𝙵𝙻𝙴𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 𐂃

Chapter 3

As the days progressed, the weather remained the same. The sun penetrated through the bones, its heat radiating into the heavy day. Cristine worked until her skin took on a glossy shine on her complexion that bronzed over time into a rich brown. As she kept fastening the barbed wires together, the progress of her fortified fences were visible. She strengthened half of the extending acres and it took her all morning.

Stretching the arms of her muscles it was then that Cristine felt how wet her clothing had become, sticking onto her skin like a second layer. If Hailey could see her, she'd freak out. Amid the activity, the faint wind occasionally whispered. It tugged at the pulled back curls brushing against her nape, but Cristine brushed it aside with an irked motion. Just as she collected the tools from her shed to start with her little patch of planted crops, Cristine pinched her eyes together when she noted three slumping figures in the horizon treading towards her property.

Cristine slammed her bedroom door open and pointed Jake in the direction of her single bed. He carried the unconscious woman into her room and gently placed her on the bed. In the meantime Cristine rummaged through the cabinets for the emergency kit. From her peripheral she saw the adolescent gil awkwardly standing by herself, confused as to what to do. She seemes to be around or a bit younger than Hailey.

"What's your name?" Cristine scooped out the gauze, but in the meantime divided her attention between the simple task and the slightly startled girl. The grime and blood on her face cast uneven patches of shadows on her and her faint hollowed out cheekbones brought out her blue eyes, giving her a slightly malnourished feel.

"Alicia."

"Alicia, I need you to help me with your friend. Can you do that?" Cristine nodded, at least Alicia wasn't as spooked as she looked. "What's your friend's name?"

"Luciana." Alicia took a hesitant step forward and glanced at Jake for silent confirmation. He gave her a nod back to assure her the woman was worth trusting and knew what she was talking about. Her tense muscles of her body slowly unfolded when talking about treating Luciana's wounds. "Her name is Luciana," Alicia repeated, her voice stronger when organizing her thoughts.

"Alright, I need to control the bleeding of Luciana's wounds or she'll go in shock, but I need your help. Can you help me with that Alicia?"

"I can. I have some experience from volunteering at the County USC through high school." Alicia nodded and elaborated much to both Jake's and Cristine's surprise.

"Those are some good credentials," Cristine said impressed before handing her some more gauze and antibiotics whilst she took some tweezers and put on a pair disposable gloves. "USC is- was one largest public hospitals and medical training centers in the country, and the largest single provider of healthcare in Los Angeles county."

"You're a doctor?" Alicia asked curiously. It wouldn't be surprising if she did given the manner in which she spoke. Doctors were very hard to come by and every community would be wise to cherish anyone with medical experience. Even volunteer nurses such as herself.

"I went there a few times during my residency training. I studied infectious diseases," Cristine paused a beat when she found herself rambling and brought her gaze back to the unconscious Luciana. The woman was burning with a fever and her breaths were labored and faint. "So yes, I'm a doctor now."

Cristine looked in the direction of Alicia seated at the bedside of her friend Luciana. Most of the shrapnel of the bullet was removed, Luciana's shoulder was bandaged, and the bleeding stilled. The woman was unconscious but with her current state, they needed to bring her to the Ranch. There was better equipment there and she just brought a new stash of medical supplies on her last run to their infirmary. Leaning against the casing of the front door, Cristine handed Jake a bottle of water as the two stood by themselves to talk. After tending to her unexpected patient and checking the others, Cristine noted it was just Jake and these two strangers. No Charlie, no helicopter, no one else  Not to mention they were worse for wear and looked as if they returned from a war.

"What happened?"

Jake sighed his response tepid as his shoulders bounced indifferently. "The fuel depot got overrun. We lost a lot of people and had to evacuate. On the way back, we got shot down, lost hydraulics and had to do an emergency landing. We decided of double timing it back home, but it was best to come to your place since you got a vehicle and supplies." As always, Jake was trying to stay strong. Cristine saw it in the way his shoulders dipped and how his jaw clenched to keep whatever emotions about his god niece bottled up. She wouldn't pry, given that she was the exact same way of breaking down in front of others. That was reserved for private moments. "Charlie didn't make it. Told her to watch the draws west of the trails- she, uh- she got tangled with some dead. I put her down."

"Shit," Cristine wasn't as close to Charlie as Jake, but she was getting to know her. Charlene was a true belle and tomboy at heart. She helped with the training of the new recruits and somewhere, she somehow labeled Cristine as her partner, until that grew into a new friendship. At first, Cristine was wary of the blondes' angle as they had no real reason to interact. That, and she called Jeremiah her god uncle which was a red flag to her. Birds of a feather and everything, but Charlene proved to look past all of that. It probably helped that Jake probably put in a good word here and there.

"Well, you're part of our community and we look out for each other," Charlene had said with an easy smile before she brandished her blade and sprinted in the direction of the handful of infected on Cristine's plot of land.

Somewhere, Cristine buried her annoyance, as it wouldn't scare Charlene away. The woman was pretty alright once Cristine got to know her. Eventually she lost track of how often Charlene visited her outpost. Charlene did it for the change of scenery or simply when she wanted someone to listen to her other than her usual friends or her family.

"How are you?" Cristine asked Jake after silently reminiscing over Charlie's undeserving fate.

"I don't know how to tell the Daley's. We've known each other since we were kids... they're family and- now Pat and Dax have to do it without Charlie." Jake was an expert at deflecting when it came to talking about how he truly felt. He rather take everyone else's pain on his shoulders than face his own. Cristine wasn't surprised by his response and his deflection of the question. "I'm just glad you were able to help us and Luciana."

"New people, huh?" Glancing back, Cristine's eyes lingered on Luciana. Seeing the woman of Mexican descent laying there, Cristine could only think how her presence would be met with resistance before anything else. "What will happen to her?"

"You worried about the people back home?"

"Aren't you?" There would always be hurt and disdain for what Cristine had to go through in spite of finding her place and peace. Cristine wouldn't want anyone to go through what she had. So the protective feeling towards a person she barely knew blossomed unknowingly. "They can refuse her or make sure she leaves one way or another."

Jake shook his head and assured her, his voice betraying his exhaustion. "Troy and the rest won't do anything rash or stupid. We've lost more than just Charlie. Once I tell my dad what happened, he'll make sure to set things straight."

"Troy and the rest ever explain why it took them so long to get back?" Her inquiry was more rhetorical since she didn't have to hear Jake's answer to know it was the experiments. It was always the experiments and nothing was going to change that. Perhaps a slap on the wrist from Jeremiah, but other than that no real consequences. Jake would quietly accept them too and it pissed Cristine off.

"..." Jake's silence was just a confirmation that things would simply continue as they did before.

"Didn't think so either. So let's not make any reassurances when we both know this situation won't have any ramifications. Everyone was fine with it at the start and they'll be fine with it now. People just don't want it to be shoved in their faces."