The Island by S. Evans

Author:S. Evans [Evans, S. Usher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indie Author Project

ELEVEN

Galian

The radar station burned for two full days. The thick column of black smoke spewing toward the sky was visible from our camp on the other side of the island. But no one came, and this time, I didn't expect them to.

I'd managed to grab three blankets from the lab before everything went up in smoke—which turned out to be a blessing, because when I returned to salvage what I could find, most everything was burnt to a crisp. Though I found the showers blown to smithereens, I did find one working tap, which meant our days of boiling seawater were at an end. Two more trips resulted in nothing but to dirty up my old Kylaen uniform which the both of us still wore.

I didn't ask Theo to come back to the laboratory with me, and she didn't offer. I still had questions about it, more specifically—what the actual fuck was my great-grandfather thinking? Theo, however, always had dinner caught and cooked by the time I returned from scavenging trips. Like so many other things, the atrocities at the lab went undiscussed.

After a few trips to the lab, I uncovered a half-charred mattress, which I decided I would drag back to camp. Unfortunately, the sun had long set by the time I showed up, and I got an earful from Theo about the dangers of being alone at night and how stupid it was to drag something so unnecessary back.

"Yeah, but...eh?" I tossed one of our three blankets on top of it and gestured to her. "Practically the hotel at the Opiela!"

"What's that?"

"The fanciest hotel in Norose," I said, adjusting the blanket on top of the mattress to cover the burned spots. "I mean, compared to sleeping on the ground."

"Galian, I didn't catch anything today!" she said suddenly.

My stomach dropped. I'd become accustomed to eating little, but I didn't like the prospect of not having anything.

She wrung her hands nervously. "It's been bad since the explosion. I don't know if we've scared them off or eaten them all or what," she said, plopping down on the mattress. "I need you to stay here and help me."

"Okay," I said, sitting next to her. "We'll figure something out. Don't worry."

There was a new light in her eyes when she looked up at me. A little relief, and a little comfort. It had been a week since the explosion; had she really been worried about that the whole time?

"You know, you don't have to keep that kind of stuff from me," I said with a small shrug. "If you want my help, ask for it."

She didn't respond, but a ghost of a smile turned the corners of her mouth.

"Seriously, Theo." I nudged her gently. "Don't think you've got to handle all of this on your own. I know what I'm doing now. I can handle it."

"Skin a rabbit, and I'll believe that."

"No rabbits here to skin, Captain."

That was the wrong thing to say, as the levity on her face melted away. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

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