Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 144: Something Is Coming

Chapter 144: Something Is Coming

I stared out the window in the kitchen as the camp was hit by a bad snowstorm, the windows on the north side of the house starting to ice over.

Unable to stop my smile, I watched the snowflakes dancing in the air like we were caught in a snow globe.

Snow like this used to drive me crazy when I was living in Toronto. It was sticky and heavy, great for building forts and snowmen, but almost impossible to shovel without putting out your back.

"Do you have any chocolate bars left?" I asked, knowing that Rip was right behind me. I wanted a glass of hot chocolate, but without milk, it wouldn’t taste the same.

I had milk and hot chocolate mix in the bunkers, but that didn’t do me any good when I was half a country away.

"I do," muttered Rip as he reached over top of my head and opened a cupboard. He grabbed the first chocolate bar he could find, but I held his arm, making him freeze.

"I’ll take the cookies and cream, please," I said with a smile as I saw the familiar white and blue wrapper. I loved white chocolate, and that was one of my go-tos. Rip looked at me like I was crazy, not knowing which one I was referring to.

I pointed to the one I wanted, and he grabbed it for me.

Unwrapping the bar, I took a small bite and moaned as the chocolate melted in my mouth, giving me a hit of sugar. Living here for over a year now had pretty much cured me of my addiction to sugar and energy drinks, but like any addict, I still had my cravings that never went away.

"You know I will get you out of here..." murmured Rip as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"I know," I agreed. And I did. I knew that Rip would do everything in his power short of painting a target on my back to get me out of there.

But on days like this, where the snow fell gently, encasing us in our own little world, I could pretend that the EMP never hit and I wasn’t trapped in Camp Hell.

I rested my full weight against Rip and let out a sigh of contentment. "This will be our future," he growled in my ear. "One day, you and I will be in a cabin just like this, looking at a lake in the middle of a snowstorm, and we will look back on this moment and know that this was all worth it."

I nodded, knowing that he was right, but there was still a part of me that wished...

Well, if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.

----

"Get the cage; everyone is going back to where they should be," growled Alpha from where he sat on our couch, sneering at me.

Spring had come, and the snow melted under the heat of the sun. Both Rip and I knew that it was only a matter of time before everything had returned to normal, but each day was a blessing that we didn’t want to take for granted.

"They stink," whined Alpha, like it was our plan to drive him crazy from the smell of his captives, but here we are.

"I’m sure if you let them use the washroom and take a shower once in a while, the smell wouldn’t be a problem," shot back Rip, raising an eyebrow to look at Alpha.

The truce between the two Reavers was a line in the sand getting thinner and thinner with every interaction.

"They are animals; they don’t get toilets and showers," answered Alpha with a wave of his hand.

"Then don’t be surprised that they stink." Rip’s temper was getting shorter, and while he had never turned it on me, I knew that the others in the camp weren’t so lucky.

And it made me so happy.

"I don’t give a fuck what you think. If you want to run this place, then you know what you need to do. Until then, shut the fuck up and fall in line," growled Alpha, coming to his feet from where he sat on the couch.

He went toe to toe with Rip as if daring the other man to strike, but Rip wasn’t that easy to provoke.

However, that didn’t mean that Alpha wasn’t. When Rip refused to back down, it was Alpha who had to avert his eyes and take a step back.

"We should be getting our latest group of fighters. I expect you to be in the ring tonight. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on the Healer when you are otherwise occupied." With those parting words, Alpha stormed out of our cabin, leaving Rip staring at his back.

"I don’t think I am going to be able to hold on much longer," he admitted, running his fingers through his hair. I nodded my understanding. I would be safe in my cage. Only Rip had my key, and I knew he wouldn’t be handing it over to anyone else. If he wanted to bring down the Alpha and take over his position, then that was fine.

"Whatever you need to do," I assured him. It was never a question on my end. I would stand beside him no matter what and drain the life out of those I could. "Come on, Big Guy, let’s get me back outside and into the sun."

Now that we had our marching orders, there was no point in postponing the inevitable.

Rip grunted but didn’t meet my eyes. He hated this more than I did, and that fact alone was enough to make me smile.

This time, when he crouched down in front of me, he made sure to snap the lock closed so that no one could open my door but him from here on out.

"Love you," I murmured, not sure if he could hear me or not. But I needed to say the words. I had no idea what would happen in the future, but my skin was buzzing like something big was going to happen soon.

The last time I felt like this, Bai Long Qiang walked out of our front door for the last time, and the apocalypse came.

I wouldn’t hold back my feelings or my tongue this time.

"Something is coming," I continued, looking into his eyes, praying that he would believe me. "Something big."

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