My chest hurt. “Ash, I’m so—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry,” she said sharply. “I don’t want your pity, and there’s no room for that kind of sentiment out here. I’m shocked that Wild Man hasn’t clued you into that yet.”
I swallowed hard. I had the impression that it didn’t matter what I said; she just needed to be heard.
“Anyway, joke was on him,” Asha said with a grim little smile. “I slit his throat when he was sleeping and snuck away. I’d been planning it for weeks. Just waited for him to get a little drunk, a little sloppy, and a little less careful. Then I let him fuck me, and after that, it was easy. I went to the Cave because it was the only place I knew might still have supplies I could use.”
I hesitated briefly, only because something in her tone didn’t ring true. But I was tired, and it’d been a very long couple of days. I practically jumped at shadows now.
So I let out a long exhale. “I’m glad.”
“Glad that I’m a killer?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I did things that’d make your hair curl, Claire, especially considering how innocentyou still seem. Have you ever even killed anyone, or have you been letting the Wastelander do the dirty work for you?”
I didn’t take the bait. “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through, Asha. But I’m glad you got away, and that you’re here now. I’ve missed you.”
Asha stared at me doubtfully. There was a darkness, an intensity, in her eyes that I’d never seen before.
“If that’s really true,” she said slowly, “then you’ll let me come with you to this farm you mentioned.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”
“Really? It’s not enough that you got the hunky Wastelander and the medicine and supplies from the Cave?” she said with a harsh laugh. “You don’t want to share any of your windfall with your oldest friend?”
“It’s not about that,” I said with a frown. “The farm belongs to John and Kimmy. It’s their decision. I’ll speak to John once we get back and help Kimmy, but I can’t promise anything.”
“You and the rest of the world.”
Asha turned away from me then and lay on the grass to sleep, making it clear that the conversation was over for now. Frankly, I was relieved…and then guilt seeped into my consciousness. She’d clearly suffered horribly, and meanwhile, I’d been out here falling in love with John and making friends with Kimmy, finding the family I’d never had. I didn’t regret my time away from the Cave. In fact, up until Kimmy had been injured, I’d have said it was the best time of my life.
I rubbed my eyes, exhausted. I was too worn out to worry about Asha right now, on top of everything else. I needed to stay alert. I comforted myself with the sound of John’s gentle snores and deep breathing, until the blood-red rays of dawn appeared on the horizon and the gradual crescendo of birdsong signaled it was time to leave again.
We returned to the cottage mid-afternoon. John dashed for the door once it was in sight, and I followed, leaving Asha trailing behind us.
Kimmy was lying face down in her sleeping bag, right where we’d left her inside the tent. John tied the flaps back for easier access as I examined her. Her eyes were closed, but I was relieved to see that she was still breathing—shallowly, but still. I dropped to my knees beside her, swallowing the lump in my throat at her flushed, clammy face. She burned with fever, her skin hot to the touch, and her eyelids fluttered as I unzipped her sleeping bag.
John rummaged through my bag to retrieve the vials of medicine as I peeled away the layers of bandages from Kimmy’s back. My nostrils were assailed with the putrid stench of rotting flesh, and I held my breath to stop myself from gagging.
“We’re back, Kim,” I said gently, pushing her fringe out of her eyes. “We got you medicine.”
Her eyes opened and she muttered something unintelligible, pupils blown wide, eyes glassy. She’d clearly slipped into delirium in our absence. It tore me up inside to see her so sick and helpless; she was usually so fearless.
“I got it,” John said, moving to Kimmy’s opposite side, loaded syringe in hand. “This is the Regenerex.”
“That one has to be injected near the wound,” I said. “Antibiotics are intramuscular.”
He nodded, then carefully inserted the needle into the putrid flesh around Kimmy’s wound, pressing down the plunger. A pocket of greenish pus had formed under the stitches, making my stomach turn. John followed the Regenerex with a shot of penicillin in her right flank. Kimmy gasped but otherwise remained still.
“So that’s her?”
I jumped at the sound of Asha’s voice; we’d been so absorbed in our work that I hadn’t noticed her enter the cottage. She stood in the doorway, staring at Kimmy with curiosity in her eyes.
“Yes,” I replied with a sigh. “She’s not doing well, but at least we made it in time.”
I turned to John. “I should change her dressings.”
He nodded. “I’ll gather firewood. Once you’re done, you should wash up and get some sleep. As soon as Kimmy is well enough to move, we’re leaving.”
I retrieved Kimmy’s medical kit and began measuring clean bandages. John headed towards the door. Asha shuffled out of his way, looking awkward.
