Read Online The Life Beyond by Susanne Winnacker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Susanne Winnacker
Ads: Link
core.
“She’ll turn or die,” said Joshua bitterly. “There’s no other option. Either way, we’re going to lose Rachel.” The thought was too terrible for me to take in.
“Not if we can find the cure,” I said. There was so little hope but I couldn’t stop clinging to it. I had to – I felt already like I was balancing on the edge of despair.
I tightened my hold on Joshua. I didn’t want to believe him, but I knew he was right. Almost all the people he’d found during his hunts and brought to Safe-haven had either died or turned.
A rustling in the shrubs a short distance away caught our attention and we pulled apart. A fox! Before it could run, Joshua had pulled his gun and shot it.
Sometimes death was a cruel creeping process and sometimes it happened in the blink of an eye. In a sense the fox was lucky. Luckier than Rachel anyway.
Joshua picked the lifeless creature up and we returned to Tyler and Rachel. She was lying in his arms, her eyes closed.
Tyler’s face looked strangely apathetic. “She fell asleep a few minutes ago,” he whispered.
Joshua started a fire and skinned the fox, his movements steady and skilled as he focused on the task at hand. In time, he handed me a piece of roasted meat. Every bite seemed to stick in my throat. I was past hunger but I ate anyway, while Rachel still slept.
Suddenly, her face scrunched up and she began to writhe and whimper. Tyler put down his food and crawled toward her. The moment he touched her cheek, she woke up with a start, her eyes wide. Rachel gazed at Tyler with so much longing and sadness that I had no doubt she knew she wouldn’t return with us to Santa Barbara. Slowly she reached up and touched his cheek, and he leaned into her palm.
I was scared to fall asleep, afraid Rachel would be gone by the time I woke, but tiredness dragged me down.
“Get some rest. I’ll stay awake to keep an eye on Rachel,” Joshua whispered. He extinguished the fire with dirt and took his place beside me. I held him, my ear pressed to his chest as I listened to the reassuring thud-thud of his heart.
A strange sound –like a gurgled cry – jolted me awake.
Tyler’s face, twisted with panic, came into focus. Tears glistened on his face, silver in the moonlight. Joshua was on his feet before I realized what was happening.
I stumbled to my feet and my body went cold.
Rachel was on the ground, thrashing and kicking as though she was fighting an invisible opponent. Joshua and Tyler went and pinned her arms and legs down, but she kept bucking her hips and back. Wetness pooled out of her eyes and for a terrible moment I was sure it was the puss-like liquid Weepers were known for. Then I realized they were tears.
She was crying and fighting, caught in a horrible nightmare. Her eyes were open. She saw something we didn’t. Hallucinations - a symptom of rabies.
I inched closer and knelt beside Rachel’s head. My hands cupped her cheeks and I tried to angle her face so she could look into my eyes. “Rachel? You’re safe.”
With a sob she went still. Gradually, she settled. Her chest rose and fell – slow but steady.
Joshua and Tyler released her limbs but stayed close by. Tyler was shaking, his face so pale it looked like there wasn’t a drop of blood in his body.
“Thirsty.”
Rachel’s croak made me jump. I scrambled for our one remaining bottle. There wasn’t more than a few gulps left.
I lifted the bottle to Rachel’s lips and the water sloshed against them. Her eyes flew open, a raspy whine escaping her mouth. She lashed out, sending the bottle flying. Joshua and Tyler reached for her flailing arms but she calmed before they had to restrain her again.
Joshua got up, his breath hot against my ear as he leaned close. “It’s hydrophobia. Sometimes rabies stops people being able to swallow water and they become terrified in case they choke.”
So that’s why Rachel had difficulties drinking before we went into the tunnel.
“Isn’t there
“She’ll turn or die,” said Joshua bitterly. “There’s no other option. Either way, we’re going to lose Rachel.” The thought was too terrible for me to take in.
“Not if we can find the cure,” I said. There was so little hope but I couldn’t stop clinging to it. I had to – I felt already like I was balancing on the edge of despair.
I tightened my hold on Joshua. I didn’t want to believe him, but I knew he was right. Almost all the people he’d found during his hunts and brought to Safe-haven had either died or turned.
A rustling in the shrubs a short distance away caught our attention and we pulled apart. A fox! Before it could run, Joshua had pulled his gun and shot it.
Sometimes death was a cruel creeping process and sometimes it happened in the blink of an eye. In a sense the fox was lucky. Luckier than Rachel anyway.
Joshua picked the lifeless creature up and we returned to Tyler and Rachel. She was lying in his arms, her eyes closed.
Tyler’s face looked strangely apathetic. “She fell asleep a few minutes ago,” he whispered.
Joshua started a fire and skinned the fox, his movements steady and skilled as he focused on the task at hand. In time, he handed me a piece of roasted meat. Every bite seemed to stick in my throat. I was past hunger but I ate anyway, while Rachel still slept.
Suddenly, her face scrunched up and she began to writhe and whimper. Tyler put down his food and crawled toward her. The moment he touched her cheek, she woke up with a start, her eyes wide. Rachel gazed at Tyler with so much longing and sadness that I had no doubt she knew she wouldn’t return with us to Santa Barbara. Slowly she reached up and touched his cheek, and he leaned into her palm.
I was scared to fall asleep, afraid Rachel would be gone by the time I woke, but tiredness dragged me down.
“Get some rest. I’ll stay awake to keep an eye on Rachel,” Joshua whispered. He extinguished the fire with dirt and took his place beside me. I held him, my ear pressed to his chest as I listened to the reassuring thud-thud of his heart.
A strange sound –like a gurgled cry – jolted me awake.
Tyler’s face, twisted with panic, came into focus. Tears glistened on his face, silver in the moonlight. Joshua was on his feet before I realized what was happening.
I stumbled to my feet and my body went cold.
Rachel was on the ground, thrashing and kicking as though she was fighting an invisible opponent. Joshua and Tyler went and pinned her arms and legs down, but she kept bucking her hips and back. Wetness pooled out of her eyes and for a terrible moment I was sure it was the puss-like liquid Weepers were known for. Then I realized they were tears.
She was crying and fighting, caught in a horrible nightmare. Her eyes were open. She saw something we didn’t. Hallucinations - a symptom of rabies.
I inched closer and knelt beside Rachel’s head. My hands cupped her cheeks and I tried to angle her face so she could look into my eyes. “Rachel? You’re safe.”
With a sob she went still. Gradually, she settled. Her chest rose and fell – slow but steady.
Joshua and Tyler released her limbs but stayed close by. Tyler was shaking, his face so pale it looked like there wasn’t a drop of blood in his body.
“Thirsty.”
Rachel’s croak made me jump. I scrambled for our one remaining bottle. There wasn’t more than a few gulps left.
I lifted the bottle to Rachel’s lips and the water sloshed against them. Her eyes flew open, a raspy whine escaping her mouth. She lashed out, sending the bottle flying. Joshua and Tyler reached for her flailing arms but she calmed before they had to restrain her again.
Joshua got up, his breath hot against my ear as he leaned close. “It’s hydrophobia. Sometimes rabies stops people being able to swallow water and they become terrified in case they choke.”
So that’s why Rachel had difficulties drinking before we went into the tunnel.
“Isn’t there
Similar Books
