{"id":1392,"date":"2012-08-31T00:00:55","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T04:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1392"},"modified":"2012-08-30T20:34:58","modified_gmt":"2012-08-31T00:34:58","slug":"winter-chapter-20-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1392","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 20 – 02"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Jacqueline appeared a few minutes later and immediately took charge.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She brought Davon along to help her carry Thom back to the fire.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow\u2019s it look?\u201d she asked Carolyn as she crowded in between us.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHasn\u2019t stopped bleeding yet,\u201d Carolyn told her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut I don\u2019t think it punctured anything except muscle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Hard for me to tell, though.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cKeep your hands on it while we move him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Kel, grab his feet.\u201d Jacqueline said, then glanced at me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you coming?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Matt appeared at my shoulder and touched my arm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I glanced toward him, then back at Jacqueline.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot yet,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ll be there soon.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>If it\u2019s bad, send someone.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My heart ached a little to not be with him, but Jacqueline was probably secretly relieved that I wouldn\u2019t be following them toward the fire.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Jacqueline took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOkay, then.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Dav, grab his shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s get him over by the fire where it\u2019s warm and I\u2019ve got light to work with.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I watched them head back beyond the safety of the walls before I turned around and looked at Matt.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOkay.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>What\u2019s up?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He jerked his head toward the wagons.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTheir prisoners want to talk to you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The women and the teenage boy were in a knot next to Greg, watching Matt and I.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Paul carried an armload of weapons toward the foot of the wall, and our ranks of defenders were starting to climb down from the walls and get back to work.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The prisoners seemed a little battered at this distance, a little dirty, but otherwise intact.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Greg was still cutting the duct tape off their wrists.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat do we know about them so far?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked Matt, leaning near, voice quiet so it didn\u2019t carry on the breeze.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He shrugged.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot much.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>From the sound of things, they\u2019re from northeast, somewhere between Muskegon, Bay City, and here.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of ground,\u201d I muttered as I began to walk toward them.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot as much as it would be if I said between Traverse City, Bay City, and here,\u201d Matt said, falling into step with me.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s true.\u00a0 <\/span>Still, it\u2019s a lot of ground.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Does it really matter that much?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I guess not, unless they were the only survivors from a settlement somewhere else.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I stopped myself from shaking my head as we came up to the former prisoners.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Two of the women were somewhere between twenty and thirty, though the youngest prisoner\u2014the gangly teenage boy\u2014seemed to be maybe fifteen.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The youngest girl probably wasn\u2019t much older.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The eldest was a smaller woman with salt and pepper hair that looked enough like the teenage boy that I could guess that she was probably his mother.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That last, the one with the salt-and-pepper hair, was the one that gave me a long, measuring look before she shook her head slightly, holding her wrists out to Greg for him to cut her loose.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shook my head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou don\u2019t have anything to thank us for yet.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m Marin.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019re welcome to stay with us, or you can take what you need from the raider\u2019s supplies and move on.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s your choice.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you the person in charge?\u201d she asked, stripping the duct tape away from her wrists carefully, wincing as the tape yanked hair and a little skin away from her arms.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I stifled a laugh.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Greg shot me a narrow-eyed look.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d he said as he folded up his pocket knife.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMarin is one of the people in charge.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The other one is the one that got shot.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWill he be all right?\u201d one of the other women asked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt looked like Amos got a good piece of him.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe should be okay,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I hope that\u2019s not a lie.\u00a0 <\/span>I hope Carolyn\u2019s right, that it\u2019s mostly blood and just some muscle damage, maybe a broken rib.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I hope he\u2019s okay.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I swallowed against the sudden lump in my throat.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCome on over by the fire.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019ll get some hot water going so you can get cleaned up and have a hot drink.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I turned to walk back toward the walls, only to see Phelan standing near the gap, studying me with his head titled to one side.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I frowned and walked toward him, letting Greg and Matt lead the four women and the teenage boy toward the shelter of the tent where we were still cooking.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s that look for?\u201d I asked Phelan once I drew near enough for him to hear me.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>His brows knit for a moment and he shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s strange.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My heart tripped over itself, then got rolling again, starting to beat faster than before.<\/span>\u00a0 That\u2019s never a good phrase to hear out of him.\u00a0 <\/em><\/span>\u201cWhat is?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He gave me a brief, enigmatic smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow quickly and strangely things begin to fall into place.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I stared at him for a long moment, then shook my head.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t think I want to know.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He laughed and put an arm around my shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen I won\u2019t tell you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Come on.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s see about <\/span>fear fiach<\/span><\/em> and his penchant for getting himself hurt.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I nodded and headed with him back into camp.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jacqueline appeared a few minutes later and immediately took charge.\u00a0 She brought Davon along to help her carry Thom back to the fire. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s it look?\u201d she asked Carolyn as she crowded in between us. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHasn\u2019t stopped … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,59,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-20","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-ms","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1393,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1392\/revisions\/1393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}