Project RM: Genesis by Peter A. Schoemann

Author:Peter A. Schoemann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-25T04:45:49+00:00

CHAPTER 4

Joseph found Laurel sinking nearby.

He swam to her, and with all the energy he could muster, grabbed her and pulled her clear of the blast zone to the ankle-deep water close to the shore. He realized with alarm that she wasn’t breathing. “Come on,” he said, shaking her. “I can’t lose you. Not now.” He leaned in to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Before his mouth reached hers, her eyes flashed open. She leaned in until her soft lips connected with his. Excitement flooded his body. She had taken him back to that other world.

Needing to breathe, he released and gasped for air.

She laughed, then winced. “Ohhh, that hurts. A little advice...try breathing through your nose.”

His face flushed. “I thought you’d died.”

“Not yet. I knew you’d save me.”

Exhausted, he pulled her up to the beach. He ripped off part of his shirt and re-plugged the wound. She was pale as a ghost.

Joseph surveyed their rocky surroundings. He couldn’t carry or drag her up the beach in search of the shelter the professor had promised. His hands began to shake. Unable to maintain constant pressure on the wound, he asked, “Can you hold this?” His voice was trembling almost as much as his hands.

“Yeah.”

He stared at her, trying not to show his fear. “Good. Do you know where the shelter is?”

“No. Maybe at the highest point?”

“Because of the high water table? That makes sense.”

“Don’t worry.” She managed a smile. “I won’t die while you’re gone.”

He forced a smile of his own. “You’d better not.”

He left the beach and began to climb the sandy hill toward the center of the island. As he raced upward through the thin veil of palm trees, he found a few footprints heading toward a clearing. He followed them until his foot clanked going over some palm fronds. His pulse quickening, Joseph pulled away the branches to find a small, metal lid.

He took a quick glance around before popping the hatch open and climbing down into the darkness. He groped the walls until he found the light switch. The dim fluorescent bulb illuminated the professor’s planned Spartan existence for the four of them. The facility amounted to little more than an oversized, heated, metal can. It contained plenty of supplies and reading materials, a couple of rooms with cots, and a lab in a third room. Joseph shuddered at the thought of his captors confining them in that small space.

He grabbed the needed supplies, including first-aid materials, a magnet, tweezers, matches, a few cans of food, water, and a few other liquids. He threw them in a backpack and rushed back to her side. She was barely conscious, but opened her mouth to speak.

“Don’t talk.” He trickled a little water into her mouth, then mixed the liquids. “Listen. I’ve got to get that bullet out and clean the wound. We don’t have time to radio for help. I’ve got something that’ll knock you out. Drink this.”

She grasped his hand and stared up at him, a tear trickling out of the edge of her left eye.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.