Survival: Book One

Chapter Eleven: Alicia

  "Lay him down!" They had all reached the bunks with Nick. "Are they all dead?" Alicia asked, her adrenaline was pumping. She had just saved her mother and killed at least three people.. or four, she didn't know.
  "I'm not sure," Troy answered as he put Nick on the bed, he had been unconscious since the blasts. Alicia was worried about him. "I'm going to watch the door," Troy and Blake kept guard as Madison looked Nick over.
  "There's no blood, why won't he wake up?" She shook him, "Nick?" Alicia looked at her mother's pale face, please wake up Nick, she thought.
  "Marie!" Blake had been hollering for his sister, she wasn't under the bed where they had left her earlier. "Fuck!"  Blake punched a wall, "She isn't here!"
  "Hey, we'll find her but you need to keep your voice down," Troy said.
  "You need to not tell me what to do guy."
  "Blake, not right now. Stay calm, we need to get Nick awake. Keep checking the room." Elyza shushed him, stopping what would have been a fight. She was busy shining lights into Nick's eyes and splashing water on his face. Alicia observed as she took control of the entire situation, she was holding herself together much better than her mother and Strand.
  Alicia began looking through the bunks and closets, there were four or five doors in the cabin rooms. She may be scared and inside of one, Alicia thought. Thud, thud, she could hear something behind a door. "Blake, come here," He rushed over. Thud. "This is the door it's coming from," Alicia said, she held her rifle up, "You should open it. She is probably scared."
  Blake looked like a child, scared to open the dark closet door, he crept towards it and threw the door open. There was Marie, on the floor. She looked ill. "Blake!" He grabbed his sister and hugged her so tight, Alicia thought that he may never let her go.
  "Hey.. let's get her some water." Alicia said.
  "I'm so sorry that took so long, are you.. are you alright?" Blake looked her up and down, "Where's this blood coming from?" His voice was whispering as he looked at the fresh blood on his hands.
  "I got one," Marie sighed and pointed towards the closet, "I got him." She smiled, she was so proud of herself. The young girl lifted her sleeve, "But, not before he got me. I don't need any water." She revealed a bite, just below her elbow, wincing at the pain of lifting her shirt.
  "No, no," Blake was raising his voice again, "We can... we have to do something. We can cut it off." He was crying and staring at his sister, the entire group was silent. "Come do something Elyza! Please !"
  "Blake, it's been too long." Marie said, "It happened almost right after you left."
  "I should have never left you, this is my fault." Blake was hugging his sister and they fell to the floor with each other. He felt her head and jumped, fever, they were too late. Alicia felt herself starting to cry and turned around. Elyza was staring at her, with tears in her eyes also.

  It had been an hour since the gun fight with the Proctors. "They're dead or they're gone, they'd of come looking by now." Strand said. Alicia couldn't help but wonder if most of this was his fault. Why had Proctor John called him a snake? The group had been refueling and trying to wake Nick. Troy seemed very concerned  that he was still knocked out. Blake and Marie had situated themselves in a bunk, Blake was humming to her. Alicia wondered how much time Marie had left. 
  Alicia had tried to talk to her mother a few times, but she was too focused on Nick to even listen to her. Alicia wanted to tell her about the cabin Jake had mentioned. There was supplies, they could set up there even. It would be a journey, but they could make it. Alicia wondered if Marie dying would change things with Elyza, she hoped it wouldn't.
  "Hey, you holding up?" Alicia heard Elyza's voice behind her.
  "Yes, thanks for asking. I should be asking you the same thing." Alicia glanced over at Marie, she looked terrible. It made her stomach churn. "I'm sorry Elyza."
  "It will be okay," she answered, "I'm just worried about Blake, I'm wondering if he will be able to come back from this. I'm also glad that no one else got hurt." Elyza smiled at Alicia.
  "We got very lucky, thank you for your help. Elyza, we are so grateful." Alicia's attention was caught by Nick coughing, he's waking up.
  "Nick, baby, can you hear me?" Madison asked. Nick gasped and woke up. I'm sure that was a sight, with everyone huddled around him, like he was back in the hospital the day of his accident.
  "Is everyone okay?" Nick asked, looking to Alicia, then Troy.
  "Yeah, nice moves there." Troy smiled, "You did it. We would've waited any longer, they could have killed me." He looked at Madison. Madison was silent. "Then they probably would've killed everyone else anyways."
  "Okay, okay.. I know." Madison said, "We can talk about my faults later. We need a plan, the dam is basically destroyed. There's no sense in staying here." Nick sat up and took some water. Elyza had went over to talk with Blake and his sister. Alicia thought she should mention the cabin to her mother, but her and Strand were speaking together. Alicia felt alone, so she chose to sit by Nick who was smiling up at Troy from his bed.
  What's with these two ? She thought.
  "I'm so glad you're okay Alicia," Nick said, "Troy told me about Marie." He looked down, that's not your fault Nick, she thought.
  "She's going to turn soon." Troy said, fiddling with his knife.
  "Shut up," Nick snapped, "Don't, it can wait. Give Blake as much time as possible, wouldn't you have wanted that with Jake?" Troy fell quiet. They balance each other out, they made a good team. Alicia was trusting Troy more, and missing Jake less nowadays.

  Alicia heard sobbing coming from the corner of the cabins, it was Blake, she stood up to see if Elyza needed any help. Before she could register what had happened, she heard a gunshot. Blake had done it. "It had to be me," he sobbed. Elyza held him as he broke down, Marie's frail body lay lifeless on the bed. Madison and Strand had offered to help with the body, but Blake wouldn't let them take her. He wanted to do it. All of it. And then they could leave. Blake took Marie outside and the room stayed silent for some time as they waited for him to come back.
  "He's tough," Alicia said to Elyza, "He can survive this."
  "You don't know him," Elyza's voice was distant.
  "I can see that he has you, he has a family now. You guys are our people now," Alicia told her, trying to comfort her friend. Elyza leaned into her, Alicia just sat there, saying nothing. She thought about everything that had just happened, the Proctors, Nick.. Marie. Things had been falling apart for the last few hours, and this was the first time she had felt content since then. She closed her eyes, bringing back what Elyza had whispered to her earlier: Whatever happens today, I will not leave you.