Tomorrow's Cost (Final Update by Allen Kuzara

Author:Allen Kuzara
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: zombie, alaska, scifi horror, scifi action, mad scientists, sci fi fiction, teen scifi, postapocalptic, scifi dystopia
Publisher: Allen Kuzara

CHAPTER 16

“BRING FOOD AND water,” Nick told Robert who immediately set off toward the daylight, the mine’s entrance.

“Just relax,” Lusa said, crouched down, consoling the awakened woman.

“How am I supposed to relax? Where am I? No one is answering my questions.”

Lusa placed a soft hand on the woman’s bent knee.

“Don’t touch me. I don’t know you,” she responded.

Nick frowned, staring at the chip’s glowing blue light on the side of the woman’s face. He didn’t know what was happening exactly. The woman appeared to have regained her former consciousness. And that seemed like a good thing, but it gave Nick a sick feeling in his stomach.

“I’m Nick. And this is Lusa,” he offered. “Can you tell me who you are?”

The woman looked down. “I’m…Erin.” She said the name like it was unfamiliar, distant. Like she’d had to search far and wide to recover it, and Nick imagined that was exactly what had happened.

Nick heard running footsteps and put out a cautionary hand. Robert slowed his approach. Then Nick took the canteen from the drone and offered it to Erin, saying, “Here you are. Drink this.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“Just water.”

Slowly, Erin reached forth, her hand trembling—Nick didn’t know if it was from fear or fatigue—and took the canteen. Then, her hesitation gone, she turned it up and began guzzling it.

“Guess you were thirsty,” Lusa said.

Erin finished off the quart jug and wiped her mouth with her arm. “Thanks,” she said softly, returning the canteen.

“Erin,” Nick started. When she looked at him, her baby blue eyes struck him, and he paused for a moment as he no longer saw her as a crazy, or emergent, or a drone. She was human. Damaged but human. “We’re in an abandoned mine. Lusa and I were here to…make sure it was safe to use again.”

Erin appeared to accept his partial explanation, then looked at Robert.

“He’s on our team,” Lusa said. “There’s more outside like him.”

Erin reached up to her temple and felt the chip.

“He’s not like you,” Nick said. “Not exactly, anyway.” They stayed there, silent, exchanging glances in the half-dark for several seconds. “Erin, can you tell us what you remember?” Nick asked.

She looked down again and squinted her eyes. “North Pole,” she said in a whisper.

To anyone not from Alaska, it would have sounded insane. But Nick knew the small city well. It was just a twenty- minute drive from Fairbanks. “That’s where you’re from?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes. My family and I were…” Her eyes got big as she turned and gave a horrific expression. “My family!”

Erin started to get up as if they were in imminent danger, but Lusa put her hands on her shoulders, keeping her down. “Hold on,” Lusa said. “It’s okay. Everything’s alright.”

Nick knew that was a lie, but it sounded good.

“Just relax and tell us what happened,” Lusa said softy, as she stroked Erin’s dirty strawberry blonde hair.

“I used to carry mail in North Pole,” Erin said. “And it was like any other day. Lots of driving, only a few pieces of mail.

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.