift. "Rachel has joined up with Jack's group." At this, the hut erupts into voices.

"Everyone! Everyone, calm down," I say. They do it almost automatically. "What did she tell them?"

"Not much, but I doubt that will last long. She mentioned our better weapons and that she could help Jack bring us into his tribe."

"Does anyone know how long she was here? If she knows about our plans?" I ask as murmurs ripple through our group.

"I saw her leave just after it was announced Jack had broken off," Olive says. I look at her, she's one of the girls that usually hangs out with Rachel. "I didn't think much of it then, she's done it before."

"Jack knows about our weapons," Jenna says. "There's no way that he won't attack us now." Murmurs fly through the hut. Thunder sounds.

"Everyone, let's think about this," Hannah says. "We had a skirmish with the boys' hunters before at the last meeting we attended with them. It was three against all of the hunters, we held up for a few minutes. We were stopped before anyone got majorly hurt, but we still got them pretty good. We can bet them, even if they start making new weapons like owers."

"Besides," Sophie says. "We can move where we camp so they never know where we actually are. I'll bet they still think there is a beast on the mountain so the fire should be relatively unnoticed."

"That may be to hopeful, but moving camp to the top of the mountain isn't such a bad idea," I say. "Fighting down hill can give us an advantage, plus we'll see them coming.... It'll take a few days though.... We can move a few huts and the kids up there and have a few older girls permanently stationed up there with them, the kids can be in a safer place and the need to send girls back and forth all the time will no longer be needed except for runners to keep those up there up to date.... We can do that tomorrow."

There are murmurs of agreement.

"Okay, the girls watching the boys do not attend the joined group meeting tonight. We'll all just finish up the wall. Coroline, you run up to the mountain and tell those up their. Dismissed."

We all fial out. As soon as I'm out of the hut, Hannah grabs me.

"Hey, there's something you need to see," she says. I let her lead me to a hut and go in. It is dark save for the little bit of natural light shining from the top hole. Sophie, Alexia, Allie, and Alice are already in here, but so is a boy. Simon.

"What's he doing here?" I ask.

"We brought him. Something's wrong with him so we brought him with us," Sophie says.

"What's wrong with him?" I ask coming over.

"His nose was bleeding and he was unconscious. He still won't wake up," Allie says.

"Well, someone has to watch him until he does wake up. I don't know what might cause this, but I really hope it isn't a virus."

"If it was, we'd all have it by now," Alexia says.

"Maybe.... Can you five trade off and watch him? I don't think it would be a good idea to tell any of the other girls, and I don't think I can disappear for a few hours with all that's going on," I say.

"Yeah, we can do that, want someone to come get you as soon as he wakes up?" Hannah asks.

"Yes," I say a second before thunder sounds again. It's going to be a down pour when the clouds finally do open up.... Maybe we should get a hut moved to the top of the mountain today. I think a we can stand one less hut. "Later."