Free Survival Instinct by Kay Glass Page B

things went to Hell. So I started slipping away to this cabin on leave and preparing it.” He frowned, apparently worried about how that sounded. “I’m not one of those doomsday people, nor do I wander around with a bug-out bag, waiting for the end of the world. But I knew things would be bad someday, and just in case it was in my lifetime, I wanted to be prepared. Whenever my friends wanted to donate clothes, I stockpiled them. I added to the… selection in here a little at a time. I just wanted to know I would be safe if I needed to be.”
    Nadine nodded thoughtfully. It made sense to her. She’d lived on base for years, and she , too, knew how things went. She may not have been a soldier, but she’d been engaged to one and heard the best and worst about people, and the best and worst of the military itself. They played with toys they didn’t understand, like children fascinated by electrical outlets. An accident was as inevitable as it was tragic.
    Ryan picked up a coin, dancing it across his knuckles with a dexterity that spoke of practice. “Tell me about yourself, Nadine.” At her frown, he shrugged before switching the coin to his left hand and starting the dance again. “ Look, who the Hell knows how long we’re going to be here? We need to do something or go insane. And I don’t like the idea of sharing space with someone who won’t talk to me. So I’d like to know about you. Why not start with something simple- how far along are you?”
    To his shock and horror, Nadine started sobbing. He made a helpless gesture and moved as though to comfort her, but she waved him off. “It’s these damned hormones,” she said in a watery voice. “I’m about 27 weeks along, and apparently all I’m good for at this point is shedding tears.” The disgust was thick in her voice as she raised the hem of her shirt to mop her face. She didn’t really want to talk about her life- after all, that was the past, and it would never be the same as it used to be. That part of her life was as over as the reign of dinosaurs, so what good did it do to dig it all up? But she knew his story now, and it was only fair to return the favor. She wouldn’t be comfortable being with someone mysterious, so she shouldn’t expect him to be fine with it, either. “I was only 19 when I met Graham,” she began. It wasn’t so difficult, really. Painful, but also cathartic. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who understood the way things used to be, and who understood loss. So she told him everything, and when the tears came next, they were healing, wiping away some of the sorrow from her soul.
    Ryan said nothing in response to her story , merely sat quiet as he played with the coin. Nadine supposed he was giving her time to deal with the emotional whirlwind she’d been through, and she appreciated that. When he handed her some tissues, she took them with a smile of gratitude and nothing more. No words were necessary now- they both had a lot to process.
    Now that she’d vented, she really did feel better. Her mind felt clearer, and she was nearly overwhelmed with relief. It had been so long since she’d been able to really think. She’d been running, hiding, scavenging and killing for almost 15 weeks now, and it was kind of scary to be able to stop and relax, to really sleep and sleep deeply without fear. 15 weeks since the military had destroyed everything and everyone she’d ever cared about… which reminded her…
    “Why is the military after you?” Nadine asked bluntly. She folded her arms beneath her aching, swollen breasts- just one more annoying side effect of this pregnancy, she thought bitterly.
    Ryan looked at her, shock writ large over his face. Either he truly was stunned by her question or the man should have a dusty shelf of Emmys upstairs. “What the Hell does that mean? As far as I know, no one is chasing me. I’ve been here for weeks now and no one has ever come after me… except you,” he said with a