steamtrain52

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Twenty-Seven

Well. Well, well, well. Here we are.

The final chapter. I honestly cannot believe I'm writing these words, but we have finally arrived at the conclusion of our story- and in an extraordinary twist of fate, it is being published on the 10th of August, 2025, which would be Tommy's 47th birthday. I have to admit, I NEVER thought when I chose that date that things would line up so perfectly, but here we are.

Thank you so much for following me here. Now read on to finally- FINALLY- reach the end of No Ordinary Boy! 😊

  Two days after Ben passed away, Natalie held Tommy’s hand as they walked towards the plane taking them home, the Yellowjackets and their families behind them. 

  Although they had tried to leave Seattle quietly, the press simply would not stop dogging them, following them out the hospital and all the way to the airport, taking what had to be hundreds, if not thousands of photographs as people desperately tried to find out what had happened to them.

  “Thomas!” Natalie heard one of them say, as she clambered onto the plane. “Is it true you killed two of the girls out there?”

  Natalie whirled around, on the verge of screaming various obscenities, but Tommy pulled her inside the plane before she could say anything.

  “It’s alright”, he whispered to her. “It’ll be alright.”

  But it wasn’t alright. Frankly, Natalie was surprised that charges hadn’t been pressed against Tommy already. In hindsight, it may not have been the smartest move to openly confess to the police that Jackie and Mari were dead because of him. 

  Mari was a clear-cut case of self-defence. The previous day, what had seemed like an entire team of police detectives, American and Canadian both, had come into the hospital and tried to get the full story on what had happened to them out there. When Natalie and Javi had spoken to them, they had spun the best tale they could of Mari, driven mad by cold and hunger, chasing Natalie across the ice while Javi, who had ‘seen what happened’, running to get Tommy, who had gone after them and put a bullet through Mari’s chest to save Natalie’s life. 

  Natalie knew the rest of the Yellowjackets had echoed this version of events in their own interviews. It wasn’t like they had a choice- the only alternative was, well… admitting that they had been right in on the plan to hack Natalie to death and eat her, before Tommy snapped them out of it.

   Truth be told, Natalie still had nightmares about that day sometimes. But it only confirmed in her mind that when this was all over… she didn’t really want anything to do with the Yellowjackets after that. 

  She’d thought they were… well, not friends, maybe, but they had been her teammates on the soccer field for the better part of a school year, where they had gone undefeated across the entire state. 

  That had meant something to Natalie at the time, but now… now, she just wanted to grab Tommy and take him far away from Wiskayok, where they could raise their baby in peace. And that would be exactly what her plan was, if it wasn’t… if it wasn’t for Jackie.

  Tommy had been the only one to go without an interview yesterday. His father had clearly coached him on what to say, because Tommy had told the police he would not speak without a lawyer present, and Natalie knew why.

  Personally, she doubted that the case of Mari’s death would ever make it to court. But Jackie… that was never going to be easy to get past.

  Everyone, including her, had made it clear to the police yesterday that Jackie had tried to take her own life by passing away quietly in her sleep, only for it to backfire horribly with her catching frostbite instead. 

  Natalie had been especially careful- she had made sure to state to the police that Tommy had told her Jackie was going to die, but not that he had said he was going to kill her to end her suffering. 

  She knew the Yellowjackets would back this up, if they were asked- if they didn’t, Natalie would sing like a canary about them chasing her across the ice, right next to Mari. There was no evidence to support that, of course, but Natalie knew her former teammates’ families would be horrified by the sudden revelation. 

  As the plane flew them back to New Jersey, Natalie laid her head on Tommy’s shoulder, and closed her eyes.

  Please don’t let him be charged because of Jackie. Anyone with a heart would know Tommy didn’t have a choice.

  She had to believe that. Because if Tommy went to prison for Jackie’s death… they would both be in their forties by the time he got out. 

  If he ever did. 

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  They buried Ben a week later. A quiet, private funeral, where he was laid to rest right beside Tommy’s grandparents.

  Paul had come as well- Tommy had called him and let him know the details. After the coffin was lowered into the ground, Tommy had turned to Paul, to try and say something, but Paul had turned quietly away and walked out of the graveyard, his shoulders heaving as Tommy watched him go.

  Tommy wondered if he would ever see his brother’s boyfriend again. Somehow… he doubted it. 

  Once they got home, his father asked him to sit down at the kitchen table.

  “I’m sorry to do this so soon, but… I have heard through my contacts that… that Mari’s Ibarra’s death has already been ruled as self-defence, but… the… the authorities are building a case against you, for Jacqueline Taylor”, Jonathan Scott said, sadly. “If it goes to court…”

  Tommy felt Natalie’s hand tighten in his. “I could go to prison, for first-degree murder”, he said. 

  He felt… calm, oddly enough. He wasn’t sure why- if he was convicted, Tommy would spend the next twenty-five years in prison, at least. 

  But it had been first-degree murder. Tommy had planned Jackie’s death before killing her. He had confessed as much to the police. 

  His only hope, really, was that the people who held his life in their hands would understand the extenuating circumstances behind Jackie’s death.

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  Jonathan watched as the police came to the house three days after the funeral, charging Thomas with first-degree murder for the death of Jacqueline Taylor. With his connections, he had managed to convince them to wait until after his older son’s funeral. That didn’t make it easier to watch his younger son leaving his home in handcuffs. 

  Natalie quickly became hysterical, following the officers out the door as they led Thomas to their car before collapsing to her knees on the porch, weeping and moaning while Jonathan saw his wife go to hold their daughter-in-law in her arms. 

  Only the previous day, Thomas and Natalie had gone down to the local courthouse and signed the documents to legally bind them as husband and wife, before a short ceremony confirming it. 

  They had celebrated later that night at the house… only to be woken up the next morning by the police banging on the door with a warrant for Thomas’ arrest. 

  Jonathan winced as the sound of Natalie’s wailing filled his ears, and he became even more determined to help his son.

  You will not spend one day longer than necessary in there, Thomas. Not if I have anything to say about it.

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  In the documentaries that would later come out about what the Yellowjackets had gone through, the People of the State of New Jersey v Thomas Matthew Scott would be seen as the final chapter of the tragedy that had befallen the Yellowjackets. 

  Not that Tommy knew that, as he was led away in the police car, taking one last look back at his house.

  He immediately wished he hadn’t- the sight of Natalie crumpled like a leaf on the porch, with Helen Scott holding her, was enough to bring Tommy to tears as the car drove away. 

  Only last night, in the wake of their second wedding, Natalie and he had made love for the first time since Lottie’s assault. It had been so beautiful, both of them had cried with joy. Tommy didn’t think either of them were crying with joy now. 

  “For what it’s worth”, he heard the officer driving the car say, “none of us wanted to do this, you know. We all… we all think you’ve been through enough.”

  Tommy saw the cop give him a half-hearted smile in the rear-view mirror, but Tommy didn’t feel like smiling back. 

  Tommy had spent his eighteenth birthday in the Canadian wilderness.

  He would spend his nineteenth in a prison cell. 

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  As the weeks passed, eventually becoming a month, more funerals took place at the graveyard in Wiskayok.

  Mari had been cremated, her family having their own private ceremony, but Natalie had still attended the ceremony for Jackie. Then Coach Martinez. Then Laura Lee… brave, foolish Laura Lee. There was even a memorial held for Crystal, though there was no body for her family to bury, of course. 

  Misty had been charged with reckless endangerment by the police, though due to a lack of evidence- namely, that there was no body to confirm it- Crystal’s death was ruled an accident. As far as Natalie knew, Misty did not spend so much as a single night in jail. 

  Shauna did, though. After the testimonies given by various Yellowjackets, Natalie included, Shauna was arrested and charged with causation, in the wounding of Coach Scott which had subsequently led to his death. She was allowed to go home after her parents posted bail the day after her arrest, but Natalie was fairly confident Shauna would end up doing time for her actions. 

  Natalie was happy enough about this, but her mood quickly darkened one day, in the month after Tommy’s arrest, when Jonathan walked in the door of the Scott’s home, pale and shaking. 

  “Darling?” Helen Scott asked. “What- what is it?”

  “I just spoke to Charlotte Matthews’ father. He said she’s been committed to a mental institution.”

  Good, Natalie thought. Lottie could rot there, as far as she was concerned, after what she had done to Tommy. 

  The next words Tommy’s father spoke would sour this satisfied feeling.

  “According to Mr. Matthews… Charlotte is pregnant. And she’s saying… she’s saying Thomas is the father.”

  Jonathan Scott looked at her. “Natalie… is this true? Please tell us it’s not true.”

  Natalie hesitated. Tommy has asked her not to tell his parents about Lottie’s assault, but now… it didn’t seem she had much choice.

  As she began to explain, she saw the looks of shock and horror spread across the faces of her parents-in-law, and found herself hating Lottie even more than she already did.

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  After Jonathan had learned of Charlotte Matthews’ actions from Natalie, he had jumped in his car the very next day and driven to the Matthews household.

  Once they had let him in, he had at first stated that he intended to take Charlotte to trial for what she had done to Thomas, but after her parents had quietly explained their daughter’s condition, Jonathan had agreed to settle out of court. 

  He had instantly seen how any trial against Charlotte would likely result, especially after her parents produced him with certifications of her condition by multiple doctors. It wasn’t hard to see that no matter what Jonathan or Natalie or anyone else threw at Charlotte Matthews in a courtroom, she was all but guaranteed to be acquitted on the grounds of insanity. 

  “After the baby is born, we are sending her away”, Malcolm Matthews stated to Jonathan, tearful but firm. “There is an institute in Switzerland that will take her. We hear it’s a wonderful place…”

  Jonathan hesitated, before asking his next question. “What about the child?”

  Charlotte’s parents looked at each other. “We… we don’t know”, Emilia Matthews said. “Lottie… we tried to have the baby… taken care of, when we found out about it, but Lottie… she wouldn’t let us. She kept saying ‘it’s a blessing from the wilderness. The wilderness won’t let anyone murder its child’.” 

  So, she really is insane, Jonathan thought. If Charlotte Matthews hadn’t raped his son, he might have actually felt sorry for her. 

  “If Thomas is acquitted, the courts will most likely grant custody of the child to him”, Jonathan said. 

  “And… if he is convicted?” Malcolm asked, tentatively. 

  Jonathan made sure to give the other man the most vicious scowl he could.

  “No matter the actions of my son- or your daughter- the child is innocent. I will not allow them to be raised thinking that they are unloved. If Thomas is convicted, my wife and I will raise his child… that is, if you are unwilling.”

  Though Jonathan had at first been wary of the idea of raising the child brought about by Charlotte Matthews’ rape of his son, Helen had managed to bring him around, in the end. 

  The baby is innocent, Jonathan. And no matter the circumstances… it will still be our grandchild. Our family. We do not abandon family in this household. 

  Jonathan saw Malcolm and Emilia glance at each other, and he knew- instantly- what they were going to say. 

  Neither Jonathan nor his wife had come from upper-class families, but they were not ignorant to how they functioned. Even in modern-day society, as they stood on the verge of a new millennium, the upper class did not do well with a scandal like this. When choosing between supporting their daughter having a child out of wedlock, and sending both mother and baby away, out of sight and out of mind… Jonathan saw the answer Malcolm and Emilia Matthews were about to give him, before they even opened their mouths. 

  “We… we think it would be for the best if the baby was raised in your family”, Malcolm said, quietly. 

  “We have heard that Natalie is pregnant, as well”, Emilia added. “It… it will be good for your son’s children to grow up together.”

  She gave Jonathan a weak smile, which he did not reciprocate as he turned to leave. 

  God in heaven. I hope Natalie understands. 

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  Natalie had not been happy with Jonathan, after he had returned from the Matthews household only to tell her that not only would Lottie most likely not be convicted, but that they were expected to raise her baby whether or not Tommy spent his life in prison. 

  At least Lottie is being sent away, Natalie thought. She is most welcome to stay in Switzerland if she wishes. For the next hundred years, or so…

  In the time since then, she tried to come to terms with the fact that she would essentially be a mother to not one, but two babies at the age of nineteen. Of course, Jonathan and Helen would not abandon her, and neither would her own mother, but Natalie still felt so terribly, terribly alone without Tommy, as time dragged on. 

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  As Natalie told him the news, Tommy felt a rush of emotions. 

  Shock. Horror. Guilt. Shame. Yes, shame most of all. He looked away, unable to meet his wife’s eyes.

  “Hey.”

  Reluctantly, Tommy turned his head back to face Natalie, on the other side of the glass.

  “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.” 

  Tommy saw the tears in her eyes, and felt his own beginning to brew.

  “I love you”, he croaked.

  “I love you, too.”

  Natalie flattened her hand against the glass, and Tommy flattened his own against it. 

  “You’ll be out of here soon. You will, Tommy. Never stop believing that. Please.”

  The please caught Tommy off-guard, but it strengthened his determination.

  They had to fight this. By whatever means they could.

  “You and me?” Natalie asked.

  “You and me.” 

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  In the second month after their return, Natalie received a wedding invitation, set for three weeks from then. Namely, the wedding of one Shauna Shipman and Jeff Sadecki.

  Natalie had laughed out loud for the first time since watching her husband being led away in handcuffs, and threw the invitation in the trash, still chortling at the thought of Shauna being strong-armed into her own shotgun wedding. 

  Jackie had been right- Shauna didn’t even like Jeff. None of them did, really, not even Jackie, Natalie thought. She wondered how Shauna would adjust to having Jeff as her husband, before she was convicted for the death of Tommy’s brother.

  Good luck with that, Shipman. Or will it be Sadecki, now?

  Whichever it was, Shauna appeared to take Natalie’s absence from her wedding as a personal insult, because in the third month after their rescue, Natalie received another invitation to Jeremy’s christening. 

  As she stared at the invitation, Natalie felt her blood boil.

  You are hereby invited to the christening of Jeremy Jeffrey Sadecki, set for Saturday the 25th of October, 1997.

  Jeremy Jeffrey Sadecki. Not Jeremy Thomas, as Shauna had promised after Jeremy was born. Jeremy Jeffrey. 

  Poor kid, Natalie thought, as she threw this invitation in the trash as well. Probably gonna grow up to be a clueless moron. Just like his daddy. 

  Whatever- Jeremy was no longer any concern of hers, or Tommy’s. He was in the care of his family, and it would be up to them to raise Jeremy right. 

  Finally, in mid-November of 1997, four months after their return, Natalie got the news of how a judge had taken their circumstances into consideration, and sentenced Shauna to three years in prison for her actions, two with good behaviour.

  Natalie was disgusted- Tommy’s brother was dead, and all Shauna got was three years? Tommy was still sitting in prison, awaiting his own trial, and looking down the barrel of twenty-five to life if he was convicted. How was that fair?

  It wasn’t, and that was what lead to Natalie’s next plan. With the help of Tommy’s parents, she started to see what they could do about gathering support for her husband in advance of his trial. 

  Natalie published an article in Wiskayok’s local paper, detailing Tommy’s many heroic deeds in their time trapped in the wilderness. In turn, this led to them starting to attract attention from outside sources, as it seemed one of the Yellowjackets, at least, was finally willing to talk to the public about what had happened.

  Even so, Natalie and Tommy’s parents were still surprised by the onslaught of support they received.

  “So, Natalie… what can you tell us about your husband?” Oprah Winfrey asked Natalie, as they sat together in front of the audience.

  Natalie could barely believe she was here, on live television, and she tried to steel herself for what to say. 

  But at six months pregnant, with her husband sitting in jail, Natalie Scott felt like she was about to break down. 

  “I… I can tell you he’s the most remarkable person I’ve ever met”, she said, as she felt the tears come to her eyes.

  Uh oh.

  “I can t-tell you that we wouldn’t have made it out of there without him. We wouldn’t have made it through w-winter- no, we wouldn’t have made it to winter if he wasn’t there. It’s because of him that I’m even h-here, speaking right now.”

  Natalie cradled her swollen stomach as the tears began to fall.

  “It’s not fair”, she murmured. “It’s not. Jackie was dying anyway. Tommy saved her from weeks of pain. There was… there was nothing else any of us could have done to ease her suffering.”

  She looked out, and glared at the cameras. “And anyone who thinks Tommy should spend his life in prison for that is… is truly heartless.” 

  “Okay”, Oprah said, softly. “Do you… do you want to take a break?”

  Natalie shook her head. “I wish… I wish he was here”, she said.

  “I’m sure you do.”

  “I… I want him here. I want him to be there when the baby’s born. I want him to be there when we raise them, together. It’s… it’s not fair. And if the people who are behind his conviction are watching this…”

  She looked back at the cameras. “We have been through enough. Let it end… please let it end, so we can move on with our lives. That’s… the only way. The only way any of us can heal from what we’ve lost.” 

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  “Damn”, one of Tommy’s fellow prisoners said to him, as they watched Natalie’s interview. “I sure wish I had someone like that on the outside.”

  He turned to Tommy. “You’re a lucky guy. You know that?”

  “I know”, Tommy whispered. 

  He had spent the last four months waiting around, bored out of his mind as he waited for his trial. 

  The truth was… prison was mind-numbingly boring. Tommy had spent the last few months learning to play just about every type of card game there was, when he wasn’t lifting weights in the prison gym or reading books. 

  When he had first arrived, he had been surprised by the sympathy shown to him by the guards, and even some of his fellow prisoners after he told them his story. 

  “You don’t seem like much of a murderer to me”, his pod boss, the prisoner in charge of his cell black, had said to him. “I’ve seen a few come through here in my time. You don’t really fit the general description.”

  The older man had held out his hand, which Tommy had shaken, and from then on, pretty much everyone hadn’t bothered him. He’d even managed to make a few friends. 

  Trade was a big thing in prison, and eventually about two months after his arrest, Tommy had ended up with a copy of Rogue Warrior, written by former Navy SEAL Richard Marcinko.

  “That guy was a badass”, the prisoner lending Tommy the book said to him. “Hey… maybe your dad knew him, huh?”

  In the wake of Tommy’s arrest, the reporters had dug into his family history, and it was now common knowledge that Tommy’s father had been a Green Beret in Vietnam. 

  “Uh… I don’t know, maybe. I’ll ask him when I see him next.” 

  When Tommy had read through the book by the infamous SEAL, it had been his first real glimpse into the United States Navy’s answer to the Green Berets. 

  Up until Flight 2525 had gone down, Tommy’s plan for after school had been to go to Rutgers and get his degree, then enlist in the Army for a few years before applying for Special Forces selection. 

  But as he read through Rogue Warrior, Tommy was surprised to find himself taken in by the culture of the SEALs, known as ‘Frogmen’ to each other, and began to wonder if maybe a different path was the best for him.

  He’d always loved the water. He loved swimming in the pool, and diving into the lakes on his family’s hunting trips… and though he’d never considered joining any branch other than the Army, he’d always found himself slightly apprehensive about being stuck on a base in the American Midwest, as he was during his childhood.

  The SEALs, on the other hand, had two bases. One in Coronado, on the West Coast, and one in Virginia Beach, on the East. If he passed their form of selection… Tommy would never be far away from the water. And neither would his child. 

  Huh. Well… no harm in trying, I guess.

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  “You still want to enlist?” Jonathan Scott asked. He was slightly taken aback, as he looked at Thomas through the glass.

  “Yes”, Thomas nodded. “I’ve given it some thought, and… well, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and I still want to do it, even now. You know… if I ever get out.”

  Jonathan hesitated. 

  “Are… are you sure?” He said. “I mean, I know you’ve always talked about doing it, but… are you sure you don’t want to go to college, first? Your admittance to Rutgers is still valid.”

  “I’m sure. It’s not that I don’t want to go to college later on, but Dad… this is what I want to do.” 

  Thomas smiled, but Jonathan didn’t feel like smiling back.

  “Well… alright, it that’s what you want. But how about we get you acquitted, first, hm?” He said.

  Then before Jonathan turned to go, he realised there was something else he needed to say.

  “By the way, that Martinez boy… Javier?”

  “Javi, yeah. What about him?”

  “He keeps coming by the house, asking about selection. He wants to go into the Army and try out for selection when he graduates from school.”

  Jonathan chose not to mention that he had started to put Javier through his paces, training him to do push-ups and sit-ups, to carry rucksacks with heavy rocks in them, and even the basics of navigation, though he hadn’t taken Javier into the woods yet. 

  Jonathan had expected the young boy to quit after the first session, but Javier had stuck it out so far, and had even started to bring his older brother along. Jonathan hadn’t said it out loud, but privately he thought the Martinez brothers both had the potential to wear the green beret one day. 

  “That’s great”, Thomas said. “Javi’s a good guy- he was with me and Natalie when we hiked our way out. He never complained once.” 

  “Good… that’s good. Well, train how you can, I suppose. Start lifting weights, watch your diet as well. Oh… and start running, if they let you. You’ll need it.” 

  He saw Thomas’ face fall. “I really… really hoped you weren’t going to say that last part”, he said, making Jonathan laugh. 

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  Christmas of 1997 passed them by, and they entered the new year, but there was still no word on when the trial would begin. 

  On the bright side, Natalie had gotten the support for Tommy she wanted, in the wake of her interview with Oprah. 

  From what she’d heard, some very important people were starting to take notice, and even Jackie’s parents had given them a call on New Year’s Day, to welcome them to 1998. 

  Natalie took that as a good sign- in the aftermath of Tommy’s arrest, according to Tommy’s father, his contacts in the police had notified him that the autopsy on Jackie’s remains had come back, confirming the presence of frostbite. 

  That had been five, almost six months ago now, and Natalie was well into her third trimester of pregnancy.

  She missed Tommy so badly. His parents had been wonderful to her, but Natalie would regularly cry herself to sleep at night, and when she finally drifted off, found herself plagued by nightmares of the terrible place they had been trapped in for thirteen months.

  Sometimes, Natalie would find herself thinking back to certain events. The plane crash, the séance, Jackie lying on the floor with frostbitten hands and toes, Tommy falling through the ice after they’d dragged the moose out of the water, Mari falling face down after Tommy shot her, gasping as the breath left her body for the last time…

  Natalie buried her head in her hands, and didn’t move from them for what felt like hours. Eventually, on a whim, she decided to travel to her mother’s house, and as she waddled like a penguin to the car, Natalie felt the tears beginning to drip down her cheeks. 

  They didn’t stop on the way over, nor as Natalie got out and waddled towards the front door, ringing the doorbell as she looked down. 

  She kept looking down as she heard the door open, and her mother’s voice called out in surprise.

  “Natalie? Are- are you alright?”

  Natalie raised her head as she began to bawl, the tears now running in rivers down her face.

  “It’s not fair”, she choked. “They c-can’t convict him. They can’t. It’s not f-f-fairrrr...”

  “I know”, Vera said soothingly, wrapping her arms around Natalie as she sobbed, the two of them collapsing onto the porch together. “I know, sweetheart, I know. It will be alright.” 

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  Eventually, in mid-January, Jonathan finally heard his son’s trial would take place in four weeks.

  He was surprised- Thomas had only been in jail for six months. Usually, in a murder trial, it took maybe a year after conviction for the trial itself to take place.

  He supposed his contacts may have had something to do with it- maybe they were rushing the prosecution, telling them to get it over with.

  After Natalie’s interview, there had been an outpouring of support for Thomas, with many influential figures calling for his release.

  Even the parents of some of Thomas’ fellow survivors had given interviews, stating their support for Jonathan’s son, and thanking Thomas for getting their daughters back to them. Jonathan had been especially relieved when Jacqueline Taylor’s parents had made an appearance as well, stating their support, and giving their thanks to Thomas for ending their daughter’s suffering. 

  The parents of Charlotte Matthews, meanwhile, had remained quiet. Jonathan very much hoped they would stay that way. 

  As for the family of Mari Ibarra… from what Jonathan had heard, they had arranged for their daughter to be cremated, after which they had left Wiskayok behind. 

  Nobody had heard from them since. For what it was worth, Jonathan hoped they would find peace. Mari Ibarra had been the oldest of four children, and her parents and siblings did not deserve to be ostracised for what she had done. 

  When he told Helen and Natalie what he had learned, he saw Natalie sigh in relief as she rubbed her belly. 

  “With any luck, he’ll be out before the baby’s born”, she said.

  Jonathan wished he shared her enthusiasm, but he knew murder trials could take a very long time.

  Years, if they were unlucky. 

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  Finally, in mid-February, Tommy was marched into a courtroom to be tried by a judge. According to his lawyer, a longtime friend of his father and fellow former Green Beret, as he had already confessed, the actual need for a jury had been negated. 

  As he had watched from the van driving him to the court, he had been taken aback by the simply enormous crowd outside the court, with many people waving signs stating his innocence, claiming that he should be released… even calling him a hero, much to his embarrassment. 

  In all honesty, the person Tommy was most worried about was Natalie. Although she had to be in the final few weeks of her pregnancy, Natalie had still waddled determinedly into the courtroom and sat right down in the front row, directly behind Tommy. 

  This had been deliberate on her part- she had told Tommy in the week before the trial that she would present herself publicly, to show the judge what would happen if they declared him guilty. 

  Tommy had been apprehensive of this, but both his lawyer and his parents had approved, stating that under the circumstances, they had to take any advantage they could get. 

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  The judge, whose name was Raymond Brown, was already feeling the pressure, even before the trial had begun.

  When Brown had learned that the case of the People of the State of New Jersey v Thomas Matthew Scott had been assigned to him, he had been surprised, to say the least.

  The murder of Jacqueline Taylor had taken place in the Canadian province of British Columbia, but as Brown had learned, the Canadians wanted nothing to do with it, so here he was, judging a case that had drawn as much attention on national television as the trial of O.J. Simpson himself. 

  Brown was not here to determine Scott’s guilt. Scott had already confessed to ending Taylor’s life. 

  No, what Brown was here to do was judge whether or not Scott should be convicted of first-degree murder, which would result in him spending at least twenty-five years in prison, or dismiss the case entirely, allowing him to walk free. 

  In the fifteen years Brown had spent as a Superior Court judge in the state of New Jersey, he had sentenced more than his share of murderers to life imprisonment. 

  But this was no ordinary murderer. Honestly… Brown found it a stretch to call Scott a murderer at all, though of course he kept that to himself.

  As he gazed at the young man in front of him, Brown saw a young woman sitting behind him, whose swollen belly told Brown she was mere weeks, if not days away from giving birth.

  Brown knew who she was, of course. Just about everyone in the world had seen the interview Natalie Scott had given by now.

  She is too young. They both are, Brown thought, before he cleared his throat to announce the beginning of the trial. 

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  What followed was, by far, the longest few weeks of Tommy’s life, as both his lawyer and the prosecution tried to turn half-truths (and at times, outright lies) into proof ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ as they put if. 

  Tommy had to hand it to the prosecution- they were careful in how they laid out what had happened, stating how what Tommy had done to Jackie fit perfectly within the definition of first-degree murder.

  The first week, Tommy had been convinced that the judge would convict him, and so was Natalie- more than once, Tommy would turn around to find her staring at him, tears running down her cheeks, as though she was trying to preserve this last memory of them together. 

  During the breaks in the trial, Tommy would reach for his wife, and as their fingers interlocked, he would try to calm her down. 

  “It’ll be alright, we still have so much to say-”

  “Will that even be enough?” Natalie asked. “You heard what they said- you fit the definition.”

  Tommy squeezed her hands. “It’ll be alright”, he repeated. “I know it.”

  He smiled at Natalie in an attempt to comfort her, but she only looked more aggrieved. 

  “You’ve never looked more beautiful, you know?”

  He saw Natalie blush. “Shut up. I look like a planet.”

  “The most beautiful planet in the universe”, Tommy laughed, making his wife blush even harder. 

    000000000000000000000000

  Eventually, the witnesses- or in other words, their fellow survivors- began to appear on the stand to give their testimonies.

  It was to Natalie’s relief that the Yellowjackets all confirmed that Jackie had been already dying from frostbite, which was backed up by the pathologist who had done Jackie’s autopsy.

  She couldn’t say she blamed them- in the weeks leading up to the trial, she had visited each and every one of them individually, stating that if they so much as indicated Tommy had killed Jackie for any reason other than to end her suffering, Natalie was perfectly happy to travel to the nearest police station and tell them the truth behind Mari’s death. 

  Of course, Natalie would be charged as well for lying to the police. But at this point… she just didn’t care anymore.

  If I go down, you murderous bitches… you’re coming with me. 

  She had waited seven long months for them to get to this point, and she wanted her husband back home.

  Natalie Scott would do anything to make that happen. Anything at all. 

    000000000000000000000000

  As the Yellowjackets spoke, one after the other, Tommy began to feel hope again swelling in his chest, which only grew once the pathologist confirmed Jackie’s frostbite.

  The prosecution was right. His actions in regard to Jackie did fit the description of first-degree murder… but surely, under the circumstances, the judge would at least be considering making an exception in his case.

    000000000000000000000000

  Judge Brown mulled over the evidence presented to him once he went home for the day, as they reached the end of the third week of the trial. 

  Thomas Scott had murdered Jacqueline Taylor. That had been clearly established. 

  But as far as murder went… it wasn’t hard to see that Scott had had no choice. 

  Besides the pathologist, Brown had also been presented with the testimony of a specialist from Yale Medicine, who had treated many cases of frostbite in the past.

  That particular testimony had set the lid on this case, in Brown’s opinion, as the specialist stated that, in their learned opinion, there was no scenario where Jacqueline Taylor would have survived her injuries without medical treatment.

  And the Yellowjackets had had no form of medical treatment out there, save for perhaps the most ancient.

  Brown had spent the last three weeks trying to put himself in the shoes of Thomas Scott, trapped in the Canadian wilderness, with no idea when help would arrive, if it ever did. Truth be told, Brown admired Scott and his companions for the courage they had shown in the face of such insurmountable odds, especially in the way they had rescued themselves, in the end.  

  Scott’s wife had been right, in her interview- it wasn’t fair, her husband being tried for murder. None of what had happened to them could even remotely be considered fair. 

  Brown was aware that he might be setting a dangerous precedent in the final decision he was to make. But there was no denying that Scott had been through enough. Every one of those poor children had been through enough- they had had to eat their own friends, for God’s sake, when the only other option had been starving to death.

  After all that had happened to him and his companions, it would take a monster to sentence Scott to life imprisonment.

  And while Brown prided himself on being a guardian of the law… he was not a monster. 

    000000000000000000000000

  As Tommy settled himself into the courtroom the next morning, he was surprised to see Natalie was not sitting next to his family, as she had done every day of the trial so far.

  His father leaned forward. “It’s alright, she just wasn’t feeling well. She wanted to stay in bed today.” 

  Can’t blame her for that, I suppose, Tommy thought, as he turned back towards the judge.

  “Over the last few weeks, we have seen a variety of testimonies”, Judge Brown began. “A variety of evidence as well, that would be enough to sentence the defendant to life imprisonment if this fit the case of traditional first-degree murder.”

  Tommy saw him take a breath, and continue.

  “In all my time as a public official”, Judge Brown said, “I have never seen a case like this. No public official I know has ever seen a case like this. The defendant chose to end the life of Miss Jacqueline Taylor; that has never been in doubt. But under the circumstances… it seems to me that, beyond reasonable doubt, even if the defendant had not been through enough punishment before the death of Miss Taylor took place… he has certainly been through enough of it since then.”

  Oh, my God. 

  “Therefore, in the matter of the People of the State of New Jersey v. Thomas Matthew Scott… the case is hereby dismissed. I wish you and your family a long and happy life, Mr. Scott, and offer my congratulations on the upcoming birth of your child.” 

  Tommy almost didn’t hear that last part- he was already leaning over, holding his head in his hands as the tears began to pour down his cheeks. 

  As he slowly rose to his feet on shaky legs, he was enveloped by his parents as they slowly walked out of the courtroom together, walking through the crowd of screaming and applauding people outside. 

  As they did so, Tommy saw his father answer his mobile phone.

  “Vera? Wait, wait, slow down… what?!”

  “What? What is it?” 

  But as Jonathan Scott turned to him, Tommy saw him smile, and he realised what had happened, as the butterflies began fluttering in his stomach.

    000000000000000000000000

  Natalie had begun the day feeling so sick and tired and wrung-out by the experience of watching her husband on trial, she had chosen to stay behind that day at the Scott’s home. 

  She hoped Tommy would understand- she just wanted to rest. Just for today.

  Then as she struggled out of bed to go to the bathroom for what had to be the twentieth time that morning, she felt the warm liquid running down her legs as it gathered around her feet.

  Oh, no. No, the baby wasn’t due for another week. 

  No. Not now. Not NOW…

   “Aaarrgghhh”, Natalie moaned in pain, as she heard her mother call out.

  “Natalie? What- what’s wrong?”

   “Aaaarggggghhhhh…”

  Could she even form words, right now? It didn’t look like it, but as Natalie saw Vera Scatorccio appear, she knew her mother had already guessed what had happened.

  “Oh, my God! Alright, alright, I’ll take you to the car, just hang on-”

  “AAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!” Natalie screamed.

  No. No, it’s too soon. I’m not ready for this. I’m not…

  As her mother hustled her into the car, they drove at breakneck pace to the hospital, and as Natalie was quickly loaded into a wheelchair, she saw her mother pull out her phone.

  “Hi, Jonathan? It’s time, it’s happening now, it’s happening right now- yes, right now! She's going into- wait, what?”

  What? What is it now? Natalie wondered, but was in too much pain to ask.

  “The case’s been dismissed, they’re leaving right now. Tommy’s with them-”

  “THEN TELL HIM TO MOVE HIS FUCKING ASS, BECAUSE I CAN’T HOLD IT IN MUCH LONGER!!!” Natalie screamed at the top of her lungs.

  Huh. It seemed her voice hadn’t abandoned her, after all. 

    000000000000000000000000

  As they quickly rushed through the traffic, Tommy tried to take a moment to process what was happening, but was too busy smiling from ear to ear.

  He wasn’t going to spend his life in prison. Natalie was giving birth to their baby. Everything they wanted, everything they had fought for, was finally within their grasp. Now all Tommy had to do was get to the hospital before his wife had their baby, and everything in the garden would be lovely. 

  It was easier said than done, of course, as the distance to the hospital meant that the drive took more than an hour, but finally they made it there, as Tommy rushed to the front desk, breathing out Natalie’s name to the receptionist. 

    000000000000000000000000

  “Owwww”, Natalie whimpered in pain, as the tears kept right on coming. “W-where is he? Why isn’t he here?”

  “I’m sure he’s not far off, sweetheart”, her mother said to her. “But you know it’s a long way off, and there’s traffic-”

  Natalie began to sob. “He can’t- he can’t miss it. He can’t, Mom. It’s too much, we’ve been through too much, we-”

  “Natalie!”

  And as Natalie’s head spun to look at her husband, sweating from running all the way to her room, dressed in the same crappy suit he’d been wearing during the trial, Natalie cried out in happiness, as her tears of grief were replaced by tears of joy. 

    000000000000000000000000

  Katherine Vera Scott came into the world at 12.42 pm on the 27th of February 1998, the same day her father’s trial finally came to an end. 

  Tommy didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky, and as he cradled his daughter, he realised that to be honest, he didn’t much care. Right now… this was all that mattered. 

  “She’s perfect, my darling”, he said to Natalie as they sat together, gazing at their baby girl in wonderment.

  They just couldn’t stop staring at Katherine, or Katie, as they’d decided to call her.

  “You did so well. I’m so proud of you, and… I love you. I love both of you so, so much.”

  “We love you too”, Natalie said, as she leaned forward to kiss him. 

    000000000000000000000000

  Four days later, they brought Katie back to the Scott house. In the week after that, Natalie and her husband learned just how difficult it was to take care of a baby, as Katie cried and whined and shit so much, Natalie wondered how on earth her daughter could hold so much in herself.

  As they had been before, Jonathan and Helen were wonderful with helping the two of them struggle through their first week as parents.

  “You’ll get used to it”, Helen laughed. “Don’t worry, though. It’s only for the next eighteen years.” 

  Jesus Christ, Natalie thought. It was a good thing she loved Katie more than she’d ever loved anyone or anything before. Even her love for Tommy paled in comparison to what Natalie felt every time she so much as looked at her daughter. 

  My god, she’s so beautiful.

  Natalie’s own mother helped as well, when she could, and Natalie knew Vera Scatorccio was trying her best.

  But it couldn’t last forever- Natalie knew that Lottie couldn’t be far off from giving birth herself… and then there would be two screaming babies in the house, instead of one.

  That wasn’t the end of it- as they came to the end of the first month since Katie was born, Tommy had told Natalie that he still intended to enlist in the military, though he promised he would help when he could.

  “You’d better”, she said to him. “Because I’m not raising your children by myself.”

  Tommy flinched at that, and Natalie instantly felt guilty.

  “I’m… I’m sorry”, she mumbled. “We’ll… Lottie’s baby will be welcome here. I promise.”

  How on earth were they going to explain to both of Tommy’s children how they were related in the future?

  It doesn’t matter. Not yet. It’s a problem for another day, Natalie thought.

    000000000000000000000000

  As they came to the end of March, it was to the shock of Tommy and his family that they were invited to the White House, to meet the President of the United States himself.

  For their efforts in keeping the group alive, and hiking north to seek out rescue for the others, Tommy, Natalie, Javi and even Travis were to all to receive the civilian award for heroism known as the Carnegie Medal, and after some debate, it had been decided that Ben would receive it posthumously as well, for everything he had managed to teach the Yellowjackets despite the loss of his leg. 

  After the ceremony, amidst the whirs and clicks of the cameras around them, Tommy was surprised to be taken aside by the President himself, who seemed to want to talk to him alone.

  “You have done much to be proud of, Thomas”, the President smiled at him. “I admit, I am curious… what is it you plan to do next?”

  Tommy didn’t hesitate. “I want to enlist in the Navy”, he said. “I… I want to serve our country as a Navy SEAL. Though… I do hope that my time in prison won’t get in the way of that.”

  He saw the President’s eyes twinkle, as he wrote something on a piece of paper before handing it to Tommy. “Well, if it does… tell your recruiter to call this number. I think the SEALs should count themselves lucky to have someone like you trying to join their ranks.” 

    000000000000000000000000

  As the Navy recruiter saw the young man enter the office, he got the feeling he had seen him before. 

  “Can I help you?”

  “I hope so. My name is Thomas Scott. I want to try out for the SEALs.”

  Normally when people said they wanted to try out for the Navy’s most elite unit, the standard procedure within the recruiting office was to laugh, before convincing them that they were best suited for any number of random jobs in the Navy, to fill their quota for the year. 

  But once the boy said his name, the recruiter realised who it was standing in front of him, and felt his mouth drop open.

  “Aren’t you the one who was stranded in the-”

  “Yes.”

  “And then you hiked out of-”

  “Yep.”

  “And then you got arrested for-” 

  “Yeah.”

  The recruiter gaped at Thomas Scott, before he managed to recover. “Look man, I know you were acquitted, but… the military tends to not take people who’ve been to prison.”

  “Thought you might say that.”

  Thomas Scott produced a piece of paper with a phone number on it. “You might want to call that.”

  Normally, the recruiter would have chafed at the idea of doing what such a young-looking man would ask of him. But there was a look in Thomas Scott’s eyes that convinced him it might be a good idea to call the number.

  As he dialled it, the recruiter found himself desperately hoping the number didn’t belong to the guy in charge of recruiting for the Navy.

 “Hello?”

  “Um… hello. I have a young man here named Thomas Scott, he says he-”

  “Wants to be a SEAL? Good, good, I was wondering when he would call. Fill out the relevant paperwork, please. I don’t expect there to be any trouble.”

  There was something in the other man’s voice that suggested the recruiter’s career would go up in flames if he didn’t do as he was asked. 

  “May I speak to Thomas, please?”

  The recruiter handed the phone over to Scott, wondering who on earth the man on the other line could be.

  Please don’t be in charge of recruiting, please don’t be in charge of recruiting, please don’t be-

  “Oh, hello, Mr. President”, Thomas Scott grinned. “Nice to hear from you again.”

  Oh no. That’s worse. That is so, SO MUCH WORSE, the recruiter thought, wondering how on earth this day could have gone so badly. 

    000000000000000000000000

  On Wednesday the 8th of April, as they came to the sixth week of Katie’s young life, the phone rang suddenly rang, and Helen went to answer it. 

  It wasn’t long before she turned to the both of them, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

  “That was Emilia Matthews. She’s… Charlotte’s gone into labour.”

  Goddammit, Natalie thought, as she gazed into Katie’s beautiful, baby-blue eyes.

  It was fun while it lasted, my girl. But things are about to get a lot more complicated now. 

    000000000000000000000000

  While Natalie and Helen stayed behind to look after Katie, Tommy and his dad travelled to the hospital where Lottie was to give birth to his second baby.

  As they parked the car, Tommy’s dad spoke up.

  “Look, I know this isn’t easy, but… we’re with you, you know. We all are.”

  Tommy nodded, but as he walked to the room where Lottie waited, the feeling in his stomach began to get worse.

  When he had travelled to the hospital for Katie’s birth, Tommy had felt butterflies in his stomach, nervous but excited.

  This time it felt as though there were snakes slithering around in there, twisting themselves in knots, and as he approached the room where Lottie was staying, the feeling only got worse.

  Tommy was so distracted by it, it never crossed his mind as to why he couldn’t hear Lottie screaming in labour as Natalie had- which led to him gaping in shock as he saw Lottie, her parents on either side of her as she cradled a tiny, moving pile of blankets in her arms. 

    000000000000000000000000

  “Could you give us a minute?” Lottie said to her parents. They quietly left the room, and Tommy’s father followed them, quietly shutting the door.

  The tension between the two of them could be cut with a knife, as Lottie saw Tommy stand where he was, barely moving a muscle as he stared at her. 

  She held out their baby. “Do you… do you want to meet him?” she mumbled.

  That seemed to jolt Tommy out his trance. “’Him’?” He asked. “It’s… it’s a boy?”

  “Yes”, Lottie said, smiling nervously as Tommy drew closer.

  “How… how long were you in labour?”

  “About four hours. It was all over two hours ago.”

  “Wha- we only got the call from your mom in the last hour”, Tommy said, looking scandalised.

  Lottie flinched. “I’m sorry. I… I asked them not to call you. I thought… I wasn’t sure you wanted anything to do with us, after…”

  After what I did to you.

  Lottie had wondered, in the months since their rescue, whether Tommy was even aware of her pregnancy. Then once her parents had told that he did know, she had been convinced that he didn’t want their son. That their baby would be abandoned, and end up lost, and lonely without the wilderness to guide him.

  She saw Tommy hesitate, before he spoke.

  “I heard that you were being sent away, after this”, he said, and at his words, the emotion began to overwhelm Lottie as she cried, looking down at her son’s sleeping form.

  He was just so beautiful. So perfect. But he was going to grow up without her.

  “Yes… they’re sending me to some place in Switzerland. For… for everything I did out there. I don’t… I don’t know when I’m coming back.”

  If I ever do.

  “Please”, Lottie choked out. “Promise me you will protect him. Promise me you’ll keep him… s-s-safe. That… that he’ll be… loved.”

  “He will. I promise.” Tommy said, as Lottie leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her son’s head. 

  I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’m sorry I won’t be there for you.

 “Will you…” Lottie hiccupped. “Will you please, um… let me know how he grows up? Will you… send me photos, and things like that? Will you… will you write, to tell me how he’s going? Just… just from time to time? Please?”

  “I…” Tommy hesitated. “I will, Lottie. For him, though. Not for you.”

  Lottie nodded. It was better than she could have hoped for, and she leaned over to kiss her son again.

  “Have you…” Tommy began to ask. “Have you decided what to call him?”

  “I… I want to call him Jacob”, Lottie said. “It… it was my little brother’s name. Well… it was supposed to be my little brother’s name, but… my mom miscarried him. He didn’t… he didn’t even make it past the first trimester.” 

    000000000000000000000000

  Tommy gaped at Lottie in shock. He’d had no idea.

  “How old were you? When he… when it happened?”

  “Seventeen. It was right before we left.”

  Jesus. 

  Tommy couldn’t help but feel sorry for Lottie’s parents in that moment. Lottie as well, despite what she’d done to him. 

  “I’ll… I’ll write, Lottie. I promise”, he said, as he saw the tears gather in Lottie’s eyes. 

  “Thank you”, she said. 

  She looked so small in that moment. So weak, and pathetic, and… defeated. Not at all like the terrifying figure who had tied him up and violently raped him in the woods.

  Had she finally given up on her mad quest to serve the wilderness? Tommy had to make sure.

  “I promise to raise Jacob as best I can, and… and I’ll love him as much as I love his sister, but… Lottie, this… what you believe in… it has to stop. I can’t have you force it on him. I can’t. Do you understand?”

  Lottie nodded mutely, before he saw something register in her eyes.

  “Wait… sister? Did you… was Natalie pregnant too?”

  Tommy blinked. “Yeah. You… you didn’t see the interview?”

  “What interview?”

    000000000000000000000000

  Lottie stared, open-mouthed, as Tommy recounted everything that had happened since the rescue.

  “You were in prison?” She said, incredulously. She’d had no idea. Newspapers didn’t exactly go around in the institution, and she hadn’t been allowed anywhere near the televisions they had. 

  “Yeah. Nobody told you?”

  Lottie shook her head, as she started to feel upset… and angry. 

  So, so angry.

  She was about to be shipped off halfway around the world, where she wouldn’t be allowed to take part in the raising of her son, and her parents hadn’t even been bothered to let her know that her son’s father had been in jail, with his pregnant wife waiting for him outside.

  In that moment, Lottie had never hated her parents more. It wasn’t fair, what they were doing to her. It wasn’t, and as she gazed at her baby boy, nestled so perfectly within her arms, Lottie made a solemn promise to herself… and to him.

  I will come back for you, one day. And I will never… EVER… keep the truth from you, as it was kept from me.  

    000000000000000000000000

  It had been a messy departure, in the end. 

  When the time came to hand Jacob over, four days after he was born, Lottie had wept so loudly, moaning like an animal in pain, she had ended up waking their son, who squalled in Tommy’s arms as he took him from the hospital.

  “Here, give him to me”, Jonathan offered, taking Jacob from Tommy. “You focus on driving us home.”

  “Alright”, Tommy said. 

  As they drove out of the hospital, Tommy saw his dad gazing into Jacob’s eyes, which were still the newborn shade of baby-blue.

  “He looks just like you did”, Jonathan grinned, as they drew closer to their home.

  Tommy did not know what the future held for his son. But he knew that as long as his family lived, there would not be a single day on this planet where Jacob was unloved, and he used that to calm himself as they pulled into the driveway. 

  As they began the walk to the door, Tommy’s dad handed Jacob over to him, and he took a deep breath before he set off towards it. 

  But just before he did so, he saw his dad holding Jacob’s birth certificate- and smiled at what they had decided his full name would be, in the end.

  Jacob Benjamin Scott. 

    000000000000000000000000

  As Jessica looked at Thomas Scott’s LinkedIn profile, she gazed at the history of his employment in the United States Navy. 

  Dates of service: January 14, 1999 – April 9, 2022. 

  Category of employment: U.S. Navy SEAL.

  Enlistment history: BUD/S Class 228. SQT Class 228. SEAL Team Three, 2000-2004. DEVGRU (Red Squadron), 2004-2022.

  Final rank: CMC (SEAL).  

  It was short. Compact. And many people- probably most- wouldn’t have a clue what any of it meant. But Jessica did. 

  Though she hadn’t told Taissa this, once she graduated from college in 1996, right around the same time the Yellowjackets’ plane went down, Jessica Roberts had spent the next thirteen years of her life in the United States Army as a medic, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places as well. 

  By the time she discharged in 2009 to pursue a career in journalism, Jessica had been well-versed in the various units of the military… including the Special Mission Units, or SMUs. 

  Being a SEAL was impressive enough, but CMC stood for Command Master Chief, the Navy’s equivalent to the Army’s own Command Sergeant Major, who would typically serve as the enlisted advisor to a unit’s Commanding Officer. 

  And that wasn’t all- Jessica knew what DEVGRU stood for as well. The United States Navy’s own Naval Special Warfare Development Group. 

  She supposed that, to someone who didn’t understand, it sounded like Thomas Scott had served as part of a development company for the Navy.

  But Jessica knew the truth. Anyone who had served within the military would know the truth.

  What was the layman’s term for DEVGRU again? She thought, sarcastically. Oh, yeah.

  SEAL Team Six. A Special Mission Unit that was… not known for its pacifism, Jessica supposed you could say.

  And he ended up as a fucking Command Master Chief. No wonder they’re all terrified of him. 

  Jessica realised what must have happened- someone had found the profile as she had, then passed the information on to the others. She noticed that it had been set up in November, 2022. 

  Ten months ago. Plenty of time for someone to find it, I guess. I wonder who it was. 

  Jessica supposed it didn’t matter, but she couldn’t help but feel a whisper of curiosity, all the same. 

    000000000000000000000000

  As Misty left her workplace, she heard her phone ring, and was surprised to see Taissa’s name.

  “Tai?”

  “Misty, hey. Has… has anyone contacted you in the last day, or two? A reporter named Jessica Roberts?”

  “Uh… no. Why?” 

  “Just checking. She was asking me about… you know. Our time… out there.”

  “Nobody’s asked me about that, no.”

  “Oh, okay… good. She was… digging around, kind of nosily.” 

  “Well, with any luck, maybe she ran into Tommy”, Misty said. “He’d probably be able to stop her. You know… permanently.”

  There was a pause. 

  “Don’t even joke about that”, Taissa snapped, before the line went dead.

  I wasn’t, Misty thought, but didn’t say. 

  Everyone had been on edge since she’d discovered Tommy’s new LinkedIn profile the previous year, and figured out what all those horribly confusing abbreviations meant. There had been whispers over the years, and various rumours, but they’d never had concrete proof of what it was Tommy had become until then.

  Misty did sometimes wonder why Tommy posted the information on a website just about anyone could access, but it hadn’t surprised her in the least when she’d learned what he’d gone on to do after they were rescued. She’d spent her time since then mentioning that she knew a former member of SEAL Team Six to just about everyone she met, even Kevin Vance, the new principal of Wiskayok High, who’d been in their year at school. 

  Anyway, though no reporters had approached her recently… Misty had gotten a very interesting postcard in the mail the previous day, depicting the symbol of the impaled girl Lottie had always been obsessed with. 

  Misty wondered what the sender wanted. Money, perhaps? It wasn’t like she had a lot of that-

  Then Misty was jerked out of her thoughts as she noticed her front door was open.

  Well… shit. 

  Then as she stepped inside, she saw the tall, lean man leaning against the table, and felt her breath catch in her throat as she grinned at him, before he produced a postcard identical to the one she’d gotten.

  “You wanna tell me what the fuck this is about?”

  “Good to see you too, Tommy.” 

And there we are. Be honest, did you see any of this coming?

Now you know why the Yellowjackets fear Tommy- beyond, of course, what he did to them before.

What will follow next is the completion of the Shauna AU, a possible Lottie AU, a short story detailing what Tommy and Natalie go through in the gap between 1998 and 2023, and then the sequel story, which will be titled No Ordinary Man.

To be clear, I am aware that the modern-day storyline is set in September 2021. But we must remember, the Yellowjackets pilot was filmed before COVID existed, and if you recall, in September 2021 the world was still very much within its grip, with travel restrictions and mandatory mask-wearing and a hundred other inconveniences we all had to go through.

Therefore, I believe it would be much more historically accurate to change the new modern-day timeline to September 2023, when all of that had finally been relaxed. I hope this change is something we can all be on board with.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the Martinez brothers. Their fates will be explored in their own 1998-2023 short story, which will bear the simple title of 'Inbetween'.

Thank you all so, so much for reading through to the end! 😊 ❤️

Happy 47th birthday, Tommy! Your story is far from over!

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Twenty-Six

Well... here we are. The beginning of the end.

If you have made it this far, please know you have my thanks. It means a lot to me that you were willing to read through everything I wrote.

Please read on! Don't let me keep you waiting!

  In the end, it would take a few days of quietly sneaking around, gathering supplies, as Natalie saw Tommy poring over the map, trying to see if he could recall the full way north.

The fact was, even if they headed directly north and kept on going, there were no guarantees that they wouldn’t get lost in the woods and lose their sense of direction. This led to Tommy proposing that when they made the journey, they would stay within the vicinity of the mountains, always keeping them to the left of where they were heading to make sure they were going the right way. 

According to the map, this would cause them to head slightly north-west, but they would still come across the highway in the end. The journey to Fort Nelson might end up being a bit longer than it would if they headed straight north, but at least this way, they were all but guaranteed to not get lost.

  Natalie agreed with the logic behind this plan, but within her, she wrestled with the idea as to whether or not she should share her news with her husband. Tommy was of course still recovering from Lottie’s assault, and she didn’t want to overwhelm him.

  Also, telling him before they left might cause Tommy to insist she stay behind, which Natalie had no intention of doing.  

  She didn’t want to be here when the others figured out where they were going, but she didn’t want to keep Tommy in the dark, either.

  The day before they left, Natalie was still mulling over which was the right decision to make as she approached her husband.

  “Can we take a walk to the plane? I… I wanna pay my respects before we leave.”

  “Yeah. Sure.”

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  Tommy hadn’t been by the plane in quite some time, now. He had good reason for this, of course- it was where they had buried Jackie’s and Mari’s remains, once the ground had thawed.

  Almost as an afterthought, he decided to pluck some wildflowers. He wasn’t sure why- to show how sorry he was, maybe? He was sorry, but… if they hadn’t eaten the girls, none of them might be here, anymore.

  As they laid the flowers on Jackie’s and Mari’s graves, Tommy felt Natalie take his hand.

  “It’ll be okay”, she whispered. “When we tell the authorities… we’ll make it clear we had no choice.”

  After some debate, they had decided that when their story got out, they would be honest about the fate of the two girls buried in the ground.

  Well, not completely honest, but… that didn’t matter now. Tommy had left Travis and Misty with very careful instructions on what to say to the others when they figured out that they had gone.

  Tommy felt Natalie squeeze his hand.

  “I’ll leave you alone for this”, she whispered, as he heard her walk away.

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  As Natalie entered the plane, looking around the filthy, run-down infrastructure, she felt it.

  The Wilderness… was it real? Or was it all just their imagination, the result of the thirteen months they had spent stranded in the wild?

  Whatever it was… Natalie knew the truth. The Wilderness was not a guiding light, and it definitely wasn’t the salvation Lottie seemed to believe it was.

  The Wilderness was something… wild. Dangerous. Hungry, too. Always hungry, especially in winter.

  It wasn’t their friend. It had never been their friend.

  Natalie grit her teeth. “We are leaving whatever you are behind”, she said. “And you will never… ever… hurt my family, again.”

  Her hand brushed across her stomach, and in that moment, she decided to tell Tommy the truth.

  It wasn’t fair to keep this a secret from him, not after everything he had done for her.

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  As Tommy waited by the graves, he saw Natalie emerge.

  She looked… nervous? Well, that shouldn’t really surprise him.

  No matter how confident Tommy was about the map… they were still trapped in the wild. There was still a very real chance that something might go wrong.

  “Hey”, Tommy said, taking Natalie’s hands in his. “It’ll be okay. We’ll get through this.”

  He smiled at her. “You and me.”

  He’d expected Natalie to smile in response, but instead she only looked even more nervous.

  Then she opened her mouth, and the next words she spoke to him would change his life, forever.

  “It’s not just you and me, anymore.”

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  Natalie gazed at her husband as she saw his eyes widen in understanding.

  “Are you… you’re… are you sure?” He asked.

  “I’m sure”, she replied. “I haven’t had my period in almost two months now, and something’s… different. I feel… I feel different.”

  She smiled nervously. “So, what… what do you think?”

  Tommy gazed at her, before he leaned forward, and they shared the first kiss they’d had in quite a while, now that Natalie thought about it.

  It was gentle. Tender. Yet firm as well, and right then and there, Natalie knew that Tommy would be with her to the end, as she leaned further into him, deepening the kiss.

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  They held hands all the way back to the clearing. Tommy felt like he was in a daze of happiness, but at the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

  Now, he knew the expedition north had to succeed. Winter was coming- even now, Tommy felt like today was colder than yesterday had been.

  Had autumn begun early, this year? Tommy wasn’t going to stick around long enough to find out.

  As night fell, Tommy visited his brother in the animal pen. He had hoped that Ben would have recovered from in the three days since they amputated his other leg, but he still looked deathly pale, and according to Misty, he had maintained his overall reluctance to eat.

  Shit, Tommy thought. He’s not out of it. Not by a long shot. 

  “We’re leaving tomorrow���, he said to Ben. “If we hurry, I think… I think we can get to the highway in less than a week. Maybe another before we get to Fort Nelson, if we’re unable to hitch a ride.”

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  Two weeks. Ben closed his eyes. Did he even have that long? He still didn’t feel any better. The aches and pains shooting through a leg that was no longer there had kept him up every night since the amputation.

  “Look”, Tommy said to him. “I know you’ve been through… more than most of us out here, but… hang on for me. Please. Just for two more weeks.” 

  He paused. “Two more weeks… then hospital, then prosthetic legs, and before you know it, you’ll be living like Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump.”

  Ben laughed at the reference, which made the pain shoot through his non-existent leg again.

  “Good fucking movie”, he said. “We should watch that when we get back.”

  “We will”, Tommy nodded. “And… just so you know, if things are getting… too hard out here while I’m gone…”

  He seemed to hesitate, then spoke. “You’re gonna be an uncle. I just found out today.”

  “What?”

  Ben was immediately overwhelmed with a mixture of joy, happiness… and terror, as well.

  “Jesus Christ. You’d better hope you’re right about the map.”

  “I am”, Tommy said. “Trust me.”

  Then before he left, Tommy took one last look at Ben.

  “We’re gonna be okay”, Ben’s brother said to him. “I know it.”

  Ben smiled at him, but as Tommy walked out of the animal pen, his intrusive thoughts returned.

  It’s just two weeks. At most. 

  But do I even have that long to go? 

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  The next morning, there was no discussion. No words were spoken.

  Natalie and Tommy woke up before first light, got dressed and checked their bags, making sure for the umpteenth time that they had enough food and supplies for their journey.

  They would have to ration, of course, but there were streams they could refill their water with, along the way, and they were bringing the rifle in case they came across any animals for additional food.

  They met Javi and Travis at the edge of the clearing. Travis walked with them for the first half hour, before stopping, as Natalie saw him and Javi exchange a hug.

  “Good luck”, he said to them, as Natalie nodded in response, before Travis turned back.

  For what it was worth… she wanted the best for Travis. God knew he deserved it, after losing Mari.

  After that, the three of them just… began. They walked, and walked… and then walked some more, as the sun began to rise.

  They made a brief stop for breakfast, then again for lunch, and again for dinner as night fell, but other than that, the three of them did not stop walking for the entire day.

  “We covered a good distance today. If we keep up this pace, we should make it to the highway sometime in the next few days”, Tommy said.

  The first night passed with them taking turns to keep watch, as the fire they had lit kept them warm.

  Just a few more days, Natalie thought, before she closed her eyes, and the next morning, the three of them set off again, determined to cover as much ground as they could before night fell.

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  When Van and Tai asked the others where Tommy, Natalie and Javi had gone, all Travis did was look at them in surprise.

  “They left this morning. They said they were going north on a hunting trip yesterday. Didn’t they tell you?”

  “No.”

  “Oh, well… now you know.”

  Travis shrugged, and walked away. Van put it out of her mind for the rest of the day, but by the next morning, their missing companions still hadn’t returned.

  “Should we go looking for them?” Akilah asked.

  “They said not to”, Misty piped up. “They were planning on going a long distance- they said it might take a day or two.”

  “Or two?” Taissa asked, and Van could see she was surprised. None of the previous hunting trips had taken more than a day.

  “They know the territory. It’s nothing to worry about”, Travis said, and Van put it out of her mind again, waiting for the next day, when their missing hunters would surely return.

  Except they didn’t.

  “It’s been two days”, Gen said to Van. “I’m sure they’ll come back before night falls.”

  Van was starting to get worried, and became progressively more worried as the day passed them by with no sign of the hunters.

  By the third morning, Van knew something was up. Something had gone wrong. They would have to get a group together, and head north to look-

  But as Van strode out of her and Tai’s shelter, she saw Misty, Travis, Gen and Robin standing together around the fire.

  “Everyone, gather around”, Travis said. “We have an announcement to make.”

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  Tommy had told Travis that he was in charge while Tommy headed north, so he did his best to sound authoritative.

  “I’m sorry we’ve lied to you guys over the last few days, but we had to give the others time, in case one of you felt like doing something… stupid.”

  Naturally, Travis was referring to Lottie, but under the circumstances… who knew what the others might do?

  “Tommy knows where we are. He used the map to figure it out. We’re in an area of British Columbia known as the Northern Rockies… and he believes that if we were to head north, it would be less than a hundred miles before we came across a path called the Alaska Highway. From there, he and the others will head east to a place known as Fort Nelson. Once the authorities have been contacted, they will come here to rescue us.”

  There was a stunned silence at his words.

  “We- but- are you saying we might be going home soon?” Taissa asked incredulously.

  “Yes”, Misty nodded. “Tommy seemed pretty certain that north was the right way.”

  “But- what-”, Shauna stammered. “What… what’s he going to tell people? About what… what happened to us?”

  “He said that he would be honest. We shouldn’t go to prison, or anything- I don’t think any judge will convict us”, Misty said. “I mean… as far as extenuating circumstances go…”

  She didn’t need to elaborate.

  “Tommy said we don’t need to tell them about… everything”, Travis said. “In fact, he’s planning on telling the authorities that Mari was the only one chasing Natalie, and he shot her in self-defence of his girlfriend.” 

  He knew that would be too good for the Yellowjackets to resist- none of them would want their families to know they had been involved in the hunt.

  “In case you’re wondering, that means if anyone asks…” Travis paused. “There was no hunt. There was no drawing of cards. We all made a pact that if anyone died from natural causes, we would eat them. That part at least is true. But Mari got overwhelmed from hunger, and tried to kill Nat on impulse, and ended up chasing her, which is when Tommy shot her. Javi saw it happen, but none of us did. That is the story Tommy and the others are going to tell.”

  Travis saw the Yellowjackets exchange glances, before they all began nodding.

  “I can live with that”, Van said.

  “Me too”, Taissa added.

  Of course you can, Travis thought. It’s that or prison for attempted murder. 

  In books or movies, Travis supposed this would be the moment when the tragic heroes confessed their sins, and accepted the consequences of their actions.

  But there are no heroes here, Travis thought. Tragic, or otherwise.  

  The heroes are the ones heading north… and with any luck, they’ve reached the highway already.

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  No. NO. Oh God, no…

  Was it over? Was it really over?

  Lottie cradled her stomach. She wouldn’t feel anything, not for weeks, she knew that, but…

  If Tommy succeeded, the Child of the Wilderness would not be born in the wilderness. He would be born in civilisation. How could she possibly appease the Wilderness that way?

  Lottie began to feel worried. Very worried indeed.

  She didn’t want to leave. She didn’t want to go back.

  Out here she was powerful, respected… feared, even. Back home… Lottie knew where she was going.

  And she knew what the authorities would do to her, for what she had done to Tommy.

  Lottie began to feel sick, and for the first time, wondered if she should just… check out. She would make it quick. A knife in her wrists… a noose from the rope she had found…

  There was no shortage of cliffs to jump off, either.

  But as Lottie pondered it, she knew she couldn’t. Not as long as her son grew inside her.

  As the day passed, she decided that she would wait, to make sure she was pregnant before making any kind of drastic decision.

  If my period doesn’t come, I will bear the consequences, so my son is born first before I try anything. 

  If it does come… well, there’s nothing really keeping me alive, anyway. No point in waiting around to go to prison. 

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  On the morning of the third day, they came across a herd of deer, one of which Tommy shot for food. After they removed enough meat to get them through the next few days, they had to cross several lakes, which fortunately were not very deep or wide.

  They still had to tread water to cross the lakes while holding their bags above their heads. It was difficult, but they got it done, though of course they had to keep stopping to dry their clothes each time.

  As they did this for the fourth time that day, the afternoon became the evening, and they decided to stop for the night. There was no point in risking their health by walking in wet clothes.

  “Hey, Tommy?”

  “Hmm?”

  As Tommy cooked the deer meat in the fire, he saw Javi looking at him.

  “Was your dad… was he really a Green Beret?”

  “Yes, he was.”

  “What… what is it those guys do, exactly? What is it that makes them different from… you know… normal soldiers?”

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  As Tommy began to explain the role of the United States Army Special Forces, Natalie saw him become more and more animated. She even saw a smile flicker across his face.

  He hadn’t smiled very much recently. Not since Lottie…

  Natalie decided to put it aside, at least for now. Lottie would face the consequences for what she had done. She would not escape what was coming her way.

  Even if she… even if she was pregnant with Tommy’s child, the same as Natalie.

  How the hell will that look, in the future? I know all about dysfunctional families, but that is just… 

   Natalie shook her head. That was a problem for another day. If it was a problem at all.

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  As the days passed, Misty became more and more anxious about Ben. His fever wasn’t breaking. Was his wound still septic, despite their efforts?

  On the morning of the fourth day after the hunters had left, Misty checked the stump of Ben’s leg- and instantly started to cry.

  Red streaks. The blood poisoning had returned.

  “It’s not good, is it?” She heard Ben ask.

  Misty looked at him through her tear-stained eyes.

  “No. But it’ll be okay. The rescue team will be here any day now”, she said, with more hope than she was feeling.

  Hurry, Tommy. Please, please hurry.

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  At first, Tommy didn’t dare hope. He tried to keep the explosive amount of joy he was feeling down amongst himself.

  But in the late afternoon of the fourth day, the Alaska Highway emerged in front of them, and he heard Natalie let out a sob.

  “We did it!” Javi yelled, jumping up and down, as Tommy felt Natalie’s arms around him, his wife pressing a passionate kiss to his lips.

  They took turns hugging Javi as well. He had been absolutely phenomenal the whole way through, never complaining once about the arduous task they had undergone over the previous four days.

  “Was that really a hundred miles?” Natalie asked.

  “Not sure”, Tommy shrugged. “Anyway, doesn’t matter now, does it?”

  “I guess not.”

  They walked east for the rest of the day, hoping a car would pass for them to flag down, but none came.

  As night began to fall, they walked off the highway to sleep in the woods next to the road. As Natalie pressed herself against Tommy, she was startled to be woken by a car in the middle of the night, driving past them.

  Natalie leapt to her feet, but the car was already gone.

  “Dammit!” She cursed.

  “It’s alright”, Tommy whispered. “At least now we know we’re home. We’ll catch a ride in the morning.”

  As Natalie lay back down, she couldn’t help but wonder who it was driving the car that had passed them.

  They’re going to get the shock of their lives when the story gets out, she thought.

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  In the morning, they ate some of the deer meat for breakfast before setting off down the road.

  They still had enough food to last the next few days, and there was a lake running more or less parallel to the highway that they could draw water from.

  Still, Tommy knew they needed to be careful. Their journey was far from over.

  As they walked, the hours passed them by, and they stopped for lunch before heading off again.

  We’ll get to Fort Nelson soon, Tommy thought. It can’t be more than another few days, if a car doesn’t pass us-

  “Tommy, look!”

  Then at Natalie’s shout, he saw the sign in front of him- and felt his mouth drop open.

  TETSA RIVER LODGE AND CAMPGROUND. SERVING TRAVELLERS SINCE 1982.

  It’s over, Tommy thought, as he felt a tear slide down his cheek. It’s really over.

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  Lucy, the receptionist of the Tetsa River Lodge, had seen some strange things in her time, but in the future, she would look back on this day as the most historically significant for the Lodge.

  As the three young people- really, they couldn’t be more than teenagers- entered the reception, she took note of them.

  A young, Hispanic boy, no more than fourteen at best. A girl with a leather jacket and a black, woven headband, looking for all the world like a biker’s girlfriend.

  And a tall, lean boy, carrying a rifle, whose hazel eyes somehow made Lucy shudder, despite his obvious youth.

  “Uh… hello”, the boy began. “My name is Thomas Scott. This is Natalie Sco- er, Scatorccio, and Javier Martinez.”

  He looked back at Lucy. “I… we need you to call the police.”

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  “Thirteen months?”

  “Yes.”

  “Out there?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you’re all just kids!” The owner of the Lodge exclaimed for the fifth time. “How the hell- pardon my French- are you all still alive?”

  Tommy hesitated. “That is a long, long story, I’m afraid.”

  After he had explained their situation to Lucy the receptionist, she had gone pale as a ghost before calling the owner of the Lodge.

  Unfortunately, both Tommy’s and Natalie’s driver’s licenses had burned in the cabin fire, and Javi had been too young to drive, of course, so they had no solid proof that they were who they said they were.

  Luckily, it seemed as though the owner believed them.

  “The police are on their way”, Lucy the receptionist came up to them. “They’ll be here within the hour.”

  “Okay”, the owner nodded, before turning back to the three of them.

  “Do… do you guys want to use our showers? You might want to freshen up before the police arrive.”

  The suggestion was polite enough, but Tommy was now starting to realise how much they stank, after four straight days of trekking through the wilderness.

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  The owner, God bless him, was letting them use the showers in his family home, so Natalie quietly took Tommy’s hand and led him under the warm, rushing water.

  She let out a gasp. She’d almost forgotten what a warm shower felt like… and now, for the first time ever, she was sharing one with Tommy.

  They had never done this, back home. Natalie had always been too scared someone would discover them.

  I was stupid. So stupid, Natalie thought, as she washed Tommy’s back before placing open-mouthed kisses along his spine.

  Never again. Nothing will keep us apart. 

  As Tommy turned to her, Natalie brought his head down to meet hers, and as their lips met, she finally let herself relax.

  It was over. They were going home.

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  When the police arrived, Tommy immediately produced the map, showing them where the Yellowjackets were located, along with the crash site… and the graveyard next to it. He also made sure to say that Ben would likely die from his wound if he did not receive help soon.

  After the police passed on the information to their colleagues, Tommy, Natalie and Javi spent what felt like hours answering their questions.

  Why did the plane crash? How many of you are still alive? How many are dead? How did they die? 

  Eventually it was nighttime, and the police let them be, as the kindly owner of the Lodge and his family put the three of them up in a nearby cabin.

  Tommy had chosen to be honest with the police. Well… mostly. He had revealed that Jackie was dying of frostbite when he stabbed her, and that they had eaten her when it was obvious that the only alternative was starving to death.

  But he had left out the part where Natalie had known he was going to kill Jackie. If he was going to prison after this, the least he could do was keep his wife out of it.

  Tommy had then gone on to explain how they had all made a pact to eat those who did not make it through winter, and how Mari, driven mad by hunger, had been chasing Natalie down to kill and eat her when Tommy shot her… after which Mari had been eaten instead, to feed the group.

  Tommy had had to stop there, as he began to cry, feeling Natalie’s hand squeeze his. She had told the owner she was pregnant, which had prompted the police to notify them that tomorrow, they would be driven to the hospital in Fort Nelson.

  “Your friends will join you there when we find them”, one of the police officers, a sergeant, said to them.

  Then to Tommy’s surprise, the sergeant placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’m not gonna say I understand what you went through, but… you did a hell of a job surviving out there.”

  The sergeant looked at Natalie and Javi. “You all did.”

  He left, along with one of his men, but Tommy saw that two of the police cars were staying outside their cabin… and the sergeant had been carrying Tommy’s rifle when he left.

  He supposed that must be protocol- he had just confessed to killing two people, after all.

  Right now, Tommy just wondered how the others were going. Especially Ben. Was his brother even still alive?

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  “Look! Look everyone, look!”

  Van was jerked awake by Misty’s shout, rushing outside in time to hear the helicopter- no, multiple helicopters- thundering above them in the early morning sky.

  “Oh, my God!” Robin screamed, bursting into tears.

  Van felt the tears running down her face as well as she jumped up and down, waving her arms at the helicopters above her.

  They did it. They actually did it, she thought, as she dropped to her knees and began to sob.

  It’s over. Oh, my fucking God… it’s over. 

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  Lottie was crying as well. But her tears were not ones of joy.

  No. NO. Oh, no, no, no, no, no… 

  They were leaving this place. This place of refuge and mysticism and holiness, where Lottie had felt more like herself than she did anywhere else.

  Will we ever come back? She wondered. No… no, I don’t think we will. 

  Lottie did not stop crying even as the people in uniforms surrounded the camp, leading her away to a helicopter.

  “It’s alright, Miss”, a nice-looking man said to her. “It’s over. You’re safe now.”

  No. It’s not over. And I will never, ever be safe again, Lottie thought, clutching her stomach as she wailed her grief into the open air.

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  Clearly, Tommy had told the authorities about Ben’s condition, because they immediately swarmed him, impressing Misty with their efficiency. It seemed like no time at all before they had him on a stretcher with an IV in his arm, carrying him away to one of the helicopters.

  “Can I go with you?” Misty asked them.

  “Sorry, Miss”, one of the helicopter’s medics replied. “He’ll have to go right into surgery. It’s a miracle he’s held on as long as this, to be honest.”

  He’ll keep holding on, Misty thought, almost violently. He has too.

  He can’t die. Not now. Not now…

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  Ben was vaguely aware of being lifted up, as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

  Where was he? What was that noise?

  His eyes flicked open, just enough to see that he was surrounded by people in flight suits, with red crosses on their shoulders.

  Tommy did it, Ben thought. Was that two weeks? It didn’t feel that long. 

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  The next morning, Natalie awoke to a breakfast of fruit, croissants and juice prepared for them by the Lodge’s owners, which she, Tommy and Javi hungrily devoured.

  Just as they finished, one of the officers burst in to the room, a worried look on his face.

  “We have to get you out of here”, he said. “The press have already started gathering.”

  Press?

  Then as they stepped outside, Natalie was caught completely off guard by the avalanche of reporters in front of them, calling out their names.

  “Natalie! How are you alive?”

  “Thomas! How did you survive out there?”

  “Javier! How did you make it through winter?”

  That and what felt like a hundred more questions were thrown at them in the short walk to the police cars, which they quickly clambered into.

  As they drove off, Natalie suddenly realised there was something she needed to ask.

  “Do… do our families know what’s happened?”

  “I don’t know”, the officer said, “but this is spreading like wildfire. You guys have been all over the news this morning- we have to get you to the hospital, right now.”

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  After the police escort brought them to the hospital, Tommy, Natalie and Javi dodged yet another onslaught of reporters on their way in.

  The actual medical check didn’t take too long- for Tommy and Javi, at least.

  Once Natalie revealed that she was pregnant, she was quickly whisked away into another room, leaving Tommy alone.

  As he waited on his hospital bed, wondering if all this was really necessary, he was visited by another officer.

  This one was no sergeant. He seemed to be of a much, much higher rank than that.

  “Thomas Scott?”

  “Yes?”

  The officer held out his hand for Tommy to shake.

  “My name is Brian Gilmore. I’m the Chief of Police here for Fort Nelson. Please, lie back down.”

  Tommy lay down.

  “I just wanted to say that we have located your friends. They were right where you told us they’d be. It seems that… though I didn’t believe it at first… your story is true, and if it is, you have gone above and beyond what we might expect someone of your age to do, under the circumstances you found yourself in. But…”

  Tommy waited.

  “You might want to get yourself a lawyer, before you give any more interviews.”

  It started to occur to Tommy that the veteran officer was trying to help him, by inferring that he should maybe keep his mouth shut about Jackie and Mari, at least for now.

  As Chief Gilmore turned to leave, Tommy asked a question.

  “Would it be alright if I had access to a phone? I want to talk to my family.”

  The officer spun around, and Tommy saw the look of surprise on his face.

  “You haven’t spoken to them, yet?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Hang on. I’ll get you a phone.”

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  Jonathan Scott was pacing back and forth in his living room, while his wife sat by the kitchen table, fidgeting so hard Jonathan wondered if she was about to have a seizure.

  A few hours ago, the Governor of New Jersey himself had called their house to notify them that their sons were alive. Jonathan had thought it was a cruel prank, at first, but the voice coming from the telephone had sounded very firm, and very convincing.

  The phone rang, and Jonathan leapt to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  He was expecting the caller to be… he wasn’t sure. The Governor again? The President of the United States?

  But instead, it was a weary, husky voice emerging from the phone, and Jonathan felt the tears come to his eyes as he realised who it was.

  “Dad?”

  “T… Thomas?”

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  After hearing his dad’s voice on the phone, Tommy had immediately begun to cry, then cried even harder when he asked about Ben.

  “I don’t know… he’s in a bad way… I don’t know, Dad, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry”, another voice came from the phone, and Tommy was surprised to recognise his mother.

  “Tommy, my darling… you’re alive. That’s all that matters now. We’ll see you soon, I promise. I promise you.”

  Tommy had to hang up after that, as he felt himself about to break down. He handed the phone to Chief Gilmore outside his room, just as Natalie emerged from hers.

  “Oh, wait!” he called out. “Nat, do you… do you want to talk to your mom?”

  Natalie seemed to hesitate before shaking her head.

  “No, I’m… I’m sorry. Not yet.”

  Chief Gilmore nodded in understanding, before he spoke.

  “I have to give a statement to the press outside, but I thought you should know… the unfortunate truth is you’re in Canada without a visa, so you’re being flown to Seattle tomorrow. You and all your friends.”

  Gilmore walked off, as Tommy and Natalie stared at him.

  “So… after all this, we’ll end up in Seattle after all”, Natalie said. “Can you believe that?”

  “Not really”, Tommy replied. “Are you… are you both…”

  “Oh, yeah”, Natalie said. “We’re fine. Me and the baby both.”

  The baby. Their baby. Tommy felt an ear-splitting grin emerge on his face.

  “We’re having a baby”, he said.

  “You’re just getting that now?” Natalie raised an eyebrow at him.

  But all Tommy did was laugh, and kiss his wife as deeply as he could.

    000000000000000000000000

  They set off the next morning. All of them. The police had given them dark, hooded jackets to hide their faces, and Natalie held hands with Tommy all the way to the plane, ignoring the flashes of the cameras and the questions thrown their way.

  The others ignored the press as well, as the police escorted them onto the plane.

  Natalie held her breath as she walked inside, and sat down next to Tommy, leaning her head on his shoulder to try and calm herself.

  Please don’t let us crash again. Please don’t let us crash again. Please…  

  But instead, they touched down in Seattle some three hours later, and Natalie allowed herself to breathe.

  As they entered the airport, they were directed to a private room to wait for their escort to the next hospital. But as they did so, Natalie was surprised to see Taissa approach them.

  “Um… look, I’m… I’m really grateful, for what you guys did for us. I know it can’t have been easy, heading north like that, into the unknown…”

  Taissa took a breath, then continued.

  “But seriously… what are we gonna tell the authorities? About… about everything?”

    000000000000000000000000

  “We’ve already told them the truth”, Tommy said. “About Jackie, at least. What happened to her, what I did to her and why… and what we all did after that. When you are questioned, make it clear that I was the only one who knew I was going to kill Jackie… except Jackie herself, of course. I trust that Travis told you what to say about Mari?”

  Taissa nodded.

  “Good. Then let’s keep it that way. There’s no need for any of us to go to prison for doing what we had to do to survive.”

  He looked around the room at the Yellowjackets. At Shauna. At Misty. At Van and Akilah and Gen and Robin…

  Lottie was on the other side of the room, her hood still covering her head as she looked away from Tommy, staring into space. She gave no sign that she had heard him, but the sight of her still made Tommy shudder, as he felt Natalie’s hand give his own a comforting squeeze.

  Tommy turned his head to smile at his wife, before he continued.

  “That being said… everything else will be the truth. About Ben, about Laura Lee… even Crystal.”

  He saw Misty flinch.

  “It’s okay, Misty. It was an accident. As long as you tell the truth… I don’t think that you’ll get in trouble.”

    000000000000000000000000

  You don’t know that, Misty almost snapped, before biting her tongue.

  She shouldn’t be angry with Tommy. They were going home, thanks to him. Which meant it was also thanks to him that nobody would ever find out about the transponder she had broken, their first night in the woods.

  The day after the hunters had left, Misty had quietly snuck out of the clearing in the middle of the night, retrieved the broken transponder from underneath the tree roots where she had hidden it, and spent the next few hours digging into the ground, burying the accursed thing as deeply as she could before covering the earth with leaves and twigs.

  Nobody would ever find it. Nobody would ever know.

  Misty used that to calm herself, as she sat in her chair.

  Whatever kind of trouble she might get in for Crystal… at least nobody would be able to pin their entire ordeal on her, or the deaths of those they had lost after Misty ruined their chances of rescue.

  Still, just in case… I must make sure to get on Tommy’s good side. If any of this goes to trial, I must leave him in no doubt that he has my full support for the decisions he made out there. 

    000000000000000000000000

  Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Tommy asked if he could see Ben, who had been flown into Seattle on a different plane.

  As he and Natalie entered the room, however, Tommy gaped as he recognised the two people sitting in chairs next to his brother’s bed.

  “Mom? Dad?”

    000000000000000000000000

  Natalie watched in shock as Tommy was embraced by his parents, standing there awkwardly as they told him how they and the other families had been flown in only that morning, courtesy of the Governor of New Jersey himself.

  Other families? Was… was her mother… here?

  “Who is this?” She heard Tommy’s dad say, though from his smile she knew he had already guessed why she was here.

  He has Tommy’s smile, she realised with a jolt. The eyes, the hair… Jonathan Scott looked very much like how she imagined Tommy would thirty years from now.

  “This is Natalie”, Tommy said, walking over to take her hand.

  “Natalie Scatorccio?” Helen Scott asked. “I remember you. You came into my shop, once. But your hair was a different colour, then.”

  “Uh… yeah”, Natalie smiled sheepishly, as Tommy gave her hand a squeeze. It was true- her hair was now officially, fully back to its natural shade of dark brown, and to be honest, she didn’t really feel like changing it anytime soon.

  “Should… should we tell…” she motioned towards his parents, and he nodded before turning to them.

  “Uh… Mom, Dad… you’re gonna want to sit down for this.”

    000000000000000000000000

  Tommy’s parents sat down, both looking puzzled.

  “Uh… last week, Natalie and I had a ceremony in the woods. We got married.”

  Had it really only been last week? It already seemed like a lifetime to Tommy, as his mother and father stared at him.

  “It’s not legal yet, of course, but… we fully intend to make it so, once we get home”, he said, looking at Natalie, who nodded at him, smiling widely.

  Her smile gave Tommy the strength he need to say what came next.

  “After we got married… it was after, I promise… we found out... um...”

  He took a deep breath. “Natalie is pregnant. You’re gonna be grandparents.”

  He waited for what was to come next. Tears, screaming… a lecture, perhaps?

  Instead, his mother burst into tears and embraced both of them, saying over and over again how happy she was to hear the news, offering her congratulations, saying how happy she was to have her family together again, as Tommy saw his dad approach Natalie.

    000000000000000000000000

  “Natalie, I know we don’t really know each other. But just answer me one question.”

  Natalie nodded, starting to feel nervous.

  “Do you love my son?”

  Oh, is that all? I can answer that, easy.

  “Tommy is the best thing to ever happen to me”, she said. “He is the only person I want to grow old with, and I don’t want to spend a single day on this planet apart from him. I will love him, and our baby, until the day I die, and not a moment before.”

  Jonathan Scott looked taken aback, before Natalie saw him smile.

  “That’s good enough for me”, he said, holding out his hand, which Natalie shook.

  “Welcome to our family”, Tommy’s dad said, and Natalie felt the tears brim behind her eyes.

    000000000000000000000000

  Ben had remained unconscious throughout the entire exchange, and Tommy turned to look at his brother.

  “How’s he doing?”

  He saw his father grimace, as his mother looked down.

  “They’re saying it’s touch and go. His wounds turned septic days ago”, his dad said, and Tommy felt sick to his stomach.

  “They’re doing everything they can, but…”

  Jonathan Scott stopped talking, but Tommy understood.

  We should have left earlier. Why didn’t we leave earlier?

    000000000000000000000000

  As the day moved on, Natalie found herself in further discussion with the Scotts about what would happen once they got back to Wiskayok.

  To her surprise, Tommy’s parents said she could stay with them in their house, if she wanted.

  “If you’re getting married anyway, there’s not much point in staying apart”, Helen Scott said.

  Natalie felt a rush of absurd gratefulness towards the Scotts, before excusing herself to go find her mother. She wanted to get it over with, before she lost her nerve.

  “Nat!”

  Natalie winced at the sight of Vera Scatorccio, pale and haggard by years of smoking and drinking.

  She had looked that way before Natalie left, but somehow her mother looked even worse than she remembered, as the two of them embraced.

  As they took a walk, Natalie explained the situation, keeping her voice as firm as she could.

  “I’m gonna go live with Tommy and his family back home. We’re getting married, Mom. I’m already pregnant with his baby.”

  Vera gaped at her, before asking exactly what Natalie had dreaded she would ask.

  “Is he forcing you into this? You don’t have to have his baby, Natty. There are… other options, nowadays, and you’re still a teenager.”

  Natalie scowled. “That’s not an option for me, Mom. This is happening, whether you like it or not-”

  “Alright, alright”, Vera raised her hands in defence. “Just… don’t make the same mistakes I did. I thought your father was the love of my life… and we both know how that turned out.”

  Natalie’s blood began to boil. “Tommy is not Dad. And he never will be.”

  She stomped away from her mother, heading back towards Tommy. It was strange, really, how she only felt like half of herself without him.

    000000000000000000000000

  As Shauna’s mother and father both cooed over Jeremy, Shauna couldn’t help but feel how strange it was to see them together.

  Shauna’s parents had divorced three years before Flight 2525 had crashed, and she had barely seen her father since then.

  “Who’s the father?” Her mom asked. “Is it one of the boys you were with?”

  Shauna was surprised they hadn’t guessed- though he was only six months old, Jeremy already looked like a miniature version of Jeff.

  She took a deep breath, and began to tell them, then winced as she saw the looks of shock and horror spread across her parents’ faces.

    000000000000000000000000

  Later that day, Jonathan Scott was surprised as Thomas led him away to a private area of the hospital where they could talk.

  As Thomas explained the fates of Jacqueline Taylor and Mari Ibarra, Jonathan realised what he had to do, and immediately began to make several phone calls.

  One did not spend thirty years in the military without forming some serious connections, and Jonathan was determined to get his son the best form of help he could, when the inevitable legal proceedings came his way.

  Jonathan would forever regret the decision he and his wife had made to extend their holiday, which had put Thomas on that fateful flight. He couldn’t help his son then, but he could certainly help him now.

    000000000000000000000000

  As the next few days passed, Ben was made comfortable, but there was no disguising the fact that despite the cocktail of medication he was on, the sepsis was only getting worse. The doctor treating him quietly took Tommy and his parents into another room, as Natalie stayed by the coach’s bed, watching him sleep.

  Then Ben let out a soft groan.

  “Coach?”

  Tommy’s brother turned his head to look at her. Was he trying to speak?

  His voice was so weak, Natalie couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

  Then Ben opened his hand, showing five fingers. Then he closed them, and opened them back up, showing five fingers again.

  “Huh?”

  Then Ben closed his hand again, and opened it, this time showing only one finger.

  Five. Five. One. 

  Then Natalie remembered. 551 was the area code for New Jersey. Ben wanted her to call someone.

  Natalie suspected who it was, but kept her mouth shut as the coach spelled out a phone number with his hands, which she scrambled to write down on a piece of paper.

  Then when it was done, she showed him the number, and Ben nodded, before his eyes flicked back to her.

  “Paul”, he croaked.

  And then his eyes closed yet again, and Natalie saw him fall back into unconsciousness.

    000000000000000000000000

  When the doctor told them that all they could do now was make Ben comfortable, Tommy had to walk out of the room, as he ran into Natalie.

  “He’s, um… he’s…” Tommy stammered.

  He saw Natalie’s face fall, as she understood. “I think he knows that”, she whispered. “He… he gave me this.”

  She handed Tommy a piece of paper with a phone number on it.

  “It’s Paul’s number”, she said. “His… his…”

  His boyfriend, Tommy realised. He had never even asked if Ben had one, after Ben came out to him, and he felt a rush of shame that threatened to choke him, then and there.

  “I have to tell my mom and dad the truth”, he said. “They… they need to know, before… before…”

  He couldn’t finish his sentence. But he could help his brother make his peace with their parents, before the end.

    000000000000000000000000

  Natalie stood with Tommy throughout his explanation, as he told his parents the truth about Ben.

  Both his mom and dad reacted with surprise, but Natalie saw the looks of grief extend over their faces.

  As the four of them walked into Ben’s room together, Natalie held Tommy’s hand tightly as his parents spoke to their elder son.

  “We know the truth about you, Ben”, Helen Scott said softly. “And we… we would never have stopped loving because of that. We would never have stopped loving you for anything.”

  “For anything”, Jonathan Scott echoed his wife. “We have loved you from the moment we found out your mother was pregnant with you. And we will love you for the rest of our lives, we promise.”

  Natalie saw tears running down the older man’s cheeks, as Ben opened his eyes.

  “I… I love you guys, too”, he said softly, as he smiled at them, before his eyes closed back up again.

  Those were the last words Natalie would ever hear him speak.

    000000000000000000000000

  On the third morning of their stay in the Seattle hospital, Ben quietly passed away in his sleep.

  As his parents embraced each other, Tommy quickly walked out of the room. Then out of the corridor, before he saw a phone hanging on the wall.

  He had to do this now... while he still had the strength to do so. 

    000000000000000000000000

  As Paul heard the phone rang, he wondered briefly if it was Ben calling.

  The story of the Yellowjackets had been all over the news the last few days, and Paul had been ecstatic to learn that Ben was listed amongst the survivors.

  “Hello?”

  “Paul Riley?”

  “Speaking.”

  “My… my name is Tommy… Thomas Scott. I’m…”

  “Ben’s brother?” Paul asked, joyfully. “I know who you are. He told me all about you. Are you… is he alright?”

  There was a pause, and Paul was surprised to hear what sounded like snuffling on the other end.

  “I’m… I’m so sorry. He… Ben, he…”

  A very cold chill rushed through Paul, before Ben’s brother spoke again.

  “I… I’m sorry, but he passed away this morning. He… he was injured at the end, and it turned septic. The doctors did everything they could, but…”

  Paul heard Thomas Scott dissolve into sobs, as he felt the tears starting to run down his cheeks.

  “I’m- I’m so sorry to hear that. I… Ben, we-”

  “I know. I know what you meant to him. And I want to say… thank you for making him happy. Thank you for making him feel loved.”

  Paul began to cry in earnest now, as Thomas Scott spoke again.

  “I’m… I’m sorry, I have to go.”

  “O… okay. Um… let me know. About…”

  Paul stopped talking, but he hoped Thomas had understood.

  “I will. Thank you.”

  The line clicked off, and Paul put his head between his hands as the sobs wracked through his body.

    000000000000000000000000

  As Tommy disconnected the call, he turned around to find himself looking into Natalie’s tearstained eyes.

  Neither of them said anything. Neither of them had to.

  Tommy buried his head in his wife’s shoulder, and they sank to the floor of the hospital as he felt her arms go around him, before he screamed into the place where he knew her heart would be.

Rest in peace, Ben Scott ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

If you are reading this, please know that I am truly sorry for killing him off. But with a wound like that... turning septic out in the wild... it truly would have taken a miracle just for him to survive long enough to be rescued.

I hope I was able to soften the blow somewhat by having his family there with him when he died, knowing that they loved and accepted him even though he was gay. Not everyone has been so lucky, I know.

In regards to the route our hunters took, the Alaska Highway, Fort Nelson and even the Tetsa River Lodge are all real places. The cinnamon buns at the Lodge are to die for, from what I read in the reviews.

The next chapter will most likely be the last of this story, as it delves into what happens to Tommy and the Yellowjackets once they get home.

Can't wait for you to read it! It should be out soon!

Thank you so, so much for following me this far!

Much love, SteamTrain52 😊 ❤️

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Twenty-Five

Hey guys, welcome back.

This chapter will surprise some of you, no doubt.

Horrify you, yes… but surprise you as well.

WARNING: This chapter contains perhaps the most controversial scenes I have ever written. Please read on at your own risk.

Please understand I do not wish to trigger anybody's trauma. If I do… I am truly sorry.

Now read on… and see what happens.

For what had to be the tenth time that day, Tommy scraped away at the pus surrounding the wound on Ben’s leg with his knife, trying to ignore his brother’s grunts of pain.

  He didn’t know what to do. What were they supposed to do? It had been a full day now since the trial, but Ben’s leg didn’t show any signs of getting better. On top of that… there was a cold sweat forming on his brow, and he had turned his nose up at the breakfast of deer and cattails they had offered him. Neither of those were good signs, and Tommy was starting to get very worried indeed for his brother’s health.

  Then as he exited the animal pen, Tommy was surprised to find himself face-to-face with Misty.

  “He needs antibiotics”, Misty said to him. “Real medicine. If he doesn’t get proper treatment soon, he’ll end up with blood poisoning, and then…”

  She had trailed off, but Tommy didn’t need her to elaborate.

  “What does blood poisoning look like?”

  “Red streaks. When you see it, you’ll know, trust me.”

  There was a pause, before Misty spoke again.

  “There may be another option.”

  Tommy raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re talking about amputation-”

  “Well, I am”, Misty said. “I know what I’m asking, but… if it saves his life…”

  Tommy didn’t want it to come to that. For one thing, amputation would cost Ben his remaining leg. For another… this would not be the same as it was at the plane.

  Even now, more than a year after it had happened, Tommy woke up some nights at the memory of his brother’s blood hitting him in the face after Misty chopped his leg off. Of course, that leg had been so utterly destroyed at the time, it hadn’t taken her more than one swing.

  Moving past Misty, Tommy walked away from the clearing, and sat down under a nearby tree to think.

  This time, any attempt at amputation would likely involve them sawing through Ben’s leg bones to save his life.

  Of course, there was just one tiny flaw to this plan- they had no bone saws, or any saws of any kind. Their best hope would be to heat up the axe, then hammer it down on Ben’s leg-

  Tommy winced at the thought. Even if this worked… there were no guarantees Ben wouldn’t go into shock, or pass out from blood loss, never to reawaken.

  Briefly, Tommy’s mind drifted back to the memory of Jackie, lying on the floor of the cabin with frostbitten hands and feet.

  Should they have tried to amputate then, as well? Ben had said it would be pointless, and Tommy had believed him, but now… now Tommy couldn’t help but wonder if maybe they should have tried it.

  Maybe Jackie would have been with them now. Sure, she’d have stumps where her hands and feet had been, and they would probably have had to amputate her frostbitten nose as well, but still… she would be alive.

  Probably not winning any beauty contests, sure, but she’d be ALIVE, Tommy thought. Maybe.

  Whichever way it might have gone with Jackie, there was no question now that Ben was in serious trouble. Tommy would not let him die, not if he could help it, but still…

  If only I knew where we WERE, Tommy thought angrily.

  Back home, he had told Natalie that despite usually getting A’s in his classes, with maybe an occasional B, he had never been top of the class in anything, never the absolute best.  

  The truth, however, was that there was one class where he beat everyone else- one that most of the students in his year, Natalie included, had dropped the first chance they got.

  Geography. The study of the earth. Truth be told, Tommy would have happily dropped this class as well- if it hadn’t been for the advice of his father.

  Growing up, Tommy had never stopped wanting to do what his father did for a living- travelling the world, helping those who could not help themselves, and protecting the United States from its enemies as a member of the vaunted Green Berets.

  Even after they moved to Wiskayok, Tommy hadn’t given up on his dream, and when he had started at Wiskayok High, Jonathan Scott had only had once piece of advice concerning which subjects he would pick as electives.

  You do what you want to do, Thomas. But if you want to join the Armed Forces, if you truly are serious about doing what I did, you must learn geography. It’s not a question. No Green Beret, no Navy SEAL, and no Air Force Pararescueman has ever made it through selection without knowing how to navigate their way through- and none of us were ever sent into battle without knowing which way to go when things went wrong. I WILL NOT have you try out for our nation’s top military units without knowing how to navigate. 

  With that in mind, Tommy’s geography education had extended far beyond simple lessons in a classroom. Though nobody but the two of them knew about this, many of their father-son weekend hunting trips had involved Jonathan Scott blindfolding Tommy, driving them away from their campsite out to a dense neck of the woods, then walking Tommy off the road for what felt like hours before taking the blindfold off.

  “Here’s your map and compass”, Jonathan Scott had said, handing them over to Tommy. “Good luck.”

  With that, his father had melted away into the forest like a ghost- one of the many tricks he had learned in Vietnam, he claimed- and Tommy had had to find his way back to their campsite with nothing but a map, a compass, his hunting rifle, a flare gun for emergencies, and a day’s worth of food and water.

  No tent, of course. Nothing he could use for shelter. A Green Beret had to be ready to move at a moment’s notice, and if it rained… well, that was just too damn bad.

  Tommy had only been fifteen the first time his father had done this, and was absolutely convinced he would freeze to death, or be eaten by a bear. Unbeknownst to him, his father would always study the terrain, and make certain to leave him in areas where there was nothing for bears to eat. Except Tommy, of course.

  Finding his way back to the campsite after a full day of hiking had been the biggest relief of Tommy’s life, as he gorged himself on the deer his father had shot.

  Most kids would have been traumatised by the experience. But all Tommy could feel, once the relief had subsided, was an overwhelming sense of pride that he had found his way back by himself. He had concluded that the experience had made for an excellent adventure, and was eager to see if he could replicate his success.

  As a result, the next three years had involved what had to be dozens of similar expeditions. There were no shortage of places to disappear in the New Jersey woods, but each time, Tommy made his way back to the campsite.

  In the classroom, meanwhile, Tommy learned to pay obsessive attention to detail to the maps placed in front of him, and by his Junior year of high school, his geography teacher, Mr. Baker, who had served in the US Marine’s First Recon Battalion during Vietnam, had been deeply impressed with Tommy’s consistently high marks in his geography exams and projects.

  As a result, with the enthusiastic approval of Mr. Scott, Mr. Baker had begun to challenge Tommy further with extracurriculars, presenting him with maps of increasingly dense wooded areas for him to navigate through.

  Most of these maps depicted areas within the United States, of course, but some were of South America, some were of Europe… and some, though Tommy could hardly believe it now, were of Canada, the place where he and the Yellowjackets were stranded.

  Unfortunately, there was a tremendous difference between looking at a map in a classroom, and standing in the middle of a forest having no map to tell you where you were.

  The only thing they all knew for certain was that there were mountains to the west. But what good did that do them, out here? Canada was full of mountains, and even now, after thirteen months in the wilderness, they were still no closer to finding out where it was they had crashed.

  For the first time since they arrived here, Tommy wondered if maybe they should arrange another expedition, to try and find civilisation. But even as he entertained the thought, he knew it was hopeless. It didn’t matter how many times he had found his way back to his father’s campsite. It didn’t matter how hard he had studied the maps of Canada in the geography classroom at Wiskayok High, either.

  Without the proper tools, Tommy’s navigational skills were not enough to get them home, and they never would be. That was why he’d never mentioned his navigational prowess to anyone here, not even Natalie.

  And with that, Tommy sighed, and began walking back towards the animal pen.

  He didn’t want to do this… but he didn’t want Ben to die, either.

     000000000000000000000000

  Ben winced as he felt Tommy enter the animal pen. Even the slight vibrations from his brother’s footsteps were enough to send jolts of pain through his leg.

  “Feeling any better?”

  “Peachy”, Ben grinned at him- before leaning over to vomit onto the grass. It was only a thin stream of bile, but the smell still made him wrinkle his nose.

  Tommy stood over him, wearing the expression he always got when he was nervous.

  “Look, I…” he started. “We need to face reality. We’re stuck out here, miles from civilisation or any form of professional medical help, and you’ve got an infected leg that’s already starting to make you sick. Unless you’ve got some high-class antibiotics squirrelled away somewhere… we may have to… I mean, we’ll probably have to…

  Tommy trailed off. But Ben knew what he was going to say.

  “Amputate my leg?” He asked. “No… no…”

  Ben looked in despair at the mess just above his knee. They had cut his trousers the previous day in order to bandage it with the rags of animal skins they had preserved.

  It wasn’t enough. Ben knew it wasn’t enough. But he did not want to lose his only remaining leg.

  “You… no… Tommy, no… please…”

  Ben struggled to find the right words to say, but the nervous look in his brother’s eyes had hardened into determination.

  In that moment, Tommy looked so much like their father, Ben could almost pretend that Jonathan Scott himself had come to rescue them.

  It was then and there that Ben finally realised Tommy wasn’t asking permission. If push came to shove, Ben’s leg would be coming off whether he liked it or not, and he scrambled to find the right words.

  He had to tell Tommy about the supplies he had found. Surely there would be something in there that could help him.

  “The pit… the pit that Shauna fell into… it wasn’t dug by me.”

  Tommy looked puzzled, so Ben carried on.

  “It had already been dug when I found it. Someone… someone put a crate of supplies down there, then covered the hole up with wooden boards. It… it had food, it had bear mace… and there was medicine in there, I’m sure of it.”

  “Where is all this stuff, now? In the cave?”

  “Yeah, it’s there.”

  “Was… was there a map in there, by any chance?”

  Ben winced. “Yeah. There was. I’m sure it’s a map of the area around us, but… there were no signs of civilisation on it. It’s pretty much useless to us.”

    000000000000000000000000

  Useless, eh? I’ll be the judge of that. 

  Though he was trying very, very hard not to give himself false hope, Tommy felt a rush of feelings within himself that he had not felt since Flight 2525 went down.

  I have to get to the cave. I have to look at the map. If I can just get a look at it…

  Maybe, just maybe. I can’t tell the others. I don’t even know if it’s true…

  Let me understand it. Please, God, if you are out there, let me understand it. 

  Let us go home. Please, please, please let us go home.

    000000000000000000000000

  Lottie saw Tommy approach the group, as he opened his mouth.

  “Ben says that while he was out here, he found a crate full of supplies and brought them to the cave”, he began.

  “I’m going to bring them here. Does anyone want to join me?”

  Natalie stood up, because of course she did, and Javi did as well.

  Lottie felt herself beginning to panic. Her chance, maybe her only chance, was slipping away from her.

  She had planned on telling Tommy she wanted to explore the cave herself, and using that to lure him in and gas him.

  With that in mind, she stuck her hand up as well.

  “I’ll go”, she said. “I want to see how coach survived the winter.”

  Tommy nodded, but Lottie saw Natalie narrow her eyes at her, and in that moment, Lottie knew Natalie suspected something, even if her husband didn’t.

  Her husband… deep down, there was a part of Lottie that didn’t want to do this. The part that would never have dreamed of doing this, before the plane crashed.

  But that was then, and this was now. Now, Lottie was the Vessel, and Tommy was the Hunter.

  He will fulfil his role. And in time, he will understand.

  If the Wilderness is good, he will understand. 

    000000000000000000000000

  What was Lottie up to? Maybe it was just simple curiosity. Natalie herself was intrigued to see how Coach Scott, and Javi before him, had survived the cold.

  So why were the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, the same way they had before her dad had discovered her and Kevyn, on the worst day of her life?

  Natalie didn’t know. But Lottie was up to something. From the moment they arrived here, she had been up to something.

  Well, whatever it is, Lot… I’m watching you. 

  Be careful. 

    000000000000000000000000

  Their group of four set off towards the cave, with Tommy carrying the rifle, just in case they came across any animals.

  It wasn’t long before they arrived at the cave, as he heard Lottie take a breath.

  “Wow, it’s… beautiful”, she said, gazing at the tree placed directly on top of it.

  Weirdo, Tommy thought, as he started to enter the underground cavern.

  From the moment he did, though… something felt wrong. Different to how it had felt when he pulled Ben out of here.

  “It smells weird”, he heard Javi say. “It never smelled like this when I was in here.”

  What was that smell? Had an animal wondered in here and died?

  “Okay, guys, let’s make this quick”, Tommy said. “Gather up the supplies, and then we can… we can…”

  Ugh, I feel woozy. Why is everything… moving?

  The cave felt as though it was starting to spin, and he felt Natalie’s hand in his.

  “Come on”, she said, “let’s get out of here, I don’t think it’s… safe…”

  Tommy was vaguely aware of Natalie’s hand slipping out of his, before he heard a thud next to him.

  As he saw his wife slump motionless to the ground, Tommy called for Javi to help, before seeing the young boy flat on his back, arms outstretched.

  Where’s Lottie?

  “L-L-” Tommy slurred. His tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of his mouth.

  Then just before he fell into oblivion, Tommy finally saw Lottie enter the cave.

  It was the oddest thing… but as he reached out a hand to help, he could have sworn that Lottie was wearing a cloth over her face.

  Weird.

  But what was even weirder… was that besides the mask, Lottie Matthews appeared to be stark naked as she leaned over him.

  Naked… and carrying a rope.

    000000000000000000000000

  Of course, Lottie hadn’t gone straight back to the clearing after her revelation the previous day.

  She had re-entered the cave, making the hole in the wall bigger and bigger, feeling the gas fill up the underground structure before taking the rope she had found and hiding it away.

  It would serve a very useful purpose now, she thought, as she wound the rope under Tommy’s armpits and began to drag him out of the cave, the rifle clattering to the ground outside.

  They didn’t need to go too far. There was a stump about fifty metres away that would do just fine.

  Lottie quickly wound the rope around the tree, before using it to tie Tommy’s wrists, as she stuffed the gag into his mouth.

  He was still out cold, and Lottie made sure to check his pulse before she began.

  Strong and steady. Good.

  Lottie wasted no time. She didn’t know how long the gas would last.

  Quickly pulling Tommy’s pants and underwear down, she went to work hardening him, using her hands and mouth to bring him to full strength.

  Jesus, he’s magnificent, Lottie gaped at the sight in front of her.

  Would that he were mine… but this will have to do.

  And without further ado, Lottie conjured memories of the night of Tommy and Natalie’s wedding to wetten herself before rising up and sinking down on Tommy’s length.

  From the moment she did… she knew she had made the right choice.

    000000000000000000000000

  Tommy was having… a very strange dream. Natalie was riding him like she was possessed, bucking and snorting and moaning in ways he had never heard from her.

  Nevertheless, he reciprocated, rising up to meet her as she dropped down on him, making her shriek.

  But as the sound reached his ears, Tommy realised what was happening was real… and as his eyes snapped open, he was horrified at the sight in front of him.

  Lottie was naked above him, bouncing up and down, her eyes closed in concentration.

  “Oh- oh my God- yes- yes- YES!”

  Then Tommy was horrified further to realise his body was rising to meet hers. Quickly, he dropped to the floor, trying to move away, but Lottie’s hands moved backwards to hold his legs down.

  “No- no- so close- I’m so close-”

  Tommy tried to yell, to scream, but realised he was gagged. He tried to struggle further, but found himself weakened by the gas. His hands were bound as well.

  What- what in the fuck-

  Lottie’s shrieks became louder and louder, and Tommy realised she was coming. Then to his horror, his body responded, and he realised he was about to climax as well.

  Then in the same moment Tommy ejaculated into Lottie Matthews, he heard an enraged scream beside him, as Natalie swung the rifle directly at Lottie’s head.

    000000000000000000000000

  Visions swam before Natalie’s eyes. Something… something was wrong…

  She and Javi were being chased across the ice… but Javi fell through, and Natalie tried to save him, but the others stopped her…

  She saw… Travis? He was older, and they were snorting cocaine off an ashtray in a hotel room.

  What? Natalie thought. I would never-

  Then she saw Misty. She looked older too, and she was plunging a needle into Natalie’s chest. Natalie fell backwards, and the blackness overtook her…

  Natalie gasped, and began to cough violently.

  Up… get up…

  She struggled to her feet, coughing all the while, and saw Javi lying near her.

  The cave. We’re still in the cave…

  Natalie gripped Javi by his arms, dragging him out of the underground structure, before violently vomiting onto the ground outside.

  Tommy, she thought, as she started to breathe normally again, wiping her mouth. Tommy and Lottie. 

  They’re still in there-

  Then Natalie heard what sounded like screaming nearby, as she saw the rifle on the ground. Quickly picking it up, she began running towards the sound.

  Oh, God. Please God, don’t let a wolf or a bear have got them-

  Then Natalie’s vision finally cleared, and she saw-

  What in the actual fuck?

 Lottie was naked and riding Tommy, who she had gagged and bound to a tree stump.

  The red mist descended, and Natalie swung the back end of the rifle at Lottie’s head, knocking her right off of Tommy.

  “YOU FUCKING BITCH!” She screamed, before whacking Lottie again, this time in the stomach.

  She might have beaten Lottie to death right then and there if it wasn’t for Tommy letting out a groan next to her.

  “Oh, my God!”

  Quickly, Natalie bent down to untie her husband, pulling him into her chest as she soothed him.

  “I’m sorry”, Tommy choked out. “I didn’t- I didn’t want to-”

  “It’s okay. I don’t blame you… it’s okay.”

    000000000000000000000000

  It wasn’t okay, though. No matter how many times Natalie said it to him.

  He didn’t… he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to feel. 

  Lottie had just… she had just… to him…

  Tommy couldn’t even say the word. He could barely even think it.

  But Lottie had done it… and there was no coming back from this.

  As if she’d heard his thoughts, Lottie slowly rose to her feet, as Tommy saw his seed dripping down her legs.

  “I know it’s hard to understand”, she said, and to Tommy surprise, she smiled at him.

  “But it’s what the Wilderness wanted. And now… it’s done.”

  Tommy felt Natalie tighten her grip on him, as Lottie strode away completely naked, without a care in the world.

  “She can’t get away with this”, he heard himself say.

  “Don’t worry”, he heard Natalie whisper. “She won’t.”

    000000000000000000000000

  Natalie helped Tommy clamber to his feet as he pulled his pants up. He was shaking like a leaf, and had gone completely pale.

  In that moment, Natalie wanted nothing more than to take the rifle and empty it into Lottie’s smug face.

  But she couldn’t. Not just yet.

  “The others need to know”, she said. “We’ll… we’ll decide what to do with her. Together.”

  She saw Tommy nod, before he spoke.

  “We need… we need to get the map. Ben said there was a map and a compass amongst the supplies, and medicines too.”

  As Javi drew up next to them, Natalie saw Tommy’s words register on his face, and he nodded, before covering his mouth with his shirt and re-entering the cave, to Natalie’s surprise.

    Natalie immediately felt a surge of gratefulness for the younger Martinez brother. Her mind drifted to the vision she had had of him falling through the ice and drowning, before pondering over the others she had seen.

  They had confused her at the time, but now… now she was starting to understand.

  Whether it had been her own subconscious, or something else, Natalie now realised her visions had been showing her what life would be like if Tommy wasn’t here with her. If he had never existed at all.

  She knew that life wasn’t perfect for her, either out here or back home… but at least she had Tommy with her.

  That other version of herself she had seen, that other Natalie… she had died alone, in the end. Natalie had felt what she felt.

  She had been so alone… and so lonely. So terribly, desperately lonely.

  Not me, though. Thanks to Tommy. My Tommy.

  Natalie Scatorccio might have died alone… but Natalie Scott would not.

  And as Javi emerged from the cave, carrying the supplies, Natalie Scott took her husband’s hand, and gently led him away.

  I will get him through this, if it’s the last thing I do. We will live our lives, and grow old together, and nothing- and no one- will stop that. 

    000000000000000000000000

  When they entered the camp, Natalie was still tightly gripping Tommy’s hand. He still didn’t know what to think about Lottie… but he was so grateful his wife was with him, right now.

  He didn’t know what he would do if she wasn’t.

  Natalie gently sat him down on the table, and Tommy saw her motion for the others to join her.

  They looked confused, at first… but as he heard Natalie explain, he saw the expressions of shock begin to emerge on their faces.

    000000000000000000000000

  Van stared at Natalie. Her ears heard the words she was speaking… but Van’s brain was having trouble processing them.

  No. No, it can’t be. Lottie wouldn’t…

  But she might. After all, she had been doing the same with Travis.

  Van buried her head in her hands.

  Even if Lottie was right about everything… the Wilderness, the sacrifices they made to it… she had gone too far this time. Who would trust her now, knowing what she was willing to do to achieve her goals?

  “What the hell are we supposed to do about this?” She asked.

  “I don’t know”, Nat said. “She doesn’t even seem to realise it was wrong. Back home, she’d probably be found not guilty by insanity, then get… I don’t know, twenty years of therapy in the local nuthouse. Even then, that probably wouldn’t fix her.”

  Probably not, no.

  “We can’t just do nothing”, Tai said, as Van looked at Tommy.

  Poor Tom… her heart ached. Nobody could doubt he had worked his ass off to keep them alive the past year… and what had he gotten for his troubles? Lottie had raped him.

  Part of Van couldn’t believe that word was even crossing her mind. But it was the truth. Now… Van felt an icy heart clench around her fist.

  “What will happen to Lottie?” Shauna asked.

  “I… I don’t know”, Natalie said. “But we can’t let her out of our sight. Not anymore.”

    000000000000000000000000

  As the girls dispersed, Shauna felt a rush of… something. She wasn’t sure what.

  Guilt? Shame? Regret? No, that wasn’t it.

  She had hated Tommy for so long now, she wasn’t sure what to feel for him after the news of what Lottie had done. What she had encouraged Lottie to do.

  Like most girls her age, Shauna had grown up being taught by her mother to be wary of men, learning lessons such as walking in pairs at nighttime, lest she become one of the poor women caught in the crosshairs of a predatory male.

  But this… Shauna wasn’t sure what to make of this. What was the appropriate response when a man was raped by a woman?

  She vaguely remembered the trial of the infamous Menendez brothers, who had murdered their parents, stating they had been sexually assaulted by both of them.

  Shauna had been sceptical about the brothers’ claims, as had many others, but now… now she wondered.

  The trial had still been ongoing when the Yellowjackets’ plane crashed, and Shauna briefly wondered how it had ended. Had the brothers been acquitted? Somehow, she doubted it, even if they were telling the truth.

  Whatever was to happen now… Shauna knew Lottie had ruined any chance they had once had of deposing Tommy.

  Whatever the others felt towards him… they would see him as the victim now, not the villain.

  The game had changed again, and not in Shauna’s favour.

  I have to be careful, now. More careful than I’ve ever been. If I don’t get this right… I could end up on the chopping block, right next to Lottie. 

    000000000000000000000000

  As Javi gave Misty the medicines that had come from Ben’s survival crate, she felt her heart sink as she looked them over.

  Tylenol. Ibuprofen. Aspirin. Good for relieving pain, but…

  They weren’t antibiotics. None of them were. This wasn’t enough to treat Ben. Not nearly enough.

  “Was this all?” She asked Javi. “Are you sure?”

  Javi nodded. “I’m sorry.”

  He slowly walked off, towards Natalie and Tommy, as Misty felt the tears brewing behind her eyes.

  She walked into the animal pen to visit Ben, who was sleeping, and as he woke, she offered him some of the Ibuprofen, which he swallowed down with water.

  “Thanks”, he whispered.

  But Misty didn’t hear him. She was too busy staring at the red streaks running up and down his leg, as the tears began to fall down her cheeks.

    000000000000000000000000

  “Uh… here’s the map and compass”, Natalie heard Javi say, as he passed them to her.

  “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “I will”, Natalie said, as Javi walked off. As she looked at the map, she could instantly tell it was of the area surrounding them. Yes, there were the mountains to the west, which the map referred to as the ‘Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park’. The lake was there as well… she could also see where the plane had fallen, and where they were now…

  “Can I… can I see?”

  She passed the map over to Tommy… then to her astonishment, she saw his eyes widen.

  But not in surprise, or in shock.

  In recognition. 

    000000000000000000000000

  For a moment, Tommy thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, as he gaped at the words on the map.

  But there was no mistake.

  The Northern Rocky Mountains. THAT’S what that big mountain range is? 

  He’d known they were north of the United States, of course, but… he’d never realised they were as far north as this…

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Uh… I have some very bad news, and some potentially very good news as well.”

    000000000000000000000000

  “What’s the bad news?” Natalie swallowed.

  Tommy hesitated, then spoke.

  “The Northern Rocky Mountains are… well… north of the United States… by about six hundred miles.”

  “Six hund- six hundred-”

  Natalie could barely speak. How? How on earth could they have crashed so far off course?

  If there was an afterlife… Natalie would make it her personal project to hunt down the pilots of Flight 2525 once she got there, and find out if someone could die twice.

  Natalie felt the despair settle in her stomach. Tai’s expedition south would never have succeeded, she realised. Even if Van hadn’t been mauled by the wolves, Tai’s group would have starved to death long before they reached civilisation.

  In fact, it was probably a blessing in disguise that the expedition had gone wrong so quickly, though Natalie doubted Tai or Van would see it that way.

  Natalie bowed her head… then raised it to see Tommy was waiting to speak.

  “What’s… what’s the ‘potentially’ good news?” She croaked.

  “I studied this region in geography class. If those really are the Northern Rockies to the west of us… it means the Alaska Highway is north of where we are now. And I don’t think it’s that far, either, no more than a hundred miles.”

  “What’s the Alaska Highway?” Natalie asked, suddenly unable to keep the tremor out of her voice, trying desperately not to scream with excitement.

  “It’s a road. It was built in the 1940s to connect Alaska to the other States through Canada. If we can get to it, and then head east… the nearest town is Fort Nelson, which is another hundred miles after that.”

  Two hundred miles, Natalie thought. Can we make it that far?

  But as she looked around the clearing, she knew they had no choice. No matter how carefully they built the shelters, no matter how clever they were with the rations… there were no guarantees that they would make it through the next winter.

  As long as we’re here, we are at the mercy of nature, Natalie thought. We have no choice. I’m not going through another winter out here, not if I don’t have to.

  But there was still something she didn’t understand.

  “How do you know all this? How do you know where these places are?”

  “Extracurricular in geography, courtesy of Mr. Baker”, Tommy shrugged. “My dad insisted on it. If you’re going to serve our country, Thomas, you’d better know how to navigate.”

  The gruff tone of voice he used to imitate his dad made Natalie giggle, and she saw a smile break out on Tommy’s face in response, the first one he’d made since Lottie… since she’d…

  And as she was reminded of Lottie, Natalie felt the smile slide off her own face. What the hell were they going to do about her?

  Then as if to double their problems, Misty came up to Natalie, and she could see the other girl had been crying.

  “Misty? What-”

  “I checked Ben’s leg. He’s got blood poisoning; I saw it. This isn’t enough to stop it”, Misty whispered, holding the packets of what Natalie realised were the medicines Javi had taken from the cave.

  “None of what we have is enough to save his leg. We have to… we have to…”

  Amputate. Shit.

  Could they get to civilisation before the infection killed Coach Scott?

  But as they walked into the animal pen, and she saw the red streaks running through Ben’s leg, Natalie knew the answer.

  We can’t save your leg, coach. But we can save your life.

    000000000000000000000000

  “I’ll talk to him”, Ben heard Tommy whisper, and as the others left, Ben noticed his little brother looked… pale. Had something happened?

  “Are you… alright?”

  “Uh…” Tommy looked away. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Listen…”

  He bent down next to Ben. “I saw the map. I’ve… I’ve figured out where we are.”

  Ben stared at him. “You what?”

  “We’re in the north of British Columbia… which means the Alaska Highway isn’t that far north of us.”

  “What?” Ben hissed. He knew what the Alaska Highway was. But how… how…

  “How could we be that far north?”

  “I dunno. Ask the pilots.”

  Tommy grinned, but Ben’s head was spinning. All this time… they’d been so close to rescue, and none of them had known it.

  “How could you tell that from the map? I couldn’t even tell that.”

  “You can thank Dad for the extracurriculars I took in geography class… and Mr. Baker as well, I suppose.”

  In that moment, Ben decided he would send Mr. Baker a bouquet of flowers once they got home. But what the hell were they going to do about his leg?

  As he looked down at the red streaks, Ben knew the answer. But he still had to ask.

  “There’s not enough time to save my leg, is there?”

  Tommy shook his head.

  “I’m sorry, Ben, but you only have two options. Either you die here with one leg… or you go home with none.”

  Ben closed his eyes in despair. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  But as he looked at Tommy, Ben felt his determination increase.

  Fuck it. I want to go home. I want to see Paul again. If losing my other leg is the price to pay for getting my life back… I’ll take it. 

    000000000000000000000000

  “Okay. Let’s do it. Before I lose my nerve.”

  At his brother’s words, Tommy steeled himself and went to find Misty.

  “He’s agreed to it”, Tommy said to her, and he saw Misty gulp, before she walked away to her shelter, where he knew she kept the axe.

  As Misty strode out of her shelter carrying the weapon, which looked giant in her hands, Tommy saw Lottie emerge from the shelter, looking at Misty with a puzzled expression on her face, before gazing at him.

  Tommy shuddered. After this was done… he wanted to get as far away from Lottie Matthews, as fast as he could.

  He would report her to the police once they got home, and Lottie would end up either in prison, or the nuthouse.

  Most likely the latter, Tommy thought, as he saw Misty placing the axe blade in the fire.

    000000000000000000000000

  Lottie was confused. What was going on? What was Misty doing with the axe?

  Nobody had spoken to her since she got back from the cave. She figured Natalie would have told them what she did to Tommy.

  Lottie winced. They would understand. They must.

  Even now, she could feel Tommy’s seed coating her insides. From the moment she had felt the warm, ecstasy-filled gush inside her, she had known beyond a doubt that she had succeeded in her goal, as she shuddered in her climax before Natalie whacked her with the rifle.

  Lottie’s head and stomach still hurt from that, but it made no matter now. Before long, her stomach would hurt again, for an entirely different reason.

  She was pregnant with Tommy’s child. The Child of the Wilderness would be born, whether Tommy liked it or not.

  Lottie did not know if the others trusted her anymore… and suddenly, found herself unable to care. They would not harm her as long as she was pregnant, not even Natalie. That was all that mattered, in the end.

  Lottie watched as Misty and Tommy heated the axe and one of the knives in the fire, before walking towards the animal pen… and finally, she realised what they were about to do, as she saw Travis hand Tommy a long, thick branch.

    000000000000000000000000

  While the Martinez brothers gripped on to Ben’s shoulders, they placed his infected leg vertically on a plank of wood they had salvaged from the cabin.

  As Ben bit down on his own belt, Misty gripped his leg, while Tommy placed the heated axe just above the wound on Ben’s leg with his left arm, gripping the branch with his right.

  As he brought the branch down on the top of the axe, the smell of sizzling human flesh hit Tommy’s nostrils, reminding him of Jackie and Mari.

  The Wilderness had both of them. But not my brother. It will NOT have my brother. 

  In the end, it took more than ten hits with the branch to put the axe through Ben’s leg, and he had passed out before Tommy got to five.

  But eventually, it was done, as they used the heated knife to cauterise what the axe had not.

  Natalie broke away from the group, and Tommy heard her vomiting outside.

  He winced- he couldn’t blame her for that, he supposed.

    000000000000000000000000

  At first, Natalie didn’t give much thought to her vomiting, though it was the second time that day. The first had been due to the overwhelming noxious gases of the cave, and now the smell of cooking human flesh had activated her memories of Jackie and Mari. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

  They spent the rest of the day planning the expedition north, away from the prying ears of one Lottie Matthews.

  One by one, Natalie and Tommy spread the word amongst those they were certain they could trust as to what was happening- namely Javi, Travis, Gen and Robin.

  Since he had proven himself so reliable recently, Javi would come with them, while the other three would stay behind to make sure nothing got out of hand.

  After some hesitation, Tommy decided to quietly inform Misty as well, asking her to care for Ben while they travelled north. Natalie was on the fence about this, but she chose to trust her husband’s judgement.

  They decided not to tell Tai and Van. Tai would undoubtedly try to muscle her way in, and Van… neither Natalie or Tommy had trusted her since she voted Ben guilty at the trial.

  Not Shauna, either. While Natalie couldn’t prove it, of course, she strongly suspected Shauna had something in mind for them. Well, it didn’t matter now. All that mattered was getting north before winter set in.

  Then the next morning, the smell of breakfast had hit Natalie’s nostrils, and she instantly had to walk out of the clearing to puke her guts out in the woods.

  Was she coming down with a bug, or something? Because that would make for some terrible fucking timing-

  Then it suddenly hit Natalie, and she knew. She knew. 

  Had it happened the day she had proposed to Tommy? It must have- that had been six, almost seven weeks ago now.

  Had she had her period since then? No, no she hadn't, she'd been so caught up in preparing for the wedding she hadn't realised, and then with everything that came after...

  She hadn’t even been married a week.

  Jesus fucking Christ, Natalie thought, that IS some terrible fucking timing if we don’t make it north.

  But in that moment, Natalie knew that if she wasn’t set on their goal before, she sure as hell was now.

  The expedition north would succeed… because no matter what happened along the way, Mrs. Natalie Scott would never- ever- give up.

  Not now. Not now that she was…

  “Oh, God”, Natalie groaned out loud. “How the hell did I end up here?”

Be honest, did you see any of this coming?

If anyone reading is a victim of sexual assault, please know that I am truly sorry if what you read here triggered you, but there was no scenario where Tommy would willingly have sex with Lottie. Not unless she threatened Natalie's life, and I think we know by now that Tommy would kill Lottie if she tried that.

Now, before you start scoffing at how far-fetched it would be that Tommy would recognise the terrain, I would like to stress that a very important part of military training is knowing how to navigate.

As a simple reservist infantry soldier, I have lost count of the amount of maps I've had thrown at me depicting terrain I could barely make heads or tails of. Navigation's not my strength, I'm afraid.

However, navigation has been a key part of Special Operations ever since the birth of the SAS in WW2, so in my mind, it makes sense that Tommy's father would push him to study as many areas as he could as part of his training.

Yes, I am aware that I wrote Tommy as planning to go to Rutgers after school, but in my headcanon, he was always going to enlist after that was done, and he would continue to train while at Rutgers. Hope that satisfies the nitpickers amongst you.

Now, as to why I changed the story so much… my original plan was for Ben to be slowly dying from his leg wound, and Tommy being the one to put him down. When Shauna would be elected leader, she would state that Tommy would 'prepare the feast', which would cause Tommy to snap and attempt to murder Shauna before the girls pull him off her.

Ben would be cremated as a compromise, and the fire would attract the frog scientists. Unfortunately, Tommy would be in shock from what he had done, and would be unable to bring himself to do anything, even talk, as the girls clash over going home.

After Kodi is killed, Natalie would tearfully confess to Tommy that she is pregnant, which causes him to snap out of it.

This was where I ran into trouble… because I simply couldn't come up with a logical reason as to why Tommy wouldn't immediately sneak back into the camp and kill Shauna in her sleep, and Lottie as well, wrestling his power back. He would most likely kill Taissa too, as he would know she is far too headstrong for him to control, and then of course he would have to kill Van before she could kill him for killing Taissa. Then Misty might get scared and try poisoning Tommy or something, so he'd kill her in response, and then the JV players would get paranoid that they were next... see where I'm going with this?

Besides, Tommy would know once the Yellowjackets found out about Natalie's pregnancy, she and their baby would be in danger, if they hadn't already killed him first for almost murdering Shauna earlier.

I tried a different number of ways to get around this, with more than a few rewrites, but I just couldn't figure it out. I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to finish this story.

Then I decided to research where the Yellowjackets had most likely crashed, and as I studied the terrain, the story you have just read began to form, and I knew I had found the best alternative I could.

For what it's worth, I hope you guys like it. We are… closer to the end than you might think.

Thank you all for following the story this far! Your patience will soon be rewarded! 😊 ❤️

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Twenty-Four

Welcome back! We have another chapter already!

For those following the AU to this AU, concerning Shauna, I have decided to hold off on developing that particular story any further in favour of finishing this one first. That way, once it's done I can publish all three seasons of the Shauna AU one after the other.

Sorry to disappoint you guys, but I really think it's for the best if I concentrate on one story at a time.

Anyway, don't let me keep you any further! Read on to find the outcome of the trial!

Ben was vaguely aware of being rolled on to a stretcher, and being carried out of the cave, before the pain overwhelmed him, and he finally fell unconscious. In the hours after Shauna stabbed him, he had thought about removing the knife from his leg, but quickly dismissed it.

  Despite the improvised tourniquet he had made from his belt, Ben knew he would likely bleed out in minutes if the knife was removed. As a result, he had laid in the cave for what felt like an eternity, slipping into unconsciousness only to be dragged out of it by the throbbing pain in his leg, hoping beyond hope that Tommy was coming. And now his brother was here, and he was taking Ben to a place where he could heal him.

  Ben smiled as he felt himself travelling along the path, looking up at Tommy, who was carrying the back of the stretcher.

  “I knew you’d help me”, he said. “I knew you’d come for me, buddy.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Buddy?

  Over the course of his eighteen, now almost nineteen years of life, Tommy’s brother had never- ever- called him ‘buddy’.

  Never. Not ever.

  Probably losing it. 

  Although, Ben had been alone for five months, after all. Maybe this new attitude had nothing to do with the knife in his leg.

  Briefly, Tommy wondered what they were going to do about it. Truth be told, the blade hadn’t really been sunk that deep. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked. Still, Tommy knew what had to happen next.

  At least… he hoped he did.

  000000000000000000000000

  As they carried Coach Scott into the camp, Natalie saw the others gathering around them.

  It was still nighttime, but she could see the expressions on their faces in the firelight.

  Anger. Fear. Confusion as well, as they gazed at the knife sticking out of the coach’s leg.

  “Put him in our shelter”, Natalie heard Tommy say behind her, as she and Javi slowly directed the stretcher into the place where she and Tommy slept. She wasn’t too happy with the idea of sharing their bed with Tommy’s brother, but as they placed the coach’s stretcher down and rolled him on to it, Natalie saw the knife once again, and forced her feelings down.

  Now wasn’t the time to be petty. But what on earth were they going to do?

  000000000000000000000000

  “I think we have to cauterise it”, Misty said, as she gazed down at Ben, who had fallen into unconsciousness.

  “If we don’t… he’ll bleed out once we remove the knife. And we can’t keep the knife there, either- gangrene will set in before long, and we’ll have to amputate. It’s already been in there for hours, so… we need to do this now.”

  “I agree”, Tommy said. “Javi, Travis and I will hold him down.”

  He gazed at Misty. “If Natalie pulls the knife out, you think you can do the cauterising? I remember you doing a pretty good job of it the first night.”

  Misty nodded as she looked down at Ben.

  She wasn’t sure what to think of him now, if she was being honest. She had loved him for so long, only to find out he was gay.

  All of her fantasies involving Ben Scott would never come true. But at least she could help him now.

  As Misty went to heat one of their knives in the fire, she was reminded of the night the cabin burned down.

  Had Ben really tried to kill them all? All the evidence seemed to point that way… yet Misty simply couldn’t wrap her head around the coach trying to burn his own brother alive. It just… didn’t make any sense. The Scott brothers had always seemed to get along well, as far as she knew, even with everything that had happened to them.  

  As an only child, Misty was by no means an expert when it came to the bond between siblings. But it still struck her as odd that Ben would have no qualms about Tommy dying in a fire that he himself had lit.

  We’ll figure it out. Somehow, Misty thought, as she carried the red-hot knife towards Natalie and Tommy’s shelter.

  Mercifully, Ben was still unconscious. Misty hoped he would stay that way.

  But if there was one thing the group had learned in their time out here… it was that hope was a dangerous thing in the wilderness.

  Misty nodded to the others, and as the boys held the coach down, Natalie gripped the knife in his leg and pulled upwards.

  “OW!” Ben yelled, jerking around. “What the hell are you-”

  Then Misty pressed the glowing blade to the wound in his leg, and winced as Ben Scott threw his head back, screaming all the while.

  000000000000000000000000

  Had they done it? Had they saved Ben’s leg? Had they even saved Ben’s life? Tommy wasn’t sure.

  The flesh was blistering and cracked around the area where he had been stabbed. Ben had passed out again from the pain, and he had remained unconscious ever since.

  Tommy stayed up with Ben for the rest of the night, watching his brother breathe. He seemed to be breathing normally, but…

  Briefly, Tommy’s mind travelled back to a memory of home, where his dad had talked about Vietnam.

  In truth, Jonathan Scott had rarely spoken of the war, and Tommy hadn’t pushed him for details. But he did remember his dad once telling him of death coming in ways he had never expected.

  It doesn’t take much, Thomas. I lost count of how many I saw die from being shot in the leg, or the arm. It’s not like how it is in the movies- nobody just walks away from being shot.

  Or being stabbed, Tommy thought, as he gazed at Ben’s wound once again. Even if his brother stood a chance of recovery… they were still miles away from any form of medical help.

  And winter was coming, once again. It would only be a matter of time before the snow returned.

  Tommy buried his head in his hands, as he felt Natalie stir beside him.

  “You okay?” He heard her whisper.

  Tommy didn’t reply, and he felt his wife’s arms go around his shoulders as she pressed kisses to his face.

  “You and me”, Natalie whispered, and Tommy instantly felt better… somewhat.

  “Come on”, Natalie said. “Let’s get something to eat. We missed dinner last night.”

  Tommy hadn’t even realised how hungry he was until Natalie mentioned it, and as he took her hand and began to rise, he felt his stomach rumble.

  But as the two of them left their shelter, they were caught completely off-guard, as they found themselves looking at a wall of Yellowjackets right outside their shelter.

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie stared dumbfounded at the group.

  “Uh… what’s going on?”

  “What happens now?” Shauna asked. “Coach Scott’s back. Now we have to make him pay for trying to kill us.”

  “We still don’t know that was him”, Tommy said.

  “Who else could it have been?” Van said, throwing her arms up. “I know he’s your brother, Tom, but you have to face the facts-”

  “What facts?” Tommy asked. “Did anyone here actually see Ben burn down the cabin?”

  The group fell silent, but an idea sparked in Natalie’s head. One that she could only hope would appease everyone.

  “There’s another way”, she said. “Back home, when somebody’s accused of something… they have a trial, to determine whether they’re innocent or not. Why don’t we do the same for the coach?”

  Everyone looked around uncertainly, before Tommy spoke up.

  “Natalie’s right. Ben deserves a chance to tell his side of what happened”, he said, to Natalie’s relief.

  “We’ll give him a day to recover, then… tomorrow, we hold a trial.”

  “And what if he’s found guilty?” Taissa said.

  Natalie saw Tommy’s jaw clench. “That will be for Natalie and I to decide, as your elected leaders.”

  “You’re Coach Scott’s brother. How can we trust that you’ll make the right call?” Taissa asked him, accusingly.

  “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I have a pretty good track record of making the right call out here”, Tommy said, and to Natalie’s surprise, he was smirking.

  “Unless, of course”, Tommy went on, “you have already forgotten how all of us made it through winter- well, almost all of us, I should say.”

  Tommy spoke calmly, but the implication was clear as Natalie saw Taissa look away, avoiding Tommy’s gaze.

  We would be dead if it wasn’t for him, Natalie thought angrily. Why are you all so determined to forget that?

    000000000000000000000000

  As the day passed, Tommy and Natalie discussed how the trial was going to run before announcing it to the others.

  “The vote will be decided by a minimum of two-thirds”, Tommy began.

  “Two-thirds? That’s bullshit, it should be majority rules”, Shauna protested.

  “It’s more than fair, Shauna. Criminal trials are supposed to be unanimous. We’re meeting you halfway”, Natalie replied.

  “Exactly”, Tommy replied. “Now… who wants to be the prosecutor?”

  “I will”, Taissa raised her hand.

  Tommy had expected that. He'd wounded her pride earlier- it wasn’t surprising that Tai would be looking for some type of petty revenge.

  Back home, Natalie had told Tommy about how Taissa had always chafed under Jackie’s leadership- under any form of leadership, really. It wasn’t hard to see that she clearly thought she should be the one in charge out here.

  It also wasn’t hard to see that Taissa Turner was far too headstrong, not to mention too uncompromising to make any kind of popular leader, especially in the wilderness.

  God help us all if she actually takes over. Maybe she’s forgotten about her little trip south of here. 

  Tommy would have to find some way of reminding her of that.

  “Alright, then”, he said. “I’m willing to defend Ben if Natalie acts as a judge-”

  “That’s not fair!” Shauna exploded. “You’re rigging the trial in your favour. The defender and judge should be people who have nothing to do with Coach Scott.”

  “Everyone here has something to do with Coach Scott”, Natalie pointed out. “Look, we’ll… we’ll compromise, okay? I’ll be the judge, and I promise you, I’ll hear both sides fairly. We’ll get someone else to be the defender, and Tommy can sit on the jury-”

  “Tommy shouldn’t have anything to do with the trial”, Shauna snapped. “He’s too close to Coach Scott. He’s gonna vote his brother innocent no matter how much evidence the prosecution throws at him.”

  Where on earth had this come from? Tommy was dumbfounded, but managed to find his voice.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, Shauna”, he spoke, as calmly as he could, “you are giving a very strong impression that you are gonna vote my brother guilty, no matter how much evidence the defence throws at you. If I’m sitting this trial out, it seems only fair that you should too.”

  “What?!” Shauna spluttered.

  But Tommy had had enough. “You stabbed him in the leg with a knife. Way out here, miles from any form of professional help… he could very easily die from what you did to him.”

  A very tense silence emerged at his words, before Lottie, of all people, spoke up.

  “We should go with Nat’s plan”, she spoke, softly. “Tommy and Shauna can sit on the jury. The defender can be someone else.”

  “Who?” Shauna demanded, and to the surprise of everyone there, Lottie turned her head towards Misty.

    000000000000000000000000

  “Me?” Misty asked Lottie. “W-why?”

  “’Cause he’s your boyfriend”, Van teased. “In your mind at least, right?”

  Misty felt her face redden. “That’s not funny”, she snapped, “and I’m not defending him. He’s not the Ben I knew.”

  “You have to, Misty”, Natalie stressed.

  “Please?” Tommy asked. “Out of everyone here… if it can’t be me, or Nat… you’re the only one I trust to defend him properly.”

  Misty was taken aback by Tommy’s words. She hadn’t realised he even trusted her, after what had happened to Crystal, but as she looked into Tommy’s pleading eyes, she knew that she couldn’t say no.

  “Okay”, she said. “I’ll do it.”

  She had a very tough task ahead of her, she realised. Most, if not all of the group, had already decided Coach Scott was guilty.

  How on earth was she supposed to convince them otherwise?

    000000000000000000000000

  In the afternoon, Ben was moved to the animal pen, and Tommy checked his wound.

  “Does it hurt?” He asked, and instantly felt stupid as Ben raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Sorry, I should’ve-”

  “No, it’s… it’s fine”, Ben replied.

  At least he’s not as loopy as he was last night. 

  They fell into an awkward silence, before Tommy spoke up.

  “We, um… we’re gonna hold a trial. Tomorrow. For you. To… to find out if you really did burn down the cabin, once and for all.”

  “I didn’t burn it down”, Ben said.

  “I believe you”, Tommy replied, “but you have to convince the others you’re innocent.”

  “And… if I can’t?”

  Tommy hesitated. What would they do if Ben was found guilty? The Yellowjackets had to know that Tommy would never allow Ben to be executed.

  “I… I don’t know”, he said, and they fell into silence again, before Tommy took his leave.

  That night, as he and Natalie lay down to sleep, she voiced the same concerns to Tommy.

  “What do we do if he’s found guilty? The others might be able to accept us not killing him, but we can’t just exile him, either- they’ll see that as letting him go-”

  “I don’t know”, Tommy said. “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t… know…”

  Natalie ran her hand across his cheek, and Tommy was surprised to realise he was crying.

  “I’m sorry”, she whispered. “It’ll be alright, I promise. I promise you.”

  She pressed her lips to his, and Tommy reciprocated, as one by one their clothes were shed.

  Their lovemaking was somewhat slower this time than their usual passionate encounters, as they gazed into each other’s eyes while Natalie slowly rocked herself on top of Tommy.

  As they finished together, and lay back down to sleep, Tommy found himself desperately wondering how to get Ben out of this, but came up with nothing. Nothing at all.

  Jackie and Mari’s faces swam through his dreams that night. Tommy could only hope that his brother wouldn’t end up joining them.

  The next morning after breakfast, everyone gathered in the clearing as Tommy, Travis and Javi carried Ben on his stretcher, helping him out of it as they sat him down on their makeshift dinner table, where the jury would sit as well.

  “All rise”, Tommy heard Van say, and he rose with the others.

  “The People v. Benjamin Scott, on charges of arson, and multiple counts of attempted murder. Jury verdict requires a two-thirds majority. The Honourable Judge Natalie presiding.”

  Van waved her hand towards Natalie and Tommy’s shelter, and Tommy saw his wife emerge, dressed in… what the hell was that? 

    000000000000000000000000

  Natalie felt ridiculous, dressed in the long white robe of tanned animal skin, but the girls had insisted that she look the part.

  “Are the antlers really necessary?” She had asked, to which Van had raised an eyebrow.

  “I thought you wanted to be the judge”, she had coldly replied. “I’m happy to take your place if you want.”

  Natalie had of course said no, suspecting that like Shauna, Van was determined to find Coach Scott guilty.

  But still… the damn thing itched like crazy on her scalp, and as she walked out of the tent, she saw Tommy’s eyes widen in surprise, as he raised an eyebrow.

  Really? She felt him say.

  Just go with it, she replied, and she saw him nod.

  Sitting down in the plane seat that would be acting as the judge’s chair, Natalie took hold of the makeshift gavel that had been fashioned out of various bits of wood, and tapped it to symbolise the beginning of the trial.

  “Here we go. Uh… Taissa Turner, you may call your first witness.”

  “Yes, Your Honour”, Taissa said, as she stood up. “The People would like to call Shauna Shipman to the stand.”

  Fuck, Natalie cursed, as she saw Tommy wince. This isn’t gonna go well.

  Shauna handed Jeremy to Tommy before she sat down on the stump next to Natalie’s chair, but before she spoke, Misty piped up.

  “Wait! We have to swear her in.”

  “Oh! Right. Yeah, we forgot that", Van said. 

  “Uh…” Natalie began. How would they swear Shauna in? None of them had a Bible, or anything like that.

  Then Lottie stepped up, holding the pack of cards, and a very cold chill went down Natalie’s spine.

  She removed the antler headdress from herself and placed in on the table next to her, with the gavel. How on earth real judges could concentrate while wearing such things on their head was beyond her.

  Then Lottie spoke to Shauna, and Natalie did not like one word of what she heard.

  “Repeat after me- I vow by the Wilderness to honour its values with my own. What It asks, I will answer. What It says, I will listen. What It needs, I-”

  “She swears to tell the truth, the whole truth, and that’s it, so help her all of us”, Natalie interrupted.

  Lottie was not bringing her Wilderness bullshit into this. Not on her watch.

  “Uh… yeah. I do”, Shauna said, and Lottie returned to her seat.

  “Shauna”, Taissa began. “We are really glad to have you back with us… especially after such a traumatic ordeal with Coach Scott.”

  “Objection!” Misty protested. “In whose opinion was it traumatic?”

  “I think we can all agree that being held against your will is traumatic”, Taissa replied curtly.

  “Sustained”, Natalie said, backing Misty up. “It’s technically an opinion, so…”

  “Fine” Taissa sighed. “Shauna, in your opinion, was your time in Coach’s dungeon traumatic?”

  Dungeon? Natalie thought. What is this, the Middle Ages?

  “Yes, Tai, it was traumatic”, Shauna said, smugly. “He made me eat bats. And he wouldn’t let me leave.”

  “Why not?” Taissa asked.

  “He was worried about the group finding out where we were, and coming to hurt him”, Shauna replied.

  Now Taissa addressed the group.

  “Coming to hurt him. Sounds like the Coach has a reason to fear a reprisal, of sorts. No further questions.”

  Now Misty took her turn.

  “Did he say why he was afraid of us coming to hurt him? Did he give a specific reason?”

  Natalie saw Shauna’s face twist in confusion. “N… no. Not exactly. But I assume it was for burning the cabin-”

  “Know what happens when you ‘assume’? You make an ass out of ‘U’ and ‘Me’”, Misty joked, and Natalie saw several members of the group smirk in response.

  “Could Coach Scott have killed you when you were in the cave?” Misty asked Shauna.

  “Yes”, Shauna growled.

  “But he didn’t, did he?”

  “No”, Shauna said. She didn’t look happy, and Natalie wondered if she was about to lose her temper.

  Good. It’ll help the coach’s chances.

  “Why did he take you to the cave? Why didn’t he just leave you in the pit?”

  “He… he didn’t want me to die in there.”

  Now Misty turned to the group. “He didn’t want her to die. Doesn’t sound like a vengeful murderer to me. No further questions.”

  Then Taissa stood back up. “Request permission to interview the witness further.”

  Could she do that? Natalie wasn’t sure, but nobody else was objecting to it.

  “Permission granted.”

  Then Taissa approached Shauna again, and asked… the oddest question Natalie had ever heard.

  “Do you think Ben is a hero?”

  Huh? 

  Even Shauna looked confused. “What? Uh… no.”

  “Why not? Didn’t he help you? You know… when you were in labour, giving birth to Jeremy?”

  Oh, no, Natalie thought. Oh God, no. 

  But Shauna had clearly picked up on where Tai was going, as Natalie saw the familiar smugness return to her eyes.

  “No. He didn’t. I was bleeding, and in so much pain, and all he said was ‘I just pressed play on a video. And then… and then he just left.”

  “Objection!” Misty said. “What does this have to with the fire?”

  “I’m getting to that”, Taissa stressed. “Shauna, why do you think Ben burned down the cabin?”

  “’Cause he judges us. I mean, he’s judged us this whole time. He’s not one of us, and that terrifies him. We are here, and alive, because we fought to be here, and we fought to stay alive. And he tried to take that from us.”

  “No further questions”, Taissa said, sounding extremely pleased with herself, and Natalie dug her fingers into the chair to stop herself from leaping out of it and clawing the other girl’s eyes out.

  You smug, arrogant bitch. You actually think you’re doing the right thing? 

    000000000000000000000000

  Tommy watched in despair as Shauna sat back down while he handed Jeremy to her. She didn’t even look at him, walking off with Jeremy as he began to fuss.

  Lottie was called to the stand next, as Misty questioned her.

  “Would you say that, before the fire, everyone was on board with the Wilderness, and letting It decide what we should do for It?”

  “No, I don’t think everyone believed”, Lottie said softly, and Tommy saw her eyes flick towards his.

  “You got an A in history, right?” Misty asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Famously, are there not examples of people in history who were not in favour of certain belief systems burning those people’s houses to the ground?”

  “Yes. There are famously examples of that”, Lottie replied.

  “So- in your opinion, couldn’t anyone who didn’t agree or partake in the belief system have burned the cabin to the ground?”

  Though he wasn’t looking at any of them, Tommy thought he could feel the jury’s eyes turning towards him. Surely, they couldn’t believe that-

  “So… it could have been Coach Scott. Or it could have been- oh, I don’t know- Shauna?”

  Shauna? Tommy wondered.

  “Or Gen, maybe, or Robin? They both tried to stop the last hunt from happening.”

  Gen and Robin both looked surprised at Misty singling them out, before Misty turned to Natalie.

  “And, uh- sorry, Nat, I know you’re the judge- but I mean, you didn’t believe, either.”

  There was a pause, and Tommy suddenly realised what was coming next.

  “And of course, it would be stupid of me to not at least mention the one who has stood against it from the very beginning.”

  Here we go.

  “Tommy, who defied the Wilderness at every turn, and somehow kept coming out on top. It could just as easily have been him who burned down the cabin, as revenge for us hunting Natalie.”

  Now Tommy definitely felt everyone’s eyes on him, as his face turned red. They didn’t actually believe it was him who burned down the cabin, did they?

  “Like I said”, Misty went on, “maybe it was Coach Scott. Or maybe, it could have been any one of us, for any number of reasons.”

  “Yes”, Lottie murmured. “It could have been any one of us.”

  “Well”, Misty said, “that sounds a lot to me like reasonable doubt. I mean, if it could have been any one of us, then is it fair to convict a man of attempted murder?”

  “No”, Lottie replied. “No, it’s not.”

  “No further questions”, Misty said, and as she sat back down, Tommy felt his hopes soaring. Maybe Ben had a chance, after all.

    000000000000000000000000

  Taissa found herself at a loss, as Shauna sat beside her.

  “What’s your next plan, Tai?”

  “I don’t know, I… I was going to rest. I don’t know.”

  “Tommy knew where he was hiding.”

  What?! 

  “How do you know that?”

  “Coach Scott admitted to it when he was keeping me in the cave.”

  Taissa felt her gaze turning to Tommy, who was sitting a short way away, next to Coach Scott.

  Huh. Maybe she could use that.

    000000000000000000000000

  Tommy figured it would be his turn, sooner or later, so as Taissa called his name, he quietly took his place on the stump next to Natalie.

  He didn’t know what Taissa was thinking, though. Surely she must have known he would see this coming?

  “Tommy”, Taissa looked down at him, with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “when was the last time you saw Coach Scott?”

  “The day Natalie drew the queen.”

  Careful, Turner. You’re not the only one who can play dirty.

  “So, you last saw him… before the fire?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Before the card draw?”

  “No. We had gone out together, earlier that day, to try and find out where Javi had been staying throughout the winter.”

  “And then you turned back?”

  “Yes.”

  “Before the cave was found?”

  It was only now that Tommy saw the trap; Taissa wanted him to lie. She wanted to catch him in a lie, so she could kick him of the witness stand on the grounds of perjury, where any and all opinions of his brother’s innocence would be useless coming from him.

  Unfortunately for Taissa, Tommy remembered lying to her, months ago, when she had asked him where Ben had gone.

  “Tommy? Was it before the cave was found… or after?”

  “After”, Tommy grit his teeth. What followed next would not be easy to get around, despite him seeing the trap coming his way.

  “Funny”, Taissa furrowed her brow, but Tommy saw her eyes gleaming. “Do you remember me asking you, earlier this year, if you knew where your brother had gone?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, you lied? You knew where he was all along, didn’t you?”

  Tommy had to hand it to Taissa- she was good at this. Maybe a little too good, though…

  “Tommy? You’re under oath.”

  “Yes”, Tommy sighed. “I knew where he was. I’ve known this whole time.”

  “So, you did lie”, Taissa said, a satisfied smile emerging on her lips. Tommy resisted the urge to smack it off her.

  “Was the last time you saw him at the cave?”

  “No. After.”

  “After… the hunt?”

  “Yes.”

  Careful, Turner. Don’t say something you’ll regret, Tommy thought.

  But Taissa was clearly too impressed with herself to see what Tommy could throw back at her.

  “Where did you see him?”

  “Outside the cabin. He caught me butchering Mari.”

  There were several gasps from the jury at Tommy’s response, and even Taissa looked taken aback. But Tommy was in no mood to be treated like the villain of this story.

  “I knew it wasn’t safe for him here, anymore. Your… behaviour that day had convinced me of that. So, I… told him to leave, and he did. That was the last time I saw him.”

  Tommy gazed amongst the group. “I was afraid, you see.”

  “Afraid?” Taissa asked. “Of what? Afraid of what we might do? To hurt him?”

  “No”, Tommy said, as his eyes flicked back to the prosecutor. “Afraid of what I would do if you were foolish enough to try.”

    000000000000000000000000

  Who’s trapping who now, Tai? Natalie thought, struggling to keep the smirk off her face as, for the first time that day, she saw a flicker of fear cross Taissa’s expression.

  Natalie did not know what the others were thinking. But she did know that none of them doubted, even for a second, that Tommy was lying about what he might do if they dared harm his loved ones. After all… it wasn’t as though he hadn’t proven it, that fateful day.  

  Taissa finally seemed to remember that she was standing across from someone who had already killed two Yellowjackets, because the next words she spoke were to the jury.

  “So, Coach Scott leaves, Tommy doesn’t see him again, and a few hours later a fire breaks out, where the coach is the only one outside the cabin. Sounds plenty suspicious to me. No further questions.”

  She walked back to her seat, a little faster than necessary, and Natalie felt herself relax. Whether or not Coach Scott was found guilty… Natalie was now certain that execution, at least, was off the table.

    000000000000000000000000

  “Your Honour”, Misty said, as Tommy returned to his seat. “I would like to call Coach Benjamin Scott to the stand.”

  About time, Tommy thought. At least now his brother would have a chance to tell his side of the story.

  If it even is the truth. 

  To be honest… Tommy still wasn’t one hundred percent certain that Ben hadn’t burned the cabin down. Sure, he’d been inside at the time, but… they hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms.

  Still, was that reason enough for Ben to burn him, his own brother, alive? Under normal circumstances, Tommy would say no, but… none of what had happened to them since the plane went down could be called normal. 

  Tommy watched as Ben slowly hobbled over, pain evident in every step he took.

  Tommy winced. He could only hope the cauterisation had been enough to heal his brother, but Ben had laid for hours in a dirty cave with a metal knife in his leg. Plenty of time for some kind of infection to set in.

  We’ll just have to wait and see, Tommy thought, as Misty began to address Ben.

  “Why did you want to be a coach?”

  That’s your first question? Tommy wondered.

  Ben looked confused as well. “I… I didn’t.”

  “Well, you were a sub, right? Have you always wanted to be a teacher?”

  “No”, Ben said.

  “But… you like kids, right? Working with teenagers?”

  “Not… not really, no.”

  Misty looked frustrated. “Then why- the fuck- are you here, Ben?”

  “What, stranded in a forest? We were in a plane crash-”

  “Yeah. But why were you on the plane? Why spend so much time coaching girls’ soccer at a high school if you hate it all?”

  Misty paused. “I mean… you’ve been at Wiskayok High for four years. You could have left at any time.”

  Could he? Tommy wasn’t so sure, and from the look on his face, neither was Ben.

  After his injury at Columbia… Ben’s life had been going nowhere. Truth be told, back home, Tommy had half-expected his brother to keep coaching soccer in Wiskayok well after Tommy had graduated from college.

  “I mean… every school needs a coach, or a substitute teacher”, Misty went on.

  “You guys ended up being the best in the state”, Ben replied. “I guess I figured, at some point, I’d… maybe get offered a better gig?”

  “Then, what? In the meantime, you just… you just hated us?” Misty asked, incredulously. “You never had any fun? You just- it’s just all a job to you-”

  Tommy was having trouble understanding why Ben wasn’t even bothering to defend himself, before his brother finally spoke up.

  “No, I- I didn’t say that”, Ben said, running his hands through his long, shaggy hair.

  “Look, I-” he began. “I liked teaching. I didn’t think I would, and then I did. And yeah, of course I ended up caring about you guys, too.”

  Ben looked out amongst the group. “I liked coaching you. Because you guys were… God, you were annoyingly fucking relentless. And, uh… you were underdogs. I kind of like those. I am one. Grew up one.”

  He paused. “Stayed one.”

  Tommy frowned. Did Ben really think of himself that way? Before his injury… everyone had said he had what it took to play soccer professionally. He’d always been the best player on his team. Tommy remembered growing up watching Ben play, feeling jealous in the knowledge that he would never be as good as him at soccer, then guilty when he found out Ben had been hurt.

  “And… you’d never want to hurt an underdog, right?” Misty asked. “Keep them down?”

  Ben sighed. “Look, if I wanted to hurt you, I…”

  To Tommy’s surprise, he began to smile.

  “Well, hell, I would’ve turned half of you in for getting so shit-faced the night before our first away game that I had to pretend to the staff we had food poisoning in seven different rooms.”

  Tommy blinked. He remembered Ben telling him about that. It wasn’t long after Natalie and he had begun dating…

  “If I wanted to hurt you”, Ben said, motioning to Taissa and Van, “I would’ve told the school- and your parents- about finding you guys together in the parking lot after practice last year.”

  Judging by the shocked looks on Taissa and Van’s faces, they’d had no idea Ben had seen them.

  Maybe now Taissa will stop being so determined to prove him guilty. Maybe. Tommy could only hope.

  “And I would have put you on the team”, Ben continued, now gesturing at Misty, “instead of asking you to be the equipment manager, because I knew you’d get hurt, and then get bullied when you weren’t good enough.”

  Ben rubbed at his eyes. “My… my family always held me to a high standard. Me and Tommy both, and I hated it. I mean, I actually fucking hated it. My dad was… was…”

  He looked at Tommy, and Tommy nodded. He’d realised what Ben was about to reveal.

  “It’s okay”, he said softly.

  “Our dad was a Green Beret. He did three tours of Vietnam, got four- no, five- Bronze Stars. He was part of some special group when he was over there. He just called it… SOG, I think. I don’t know, I was a kid the last time he spoke about it.”

  SOG? Tommy had no idea what Ben could mean by that.

  Nonetheless, he saw the girls looking shocked by the revelation. He didn’t know if any of them had family in the military, but they clearly knew who the Green Berets were.

  “Not easy growing up with someone like that for a father, let me tell you”, Ben said. “He was always pushing us to be the absolute best at what we did, but… I never got the impression that he really, you know… cared about us, as his sons.”

  Despite the circumstances, Tommy felt slightly insulted. Jonathan Scott may not have been perfect, but he had loved the both of them, as far back as Tommy could remember. He may not have ever actually said it, but… did Ben really think their dad didn’t love them?

  For the first time, Tommy started to understand why he’d had no idea Ben was gay until he’d told him. Had he thought their dad would turn him away?

  Tommy started to become upset at the thought. Would Jonathan Scott have turned Ben away? Surely not.

  Maybe…

  “Anyway”, Ben went on, “I think I just… wanted to look out for you guys. That’s all. My mother, she looked out for me after I got injured at Columbia, and I… I wanted to do the same for you.”

  “Then why”, Misty said, as Tommy heard her voice crack, “why did you leave us?”

  “Look, I…” Ben rubbed at his eyes. “I loved you guys, and I cared about you guys, and then we got here, and… Jesus, you cut my fucking leg off, a-and you didn’t listen to me anymore, or-or care about any of the… and now, you are literally putting me on trial and I didn’t even do anything except try to get away from my own- my own…”

  He trailed off, but he was looking at Tommy as he did so, and Tommy realised what Ben had been about to say.

  My own brother.

  He felt the tears begin to prickle behind his eyes. Did Ben… hate him, now? Had he burned the cabin down, after all?

  “I…” Ben hesitated. “I was… scared. That I… maybe was next. That I… that you guys didn’t need me anymore, and s…”

  He trailed off.

  I would never have let that happen, no matter how you felt about me, Tommy wanted to say, but the words stuck in his throat.

  “You know what?” Ben suddenly said. “I was a coward. I left you, and I shouldn’t have. I… I never should have done that. And I… I am so fucking sorry, Shauna.”

  Tommy saw Shauna look away, before his eyes flicked back to Ben- only to realise his brother was looking straight at him, now.

  “And Tommy, I… you cannot imagine how sorry I am to have left you to deal with… everything… by yourself. Mom and Dad would hate me for that. God knows I hate myself for it… and I’m sure you do too.”

  “I don’t. I don’t hate you”, Tommy said, and he felt the tears begin to spill over his cheeks, as he saw them emerge in Ben’s eyes as well.

  “I just… I didn’t want you to die. That’s why I left you alone all this time.”

  Ben looked taken aback, and a moment of silence passed before he spoke again.

  “Um…” he said. “What you guys have… all done here, by the way, to… what- what you had to do to survive… it’s fucking incredible. I didn’t appreciate it. I should have. ‘Cause the truth is, I’m… in awe of all of you. Kind of… always have been.”

  He turned back towards Tommy. “Especially you. Everything you’ve done out here to keep everyone alive… Dad would be proud. Then again, I think you were always more his son than I was.”

  That’s not true. Tommy felt himself about to cry again, as Ben turned back towards the group.

  “Look, I fucked up… by judging you, and uh… I may not understand your belief system… but I didn’t try to kill you.”

  He looked back at Tommy. “I was angry at you, for what you’d done to Mari, but… I would never want to hurt you. I… I’ve known you since you were born. I could never hurt you.”

  He looked at the group. “I could never hurt any of you.”

  And with that, any doubts Tommy had towards his brother evaporated, as he looked out amongst the Yellowjackets, and saw the tears on their cheeks as well.

    000000000000000000000000

  “Okay”, Natalie spoke up. “So… we should vote, now”, she said, as she faced the group.

  “Not counting Coach and Jeremy, there are fifteen of us. Two-thirds majority vote wins. Tai, Misty and I shouldn’t vote because we were a part of the hearing. That leaves twelve voters, so… at least eight of us need to vote one way to achieve a result. Nobody may abstain.”

  “Tommy shouldn’t vote”, Shauna said, sounding disgusted. “We all know what he’s gonna vote for-”

  “If you didn’t want him to vote, you should have let him defend his brother”, Natalie snapped. “It’s only fair, Shauna.”

  Shauna glared back at her, but didn’t reply.

  “Those who find Coach guilty… raise your hands.”

  Shauna raised her hand, of course, and Melissa did as well. To Natalie’s surprise, Van raised her hand, too.

  He kept your secret from your family, you ungrateful…

  Natalie shrugged it off. It didn’t matter. She knew what was coming next.

  “Those who find him innocent-”

  Then Natalie was cut off as the remaining nine raised their hands. Tommy, Misty… even Taissa thought him innocent.

  This time, Natalie couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Nine to three. I hereby find Coach Benjamin Scott innocent.”

  “This is bullshit. We need to vote again, you can’t seriously have all bought-”

  “Bought what?” Tommy asked Shauna. “Bought the very simple fact that maybe, just maybe, my brother did not burn me, and all of you, alive?”

  “Oh, you’re so convinced he’s innocent-”

  “Yes, Shauna, I am”, Tommy said, calmly. “But if you keep going on like this… maybe we should have another trial. One involving the grievous bodily harm of Benjamin Scott, committed by one Shauna Shipman.”

  That shut Shauna up, and she whirled away into the forest, carrying Jeremy in her arms.

  Natalie hoped that was the end of it… but somehow, she doubted Shauna would let this go.

  What the fuck are we going to do about you, Shipman? 

    000000000000000000000000

  Lottie wasn’t sure if Shauna was in any mood to talk, but there was something she wanted to find out from her.

  “What do you want?” Shauna snapped, as Lottie approached.

  “I was wondering if you could take me to the cave where the coach was staying. I want to see how it kept him alive. I think… I think it could help us.”

  Shauna glowered at her. “Help us? The guy who burned down the cabin got away with it, and you helped him-”

  “Yes. And because I helped him, Tommy will not see me as a threat… or suspect that we are working together, because we voted differently.”

  Truth be told, Coach Scott had actually convinced Lottie of his innocence, in the end. But Shauna didn't need to know that.

  Nevertheless, Lottie saw Shauna’s eyes widen in understanding of her words, before they set off. It didn’t take very long before they were standing in front of the tree, and Lottie felt the steam coming from the structure underneath.

  “Wow”, she whispered. This was truly a miracle of nature-

  Then Jeremy began to cry, and Lottie saw Shauna wrinkle her nose.

  “Goddammit- I need to change him. We should head back.”

  “You go”, Lottie said. “I want to see inside.”

  “Alright”, Shauna shrugged. “Don’t take too long, the others might suspect you.”

  As she set off, Lottie entered the cave, and was surprised to see the various belongings strewn around it.

  A map? A compass? Ropes, as well? Are those- are those packets of hydrolyte powder?

  Where on earth had the coach gotten these? Had they already been in the cave? Had someone lived here before the plane crashed?

  Regardless, it truly was a marvel of nature that a place like this existed, Lottie thought, as she ran her hand across the wall of the cave.

  The Wilderness would always provide-

  Then Lottie’s hand caught on something, and as a piece of the wall fell away, what felt like a burst of gas hit Lottie squarely in the face.

  Gasping and coughing, she stumbled back, trying to find the exit- only to see her vision… change.

  What- what the hell-

  Then Lottie saw. She saw a dark corridor lit with candles, stretching all the way up a long flight of stairs.

  She saw the remains of Flight 2525, but… there were skeletons in the seats. Skeletons wearing the same clothes as her teammates.

  Oh, my God. Lottie stumbled back in horror, before she heard a cry. A baby’s cry.

  This time, Lottie was in no doubt as to whose child this was, as she turned and saw her son on the ground behind her.

  Greedily, Lottie reached for him- only to scream as he turned to wisps of smoke in her hands.

  “No. NO!!!”

  Gradually, Lottie became aware that she was still in the cave, and she drunkenly stumbled out, taking in great lungfuls of air.

  As her sight began to clear, and the forest around her came into focus, a plan began to form in Lottie’s mind.

  It was… terrible, what she was considering. Definitely illegal. But it would finally- finally- get her what she wanted.

    000000000000000000000000

  “Guess I should count myself lucky”, Ben grinned at Tommy, as he lay back in the animal pen, while Tommy and Natalie constructed a makeshift roof over his head. It would have to do, until they built him his own shelter.

  “Still… what was going to happen, if I was found guilty?”

  “Dunno”, Tommy said. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now, does it?”

  “I guess not”, Ben shrugged. “Oh, by the way… would you check my leg after this? It… it still hurts.”

  “Sure.”

  Tommy bent down to start unravelling the bandages… and felt his face drop.

  Ben’s wound hadn’t gotten better. It had gotten worse.

  Much, much worse, Tommy thought, as he gazed at the cracked, blackened skin, which was starting to ooze thick yellow pus.

  “Well”, Tommy heard Ben say in a casual tone, but the fear in his voice was obvious. “That doesn’t look good now, does it?”

Sorry about doing this to Ben. But you didn't really think it was over, did you?

What did you think of the trial? Was that a believable outcome, do you think? Let me know in the comments 😊

Thank you all so, so much for following this story. Words cannot express how much it means to me. ❤️

Next chapter coming soon! This one… this one will be very, very different indeed to the main story. Keep your eyes peeled, you don't want to miss it! 😊

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Twenty-Three

Hey guys, I'm back now!

Thank you all so much for your patience, it means so much to me.

Anyway, please read on, don't let me keep you waiting! 😊

  As time dragged on, Shauna found herself growing increasingly more and more frustrated as she waited for the perfect opportunity to escape.

  She had underestimated Coach Scott back at the pit, hence why she was here now, tied up by her hands and feet. She couldn’t afford to make the same mistake a second time- Coach Scott might not let her live if she did, Jeremy or no Jeremy.

  For all Shauna knew, her son was the only reason Tommy’s brother hadn’t already broken her skull with a rock. If he dragged her body out of… wherever they were, and placed it at the bottom of a cliff, who amongst the group would suspect foul play if they found her? Most of them probably still believed Coach Scott had frozen or starved to death after leaving them behind.

  She had to be patient. She knew that. But as she saw the can of what could only be bear spray swinging from Coach Scott’s belt, it took all of Shauna’s willpower not to leap to her feet and grab it.

  But where on earth had he gotten the spray? It hadn’t come from the cabin.

  As Shauna looked around the cave, she saw other things placed around it. Little packets of food, and powders to put in drinks. A map and a compass. Various sets of… were those clothes?

  “Where’d you get all this stuff?”

  “I found it”, Coach Scott said. He didn’t elaborate, and Shauna knew why- he had already shared too much information with her.

  The coach turned away from her to crouch in front of the small fire he had made in the cave. He was cooking something on a tiny spit, and Shauna caught the undeniable scent of meat emerging from it.

  She felt her stomach grumble. She hadn’t eaten anything since Tommy and Natalie’s wedding feast, and even then, she had been far too upset to stomach more than a few bites.

  When Coach Scott offered her a small portion of the meat he was cooking, Shauna didn’t hesitate, ripping her meal apart with her fingers and digging in.

  “What is this? Some kind of bird?”

  “No. Bat.”

  Bat?! Shauna nearly choked, but all Coach Scott did was shrug as he stood on his crutches, looking down at her.

  “What can I say? You take what you can get out here.”

  He gave Shauna a hard stare. “But I guess I don’t need to tell you that.”

  Oh, fuck off, Shauna nearly snapped back, as she forced herself to look guilty.

  “Look, we… we didn’t want to eat Mari. Or Jackie either, for that matter. But… it was that, or starve.”

  She placed her bowl on the ground. “That’s all in the past now, anyway. We’re already gathering enough food to last us through next winter. We’ve got vegetables, Akilah is raising ducks, and… and rabbits…”

  Shauna trailed off. “You could… you could come back. I’m sure the others miss you. Especially… especially Tommy.”

  She saw a flicker of something cross Coach Scott’s face. Guilt? Hope, maybe?

  “If… if Tommy really knows where this place is, it’s only a matter of time before he comes here. This can’t… it can’t last, Coach.”

  000000000000000000000000

  She was right. Ben knew she was right. Tommy and the others were probably looking for Shauna, even now.

  For all Ben knew, Tommy was already making a beeline for the cave, with a horde of angry Yellowjackets following him.

  His time in isolation was over. Which meant it was time for Ben to make a decision.

  Ben began to turn away from Shauna, hobbling away.

  “Just… just let me think, alright? I just need to-”

  Then Ben was cut off as he felt Shauna grab the mace at his belt, and he knew what was coming next.

  Although no member of his family was aware of it, Ben had at one point been maced by the police at a gay rights protest, barely a year before Flight 2525 went down. He had had to call in sick at the school, claiming he was down with the flu.

  As the mace hit him at point-blank range, Ben felt the familiar burning sensation overwhelm him as his eyes shut far too late to protect themselves.

  “AARRGGHHH!!”

  Suddenly enraged, Ben grabbed blindly for the mace can and sprayed it right where he thought Shauna’s face would be, smiling grimly as he heard her yowl in pain.

  “OOOOOWWWW! WHAT THE FUCK, COACH, YOU FUCKING- MOTHERFUCK-”

  As both of them collapsed on to the cave floor, scraping at their eyes, Ben couldn’t help but wonder, as he coughed and spluttered for breath, how on earth things had come to this.

  000000000000000000000000

  In the aftermath, it was harder to tell which part of Shauna hurt worse. Her face? Her eyes?

  Whoever said wounded pride hurt worst of all had clearly never been maced.

  As Shauna choked and gasped on the floor, feebler and more helpless than a newborn lamb, she was vaguely aware of Coach Scott pouring water over her eyes to try and clean them.

  “What exactly was your plan?” The coach scoffed. “You’re still tied up.”

  Mace you and stab you before running away. 

  Probably best if Shauna didn’t say that out loud. Still, she did her best to glare at him through her swollen eyes.

  “Didn’t really have a plan”, she managed to choke out through her burning throat. “What can I say? I don’t feel much like dying today.”

  “Yeah, me neither”, Coach Scott snapped. “You know, I was gonna let you go.”

  “Yeah. Right”, Shauna scoffed. “Why the hell should I trust anything you say?”

  “What? What do you mean?”

  Shauna’s vision began to clear as she stared at the coach. She began to feel the tears pouring down her face. They were tears of pain, but still, she did her best to look as though she really was upset, and when she spoke, it was with all the venom she could muster.

  “You’re the adult of our group. And you… you let us down. You left us. You left me when I was giving birth to my son.”

  Shauna got to her feet. “Jeremy would be dead if- if-”

  If Tommy hadn’t stepped in.

  And as the words caught in her throat, Shauna finally realised that the tears in her eyes weren’t from pain after all.

  “Oh, my God. I left him. I left my son back there. How- how could I- why- no-”

  “Shauna, it’s okay”, she heard Coach Scott say, as she collapsed to the floor, the sound of her crying echoing throughout the cave.

  “Look, we’re going to go back there, it’s alright-”

  But Shauna wasn’t listening anymore, as thirteen months’ worth of emotions began to bubble up while she reached inside her bra.

  All the grief. All the pain. All the self-loathing and hatred and rage finally exploded, as her fingers closed around the knife.

  000000000000000000000000

  In times ahead, Ben would look back and wonder how on earth he couldn’t have realised the most obvious place for Shauna to hide a weapon.

  As the blade entered his remaining leg, right above the knee, it actually took a second or two for the pain to come.

  But when it did… not since the plane crash had Ben felt such agony, and he fell backwards onto the ground, screaming, as Shauna knelt down and tried to pull the knife out.

  “AARRRGHHH!” Ben howled, as he felt Shauna moving the knife around. Somehow, that hurt even worse.

  Lashing out in desperation, he managed to clock Shauna around the face as hard as he could, and he felt her stumble back.

  Ben rolled around on the floor, tears pouring down his face as he stared at the knife buried in his leg. Vaguely, he was aware of Shauna untying the ropes around her and running out of the cave.

  But Ben was in too much pain to care, and as he stared at the blood gushing from what had been a perfectly functioning leg only moments ago, he vaguely recalled something that Tommy had passed on from his lifeguard training back home, and began to scrabble for his belt.

  000000000000000000000000

  Shauna groped blindly through the branches in front of her, trying frantically to figure out where she was going.

  Would Coach Scott die from what she had done?

  Oh, God. What if he does?

  Truth be told… Shauna had been so busy fantasising about hurting the coach, she hadn’t even bothered to consider what might happen if she actually did.

  She didn’t have any siblings at home, so she couldn’t imagine what it must be like to lose one, but if the coach died… would Tommy let her live? Somehow, Shauna doubted it.

  It was as though a fog had suddenly cleared in her mind, as Shauna continued through the brush, branches smacking into her face despite her best efforts to keep them off her.

  She had to live. She had to, for Jeremy. And the only way to do that was for the coach to live as well.

  Shauna still hated Tommy. For Jackie, for Mari… for all of it. But it was because of Tommy that Jeremy was alive, and for that… Shauna owed him.

  Or do I? Shauna mulled it over as she continued through the woods. Jeremy had been nothing but trouble in the last few months, and if Shauna was being honest… she was tired of it.

  She hadn’t wanted to get pregnant. She certainly hadn’t wanted to give birth out here. If the plane hadn’t crashed, Shauna’s mother would have quietly taken her to get an abortion, and Shauna would have been off to Brown University after that, free to live her life the way she wanted to.

  Instead, she was out here, with a son she wasn’t even sure she wanted anymore, who viewed a murderer as a better parent than her, and Shauna felt the old anger towards Tommy return at the realisation.

  She had to play the game carefully now. She had to make Tommy think she was just a scared, vulnerable girl… not the threat to his position that she really was.

  The others viewed Tommy with a mixture of respect and fear… and love, of course, in Natalie’s case.

  But there was another in their group that they viewed the same way.

  Lottie. I have to get Lottie on my side. That’s the key, Shauna thought, as she finally came to a break in the woods, and saw the stream ahead of her, finally realising where she was… and where she had to go to get to the others.

  000000000000000000000000

  In the early afternoon, as Tommy walked around the clearing, carrying Jeremy as he continued to fuss, he was relieved to see Shauna finally emerge from the woods.

  “About time”, he snapped. “Where the hell have you been?”

  “With your brother”, Shauna replied, as she almost casually took Jeremy away from him, opening her shirt as she began to nurse her son.

  Jeremy finally quietened down, but Tommy was too busy staring at Shauna to notice.

  “You found Ben? W-where?”

  “Right where you left him”, Shauna replied, walking away, as she continued to nurse Jeremy.

  Oh, shit, Tommy thought. She knew. She knew that Tommy had known where Ben was.

  Fuck. FUCK. FUUUUCK! He screamed inside his head. How would the others react to this?

  As the rest of the Yellowjackets emerged, all of them sounding delighted at the return of their teammate, Shauna sat down as she continued to hold Jeremy, and told her story.

  “I fell in a hole, and I couldn’t get out, but Coach Scott… f-found me. He blindfolded me and tied me up, then took me to… a cave, I think? I’m not quite sure.”

  “A cave?” Van asked.

  “He took you prisoner?” Akilah gasped.

  “That’s so scary”, Gen said.

  “Yeah, but… I got away, and I came back here.”

  “Holy shit,” Van said. “I knew it. I fucking knew it. He has totally lost it!”

  “We don’t know that”, Misty said.

  “Dude. He tied her up and took her to his lair!” Van screamed at her.

  “I can find my way back”, Shauna said. “We can take a group; we can take all of us-”

  “Okay, Wyatt Earp”, Taissa scoffed. “What do you want to do, go capture him?”

  “Yeah. That’s exactly what I want to do”, Shauna replied calmly, as she got to her feet, still holding Jeremy.

  “He tried to burn us alive”, Shauna went on. “You really want to just leave him out there?”

  “We don’t know that was him”, Tommy said.

  “Funny, Tommy”, Shauna stared at him, but Tommy saw the gleam in her eye. “It almost sounds like you don’t want to know where your own brother is.”

  Yeah. She knows I know. It’s official. 

  Tommy groaned internally. “Alright, alright. Look”, he said, raising his hand.

  “Shauna and I will go. Alone.”

  “W-what?” Natalie said beside him, looking horrified.

  “I have known Ben all my life”, Tommy said. “He will not hurt me. I can convince him to come here.”

  “I’m going with you”, Natalie said.

  “You don’t have to…” Tommy trailed off as he saw the look in his wife’s eyes.

  She wasn’t taking no for an answer.

  “Fine”, Tommy acquiesced.  

  “I’ll go too”, Javi said, moving to stand beside them. “You might need help… bringing him back here.”

  “Sure, why not?” Tommy sighed. “Let’s just… get this over with.”

  000000000000000000000000

  “Hey.”

  Lottie looked up in surprise to see Shauna approaching, as she carried Jeremy.

  Lottie briefly wondered if Shauna was going to ask her to look after her son, before Shauna explained.

  “The others filled me in on what you were doing with Travis.”

  Lottie winced as she braced herself for the inevitable lecture. She never could have imagined what Shauna would actually say.

  “I… I get it, okay? I promise… it’s worth it, having a baby. It’s worth the nine months… and all that comes after it.”

  As Shauna gazed lovingly at Jeremy, Lottie tried and failed not to feel jealous. She had tried- so hard- to get pregnant over the last few weeks, but her latest period had come only that morning, providing irrefutable proof that her sessions with Travis had been for nothing, in the end.

  “I tried, Shauna”, Lottie said, and was surprised to realise how defeated she sounded. It triggered something within her, and before Lottie knew it, she was telling Shauna everything.

  “It doesn’t want me to conceive. Not with Travis, anyway. There is only one person here whom the Wilderness will let me bear a child with.”

  “Tommy?” Shauna said quietly.

  Lottie nodded mutely, looking away.

  Then Shauna leaned forward, and once again, said the last thing Lottie expected her to say.

  “I am tired of being invisible. I am tired of being looked over. If we find a way to… depose Tommy, so to speak… you could have him for as long as you wished.”

  Lottie stared at Shauna in shock, as the other girl continued to speak.

  “Truth be told, I can’t say I blame you. I… I saw him with Natalie. The night of their wedding. They were…”

  “Magnificent”, Lottie breathed, as she began to smile. “I… I saw them too”, she added, almost shyly. “They looked… they looked like gods.”

  Especially Tommy. Maybe… maybe he really is a god, in human form. Or at least the descendant of one. There are stories full of people like that, across cultures that have nothing to do with each other. Who’s to say they aren’t true, after all? It would explain all Tommy has achieved, while we’ve been out here. 

  What would it be like to make love to the descendant of a god? Lottie wondered, and as she did so, she felt herself moisten between her legs.

  Yes, she thought. I understand, now. Tommy has the blood of the gods in his veins. No wonder the Wilderness wants him as the father of the Child. Why would it settle for anything less? 

  “You saw them together?” Shauna asked.

  “Yes”, Lottie mumbled. “I must… I must have him. Just… just until I conceive. And then…”

  She trailed off, but she knew Shauna understood.

  000000000000000000000000

  Their group of four trudged through the woods as night began to fall.

  Well… five, Natalie supposed. Shauna was still carrying Jeremy, as he slept on her shoulder.

  Had Shauna finally gotten over her jealousy towards Jeremy’s preference of Tommy? Natalie hoped so. She really, truly did.

  Now that Coach Scott had officially been found… Natalie was scared. The most scared she had been in months, since she was chased across the ice.

  She was scared for Tommy. She was scared for their future. And she was scared that… that the brief moments of joy they had experienced in the wake of their marriage was about to be burned to ash.

  “Just so you know”, Shauna spoke up, “I know you guys all knew he was here.”

  Natalie saw Tommy grip the rifle tightly. Was this about to end in blood?

  Then to Natalie’s confusion, she saw Shauna smile.

  “I get it, alright? Just… I promise I won’t tell anyone, just as long as… he comes quietly.”

  Natalie let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding in. They weren’t the best of terms… but as long as Shauna kept her word, Natalie would take what she could get to keep her husband safe from harm.

  And the Yellowjackets were not above harming her Tommy, of that Natalie was certain.

  As they came towards the cave Coach Scott had been hiding in, Tommy held the rifle out in front of him as he stepped in.

  “I’ll go in first, okay? I’ll call out to him, and then the rest of you can-”

  Then Tommy was cut off as a violent SCREECH echoed around them, while Natalie clamped her hands over her ears.

  What in the fuck was-

  BANG!

  As the noise dispersed, Natalie saw that Tommy was pointing the rifle upwards towards the sky.

  “Just bats, I think”, he said. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy didn’t know what had made that sound. But it sure as hell hadn’t been made by bats.

  He shrugged it off. It was a problem for another day.

  Right now, the priority was getting Ben out of here without anybody getting hurt.

  Tommy gripped the rifle nervously as he entered the cave.

  “Ben?” He called out. “There’s no need to be afraid, it’s-”

  “Tommy?”

  Then as Tommy’s eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave, he saw the knife sticking out of his brother’s leg, and felt his eyes widen in shock.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Natalie saw her husband storm out of the cave, she was surprised at the look of anger on his face.

  “YOU COULDN’T HAVE MENTIONED THAT YOU FUCKING STABBED HIM WITH A KNIFE?!” He bellowed at Shauna.

  Unfortunately, his shouting woke Jeremy, who immediately began to cry.

  “You woke him up”, Shauna glared at him. “I wasn’t sure if I’d done it, I was half-blinded by mace-”

  “Ask me if I give a fuck”, Tommy snarled. “Nat, Javi… we’re going to need to build another stretcher. Ben is… not in any condition to walk, I’m afraid.”

And that's all for now!

I understand that this chapter wasn't as long as you're used to, and I'm sorry for cutting out so much stuff… but after reviewing the episode, I simply couldn't figure out a way to connect a lot of what happens in it to Tommy.

At the end of the day, this is an AU focusing on a character who doesn't exist in the show, so I had to cut and chop a lot of what happens in this particular episode. I think this episode was mostly filler, anyway, so it's not a total loss.

In all seriousness, though, who do you guys see as an actor worthy of Tommy? I know that I have described him in a certain way, but if you guys have any ideas, I'm open to them. On Wattpad, someone suggested Xolo Maridueña, who plays Miguel Diaz in Cobra Kai (my favourite character btw, fuck Robby and his holier-than-thou attitude).

If you have visualised Tommy as anyone in particular, let me know 😊

If you've visualised him as yourself… well, I can't blame you for that, I suppose.

Anyway, we've got the trial episode next! Let's see what Tommy can do to change the outcome… if indeed he does.

Next chapter coming soon, both for this and the Shauna AU! 😊 ❤️ Can't wait for you to read them!

P.S. Tommy's not really the descendant of a god, by the way, in case that wasn't clear. Lottie's just… crazy.

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Twenty-Two

Hey guys, welcome back!

Unfortunately, I have some bad news… I am going walkabout for the next couple of weeks, and will not be able to upload any new chapters while I am gone.

I will return soon, don't worry, but the next chapter will probably not come out until late July/ early August, give or take.

Anyway, read on and enjoy! Hope you like what I've got! 😊

“Help! Help! HEEEEELLLPP!!”

  “Stop! STOP! GODDAMN IT, SHAUNA, KNOCK IT OFF!!!”

  Shauna stopped yelling, but her mind was racing. She had to play the part, she realised. She had to act like she was terrified, and then…

  “If you’re gonna kill me… just make it fast”, she said, bowing her head down.

  “If I’m gonna…” Coach Scott trailed off. “Jesus Christ, pull it together, would you?”

  After what had to be five months by himself in the wilderness, Coach Scott looked… better? Worse? Shauna wasn’t certain.

  He was certainly a lot hairier. Both the Scott brothers were hairy individuals, but Coach Scott was now sporting a full-length beard, and his hair was a dark, shaggy mess.

  “Just… hang on a second”, he said, and to Shauna’s surprise, he disappeared from her view.

  “Where are you going?” She asked. But Coach Scott didn’t answer, and Shauna heard the distinctive thud of his crutches heading farther and farther away from her.

  “Are you… leaving me here?”

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie woke a married woman wrapped in the arms of her handsome husband. Unfortunately, she didn’t wake peacefully.

  “WWWWAAAAHHHHH!!!”

  Jeremy’s cries echoed around the clearing, and when he didn’t stop wailing, Natalie felt Tommy disentangle himself from her and leave their shelter.

  It wasn’t long before he returned, carrying Jeremy, who was still grizzling.

  “Shauna wasn’t even in her shelter”, Tommy said, and Natalie could hear the disgust in his voice. “If a wolf or a fox or something had wondered in…”

  He trailed off, but the implication was clear.

  Natalie sat up and gazed at Jeremy, whose bright blue eyes looked right back at hers.

  “I guess Mommy wanted some me time, huh?” She asked him, holding a finger out to the baby, who grasped it in one of his tiny hands.

  Though Jeremy had to be six months old now, he still seemed so small to Natalie. So delicate.

  He may not have been her son, but Natalie was still determined to keep Jeremy alive for as long as they were out here. A pity Shauna didn’t seem to feel the same way.

  Natalie didn’t have much experience with babies, but she vaguely recalled hearing stories about new mothers suffering from ‘baby blues’ in the aftermath of childbirth. She was sure there was an official, medical term for it, but right now nothing came to mind.

  Maybe Misty might know.

  “Do you… wanna hold him?” Tommy said, motioning to Jeremy.

  Natalie swallowed. The last time she had tried to hold Shauna’s son, Jeremy had wriggled like an eel until he was back in Tommy’s arms.

  Still, she held her arms out, nonetheless. She had nothing to lose, in any case.

  As Tommy slowly settled Jeremy into her, Natalie let out a sigh of relief as no cries from him followed. Jeremy gazed up at her with a curious expression on his face, and Natalie started to smile. He really was a beautiful child.

  Eventually, Jeremy’s eyes began to close, and Natalie felt him settle down as she held him.

  “See? He likes you”, Tommy said, and Natalie felt her smile grow wider.

  One day, I will hold my own child like this. And I will never- ever- let anything bad happen to them, anymore than I would let it happen to you, sweetheart. 

  000000000000000000000000

  “If she was waiting until sunrise, she’d be back by now”, Lottie heard Misty say.

  After hearing Jeremy’s cries in the early morning settle down, Lottie had rolled over and gone back to sleep. When she had woken up again, she had left her shelter, only to be surprised by the group gathering in the middle of the clearing, everyone wondering where Shauna had apparently gone off to.

  Lottie had been even more surprised to see that Natalie was the one holding Jeremy, but as he began to fuss, she handed him off to Tommy.

  Jeremy didn’t stop whingeing, however, and they all saw him moving his head around the clearing, clearly looking for Shauna.

  “He’s probably hungry”, Tommy said. “I don’t think Shauna nursed him last night.”

  Tommy sat Jeremy down in the upright shoulder carrier, and started to feed him some of the berries they had, which had already been mashed up.

  At six months of age, they had determined several days ago that it was finally safe for Jeremy to start eating semi-solid foods. Unfortunately, he had proved to be a picky eater so far, and today was no different, as Jeremy turned his head away from the berry mush and kept looking around them, whingeing all the while.

  “I think he’s trying to tell us he’s missing Shauna”, Van said, and Lottie silently agreed.

  As she gazed at Shauna’s baby son, Lottie began to wonder what it would actually, truly be like for her to carry and birth her own child. The Wilderness wanted her to do it, she dared not dispute that, but… it was one thing to say, and quite another to do.

  It was a very daunting task she had ahead of her. Still, she would do what she had to do.

  “Alright, look, we don’t have any time to waste. Tommy and I will find Shauna. Is anyone else in?”

  Misty immediately stood up, raising her hand, but nobody else joined her.

  Probably sick of how Shauna’s been acting, Lottie thought, as she started to turn her attention towards Travis.

  I know we’re doing something wrong. Maybe he just needs a stronger dose. 

  Lottie saw Van and Tai begin to set off, as Travis followed them.

  “Hey, uh,” Travis addressed the two of them. “If you’re going looking for Shauna, I still know the woods really well. Can I come with you?”

  “Sure”, said Van, just as Lottie approached them.

  “You guys go up on ahead. I need Travis for something”, she said.

  Van and Taissa looked confused, but slowly walked away, as Lottie spoke to Travis.

  “You should take even more today”, she said, holding out the mushrooms. “I think it will… help.”

  “Lottie…” Travis looked away from her. “I don’t… I don’t know. Shouldn’t we help find Shauna?”

  Lottie resisted the urge to scream. We have to do this NOW. I don’t… I don’t know how much longer I can take it.

  After the orgasms she had had last night watching Tommy and Natalie consummate their marriage, Lottie was more than desperate to recreate the ecstasy she had experienced. Hearing Tommy work his magic on Natalie in the cabin’s pantry had been erotic enough, but to actually see it happening…

  “We all want Shauna home. But this is more important”, she said, practically shoving the mushrooms into Travis’ hand as she led him away.

  After seeing what Tommy was capable of in bed… Lottie couldn’t imagine that making love to him would be anything less than amazing for her.

  I suppose I could at least pretend that Travis is Tommy, she thought, as they arrived in their usual spot, Travis dutifully swallowing the mushrooms while they both stripped naked.

  It will make good practice for when I fuck him for real, and he makes me scream like Natalie. 

  With that in mind, Lottie enthusiastically mounted Travis, and as she felt him enter her, she began to rock her hips back and forth as she had seen Natalie do to Tommy, trying to recreate the magnificence of the previous night.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Where do you think she is?” Tommy heard Misty ask.

  “We know she’s probably hungry by now, if she left last night, and there’s a ton of berries up that way”, Natalie said, pointing ahead of them. “I say we head south.”

  “I agree”, Tommy said. Jeremy was in the shoulder carrier on Tommy’s back, and he was still grizzling in his ear.

  “Great idea! Decisive”, Misty grinned.

  Tommy hoped she would stop talking after that. Instead, Misty started to gab at about a mile a minute.

  “You guys know, if there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m a really great listener. And this is kind of like a road trip, so we can share stories, discuss the issues of the day-”

  “Yeah, you know a lot of the time when we go out hunting, we don’t really say anything. We kind of quietly just…”

  Natalie trailed off, but Tommy could sense the subtlety beneath her voice telling Misty to shut up.

  Misty didn’t take the hint.

  “People are starting to disappear without a trace. First Crystal, then Coach Scott, now Shauna-”

  “Crystal was your fault, Misty”, Tommy snapped. “Don’t think we’ve forgotten that.”

  Misty still didn’t take the hint to stop talking.

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. But… what about Coach Scott?”

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie saw Tommy’s head slowly turn around to face Misty.

  “What about him?” He asked her, in a tone of voice that was cold enough to freeze their ears off.

  Uh oh.

  “Do you think that he’s dead? Do you… do you think that he burned the cabin down-”

  “Misty, that’s enough!” Natalie said, as she saw the fire crackling in Tommy’s eyes. “We’re not talking about this, anymore. We’re here to find Shauna. That’s all.”

  She gently took Tommy’s hand, and they began to walk off in silence, ignoring Misty as she continued to trail after them.

  000000000000000000000000

  For fuck’s sake. 

  How long had Shauna been down here? She’d been busting to pee, so she’d quietly relieved herself in a corner of the pit she was trapped in, but now she just felt hungry. And thirsty, too.

  Shauna’s mind began to race. If Coach Scott came back, he would undoubtedly search her and find her knife. She had to hide it where he would never find it. But where-

  Then it clicked. Oh. Of course.

  Shauna quickly pulled the knife out of her pocket, dropping it down her bra.

  No man or boy would ever dare to look there. Do they even know bras can be used as pockets? I doubt it.

  As Shauna shifted the knife around, the blade caught the edge of one of her swollen nipples.

  Jesus, Shauna winced. Jeremy really sucked hard yesterday-

  Then for the first time since she’d fallen in, Shauna suddenly remembered her son. He would starve to death if she didn’t feed him soon.

  “Coach!” She called out. “Coach!”

  But there was no reply.

  “You can’t just leave me here! I’ll… I’ll starve to death. Jeremy will starve to death without me.”

  But nothing answered her, and Shauna began to get desperate.

  “Look, I never believed you burned down the cabin, alright? The others do, but I-”

  “What? What are you talking about?"

  Coach Scott suddenly came into view.

  “The cabin… burned down?” He asked.

  Shauna blinked. “Seriously? It burned, like, all night long. The bullets in the attic were exploding. You… you didn’t see it?”

  Coach Scott shook his head. “Honestly, I’ve been staying as far away from you as humanly possible.”

  Now that, Shauna could believe. But she did not, for one moment, believe that Coach Scott had not burned the cabin down.

  For months now, Shauna had wondered what caused him to leave the group that fateful day. Had he seen Tommy shoot Mari, as the others chased Natalie across the ice? Had he seen them eat their former teammate?

  Did Tommy have anything to do with Coach Scott leaving? Shauna wasn’t certain, but she felt like something must have happened between the two of them. Why else would the Coach have tried to burn his own brother alive?

  Shauna looked up at Coach Scott, as he continued to gaze down at her.

  “Stay here. Stay quiet”, he said.

  Then he shuffled off again, and Shauna groaned as she heard him getting further away.

  000000000000000000000000

  After a short break, Misty had started talking again, much to Tommy’s annoyance.

  “And, you know, does that mean that it’s any less heartbreaking? Of course not, but… if-if Coach Scott really was gay, then I guess we were never going to work out, anyway. Not like you guys. I probably should have mentioned this before, but your wedding was so beautiful. Well, I guess you still aren’t, you know, legally married to each other, but if we ever get back home, you can always-”

  Tommy stopped dead as he saw the snare in front of him, and he felt Natalie do the same.

  “-go down to the courthouse and get your marriage license there, though I’ll be honest, I have no idea how long the actual process takes-”

  “Yeah, we will, thanks for suggesting it”, Tommy said as he turned towards Misty, blocking the snare from her gaze.

  “Uh… maybe we should go this way?” Natalie said, pointing away from them as she tried to help. “I think that we might’ve-”

  “Look! A clue!” Misty said joyfully, as she saw the snare and bounded over to it.

  Then she turned around to face them. “Is something wrong?” She asked, innocently enough, but Tommy could sense the suspicion in her tone.

  “Uh… no. And that’s not a clue. We set it when we were catching game for the wedding feast. I guess it didn’t work.”

  Tommy shrugged, as casually as he could. But he had the sinking feeling Misty wasn’t fooled.

  “Yeah, he’s right”, Natalie spoke up. “This part of the woods was always kind of a bust for us. Let’s head east.”

  “But… I thought you wanted to go south, in case Shauna needs berries”, Misty said. The suspicious look in her eyes hadn’t disappeared, and Tommy started to get worried.

  “Well… there’s berries to the east of us, too. Come on, let’s go.”

  Tommy set off after Natalie, and he heard Misty slowly trudging after them. Tommy’s head was spinning.

  Neither he nor Natalie had laid that snare. And since they became the leaders of their group, they had made it clear to everyone that if they intended on setting traps in a certain part of the woods to catch game, the two of them had to be informed first.

  Nobody had told them about a snare being laid in this part of the woods. Which meant that either there was a Yellowjacket going around setting traps without telling them first, or… or…

  Tommy knew. Deep down, he knew who had set the snare.

  Ben is alive. 

  His brother wasn’t dead. He had survived the winter. When he told Ben to leave, Tommy had worried that it would be the last time he’d ever see him.

  In all his life… Tommy had never been so happy to be wrong. But he knew Misty suspected the truth- which made him decidedly less happy.

  Natalie turned around to face him, and Tommy saw her give a slight nod.

  He let himself breathe. It would be alright. As long as his wife was with him… Tommy felt like things would be okay.

  000000000000000000000000

  Van walked beside Tai, nonchalantly. Her mind wasn’t really focused on looking for Shauna, to be honest.

  She kept finding herself thinking back to Tommy and Natalie’s wedding. They had both looked so happy, and so beautiful, and the vows they spoke to each other had made Van cry like a baby.

  Briefly, her mind wondered to whether or not she could possibly do the same with Tai, while they were out here. Gay marriage was, of course, illegal back home, but out here, in the wilderness…

  Could it be done? Van found herself starting to get more and more excited at the possibility. It wasn’t like there was anyone out here to tell them no…

  “Shauna!” Tai called out. “Shauna!”

  Van groaned. Alright. Back to it.

  “SHAUNA!” She bellowed, but there was no reply.

  “Here, piggy, piggy. SOOEY!” She yelled, starting to laugh.

  “She could be dead”, Tai hissed, swatting her on the shoulder.

  “Well then, she won’t be offended”, Van shrugged. “And if she’s dead-”

  “If she’s dead, Tommy’s fucked”, Tai said.

  “What?” Van was confused. “Why?”

  “He’s the reason she ran off.”

  “Uh… what?”

  “I saw Shauna spit in Tommy’s soup last night before she gave it to him. He acted like nothing was wrong, and then he asked Shauna if there were no hard feelings about the game.”

  “Are you really still hung up on that?” Van smirked. “Come on, Tommy had a good plan. We beat you guys fair and square. And… Tommy probably just didn’t want to ruin things for Natalie on their wedding night. I know I wouldn’t, if… if…”

  Van trailed off, as Tai looked at her in confusion.

  “If what?” She asked.

  “Uh…” Van felt her face growing hot. Had Tai missed what she was implying?

  Van had been getting so carried away with the idea of marrying Tai out here, she had forgotten the possibility that Tai might actually say no to her would-be proposal.

  Would she say no? Van wasn’t certain… and somehow, that scared her.

  “If what?” Tai asked again. She still looked confused.

  “Um…”

  Then Van was saved from further embarrassment by a piercing scream, of all things.

  “AAARRGGHHH!” 

  It sounded like… was that one of the boys?

  “That’s Travis!” Tai said, as she took off, and Van followed her.

  She didn’t know what lay up ahead… but she still felt a sense of relief that it was happening. She was starting to get the sinking feeling that even if marriage was a perfectly legal option for them… Tai might still turn her down.

  But as they came to the source of the screaming, Van immediately wished she had gone the other way.

  Travis was rolling around on the ground, clutching at his head. Lottie was next to Travis, trying to soothe him… and both of them were naked.

  “What in the actual fuck?” Van asked. Were Lottie and Travis in a relationship nobody else knew about? Was this the reason for the constant ‘meditation sessions’ they had both been doing together?

  But… why? Why would they hide it?

  “AAARGHHH!” Travis screamed again. “They’re coming. No, no, they’re coming. No.”

  “Hey, talk to me”, Lottie said, crouching next to him. “Who’s coming?”

  “No, no, I don’t want to see them, no-”

  “Travis, tell me!” Lottie screeched.

  “No, get away from me!” Travis screamed at Lottie, shoving her back onto the ground and wrapping his hands around her throat.

  “Travis, stop!” Van and Taissa swooped down to pry the older Martinez brother off of Lottie.

  It wasn’t easy- he was terribly strong, but they managed to pry him off Lottie.

  As they did so, however, Van was surprised by Travis bursting into tears.

  “Hey. Hey, hey, it’s okay”, she said, wrapping her arms around Travis as he cried.

  As Lottie stood up, Taissa rounded on her.

  “What are you doing to him? Hasn’t he been through enough?” She hissed.

  “It’s fine.” Lottie insisted. “He’s just learning to hear it.”

  “He is most definitely not fine”, Van said, still holding Travis as he wept in her arms.

  Lottie’s eyes blazed, but she seemed to realise that the ‘meditation session’ was over.

  “Fine” she said, softly. “I got what I needed, anyway.”

  Van was confused, but as she saw the mess between Lottie’s legs as she walked away to gather her clothes, she finally understood.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Tie that around your waist”, Coach Scott instructed.

  Shauna looked down at the rope he had dropped at her feet.

  As she tied it around her, she was surprised to see a ladder drop down into the pit.

  “Where did you get-”

  “Long story”, Coach Scott grunted. “Anyway, it doesn’t reach all the way to the top. That’s why you have the rope."

  Shit. He was right.

  Shauna started to climb the ladder, and as she reached the top of it, she felt the Coach pulling on the rope as she scrabbled for the top of the pit, slowly beginning to haul herself out.

  Once she reached the top, Shauna took her eyes off of Coach Scott as she reached down to start untying the rope- then instantly realised her mistake.

  She looked up, but the Coach had already barrelled into her, knocking Shauna to the ground.

  “Fuck!” How could Shauna have been so careless?

   Coach Scott might be missing a leg, but he was still a fully-grown man, and it didn’t look like he’d been starving in his time alone out here.

  He overwhelmed Shauna so easily it was honestly embarrassing, as he quickly tied the rope around her hands- and then again, around her neck.

  “What-what are you doing?”

  “I’m sorry”, Coach Scott sighed. “But you’ve already seen me. I can’t just let you go back to the others.”

  “But… but… if you didn’t even burn the cabin down, what are you so worried about?”

  “Like the truth would even matter to that mob”, the Coach snarled. “I know you guys killed and ate Mari. You really telling me I wouldn’t be next?”

  “Tommy’s in charge, now”, Shauna said, trying to keep her tone as pathetic as possible. “You’re his brother, he wouldn’t kill you-”

  “Tommy is not who he was before we crashed here”, Coach Scott said, and Shauna was caught off-guard by how sad he looked at saying it.

  “The Tommy I know would never have shot and killed a teenage girl… let alone cooked and eaten her.”

  He did it to save Natalie, Shauna thought. We all know that.

  But maybe the Coach didn’t.

  Perhaps I can use that, Shauna wondered, as Tommy’s older brother slipped a blindfold over her eyes, and began leading her God knows where.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Natalie walked back into the clearing with Tommy and Misty, she wondered about what to do next.

  Was Coach Scott still at the cave where Javi had sheltered during the winter? It was likely, but Tommy and Javi were the only ones here who knew where that was.

  Natalie knew Misty suspected something, but as long as neither of the boys talked, Coach Scott was, essentially, as safe as one could be, out here.

  “Hey, guys?”

  Natalie saw Javi approaching them- and was surprised to see how angry he looked, as he began to speak.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Tommy listened to Javi tell him what Van and Taissa had informed him of, he steadily became angrier and angrier.

  Tommy already felt guilty enough at the death of Mari, but to drug Travis and use him for sex…

  It seemed as though Lottie had not let go of her nonsensical ‘Child of the Wilderness’ dream after all. Tommy had assumed she’d given it up after her so-called performance in the snow, but…

  “Where is she?” He asked.

  “Over there”, Javi pointed, and Tommy handed Jeremy to Natalie as he stormed off past the shelters- only to see Lottie offering what looked like a mug of tea to Travis.

  It didn’t take a genius to guess what was inside.

  “Have you no shame?” Tommy asked, making Lottie jump, to his satisfaction.

  He saw Travis look at him in relief, as he held- was that one of Akilah’s ducks?

  To each their own, I guess, but…

  Tommy shook his head as he eyeballed Lottie.

  “Give me that, right now”, he said, motioning towards the mug, and as Lottie handed it to him, he tossed the contents away from them.

  “Hey, what-”

  “NO!” Tommy shouted, holding a finger up to Lottie to stop her from talking.

  “I know what you’re doing. I know why you’re doing it. And it’s going to stop right the fuck now, Lottie. You are going to stop, right the fuck now. Because if you do not… well, I’m not going to let you hurt anyone else. Do you understand?”

  He saw Lottie swallow, then nod.

  “Good.”

  Tommy paused, then said what he hoped would drive the point home.

  “In case you have forgotten, it was you I was aiming for when I saw everyone chasing after Natalie. Try to remember that.”

  Tommy saw Travis’ face twist in confusion, as Tommy motioned for Lottie to head off. As she did so, Tommy gave Travis a short nod, and was relieved to receive one in return before he walked away, heading back towards where his wife waited for him.

  000000000000000000000000

  So… Tommy had been aiming for Lottie, when Natalie was being chased down? Travis hadn’t known that.

  Had Mari’s death… been an accident? Tommy had never talked about it. Maybe he would have felt like he was making excuses for killing Travis’ girlfriend.

  Travis heard Mortimer the duck quack softly, and he buried his face in his feathers as he felt the tears come.

  I wanna go home, Travis thought. Please, for the love of God, just let me go home. 

  He didn’t know how much longer he could take it out here.

  000000000000000000000000

  Lottie walked away, hanging her head in shame.

  I’m sorry. I failed you.

  Lottie hoped that Travis’ seed currently within her would take root, and bring the child the Wilderness wanted from her… yet somehow, Lottie already felt in her heart that today’s session would be a failure, like all the others before it.

  What on earth am I going to do?

  Lottie had to succeed. She simply had to. But she had to face the facts she had been denying herself for the last five months.

  Tommy was the only one the Wilderness would let her conceive a child with- hence why none of the sessions with Travis had given Lottie what she needed.

  It was so clear. So obvious to her.

  But she couldn’t have Tommy. At least not right now- he and Natalie would be watching her like hawks for the time being.

  I have to wait. I have no choice. I will bide my time and wait for my moment. Then, and only then, will the Child be conceived. 

  Lottie took a deep breath to calm herself, and walked back into the forest to meditate properly this time.

  She had a long wait ahead of her- she might as well do what she was good at in the meantime.

  000000000000000000000000

  After walking for a long, long while, Shauna felt Coach Scott direct her into… were they in a cave?

  Why’s it so warm? Shauna wondered, as the blindfold was removed from her eyes.

  She looked around the cave, gazing at the roots growing from out of the walls. Were they under a tree?

  “Where are we?” She asked.

  Coach Scott gave her a look, and Shauna instantly felt foolish for asking.

  As the Coach set a fire, Shauna felt the need to speak up.

  “You know… Tommy did kill Mari, yes, but… he did it to save Natalie. We- we drew cards to find out who would be sacrificed to save the rest of us from starving. I mean, I didn’t, I didn’t have to because of Jeremy, but… anyway, Natalie drew the Queen, and then-”

  “And then everyone chased after her, and Tommy saw them, and tried to shoot Lottie, but Mari got in the way at the last moment. Yes, I know.”

  “You… you do?”

  000000000000000000000000

  Ben cursed. How could he have been so stupid? Of course Tommy wouldn’t have told them what had happened between them. His little brother was still looking out for him, after all this time.

  How else could Ben explain nobody finding him for five months straight?

  If Ben wasn’t furious with himself for giving the game away, he would have almost been proud of Tommy’s resilience.

  000000000000000000000000

  Shauna was so surprised, she could barely speak.

  She had planned on using Tommy’s love for Natalie to convince Coach Scott that his brother hadn’t changed, and convince him to turn himself in.

  But this… oh, this was much, much better. Coach Scott hadn’t been at the hunt, so he could only have learned what he knew from someone else. And the only person he could have learned it from was… well…

  Shauna had not seen Coach Scott since he left the cabin the same day that the hunt had happened. Everyone else had said the same. But there was only one person she could think of who would truly not believe the Coach was responsible for what happened to the cabin. The same person the Coach would have headed for first, once he returned from looking for the very cave they were in now.

  The same person who had headed out with him to find it, that very same morning.

  “Tommy knows where this place is, doesn’t he?” She asked, and she knew from the look on Coach Scott’s face that she had guessed correctly.

  Shauna almost felt like laughing. For five months now, Tommy had known -exactly- where the man who burned their shelter to the ground had been hiding.

  If Shauna could get away, and pass on what she had learned… the Yellowjackets would see Tommy for the monster he was, and turn on him.

  Shauna felt the cold metal of the knife against her breasts, and winced in pain as she felt them swelling with the milk meant for Jeremy.

  “Coach, please”, she said, trying to sound as small and defeated as she possibly could.

  “My son needs me. He’ll die soon if he doesn’t feed from me.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Fuck. Fuck! FUUUUUCCKK!

  Shauna was right. Jeremy would die without her to feed him. But if he let her go, the others would find him.

  Ben didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to think. 

  He could only hope that Tommy’s murderous intentions wouldn’t extend to his own brother, if they ever came face-to-face again.

  And by the look of things… that might end up being sooner, rather than later.

  000000000000000000000000

  As the day passed, Shauna still didn’t reappear, much to Natalie’s annoyance, so they had to make do with feeding Jeremy more of the berry and vegetable mush, along with a few sips of water.

  He still grizzled all the way up to bedtime, where he finally passed out from exhaustion.

  Of course, they couldn’t leave the infant alone in Shauna’s shelter, so Natalie and Tommy brought him into theirs for the night.

  As they laid Jeremy down, Natalie gazed into his little face, cooing as she looked at him.

  “He’s just so cute”, she said, then felt sad as she realised the difficult road ahead of them.

  “What if we don’t find Shauna? What if a wolf, or a bear got her? What if-”

  Tommy silenced her with a kiss, and Natalie melted into her husband’s embrace.

  “It’ll be alright”, Tommy murmured. “We’ll organise a full search party tomorrow, and we will find her.”

  Natalie saw him gaze at Jeremy, sleeping next to them.

  “His life might just depend on it.”

  As they settled down to sleep, Natalie listening to Tommy’s heartbeat in her ear, a sudden thought came to mind.

  “Hey, uh… I know we haven’t really talked about it, but… do you realise we’ve been out here for a year, now? Like… an actual year?”

  “Yeah, I know”, Tommy said. “I think it might actually be close to thirteen months, now.”

  Jesus.

  As they both began drifting off, Natalie thought back to all the craziness they had been through, the last year in the wilderness.

  She could only hope it wouldn’t be another year before they went back home. She didn’t know, of course… but she could always hope.

And that's the end for now!

Thank you all so, so much for your dedicated reading. I love you all for it ❤️

I will update the message up the top when I return. Don't worry, I won't be gone long!

All my love, SteamTrain52 😊 ❤️

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - What if Shauna was Tommy's girlfriend? (Pre-crash)

Hey everyone!

I have had had some thoughts about various alternate scenarios for my AU Yellowjackets story, No Ordinary Boy, which involves Natalie Scatorccio's relationship with Tommy Scott, my OC. Please give it a read if you haven't already done so!

What follows will not be as long as my original story, but they will still be pretty extensive summaries, that I can promise you. Ideally, I will try to keep it to one chapter per season.

If you have any requests, please don't hesitate to ask!

Our first chapter here involves what I believe would take place if Shauna had noticed Tommy before Natalie did.

Read on and enjoy! Let's see how it goes!

The first time Shauna saw Tommy Scott was in the parking lot of the local supermarket, getting out of a car.

  A car with a fully-grown deer strung right across the hood. 

  Shauna stared in shock as the young boy and a man who looked like an older version of him headed into the supermarket. She’d never seen a dead animal displayed so… openly.

  Her dad saw her staring. “It’s just a deer, Shauna. How do you think meat gets onto your plate?”

  He smiled at her, but Shauna was still too taken aback to reply.

  000000000000000000000000

  Shauna was surprised to see the boy from the parking lot in her classroom the following Monday.

  “Class, we have a new student”, Mrs Piper announced. “This is Thomas Scott.”

  She looked at the new arrival. “Introduce yourself, Thomas.”

  Thomas cleared his throat before he responded.

  “Uh… hi. My name is Tommy. I come from… well, North Carolina, then Kentucky as well, I guess. Nice to meet you all.”

  Except he didn’t say you all. He said y’all, and the Southern twang in his voice was so incredibly powerful, Shauna had no reason to doubt his place of origin.

  He quietly shuffled into an empty seat, and didn’t say a word for the rest of the class.

  Probably shy, Shauna thought. Why wouldn’t he be? We might as well be on the moon compared to where he comes from. 

  000000000000000000000000

  In the following three years, Shauna reckoned she didn’t say more than ten words to Tommy Scott, not even when his older brother became a soccer coach at the school.

  Tommy was… an oddball, that was for sure. He showed up on time for school, attended his classes and got good grades, but Shauna couldn’t help but notice he always sat alone at lunchtime, with no friends to chat and laugh with.

  She felt sorry for him, but didn’t really know what to do about it. Jackie was already becoming the most popular girl in school, and Shauna’s role as her trusty sidekick had long been cemented. Shauna played along, not wanting to stand out, but deep down, she resented living in Jackie’s shadow.

  Outside of school, the only things Shauna knew about Tommy was that he went hunting with his family. It seemed like that was all she would ever know about him.

  Until one day, only a few weeks into their final school year, she saw Randy ‘accidentally’ clobber Tommy with his backpack while heading through the halls, causing Tommy to drop his books. Ignoring the jeers and teasing coming from around them, Shauna found herself bending down to help Tommy.

  “Thanks”, he mumbled, as she handed him a textbook, already starting to head off.

  “Wait!” She called out, and he turned back to her, looking astonished at her even paying the slightest bit of attention to him.

  “Uh… you’re Tommy, right? Is… is your brother Coach Scott, by any chance? He was my soccer coach last year.”

  “Oh”, Tommy said. He looked like he was scrambling for something to say, before he spoke again.

  “Um… yeah, he’s my brother, yeah. Er… what position do you play?”

  000000000000000000000000

  Though the conversation was marked by awkwardness, Shauna left it feeling… happy, somehow. The happiest she’d felt in a long, long time.

  Over the last year or two, though Shauna doubted Jackie even realised it, their relationship had gone from bad to worse.

  Jackie thought she had everything figured out. She was going to Rutgers after they graduated, and she wanted Shauna to come with her.

  No, that wasn't quite right. She expected Shauna to come with her. She didn’t even bother to ask. In fact, Shauna was in doubt as to whether Jackie realised that there was even a possibility that Shauna didn’t want to go to Rutgers.

  She wished she had the language to say where she wants to go instead. But instead, she buried it beneath the smile she always wore when Jackie talked about the future. A future that she desperately wanted nothing to do with.

  In all honesty, there were moments where Shauna felt like she was going to explode from frustration, knowing that they drew closer to graduation with each passing day.

  She didn’t know what to do. What could she do? How could she say she wanted to forge her own path, without looking like the bad guy?

  Of course, on top of this all, there were the long-buried feelings Shauna had for her best friend, which she had had for years now. But she knew, deep down, that there simply was no scenario where they would work out. Even if Jackie felt the same way… Shauna was fed up with her best friend controlling everything in her life.

  She wanted to know the kind of love where she would be part of a team. Where she could count on the other person to have her back and support her throughout any difficult decisions life might throw at her. Would she ever know a love like that? Not if Jackie had anything to say about it.

  Looking back, she realised that she needn’t have worried. An opportunity would soon present itself, in the most unlikely of candidates.

  000000000000000000000000

  One Saturday, after accompanying Jackie and her nauseatingly arrogant boyfriend Jeff to the movies as the third wheel (a title she fucking hated, by the way), Shauna was dropped off at home, but didn’t go in.

  Instead, she set off towards the parking lot of the supermarket, and waited.

  She knew who she was waiting for, though she would never admit it to herself.

  Eventually, like clockwork, Tommy and his dad appeared in the parking lot with a dead deer strapped across the hood of the vehicle, just as they did three years ago, and almost every Sunday since then.

  Shauna had learned by now that after shooting whatever animal they caught, Tommy and his dad headed into the supermarket to pick up the necessary ingredients for cooking it.

  Quietly following them in, Shauna hid behind various stalls and people in the aisles, making sure that neither of the Scotts saw her.

  Eventually, the two of them headed towards the counter, waiting in line, while Shauna followed, quickly grabbing a bag of chips off the shelf so as not to appear suspicious.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Tommy?”

  Tommy turned around to find himself face-to-face with Shauna Shipman.

  “Er…. hi, Shauna. What- what are you doing here?”

  “Um… shopping?”

  She held up a bag of chips, and Tommy instantly felt his face redden.

  You’re in a supermarket, dumbo. What the fuck ELSE would she be doing here? 

  After introducing her to his dad, they talked for a few minutes while waiting for the cashier to receive them. Mostly about school, then where they hoped to go to college.

  “You want to go to Brown, eh?” His dad asked. “Good school. You’ll need to study hard for that.”

  “I will”, Shauna promised, just as the cashier received them.

  Afterwards, Tommy waved goodbye to Shauna as they head out to the car, and feels the butterflies in his stomach as she waved back, smiling.

  “She likes you”, his dad said, once they shut the car doors behind them.

  “What?” Tommy asked, feeling his face start to redden again. “How do you know that?”

  “I saw her in there. She was following us around. Well, not us. You. She didn’t take her eyes off of you. A girl only does that when she likes someone.”

  Not for the first time, Tommy wished he had his dad’s almost supernatural awareness of his surroundings.

  Of course, Jonathan Scott had thirty years of military training over him. But still, it was almost spooky to Tommy just how easily he had spotted Shauna.

  000000000000000000000000

  Shauna felt so happy and light on the way home, she was practically skipping. It wasn’t until she was walking into her room that she suddenly remembered what she had said to the Scotts.

  I told them I was planning on going to Brown. Which even Jackie doesn’t know. 

  Shauna clapped a hand to her mouth in shock. She had to get to Tommy as soon as she can, and explain herself.

  She didn’t think she could handle it if Jackie found out the truth.

  000000000000000000000000 

  The next Monday after school, Shauna waited anxiously by the gate before she saw Tommy walking up to it on his way out.

  “Hey”, she says to him. “Can we… can we talk?”

  Tommy looks startled, but accepted, as they started to walk off. They ended up sitting on a bench together in the park nearby, before Shauna explained the situation to him.

  “So… yeah. If you could just… not tell her, I’d… I’d really appreciate it."

  “I won’t say anything. I promise.”

  Shauna breathed a sigh of relief, before Tommy asked her the question she really didn’t want him to ask.

  “But… if you don’t mind telling me… why wouldn’t Jackie like the idea of you heading off to Brown? I mean… it’s not the end of the world. You could still keep in touch.”

  “You don’t know her”, Shauna snorted. “She has everything planned out for the future, right down to the last goddamn second.”

  She should have stopped there. She knew that.

  Instead, it felt as though a dam had broken within her, because for the next ten minutes straight, Shauna vented about everything to Tommy. Rutgers, Brown, Jackie’s popularity, her always remaining in Jackie’s shadow, ever since grade school. Years- and years- of playing Number Two to Jackie’s Number One, before she arrived at the part that hurt her heart the most.

  “Sometimes I think my own parents prefer Jackie to me.”

  Shauna suddenly realised she was crying, actually crying tears of frustration, as Tommy dug around in his pocket and offered her a tissue.

  Shauna wiped her eyes in embarrassment, trying to hide the fact that she felt… well, lighter. Like a massive weight had been lifted off her chest.

  “I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

  “It’s okay. Really. Everyone needs to vent, every now and then. Keeping everything buried inside you… it never ends well.”

  Shauna nodded, before turning back to Tommy.

  “So anyway, that’s my story. What… what’s yours?”

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  As the weeks pass them by, Shauna got to know Tommy Scott, as they continued to meet up in various spots around town. His childhood, what he liked, what he didn’t like. Growing up with his dad in the Army couldn’t have been easy, but he seemed to have shouldered it with the tenaciousness Shauna was starting to realise he had within him.

  What they had between them was… nice. There was no pressure. No desire to keep up the façade that had slowly been dragging Shauna down over the years.

  Tommy was her own special friend, the first one she’d ever had with no connection to Jackie, and Shauna was surprised to realise how much she liked it that way.

  Jackie had no idea. No idea that Shauna was starting to build a life outside of her, that has nothing to do with her, and it made Shauna feel… free. So free. Everything clicked into place when she was with Tommy, and she knew she wanted to take it even further.

  Eventually, Shauna asked Tommy if he wanted to go to a movie she’d been wanting to see on Friday night, and he accepted. He bought the tickets, like a gentleman, and they headed in together.

  At one point, about halfway through, their hands accidentally touched as they both reached for the popcorn, and any form of resistance between them shatters as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

  Shauna met Tommy halfway as their lips touched, and from then on, she knew it was all over. They never stood a chance, really.

  They ended up making out for… Shauna doesn’t know. Five minutes? Ten, maybe? It was hard to keep track when you were sexually aroused. And both of them were most certainly aroused.

  When they pulled apart, both breathing hard, Shauna jerked her head towards the exit, the implication clear, and they speedwalked out of the theatre, neither one of them realising or caring that they were leaving the movie unfinished. After they made a stop off at a nearby gas station, Shauna held Tommy’s hand as they looked through the condoms.

  “Um”, Shauna heard him say. “I’ve, uh… I’ve never…”

  Oh. 

  “It’s okay”, she breathed. “Me… me too.”

  He smiled at her in relief, and she smiled back. Eventually, they picked a variety of styles and sizes, because why the hell not, and clambered back into Tommy’s car.

  “Pull over here”, Shauna directed him to a spot off the road where nobody would see them.

  Clambering into the back seat, they reached for each other again, and the dance began as their pants were removed.

  Shauna was so desperate, so eager for Tommy, the feeling of him sliding into her sent a jolt of pleasure from her head to her toes, and she finally understood how people could become addicted to sex.

  What followed was clumsy, as they fumbled against each other, but… sweet. It was so sweet it brought a tear to Shauna’s eye.

  Despite his own pleasure, Tommy focused on her the whole way through, asking if she was okay, asking what she wanted him to do. His fingers, long and crooked and perfect for the job, flicked and rubbed against her mound, and Shauna climaxed hard, screaming out her pleasure as Tommy found his own release.

  They laid there, wrapped in each other, before Shauna started to breathe again.

  “Thank- thank you”, she gasped. “I… I had no idea. None.”

  “Me neither”, Tommy said, as he turned his mouth to meet hers.

  000000000000000000000000

  He’d ruined her. She knew that. He may not have meant to, but Tommy Scott had destroyed any lingering feelings Shauna may have had towards Jackie, as a friend or even a potential partner.

  Every time she heard Jackie babbling away about Rutgers for the zillionth time, Shauna blocked it out. She just couldn’t take it anymore, and she was having trouble trying to find a reason to care. She was already thinking about the future- a future that involved Tommy, not Jackie.

  As she delved deeper and deeper into her first true romantic relationship, Jackie picked up on the change within Shauna.

  “Are you okay?” She asked. “You seem so… bubbly.”

  “I’m fine”, Shauna giggled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Jackie looked at her in confusion, but Shauna was already miles away, dreaming of the next moment she would have a chance to make love to Tommy Scott.

  It wouldn’t be far off. It was never far off, nowadays.

  The morning after their first time together, Shauna was tired and sore between her thighs, but still aroused, so she tried to masturbate in the shower.

  Unfortunately, her body knew her own fingers, and it refused to be fooled. Tommy had unlocked a level of pleasure within Shauna that she didn’t even know she had, and the orgasm that came her way in the shower was so pathetic, Shauna felt like screaming in frustration.

  Yep. He’s ruined me. And I want him to do it again. And again, and again, and again…

   She was still too sore, and her arousal was through the roof. A frustrating combination, to say the least.

  The next weekend, Shauna invited Tommy into her home for a ‘group study session’ for an upcoming Maths test they had together. At least, that was what they told their parents.

  Shauna’s mother made the critical mistake of stepping out to visit some friends of hers, so Shauna had the house- and Tommy- all to herself.

  It was even better the second time around, as they finally saw each other naked. In the moment before Tommy slid into her, Shauna grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look into her eyes.

  “I want you to fuck me like you love me”, she said to him.

  “That’s not much of a stretch”, Tommy whispered to her, and Shauna felt a tear come to her eye as he filled her again, so perfectly.

  000000000000000000000000

  The next month or two was a blur of ugly, sweaty, amazing sex.

  Shauna felt like she was on fire, some days, with how attracted she was to Tommy Scott. Every time she saw him in the hallway at school, she wanted to pull him into the nearest classroom and ride him until neither of them could walk.

  Her attitude towards Jackie changed as well, though as was typical of her, Jackie didn’t even seem to notice. Whether or not Tommy did it intentionally, he made Shauna realise just how sick she was of Little Miss Perfect, always droning on about Rutgers, about the upcoming Winter Formal, about leading the Yellowjackets to victory at Nationals…

  The soccer season hasn’t even started yet, Shauna thought in disgust. Can’t she give it a rest? Just this once?

  Then, to her incredulousness, about two months into her and Tommy’s relationship, which Jackie was still oblivious about, she brought up the subject of losing their virginities.

  “I think I’m going to do it with Jeff after homecoming next year. I really, really do”, Jackie said, beaming so brightly Shauna was taken aback.

  “You still haven’t… done it yet?”

  “Of course not”, Jackie said, looking shocked. “Your first time together is supposed to be special. With the person you’re going to marry.” 

  Marry?! Shauna nearly choked. Jesus fucking Christ.  

  Was Jackie stuck in the dark ages, or something?

  Shauna’s mind briefly drifted to Natalie Scatorccio, the burnout of their year, who had probably fucked half the boys in Wiskayok by now. She certainly didn’t believe your first time should be special.

  She won’t have Tommy, though. I’ll rip her head off if she tries. 

  Though Shauna was thoroughly enjoying her new relationship with Tommy, marriage hadn’t even crossed her mind. Why would it? She had too much to do.

  Besides, Tommy was adamant about going into the Army after graduation, like his dad had before him. Shauna had put it aside, at least for now. Her boyfriend was kind, and loving, and gentle, and sweet, and she wanted to enjoy their time together, however long- or short- it may be.

  From the day she told him the truth, Tommy had been nothing but supportive about her going to Brown University, and Shauna loved him for it. He loved her, but he wouldn’t stand in her way. What more could she ask of him?

  In any case, Jackie’s comment about waiting to lose your virginity had left her feeling upset, and the next time she and Tommy made love, Shauna gently held on to his face, kissing him softly all the while as he slowly thrust into her.

  “Are you alright?” He asked her, as she lay in his arms when they were done.

  “I just…” Shauna hesitated. “I don’t know how much time we have together, but… I love you. I promise I love you.”

  It was the first time she had ever said it out loud, and she felt the tears come to her eyes as Tommy gave his reply.

  “I love you too, Shauna Shipman. And I will love you for however long we have left.”

  “Oh”, Shauna whimpered, as Tommy moved to kiss her again.

  000000000000000000000000

  They continued their relationship in secret for two more months. Well, calling it a secret might have been stretching the truth a little. The rumours always flew thick and fast in high school, and one day in early November, a few weeks out from the Winter Formal, Shauna found herself confronted by Jackie at their lockers.

  “What are you doing with Tommy Scott?”

  “Uh… what?”

  “Taissa said she saw you sitting with him in his car last night. She said you passed right by her.”

  “Oh”, Shauna said, trying to laugh it off. “He was driving me home from his house. He’s been tutoring me in math the last few weeks. You know I didn’t get a good mark on that last maths test; he’s just helping me with the next one, that’s all.”

  It was true that she hadn’t gotten a good mark on their last maths test; she and Tommy had been too busy fucking each other to study. When it became apparent that their grades were going to slip even further if they didn’t pull it together, they had agreed to lay off the sex. Not completely, of course- just enough for them to spend time focusing on their studies.

  “Oh”, Jackie said. To Shauna’s surprise, she looked disappointed.

  “That’s a shame. I thought you had finally gotten a boyfriend. I mean, you could do better than Tommy Scott, of course, but still… I was actually looking forward to the idea of double dating.”

  Shauna should have felt relieved that Jackie had bought her lie, but the implied insult to Tommy only made her see red.

  “What do you mean, I could ‘do better’ than him?”

  “Uh…” Jackie looked surprised. “Well… you know…”

  She laughed nervously, but Shauna didn’t feel like joining her.

  “He’s just… weird. He doesn’t really talk to anyone, and he… well, I mean, he hunts all the time with his dad.”

  So what?

  Jackie had no idea that some nights, when his parents weren’t home, Tommy would cook dinner for Shauna. Actually cook for her. And he was good at it, too. The last recipe of deer meat he fed her, combined with various vegetables and spices, had made her feel weak at the knees.

  The memory of that night still made her smile, and she was in no mood for letting Jackie ruin it.

  “He’s not a bad guy”, Shauna said to Jackie. “He’s just… different.”

  “Okay”, Jackie held up her hands in surrender. “Jeez, Shipman. Relax.”

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  Tommy mulled the idea over in his head. Posters for the upcoming Winter Formal were plastered all over the school, and he really- really- wanted to take Shauna as his date.

  But how would she react? She hadn’t shown any sign that she wanted to make their relationship public.

  Deep down, however, Tommy was sick of hiding. It was ridiculous, what they were doing, though of course he would never say that to his girlfriend. They were doing nothing wrong… and though Tommy didn’t want to admit it, he was tired of everyone staring at him, whispering behind his back at how weird he was.

  Until he had started dating Shauna, Tommy had been miserable in Wiskayok. He had missed his friends in Kentucky terribly, but it wasn’t just that. Every friend he had had before Wiskayok was someone with one or both parents in the military, which created a kind of kinship you simply couldn’t find anywhere else.

  Certainly not here. Tommy didn’t know if anybody in his year, or even in Wiskayok in general, had a parent who’d served their country. It wouldn’t have surprised him if none of them did.

  As Tommy mulled over his thoughts, he brushed by Natalie Scatorccio in the hallway, who pointedly ignored him, much to his relief.

  That girl scared the crap out of him at the best of times.  

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  Shauna’s head was almost spinning as Jackie finally walked off. That had been way too close for her liking, and as she entered her next class, she found herself barely able to concentrate, she was so worried.

  In hindsight, it was probably only ever a matter of time before they were caught. Wiskayok wasn’t exactly a big town; though she and Tommy had been careful, they had also been lucky so far. And their luck wouldn’t last forever.

  Fleetingly, Shauna briefly considered breaking up with him, but then quashed the possibility, ashamed that it had even crossed her mind.

  She didn’t want to break up with Tommy, and they still had seven months before graduation. Plenty of time to figure something out.

  Then as class ended and Shauna walked out, she caught sight of one of the Winter Formal posters, and the wheels began turning in her head.

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  As Tommy heard their next English project would be a group assignment, he found himself letting out a groan. He hated asking people who weren’t his friends if he could join them.

  As everyone began to pair off, Tommy looked despairingly around him, waiting to find out who his partner would be. There was an even number of students in the class, so it was going to be somebody. But who?

  Place your bets, place your bets, everyone. Which unlucky bastard is gonna be paired off with the weirdo? Will it be Jeff Sadecki? Will it be Randy Walsh? Maybe Misty Quigley will have her turn- 

  “Excuse me.”

  The voice was so quiet, Tommy almost didn’t hear it. But he knew – instantly – who it belonged to.

  As he turned around to look at Natalie Scatorccio, he knew the surprise was showing on his face. When it came to group projects, she paired off with Kevyn Tan for… well, everything.

  But as Tommy looked around Scatorccio, he saw Tan with another student, a chubby boy whose name he couldn’t place. Ricky something?

  Oh. I get it. Your usual partner’s taken, so you had to ask someone else. That’s gotta sting.

  Scatorccio did indeed look quite upset. Had she and Tan had a fight, or something?

  Tommy decided not to ask. He needed a partner, and the burnout of his year was better than nothing.

  “You wanna partner up for this?” He asked her.

  Scatorccio’s eyes lit up, and she quickly sat down next to him before he could change his mind.

  “Thanks”, he heard her mumble.

  “No problem.”

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  The next time Shauna was alone with Tommy in her house, she told him what had happened.

  “We were seen?”

  “Yep”, Shauna said, crossing her arms. “And based on the way things are going, it’s probably only a matter of time before it happens again, so…”

  She hesitated. “Would you like to go to the Winter Formal together? We can say you asked me to go, and then you asked me out on a date afterwards.”

  Tommy nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I bet my mom will just love fitting me for a suit. She’s been asking to for years now.”

  Of course, Shauna was aware that Helen Scott was the best seamstress in town. She could vividly remember Jackie screeching with delight when Helen fitted her for the dress she wore at Junior Prom.

  That particular dance sat at the back of Shauna’s mind for all the wrong reasons. At Jeff’s request, Shauna had been paired up with Randy, much to her disgust, and the moron had actually tried to kiss her at the end of the night.

  Shauna had turned him down as politely as she could, for Jackie’s sake, but it had been an effort for her not to vomit.

    000000000000000000000000

  Helen Scott was indeed thrilled when Tommy told her he needed a tuxedo for the upcoming Formal. She took several days to put it together, and even though Tommy was never a big fan of formal clothes, he couldn’t deny it fit him well, as he looked himself in the mirror.

  Huh. He’d always dismissed sewing as a hobby, but maybe it could actually prove useful in the future.

  “Hey, Mom?”

  “Yes, darling?”

  “After the Formal… would it be alright if… you taught me how to sew? I think… I think it could be good for me.”

  Helen Scott responded to this with enthusiastic delight, and Tommy wondered if maybe he should be careful what he wished for in the future.

  000000000000000000000000

  Though Shauna would never say it out loud, she thought she looked beautiful in her deep-blue dress.

  Tommy had clearly told his mother that she was his date, because when Shauna walked into her dress shop, Helen Scott’s eyes had lit up like firecrackers.

  “Hello, Shauna. So nice to see you! Well, come on, come on, let’s get you started!”

  “Er- I- uh-”, Shauna stammered, struggling to get the words out as Helen took both her hands, leading her towards one of the fitting rooms.

  When she and Tommy walked into the dance hall together, she saw everyone’s eyes turn to both of them in shock. Clearly, nobody expected them to be together.

  Nobody except Jackie, that is. The day after their agreement, Shauna ‘accidentally’ let slip to her that Tommy had asked her to the dance, to which Jackie had responded with every appearance of happiness, though Shauna knew her well enough by now to know that Jackie was trying to make amends for her criticism of Tommy.

  The night actually ended up being quite fun, with drinking and dancing and laughter all around, which culminated in Shauna having sex with Tommy in the back of his car. Twice. She couldn’t help herself- it really was an incredibly fun night.

  The next Monday at school, Shauna told Jackie that Tommy officially asked her out after the dance, and she had said yes.

  They two of them went on Jackie’s desired double date with her and Jeff to the local bowling alley, where to Shauna’s delight, she and Tommy absolutely crushed their opponents.

  Jackie gave off every appearance of being happy for Shauna, but once again, Shauna saw right through it.

  Jackie was terrified by this recent turn of events. Shauna had an official boyfriend now, one that was nowhere near Jackie’s social circle. Which meant Jackie couldn’t control him. Which meant Jackie might lose control of Shauna, too.

  If she hadn’t already lost control of her months ago, Shauna might have almost felt sorry for the person she now considered her former best friend.

  000000000000000000000000

  The soccer season officially began in the new year, and Shauna was pleased to find out that she had qualified for the position of centre midfielder for the Yellowjackets’ varsity team.

  Many of the other varsity players had been her friends for years. Taissa was another midfielder; Van Palmer was the new goalie. Jackie took the position of striker, to the surprise of absolutely nobody.

  The position that reaps the glory of another’s effort. Could you BE more typical? Shauna wondered.

  The new assistant coach of the varsity team was Ben Scott, Tommy’s older brother, who had been Shauna’s coach last year. He was as kind and gentle as Tommy, so Shauna had no complaints about his new position.

  To Shauna’s surprise, however, Natalie Scatorccio took the position of right winger. Shauna was aware, of course, that she had paired off with Tommy for the group English project last year. Shauna wasn’t in Tommy’s English class, so of course he had to pair off with somebody else. That wasn't a surprise... but did it really have to be the burnout?

  The project was long over, but Shauna had been discreetly keeping an eye on Natalie ever since- especially once Tommy told her that Natalie had actually been genuinely helpful during the project, for which they had gotten an A.

  Natalie Scatorccio was not an A student. C student, yes, with maybe an occasional B. But an A grade? No. Something was up, and Shauna didn’t like it one bit.

  Still, Natalie did prove useful throughout the spring, as the Yellowjackets began mounting victory after victory against rival schools.

  As their winning streak continued, Shauna and Tommy’s relationship continued to blossom. He really made for an excellent boyfriend- he was punctual, he came to every one of her games, he was smart and kind and polite to every one of her teammates at the parties and gatherings they went to- which Shauna wished she could be happy about.

  Unfortunately, as they drew closer and closer to graduation, Shauna began to see the end of her and Tommy’s relationship in sight. Despite her trying to convince him to at least attempt to apply for Brown, he was still hell-bent on joining the Army once they graduated.

  Unfortunately, in April this led to their very first fight at Tommy’s house, which ended with Shauna hurriedly leaving in tears.

  The next day at school, Shauna avoided Tommy as best she could despite his efforts to speak with her. Unfortunately, he knew where she lived, so after school he simply followed her home, knocking on the front door.

  Reluctantly, Shauna let him in, where to her surprise, Tommy presented her with a plan.

  “I’ll try to join a unit that’s close to Brown when I graduate from training. My dad still has some pull; he should be able to wrangle it.”

  “R-really? You… you would do that for me?”

  Tommy’s expression softened. “Of course I would, Shauna. I love you.”

  Shauna started to cry. “I love you, too.”

  She kissed him desperately, and before long they were fucking each other as hard as possible, Tommy bending her over the kitchen table and pounding her so viciously, Shauna could barely even breathe as she clung on to the table for dear life.

  It just felt so good when he fucked her. It was a good thing her mother wasn’t home, because Shauna spent the next hour or so screwing her boyfriend in every room in the house, begging him to keep going. His stamina never ceased to amaze her.

  Eventually, they ended up on the floor of the living room, stark naked and covered in sweat. How many rounds had they gone? Four? Five? Their clothes were scattered all over the place, to Shauna’s amusement.

  Shauna knew her mother would be home soon, but she had to have Tommy just one more time, so she asked him to carry her to the bedroom.

  Once he did so, though, cradling her ass as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, Shauna silently pointed towards her parents’ room. Tommy looked startled, but did as she asked.

  It was the first action this room had seen in quite a while. Though Shauna hated talking about it, her parents had divorced some time ago, not long after Tommy started attending Shauna’s school.

  Shauna knew it was wrong, but she loved the naughty feeling she got at doing it in the room where her father used to sleep.

  As Tommy tipped her over on to the bed and started thrusting in and out of her, gently at first, then harder and faster at her request, Shauna’s mind briefly drifted to what her dad would think if he could see her like this, as the sounds from her and Tommy’s slapping flesh filled the room.

  You left me behind, Shauna thought, as she pulled Tommy down to kiss her. At least now I’ve found somebody who won’t. 

  Thanks to Tommy’s talented fingers, Shauna came fairly quickly, so when she heard Tommy about to reach his own climax, she had him pull out of her as she took off his condom and finished him off with her hands, closing her eyes as he came all over her face and chest.

  As Tommy stared at her in shock, she lanced her throat with his beautiful cock, swallowing what remained on it.

  “Jesus, Shauna.”

  “Just wanted to show you what you mean to me”, she shrugged, as Tommy shook his head in disbelief.

  000000000000000000000000

  As April became May, Shauna still hadn’t told Jackie that she had no intention of following her to Rutgers. She told herself that it was because she didn’t want to mess with the team dynamic, but she was lying to herself, and deep down, she knew it too.

  Although Jackie had repeatedly annoyed her nonstop over the last year with her incessant blabbering about a future Shauna didn’t want... she was still reluctant to destroy their friendship.

  Eventually, Shauna decided to tell her when and if she got an acceptance letter from Brown, so she put it aside and focused on the games ahead of them.

  Eventually, the day came when they played the final team standing in their way of going to Nationals, and Shauna was overjoyed when Jackie scored the winning goal at the last second.

  Tommy rewarded her for the team’s victory by sneaking through Shauna’s window and going down on her that very night, and Shauna felt like she was floating on a cloud as she came all over Tommy’s face.

  Right now, everything was perfect… and it became even more perfect when Tommy told her the following Wednesday after school that he was accompanying her to Nationals.

  Shauna was so ecstatic, she dragged him to the janitor’s supply closet and fucked him right then and there, screaming in joy against his mouth as he pounded her senseless.

  As they climaxed together, Shauna felt the condom within herself, and wished, desperately, that she could know what it would be like for Tommy to finish inside her without one, just once.

  Shauna put it aside and focused on practice that afternoon, where she was horrified to see Taissa breaking Allie’s leg… and guilty, too, for going along with Taissa’s plan to freeze her out.

  That Friday, Tommy drove her to the party in the woods. When he asked if she was okay, she asked him to pull the car over the side of the road.

  After Shauna tearfully confessed the truth to him, Tommy was surprised, but reassured her that what happened to Allie wasn’t her fault.

  Shauna was so grateful to hear him say it, she leaned over to kiss him desperately, then fumbled with his trousers. She needed a distraction to take her mind off of things.

  As Shauna sucked Tommy Scott off in his car, she wondered what life would look like for her without him. Nothing like it did now, that was for sure.

  Shauna ended up swallowing Tommy’s load down to the last drop, as her mind briefly drifted to Jackie. Her (former) best friend had told her earlier that week that she had finally lost her virginity to Jeff, then asked Shauna how things were going with her own boyfriend.

  Shauna knew Jackie was jealous. She tried not to show it, but she was. Shauna had told her back in March that she and Tommy had ‘finally’ lost their virginities to each other, and Jackie had been on edge ever since.

  She simply couldn’t stand the idea of Shauna doing something before her. There was no future where Shauna wanted to live with somebody who felt that way, and as Tommy restarted the car, Shauna decided right then and there that she and Jackie would not continue their friendship after high school, Brown or no Brown.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Tommy drove her back home from the party, Shauna’s head was spinning, both from the alcohol and Jackie telling her for the millionth time how much she was looking forward to Rutgers.

  “Pull over.”

  Tommy did so, and they clambered into the backseat.

  Shauna simply couldn’t wait any more, as their clothes came off and their skin pressed against each other. A thought briefly crossed her mind about what would happen if the cops caught them completely naked, but Shauna needed to feel all of Tommy against her.

  When Tommy reached into his wallet for a condom, Shauna shook her head.

  “Uh… Shauna-”

  “Please”, she whispered. “Please, Tommy, just once. Just one time, please. It’ll be okay.”

  Tommy hesitated, then nodded, and as he slid into her with no condom to separate them for the very first time, Shauna felt a tear come to her eye.

  She rode him hard in the backseat, screaming and writhing like a serpent as she directed Tommy to suck her tits as hard as he could, and as Tommy climaxed inside her, Shauna felt the last of her feelings for Jackie die right then and there.

  The feeling of Tommy’s seed leaking out of her was so beautiful, Shauna asked him to do it again.

  As her breath fogged up the car window, her hands pressing against it while Tommy fucked her from behind this time, Shauna knew she had found the person she wanted to spend her life with.

  Still feeling a bit naughty, she asked Tommy to only put his shirt back on, and as they started the drive back to her home, Shauna sat in the front seat, still naked, as she leaned over and sucked Tommy off while he drove.

  He came in her mouth as they pulled into her driveway. But Shauna still wasn’t done with him.

  000000000000000000000000

  Breathing hard, Tommy tried to recover his senses as Shauna pulled her mouth off his cock, then shocked him by opening the car door and striding right towards her house, ignoring the fact that she was still stark naked. She was, of course, right out in the open, and though it was nighttime, she was still easily visible in the moonlight, which put her perfect ass on full display for Tommy as he saw his girlfriend walk towards her front door.

  Realising she wanted him to follow her, Tommy scrambled after Shauna as she dug around under the pot plant for the spare key, letting herself in as he came up behind her, carrying his pants and shoes.

  Once they got to her room, Shauna turned around and lay right on the bed, spreading her legs for him.

  “Again”, she said, as Tommy removed his shirt, sliding effortlessly back into his girlfriend, and making her moan like an animal as he began to thrust into her again as hard as he could.

  000000000000000000000000

  They ended up having sex three more times that night before finally passing out, simply unable to go any more. Tommy was still inside Shauna when they did so, as neither of them were able to move away from each other. Not that Shauna minded, of course.

  When morning came, Tommy disentangled himself from Shauna, only for her to pull him into the shower for one last, quick fuck before he left, throwing her right leg over his hip as he entered her again.

  Once they were done, Shauna quietly pulled her pyjamas on and followed Tommy out to the car to retrieve her clothes.

  After kissing her boyfriend goodbye, promising to see him soon at the airport, Shauna began the trip back to her house, stopping only to check the mailbox.

  When she saw the envelope from Brown, she knew what was inside. Even then, the knowledge that she had gotten in, that all her hard work had finally paid off, was a shock to her.

  Still, at least it meant the future ahead was clear. Of course, she would wait until after Nationals to tell Jackie. It would be foolish to do so before the competition was over.

  Shauna felt like she was in a daze, she was so happy. She had a boyfriend who loved her, and she had gotten into the college of her dreams.

  Unfortunately, Shauna was so overwhelmed with the knowledge of her success… she completely forgot about her Plan B pills, sitting on her nightstand.

  She would regret that, in time. She would regret a lot of things.

  But most of all… she would regret what their time in the wilderness would do to them. To her, to Tommy.

  And to Jackie, of course. Yes, her most of all.

In case you didn't realise, Shauna is a much, MUCH different girlfriend to Natalie.

Speaking of which, the circumstances behind Tommy and Natalie meeting each other in this AU are the same as when they met in my original story. I hope you enjoyed the glimpses into how things were between them before they began their relationship.

Anyway, that's the first part done! Hopefully I will be able to publish the next part soon! I will try to keep it to one chapter per season, ideally.

Let me know what you think!

[steamtrain52]

Will you one day publish your story on Wattpad ?

That's probably a good idea, I will look into it.

Thanks for following the story so far- I have seen your name come up many, many times in my notifications, and they have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated, I promise.

If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks again for following my story! The next chapter should be out soon!

EDIT: I have just started publishing the story on Wattpad, if you want to check it out.

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Twenty-One

WARNING: This chapter contains a moment, and references to even more moments, that could very easily fall under sexual assault. Read on at your discretion.

Author's Note: I have had some thoughts about various alternate scenarios for this AU Yellowjackets. What would you guys think about me doing a spin-off of various "What If" chapters?

For example, "What if Tommy's girlfriend was another Yellowjacket, instead of Natalie?" Or "What if Tommy wasn't on the plane when it crashed?". Or even "What if Tommy was a girl?". What would her name even be?

Things like that. Ideally they would only come to one-page, bulletpoint summaries, but if you gave me your suggestions I'd be happy to write what I think would happen. Let me know if you want me to write any AUs to this particular AU.

Read on for the upcoming nuptials.

But be warned… this is the longest, most detailed chapter I have written yet, and what follows is DEFINITELY not for children.

You may think you understand where I am going with this. And you would be wrong. You would be so incredibly wrong.

Anyway, don't let me keep you waiting. Read on… if you dare.

“Travis?”

  Travis was startled by Lottie approaching him.

  “Um… yeah?”

  “Would you… would you like to join me? I was thinking of going to meditate in the forest.”

  Travis hadn’t done one of Lottie’s sessions since before the cabin burned. Lottie hadn’t asked him to join in since. Why was she asking now?

  “Aren’t Tommy and Natalie doing that with you?”

  “No, uh… I think they’re done with it. But… it might help you. You know… with everything.”

  By which, you mean the movement you started which ended with my girlfriend being cooked and eaten?

  Travis didn’t say it, though. He didn’t have the energy to do so, and he knew Lottie well enough by now to realise she wouldn’t leave him alone until she got what she wanted.

  Reluctantly, he followed her into the forest, where Lottie asked him to set up a small fire. Lottie produced a water bottle and a cup as the flames began to emerge from the small pile of sticks.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making tea. It’ll help to relax you. Would you gather some more kindling?”

  Travis set off to find some, and when he came back, the cup was already lying on the fire. It wasn’t long before the tea began to bubble, and the smell hit Travis’ nostrils.

  “What the hell kind of tea is this?” He wrinkled his nose.

  “It’s, uh… a mixture of sorts. Thought maybe I should experiment.”

  Something at the back of Travis’ mind was telling him something didn’t add up, but he shrugged it off. The others had seen them go off together. There was no way Lottie could poison him and get away with it.

  While a part of Travis would always hate Tommy for shooting Mari, deep down, it was almost a relief to know that there was a killer in charge of their group. It all but guaranteed the rest of them would behave themselves.

  The tea still tasted funny as he drank it. It was oddly… familiar? What the hell was this? Clover? Stinging Nettle? They had all drunk a lot of different teas since their time in the wilderness began, but Travis couldn’t quite put his finger on this one.

  As they began to meditate, Travis allowed himself to relax, and let his mind drift.

  Mari… Tommy… winter is coming… it’ll probably kill us the second time arou-

  Then Travis was dragged out of his thoughts as his head started to spin, and he realised what had happened.

  Shrooms. Of course. How could I be so stupid-

  The forest began to explode in a series of colours and shapes.

  “Ugggghhhh….”

  Travis tried to stand up, but fell straight back down.

  “What the hell did you do-”

  “It’s alright”, Lottie whispered to him. “Breathe. Just… breathe.”

  “Mngh”, Travis groaned.

  “Stop fighting. Let it flow through you. Connect with it.”

  Travis flicked his eyes towards Lottie, and to his astonishment, he saw that she was naked, her clothes scattered on the moss nearby.

  Travis could only stare at Lottie in shock as he lay down on the grass. He was so surprised and confused and overwhelmed by what was going on, he didn’t even notice Lottie’s hands unbuckling his trousers.

  But as he felt the warm wetness of her mouth descending around his penis, he threw his head back and moaned.

  What… what… 

  Then Travis looked around Lottie’s naked form, and saw Mari standing behind her as Lottie continued to suck him off. Travis gazed at his girlfriend in shock… then became even more shocked as he saw her nod in approval.

  000000000000000000000000

  Of course, Lottie had never done this before to anyone. She had, on occasion, practiced on a banana at home, and paid attention whenever she heard the girls whispering about it in the hallway. But she had never, ever, done it to another human being. Travis tasted… musky was probably the right word, and she was relieved when he was sufficiently hard enough for her to move on to the next step.

  Lottie knew enough to understand this would probably hurt for her, but she had to do as the wilderness willed.

  “Travis, I…” she began. “I realise this might be too soon. I know you’re still grieving Mari, but-”

  “It’s okay. She wants me too.”

  The smile on Travis’ face took Lottie by surprise, but she quickly moved to straddle him before he could change his mind.

  Lottie had always visualised what her first time would be like. Before the crash, she had imagined it happening in her bedroom, with lit candles, and rose petals, and soft music, and a kind, gentle man taking her to heaven and back.

  This was about as far from that fantasy as one could get, and as Lottie felt Travis slide inside her, she winced in pain as she rocked herself above him.

  What followed wasn’t good. It wasn’t bad, either. It just kind of… was.

  Lottie had heard enough of Natalie and Tommy making love in the cabin pantry to know that sex could be magical with the right person.

  What she was doing with Travis didn’t feel magical. He lay there flat as a board while she rode him, and as she felt him climax inside her within a few minutes, Lottie felt… empty, somehow.

  Is this really it? This is what sex is supposed to be?

  Not for the first time, Lottie wished that Tommy was hers, to touch and kiss and make love to whenever she wished. He would not have been so passive, of that she was sure. She had heard Natalie’s moans far too often to think otherwise.

  As Lottie clambered off of Travis, feeling his seed drip down her legs, she backed herself up against a tree and used her fingers to finish herself off, while Travis continued lying where he was.

  Her orgasm eventually came, but was so small and dismal Lottie did not feel any less… the word dispirited came to mind.  

  Though she might be carrying the Child of the Wilderness now, it was hard to consider what had just happened anything less than a disappointment.

  Lottie sighed, then started to redress herself.

  If only I had gone after Tommy, back home. With him, this might have actually been… I don’t know. Fun? 

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie was in a daze of happiness as she held Tommy’s hand all the way back to the clearing. She was so excited, she started to jump up and down as they grew closer.

  “I can’t believe this is happening!” She said to him, then squealed happily as Tommy dropped the deer he was carrying, then swept her up into his arms and kissed her.

  “Me neither”, Tommy said, and Natalie wiped the tears off his cheeks as he did the same to her.

  As they arrived at the clearing, they saw some of the girls seated around the campfire.

  “Good job”, she heard Taissa say. “Do you think we should mix it with the rabbit tonight-”

  “TOMMY AND I ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!” Natalie screamed at the top of her lungs, starting to jump up and down again.

  As a look of shock spread across Tai’s face, there was a moment of silence, before everyone in the camp started clapping and cheering.

  “So, you finally manned up and decided to make an honest woman out of her?” Van quipped at Tommy.

  “Actually, she proposed to me”, Tommy said.

  “NICE!” Van said, giving Natalie a high-five. “Good for you, Nat. Fuck tradition!”

  Natalie giggled, then started crying with happiness again as the group all started hugging her and Tommy.

  The rest of the day was filled with discussion about what the wedding would look like. Who would be the bridesmaids, who would officiate, what Natalie’s dress would look like.

  What would her dress look like? Tommy was the best sewer among them, but Natalie wanted to do this part herself.

  And also, she wanted to surprise him. With everything he had done for the rest of them, he had earned the right to be surprised.

  The next few weeks were a blur of preparation for the ceremony. Naturally, the girls wanted to be properly dressed up, so Tommy was busier than he had ever been before. Many of the girls’ dresses had unfortunately burnt in the cabin fire, so Tommy was hard at work making new ones out of animal skins.

  Natalie wasn’t sure how she felt about a bunch of hormonal teenage girls parading around half-naked in front of her future husband as he fitted them for the dresses they would wear for their upcoming nuptials, but brushed it aside. It was her he was marrying, not them.

  Shauna wouldn’t join them, however. She had saved her dress from the fire when they had all scrambled out of the burning cabin, and though she wasn’t the only Yellowjacket to have done so, she was the only one to refuse the offer of a new dress, stating that she didn’t feel comfortable with Tommy fitting her for one. Natalie thought that was fair enough, but couldn’t shake the feeling there was another reason for it, one that Shauna didn’t feel like telling anyone.

  Even Lottie joined in, to Natalie’s surprise. She had spent the last few weeks doing meditation sessions in the forest with Travis, but every time the two of them came back from said sessions, Lottie seemed deeply unhappy, while Travis, on the other hand, was showing signs of life for the first time since Mari’s death.

  “I’m happy for you both”, Lottie said to Natalie. “You two belong together; we all know it.”

  “Uh… thanks?” Natalie replied. She was surprised by the change in Lottie’s demeanour, but pleased as well. Maybe… maybe she regretted all the craziness she was responsible for taking place during winter.

  Eventually, six weeks after the proposal, everything was ready. The decorations were hung, the food prepared… and Natalie’s dress was finally complete.

  000000000000000000000000

  The day started with breakfast, with Natalie sitting very close to Tommy, subtly rubbing her leg against his.

  Tommy struggled not to feel even more deeply for his soon-to-be wife. They had initiated a no-sex pact two weeks ago to save up for the big night, which had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it was all Tommy could do not to bend Natalie over the table, and from the look in her eyes, he could tell she wouldn’t be opposed to it.

  As the morning went on, he could feel Natalie getting even more excited, and he struggled to stuff down his own expressions of joy.

  They had decided to have a game of something called Capture the Bone to mark the occasion, and everybody gathered as Van laid out the rules.  

  “Alright everyone, listen up!” Van spoke. “In the spirit of things, the lovebirds will be our opposing captains.”

  She grinned cheekily at Tommy, who looked warily at Natalie. She was smiling like a cat who’d got the cream, but not in a nice way. The gaze in her eyes was distinctly evil, and Tommy knew she was looking forward to this.

  Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re not the only one here who’s competitive. 

  A plan was already starting to brew in Tommy’s mind, and he didn’t think his fiancé would like it one little bit.

  “As the neutral party, Travis will take this”, Van said, producing the bone necklace she always wore and giving it to the older Martinez brother.

  “He will go into the forest by himself and hide it. If you find the bone, all you have to do is bring it back to the circle of stones we made for your team, and you win. If you are tagged by a member of the opposing team before you can get to the stones, you have to give the bone to said opposing member, who will be given a five-second head start before you or any other member of your team can chase them. Everyone good with that?”

  Everybody nodded.

  “Alright”, Van grinned. “Captains, pick your teams.”

  Natalie went first. “Tai.”

  Taissa joined her, and Tommy knew who his first pick would be.

  “Van.”

  A chorus of ooohs went around as Van joined Tommy.

  “The couples are splitting up!” Van said dramatically.

  As the selections went on, Van subtly directed Tommy who to pick for their seven-person team, which ended up being Gen, Akilah and Robin, with Misty and Javi as well. Not bad, but not exactly a varsity team.

  In fact, with the exception of Van, Natalie had all the varsity players… and Tommy knew how much the varsity team hated to lose. Taissa, Lottie and Shauna certainly did not look like they were in any mood to lose today.

  Especially Shauna. Everyone had initially assumed she would be too busy looking after Jeremy to take part in the game, but she’d been raring to go from the moment it was announced, so at Lottie’s suggestion, the sleeping Jeremy had been handed over to Travis instead, who slowly shuffled off into the forest.

  The JV players Britt, Melissa and Julia rounded out Natalie’s team, and though Tommy didn’t know too much about them, he recognised the happy looks on their faces as Natalie picked them.

  They thought they were on the better team.

  Let’s see if we can’t make them regret that.

  000000000000000000000000

  “You looking forward to losing?” Natalie asked, grinning at Tommy while their teams began to head off.

  “I was about to ask you the same thing”, Tommy replied, making her laugh.

  “I’ll tell you what, though”, Tommy said, and Natalie was surprised to see his face turn serious.

  “Uh… yes?”

  “I’m willing to make you a deal. If you win… I kiss you. If I win-” and here Tommy grinned, “you kiss me.”

  “How about we kiss each other now, and then again after the game?” Natalie smiled at her fiancé, leaning in.

  “Sounds good to me”, Tommy said, and as their lips met, Natalie felt her desire for him surging through her body, and she started grinding against him hard-

  “Save it for later!” Natalie heard Shauna snap, and she reluctantly pulled away. Both she and Tommy were breathing hard, and Natalie saw his desire for her written across his face.

  Oh, God. Why did they have to make that stupid no-sex pact?

  In that moment, Natalie wanted nothing more than to push Tommy down onto the forest floor and ride him until neither of them could walk, but she stuffed her desire for her fiancé down as she followed her team into the woods.

  There was no time for lovemaking now. She had a game to win.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Travis carried a sleeping Jeremy in the improvised shoulder carrier, his mind wondered to the ‘meditation sessions’ he had been having with Lottie. On the one hand, he was getting to have sex with yet another gorgeous girl, the third one since the crash.

  On the other… both of his previous partners had ended up dead, then cooked and eaten by the group. Travis couldn’t help wondering if Lottie might be next.

  Though Travis had told Natalie he hadn’t seen Jackie sitting by the fire that fateful night, he had been lying through his teeth. In truth, the moment he had spied the Yellowjacket’s captain sitting outside, he had doubled back around to the cabin’s back door, hoping to put off the awkwardness developing between them in the wake of the doomcoming, at least until morning.

  When he had next seen Jackie in her fatally frostbitten state, the guilt he felt had been so overwhelming, he almost choked. He had barely been able to look at Jackie, and after Tommy stabbed her to death, the relief Travis felt at avoiding any confrontation had immediately been followed by shame.

  With Mari, meanwhile… Travis knew they weren’t perfect. He knew that back home, Mari would barely have given him a second glance. He didn’t mind- if she was willing to have sex with him out here, Travis wasn’t going to say no.

  Travis had known Mari was firmly on Lottie’s side, but when she set out with the others to hunt Natalie down, he had felt… disappointed, he supposed, that she couldn’t see how Tommy would react to them killing his girlfriend.

  And now, Natalie was Tommy’s fiancé. Travis had been surprised to hear she was the one to propose, but it seemed oddly fitting for Nat to do so.

  In their time in the wilderness, Travis’ long-standing crush on Natalie Scatorccio had never quite dissipated, but he knew it was no use. He would never have Natalie’s heart, not when she had so willingly given it to Tommy.

  Travis shook his head to clear it of his thoughts, as he placed the bone necklace on a tree stump, out in the open.

  Today was the day of Natalie’s wedding. He would try to keep up a positive attitude, for her sake at least.

  000000000000000000000000

  “You’re sure this will work?” Van asked.

  “Yes”, Tommy nodded. “Trust me, they’ll be too busy thinking you or me are the target to focus on anyone else.”

  “Alright then”, Van grinned. “Let’s do this.”

  Gen and Akilah stayed close to their stone circle, while the rest ventured out.

  “You guys stay here”, Van directed Javi and Robin, at a spot about a hundred metres from the circle, while she, Tommy and Misty walked slowly ahead towards a thick clump of brushes.

  Approaching the brush, Misty crouched down in them, while Tommy and his vice-captain forged ahead.

  “Keep your ears open”, Van said to Tommy, “if you hear or see anythi-”

  “I GOT IT!!!”

  Shit! Tommy thought, as he saw Shauna sprinting away carrying the bone necklace.

  “Jesus, already?” He said, as Van bolted in Shauna’s direction.

  000000000000000000000000

  Back home, Van had always grumbled at the wind sprints Coach Martinez had made her do with the others. She was a goalkeeper, for God’s sake. When the hell would she be sprinting during a game?

  Now she thanked her lucky stars for the Coach’s belief in team training, as she quickly chased down Shauna and tagged her.

  “Fuck!” Shauna snapped, handing over the bone- just as Tai, Lottie and Nat emerged from the brush, each spouting a chillingly evil grin on their face.

  SHIT. It’s a trap. They were waiting for us-

  “One Mississippi”, Tai began. “Two Missisi-”

  But Van had already taken off, and it wasn’t long before she heard all of them chasing after her.

  As she heard them get closer, Van saw Tommy emerge from behind a tree, then stopped, drew back her hand and flung the bone necklace at him, a split second before Tai’s hand came down on her shoulder.

  “Dammit!” Her girlfriend swore, as Tommy caught the bone and began to run.

  “GO, TOM, GO!” Van screamed at him, as the rest of the girls gave chase.

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  Tommy made a beeline for the thick clump of brushes, and as he ran straight into them, he heard the girls not far behind.

  Shit, he thought. Let’s hope they don’t spot-

  “Tommy, here!” He heard Misty whisper nearby, and he headed towards the Yellowjacket’s equipment manager, holding the bone necklace out to her.

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  Natalie saw Tommy disappear into the brush, then come out the other side not long after.

  What was their game? Natalie didn’t think it was a coincidence that the other members of Tommy’s team hadn’t been sighted yet. But where the hell could they be?

  Then to Natalie’s surprise, Shauna took off like a woman possessed, heading in Tommy’s direction. They were all fast runners, to be sure, but this… Natalie had never seen Shauna move like this before.

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  Tommy zig-zagged through the trees, hearing the girls following behind him.

  Fuck, I hate running. Fuck, I hate running. Fuck, I hate-

  Then Shauna shoulder-charged into Tommy, knocking the wind out of his stomach. He stumbled, but managed to keep his balance, before Shauna wrapped her arms around his legs.

  “Ow!” Tommy yelled as he crashed to the forest floor. “Alright, alright, I get it-”

  “GIVE IT TO ME!” Shauna screamed at him, scrabbling for Tommy’s closed fist- before sinking her teeth straight into it.

  “WHAT THE FUCK, SHIPMAN-”

  Then Shauna pulled her teeth off of Tommy’s hand, and he realised his mistake as her brown eyes narrowed at him.

  Shipman. Jackie’s pet name for Shauna. Until Tommy killed her, of course.

  Oops. 

  He knew he had crossed a line calling Shauna by her last name, and Shauna… did not react well to it.

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  As Natalie saw the two of them come into her view, she felt her mouth drop open.

  Shauna was advancing on Tommy, who was backing away, and punching every part of him she could reach while screaming at the top of her lungs.

  “TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK-”

  “Oh, what is even happening right now?” Natalie heard Van call out, as the girls separated the two of them.

  “What the fuck, Shauna?!” Natalie screamed at the other girl.

  “He wouldn’t give it up!” Shauna snarled.

  “I was going to, and then you fucking bit me!” Tommy snapped back.

  She what? Natalie looked at Tommy’s closed right fist, which had visible tooth-marks on it.

  Jesus. 

  “Alright”, Natalie said, trying to diffuse the tension. “Just give her the bone, Tommy.”

  Tommy hesitated- and then to her surprise, he and Van started to smirk.

  “I don’t have it”, he grinned, opening both of his hands to reveal… nothing. Nothing at all.

  What in the actual fuck-

  Then Misty crashed through the trees, her eyes widening as she caught sight of them.

  “It’s fucking Quigley!” Shauna bellowed, chasing after the other girl.

  The brush. Of course. How could I be so blind? Natalie wondered, as she chased after Misty.

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  Tommy chased after the group, watching as the girls drew closer to Misty, before Javi came into view.

  Tommy grinned, as he realised what was about to happen.

  Misty chucked the bone at Javi as Shauna drew level with her. Shauna didn’t break her stride, heading towards the younger Martinez brother, who threw the bone necklace ahead to Robin as the stone circle came into view.

  Robin chucked the bone to Akilah, just as Gen emerged, stepping into the circle.

  As Akilah threw the bone to Gen, who caught it and began to jump up and down, Tommy felt Van’s arms go around him, as he lifted the Yellowjacket’s goalkeeper clear off her feet and spun her around.

  “We win!” He yelled, grinning broadly.

  “That was fucking awesome!” Van said, pulling away from him. “How the hell did you even come up with that?!”

  Tommy shrugged. “Well, I fucking hate running, so I just thought ‘what’s the easiest way to do this without getting too tired?’ and went from there.”

  “Well, it worked!” Van laughed at him, as they approached the circle. “I hate running too, though, so I can’t complain.”

  As they passed by Shauna, Tommy saw the look of resentment in her eyes as he felt his hand throb.

  “No hard feelings?” He asked, holding out his hand for her to shake. But Shauna ignored his outstretched hand and stomped away, and despite the fact that Tommy had just led his team to victory, he got the sinking feeling that he may have made the conflict between him and Shauna even worse.

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  Natalie was gutted at losing, but she couldn’t deny Tommy had had a good plan.

  As he drew up to her, she silently stepped forward and gave him the kiss they had promised each other.

  Despite the loss, it made her feel a little bit better, and she wound her arms around her fiancé’s neck as she smiled against his mouth.

  “We all good?” Tommy asked her.

  “Couldn’t be better”, Natalie grinned, kissing him again.

  As they started to head back to the clearing, Natalie reached down to take Tommy’s right hand, and she saw him flinch.

  Shit. She had forgotten about Shauna biting him, and quickly circled around Tommy to take his left hand.

  “You alright?” She asked him.

  “Yeah. More annoying than painful, really.”

  Tommy smiled at her, but Natalie still felt bad. He may have been acting as a decoy, but Shauna had still taken things too far with him.

  Natalie hoped that would be the end of it for today. She really, really did. It was her wedding day, for God’s sake, and despite her typical tomboyish approach to life, Natalie found herself desperately hoping Shauna wouldn’t do anything else to ruin it.

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  To say that Shauna was in a bad mood would have been putting it mildly. After everything that had happened to them… she just wanted a win. That was all.

  Just one win. Was that too much to ask? It was for Tommy Scott, apparently.

  As she walked into the clearing, she saw Travis standing nearby, holding Jeremy.

  Travis went to hand her son over, but Shauna ignored them both. She couldn’t even look at Jeremy right now.

  Stepping back into her shelter, she started to scribble in her journal as she felt the tears come to her eyes.

  How could I have ever believed I would make a good mother? How can my own son love a guy who isn’t even his father more than me?

  They all think he’s so PERFECT. Tommy fucking Scott. The murderer of Jackie and Mari. The brother of the guy who tried to BURN US ALL ALIVE. 

  Is Coach Scott even alive, right now? He must be. He knows everything about survival that Tommy does. And Tommy knows where he is. He MUST know.

  He’ll kill those who cross him, but hide those who would kill us. How is that fair?

  And Natalie’s even worse. She’s marrying a MURDERER, and she won’t hear a word against him-

  Then Shauna flinched as her pencil broke.

  “FUCK!” She screamed. That was my last one.

  Now Shauna couldn’t even write in her journal anymore, and the tears began to flow from her eyes as they dripped onto the pages below.

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  Natalie heard Shauna’s scream coming from her shelter, and flinched as it woke Jeremy, who began to cry as Travis held him. Jeremy looked around until his eyes fell on Tommy, holding his tiny arms out.

  Tommy reached over to take Jeremy, who chuckled happily, and Natalie felt the same pull in her gut she always felt when she saw them together.

  One day. One day, soon. 

  A little while later, Tommy was still busy with Jeremy, so Natalie, Van and Tai headed off to her and Tommy’s shelter by themselves.

  They had decided to have weekly meetings in the shelter to discuss what was going on, but today Natalie was impatient to get it over with. She was getting married in a few hours, and she wanted to put the meeting behind her as quickly as she could. 

  “The hunting’s still good”, she began. “The deer are running like crazy in the north valley-”

  “Have you seen anything else while you were out there?” Tai asked.

  “Like what?”

  Natalie was confused, but she saw Van and Taissa exchange a look, and groaned as she knew what was coming.

  “Like murderous pyro tracks-”

  “Stop,” Natalie snapped. Today? They were doing this today?

  She supposed that with Tommy not attending this particular meeting, they had finally seen their chance to ask, but Natalie didn’t want to hear it.

  “There’s no way that he’s alive.”

  “Nat-”

  “We’ve scouted every inch of this place for miles. There’s no sign of him. Either he starved or froze to death. I’m telling you, Coach is dead.”

  The girls quickly changed the subject, but Natalie was still angry with them for ambushing her.

  Eventually the meeting ended, and Van walked out, but as Natalie went to follow her, Taissa spoke up.

  “Hey, Nat. Can we talk?”

  “About what?”

  “This thing between Shauna and Tommy?”

  “Shauna’s in a mood, and Tommy’s just excited about tonight. It’ll blow over.”

  “It’s not like the game was the first time. I really think you need to talk to them.”

  “And what?” Natalie scoffed. “Tell them to start liking each other or else? Maybe I should get them to say one nice thing about each other?”

  She paused. “Come on, Tai. We have actual life or death to deal with here.”

  “That’s my point, Nat. Maybe out here, it’s all life or death.”

  Tai hesitated, then spoke again.

  “Don’t forget what happened to Jackie.”

  Natalie felt the blood rush to her ears. “Tommy’s not gonna kill Shauna.”

  “I’m just saying-”

  “Well, I’m saying that’s enough”, Natalie snapped. “I’m not discussing this anymore. Not today.”

  Tai looked like she was going to argue further, then sighed and stepped out of Natalie’s shelter.

  Natalie loved Tommy. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

  But Taissa had planted a seed of doubt in her mind, and as Natalie’s thoughts drifted towards Tommy and Shauna, they went from hoping Shauna wouldn’t ruin her wedding day to wondering if she and Tommy wouldn’t end up killing each other in the end.

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  As the afternoon became the evening, Tommy stood at the end of the makeshift aisle they had constructed, with the ‘guests’ sitting in the plane chairs they had brought through.

  Natalie had picked Taissa as her maid of honour, and after some thought, Tommy had decided to ask Javi to be his best man. His thoughts had briefly drifted to asking Travis or even Van, but eventually decided that Javi attempting to save Natalie’s life when the girls were hunting her had earned him the honoured position.

  Tommy was dressed in the same formal clothes he had worn at the doomcoming, but was also wearing a brand-new cloak he had stitched together from the animal skins. He was holding a second cloak, meant for Natalie when she joined him.

  He wondered how she would be dressed, as he stood nervously at the altar, waiting for Natalie to emerge. She had been very insistent that he not help her with sewing it together, and he knew that several of the girls had helped, but he couldn’t help but wonder if-

  Then Tommy’s thoughts were cut off as Natalie emerged, and he immediately began to cry at the sight of his bride.

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  As Natalie began to walk to Tommy, the happy tears running down her cheeks, she was almost relieved to see that he was crying as well.

  She was dressed in a mixture of colours, taken from the animal skins and various fabrics they had salvaged from the cabin fire, combining them to give her a sleeveless dress of white, green, and blue that reached down to her ankles. Her headband, meanwhile, had been replaced with a crown of daisies that stood out against her dark hair. 

  Tommy looked so handsome. Van had cut his hair earlier that day, and she had trimmed his beard as best she could.

  Lottie, of all people, would be officiating them, and as Natalie drew up to Tommy, Tai moving to stand beside her, Lottie began to speak.

  “Everyone be seated”, she called out, and as their ‘guests’ sat down, the ceremony began.

  “We will begin with the cloaking of the bride, symbolising the groom bringing her into his family, and under his protection.”

  Natalie stood still as Tommy wound the cloak he had made for her around her shoulders. It was a beautiful mixture of mountain goat and bighorn sheep wool, and she relished the comfort it brought her against the evening’s cooling temperature.

  “Thank you all for coming”, Lottie began. “Today we gather to celebrate the union of Natalie Scatorccio and Thomas Scott, a couple who need no introduction…”

  Natalie wasn’t listening to Lottie. She was too busy staring at Tommy, struggling hard not to break down in tears.

  Then Natalie saw everyone staring at her, as she realised Lottie had asked her a question.

  “Nat? Your vows?”

  “Oh, right”, Natalie stated, flushing hard. “Um… Tommy. My Tommy. Before you… I had no idea where my life was going, if it was even going anywhere. You were the first person I ever met who made me think about the future, instead of staying in the past. I know I’m not perfect, and I don’t know what life has in store for us ahead, but I want you to know…”

  She trailed off, as the tears began to flow.

  “I want you to know that you are my best friend, my… the love of my life, and I never, ever, want to spend a single day on this earth away from you.”

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  Natalie began to choke on her sobs, and Tommy struggled not to join her as he prepared his own vows. Probably best to start with a joke.

  “Jeez, Natty, that’s a tough act to follow”, he said.

  He saw Natalie chuckle through her tears, and heard several snickers from the crowd as he began.

  “Natalie. Natalie Elizabeth Scatorccio. You may not think you are perfect, but you are to me… you always were. Before you… I went to school, and I did my homework, but I never really… fit in, anywhere. You… you were the first person to make me feel like I belonged in Wiskayok, and you made me feel like I belonged there every single day.”

  He cleared his throat. “And even though we’re out here now, I’ve… I’ve never really felt homesick. I… I miss everybody back in Wiskayok, I guess, but I never really felt like I was away from home. It took me a while to figure out why that was. But then, one day… I understood.”

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  Don’t say it. Don’t you DARE fucking say what I think you’re going to say. I am going to have a FUCKING BREAKDOWN if you say it-

  “You are my home, Natalie Scatorccio. And you have my heart… forever.”

  Natalie began to sob as she lurched forward. Fuck tradition- she needed him. She needed him now.

  As their lips collided, Natalie wound her arms around Tommy as he did the same to her, both of them kissing each other senseless.

  “Uh… you may kiss the bride, I guess?” She heard Lottie say.

  Everyone around them burst out laughing, as Taissa handed Natalie a necklace they had woven together, while Javi gave one to Tommy.

  They had neither the resources nor the materials to make any kind of wedding rings, but Natalie didn’t mind the alternative. She had woven several of her hairs into the necklace, and she knew Tommy had done the same with his.

  Tommy clasped the necklace around her neck, and she followed suit, symbolising the final step of their bond.

  “Without further ado, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the-”

  Natalie stepped forward and instantly began kissing Tommy again.

  “Jesus Christ, guys!”, She heard Van call out teasingly. “We know you’re eager, but you still gotta wait until the end.”

  I’m not waiting, Natalie thought, as everyone burst out laughing again.

  “The bride. You may kiss the bride”, Lottie said, in an exasperated tone, as Natalie poured all her love into her husband.

  Her husband. Tommy was her husband.

  Oh, my God, Natalie thought, beginning to cry again.

  How in the world did I get so lucky?

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  Tommy and Natalie held hands all the way the table, as night began to fall.

  His wife- oh dear God, his wife- looked so radiant, Tommy couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she smiled at him.

  His wife. Natalie was his wife. 

  They sat down at the head of the table, the girls bringing them the feast that had been prepared.

  Tommy and Natalie had been hard at work the last few days, catching all the birds and deer they could.

  It was probably unusual for them to hunt for their own wedding dinner, but at the same time… it made them feel like they had truly earned the right to celebrate.

  “I love you”, Tommy said to his wife, leaning in to kiss her.

  “I love you too,” she whispered back.

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  Shauna slowly approached Tommy, clutching the bowl of deer soup. She had been fully planning on saying she objected to the nuptials when Lottie asked the traditional question, but Tommy and Natalie had barnstormed right through that with their incessant smooching. 

  God, they were nauseating. Still, what she was planning now would have to do.

  Let’s see how Tommy Scott likes it when his perfect day is ruined. 

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  Tommy watched as Shauna approached him from the side, holding the bowl of soup.

  “Our first course tonight is braised venison stew”, Taissa called out.

  Tommy smiled, and reached out to take the bowl from Shauna- only to feel his mouth drop open as he saw a thin stream of saliva drop from her mouth straight into the bowl.

  What the fuck?

  “Enjoy it”, Shauna said casually, dropping the bowl in front of him.

  “What the fuck?”

  “What? What is it?” Tommy heard Natalie say next to him.

  Tommy turned his head towards her, fully intending to rat Shauna out- then stopped cold at the sight of Natalie’s face. She looked so beautiful under the firelight…

  “Yes, Tommy, what is it?” He heard Shauna say beside him, and though he wasn’t looking at her, he knew that she was smirking.

  She wanted him to complain. She wanted him to protest and bring the ceremony to a screeching halt.

  As he looked into Natalie’s worried face, Tommy couldn’t bring himself to do it. What he would have to do would be… disgusting, but he didn’t have it in him to ruin Natalie’s night.

  “Er… it’s nothing”, he said, swatting at the side of his head.

  “I think a bug just flew in my ear, or something. It’s gone, now.”

  Natalie began to relax, and Tommy breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to Shauna.

  “Thanks for bringing me the soup”, he said to her. “I hope… I hope there’s no hard feelings about today? It was only a game.”

  He kept his tone casual so Natalie wouldn’t suspect anything, but turned his head away from his wife as he looked at Shauna, making sure to give her the biggest smirk in return that he could manage.

  You lost, dipshit. Walk away.

  He knew that Shauna had received his message as she stomped off, and turned to clink his and Natalie’s bowls together.

  “Bottoms up”, she smiled at him, and Tommy tried desperately not to think about the fact that he was drinking Shauna’s spit, as he tipped the bowl towards his mouth.

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  Natalie suspected that something had happened just then between Tommy and Shauna, but brushed it aside. There were more important things in front of them.

  Namely, the food. Everything was absolutely delicious, from the meat to the vegetables to the dessert, which turned out to be fruit salad.

  Of course, the fruit was almost entirely different types of berries, but Natalie didn’t mind.

  Everything was perfect. She couldn’t have asked for a better wedding, and as they finally retired for the night, Tommy surprised her by scooping her up in his arms and carrying her into their shelter, following the tradition of newlyweds crossing the threshold into their home.

  As soon as Tommy set her down, Natalie pressed her lips against his, their kisses steadily growing more and more passionate.

  “I can’t wait anymore”, she breathed against his mouth. “I need you. I need you now.”

  Tommy drew her into his arms, and before long they were naked and rolling around on their bed, Natalie winding her legs around Tommy’s waist as he pistoned into her, his mouth coming down to suckle her breasts.

  She buried her face into Tommy’s neck to scream out her pleasure, as she felt him finish inside of her. It always felt so good when he did that.

  After two weeks of abstinence, her climax was a powerful one… but she still needed more.

  “Wanna go again?” She whispered to him.

  “I wanna go until we can’t even remember our own names”, Tommy replied, making her laugh.

  Natalie bent her head to Tommy’s softening cock, cleaning him with her mouth as best she could while he moaned in response.

  “Do you want to go for a swim? We’ve never done it at night before”, she heard him say.

  Natalie thought about it. Yes, why not? At least out there, nobody would hear either of them scream… and there would be a lot of screaming to follow, of that Natalie was certain.

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  After they were certain everyone else had gone to bed, they put their socks and shoes back on, and wrapped their new cloaks around themselves for warmth.

  They were both completely naked underneath the cloaks as they snuck out, both of them struggling to keep their giggles under control.

  Eventually they reached the stream, and Tommy felt Natalie’s hand slip into his.

  “Um, I don’t want to ruin anything, but… what really happened with you and Shauna?”

  Tommy hesitated, before he spoke. “Uh… she spat in my soup. Right in front of me. I didn’t want to ruin anything, so…”

  He trailed off. “I’m sorry for lying. I just didn’t want to upset you.”

  “Oh”, Natalie said softly. To Tommy’s surprise, she leaned in and kissed him gently.

  “I’m sorry that happened, but… thank you. It means a lot that you were willing to do that for me.”

  “I’d do anything for you.”

  “Me too, my darling. Me too.”

  Natalie kissed him again. “But just so you know… hearing that another girl’s spit ended up in your mouth makes me feel kind of… jealous.”

  She bent down to take off her shoes and socks, and Tommy felt himself beginning to harden again beneath his cloak.

  “Oh, it does, does it?” He smiled.

  “Yes, it does. Almost enough to make… well… stake my claim, so to speak.”

  Natalie untied the straps that fastened her cloak around her neck, and let it fall to the forest floor.

  At the sight of his wife’s naked body illuminated by the moonlight, Tommy felt like he was going to explode as he quickly stripped until he was as naked as Natalie.

  They placed the cloaks down by the water, and lay on top of them as Natalie mounted Tommy, riding him like a horse as she violently bounced up and down on top of him, her perfect tits jiggling like jelly.

  Natalie guided Tommy’s hands up to her breasts, encouraging him to squeeze with considerable force, moaning loudly into the night sky as he did so.

  Natalie began to rock her hips back and forth, and Tommy felt himself about to climax again.

  When he did, it felt as though he was flying through the clouds with Natalie, before he caught her as she fell into him.

  They both instantly started kissing every part of each other that they could reach, before Tommy felt Natalie step off him and guide him towards the water.

  “Time to cool off”, she whispered.

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  Natalie leaned her head back onto Tommy’s chest as he ran his hands over her, touching every part of her body that he could reach as they lay under the softly running water together.

  The rhythm was so soothing, Natalie actually started to doze off… only to be woken in the most pleasant of ways as she felt Tommy’s magic fingers stroking her between her legs.

  “Oh, yes”, she whispered. “Oh yes, Tommy, please-”

  It didn’t take long for her to reach her third climax of the night, and as she howled her pleasure into the sky, her head drawing back against Tommy’s shoulder as they sat together in the water.

  As she came down from her high, Natalie was vaguely aware of Tommy carrying her in his arms back towards their cloaks, using them to dry her off before laying her down.

  “What are you-”

  Natalie questions turned to a gasp, then another howl as Tommy’s mouth disappeared between her legs, which he quickly dragged over his shoulders.

  Natalie lay back down and allowed herself to relax as he went down on her, sighing in relief, almost.

  It was so good. It was so impossibly good, what he was doing to her.

  As Tommy’s tongue traced over her sensitive folds, Natalie looked up at the night sky, transfixed by all the stars she could see. You certainly wouldn’t see this many come out at night back home. Natalie was so distracted, she almost didn’t realise she was about to climax again, as Tommy’s tongue was joined by his crooked, twisting, downright enchanted fingers.

  Two of them were in her cunt, but the third one…

  As Natalie felt Tommy’s third finger enter her… back door, so to speak, she threw her head backwards and arched herself clear off the ground as Tommy coaxed a clear stream of her ejaculate right out of her onto his face.

  “Oh, shit!” Natalie clamped a hand over her mouth. “I didn’t even know that I-”

  But Tommy was laughing, and Natalie found herself joining in as her incredibly sexy husband leaned over her face and kissed her, Natalie tasting herself on his tongue.

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  “Seems I should return the favour”, Natalie said to him, so Tommy leaned back onto the cloaks as his wife bent down to take him in her mouth, licking and sucking and nuzzling against him. She was always so good at this.

  “You look like a goddess”, Tommy said to his wife, and from the look on Natalie’s face, he knew he had pleased her.

  Natalie went down on him with abandon, bringing him deeper and deeper down her throat as she reached out to place Tommy’s hand on the back of her head, encouraging him to fuck her mouth.

  Tommy began to stand up, impressed by how Natalie’s mouth did not leave his length for a split second, and began thrusting back and forth, watching as Natalie took his cock over and over again in her mouth.

  There was saliva running down her chin, and the slurping, gagging sounds she was making grew louder and louder, but still Natalie persisted, until Tommy finally came with a load moan, Natalie swallowing all she had to give him.

  Even then, to Tommy’s shock, Natalie only continued to bob her head back and forth on his length, and eventually he had to pull her off himself.

  “Okay, okay. That’s enough.”

  She was a sight, to be sure. Various fluids were dripping out of Natalie’s mouth onto her naked body below, and Tommy reached his hand out to wipe some of them away.

  “How many is that?”

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “Do you want to keep going?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Me too.”

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  They took a short break in the stream again to clean each other. Natalie felt Tommy’s hands run over her breasts from behind, moaning softly as he pinched her nipples.

  “Harder”, she whispered, and he complied as she ground her ass against his crotch, beginning to hump herself desperately against him.  

  The water only came up to their knees, and Natalie found herself bending forwards.

  “Again. I need you again.”

  She felt his cock enter her from behind, and moaned loudly into the night sky as her husband fucked her standing up from behind.

  One of Tommy’s hands came down violently and repeatedly on Natalie’s ass, making her moan even louder as she felt the soft flesh sting deliciously, while Tommy pounded her silly, making her eyes roll back into her head.

  Then Natalie shrieked as she felt Tommy lift her legs clear out of the water, while he continued to bounce her on his cock.

  “Mnghhh! Yes. Yes! I love it when you use me”, she breathed at him.

  He carried her back to stand on their cloaks, continuing to fuck her from behind clear off the ground as her legs splayed out, dangling and jiggling helplessly.

  “Oh, God. Oh, my God-”

  Natalie words were replaced by a jumble of whines and incessant pleas, begging for Tommy to go faster, to go harder. 

  The slaps of their colliding flesh echoed through the woods, and the sound of their frenzied, urgent fucking made Natalie grow only wetter.

  “Mmmahhhh”, she moaned, stiffening as she came in Tommy’s arms again.

  As he slowly lowered her back onto the cloaks, he slipped out of her, then caught Natalie completely off guard as he bent down to kiss the sore, sensitive cheeks of her ass.

  Natalie giggled at his actions, but quickly turned over and pushed Tommy back down, as she moved to straddle him again.

  He still hadn’t climaxed, and his beautiful member was still hard as a rock. But Natalie was exhausted, and to her frustration, as she lowered herself down around her husband’s cock, she found herself lacking the energy to chase her final orgasm of the night.

  “One more. Please, Tommy, just one more time, please.”

  Tommy leaned up to take her in his arms, her legs winding around his waist as they found themselves in the lotus position.

  Natalie buried her head in Tommy’s shoulder as he bounced her up and down on top of him, bringing her arms around him as she did her best to press every inch of them together as she could.

  We are together. We are one. And we will never, ever be separated.

  Then finally, at long last, after what seemed like forever, Natalie felt her hips beginning to drag back and forth as she felt her final orgasm approaching. Judging by Tommy’s increasingly shallow breathing, he wasn’t far behind either.

  “Together”, Natalie whispered, and Tommy complied, their flesh smacking together as they came as one, both screaming and groaning as loudly as they could into the night sky, neither one caring if anybody could see or hear them.

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  Unfortunately for the happy couple, somebody had seen them. And heard them. And done a lot more than that, besides.

  When Lottie had seen Tommy and Natalie retire to their shelter, she had made herself busy clearing away some of the dishes, then pretended to begin settling down in her shelter.

  When she finally heard Misty’s soft snores sounding out next to her, Lottie quietly snuck out towards Tommy and Natalie’s shelter, waiting to see if they were going to have sex again.

  She didn’t mean anything by it- she just wanted to learn. The sessions with Travis had been… well, terrible if Lottie was being honest. He seemed so much more focused on his own pleasure than her own, and Lottie had yet to climax while he was still inside her.

  As if to add insult to injury, her period had come and gone without the slightest indication that it had even been interrupted.

  Whatever she was doing with Travis… it just wasn’t working. Lottie still wasn’t pregnant, after six straight weeks of trying.

  What if Travis was sterile? What if… what if she was sterile?

  No. No, that can’t be it. There must be something I’m doing wrong. 

  Lottie quietly approached the side of Tommy and Natalie’s shelter- only to freeze as she saw them heading out.

  Were they… sneaking off somewhere?

  Lottie waited patiently before following them at a safe distance. She didn’t know here they were going… but she knew what they were going to do once they got there. Everyone knew what newlyweds did on their wedding night.

  Eventually, Lottie saw the two of them approach the lake, as both of them removed their cloaks to show that they were naked underneath.

  Lottie froze like a statue. She certainly hadn’t expected that.

  As she saw Natalie mount Tommy and ride him, Lottie flattened herself against the ground and watched the two of them. They both looked so… beautiful, in the moonlight.

  Lottie felt the pangs of jealousy yet again as saw Natalie begin to rock her hips back and forth against Tommy.

  Huh. Interesting.

  She heard the two of them climax, and as they stepped into the stream together, Lottie began standing up to leave.

  Not much, but better than nothing-

  Then Lottie’s thoughts were cut off as she heard Natalie beginning to moan. Were they… going again?

  Lottie flattened herself against the ground again, watching and waiting to see… something.

  Their backs were to her, and she couldn’t see what they were doing, but she heard Natalie shriek again, and figured Tommy had done something to her. But what?

  Then the newlyweds lay back down, and Lottie saw… what was Tommy doing-

  Then Lottie’s eyes widened like two full moons as she saw Tommy put his mouth between Natalie’s legs.

  Oh- oh my-

  As the sound of Natalie’s moans reached Lottie’s ears again, she- oh, she just couldn’t help herself.

  Quickly, almost frantically, Lottie reached inside her dress to slide her underwear off her legs, then began to touch herself as she saw the artistic display in front of her.

  She had heard rumours of people doing this to each other, of course, but she’d never- she’d never seen it-

  Oh my god, it’s beautiful. It’s… it’s just so beautiful-

  Lottie’s fingers moved faster and faster as Tommy worked his magic, and the sound of Natalie’s final shriek triggered her own climax, as Lottie moaned into the ground.

  If any man did that to me, I’d never leave his side. Not for anything.

  Lottie began to come down from her high, as she saw Tommy and Natalie come together again.

  Lottie blinked. Again? They’re- they’re going again?

  She watched as Natalie took her turn giving Tommy pleasure. She was much better at it than Lottie was, that was for certain, and Lottie settled herself in to watch the show.

  She could certainly understand why Tommy had shown no interest in any other girl, if Natalie was capable of giving such pleasure.

  Finally, Tommy climaxed again, and as she saw him and Natalie move back towards the stream, Lottie stood up and began to walk away, clutching her underwear.

  It had been an excellent show, topped off with a very satisfying climax, and she was glad she had come to watch.

  Then as she walked further away, the sound of moaning filled her ears, and she turned around in shock.

  No. No way. No fucking way-

  Lottie sprinted back towards the stream, and saw- oh God, she saw-

 At the sight of Tommy standing in the stream, lifting Natalie clear off the ground and fucking her from behind, Lottie felt her arousal return tenfold.

  She reached down to slide off her shoes and socks, then grasped at her dress, pulling it upwards.

  By the time Tommy carried Natalie back on to the shore, fucking into her all the while, Lottie was completely naked as she knelt in the dirt, her fingers pumping into her soaking cunt so fast they had become a blur, as she saw Natalie’s legs splayed out, on full display for anyone to see while Tommy’s cock pounded into her.

  Lottie did not take her eyes off the rutting couple for a single moment. With her gasps and moans filling the air, and the wet sounds of her frantic self-pleasure echoing around her, Lottie was making so much noise the others might have heard her if they weren’t so caught up in each other.

  As Lottie heard Natalie climax again, she saw them stop.

  No. NO! She wanted to scream at them. I’m not done. I’m not DONE-

  Then Lottie’s frustration was replaced with relief as she saw Natalie mount Tommy again, and stuck her fingers back inside of herself as she resumed her frenzied masturbation.

  Eventually, she heard them both reach what had to be their final climax of the night, and Lottie let out a softened moan as she joined them, ejaculating right then and there onto the forest floor in a very, very satisfying conclusion to what, in the end, might just have ended up being the greatest night of her life.

  Quietly gathering her clothes and shoes, Lottie made the trip back to the clearing while still naked, her grin reaching from ear to ear.

  Tommy and Natalie might have had no idea that she had seen them. But Lottie knew what had to happen now.

  Child or no Child, I must have Tommy. Even if it’s only for one day, or one night… even one hour would be enough. But I must have him eventually… and I will.

  Even if I have to step over Natalie’s corpse to get him. 

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  Nobody had seen her leave. Nobody cared enough to see her leave.

  It’s over. He’s won. Even when Tommy loses… he wins.

  Shauna swiped away at her eyes as she headed deeper and deeper into the forest. She wasn’t leaving. Not really. She would never leave her son behind.

  She just had to get away. Just for a moment.

  Eventually, Shauna found a spot where she was sure nobody would see or hear her, then knelt down on the ground and began to sob as loudly as she could.

  I failed. I failed at everything, like I always do. And nobody CARES, Shauna thought, as her sobs echoed into the night sky.

  I’m invisible to them. I always have been. I always will be.

  Eventually, Shauna had no more tears to cry, and she started to breathe more evenly.

  Crying was thirsty work, and her throat felt dry as a bone. Was she close to the stream? Yes, it wasn’t far off.

  Shauna began heading towards the sound of rushing water, but in the moment before she dipped her hands in to take a drink, she heard what sounded like an animal moaning in pain, so she forgot about her drink and looked over.

  The two of them were at a distance, but Shauna knew who they were. Anyone in the group would know who they were.

  At the sight of Tommy and Natalie’s passionate consummation of their marriage, Tommy holding Natalie off the ground as he fucked her from behind, Shauna saw all the things that she would never get to do with her life, and started dry-heaving into the water below her.

  Furiously, she dunked her head in and angrily quenched her thirst, before heading off at a determined pace, beginning to cry all over again.

  It’s not fair. It’s not FAIR. Why do they get to have what I don’t? Why can’t I ever have something like that? 

  Though she had passed the point of hatred with Tommy long ago, Shauna could not suppress a surge of jealousy towards Natalie for marrying him.

  Back home, Natalie Scatorccio had been a drug-addicted, alcoholic burnout, whose life would have gone absolutely nowhere after graduation. Out here, she had everything she could want, including a husband who would most likely fuck her every day for the rest of their lives together.

  I hate Tommy Scott. I hate his GUTS. But oh my word, would I fuck him if I had the opportunity. I’d tie him down and fuck him until he begged for mercy- and then keep right on fucking him until I passed out. And do you wanna know why? Because any idiot will take hate sex over no sex any day of the week-

  Then Shauna’s thoughts were cut off as she felt the ground give way below her, and she screamed as she fell into the pit below.

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  As Ben heard the ragged moans coming from below while he approached, he was pleased to realise that he had finally caught something.

  Is it a deer? No, they don’t scream like that. Maybe a beaver? No, it sounds too big. Maybe-

  “Coach Scott?”

  Ben gaped. “S-Shauna?”

  Oh, this was not good for him. Not good at all, and as he continued to stare at the girl trapped in the pit below, Ben felt like his luck had just taken a turn for the worse.

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  Shauna stared at Coach Scott standing above her. She had at first thought that Tommy and Natalie had dug the hole to catch game, but now…

  As Shauna gazed up at the man who had burned down the cabin and tried to kill them all, she suddenly remembered the knife she had hidden in her pocket.

  She struggled to repress a smirk. Her luck had changed.

  And not for the worse, she thought. No, not for the worse at all. 

Soooo…. what do you think?

Did you really believe Lottie to be capable of something like this? To be clear, I am aware that what she is doing to Travis could easily be classified as sexual assault. Please try to remember that Travis is only sixteen at most by this point, and the show is set in the late 90's, when there was still a lot of misunderstanding around male victims of sexual assault. In writing what I did, I hope I accurately conveyed that Travis does not really understand that Lottie is assaulting him, and neither does Lottie, to be honest.

Ah, Lottie… what are we going to do with you?

Also, did you like the reveal of Shauna hating Tommy and lusting after him at the same time? They are complicated feelings to have, I know.

Congratulations to Tommy and Natalie! Hope you guys liked the slight allusion to Game of Thrones when Tommy gave her the new cloak.

Thanks for reading so far! More to follow soon!

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Twenty

Hey guys!

This next chapter will take place in between Seasons Two and Three, as it always really irked me that they jumped a solid five months ahead. At least, I think it was five months. I'm not quite sure.

Anyway, read on, and welcome back!

  As Jessica began to drive away from the school, she decided to call Taissa Turner. The would-be Senator would most likely want to know about the progress she had made.

  “Yes?” Taissa’s voice sounded over the phone.

  “I’ve interviewed all the people you asked me too. They don’t seem like blackmailers to me.”

  She waited, but there was no reply.

  “Should I… try interviewing the other survivors?”

  “Fuck.” Taissa’s voice was quiet. “Okay, fine, do it. Offer money, book deals… whatever you think is best.”

  “Alright. How many of you are left?”

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to some of them in so long… maybe try Misty first? I think she’s closest to you.”

  “Okay”, Jessica said. She should leave it there, she knew that. But there was something about the way Principal Vance had acted… she couldn’t help it; he’d piqued her curiosity.

  “What about Tommy Scott?”

  There was a pause, and what sounded like a glass breaking.

  “FUCK!” Taissa sounded out. She didn’t seem so quiet now.

  When she spoke, there was an underlying tone in her voice that took Jessica by surprise.

  “Do not contact Tommy. I don’t care what else you do, but you do not go anywhere near Tommy Scott. It might end up being the last thing you ever do.”

  Jessica blinked. “Jesus. Okay, fine, but… why? Is… is he dangerous?”

  “Just. Don’t. Contact. Him. And for that matter, don’t contact Natalie either.”

  Now Jessica’s curiosity was boiling over into full-blown fascination. Who the hell was this guy?

  When she arrived at the place she was staying at, she reviewed the information she already had.

  On just about every testimony, every interview, at least one of the Yellowjackets was crediting Scott with their survival, stating that they would not have made it through their time in the Canadian wilderness without him.

  Especially Natalie Scatorccio… she seemed entirely besotted with Scott. Jessica remembered Vance’s words about how they had been dating at the time. Had they remained together, afterwards?

  Rather than heading over to Misty Quigley’s place, Jessica decided she would spend the rest of the afternoon trying to find everything she could on Scott.

  Heading over to LinkedIn, she searched the name ‘Thomas Scott’ into the database. To her frustration, there were quite a few Thomas Scotts in there, but eventually she came across a profile where the man depicted matched the photos of the Thomas Scott she was searching for.

  Doesn’t look very threatening, Jessica thought to herself.

  Then she looked at his profile, at what he had done since the rescue, and felt her eyes widen as she gaped in shock.

  No WONDER they don’t want me talking to him. 

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  Tommy stretched and yawned as Natalie stirred in his arms.

  Ow, he thought as he cracked his neck. Sleeping in the sitting position was never a comfortable experience.

  “Hey”, he whispered to her.

  “Hey yourself”, Natalie mumbled.

  Slowly, the two of them rose up and started to move out of the plane, when Tommy saw something on one of the seats.

  Oh, my God. 

  Jackie’s winter coat was still bound up with rope, but Tommy still felt sick at what he knew lay beneath the wrappings.

  Quickly, he leaned down and picked up the heartbreakingly small package, storing it into one of the overhead compartments.

  “I honestly completely forgot we put her here”, Natalie said quietly.

  “Yeah, me too”, he replied.

  Stepping outside, they gazed out around them. The day was bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. It was hard to believe it had only been a single night since Tommy had seen the Yellowjackets chasing Natalie across the ice, before he…

  He couldn’t even finish his thoughts, but he knew what had to happen next, as he heard a pair of boots crunch in the snow behind him.

  “Tommy? What do we do now?”

  Turning around, Tommy gazed at Javi.

  “We have to get back to the cabin, see what we can salvage. The fire should have died down by now.”

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  As the cabin came into view, Natalie struggled to keep her emotions in check.

  There were a few smouldering flames, but overall, the fire seemed to have burned itself out.

  That was the only good news. The cabin was utterly destroyed. The roof was gone, the walls were wrecked… there was no chance of this place being a shelter for them again.

  What on earth could they do? Despite Lottie’s words, Natalie knew there was no telling when winter would end for them.

  What if another snowstorm sprang up? They would all freeze to death. Maybe they could seek shelter where Coach Scott had gone?

  Coach Scott just tried to burn us all alive. I somehow doubt he would be quite so accommodating.

  After dousing the few remaining flames with snow, their group slowly moved through the cabin, picking through anything they could use.

  The ammunition left behind had all exploded in the fire, it seemed. There was nothing but shell casings left. Luckily, not all of the pots and bowls were damaged. Nor the cutlery. Natalie was looking through one of the lanterns to see if it could still work when she heard someone speak.

  “Hey, guys? Come check this out.”

  Natalie turned to see Misty… pulling up a floorboard?

  “What are you doing?”

  “This floorboard is loose. So are the two on either side of it. But the rest are nailed together. Either it’s a design flaw, or…”

  Or there’s something underneath. 

  They pulled up the floorboards, only to see nothing but dirt beneath. Immediately, they started to dig, until Natalie felt her fingers scraping something solid.

  It took a few minutes, but eventually they pulled what looked like an old, large suitcase from the ground. There was no name on it, no identifying marks, but Natalie knew it had to have belonged to the cabin’s previous owner.

  “The guy who lived here must had stored this for emergencies”, Van said.

  As they opened up the suitcase, Natalie looked inside… and was disappointed by what she saw. A flashlight that turned out to not work anymore. Cash, which was utterly useless out here. Several sets of underwear, which Natalie could only hope had been clean when it was stored.

  Gross. 

  Then as they pulled more similarly useless items from the suitcase, Natalie saw something else. A book.

  Then Natalie read the title, and saw the pictures of man-made tents on the cover.

  Art and Architecture of the Ancient World.

  “Holy shit”, she whispered, as she showed the book to Tommy, smiling at she saw the incredulous look on his face.

  000000000000000000000000

  This is it. This is how we survive.

  Tommy opened the book up. It was even better than he could have hoped for. There were actual, honest-to-God instructions on how to build long-term shelters from forest materials.

  “I think our luck has just turned around”, he grinned, showing the book to the group.

  The mood for the rest of the day was definitely a good one, as they began gathering branches from nearby trees using the hatchets that had been salvaged.

  Though he didn’t want to give himself false hope, Tommy was sensing the tension of the previous twenty-four hours beginning to melt away.

  If only the snow would melt with it, he thought.

  Fortunately, the meat shed had been untouched by the fire, and after a short discussion amongst themselves, they brought out what remained of Mari and cooked it, eating the last of the meat from her bones then and there.

  Looking around, Tommy could see the expressions on everyone’s faces. Their act of cannibalism was certainly not one to celebrate, but everyone certainly seemed more… relaxed? Was that the right word? Tommy wasn’t sure.

  Regardless, they had what they needed to build new shelters. The trick would be finding the right place for it.

  The map they had taken so long to properly put together was little more than a pile of ash, but there were a few pieces of paper that had survived the blaze. As Tommy shifted them over in his hands, he heard Natalie draw up beside him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to see where we can set up the shelters. We’ll need a spot that’s wide open, but close to water. Any ideas?”

  Natalie bit her lip. “You remember the space that’s close to the crash site? I think the stream’s not far away from it either.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s check it out.”

  000000000000000000000000

  The moment they drew up to the clearing, Natalie knew it would be perfect. There was enough space for all of them, and the stream was barely ten minutes’ walk away.

  The main problem, of course, was the fact that none of them had any idea when winter would end.

  Using the instructions from the book, they slowly began to construct the first shelter. It took hours, but eventually, as night fell and they travelled back to the plane for some sleep, Natalie felt as though, just this once, things were starting to go their way.

  The next day, she and Tommy set out early on a hunt, while the others travelled back to the clearing. Tommy had carefully counted the remaining rounds yesterday.

  “Only three hundred and thirty-seven left”, he said to Natalie as they walked through the woods. “If you get an animal in your sights… make sure there’s no chance of you missing.”

  “Got it”, she whispered.

  Neither of them expected to catch anything, after the dry streak they had had recently, so it was to their immense surprise when a full-grown doe crossed their path. After shooting it, the two of them sat down to wait the customary half-hour, before checking the deer was dead.

  Something had been bugging Natalie for the last two days, and now that they were alone, she finally had a chance to address it.

  “Was it really true, what you said the other night? Was… was something really telling you to get back to the cabin?”

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy hesitated. “Something just felt… wrong. I can’t really explain it. It’s… hard to put into words, but… yeah. I felt like something was telling me to head back, so I started running towards the cabin, away from Ben.”

  He cleared his throat. “To be clear, I still don’t believe in Lottie’s bullshit, but… yeah. It was definitely… yeah. There was something there.”

  “Dang”, Natalie said, and to Tommy’s surprise, he saw she was grinning.

  “Were you really running? It must have felt serious.”

  “Okay, yeah, very funny”, Tommy snipped, but Natalie’s giggle was already making him smile.

  “It’s good to hear you laugh again”, he said to her. “I… I missed you, you know? I know that doesn’t make any sense, we’ve been together every day here, but-”

  “No. No, I get it.”

  Natalie scooted closer to him. “I missed you too. I miss… I miss how things were before all this. I wish… I wish…”

  I wish we could go home.

  “I understand”, Tommy murmured, drawing Natalie into his arms. She stank a little bit, and felt hot and cold at the same time, somehow, but he tightened his grip on the girl he loved, burying his face in her neck.

  “I love you”, he murmured.

  “I love you too”, Natalie whispered back, as she craned her neck to place her soft, warm lips on his.

  000000000000000000000000

  Though Natalie had hoped beyond hope that winter would end soon, it still came as a shock when, almost two weeks after the cabin burned down, she and Tommy set out on another hunt, only to see grass poking through the snow.

  “This doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet”, Tommy warned. “We’re in the ‘false spring’ stage of the seasons now. A snowstorm could still happen any day.”

  Natalie nodded, but couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. As they continued to travel through the woods, she was delighted to see some edible plants beginning to rebloom, and they quickly dug them up to bring them back to the clearing.

  Thanks to the book, the shelters were beginning to take on a more proper shape now. They had decided to construct eight overall, pairing everyone off amongst the sixteen of them. Natalie had paired off with Tommy, of course, and was becoming more and more proud of their work each day. It felt like they were building their own little house. One where they could shut themselves off from everyone else and enjoy their time together in peace.

  Everyone was still sleeping in the plane, as it was too cold to stay in the incomplete shelters just yet, but Natalie knew, with the worst of winter behind them, it would only be a matter of time.

  Tommy was still worried about snowstorms, of course, and Natalie knew he was right to feel that way, but as the days slowly passed them by, and turned into weeks… no storm sprang up to freeze them to death.

  The area around them was growing more and more green with every passing day, and the game was starting to return. The birds, the rodents… and of course, the deer. It seemed that almost every day now, Tommy and Natalie were bringing back food for the group, and everyone went to sleep with full bellies for multiple consecutive days.

  Tommy warned them to not take their good fortune for granted, and Natalie tried valiantly to bury the growing hope within herself, but she could see it. They all could see it.

  Winter was behind them. They had made it through.

  Finally, the day came where it was determined to be warm enough for everyone to officially move into their completed shelters.

  After they finished their celebratory dinner (comprised of deer, beaver, muskrat, and a healthy number of cattails), Natalie shut the shelter’s door behind her and Tommy, and turned around to face him.

  Barely a minute later, the two of them were naked, rolling around on the bed of furs they had constructed together. As Natalie viciously bounced up and down on top of Tommy, trying and failing to keep her moans under control, she leaned down to kiss his stubbled face, pouring all her joy and passion into the boy she loved.

  As they finished, Natalie collapsed on top of Tommy, kissing him all the while as he kissed her back.

  “We made it, my darling”, she said to him. “We made it through winter together, like you said we would.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you”, Tommy replied. “None of us could have done it without you.”

  Natalie felt the tears come to her eyes as she kissed him again.

  She didn’t want anyone else. She refused to even consider falling in love with anyone but Tommy. When she looked at him, she saw everything she never thought she could have, lying within her grasp.

  Even if they never made it home… at least she would know what love, true love, felt like.

  000000000000000000000000

  As time passed, Tommy found himself wondering what had become of Ben. Was his brother even still alive?

  Ben knew everything Tommy knew about survival, but out there on his own, and with only one leg… Tommy tried not to let it show, but every time he and Natalie set out, he was secretly terrified of coming across his brother’s emaciated corpse.

  Of course, Tommy knew where Ben was staying. But Natalie was the only one who knew that he knew, and she hadn’t asked him where the location of the cave was. Tommy appreciated her for that, but the others had been a little harder to convince.

  The first day after the clearing had been discovered, Taissa had approached Tommy when he and Natalie dragged the dead doe back towards the group.

  “Look, I know… I know the last few days have been… crazy, but… do you know where Coa- where your brother might have gone?”

  “No”, Tommy lied. “We still hadn’t found where Javi was staying when I left him to… head back.”

  Taissa shifted uncomfortably, and Tommy made sure to keep his gaze on her.

  “I know what you’re thinking”, he said. “But I do not believe Ben burned the cabin down-”

  “The doors were jammed”, Taissa said, and Tommy got the feeling that, despite her speaking calmly, Taissa Turner was one wrong word away from exploding. “Can you explain that?”

  “No, I can’t, and I don’t care to try. But why on earth would he burn down the cabin with me inside? Would you burn your own brother alive?”

  “I’m an only child.”

  “Then I would not expect you to understand”, Tommy said shortly, dragging the deer past Taissa. “Ben didn’t burn down the cabin. End of discussion.”

  “But- no, wait-”

  “He said that’s the end of it, Tai”, Natalie snapped. “Leave it alone.”

  Taissa did not push the matter with Tommy, but he saw her talking to Javi later that day. Fortunately, Javi did not answer any of Taissa’s questions about where he had stayed, and as Tommy saw Taissa stomp off in frustration, Javi gave him a nod.

  Tommy was surprised, but nodded back. He had not expected to find an ally in Javi, but the young boy at least seemed to understand the bond between brothers.

  With that in mind, Tommy did his best to try and help Travis through his grief as time passed, but the older Martinez brother seemed to have entered the same catatonic state as when he believed Javi to be dead.

  Of course, there was no mistaking the fact that this time, the person Travis grieved was well and truly gone, and despite the circumstances that had led to it, Tommy felt an immeasurable wave of guilt whenever he saw Travis shuffling around the camp.

  He himself had changed as well, of course. He couldn’t gut an animal without being reminded of sliding the knife between Jackie’s ribs, nor pull the trigger on the rifle without being reminded of the moment Mari had crumpled and fallen forward on to the ice, like a puppet with its strings cut.

  It didn’t take long for the nightmares to come, in the aftermath of that terrible day. Not long at all.

  000000000000000000000000

  As time passed, Natalie became more and more worried about Tommy. While some of their nights together would pass by peacefully, every so often, Natalie would be woken by Tommy thrashing around in his sleep, covered in sweat and shaking like a leaf, as she struggled to comfort him.

  One night was particularly bad, as Natalie woke to hear him scream right in her ear.

  “Tommy! Tommy, it’s okay, you’re okay-”

  “I missed”, Tommy said, tears running down his cheeks. “I saw them chasing you, and I kept firing, and I k-kept missing, and they caught up to you, and-”

  He dissolved into sobs, as Natalie rained kisses down on him, struggling to keep her own tears back.

  “It’s okay,” she soothed him. “I’m okay. I’m okay because you saved my life. You’ve saved it every day we’ve been together. Every single one.”

  Tommy’s breathing started to grow more even, as Natalie held him close to her.

  “Go back to sleep”, she whispered. “I’ll be here when you wake up. I will always be here when you wake up.”

  She saw Tommy hesitate.

  “Sleep, my love”, Natalie whispered, and waited until she heard Tommy’s breathing even out completely, and she knew he had drifted off.

  She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t a psychiatrist. She didn’t know the proper techniques for guiding someone through a traumatic event. How could she help him get past this?

  In the end, a potential solution would come from the last person Natalie expected, as she was surprised to be approached by Lottie, of all people.

  “I know we’ve had our differences”, Lottie said to her. “But… I want to help. Tommy needs to lead us. He can’t do that if he can’t sleep. I can… I can teach him to meditate, if you think it would help him.”

  Natalie hesitated. She didn’t trust Lottie. Despite her apparent surrender, Natalie still felt her skin crawl whenever Lottie was in her sight. But she wanted Tommy to get better, and Natalie decided to roll the dice.

  “Alright,” she said. “But I’m doing it with him.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Naturally, Tommy was sceptical at best when Natalie proposed meditating with Lottie, but he figured he had nothing to lose.

  At least Natalie would be doing it with him. Tommy desperately wanted their nights together to be a time of peace once again, not a time of him flailing around and accidentally hitting Natalie. That hadn’t actually happened yet, but Tommy figured it was only a matter of time, and if he did hit her… he knew he would never forgive himself.

  They were now approaching two months since the cabin had burned down, and as two became three, Tommy was surprised to find the sessions were actually working, as slowly but surely, he and Natalie began to enjoy sleeping together in peace again.

  Tommy had never meditated before, but he was surprised to realise how much he enjoyed it. It was just so… calming, and it showed in his demeanour.

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie was thrilled at the changes she saw in Tommy. As they passed through the third month since the cabin burned, the nightmares Tommy suffered through appeared to dissipate, to her relief.

  Of course, Natalie had suffered through more than a few nightmares herself in the aftermath of her own teammates chasing her, but once she woke, all she had to do was burrow herself back in Tommy’s arms, and she would always sink back into slumber soon enough.

  In the back of her mind, Natalie was very much aware of how dependent they were becoming on each other, but she was just so relieved at Tommy trying to move on from the death of Mari, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

  She never thought she would have Lottie Matthews to thank for bringing her boyfriend back to her, but life was full of surprises out in the wilderness, Natalie had learned.

  As the temperature warmed, the water in the stream nearby warmed with it, leaving the two of them to bathe together. It became quite common between them for Natalie to lie in Tommy’s arms in one of the deeper parts of the river, moaning and grunting softly as he ran his hands through her hair, when he wasn’t carefully cleaning every inch of her naked body with the utmost precision, which would in turn lead to some extremely passionate lovemaking, either in the water or on the shore.

  In regard to food, things had never been better. Besides the generous amounts of game she and Tommy were bringing back every other day, they had started to grow a vegetable garden, and Akilah was beginning to raise a number of rabbits and ducks in the new animal pen they had constructed, using the invaluable book they had found as a guide.

In addition, at the request of the girls, Tommy and Javi had gone out to the plane and disconnected several of the seats, bringing them back to the clearing for everyone to enjoy. Javi was starting to get bigger and stronger now that he was eating as well as he did, making him extremely suited to the task of carrying heavy objects. 

  Did the Yellowjackets choose to exploit this particular fact as time went on? Maybe a little, but Javi seemed happy to help. He no longer seemed like the small, scared child he had been when the plane crashed, and Natalie was happy for him. Everyone was. 

  Overall, it seemed as though things were starting to settle down for them… though there was one problem yet to be solved, in the form of the new addition to their group.

  It had started small. One night, during their first week sleeping in their new shelters, Jeremy had been unable to stop crying, keeping Shauna up until morning.

  Tommy had entered Shauna’s tent in the morning to find Shauna passed out from exhaustion, with Jeremy wailing in her arms. Being the insightful person he was, Tommy had gently taken Jeremy from Shauna to look after, just until she woke. Jeremy had seemed happy enough with Tommy, so nobody paid it any mind.

  Nobody except Shauna, that is, who came bounding out of her shelter like an enraged mother bear and snatched Jeremy out of Tommy’s arms. Jeremy had instantly begun shrieking again, much to the frustration of everyone else, and Shauna had stomped back into her shelter, ignoring them all.

  Another time, they had all been sitting around a fire, eating their dinner, when Jeremy had begun to fuss. Shauna had opened her shirt to nurse him, but it wasn’t long before Jeremy started crying again, wriggling in her arms.

  Then the infant caught sight of Tommy… and to the incredulous surprise of everyone there, held out his tiny arms towards Natalie’s boyfriend. Shauna had looked horror-stricken, but Jeremy would not stop whining and fussing until Shauna reluctantly handed him over to Tommy.

  Once he was in Tommy’s arms, Jeremy had acted calmly for the rest of the night, before snuggling himself into Tommy’s shoulder and falling asleep. It was, without a doubt, the most adorable thing Natalie had ever seen, and she couldn’t help cooing at the sight of them together. Akilah had a theory that Tommy had imprinted on Jeremy somehow during the birth, like birds and dogs did with their young.

  “He probably thinks Tommy is his dad”, Akilah said to Shauna. Natalie was sure she meant it kindly, but Shauna looked wounded all the same.

  They decided to test it out the next day. Jeremy would whine and cry whenever one of the girls or the Martinez boys held him, but when Tommy picked him up, Jeremy gurgled happily, reaching up to grab Tommy’s nose.

  “PARP!” Tommy said, imitating a buzzer.

  Jeremy looked shocked for a moment, before starting to laugh, his giggles filling the air.

  “He’s gonna make a really good dad, one day”, Natalie heard Robin say next to her, as Jeremy reached for Tommy’s nose again.

  Yes, he is, Natalie thought, smiling as Tommy said “PARP!” again.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Tommy looked over to see Natalie smiling at him, he felt his own smile reach his face. She would make a good mother one day; he was sure of it.

  In that moment, Tommy knew, without a doubt, that Natalie was the only person in the world he wanted to be the mother of any future children of his. But would they end up with children one day, way out here?

  As he had done before, Tommy concluded that having a child with Natalie made for a nice idea in theory, but the reality of their situation placed them far away from civilisation, with nothing even close to medical treatment if something went wrong during the pregnancy. There was no guarantee that either Natalie or any child of theirs would survive, whether in pregnancy, in childbirth or the aftermath of both.

  Tommy remembered learning in school about the high infant mortality rates during olden times, before the invention of modern medicine. Out here, they might as well be stuck right back in those times again.

  Tommy brushed his thoughts aside, as he cradled Jeremy. One baby was enough to deal with, at least for now.

  He went to hand Shauna’s son back to her, but as soon as she took him, Jeremy began to wail.

  Shauna’s face darkened.

  “I’m sorry”, Tommy said to her. “I don’t know why he-”

  “If he wants to be with you so bad”, Shauna snarled, “you can have him. I’m sick of this. You feed him. You bathe him.”

  She paused, then wrinkled her nose. “And you change him as well. God knows I’ve done it enough times.”

  Change him? Tommy wondered.

  Then the smell coming from Jeremy hit his nostrils, and he struggled not to gag.

  000000000000000000000000

  “It’s okay, we’ll get you nice and clean, yeah?” Tommy said, moving Jeremy away from the group.

  Natalie decided to check on Shauna, who had already gone back into her shelter.

  “What do you want?” Shauna snapped at Natalie.

  “Just… checking up on you. Are you alright?”

  “Oh, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be? We’re miles from civilisation, my best friend is dead, and my baby prefers the guy who killed her to his own mother. Who wouldn’t be fine with that?”

  “Uh…” Natalie had no idea what to say in response, and the burning look in Shauna’s eyes convinced her it would be a good idea to leave.

  Things unfortunately did not improve as time went on, and they began their fourth month in the clearing. Jeremy would of course stay with Shauna overnight, or when it was feeding time, but otherwise he would always cry whenever Tommy wasn’t within his sight.

  Natalie knew having a child out here was a bad idea. She knew there was a very real chance that if she fell pregnant, neither she nor her baby might survive.

  But seeing Tommy carrying Jeremy around, swaddling him, or changing the various animal-skin loincloths they had made the young infant in place of diapers, or cleaning up any spit or puke that came out of Jeremy’s mouth, stirred something within Natalie that she had never felt before, as she considered the reality of their situation.

  She was aware that she probably wasn't thinking straight. She was also aware that Tommy might be unintentionally clouding her judgement. But all of a sudden, the idea of letting time slip through her fingers while they were out here felt absolutely ludicrous.

  Things might be good now amongst the group. But they all knew it was only a matter of time before winter came back.

  Who was to say any of them would survive it? Who was to say they wouldn’t begin to starve again, and resume their acts of cannibalism?

  Fuck it. If it isn’t now… it might be never. 

  And Natalie Scatorccio did not want to know what it would be like to die without ever knowing what it was like to be joined to another person, in a bond that had been considered blessed and holy long before civilisation had been created.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Tommy carried a sleeping Jeremy around the camp, rocking him gently, he saw Natalie come up to him.

  “You’re so good with him”, she said, whispering softly. The look in her eyes was so tender and caring, Tommy felt himself smile at her.

  “I honestly have no idea what I’m doing half the time”, he confessed. “I wish… I wish I had instructions on how to do this properly.”

  “Pretty sure kids don’t come with a manual”, Natalie grinned.

  Tommy saw her jerk her head away from him. “Do you wanna… go on a hunt? Stores are getting a bit low.”

  “Sure”, Tommy shrugged. Carefully walking back to Shauna’s hut, he placed Jeremy in his crib. Shauna, who was scribbling away in her journal, didn’t so much as turn her head in acknowledgement, and Tommy quietly left her alone. He didn’t want to make things even worse between them.

  As he set out with Natalie, his girlfriend started to ask about who they might train to be the next hunter of their group.

  “Taissa, maybe, or Van? I think with some practice they might get better at it-”

  “I’m not sure it’s such a great idea to train a new hunter.”

  “What? Why not?”

  Natalie looked confused, so Tommy explained the thoughts that had been swirling around in his head, whenever he had remembered the day of the hunt that had led to Mari’s death.

  “We both know it’s only a matter of time before winter comes back. Our food supplies will start to dwindle again, and everyone will get hungrier… and angrier, too. For all we know, someone might end up suggesting another card draw.”

  Lottie had grabbed the pack of cards when she was escaping the burning cabin, and Tommy got the feeling it wasn’t so she could play with them.

  “The group knows neither of us will tolerate the murder of the other. I know they can be… crazy… but they’re smart enough to understand that killing the two best hunters of the group may… put a dampener, so to speak, on their food intake.”

  “Oh. Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. What… what about Travis and Javi?”

  Tommy hesitated, before speaking again. “Neither of them have hunted with us since the cabin burned down. They’re probably hopelessly out of practice by now. The group most likely knows they would make poor substitutes for us.”

  Especially Travis, Tommy thought. Their old hunting partner had not emerged from his catatonic state yet… though deep down, the idea of handing Travis a loaded weapon gave Tommy pause for thought, considering what he had done to the other boys’ girlfriend.

  They travelled on in silence for a while, before eventually coming across a deer. As they sat down to wait after Tommy shot it, Natalie started to speak again.

  Tommy never could have imagined, in his wildest dreams, what their next discussion would be about.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Um…” Natalie said, twisting her fingers. She couldn’t say it. Why couldn’t she?

  You know why.

  “What is it?” Tommy asked. His eyes were gentle, and his tone was soft, and it gave Natalie the courage to say what she needed.

  “I know… I know this might sound crazy. But…”

  She swallowed nervously, and took a breath. “None of us know how long we have left. Not out here. None of us might make it through the next winter, and I… um, I…”

  She felt her face growing hot. “I don’t wanna die without knowing what it’s like for you to be mine. Truly, completely mine.”

  She saw Tommy’s eyes widen. Did he realise what she was about to say? She hoped so.

  “Thomas Matthew Scott… will you… will you marry me? Please?”

  She gazed into his eyes, holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy gazed at Natalie in shock. He’d always imagined, if they ever did get married, he would be the one to propose, following tradition.

  But Natalie had never been what one would call a traditional girl. It was one of the things he loved about her.

  And as he gazed into her beautiful blue-green eyes, he reached out a hand to run through her steadily darkening hair, while his other hand lightly stroked her cheek.

  There was only one answer he could give. Only one answer he would ever give.

  “Natalie Elizabeth Scatorccio… I will marry you. Of course I will marry you.”

  “Really?!” Natalie exclaimed, tears beginning to run down her face.

  “Yes. Yes, of course”, Tommy said, feeling his own tears come as he pressed his lips to Natalie’s, feeling her reciprocate with enthusiasm.

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie started bawling with happiness as she pressed her lips even harder against Tommy’s, and it wasn’t long before she felt his hands begin to lift up her shirt.

  “And one more thing, just… wait…”

  “Yes?”

  “I want a baby, Tommy. I don’t… I don’t wanna die, not knowing what it was like to have one with you.”

  She gazed at him lovingly. “I know it stupid, I know we’re too young, but… I’ve seen how you are with Jeremy. You’re gonna make the best dad, I know it.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Despite the hopeful look on Natalie’s face, Tommy felt himself pause for thought.

  It was stupid. It was reckless. It was risky. And of course… they were far, far too young.

  But as he gazed into Natalie’s eyes, Tommy couldn’t bring himself to say no. Natalie had been through far too much, both in Wiskayok and out here, for him to refuse her.

  “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  Natalie’s eyes widened. “Really?” She whispered softly.

  “Yes. Really.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie pressed her lips to Tommy’s again, and it wasn’t long before they were naked and writhing against each other on the grass.

  As she clung desperately to Tommy while he fucked her, Natalie wondered what it would be like to do this at home.

  We will get there, one day. Eventually.

  Natalie brushed her thoughts inside, and focused on making love to her fiancé.

  Oh, my God. Tommy was her fiancé. She could call him her fiancé now, not her boyfriend.

  The realisation brought a fresh wave of overjoyed tears to Natalie’s eyes, and as Tommy finished inside her, she gasped in ecstasy as she came in his arms in response, transported to a world where nothing existed but the two of them.

  Hopefully soon to be the three of us, Natalie thought, as Tommy’s lips descended upon hers.

  000000000000000000000000

  Lottie watched silently as she saw Shauna feeding Jeremy. He was getting bigger, that was for certain, but he still seemed so small to her.

  When it had been her turn to hold Shauna’s son, Jeremy had almost immediately begun screaming, and Lottie had quickly handed him off to the next person. The experience had not helped her confidence in regards to bearing her own child.

  But as she gazed at Travis, Lottie knew it was time. The wilderness had waited long enough.

  As she began to walk over to the older Martinez boy, Lottie checked once more for the psychedelic mushrooms in her pocket.

  What was about to happen wouldn’t be pretty… but it would, in the end, prove necessary for them.

So, what did you think?

Will Natalie and Tommy's happiness last? Will Lottie get her way with Travis? And what in the holy hell is going to happen with Shauna?

Next chapter coming soon! Can't wait for you to read it! 😊 ❤️

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Nineteen

WARNING: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of butchering a human body. Please think before you read through it.

With that in mind, welcome to the season finale of Season Two! So excited!

Well, don't let me keep you waiting! Read on!

  Travis paced back and forth on the cabin’s porch. Gen and Robin were next to him, Robin trying to stop Gen’s nose from bleeding. Taissa and Van had beaten the younger girl savagely before heading out to join the hunt, and Travis could hear Gen crying quietly as he looked away.

  He didn’t know what to do. Robin had been right when she’d said that Tommy would kill them all if they dared harm Natalie- and Travis had seen him take the rifle when he’d left to follow Coach Scott.

  Travis would have set out immediately to get Tommy to try and have him end this madness- but he had no idea where the Scott brothers had gone.

  If they get back here first, I’ll explain it to them. I’ll tell them we tried to stop it. And if it really comes down to it…

  Travis knew there was only one way this would end.

  If Tommy agrees to spare Mari, I’ll help him. I’ll help him kill them all-

  Then Travis’ thoughts were interrupted as he heard the crunch of footsteps in the snow, and he saw, to his disbelief, that Tommy and Natalie were approaching the cabin, Tommy carrying a snow-white buck on his shoulders, while Natalie held the rifle.

  What in the world? Travis thought.

  Had the two of them gone out hunting this morning? Had Travis somehow imagined Natalie drawing the Queen of Hearts? He was certainly hungry enough to have done so.

  “I’m sorry”, Tommy said, and Travis was surprised to see he had been crying.

  “For what?”

  Travis was confused. They had brought back food. What did they have to be sorry about?

  Then he heard more footsteps, and he saw the Yellowjackets approaching, carrying something on a pole behind them.

  Had they gotten another kill? Another deer, perhaps?

  But then Travis saw the shoes, hanging on the end of the pole. He saw the long, dark hair almost sweeping the ground.

  And then he saw the jacket. Jackie’s jacket, which had been taken off the Yellowjackets’ captain on the day they decided to burn her, only to immediately be claimed by-

  “Mari?” Travis said, his voice coming out in a sob.

  “I’m sorry”, Tommy repeated, letting the buck fall to the ground behind him.

  “I saw them chasing Natalie, and I-”

  THWACK!

  Tommy reeled back from where Travis had struck him across the face. The blow stung Travis’ knuckles, but he didn’t care, as he walked to where the Yellowjackets had placed his girlfriend’s body in the snow, and began to cry.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Are you okay?”

  Tommy felt Natalie’s hands come up to gently touch his face.

  “I’m fine”, he murmured. “Can I…”

  He motioned towards the rifle, and Natalie gave it to him.

  “Everyone inside, now”, he said to the group, pointing indoors. “We have… much to discuss, it seems.”

  One by one, the group filed in, and Tommy and Natalie followed behind them, standing in front of the fireplace.

  Tommy made sure to keep the rifle in plain sight, as he began to speak.

  “So”, he began, “I think we can all agree, things got out of hand. Yes?”

  He saw them nod, as he continued.

  “I don’t think any more of us want to die today. And… we don’t have to, if we don’t want to. We have enough food now to last at least the next couple of weeks. So… here’s what’s going to happen. I’ll… I’ll do what needs to be done with Mari. Nobody else has to be involved. Once we are done with her… we can make a start on the deer.”

  “No”, Lottie suddenly spoke up.

  Tommy frowned. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”

  “We should eat them together. It’s only right. Mari died to serve the wilderness, and it rewarded us with the deer.”

  Tommy saw Lottie look out amongst the group. “We must show the wilderness our gratitude by eating them together. As one.”

  “You really are sick in the head, you know that?” Natalie spoke up, sounding more tired than angry.

  “Am I?” Lottie said. She seemed to have regained some of her old confidence in the wake of Mari’s death.

  Tommy saw her look at him. “How did you know to come back early? We saw you head out with Coach Scott. Why didn’t you wait and head back here with him?”

  She knew. Somehow, she had figured it out.

  Tommy grit his teeth. He knew his explanation would only justify what Lottie was feeling, but he couldn’t think of any excuse.

  “When we were out there… something felt off. Something was telling me to turn back. It got to the point where I couldn’t ignore it anymore, so I rushed back here, just in time to see you all chasing Natalie across the ice.”

  There was a shift in the room as he said the words. The girls were staring at him in shock, Natalie included.

  But not Lottie. She only smiled.

  “You see? It’s within you. I’ve known since the doomcoming.”

  Now Lottie turned back to the group.

  “The wilderness got angry when we tried to make our own way out of this, so it warned Tommy, knowing he would be the only one who could stop it. Then it sent us the deer to reward him for stopping it. Now… now we have food. Real food, enough to last us until spring, most likely. Winter will not continue for much longer after this, the wilderness won’t let it… but we must eat Mari and the deer together, to show it we understand the sacrifice that has been made.”

  Tommy saw the group exchange nods at Lottie’s words, and felt his heart sink.

  Incredible. Even when he won, he felt like he had lost.

  Goddamn you, Lottie Matthews. I should have shot you months ago.

  Then Tommy’s thoughts were interrupted as Shauna emerged from her room, carrying Jeremy.

  “What’s going on? Why is Travis screaming like that?”

  000000000000000000000000

  Shauna stared in disbelief as the girls explained what had happened, while Tommy headed out the door.

  The wilderness warned Tommy? The wilderness that he doesn’t even believe in?

  Over the last few months, Shauna had felt safe and secure in the knowledge that Tommy, at least, did not buy into all of Lottie Matthews’ bullshit the way that so many of the others did.

  Now, it seemed, even that was gone.

  Now even Tommy believes, and he killed Mari over it. How could he be so cold-blooded?

  If he was willing to kill Travis’ girlfriend for the wilderness… would he be willing to hurt me, too? What about… what about…

  Shauna gazed down at her son.

  No. NO. Don’t be stupid, part of her brain said to her. He wouldn’t hurt Jeremy. He brought Jeremy back from the dead.

  Ah, the other part of her brain said. But that was before he believed in the wilderness. Now, who know? And besides…

  Shauna grimaced. She couldn’t stop her final, intrusive thought. Why couldn’t she stop it?

  You never dreamed he would hurt Jackie. And yet, here we are.

  Shauna held Jeremy tighter as she crept back into her room, locking the door behind her.

  “Tommy will not harm one hair on your head, my love”, she whispered to Jeremy. “And if he tries… I will kill him, myself.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie followed Tommy out the door towards Travis, where he knelt in the snow, cradling Mari’s body.

  She saw Travis turn around. In that moment, the older Martinez boy looked so broken, it took everything Natalie had not to burst into tears, and she knew Tommy felt the same way, as well.

  Travis got to his feet, and Natalie watched nervously as he approached Tommy. She hoped he wasn’t going to hit her boyfriend again.

  But instead, Travis brushed past Tommy’s shoulder, crying all the while as he headed inside the cabin, and Natalie swiped at her eyes.

  It’s my fault. All my fault. Even if Tommy says it isn’t. 

  Whatever happened now… Natalie knew she had started something she had no idea how to stop.

  Silently, she helped Tommy carry Mari to the table where they butchered their kills, and piece by piece, Mari’s clothing was removed.

  As Van and Taissa helped them, Natalie could see tears in their eyes, and repressed a shudder. They didn’t look like the savage animals who had chased her across the ice no more than an hour ago, but that didn’t mean Natalie had forgotten the looks on their faces when they had done so.

  Would we be safer if Tommy had just shot the lot of them? Maybe. No, he didn’t have enough bullets. He would have run out, and those who were left would have killed us both.

  Oh God, Natalie thought, as her tears dripped into the snow. Why does everything have to be so hard? 

  As Mari’s body finally lay naked on the table, Tommy and Natalie covered her breasts and genitalia with cloths.

  Natalie gazed at Jackie’s jacket, lying in the snow with a bullet hole through it. She hoped that what had happened today wouldn’t start some crazy tradition, but she wouldn’t put it past Lottie to make some claim that wearing the jacket would doom you, somehow.

  God. Why are we all so fucked up?

  “You don’t have to be here for this”, she heard Tommy say.

  Natalie saw Taissa and Van start to move away, before Taissa opened her mouth.

  “I’m sorry”, she said to Natalie.

  “Me too”, Van mumbled.

  As the two of them walked away, Natalie shook her head in disbelief. They hadn’t been sorry when they chased her.

  “You… you can go”, Tommy said to her, and Natalie heard his voice break as he began to cry.

  Tommy. My Tommy.

  Natalie hugged him to her as he cried into her shoulder.

  “I’m not going anywhere”, she murmured. “I know… I know this will be bad, but I’m not leaving you.”

  She drew back to gaze at him, cupping his face as she wiped the tears off his cheeks.

  “I couldn’t help you with Jackie, but… I can help you with this. Okay?”

  Tommy nodded silently, and put his knife near Mari’s neck as they began.

  000000000000000000000000

  With Jackie, they had been fortunate enough to barbecue her. Tommy had never thought he would think that.

  Doing what they did to Mari was worse. Much, much worse.

  As they progressed, they had to take several breaks. At one point, Natalie broke away to vomit into the snow, crying as she did so. Tommy suggested once again that she leave, but she had refused, taking the knife from him and cutting into Mari’s stomach.

  They were so preoccupied with the grisly task in front of them, Tommy didn’t hear his brother approach.

  But then he saw Natalie’s eyes widen in front of him.

  “Coach Scott?” She whispered, and Tommy winced as he turned around to look at the shock on Ben’s face.

  000000000000000000000000

  “What happened?” Ben gaped at the pair of them. He had at first approached the pair eagerly, thinking they might have shot a deer. Then he had seen the deer lying still next to them, and thought they had actually managed to get a pair.

  But then he had seen the clothes on the stool next to them, with Jackie’s letterman jacket lying in the snow, and he realised what- no, who- they were butchering on the table.

  Quietly, Tommy led him away, to a place where they could talk in private.

  “What happened?” Ben asked again.

  Tommy sniffled, and hiccupped, as he wiped at his nose, leaving a trail of blood with his hands.

  Ben flinched. What on earth had his brother done?

  000000000000000000000000

  “Uh”, Tommy began, trying not to hiccup again. “The… the girls decided to draw cards to sacrifice someone to last us the rest of winter.”

  He saw Ben’s eyes widen, as he continued.

  “Natalie drew the card that said she would be the sacrifice, and she ran. I got back in time to seem them chasing her, and I aimed at Lottie. But Mari got in the way…”

  “You tried to shoot Lottie? What, just like that?”

  “Just like that.”

  Tommy shrugged, as he felt the tears come. He couldn’t even look Ben in the eye.

  “I heard Natalie scream for help, and I just… reacted. I didn’t think, I just… aimed and fired.”

  He looked at Ben. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t want to.”

  “I…” Ben started. Tommy desperately hoped that Ben would have an answer for him. Some way to absolve him of what he had done.

  But all Ben did was stare at Tommy like he didn’t even know him anymore, and Tommy knew the truth.

  He hates me. I know he does.

  “You…” Tommy began. “You need to get out of here.”

  “What? Tommy, no-”

  “I murdered Mari because I saw her and the others trying to kill Natalie. If I had gotten there too late…”

  I would have killed them all. 

  It was the truth. Tommy knew it was. He would have gone back to the cabin, loaded it with all the ammunition he could carry, and killed every single Yellowjacket who had gone after his girlfriend.

  He didn’t say the words, but he knew Ben had heard them, all the same.

  “It’s not safe here for you”, Tommy said. “You need to go back to the cave. I’ll… I’ll bring you food when I can, but you can’t be here anymore.”

  “Tommy-”

  “I’m afraid of myself!” Tommy shouted, the tears rolling down his face, thick and fast. “If any of them hurt you, I’d kill them all. Without hesitation.”

  He paused, and hiccupped again.

  “Please, Ben. Please. Don’t stay here. Don’t… don’t risk me crossing that line. I don’t want you to.”

  Ben stared at him. In sadness, in shock maybe? Tommy couldn’t tell.

  But at last, Ben turned around, and Tommy heard his brother crying quietly as he turned a corner behind the trees, and disappeared from Tommy’s sight.

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie watched as Tommy came back to the table. He had been crying again, and she went to him, taking his hands in hers.

  “How did he take it?”

  “He’s gone”, Tommy said.

  “Gone?” Natalie blinked. “Where did he go?”

  “We found the place where Javi was staying. Ben’s going to live there now, just until… until things die down.”

  He looked at Natalie. “We can’t tell anyone, okay? Just… just in case…”

  Just in case the others get hungry again. 

  Natalie swallowed, and nodded. Briefly, she thought about convincing Tommy to take the rifle and the dead deer and head for wherever it was Javi had stayed. Could they live together, all three of them, in peace?

  But even as Natalie entertained the thought, she knew it couldn’t happen. Lottie and the others would find them, sooner or later. It was inevitable.

  As they turned back to the task in front of them, Natalie steeled herself for what was to come. They put Mari’s organs in the buckets, and set about taking her skin off her flesh.

  As it turned out, it was extremely difficult to remove human skin from human flesh, but they managed it, in the end.

  At one point, Natalie began to cry again, and reached her hand up to wipe her eyes. To her surprise, they began to sting almost instantly.

  “Owww”, she whined. What the hell? Whey were her eyes hurting-

  Then Natalie realised, and began to retch.

  It’s Mari’s blood. I just wiped my eyes with Mari’s blood on my hands. What the ever-loving fuck-

  She stood there as Tommy carefully cleaned the blood out of her eyes with a snow-stained cloth, and did her best not to puke again.

  Eventually, it was done, and they turned their attention towards the deer. It was becoming increasingly colder for them, so they settled for quickly taking out the organs, then skinning the animal, slicing off only a few pieces of meat to join Mari’s remains.

  They might have food now, but it would be unwise to waste any. No matter what Lottie said… there was no guarantee how much longer winter would last, and briefly, spitefully, Natalie found herself wishing it would last another month or two, if only to prove Lottie wrong.

  But even if that did happen, she’d find some way to say that the wilderness was displeased with us, and somebody else would end up dying, Natalie thought tiredly, as the two of them set off towards the cabin, carrying dinner.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy didn’t bother to look at the others as he entered the room. He looked at the saucepan, sitting in front of the fire. How many times had he seen Mari sitting there, cooking the pitiful amounts of their ever-dwindling supplies?

  Tommy shook his head to clear it, and placed the various pieces of deer and human flesh in the saucepan, beginning to cook it.

  As the smell of cooking meat hit everyone’s nostrils, Tommy heard the others shift with impatience, and rolled his eyes.

  Unbelievable. They chase Natalie down with the intention of hacking her to death and eating her, and now I’m feeding them pieces of their friend. And all they can wonder is how long it will take before we eat her.

  With that in mind, Tommy took a little longer than necessary to flip the meat and cook it on the other side.

  It wasn’t much in the way of revenge… but it helped.

  000000000000000000000000

  Lottie looked around as everyone ate their way through the mixture of cooked deer and human meat.

  Strangely enough, it might have actually gone better with a few cattails on hand. Lottie never thought she would miss the plants they had all grown tired of eating, but there you go.

  Eventually, they were all done, and sat around the fireplace in silence for what seemed like hours.

  Lottie gazed at Tommy and Natalie sitting together, Natalie resting her head on Tommy’s shoulder. Not for the first time, Lottie felt the pangs of jealousy within her at the sight of them. Unlike most of the girls in the room, she had never had a boyfriend back home. She had always been too scared. Scared that they would find out the truth about her, and leave her out of fear, or worse, disgust.

  If only I had gone after Tommy back home. If only…

  Well, it did no good to dwell on it now. They had to move forwards, not backwards.

  Now that she was full for the first time in weeks, Lottie was able to think more clearly. Did the wilderness really want her to have a child? Somehow, now that she could properly think for herself, it seemed pretty… far-fetched, to say the least.

  But Lottie remembered, clear as day, the voice telling her to bear the Child. If this was what the wilderness truly wanted… she had to be clever about it in the future. In any case, she did not dare bring the topic to light again. It wouldn’t take Natalie long to put two and two together, and figure out who the wilderness intended to be the father of its child.

  Or did it? Lottie found her gaze slowly drawn to Travis, sitting in the corner. Javi was sitting next to him, trying to guide Travis to eat the last of the meat, but Travis was ignoring him.

  Huh, Lottie thought. She had at first thought the wilderness put Mari in front of her for the sole purpose of sparing her from Tommy, but now… now there was nothing to prevent Lottie from making a move on Travis. He was a hunter after all, the same as Tommy.

  We’ll see. We must give it time, Lottie thought. Maybe until winter ends. It can’t be much longer. 

  In the meantime, something needed to be done about Tommy. Lottie saw the rifle next to him, and as if he’d sensed her gaze, Lottie saw Tommy’s eyes flick up towards hers.

  In that moment, Lottie knew he was considering reneging on their deal, and shifted uncomfortably. What could she do, if he decided to put a bullet through her head, here and now?

  Nothing. Nothing at all.

  Lottie’s mind began to race. What could she do, to make Tommy Scott take his mind off of her? To make him think she was no longer a threat?

  Then as she thought, an idea dawned in Lottie’s brain, and she knew she had her answer.

  I must convince him that my connection to the wilderness is harmless. And to do that… I must make him think I’ve surrendered. It’s the only way.

  The only way to guarantee I even make it to spring, before Tommy Scott kills me in my sleep. 

  000000000000000000000000

    As the night progressed, Tommy was finding it increasingly harder to not jump to his feet and put a bullet in Lottie. And one in Taissa too, for having the idea that led to the card draw. Of course, then he’d have to put one in Van as well, but that might be for the best, at this point.

  Tommy had thought Van was his friend, but it seemed she was fully on Lottie’s team, now. A pity. Still, if it couldn’t be helped-

  “I never wanted to be in charge”, Lottie suddenly spoke.

  Tommy’s head jerked up at her words.

  “It chose me, I think, because… because I was the only one who knew how to listen. But I can’t hear it anymore. I think that’s because it doesn’t need me anymore.”

  Tommy saw her look out amongst them.

  “You all learned how to hear it. How to feel it. Maybe what it wants for us now is a leader who can help us survive for the rest of the time we’re out here.”

  Lottie swallowed. “And that isn’t me.”

  “Lottie, no”, Van said. Tommy rolled his eyes.

  “The wilderness chose who fed us”, Lottie said, as she got to her feet. “It’s already chosen who should lead us.”

  Oh yeah, one of your cronies, I’ll bet-

  “Tommy.”

  It took a moment for him to register that Lottie had said his name. Tommy looked at her in shock.

  “Huh?”

  “How else do we explain what happened out there?” Lottie started walking towards him.

  “We tried to kill Natalie. We thought that was what it wanted… but instead, it warned you, so you could come back and stop the hunt. Time and time again, it has chosen you. That’s how you got the moose out of the ice. That’s how you rescued Shauna and Tai from the storm. That’s how you brought Jeremy back from the dead.”

  Lottie gazed at him. “You weren’t even supposed to be on the plane. I thought it was just luck, all this time, but I think… I think you came with us because the wilderness wanted you to. Because it knew we would need you to guide us through everything.”

  Tommy gazed at Lottie in shock. Of all the things he’d expected her to say… this wasn’t even on the list.

  Lottie held out her hands, and Tommy realised she expected him to rise. Slowly, he clambered to his feet, and Lottie took his hands in hers.

  Then to his surprise, Lottie bent her head and kissed his knuckles, her lips warm and soft against his skin. She walked back to sit in her chair, and Tommy stared at her.

  Fucking weirdo. 

  Then he gazed out at the group, and realised they expected him to say something.

  “Uh”, Tommy cleared his throat. “Never thought I’d say this, but… Lottie is right. I wasn’t supposed to be on the plane. I only heard on… the Wednesday before, I think…”

  He gazed at Natalie, and she nodded.

  “Yeah, Wednesday, that my parents had extended their trip. I thought it was weird at the time, they’ve never done that before…”

  He had to play the game now, Tommy realised. He couldn’t scoff at the wilderness so openly anymore, not if he wanted to keep his new position.

  Warily, he looked out amongst the group. Gen and Robin were looking at him with relief on their faces, but on the others… he saw a mixture of fear, hate and despair amongst them.

  Tommy couldn’t blame them- he had just killed one of their friends. Again…

  But as he gazed at Natalie, who was smiling at him, Tommy had another idea.

  “I know that not all of you may wish me to have this position of power over you. I can’t say I blame you for that. I do not intend to act like a dictator, or God forbid, a King…”

  He hesitated. “Nevertheless, I know that not all of you may trust me… so with that in mind, I wish to elect a… co-leader, so to speak, one that you can all trust to check my worst impulses, not feed them.”

  He turned to Natalie. “I want you to lead beside me. Every decision that is made for the group… you and I will make together.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie gazed at him in shock. Tommy wanted her to help him lead them? She looked out amongst the room, seeing confusion and fear on their faces.

  She couldn’t blame them- only earlier that day, they had tried to kill her. They knew that Tommy loved her, and she loved him back. What if she asked him to kill them all?

  He could do it. We could do it, together. Then it would just be me and him. If it was just us, we would be safe…

  But Natalie brushed her thoughts aside. No, she and Tommy were not murderers. They would have to show them a different way. One that was better than Lottie’s…

  “I think that’s a good idea”, Lottie suddenly spoke up.

  Full of surprises today, aren’t we, Matthews? Natalie thought.

  Lottie looked out amongst the group. “It makes sense. Natalie can provide a link between Tommy and the team. And Tommy’s right… she can keep him in check; she’s done it before.”

  Now Lottie looked at Natalie. “They’ve both done it before, for each other.”

  Natalie felt her face burn at Lottie’s insinuation, but she shrugged it off as she moved to stand beside Tommy.

  “Fine”, she said, as she took Tommy’s hand. “We’ll lead you. Together.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Ben watched in disbelief from the window as he saw Lottie bend down and kiss Tommy’s hands. Then he saw Tommy speak to the group, before Natalie moved to stand beside him.

  They didn’t look like they were at odds with the group anymore. It looked more like… the group had accepted them as leaders.

  Oh, God, Ben realised. Tommy’s finally buying into Lottie’s bullshit. He actually thinks that the wilderness is a conscious thing, looking out for him.

  Ben didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t. But all the evidence was right in front of him. He had shrugged off Tommy’s murder of Jackie as a one-time thing, done solely out of mercy to help the dying girl.

  But now… Tommy had murdered Mari as well. And then he’d butchered her. He had seemed sorry about it when Ben had confronted him, but now, as Ben watched his little brother head off into the pantry, hand in hand with Natalie, he didn’t seem sorry at all. None of them did.

  My little brother is a killer, now. And they’re all following him for it. 

  Ben wept with despair as he started to shuffle away, carrying the matches and wood. An ever-darkening thought was growing in his mind, and he tried in vain to shove it down as it came across his thoughts over and over again.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy and Natalie slowly changed into their pyjamas, lying down exhausted as Natalie placed her head on Tommy’s chest.

  “Quite a day, huh?” She said, sleepily.

  “You’re telling me”, Tommy chuckled. He gently placed his hand under Natalie’s chin, turning her head to press a gentle kiss to her lips.

  “I love you”, he murmured.

  “I love you too”, Natalie whispered, leaning in to kiss him again.

  Tommy wondered what tomorrow would look like for them, as the new leaders of the group. He didn’t know what Lottie was playing at, but he knew she was up to something. Why else would she make such a turn from going against him every chance she got to suddenly proclaiming him as their leader?

  Just in case, Tommy made sure to keep the rifle loaded as he placed it next to him. You never knew- maybe Lottie’s sudden turnaround had been just an act, and she was waiting outside for them to fall asleep, holding a knife.

  But eventually, the both of them drifted off to sleep… not long before Tommy woke in shock, as he realised the smoke he could smell was not coming from the fireplace.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Shauna fed Jeremy that night, she tried in vain to not think about why, for the first time in weeks, she finally felt full.

  She understood that Jackie had been dying when Tommy stabbed her. She understood that Mari had been trying to kill Natalie when Tommy shot her.  

  But that didn’t make Shauna any less afraid of him, as she cradled Jeremy to her breast.

  What if her son got sick? What if he got injured, and nobody could help him, and Tommy’s only solution was to put a knife between his ribs?

  No. That cannot happen. That WILL NOT happen. I will murder him and Natalie before I let that happen.

  Shauna laid Jeremy down to sleep in his crib, but as he closed his eyes, she decided to cover him with Jackie’s jacket, which she had taken from outside.

  “When you grow up, I’m gonna tell you all about your Aunt Jackie”, she whispered to her son. “And how much she would have loved you.”

  Laying down to sleep, Shauna closed her eyes. But it seemed like she had only just dozed off when Jeremy began to cry.

  “What is it, sweetie?” Shauna rubbed at her eyes. “Do you need-”

  Then Shauna saw the room light up as the flames flickered outside. The adrenaline kicked in instantly as she scrambled to pack what she could, before scooping Jeremy up and rushing into the main room.

  000000000000000000000000

  “FIRE! FIRE!” 

  The scream outside jolted Natalie awake, and she quickly rose from Tommy’s arms to open the pantry door.

  “Oh, my God”, she stared at the flames burning outside, quickly moving to open the door.

  “Ow, fuck!” She reeled back, holding her burning hand.

  “The back door! Check the back door!” She heard Tommy yell.

  “It won’t open!” a voice rang out.

  Despite the heat, Natalie felt herself go very cold inside as she quickly put her sleeve over her hand and tried to open the door again.

  Shit. “It’s stuck!” She called out.

  “Javi, the axe! Where’s the axe?!” Tommy called out, and as Javi threw it to him, Tommy advanced on the door.

  “I’m gonna break it down! The rest of you, grab everything you can!” He bellowed, beginning to smash the door open.

  Frantically, Natalie rushed back to the pantry, hastily stuffing clothes into her and Tommy’s bags.

  Quickly rushing to pick up the rifle, Natalie felt cold again as she remembered the bags of ammunition in the attic.

  Fuck me. When the fire reaches the bullets…

  Natalie quickly shoved the thought down. When they had first moved into the pantry, Tommy had made sure to keep one sack of bullets with them, and Natalie moved to grab it.

  Fuck. She couldn’t carry it all. She didn’t have enough hands.

  But as she turned back, she saw Tommy appear beside her, and despite their situation, Natalie somehow knew they were going to be okay.

  “I’ll take them! You, go! Get out the door!” He yelled at her. Half-blinded by the smoke, Natalie stumbled towards the opening Tommy had made in the door with the axe.

  As she made it outside, joining the others, Natalie suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

  The first day. I left Tommy behind in the plane. And now he’s in there, where the rounds will start cooking off any second- 

  Natalie suddenly shuddered to a halt.

  No. Not again. You are NOT staying behind again, Tommy Scott. Not without me. 

  Natalie dropped their things in the snow and pelted back inside the burning cabin, ignoring the girls behind her as they cried out her name.

  Quickly rejoining Tommy, to his protest, Natalie coughed in his ear.

  “Tommy, the ammunition! The ammunition in the attic!”

  “I know, I know! It’s too late, we have to go!”

  Tommy carried the sack of bullets in one hand, while the other held the bearskin blanket Natalie loved so much.

  Before heading out, Natalie quickly bent down to grab a few more blankets that had been left behind, and a couple of pillows. Things were going to be rough for them without the cabin, and she was in no mood for sleeping out in the open without some form of comfort.

  As they rejoined the others outside, Natalie began to cough again, and she felt Tommy wrap the bearskin blanket around her as they gazed up at the burning cabin.

  Natalie looked around at the others, beginning to count. One, two…

  Eventually, she got to fifteen, not counting Jeremy.

  Fifteen? No, we’re one short. Coach Scott left, I know that, but-

  Then Natalie remembered Mari, and felt a new wave of guilt wash over her at the knowledge of what she and Tommy had done.

  What was left of Mari was hanging in the meat shack with the deer.

  What only that morning had been a living, breathing human girl, had now been reduced to organs in a bucket and strips of meat hanging on hooks.

  Jesus Christ, Natalie thought, as she turned her head towards Tommy.

  “What do we do now?”

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy thought. There was only one place they could go, really.

  “We have to get to the crash site. I know it’s not ideal, but…” he motioned towards the cabin.

  “Our shelter is gone. If anyone has a better idea, I’m all ears.”

  Nobody spoke up, and Tommy pointed in the direction they needed to go.

  “Alright, let’s go. We need to hurry, any moment now, the ammunition in the attic’s going to-”

  BOOM!

  Everyone jumped as a series of explosions began sounding from the attic.

  “Go! NOW!” Tommy bellowed, as everyone began to run.

  Truth be told, there was one other place they could go… but Tommy was in no mood to face Ben, right now.

  He had a sneaking suspicion that the fire had been no accident, and the only suspect he could think of was his own brother.

  But why the hell would he want to burn us alive? Tommy wondered, as he followed the others down the path.

  000000000000000000000000

  When Natalie saw the fallen plane finally come into view, she felt her heart sink.

  As far as shelters went, this wasn’t anywhere near as good as the cabin had been.

  It was Coach Scott who burned it down. It had to be. Why else would the doors have been jammed? 

  As they covered the openings in the doors with some of the blankets, everyone sat down in the seats of the plane, wrapping themselves as warmly as they could with what they had left. As Natalie curled up with Tommy, wrapping the bearskin around them for comfort, she listened to his strong, steady heartbeat, and felt an overwhelming sense of relief that despite everything the wilderness had thrown at them, they were still together, alive and well.

  Okay, ‘well’ might be a bit of a stretch, but still…

  Then Shauna walked past them, and Natalie was surprised to see she had wrapped Jeremy in Jackie’s jacket, of all things.

  Thought that thing burned with the cabin, Natalie thought, as she placed her head back down on Tommy’s chest, yawning as she closed her eyes.

Goodbye, Season Two, it's been a pleasure!

Thank you all so, so much for following the story this far. Words cannot express how much I appreciate it 😊

Anyway, we're two seasons down! Let's see what happens with Tommy and Natalie in charge, shall we?

Thanks again,

SteamTrain52 😊 ❤️

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Eighteen

And… here we go. The episode you all knew was coming. The hunt.

Read on if you wish, and find out the difference a single person can make in a situation like this.

I hope you like what I have written. I really… really do.

Also, so glad to hear Yellowjackets got a fourth season! Not sure if it will be the final season or not. I think it will be, there's just not enough Yellowjackets left in the adult timeline, I'm afraid.

Anyway, let's get going!

As he did every morning now, Travis woke to the feeling of Mari’s lips on his, her hand sneaking beneath his pyjama shorts. Travis smiled at first, but then remembered who they were sharing the attic with, and instantly drew back.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Travis jerked his head towards Lottie, who was lying down in the corner, her back to them. After her… performance, so to speak, only the previous day, she had quietly allowed herself to warm up in the bath, then taken her sleeping materials into the attic.

  They hadn’t seen her move a muscle since then.

  “It’s fine”, Mari whispered. “She’s asleep. Don’t worry about it.”

  You don’t know she’s asleep, Travis thought, but as Mari started to move on top of him, he stopped letting himself worry.

  It’ll be fine, he convinced himself, as he felt Mari’s heat encasing him once again.

  000000000000000000000000

  Lottie was not asleep. Not even close. But as she heard Travis and Mari quietly moaning behind her, she was only vaguely aware of what was happening. 

  How… how? How could I have…. DONE that?

 It hadn’t been until she warmed up in the bath that she realised the damage she had done. How would any of the others follow her now?

  And how… how on earth could she believe that it was even remotely possible to conceive a child by having sex with the ground, of all things?

  Lottie knew, of course, but she tried to convince herself otherwise. She had only been a child when she was diagnosed, but she remembered… everything. When she had run out of her medication only a few days after the plane crashed, she had never been so scared. In the time since then, she had tried to convince herself that she didn’t need it, as long as the wilderness was on her side. 

  But now… she wasn’t so sure that it was. If Misty hadn’t found her, Lottie would have frozen to death yesterday, regardless of what she believed.

  Despite this, Lottie was still convinced that the wilderness wanted a child from her. She was the Vessel. It made sense. But who to get it from?

  Four choices. Coach Scott, who’s gay. Javi, who’s fourteen. Travis, who’s just been claimed by Mari…

  But Lottie knew. Deep down, she already knew who the only real option for her would be.

  Tommy. The Hunter. She had known the wilderness was within him, ever since the doomcoming. 

  But now, Lottie knew she couldn’t. Even if it was what the wilderness wanted from her, she knew Tommy would never go for it. Even if he wasn’t deeply, madly in love with Natalie… she knew she would never be able to convince him of the merits of having a child out here. He had been against the wilderness from the beginning.

  Lottie didn’t know what to do. If there was no way for her to achieve her goal… was there even any point in going on?

  000000000000000000000000

  As Natalie awoke that morning, she felt Tommy stirring beside her, and felt a wave of nervousness.

  Now was the time. Quickly, before she lost her nerve.

  “Tommy?”

  “Mmm?”

  “There’s… something we have to discuss. Something important.”

  “Uh… okay”, Tommy said, as he sat up.

  “Um…” Natalie cleared her throat. “Look, I know what happened to Crystal was terrible, and I know that the girls went about it all wrong, but… I think, in their own stupid way, they might have actually had a point.”

  “W… what?” Tommy said, his mouth dropping open.

  “I’m not saying we just go around slitting throats, or anything like that. I’m saying… we have no idea how much longer we have before winter ends. It could be a month. Maybe longer. And we… we need to eat.”

  Natalie hesitated. “I think we need to enter an agreement with everyone that if they die before winter ends… we won’t waste them.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy stared at his girlfriend. He couldn’t believe what she was asking. But deep down… he knew she was right.

  They were out of food. They hadn’t seen any game since the moose. There was nothing left for them but bone broth. Who knew how long it would last? Who knew how long they had until spring?

  Even then, Tommy knew it wouldn’t be a smooth transition. He had experienced his share of ‘false’ springs ever since his family moved to Wiskayok. Up here, in the far north… it was reasonable to assume that the change from winter to spring would not be an easy one.

  Fuck. Tommy didn’t want to accept it, and he bowed his head.

  “Hey.”

  Natalie cupped his jaw, lifting his head towards hers as she leaned in and kissed him gently.

  “You couldn’t have tried harder to save us.”

  Tommy felt tears behind his eyes. “I don’t know, I-”

  “I do”, Natalie’s eyes were soft, but her tone was firm. “I know this isn’t easy to accept, but… we need to face the facts. If we don’t do this… those of us who make it to spring won’t even have the energy to find food, not even if it crawls right in front of them.”

  “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just… wish there was another way.”

  “So do I, my darling.”

  Natalie’s tone was soft this time, as she leaned in to kiss him again.

  “So do I.”

  000000000000000000000000

  “More bone soup. Yum”, Mari quipped, chucking the moose’s bones into the pot.

  Natalie winced. They were now on their fourth straight day of the bone broth. Tommy had gone out every day since their discussion, in a last, desperate attempt to find food, but had come away with nothing each time.

  As Tommy set out again, the rest of them ate their way through the broth. Natalie watched as Shauna finished her share, then reached for the ladle.

  “Oh sure, help yourself”, Gen complained.

  “It’s not for me. It’s for Lottie”, Shauna said, looking upset.

  “Now you give a shit about Lottie’s well-being?” Melissa asked.

  “Hey!” Van cut in. “Leave it alone. Lottie’s got as much right to eat as the rest of us.”

  “Lottie hasn’t touched anything even resembling food since she… what was it she did? Oh, yeah. Fucked the snow”, Gen snapped.

  She at least seemed to have broken free of Lottie’s control, but Van, on the other hand, only appeared to have become more determined to visualise Lottie as some kind of supernatural Jesus.

  Unbelievable. She stands naked in front of you and says she will ‘bear the child of the wilderness’. And you STILL won’t accept that she’s crazy. 

  Nonetheless, Gen was right. Lottie hadn’t moved from the attic since she crawled up there four days ago.

  As Shauna walked away, carrying the bowl of broth, Natalie turned to Coach Scott.

  “Everyone’s just so… I don’t know. They’ve changed, because of Lottie. It’s like no matter what she does, she has some weird control over them, or something. Even Javi’s gone to the dark side.”

  “Oh, come on, Nat. He doesn’t even talk.”

  “He doesn’t have to. I saw him, like… bowing to a symbol tree the other day.”

  “Which tree was it?”

  “Not far from the creek.”

  Coach Scott blinked at her, then turned away, wearing the same expression Tommy always wore when the wheels were turning in his head.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Tommy slowly walked up to the cabin, he felt the dread overtaking him as he silently prepared the speech he was going to make in his head.

  He didn’t want to do this. Every part of him was screaming not to do this.

  But he didn’t know what else to do. He had tried his best… but it just hadn’t been enough.

  How could it be enough? He wasn’t an expert survivalist, not like his dad was. He was an eighteen-year-old boy who just so happened to grow up hunting. He might have picked up a handful of skills from it… but in the face of an overwhelming winter, Tommy had officially run out of options to help the group.

  It was time to put Natalie’s proposal into action.

  Opening the cabin door, he turned to see the girls’ faces looking up at him hopefully… but then fade into despair once they realised he had come back empty-handed, once again.

  He looked at Natalie, and saw her silently nod. 

  Tommy cleared his throat. “Could everyone listen to me, please?”

  Everyone turned to him, as he stood in front of the fire.

  “I… uh… I’m sorry. I didn’t want it to come to this, but… I’m afraid I no longer think we have a choice in the matter.”

  He paused. “We are about to run out of food. And winter still shows no signs of slowing down. It could easily be months away from ending. It is time we… we considered another option, one that I really wish we didn’t have to.”

  As he swallowed, Tommy braced himself for the shocked expressions and outbursts he would likely face from the girls.

  “If any of us should die before winter ends… they will be eaten. I am not saying we go around stabbing each other, but… if anyone should pass away from the hunger, or the cold, or anything else before spring arrives, they will not go to waste. I’m sorry, but… it will most likely make all the difference between life and death for the rest of us.”

  Tommy trailed off, and looked out at the girls. He was expecting tears, and screams as well. Tantrums, perhaps, and cries of "Monster!" directed at him.

  Instead, he was met with a wall of tired acceptance.

  “I’m okay with that”, Van suddenly spoke up.

  “Me too”, Mari said.

  As Tommy looked around the room, he saw nods exchanged, and as he turned to Ben, he saw his brother nod at him.

  Oh, God. Tommy felt like crying.

  Why? Why did things have to be this way? 

  000000000000000000000000

  Lottie slowly sipped away at the bone broth. She hadn’t eaten anything since she came up here days ago. She had wanted to quietly waste away, but the hunger had overwhelmed her when Shauna placed the bowl of soup in front of her.

  It wasn’t enough. Nothing they ate anymore was enough. Lottie tiredly placed the bowl on the floor, and lay back down.

  Eventually, she was woken by the feeling of someone’s hand on her shoulder.

  “Lottie. Lottie, wake up.”

  Lottie turned over, blinking the sleep out of her eyes to face Misty.

  “Um…” the equipment manager cleared her throat. “I just wanted you to know… we’ve made a new agreement, amongst ourselves.”

  “You’ve… what?”

  “If anyone dies before winter ends… we’re going to eat them. It’s… it’s official now.”

  “Oh.”

  Lottie turned her options over in her mind. Maybe if she couldn’t do what the wilderness asked… she could help the group, one last time.

  “Okay… then let me go first.”

  “W-what?”

  “I’ll do it. I’ll go first. Let me… let me do this for you.”

  Even as she said it, it sounded like a good idea to Lottie. Yes… a noble sacrifice to feed the group. Even the wilderness could not find fault with that.

  But all Lottie saw was horror on Misty’s face, as she scrambled out of the attic.

  000000000000000000000000

  Misty didn’t know what to do. She went back down to the group, but didn’t mention what Lottie had said.

  Not did she mention it when the sun went down, and they all went to sleep. Nor did she mention it the next day, as dawn broke.

  As Misty began to serve herself the single ladle’s worth of bone broth she would be having for breakfast, she saw Ben next to her at the table, doing… something with one of the knives.

  “Hey, Ben”, she said to him. “That knife is really sharp. Do I need to be worried about this?”

  “No”, he murmured, picking up one of the crutches he was using.

  “See? I’m just… making my crutches a little more snow-friendly.”

  He gazed up at her. “Look, Misty, if I was gonna do… anything… why would I be putting in the effort?”

  Misty allowed herself to breathe a little easier. He was right. Maybe she didn’t have to worry about him, at least for now.

  But that still didn’t solve what she was going to do about Lottie.

  000000000000000000000000

  Ben spent the rest of the morning poring over the map. Late the previous night, he had looked through Javi’s drawings while the young boy slept, finding an extremely-detailed image of a tree’s roots, and now he began to actively study the map focusing on the area where Natalie said she had seen Javi bowing to a tree.

  Ben slowly began to recreate the image on a piece of paper. It took well over an hour, but he was finally satisfied with what he had.

  Quietly hobbling out the back door, Ben set off in the direction of the creek, moving smoothly through the snow thanks to the adjustments he had made with his crutches.

  He grinned. This wasn’t so bad after all-

  “Going somewhere?”

  Ben jumped as he recognised his brother’s voice.

  Tommy came up beside him, carrying the Marlin rifle.

  “Saw you heading out the back. Looking for another cliff, are we?”

  Tommy spoke softly, but Ben saw the rage in his little brother’s eyes.

  “No. No, I-” Ben stammered, holding out the map.

  “I think I might have an idea of where Javi was staying. Will you help? Maybe we’ll catch something while we’re at it.”

  “Okay”, Tommy said, turning back towards the cabin. “I’ll get Nat-”

  “Actually, would you mind if… if it was just you and me?”

  Ben looked at his brother pleadingly. He desperately wanted it to just be the two of them. He had missed hunting with his brother ever since he lost his leg, and he tried to convey that in his gaze.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy saw in Ben’s eyes why he was asking. He supposed that he couldn’t blame him- their last interaction hadn’t exactly gone swimmingly.

  They slowly set off along the path in silence, following Ben’s map.

  Yet despite the fact that he was grateful Ben no longer appeared to be suicidal, something within Tommy’s gut was telling him to turn back.

  000000000000000000000000

  Lottie slowly descended down the steps into the main room of the cabin, looking out at all the other faces. Some of them looking at her in happiness, others in worry.

  “Um”, Lottie clasped her hands. “Misty told me about the new… agreement we have made amongst each other. I want you to know that, not only do I agree with it, but… I am willing to be the first to go.”

  She looked out at them. “It seems the least I can do, after all the trouble I’ve caused amongst you.”

  “No”, Van shook her head. “No, there’s still time. We don’t know when winter is going to end.”

  “You can’t die”, Mari insisted. “The wilderness doesn’t want you to die.”

  “Even if it doesn’t want her too, she’s still starving”, Travis pointed out.

  “The same is true for all of us”, Natalie added.

  There was a pause, then Taissa rose up.

  “Okay. We need a new way to stay alive. I know we agreed it wouldn’t be from murdering each other, but… we’re out of options.”

  The group fell into a discussion. It took a while, but eventually, to Lottie’s sadness, everyone decided to stand in a circle, and pick the cards from the deck they had found when they first arrived, where the one who picked the Queen of Hearts would be sacrificed for the wilderness. Shauna was exempt from this, for Jeremy’s sake, but everyone else would take part.

  Shauna headed off to her room, carrying Jeremy, as they got started.

  “Shouldn’t we wait for Tommy? And Coach Scott?” Natalie asked.

  “There’s no point”, Lottie waved her off. “Tommy is too valuable. The wilderness won’t let him die.”

  She saw a look of surprise in Natalie’s eyes, as they began to stand in the circle.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy pressed on with Ben, as they got closer to the creek. The voice inside him telling him to turn back was only growing louder.

  The others are fine, he told himself. Why are you being so paranoid? 

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie gazed in shock at the card. No. NO. Oh, God, no, please no, she thought, as she held out the Queen of Hearts to the group.

  There was a collective gasp from the others, as Natalie saw Lottie step forward, holding the knife.

  If Natalie hadn’t been too busy spiralling, she might have noticed the look in Lottie’s eyes.

  000000000000000000000000

  I should have known. How could I have not seen it?

  With Natalie out of the way, Lottie’s path ahead was clear for her to bear the Child with Tommy.

  He would grieve at first, but he would come to understand.

  The wilderness may be cruel, but nobody can deny its intelligence, Lottie thought, as she began to put the knife to Natalie’s neck.

  “Wait”, she heard Natalie say, as she put her hand on Lottie’s arm.

  000000000000000000000000

  It was a desperate gamble. One last throw of the dice. But Natalie had already decided.

  Fuck the wilderness. Fuck the card draw. And fuck you most of all, Lottie Matthews.

  “Can we… can we just wait until Tommy gets back? I just… want to say goodbye.”

  She saw Lottie hesitate.

  “Uh…”

  “Tommy will kill us all if we kill Natalie”, Robin suddenly spoke up.

  “This is what the wilderness wants”, Mari insisted.

  “Robin’s right”, Gen said. “Tommy doesn’t care about the wilderness. He’ll shoot all of us if we do this, wilderness or not. And honestly… why the fuck are we still trusting Lottie? She humped the snow, for Chrissake, then said she would ‘bear the child of the wilderness’. Why the holy hell are any of us still believing a word she says? She’s fucking crazy!”

  While the girls argued amongst themselves, Natalie slowly began to inch towards the door.

  Just a little bit more… just a little bit…

  “Hey!” She heard Taissa call out, as Natalie grabbed the door handle and bolted outside, running as fast as she could. 

  Tommy. Get to Tommy. 

 Natalie didn’t want to be cooked and eaten by the people she’d thought were her friends. She wanted to grow old with the love of her life.

  Maybe that makes me selfish. But I don’t fucking care, Natalie thought, as she redoubled her speed. 

  000000000000000000000000

  Lottie charged after Natalie, but was tackled by Travis. As they struggled, she saw Robin grappling with Melissa, Gen trying to fight off both Tai and Van at the same time. But their efforts were in vain, as the rest of the girls poured outside, carrying their weapons.

  “Don’t let her get to Tommy!” Lottie called out, as with the girls’ help, she broke free of Travis and joined them. “He won’t let us sacrifice her! The wilderness must be obeyed!”

  She saw her words take them over, and they set off down the path.

  It will be over soon, Lottie thought to herself. We’ll make it quick, Natalie, I promise.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Have you been this way before?” Ben asked Tommy, as they came up to the tree by the creek.

  “Yes. Many times. But there’s nothing here. There’s nowhere he could have hidden”, Tommy said.

  Ben wasn’t so sure. He pulled Javi’s drawing of the tree roots out of his pocket and held it up. Yes, there was no mistake. The drawing matched the roots right in front of him, and as he gazed at them, he began to sense… something. Was that… was that steam coming out of the rocks right in front of them?

  “Hey, come check this out.”

  Tommy joined him. “Wait, is that-”

  Ben began to brush away at the leaves, and saw the opening within. Was… was that a tunnel?

  Ben hobbled inside, looking at the underground cave he had entered. “This must be how Javi survived. I think there’s a hot spring underneath”, he said, as Tommy followed him in.

  “We have to get back. We need to tell the others.”

    000000000000000000000000

  Tommy wasn’t listening anymore. The voice in his head had become deafening.

  Something is wrong. Something is horribly wrong.

  “Can you get back to the cabin by yourself? I need to go. Something… something doesn’t feel right.”

  “Uh… okay?” Ben stared at him in confusion.

  Tommy began to head outside, then suddenly broke into a sprint.

  Fuck. Why do I always suck at running? He thought, as he headed back in the direction of the cabin.

  Then after a few minutes, he heard something. Was that… howling?

  Are there wolves nearby? Tommy thought.

  No, he didn’t think so. It sounded more… human, oddly enough.

  What the fuck are those lunatics up to now?

    000000000000000000000000

  Natalie hid behind the tree as the girls passed her by, shrieking and whooping.

  Jesus fuck, they’ve all gone mad. 

  Natalie wasn’t kidding herself. She knew she couldn’t face them head-on. She had no weapons, and there were far more of them than there were of her.

  But she did know she would be okay if she could get to Tommy, and she used that to quell the panic she felt building within her.

  The situation had spiralled out of everybody’s control. What was even going to happen, if she and Tommy found each other? Would Tommy have to kill all the others to save her? He might.

  Oh God, Natalie thought, as she began to run again. What if they find him first-

  “Natalie, stop!”

  Natalie turned around to find herself looking at Javi.

  “I know where we can go”, Travis’ brother said to her.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “There’s a place. The others don’t know about it. I… I can take you there. You and Tommy passed it by before, but you never knew I was there. That’s where we can hide.”

  Natalie hesitated.

  “You can trust me”, Javi insisted. “I… we can warn Tommy, tell him what’s going on.”

  “O… okay”, Natalie said, as she started to follow Javi.

  God, I hope this works, she thought.

  They ran towards the frozen lake, beginning to cross it.

  This is a bad idea. We’re out in the open, Natalie thought. They’ll spot us if we don’t hurry-

  Then she slipped on the ice, and Javi turned back to grab her.

  “We’re almost there. Come on. Come on!”

  But as Natalie turned around, she felt her blood turn to ice, as cold as the frozen water beneath her feet.

  The others had spotted them. How many were there? Ten? Twelve? However many there were, they were charging at breakneck speed towards them, every one of them carrying a knife, or a hatchet. Misty was carrying her axe, as she always did.

  Oh God, Natalie thought, it’s over. It’s all over. 

  Javi pulled her along, but Natalie knew there was only one thing left she could do.

  “TOMMY!” She bellowed, into the open air. “TOMMY!!!”

  She heard nothing in response, and began to sob.

  Oh God, no. Please, no. I don’t want to die. Please-

  Then a crack sounded out around them, and Natalie heard a grunt behind her as someone fell to the ground.

  Tommy. He’s here. He’s HERE, Natalie thought, and let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding in, as she turned back to see who Tommy had shot.

    000000000000000000000000

  As Tommy drew closer to the sound of the shrieking, he began to slow down. What in the world was going on?

  Lottie. It has to be Lottie. Who else could convince them to act like this? 

  Had they taken shrooms again? Tommy hadn’t known they could grow in the winter.

  Then he came to the lake, and saw Natalie and Javi hurrying along it, Natalie falling down as Javi doubled back to pick her up.

  Then Tommy saw the rest of them charging out from the woods, running right at Natalie and Javi as they brandished weapons, shrieking and howling like wolves.

  What… what in the fuck-

  “TOMMY!” He heard Natalie call out. “TOMMY!!!”

  Ever since Jackie's death, Tommy had tried to not think of himself as a killer. Since he had slid his knife between Jackie’s ribs, he had desperately hoped beyond hope that he would not have to kill another human being for as long as he lived.

  But hearing Natalie’s desperate scream awakened something ancient and primal within Tommy, and he pointed the rifle towards the group of Yellowjackets.

  Towards Lottie. She had started this- Tommy would finish it.

  But as he cocked the hammer on the Marlin rifle, pointed it at Lottie and began to squeeze the trigger, Tommy saw Mari step into his line of sight.

  No. Oh God, no, Tommy thought.

  But the bullet had already been fired.

    000000000000000000000000

  As Lottie charged towards Natalie with the others, she saw Javi helping her along.

  Will we have to kill him too? Lottie wondered. The wilderness asks for too much sometimes-

  Then she heard Natalie call out for Tommy, and a few seconds later, they all heard the crack of the rifle, as Mari grunted and fell forward in front of Lottie.

  “Mari!” Lottie screamed.

  The group stopped. But it was already too late. They could all see the red stain spreading across Mari’s back.

  Lottie bent down and moved Mari over. Tommy’s bullet had struck her square in the chest. The other girl was gasping for breath that Lottie knew would never come, and a thin stream of blood was already pouring out of her mouth onto the ice and snow below them.

  “Oh… oh God”, she heard Van say. “Misty, what... what do we do?!”

  But Misty only looked at Mari in shock, as the JV goalkeeper of the Yellowjackets let out a final, rattling exhale, her head lolling to the side as she passed away.

  Then Tommy suddenly emerged from the woods, heading towards Natalie. They could all see he was carrying the rifle.

  “Does he have enough bullets for all of us?” Taissa asked the group.

  Lottie didn’t know. None of them knew.

  What do we do now? Lottie wondered. Is… is THIS what the wilderness wanted? 

    000000000000000000000000

  Natalie stared at Mari, lying still on the ice, as she heard Tommy trudging towards her. She looked so… empty. Not at all like dead people looked in the movies.

  But Mari was dead. There was no mistaking it.

  “You okay?” Tommy said.

  Natalie heard the tremor in his voice, and immediately began to cry.

  “It’s my fault. All my fault. I never- I never should have-”

  “Hey.” Tommy drew her into his arms, pressing his lips to her forehead, and Natalie buried her face in his neck, feeling Tommy’s warmth fill her as the tears rolled down her face.

  As they pulled apart, she saw he was crying too.

  “It’s not your fault. It’s not. But… Natalie… how the ever-loving fuck did this happen?”

    000000000000000000000000

  Lottie watched as Tommy and Natalie talked, before Tommy pointed towards her, beckoning in his direction.

  She nervously started to move forward, closing the distance between them.

  “That’s far enough”, Tommy called out, and she stopped.

  “Here’s the thing. I don’t have enough bullets on me for all of you, and I don’t think you or anyone else wants to die today. So, here’s what’s going to happen: you all drop your weapons and carry Mari back to the cabin. I’ll do all the… dirty work… after that.”

  Tommy paused. “You do this… and nobody else has to die. I promise.”

  “Okay”, Lottie said. The terms were as good as could be expected, and she turned back towards the group to let them know.

  “And one more thing”, Tommy called out.

  “Yes?”

  “I wasn’t actually aiming for Mari when I fired. I was aiming for you. If you, or anyone else tries… anything… my next bullet will go into your stomach, Lottie. I’ll leave it up to you to guess how long it will take for you to die.”

  Days, most likely, Lottie thought. Days of agony, before I beg him to finish me off. 

  She shivered, before heading back towards the group. The wilderness could be terrifying at the best of times… but in that moment, it had nothing on Tommy Scott.

    000000000000000000000000

  Tommy watched as the girls dragged Mari’s body back towards the shore, leaving their weapons on the ice. Even from a distance, he could see the tears on their cheeks.

  He felt terrible about it, as he swiped away at his face, but as he heard Natalie breathing beside him, he knew what he had done to Mari had been a mercy compared to what the Yellowjackets had been preparing to do to Tommy’s girlfriend.

  “You guys alright?” He asked the others.

  “Yes”, Natalie whispered.

  “Yeah”, Javi said. He was shaking like a leaf, and Tommy didn’t blame him.

  “Could you get their weapons for me, please?” Tommy asked the two of them, and Natalie and Javi walked with him across the ice, picking up the various knives and hatchets. Tommy saw Javi pick up Misty’s axe, remembering when the pint-sized girl had chopped Ben’s leg off with it.

  Oh, God, Tommy realised. Ben doesn’t know. He doesn’t know Mari is dead. He doesn’t know I-

  Then thoughts of Ben gave way to thoughts of Travis, and Tommy started to feel sick.

  I just killed Travis’ girlfriend. The first proper girlfriend he ever had. And when we get back to the cabin, I’m gonna have to…

  Tommy bent over and retched into the snow, vomiting as he felt Natalie’s hands stroking his back, while a fresh wave of tears dripped from his eyes onto the ground.

  I’ve killed two people now. We ate the first one, and now we’re gonna eat the second.

  How? How could it have come to this? He wondered.

  Why? Why didn’t they just wait for us? WHY?!  

  “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean for it to be her”, he sobbed.

  “I know”, Natalie soothed him. “I know, baby. I know.”

    000000000000000000000000

  Lottie walked with the pole on her shoulders, trying valiantly not to cry as she felt the weight of Mari’s body swinging behind her.

  One of my most loyal followers is dead. And we’re carrying her like she’s just another kill. Why? Why did I have to volunteer myself? Why did I have to try and play the hero?

  I could have found a quiet place away from the cabin and stuck a knife in my heart, but NO, I had to get all high and mighty about it. And then Tommy tried to kill me, and the wilderness wouldn’t let him, any more than it let me kill him- 

  Then Lottie’s thoughts were interrupted as something moved into her vision, and she gasped in shock.

  A magnificent stag, as white as the snow around them, stepped right into their path, gazing at them curiously.

  It was the first sign of game they had seen since the bird Travis shot, weeks ago.

  It’s an omen. Is the wilderness… pleased with us? Is it rewarding us for-

  Then Lottie’s thoughts were interrupted again as the crack of the rifle rang out, and as Lottie felt the bullet zip beside her, the stag dropped to the ground, as dead as a doornail.

  Lottie didn’t need to turn around. She knew who had fired. They all did.

  The wilderness isn’t rewarding us. It’s rewarding HIM. Tommy Scott. The Hunter. 

  Lottie watched wordlessly, struggling with the weight of Mari’s body, as Tommy and Natalie strode past them.

  Tommy handed the rifle to Natalie, then bent down and picked the huge deer up on his back like it weighed nothing at all, setting off towards the cabin.

  He’s won again, Lottie thought. The thought did not make her angry, or frustrated, or even jealous.

  It only made her tired. 

  It favours him. Not me. I tried. God knows I tried. But it’s all there to see, right in front of me. He is meant to lead us. Not me. Never me. 

  As they arrived at the cabin, Lottie came to a new conclusion.

  I will bear the Child with Tommy eventually, Natalie or no Natalie. We are the Hunter and the Vessel. It’s meant to be. But maybe… maybe not today. 

  For today… yes. Today, we can wait. At least for now. 

And now, it is done. Rest In Peace, Mari Ibarra.

If by some miracle Alexa Barajas becomes aware of this story, I only hope she won't be too upset. I always thought she was wonderful as Mari.

My original plan was to make Tommy part of the card draw as well, but couldn't figure out a scenario where he wouldn't end up murdering multiple members of the main cast in an effort to save Natalie's life. Also, in all seriousness, he may have killed a few of them, but at such close proximity to everyone, Lottie and her followers would likely overwhelm Tommy in the end and stab him to death, knowing that he would never let them live if they killed Natalie.

Understanding that, I knew I had to get Tommy away from the cabin when the cards were drawn, and have him close enough to interfere, but far enough to be out of danger.

I mulled over who would die in Javi's place, but eventually decided it would have to be Mari. Killing one of the other main Yellowjackets, especially those who survive into adulthood, would have had too great an impact on the storyline, and killing one of the background characters just wouldn't have been impactful enough. Mari seemed to be the only one who was somewhere in the middle for this situation.

But of course, I knew Tommy would naturally be gunning for Lottie, not Mari, so I had to make her death accidental.

Anyway, hope you like what I have. Now, who the hell is gonna be Pit Girl?

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Seventeen

Hey guys, welcome back.

This chapter contains more references to suicide, I'm afraid, and also a very sad example of what schizophrenia can make a person do.

I hope I do not upset anyone reading this, especially those who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Please understand, I did not write this story with the intention of harming or offending anyone.

Read on if you wish. If you do not… I won't blame you.

  The birth of Jeremy Thomas Sadecki should have been a grand occasion. It should have been celebrated back home in Wiskayok, with Shauna and Jeff’s families surrounding them.

  Instead, Mari mused, as she sat by the fire, it had been a tense, downright horrifying day yesterday, filled with blood, and pain, and fear, to say nothing of the ever-growing tension between those who believed in Lottie’s teachings, and those who still thought Tommy would be the one to lead them through winter.

  Tommy was strong, the strongest of them all, Mari would not argue that, but she wondered if his resistance to the wilderness wouldn’t end up killing them, in the end.

  “Mari?”

  She jumped as Tommy approached her.

  “Uh… yeah, Tommy? What is it?”

  “I know it’s kind of been brushed aside with… everything… but… would you like to come with me on the hunt tomorrow? I can show you the basics, if you like.”

  Mari swallowed. She did want to learn how to hunt, but… Tommy’s continued defiance against the wilderness, against Lottie, had given her pause for thought.

  Travis, on the other hand, finally seemed to have come around to Lottie in the last few days. Mari had been overjoyed when he joined them in their prayers at the birth of Shauna’s son.

  “Uh… is it alright if I go out with Travis, instead? You’ve taught him everything you know, right?”

  Tommy hesitated. “Uh, yeah… more or less. Um… I guess that would be okay.”

  “Cool”, Mari smiled at him, as Tommy walked over to tell Travis the news.

  The next morning, Mari set out with Travis towards the mountains. It was good to get out of the cabin and stretch her legs, for once, though if she was being honest with herself, that wasn’t the only reason she was excited to come out here.

  As the hours passed them by, no game crossed their path, so they headed into the woods instead.

  Travis was carrying the rifle, and Mari watched as he swept back and forth in front of them with it. He really was a natural, Mari thought. Now, how was she going to make her move-

  BANG! Mari jumped as she saw the bird fall to the ground from the branch it had been perching on.

  Her jaw dropped. “How… how did you know that was there?”

  “It’s something you’ll pick up. Tommy taught me how to look for animals that stand still. Don’t worry, I’ll teach you too.”

  “I’m sure you will”, Mari mused. “There’s something I want to teach you as well.”

  “What?” Travis asked, looking confused, before Mari stepped forward and placed her mouth on his.

  000000000000000000000000

  Travis was shocked, to say the least, as Mari wound her arms around his neck, kissing him all the while. He’d always thought Mari was beautiful, but…

  “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like?” Mari asked, kissing him again.

  “What does it feel like?” She whispered, her hands moving towards his fly, as she backed him up against a tree.

  “But-”

  “Come on, Travis. None of us know if we’re going to make it through winter. I’m so sick and tired of wondering if this is the day when we finally run out of food. Can we just… put all that aside? Please? Please?”

  Her pleading caught him off-guard, but Travis felt himself swell beneath Mari’s hand, and he saw her grin at him.

  He knew it was a bad idea to do this out in the open, but as Mari pulled his trousers down and then pulled down her own, Travis couldn’t bring himself to care, as Mari turned around, and Travis felt her warmth encasing him.

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie was surprised when Travis and Mari returned to the cabin hand-in-hand, Mari grinning like a cat that got the cream. Still, the grouse that Travis had shot went down well with the group, so Natalie supposed she couldn’t complain.

  Unfortunately, another snowstorm sprung up the next day, ruining her and Tommy’s chance to go out hunting. This snowstorm had not dissipated by the day after that. Or the one after that…

  On the morning of the fourth day of the snowstorm, Natalie saw Travis and Mari move their sleeping materials into the attic. Everyone knew what they were doing- Natalie saw the looks of jealousy and resentment on some of the girls’ faces at Mari claiming the only other available male in the group. Javi was of course still far too young, and Coach Scott… Natalie didn’t know what to make of him. Ever since Shauna had moved with Jeremy into his room, he had stayed in a corner of the main room, keeping to himself.

  One part of Natalie felt sorry for Tommy’s brother, but the other… the other part of her hated his guts for chickening out when Shauna needed his help, and Natalie knew she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

  Still, the image of Tommy stepping up in his brother’s place and taking charge, delivering Shauna’s baby and reviving him when he came out stillborn had only reinforced in Natalie’s mind that Tommy was the one for her, and she made sure to show him that as they stayed in the pantry throughout the storm, clinging to him frantically as their naked bodies bucked and writhed against each other.

  “I love you”, she breathed against Tommy, as they finished again. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, my darling”, Tommy smiled, as his mouth enveloped hers.

  Natalie was always content in his embrace, as she felt him move inside her, but it didn’t stop the snow from falling the next day. Or the next one. Or even the next one…

  Then on the morning of the eighth day of the storm, there was a knock on the pantry door, and Natalie opened it to find herself looking at Robin, one of the JV players.

  “Uh, good news… the storm’s stopped, but… we need the boys to open the door.”

  Natalie blinked as she stepped outside the pantry. “Why do we need them to…”

  Then she saw why Robin was asking as she looked out the windows, and felt her mouth open.

  We’re snowed in. We are COMPLETELY snowed in. 

  000000000000000000000000

  Ben watched as Tommy and Travis struggled with the door, finally breaking it open as the snow that had gathered outside fell onto the floor.

  The girls started to clap and cheer, gathering buckets and bowls to begin clearing the snow away. Nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to him, sitting in the corner.

  Why would they? They hate you. All of them. Even Tommy…

  Ben had not forgotten the look of disgust on his little brother’s face when he backed out of helping Shauna.

  Shame did not quite sum up what Ben had felt in the aftermath. He had thought offering his room to Shauna might help make up for his failure, but in hindsight, Ben wondered if he had made a mistake. If he had stayed in his room, it would have at least given him a place to hide away, where he didn’t have to face those he had let down.

  Ben saw Natalie kiss Tommy as she handed him a bucket, and felt a wave of jealousy he had not felt in a while.

  He missed Paul. He should have stayed with him. He should have quit his job and moved to the city when he had the chance.

  Ben remembered the morning when he had finally confessed the truth to Tommy about himself. After Tommy had hugged him and said he loved him in response, Ben had quietly taken himself away from the cabin to cry like a baby in the woods. Why had he been so afraid? Why couldn’t he have just been honest about who he was?

  It’s my fault Tommy’s here. He would still be home if I had gone with Paul. He would be heartbroken about Natalie, but at least he'd be off at college, meeting someone new, not out here, risking his life time and time again.

  I’M the big brother. I’M supposed to be in charge of HIM. How… how did it come to this?

  “Ben?”

  Ben jerked up to find Tommy looking down at him.

  “Wanna give us a hand? We need someone to get the rest of the moose from the shed.”

  Tommy turned around without another word, heading out the door, and Ben felt the tears spring up behind his eyes.

  I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m useless, I know it. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

  You wouldn’t be here without me. You would be better off without me. Everyone would. 

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy watched as Ben hobbled back towards the cabin from the meat shed, carrying pieces of the moose to cook on the stove.

  He wished he knew what to say to him. He hadn’t really spoken to his brother since the day of Jeremy’s birth… which hadn’t been Ben’s finest moment.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh, Tommy thought. He didn’t know what to do. I barely even knew what to do. 

  “You alright?” He heard Natalie say beside him.

  “Yeah… yeah. Just… wondering about Ben.”

  “He’ll be okay. We all will. Because of you.”

  Natalie smiled at him, but Tommy wished he shared her confidence.

  After what had to be almost three months, winter showed no signs of slowing down, and Tommy was finding himself at a loss as to what they should do if it didn’t end soon.

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  Gen ploughed through the snow, scraping away with her bowl, as some of the girls did the same nearby.

  “I just keep thinking”, she said. “Jeremy needs to get to a hospital. There’s no way he’ll survive this if Shauna is starving.”

  “What hospital, Gen?” Akilah hissed. “We’re doing the best we can. I mean, Tommy… he was amazing at the birth. There’s no way I could’ve kept my shit together like he did. Misty certainly didn’t.”

  “Yeah, that’s true”, Gen grunted, as she shovelled away another pile of snow. “All that blood, and he didn’t even flinch. I guess blood’s something you’re used to when you grow up hunting.”

  “Coach Scott didn’t help”, Mari pointed out. “He grew up hunting too, remember?”

  Gen shrugged. “Coach Scott hasn’t been the same since he lost his leg. We all know that.”

  She paused. “Still… you guys ever find it hard sometimes to believe they’re brothers?”

  Mari and Akilah nodded. “I wish Tommy believed in the wilderness”, Akilah whispered. “Things aren’t great out here, I know, but… I think if him and Lottie got along, I wouldn’t be holding my breath every time they’re in a room together.”

  “Lottie did try to kill him”, Gen pointed out. “If I were Tommy, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near her after that.”

  Truth be told, Gen was on the fence when it came to the developing sides between Tommy and Lottie. She did think Lottie had a connection to the wilderness, especially when Javi had miraculously turned up alive.

  But Tommy had always been kind to Gen, and had relentlessly pushed himself to the brink over and over again in the last six months for the group. Or was it seven months, now? It was hard to keep track of time without a calendar.

  Natalie had been right the other day. There was no way they would still be here without Tommy, and as Gen continued to dig through the snow, she found herself desperately hoping that the conflict between Tommy and Lottie wouldn’t end in blood.

  “What do you guys think about Misty, by the way?” Mari whispered.

  Gen frowned. “What about her?”

  “I think she’s even more psychotic than we thought. I’m pretty sure she… did something to Crystal.”

  “Like… what do you mean? Killed her?” Akilah asked.

  “Why would she kill her only friend?” Gen said, with a snort. Mari had taken on a whole new attitude when she started fucking Travis, and Gen didn’t like it one bit.

  “Um, I don’t know… because she’s Misty?” Mari said. “I mean, God, she tried to poison Coach Scott when she was supposedly in love with him. And… think about it. Now that the snow has stopped, wouldn’t you think that she’d be out there, looking for her friend? That is, if Crystal really did just get lost in the snow.”

  Gen hesitated. What Mari was saying made sense. Misty hadn’t so much as mentioned Crystal since the last storm sprang up, and had made no moves since it stopped to look for her.

  Let’s see how Misty reacts if Tommy or someone else suggests looking for Crystal, Gen thought, as she dug her bowl into the snow again.

  000000000000000000000000

  Shit, Misty thought, as she emptied her bucket of snow. She had heard every word the girls had said, and realised that she had severely dropped the ball when it came to Crystal. In the chaos of the birth, and the ensuing storm, Crystal had honestly, completely, dropped out of Misty’s mind.

  She hadn’t meant for her to die.

  Yes, you did, her thoughts wrestled with themselves. Just because she backed herself off the cliff doesn’t mean you weren’t going to-

  Misty brushed it aside. She hadn’t been thinking, before confessing what had caused Crystal to die, but she was certainly thinking now.

  If they find her body before I do… they’ll see that she fell off backwards. They’ll think I pushed her, and then they’ll start asking why, and if they find out that I… that I destroyed the…

  Misty couldn’t finish her thought. There was no point. Anyone with a working brain would know what would happen to her if the others found out she was the reason they hadn’t been rescued.

  I have to get to Crystal’s body before the others find it. I’ll end up dead if I don’t. 

  000000000000000000000000

  The following morning, Tommy gathered in the main room with the others. He had a feeling as to why Misty had called a meeting, and was proven right by her words.

  “Thanks, um… thank you all for gathering”, Misty said, clasping her hands together.

  “I know that we’re all still very happy about the baby, and the storm being over, but… we can’t let it cloud our minds. The snow has stopped, and we need to go out there and look for Crystal, because… she could still be out there. Alive.”

  Tommy gazed around the room. Not a single Yellowjacket was looking at Misty with hope on their faces, and Tommy may have been proven wrong about Javi, but… somehow, he knew he was right about this one.

  Crystal was dead. Even if she had survived the first snowstorm, she definitely hadn’t made it through the second one.

  “Misty’s right.”

  “Huh?” Tommy asked, as Ben hobbled into the room. Tommy was surprised to see he had shaved his beard.

  Sneaky motherfucker. I thought he ran out of razors months ago…

  “If Javi could survive for months out there, then maybe Crystal could make it through a few days.”

  “It’s been more than a few days”, Tommy pointed out.

  “What if the wilderness, like… took her?” Melissa asked.

  “Maybe it’ll give us something back”, Gen suggested.

  “What?” Taissa asked, looking as confused as Tommy felt.

  “It made the blizzard stop”, Akilah said. Tommy rolled his eyes.

  These fucking idiots.

  “That’s the trade?” Gen asked. “One of our lives for… a break in the snow?”

  “It doesn’t work like that”, Lottie suddenly said. “It doesn’t trade or haggle, it… the wilderness, it hears us. It gave us what we wanted. Shauna and the baby lived. Might do the same for Crystal.”

  Tommy watched as they started to gather in their prayer circle. He made no move to join them, and neither did Natalie.

  “We hear the wilderness, and it hears us”, Lottie said.

  “We hear the wilderness, and it hears us”, the others chanted. Even Travis. Even Ben…

  Tommy winced. Had his own brother sided with Lottie now?

  Then he felt Natalie’s hand enclose his, and he smiled at her gratefully, nodding at her as she nodded back.

  They had each other. As long as they did… they would be okay.

  000000000000000000000000

  They set out to find Crystal, Natalie carrying the rifle. As they set off, they came to the hollow stump, and Lottie kneeled down in front of it.

  “You guys go ahead. We’re gonna take a minute”, she said, motioning to herself and Taissa.

  Natalie and Tommy set out with Misty, Akilah and Mari, but as they did so, Misty started to cry.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Akilah asked.

  “I thought that I was ready for this, but I’m just- I’m so afraid”, Misty said. “I’m so afraid that when we find her… what if she looks just like Jackie did? You know, all… all blue and stiff, a little song frozen in her throat?”

  Weird choice of words, Natalie thought, looking at Tommy, who also seemed confused.

  Natalie had suspected there was more to Crystal’s disappearance than Misty was letting on. Misty wasn’t doing a very good job of convincing her otherwise.

  “I mean, after seeing Jackie, I just… I just don’t think I can do that”, Misty said, in the least convincing voice Natalie had ever heard.

  She’s up to something. She wants to get away from the group, Natalie realised.

  “Okay, no, I think we understand that this is hard for you”, Akilah said. “You should probably just go back.”

  “Yeah, sure. You go on back, and we’ll just keep looking for your friend”, Mari said, looking at Misty in disgust.

  “Just go”, Akilah said, motioning back the way they came.

  “That’s really kind of you guys. Thank you”, Misty said, giving them what Natalie knew was a fake smile. She started to set off, and Natalie wondered where she was going.

  Not back to the cabin, that was for goddamned sure.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy watched as Misty started to head back. Like Natalie, he had thought Misty’s uncaring behaviour since the disappearance of Crystal was strange. Her sudden breakdown of obviously fake sadness was… suspicious, to say the least.

  As they started to head down the track, he took Natalie’s hand and squeezed it, motioning that he was going to follow Misty. Natalie nodded, giving him the rifle, and set off after Mari and Akilah, as Tommy turned around, heading back towards where Misty had set off- just in time to watch her tearing back the way they had come at a determined pace.

  Tommy flattened himself against the nearest tree, hiding as Misty quickly walked away. He didn’t know where she was going, but he knew what she was most likely up to.

  She knows where Crystal is. Probably going to hide the body. I wonder what happened? 

  Tommy decided he would ask Misty that himself, as he quietly set off after her.

  000000000000000000000000

  Ben trudged through the snow. He had come to a final decision last night. It was difficult, but he knew it would be for the best.

  Tommy will understand, in time. At the very least… he won’t end up starving on my account.

  It was strange, really, how nonchalant he was about it. It seemed that actually knowing what was going to happen for once had calmed him down.

  Then one of Ben’s crutches caught in the snow, and he fell straight into it.

  Fuck. Not going to miss this, he thought, as he struggled to regain his balance.

  000000000000000000000000

  Misty surged ahead to where she knew Crystal’s body would be.

  Fuck. There was just so much snow…

  Quickly scaling down the path that led to the bottom of the cliff, Misty began brushing at the snow, digging at the place where she had saw Crystal fall.

  No, not Crystal. Kristen. That was her real name. Misty was the only one here who knew it. She knew it would likely stay that way- no one else here believed Crystal was still alive, not even Lottie. She had given a nice speech that morning, but Misty had seen in Lottie’s eyes that even she didn’t believe what she was saying.

  Where the FUCK are you? 

  “Crystal. Kristen, Kristen, where are you?”

  She searched. And searched. And then searched some more, continuing to scrape away.

  Did I remember it wrong? Maybe she’s over… here?

  Misty started to dig in another place, but she knew it was useless.

  Goddammit. She was out of time. She had to head back before the others got suspicious.

  Misty turned around, only to find herself looking right at-

  “Tommy?” She stared at him, as Tommy cocked the hammer on the rifle.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Odd”, Tommy said to Misty. “I don’t recall this being on the way to the cabin.”

  He saw Misty swallow as she stared at the rifle.

  “Don’t worry, it’s just a precaution. You know, just in case you feel like doing something… stupid.”

  “Uh”, said Misty. “What- I- how-”

  “Misty. My dear Misty. You saved my life back at the lake. That’s the only reason I haven’t already pulled the trigger, but… I think it would be for the best if you didn’t lie to me. I saw you heading towards this very specific spot, and I heard you calling her name as you dug.”

  Tommy paused. “Was Kristen her real name? I never knew. So… what happened?”

  It was odd, really, how calm he felt doing this. Like putting down a rabid dog. Though a rabid dog would probably be less dangerous.

  000000000000000000000000

  “We… uh…” Misty’s mind was drawing a blank. Tommy had caught her red-handed, and all her ready-made excuses, any convincing cover story she could have come up with, all seemed to have vanished into thin air.

  She did not doubt that Tommy would pull the trigger if he felt he needed to. Amongst their group, he was the only one to have actually killed somebody.

  Except you.

  Shut up, Misty thought, as the tears- real tears, this time- came to her eyes.

  “I… I didn’t mean it. We were… we were arguing, and she… she lost her balance and fell off the cliff. It was an accident.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us it was an accident?” Tommy asked.

  “Oh, come on”, Misty snorted. “You think anyone here would have believed me? They already think I’m crazy.”

  “Can you blame them? Your behaviour hasn’t exactly done a convincing job of telling us otherwise.”

  “Fuck”, Misty said, starting to sob hysterically. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m so sorry. For… for poisoning Ben. For… for all of it. I just… I don’t have any friends, Tommy. I never had any friends before Crystal. And now she’s dead, and it’s all my fault, and I’m so, so… sorry.”

  Misty dropped to her knees, crying. “Just… do it fast, okay? I deserve it, I know I do.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy hesitated. He had been planning on putting a bullet in Misty’s head, but now, looking at her… oddly enough, he believed her when she said it had been an accident.

  “What were you arguing about?” He asked.

  “Does it matter?” Misty said, wiping at her nose. “She’s dead. And I don’t know where she is.”

  “If she landed here, the wolves probably dragged her to their den.” Tommy explained. “They can smell blood from over a mile away.”

  Misty started to sob even harder at his words, and Tommy knew he couldn’t kill her. Not here, anyway. Nobody else was here to witness this. Who was he to say that they would believe him telling them about what he had caught Misty doing?

  “Alright”, he said. “Get on your feet. I’m not gonna shoot you.”

  “Y-you’re not?” Misty sniffled, looking at him in shock.

  “I’m not. But we are heading back to the cabin, and you are going to tell the others the truth.”

  “No. No, I can’t do that, Tommy, I can’t, they’ll-”

  “It’s too late, Misty. Look, I won’t let them kill you, alright? I’ll tell them I believe that it was an accident. We don’t kill people because of accidents. Okay?”

  “Okay”, Misty mumbled, getting to her feet. Tommy motioned back towards the path leading to the top of the cliff, and Misty started to clamber back up it, Tommy making sure to keep his distance as he followed behind her.

  His instincts were telling him it would be a very bad idea to turn his back on Misty right now.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Misty climbed to the top of the cliff, she was surprised to see Tommy’s brother sitting on the edge of it.

  “Ben?”

  “Ben?” Tommy echoed, just below her. “What’s he doing here?”

  “I- I don’t know”, Misty said, as she saw Ben prop himself up on his crutches.

  What the hell? Misty thought, standing up on the top of the cliff, as she heard Tommy climb up beside her. He looked like… was he going to…

  “Ben. Ben, stop. You’re too close to the edge.”

  “What are you doing?” She heard Tommy ask beside her as he stared at Coach Scott.

  He had guessed already, though. Misty could tell.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Ben?” Tommy asked, taking a step towards his brother.

  “I really wish you weren’t here”, Ben said, in a voice so calm it sent a shiver through Tommy’s bones.

  “I wish you didn’t have to see me do this, but… I’m not gonna keep losing everything.”

  “So you’re gonna… you’re just gonna… jump?” 

  Ben took another step closer to the edge. If he took one more, Tommy knew he would fall straight off.

  “No, Ben. Hey, stop. Don’t you dare”, Tommy heard Misty snap, moving closer to his brother as Tommy did the same.

  Ben turned towards them, and Tommy saw him smile as he looked him in the eye.

  “Tommy…”, he said.

  “Yeah. Yeah, Benny, it’s me.”

  “Could you just… push me off?”

  “W-what?” Misty said.

  “No”, Tommy said to Ben, taking another step forward. “No, you idiot, I am not going to push you off a fucking cliff. For God’s sake, it’s not even that high, and the snow is deep down there. You might… break a couple bones, maybe, but a fall’s not gonna kill you.”

  Tommy was lying through his teeth. The fall would be more than enough to kill his brother, and as Ben smiled at him again, Tommy realised he knew it as well.

  “Look”, he heard Misty say behind him, as a tear slid down Ben’s cheek. “We need your strength. I mean, people are dying all around us, and life is so precious, okay? You can’t just throw yours away.”

  But Ben seemed determined to do just that, as he leaned over the edge.

  “No, NO!” Tommy screamed. “Ben, you can’t do this, okay? Please don’t do this. I- what am I gonna tell Mom and Dad? They’ll hate me for this, I know they will.”

  But Ben didn’t say a word. He just kept looking over the edge, and Tommy… Tommy didn’t know what to do. What on earth could he do?

  000000000000000000000000

  “Look”, Misty said, taking another step forward. “When the rest of us get saved, I will… I will tell the whole world of our love story. Every last bit of it. I will. I’ll tell them even worse, too. I’ll tell your parents that you were the one who impregnated Shauna, and that you- you tried to impregnate all of us.”

  “You’ll what?” Tommy asked. Misty looked at him pleadingly, trying to show she wasn’t serious. She just wanted to get Ben off the ledge. But when she turned to look back at Ben, she saw that he was… laughing?

  “Oh, my God”, Ben chuckled. “I honestly, completely forgot you didn’t know.”

  He turned towards Misty. “I’m gay. Always have been.” He shrugged. “Always will be.”

  “You… what?” Misty took a step back. Coach Scott was… gay?

  Oh, my God. Oh, my fucking God, she thought, sinking to her knees in the snow.

  How could I have been so blind? 

  “Alright, that’s enough”, Tommy said beside her. “Misty, would you go and get the others, please? This is… family business.”

  Misty looked at him, and Tommy jerked his head back towards the path leading to the cabin. As Misty began to set off down the track, she looked back to see Tommy approaching Coach Scott.

  He was standing perilously close to the edge, and for a brief, tiny moment, Misty half-thought about doubling back and shoving Tommy off the cliff.

  Just one tiny push. No one would ever know…

  But then Misty shook her head and continued on her way. Natalie would know.

  And there was no way Natalie Scatorccio would let Misty live, knowing that she had killed Natalie’s boyfriend.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Look”, Ben heard Tommy say, standing right next to him on the edge. “Don’t do this, okay. I’ll… I’ll never forgive myself if you do. I wanna grow up, marry Natalie and live far, far away from all this. I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life on this cliff, thinking about this moment, wondering what I could have said differently to make you back off the edge.”

  Ben mulled it over. He couldn’t do it now that Tommy was here. He wasn’t that selfish. Maybe when Tommy and the others went to sleep tonight…

  “I know what you’re thinking”, Tommy said. “And no, you are not gonna come back and do this another time.”

  Ben cursed. “God, you think you know me so well, don’t you?”

  He turned to look at Tommy. “This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about it, you know?”

  “It… you… what?”

  Tommy looked shocked, but Ben pressed on regardless.

  “After Columbia… with what happened to my leg…” he chuckled. “Funny how that’s my good leg now, huh?”

  Tommy didn’t look amused, so Ben shrugged and carried on.

  “When Mom and Dad called me, offering for me to move to Wiskayok with them… I was… I think maybe one week away from throwing myself off a bridge.”

  “What?!”

  “It’s true”, Ben shrugged again. “But then I got the job at the school, and I started coaching, and I thought to myself… ‘okay, you know what? This isn’t so bad. I can deal with this’.”

  He paused, then looked at his brother. “I can’t deal with being stuck out here, Tommy. I can’t take it another day. So, I’m sorry, but… this is goodbye.”

  Ben had made his decision, and felt that sense of calm wash over him again, as he began to lean over the edge.

  But then he heard Tommy yell out.

  “NO!” Ben’s brother screamed, as Ben felt him kick at his crutch.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy didn’t know what to do. He didn’t really have a plan. But as he saw Ben lean over the edge for what Tommy knew would be the final time, something in Tommy snapped, and he frantically kicked at Ben’s crutch. As Ben stumbled, Tommy kicked at his good leg, and Ben toppled over to the right, Tommy catching him as Ben fell on top of him.

  Tommy quickly wrapped his arms and legs around Ben’s front as they fell sideways to the ground, parallel to the cliff’s edge.

  “What- what are you doing?”

  “Stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life”, Tommy grunted. Winding his limbs even tighter around his brother, he growled into Ben’s ear.

  “If you really want to die, all you have to do is roll over. But if you do… I’ll be going with you.”

  “Oh, fuck you, Tommy-”

  “No, Ben”, Tommy snapped. “Fuck you. Fuck you for making me do this. You are not dying today. But if you really, really want to… all you have to do is roll. I’ll be waiting.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Fuck you, Ben thought. But he didn’t roll. He couldn’t. He knew that Tommy was serious.

  Ben didn’t want to be here anymore… but he didn’t want his little brother to die.

  So they lay there, and they waited, and when he heard the crunch of footsteps behind them, Ben knew he had lost his chance.

  He didn’t say a word. Not as the two of them were dragged to their feet, not as someone gave him his crutches back and he hobbled towards the direction of the cabin.

  Not even when they got back to the cabin, and Ben sat down in his corner, staring out at all of them.

  I can’t do this anymore. I just… can’t. 

  000000000000000000000000

  Misty had hoped that Tommy would forget about what he had caught her doing, in the chaos of his brother’s attempted suicide, but as everyone started to settle down, she saw him look at her, and motion towards the fireplace.

  Misty got to her feet, and Tommy did as well, standing beside her. She hoped that he was here in support of her. She really did.

  “Um…” she clasped her hands. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something important.”

  Everyone turned to look at her, and Misty cleared her throat. Luckily, she had had some time to think of an excuse that everyone would buy.

  “Uh… the other day, Crystal and I went out to empty the… the bucket we use for… well… you know… over the side of the cliff.”

  That much was true. Misty knew they knew that.

  “We started arguing about who was going to do it. Eventually we agreed to do rock-paper-scissors. I won at first, so Crystal suggested a best out of three. Then I won again, and she suggested a best out of five. But then I won again…”

  Misty swiped at her eyes. “Crystal finally got fed up and went to throw the bucket over the cliff. But she… I think because she was so frustrated, she wasn’t concentrating properly, and she slipped…”

  Misty trailed off, but she saw everyone’s eyes widen.

  “I went down to the bottom, and I tried to revive her, but… she was already gone. There was nothing I could have done. Then the snowstorm started, and I hurried back, and…”

  Misty started to cry. “I… I panicked. I thought you guys would think I killed her. I know that none of you like me. So I made up what happened. I went back today to try and find her body, and Tommy caught me digging at the spot where Crystal fell.”

  “So, she’s… been at the bottom of a cliff, all this time?” Mari got to her feet, and Misty saw the fire crackling in her eyes.

  “I couldn’t find her body. I… Tommy thinks the wolves might have dragged her off.”

  “I do”, Tommy backed her up. “It’s highly likely at this point, they can smell blood from over a mile away-”

  “Goddammit, Misty!” Now Melissa got to her feet, and Misty braced herself for the incoming scolding.

  She never could have imagined what Melissa would actually say.

  000000000000000000000000

  “No wonder the wilderness wouldn’t let us have her!” Tommy heard Melissa say to Misty. “That could have been food for us. How could you let Crystal go to waste?”

  “Yeah!” Mari said. “At least we wouldn’t have to starve-”

  “Are you being serious, right now?” Tommy asked, disgusted. “Crystal was your friend.” He looked out amongst the rest of the group.

  “Is that really all you’re thinking about, now that you know she’s dead? What the fuck is wrong with all of you-”

  “Okay, that’s enough”, Lottie called out. “Melissa misspoke. What happened to Crystal was an accident. The wilderness took her from us, and we will mourn her as she deserves.”  

  The group slowly dispersed, but Tommy did not let up on his glare. Was this really what it had come to? One of them dying, and the others only wondering about what they could get from their friend’s corpse?

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie decided to call in on Shauna, finding her in her room, nursing Jeremy.

  “Are you alright?” She asked.

  “Yeah”, Shauna murmured, gazing at her son.

  Natalie looked down at the baby’s bright blue eyes. “Is he alright?”

  Shauna slowly buttoned her shirt back up, and Natalie was alarmed to see the tears in her eyes.

  “I don’t… I don’t know. I want him to be, but…” she sniffled. “Nat, when will winter be over?”

  “I don't know. Tommy thinks maybe another few weeks.”

  “I don’t think he'll last that long”, Shauna choked out, pressing kisses to her son’s head as Jeremy began to fuss.

  “I just don’t have enough milk for him. I’m not getting enough to eat. None of us are, I know, but… if I don’t start eating properly again soon, I don’t… I don’t know how long Jeremy has left.”

  “Don’t say that-”

  “It’s the truth”, Shauna cried. “I know it is. No matter how much everyone prays for him… Jeremy’s not going to last the next few weeks if I don’t start eating again soon.”

  Natalie quickly walked out of the room, blinking away the tears.

  She hated to admit it, she really did, but… maybe the girls had had a point. If Misty had been honest about Crystal from the start… they might just have enough to eat until spring came around.

  She didn’t like how callous they had been about it, but… Natalie did not want Jeremy to die.

  If winter doesn’t end soon… Tommy and I may have to have a talk. A talk that I KNOW he is not going to like. 

  000000000000000000000000

  Once again, Lottie was at a loss. She hadn’t been certain that Crystal was alive, not the way she had been about Javi, but… she had held out hope. And Tommy had destroyed that hope. He hadn’t been cruel about it, but despite everything that had happened to them, he was still retaining his defiant stance against the wilderness, and once again, he had achieved what Lottie had been unable to.

  Maybe he really DOESN’T need the wilderness on his side, she wondered.

  She needed to consult with it. She needed to understand. She set off towards the hollow stump again, by herself this time.

  Kneeling down before it, she began to pray.

  Please. Help me understand. How is Tommy Scott able to achieve what I am not? He is not faithful to you, not like I am.

  There was no reply, and Lottie felt her frustration grow.

  “Please”, she said. “I tried to find food, and Tommy brought back enough to feed us all. I prayed to you to save the baby, and Tommy brought him back from the dead. I... I asked you to bring Crystal back to us, and Tommy is the one who found out she was gone. Why- why do you keep choosing him over me? I don’t understand.”

  Maybe I am not meant to. Maybe it just favours him instead of me. 

  “What- what is my purpose? Please, tell me. Please.”

  But there was nothing. Nothing at all to answer what Lottie was asking.

  Angrily, Lottie swiped at her eyes, and turned to go back to the cabin. But as she did, she heard a cry.

  She whipped her head around. “Jeremy?”

  What was Shauna’s baby doing out here? Had Shauna… left him out here to die?

  Oh, my God. Lottie scrambled towards the sound of the crying, eventually turning a corner and finding Shauna’s small, squirming baby, wrapped in his coverings.

  “It’s okay”, Lottie said, bending over to scoop Jeremy up, looking down into his little face. “It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ll get you back home-”

  Then the baby opened his eyes, and Lottie jumped.

  The baby’s eyes were… brown. Jeremy’s eyes were blue like his father’s, they had all seen them.

  This wasn’t Jeremy. Who… who’s baby was this? His eyes were a deep, dark brown. The same colour as…

  “Mine”, Lottie breathed. “You… you’re mine.”

  She started to smile, and quickly unbuttoned her shirt, guiding her son’s head towards her breast.

  The feeling of his tiny mouth closing around her nipple was unlike anything Lottie had ever felt before, and she tipped her head back in ecstasy as he drank from her.

  Oh… oh my…

  “Do you understand, now?”

  Lottie’s head whipped around. There was nobody around her, but she had heard a voice, clear as day.

  “Everyone has their role, here. You… you are the Vessel. You must bear the Child of the Wilderness.”

  “The Child of the Wilderness”, Lottie echoed. Yes, it was all clear now.

  She turned her head back to smile at her son, but was aghast to see he had vanished.

  “What… where…” she turned around to look for him, but he was gone. Then she understood again.

  That was a vision. I must bear him first.

  Lottie quickly hurried back to the hollow stump, throwing her jacket to the ground. 

  It seemed sinful, somehow, to be wearing clothes while committing such a holy act.

  000000000000000000000000

  As dinnertime drew close, everyone gathered around to eat the few remaining pieces of meat from the moose. They had stretched it out as long as they could, but their group of seventeen, not counting Jeremy, had slowly devoured every available piece of meat the moose had to offer.

  All that would be left after this was the bones. Hopefully, the bone broth Tommy was planning on making would buy them a few days, at least.

  But after that, then what? Winter still showed no sign of slowing down.

  “Has anyone seen Lottie?” Akilah asked.

  Everyone looked around, but nobody said anything.

  “I think maybe she went back to the stump?” Mari offered.

  “I’ll go get her”, Misty stood up, heading out the door, as Tommy went back to preparing the meat.

  000000000000000000000000

  Misty trudged in the direction of the stump, but as she got closer, she began to hear… was that screaming?

  Oh, my God. Lottie’s being attacked, Misty thought, quickly rushing towards the stump.

  What was it? Wolves? A bear? Come to think of it, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to rush in unarmed-

  But as Misty turned the corner, she felt her mouth drop open.

  She had seen some truly weird stuff out here, but this… this topped it.

  Lottie was completely naked, kneeling in the snow in front of the hollow stump, rocking herself back and forth as though there was an invisible man fucking her underneath.

  “Lottie?” Misty asked. But Lottie gave no sign that she had heard her. She continued to rock herself back and forward, faster and faster, her moans becoming louder and louder until-

  As Lottie let out a final shriek that Misty recognised as her climaxing, she surged towards Lottie, picking up the other girl’s coat and throwing it over her.

  “It’s done”, Lottie said, a smile on her face as Misty covered her.

  “You… you what?”

  “I will bear the Child of the Wilderness.”

  “You… what?”

  “The wilderness told me. I will bear its child. It… it told me I would.”

  Truth be told, Misty had always been sceptical when it came to Lottie’s claims that she could communicate with the wilderness. Seeing her like this… Misty began to wonder if Lottie wasn’t just crazy, as she started to steer the other girl back towards the cabin.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Natalie sat next to Tommy, slowly chewing and swallowing her way through the last of the moose, she wondered how she was going to break her plan to him. He wouldn’t like it, she knew that, but… surely he would understand. If it ended up saving them all…

  And after all, he was the one who had suggested it in the first place, with Jackie…

  Then Natalie’s thoughts were cut off as Misty struggled back through the door, half-dragging a barely-conscious Lottie with her.

  Her legs were bare. Was… was she naked, beneath the coat she was wearing?

  Lottie’s finally lost it, Natalie thought, as Lottie rose up, smiling at them all, the jacket falling off her shoulders on to the floor as she stood in front of them, naked as the day she was born.

  “I will bear the Child of the Wilderness”, she announced happily, before she began violently shaking, and fell towards the floor in front of their shocked faces.

  As the others crowded around Lottie, someone barking orders to boil water for the bath, Natalie found herself looking at Tommy, who gazed at her with a bewildered look on his face.

  Maybe now they’ll finally realise you are the better choice, my darling. I somehow doubt they’ll want to practice what Lottie is preaching after THIS.

And there we are. The end of another chapter.

Will Lottie's followers finally start to come around? The next chapter should let you know.

Stay tuned for more, coming soon.

Thanks for reading so far, I really appreciate it.

Wishing you all well, SteamTrain52 😊 ❤️

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Sixteen

  Tommy stared. And stared. And then stared some more, rubbing at his eyes, but Javi didn’t disappear after he did so.

  When he had seen Travis’ brother in the main room of the cabin, he had first thought his concussion was affecting him more than he’d realised.

  Then he heard Natalie gasp beside him.

  “Javi?” His girlfriend gaped, staring right where Tommy could see the young boy standing.

  So, not a hallucination. But…. but…

  “How?” Tommy heard himself say. “How are you alive?”

  “The wilderness provided for him”, Lottie said. “Just as it provided us with the moose. And it will continue to provide for us, as long as we honour it.”

  Tommy didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to feel.

  But as he gazed around the room, he started to see everyone’s gazes shifting towards Lottie, reverence on their faces, and he began to feel… worried.

  Very worried indeed.

  000000000000000000000000

  Their success at bringing the moose back felt so hollow now, Natalie thought. The day after Javi’s inexplicable return to their group, Lottie had suggested hosting meditation sessions in the forest.

  To Natalie’s dismay, almost everyone enthusiastically agreed to join her, including Van and Taissa, and even Travis, dragging Javi along.

  Javi hadn’t said a word to anyone yet, and Natalie wondered how long it would take for him to open up again. She simply couldn’t figure out how he had survived, and Tommy couldn’t think of anything either, though in his defence, he was probably still reeling from his concussion.

  Still, Natalie couldn’t shake the feeling that with Javi’s return, Lottie seemed to have regained the power she’d had over the others, and this time, it was a lot more than a handful of their group who were following her into the woods.

  On the morning of the third day after Javi’s return, Natalie decided to make herself busy, as she and Tommy rose from their bed.

  “Do you… wanna go to the stream and check the gill net?” She asked him.

  “Yeah”, Tommy mumbled. “Sounds good.”

  Breakfast that morning was a quiet affair, as they chewed their way through the moose. Travis and the others had done an excellent job in removing every edible part of the moose from its body, and Natalie found herself sharing part of the great deer’s tongue with Shauna, the only Yellowjacket to join her and Tommy at the breakfast table that morning.

  Shauna was one of the few who had declined Lottie’s invitation to her meditation sessions, and Natalie saw her chance to try and repair the damage wrought between them in the wake of Jackie’s death.

  “Did you ever see yourself enjoying moose tongue?”

  “Uh…” Shauna began. “Weirdly enough, I actually like it more than the meat from the body. Another weird pregnancy craving, I guess.”

  “No, that’s not it”, Tommy said.

  “What?” Shauna asked. “How do you know?”

  “It’s because the tongue is a fatty meat. We’ve all been burning the fat reserves within ourselves ever since the game dried up, so our bodies are craving the meat with more fat in it to… replenish the stores, so to speak.”

  Tommy paused. “My dad once did a training exercise in the Arctic circle. He told me he saw the Inuit- the native people up there- eating only the meat with fat in it from their hunts, and actually throwing the lean meat away to their dogs, because they were having a bad winter and not getting enough to eat.”

  Shauna looked genuinely interested at this information, but Natalie was just happy to hear Tommy speak like this. He had spent the previous two days talking in monosyllables, or just grunting, and Natalie had been getting worried that his head injury was more serious than they knew.

  He did indeed seem more animated than the previous days as they set off to the stream to check the nets, and Natalie took the opportunity to ask him what she had wanted to ever since Javi’s reappearance.

  “Look, Tommy… in all seriousness, what are we going to do? About Lottie? About… about Javi?”

  “I feel…” she swallowed. “I feel like we’re losing the others. Even… even Travis.”

  000000000000000000000000

  “I feel that way, too”, Tommy said. It was the truth. Even since Javi had come back, Travis seemed to be following Lottie around like an eager puppy, and hadn’t spoken to either him or Natalie.

  Javi wasn’t talking to them, either. In fact, Javi was still refusing to say so much as a single word to anybody, and had spent the last few days sitting by the fire in silence, when he wasn’t following Travis to Lottie’s sessions.

  Tommy had hoped Van at least would be on their side, but she now seemed just as taken with Lottie as everyone else. According to her, Taissa hadn’t sleepwalked the previous two nights at all, which Van was crediting to Lottie’s meditations.

  Everyone’s turning against us. 

  Well, everyone except Shauna, Tommy supposed, and Ben. Were they really the only ones who weren’t falling for Lottie’s bullshit?

  “We need to figure out how Javi survived”, Tommy said. “That’s the key. Right now, I can’t think of how he could have done it, but there must be a logical explanation, something we just haven’t thought of yet. Right now, it doesn’t make any sense that he is still alive… so if he can help us make sense of it, maybe some of the others will come back around.”  

  “Okay”, said Natalie. “But you know he still hasn’t talked to anyone.”

  “It’s worth a try”, Tommy said.

  They headed back to the cabin, where Javi was sitting by the fire. To Tommy’s annoyance, Lottie was there as well, but he ignored her as he and Natalie crouched by the younger boy.

  “Javi?”

  Travis’ brother blinked up at him.

  Tommy produced the map that Ben had put together from their drawings, and set it in front of Javi.

  “Look, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, but… could you just point out where you were? We know you had to have found shelter, but we don’t know where. If you could just… point it out on the map, I really think it could help us.”

  Javi didn’t move a muscle, and Natalie chimed in.

  “Javi, please”, she said. “We’re just trying to figure out how you survived.”

  “The wilderness provided for him”, Lottie piped up, in a voice that made Tommy grind his teeth.

  “That still doesn’t explain how he didn’t freeze to death”, he glared at her, before turning back to Javi.

  “Look, if you just point it out on the map, I promise we’ll-”

  “What are you doing?”

  Now Travis was glaring at him.

  “We’re just trying to find out-”

  “Get away from him!”

  000000000000000000000000

  Travis lunged towards Tommy, but Natalie stepped in his path.

  “Travis, stop! We’re just trying to figure out how he-”

  “You”, Travis spat, pointing at Tommy, “stay the fuck away from my family. You’re the one who said he was dead!”

  “I thought he was”, Tommy said. “We all thought he was, even you.”

  “No. Not all of us”, Travis pointed to Lottie. Her expression was neutral, but Natalie had known Lottie Matthews since kindergarten. She knew Lottie was trying not to smile, and somehow, the thought angered Natalie more than if Lottie really had smiled.

  “Stop looking so smug.”

  “I wasn’t”, Lottie said. “But I was right about Javi. I knew he was still alive. It’s not my fault you didn’t want to listen.”

  “We didn’t want to listen because it didn’t make any sense that he could have survived!” Tommy yelled. “And it still doesn’t. That’s why we’re trying to find out how he did it, so we can make some sense out of it!”

  “He’s alive because the wilderness provided for him”, Travis said, “like Lottie just told you. Now stay. The fuck. Away.”

  We’re not gonna get anywhere like this, Natalie realised.

  “Fine. We’ll try to figure it out ourselves. Tommy, let’s go.”

  Her boyfriend followed her to the table, where he set the map down.

  “We know that Javi was found here”, Natalie said, pointing towards the spot where Travis’ brother had been located, only a mile south of the cabin.

  “It can’t have been far from where he was staying. I say we go there, and search the area.”

  “Sounds good”, Tommy replied.

  000000000000000000000000

  Unfortunately, their search turned up nothing. Nothing at all. Tommy couldn’t understand it. They circled the area in a one-mile radius, but as the hours ticked by, they couldn’t find anywhere Javi might have taken shelter and survived the previous two, now almost three months.

  “I don’t get it”, Natalie said to him. “There’s nothing here he could have used. No cave, no man-made shelter… not so much as an overhanging rock.”

  “I know”, Tommy said. “Maybe we should head back and try talking to him again?”

  Natalie winced. “Travis and Lottie won’t like that.”

  “What Travis and Lottie don’t like is very low on my list of concerns right now.”

  But as they turned to start heading back, Tommy noticed the wind picking up.

  “Do you feel that?” Natalie said, as Tommy started to feel very afraid indeed.

  “It’s a snowstorm. We need to go. NOW!”

  They took off back towards the cabin, and Tommy cursed under his breath. Physically speaking, he was a very fit teenage boy, able to swim and walk miles at a time before he got tired. But he had always hated running. That was why, when his family had come to Wiskayok, Tommy had chosen swimming over soccer, or football, or any other sport that involved running for an extended period of time.

  “Come on!” Natalie screamed at him, as the storm descended upon them.

  “I’m coming!”

  If they had been anyone else amongst the group, save for Travis, maybe, they would never have made it back to the cabin on their own.

  But Tommy and Natalie knew where they were. How many times had they come this exact way over the last six months? A hundred? Two hundred, maybe?

  Tommy wasn’t sure, but he was sure that they were getting close to the cabin, and eventually, the place that had been their home for half a year materialised in front of them through the storm.

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie threw open the door, panting as Tommy followed, shutting it behind him.

  “Thank God”, she breathed. Good thing we know the area, or we would have been FUCKED- 

  “What the hell happened to you guys?” Van asked them.

  Natalie gaped at her. “Do you… not realise what’s happening outside?”

  Van looked out the window, and Natalie saw her mouth drop.

  “Oh, my God. Tai and Shauna are still out there!”

  “What? Why?!” 

  “Lottie was… talking to the baby, and Shauna freaked out and left. Tai went out after her.”

  “Jesus fuck”, Natalie groaned, looking at Lottie.

  “Why do you have to be so weird-”

  Then the door burst open behind them, and Misty came in, gasping for breath.

  “I LOST HER!” She screeched.

  “Who?” Van asked.

  “Crystal! We were together, and then… and then we got separated in the storm, and it all happened so fast… I kept looking for her, and looking for her, and I was screaming her name, but she just vanished.” 

  Fuck, Natalie thought, bowing her head.

  She hadn’t known Crystal that well, but… Natalie there was no chance for her. Not out in this.

  Javi might have somehow miraculously survived, but Crystal was an eternally bubbly performer, who liked to sing and dance, and talk about the theatre long enough to make any sane person tear their hair out.

  She’ll die out there if she doesn’t find the cabin. 

  Then Tommy strode off quickly, bringing back the map, which he set down on the floor.

  “I’m going back out there. Did anyone see the direction Tai and Shauna headed in, when they left?” Tommy asked, crouching down.

  “Um… uh….” Van said, kneeling on the floor. “There. Out this way, I think.”

  She pointed, but Tommy wasn’t looking at her finger.

  “You think?” He asked Van. “I need you to be sure. Are you sure?”

  “I…. No. No, I’m not”, Van said, and Tommy saw tears in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Tom, I don’t know.”

  Tommy relented. “It’ll have to do. I’ll try and find them for you, I promise.”

  “Okay”, Van said. “Thank you.”

  Tommy turned around, only to find himself facing Natalie.

  “You’re not going out there by yourself.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Shauna struggled along, supported by Taissa. Her stomach felt like it was on fire. Was the baby okay? She wasn’t sure. She couldn’t feel it moving anymore.

  “I hear my breath. I hear the wind. I feel our friends wanting to find us. I hear my breath. I hear the wind…”

  For fuck’s sake, Tai, Lottie’s meditation bullshit isn’t going to help us now.

  Shauna wanted to scream the words in the other girl’s ear, but it had become too painful for her to so much as whisper.  

  We’re going to die out here. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. 

  Then as Shauna wallowed in her thoughts, praying the end would be quick, she heard a voice. An unmistakably male voice.

  “SHAUNA! TAI!”

  “TOMMY!” Taissa roared. “WE’RE HERE, WE’RE OVER HERE!”

  “We’re here”, Shauna said, but it came out as a croak.

  Then Tommy and Natalie emerged out of the snowstorm, and Shauna began to cry.

  “Oh”, she sobbed, in a mixture of pain and joy, as she fell to her knees.

  “Help me. Please”, she said, crying her eyes out as she collapsed into Tommy’s arms.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy quickly manoeuvred himself around Shauna to scoop her up.

  “Okay, Shauna. I’m gonna carry you back to the cabin, alright?”

  “Yeah”, the girl grunted, but as Tommy began to lift her off the ground, Shauna howled right in his ear.

  “Put me down! Tommy, please put me down! It hurts! Please, it hurts!”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t do that,” Tommy said, as he started jogging through the snow, following his mind’s eye back towards the cabin.

  “Please…”

  But Tommy ignored her as he felt his way back through the forest.

  Left…. now right… now right again… 

  Then finally, through the cold, blistering snow, he saw the outline of the cabin.

  “We’re here”, he said to Shauna, but all she did was whimper.

  “Do you want me to put you down now?”

  “Not yet. Not until we’re inside. I think… I think I’m…”

  Shauna let out another howl, right in his ear, and something finally clicked in Tommy’s brain as they stepped inside the cabin, right in front of the group.

  “Are you in labour?” He asked her, and he saw the girls’ reactions.

  “What?!”

  “Are you?”

  “She can’t be, she’s not even eight months along yet-”

  But Shauna’s only response was to howl yet again, far louder and longer than she had before, and Tommy knew things were about to get worse.

  Much, much worse.

  000000000000000000000000

  Things dissolved into chaos faster than Natalie could blink, as everyone scrambled to prepare Shauna for the birth.

  Tommy laid Shauna down on the floor, while Taissa and Akilah started to remove her boots and trousers.

  Natalie and Travis quickly ran into Coach Scott’s room, bringing the bed out of it into the main room, as Natalie saw Akilah slide Shauna’s underwear off of her while Taissa placed a blanket over her legs. Tommy knelt down and gently scooped Shauna up again, laying her down on the bed as Misty stepped forward.

  “Misty, what do we do?” Taissa asked.

  But the Yellowjackets’ equipment manager looked like a deer caught in headlights, as Shauna screamed.

  “Oh, my God! Please, someone just get it out of me!”

  “Um…” Misty stammered. “Uh…”

  Oh, God, Natalie realised. She doesn’t have a clue, does she?

  How could she? Misty wasn’t a midwife. None of them were.

  Natalie could only vaguely recall the childbirth portion of their Health Education class, in which Coach Scott, of all people, had acted as a substitute teacher.

  Natalie had done her best to avoid gazing at the grotesque images playing on the video screen, but she very clearly remembered Misty sitting in the front row of the class, asking question after question about the birthing process.

  Bet you didn’t think you’d actually end up here, Natalie thought, as Misty leaned down in front of Shauna. The minutes ticked by, and then became half an hour, but as Shauna continued to moan like an animal in pain, all Misty did was crouch at the foot of the bed, not saying a word.

   Then Natalie remembered Crystal, and felt her heart sink. It had been a miracle in itself that Tommy and her had found Shauna and Tai, but sadly, she doubted that Crystal had been as lucky, as the storm continued to rage outside.

  She’s probably frozen to death by now. No wonder Misty looks the way she does. 

  Natalie didn’t doubt that she would have been as unresponsive if it was Tommy who had been lost out there, but she found herself secretly urging Misty to snap out of the trance she looked like she was in.

  For fuck’s sake, get your shit together, Shauna needs you-

  “Why the fuck is this taking so long?” Shauna said, before she screamed again.

  “Should we, like, boil water?” Mari asked. “That’s a thing people do, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s a good idea. We need to keep things clean”, Akilah said, as Shauna screamed yet again.

  “Uh, these are contractions, right?” Natalie asked Misty, hoping to jolt the other girl back to reality. “Should we… be timing them, or something?”

  “Yeah, that last one was just over a minute”, Gen spoke up. “Is that long or short?”

  She was also talking to Misty, but all Gen got was a blank look in return.

  “Misty!” Gen yelled. “Should I be timing the in-between, or no?”

  “I-I don’t know, I just need to…”

  Misty trailed off, and resumed her blank stare.

  Fuck!

  “Okay”, Akilah said. “I think when they’re this regular and intense, she’s in labour labour and the baby is actually coming.”

  “Okay, so it should be over soon?” Taissa asked hopefully, as she held Shauna’s hand.

  “Maybe… but my sister’s labour was a day and a half”, Akilah mumbled.

  “No”, Shauna breathed. “No, I can’t take this for a day and a half, Tai, I can’t, I-”

  “Yes, you can, Shauna, you can fucking do anything.”

  “Of course you can do it”, Akilah backed Taissa up. “And we’re right here to help. Right, Misty? What do you need?”

  But Misty still looked frozen, as Lottie stood up and began to walk over.

  What is SHE gonna do? Natalie wondered, as Lottie took Shauna’s other hand.

  “Maybe, uh, we can… we can share our hopes with each other?” Lottie suggested.

  Jesus fucking-

  “Wilderness, I hope Shauna doesn’t die!” Mari called out.

  Natalie’s mouth dropped open.

  “Why the fuck- why would you say die?!” Taissa hissed at her, as Shauna began to panic, while Natalie felt Tommy’s hand on her shoulder, and she turned around to look at him, placing her hand on top of his.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Shauna, it’s gonna be okay”, Shauna heard Lottie say, as she placed her hand on Shauna’s head. “Just let your pain open you to this moment.”

  Taissa began to wrestle Lottie away from Shauna, and she closed her eyes.

  Idiots. They’re all FUCKING IDIOTS. How can they POSSIBLY believe Lottie knows what she’s doing?

  The Yellowjackets drifted away from Shauna to give her some space, save for Natalie, Misty and Taissa.

  Tommy, meanwhile, continued to stand behind Natalie, and Shauna wondered what he was thinking. Probably how much he didn’t want to be here.

  Well, suck it up, buttercup, Shauna thought, as another contraction began to hit. ‘Cause the way things are going with you and Nat, it’s only a matter of time before you end up watching HER go through this-

  “Um…” she heard Tommy say, as he bent down to Natalie. “Is it okay if I hold Shauna’s free hand? Give her something to grip on to?”

  “Yeah. Do it.”

  Huh? Shauna was dumbfounded.

  “Shauna, is that okay?” Tommy asked her, as he came around to her left side, holding his hand out.

  “Be careful what you wish for”, Shauna managed to choke out, gripping Tommy’s hand as hard as she could.

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie saw Tommy grimace as he held on to Shauna’s hand, but he stayed silent, as Shauna screamed through another contraction.

  Natalie was relieved that he was trying to help. He probably didn’t have a clue how to help Shauna give birth, but at least he wasn’t standing idle.

  “Okay, Misty, you got this, you can do this”, she heard Misty whisper to herself, as she reached under Shauna’s blanket. “Hey, and you can do this too, Shauna, okay? Just keep breathing.”

  Hallelujah, Natalie thought. You finally got your head screwed back on-

  Then Misty drew her hands back, and Natalie saw there was blood on her fingers.

  “What’s happening?” Shauna asked. “Something feels weird.”

  But all Misty did was stare at the blood on her hands, and Natalie saw the blank look return to her eyes.

  Oh, for CRYING OUT LOUD.

  Taissa directed Shauna’s gaze away from Misty, but Natalie kept her eyes on the would-be midwife.

  Snap out of it. For FUCK’S SAKE, Misty, SNAP OUT OF IT-

  “I can’t do this”, Misty mumbled, as she stood up. “I can’t do this, I can’t do this. I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”

  Before any of them could blink, Misty bolted out of the room like a frightened rabbit.

  “Where the hell are you going?” Natalie asked, beginning to chase after her, before her eyes landed on Tommy’s brother.

  “Coach Sc- uh, Ben, we need your help. Come on.”

  “Are- are you sure?” He stammered.

  “Yes.” 

  “B-but, the thing is, I don’t know any-” he mumbled, trying to inch away.

  “Nononono”, Natalie said, pushing him as hard as she could towards Shauna.

  “Ben, come on”, Tommy said, as he held Shauna’s hand.

  “Oh. Oh, my god”, Coach Scott gasped out, looking at the bloody rags in front of Shauna.

  He was starting to inch back again, and Natalie struggled as she tried to hold him in front of her.

  “She needs help, Ben. So, help her”, Tommy said.

  But all Coach Scott did was inch back further, and gasp out the last words Natalie wanted to hear from him.

  “Shauna, I’m sorry.”

  “No”, Natalie cried, feeling the tears brewing in her eyes.

  “I don’t think I can help with this. I… I just pressed play on a video.” 

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake”, Tommy snarled. “Natalie, come here. I need you to take my place.”

  000000000000000000000000

  As Natalie swooped down beside Shauna, she saw Tommy look into her eyes, as he continued to hold her hand.

  “Shauna, listen to me”, he said to her. “I know you have every reason to hate me after what happened to Jackie. I don’t blame you for that. But I’m gonna try to help you now.”

  “W-what?”

  “I’m not gonna lie to you- I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. But I am gonna try to deliver your baby myself.”

  “You’re what?” Taissa hissed.

  Tommy didn’t look away from Shauna. “I can’t promise you I’ll be any good. But I can promise that I’m not gonna leave you, okay? None of us are going to leave you. You are gonna get through this. Alright?”

  Shauna didn’t know what to say, but another contraction started to hit, and she gripped Tommy’s hand.

  “Fuuuuuucckk”, she moaned, almost delirious with the pain. Whatever Tommy had done in the past… she knew that he would not leave her until her baby was born, and she used that to make it through the other side of the contraction.

  Her mind drifted back to the moment Tommy had appeared out of the snowstorm to carry her to the cabin. He had already rescued her once today. Why wouldn’t he be able to do it again?

  The idea of Tommy leaving her to deal with childbirth by herself sounded completely foreign to Shauna, and she made her decision.

  Fuck it.

  “Get it out of me”, she said to him through gritted teeth, and Tommy nodded, moving to the foot of the bed while Natalie took her hand.

  “It’s okay, Shauna. Women have been having babies for millions of years. You’re gonna be fine. Tommy’s got this.”

  Let’s hope so, Shauna thought, hardening her grip on Natalie’s hand.

  “Ow… Shauna, that’s a little tight.”

  “Get used to it”, Shauna snarled, as another contraction began to hit.

  000000000000000000000000

  Oh, dear Lord, Tommy thought, as he came face to face with the bloody mess between Shauna’s legs.

  He immediately realised he had underestimated how bad things would be, but as he looked into the big brown eyes of the frightened teenage girl on the bed, he forced himself to look confident.

  “Okay, Shauna… if you want this to end, what I need you to do is push. Hard. Harder than you’re ever pushed anything before.”

  “O… okay”, Shauna breathed, before throwing her head back and starting to groan with the effort.

  Tommy was vaguely aware of Travis walking behind him and placing something on the footstool in front of the fire.

  “We need offerings”, he heard Lottie say. “Travis? Spill blood.”

  For God’s sake, Tommy thought, as he saw Shauna craning her neck around him.

  “Don’t look at them, Shauna. Eyes on me, and only me. Now… push.”

  Shauna started to grunt again, and Tommy saw Natalie look behind him at whatever the others were doing.

  “You don’t wanna know”, she whispered to him, and Tommy nodded.

  He looked back between Shauna’s legs, and saw… something… emerging from them.

  “Uh… Natty, Tai, could you come down here for a second?”

  The girls quickly joined him, and he saw their faces twist in confusion.

  “Wha… is that the head?” Taissa asked. “It’s so… purple.”

  The thing coming out of Shauna was purple, all right, but Tommy didn’t think it was the head of Shauna’s child.

  “I think it’s the placenta”, Natalie whispered.

  “Placenta?” Taissa hissed. “Isn’t that supposed to come after?”

  Oh, Jesus Christ, Tommy thought.

  “What’s going on?” Shauna asked them, her face drenched in sweat. “Do I keep pushing?”

  “Uh…” Tommy stammered, before remembering he was supposed to look confident.

  “Yes, keep pushing, Shauna. I think we’re at the beginning of the end, okay? Just… keep pushing, alright?”

  Tommy reached in, and removed the placenta from Shauna.

  “I need a bucket”, he called out behind him, and as Akilah brought him one, Tommy dropped the placenta in.

  There was still no sign of the baby’s head or feet emerging, and Tommy began to fear the worst.

  “Push, Shauna. Push.”

  “I’m trying”, Shauna cried out, tears running down her face.

  000000000000000000000000

  “We hear the wilderness and it hears us”, Lottie and her minions chanted by the fire. “We hear the wilderness and it hears us.”

  Idiots, Natalie thought, as she held Shauna’s hand.

  Shauna looked bad. Really bad. She was grey in the face, and so exhausted she wasn’t even lifting her head anymore.

  “Shauna, please push”, Natalie said to her.

  Shauna continued to groan, as Taissa began looking at the ceiling.

  “We hear the wilderness and it hears us”, she whispered.

  For FUCK’S SAKE, Natalie thought.

  She looked at Tommy, and as his eyes flicked to hers, she knew he was thinking the same as her.

  Are we the only sane ones left? Somehow, the thought was terrifying to Natalie.

  “Okay, good, Shauna!” Tommy exclaimed. “I can see the head, it’s almost over!”

  “Thank God”, Natalie breathed.

  “One more push!” Tommy said. “Come on, you can do it!”

  Shauna leaned her head back, and screamed, long and loud, before she fell back onto the bed, her eyes rolling into her head before they shut.

  Had she passed out? Natalie bent her head to check, but was interrupted by Tommy’s voice.

  “Natalie…”

  She looked over, and saw a grim look on his face.

  “I need a knife. Now.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy had never been anywhere near a childbirth before, but as Shauna’s son finally emerged from her, Tommy knew something was wrong when he realised it wasn’t crying. Wasn’t that what babies were supposed to do when they were born?

  As he cradled the blood-soaked infant, Tommy saw it wasn’t breathing, and he knew- instantly- what he had to do. It was a long shot, but… he had to try. For Shauna’s sake, he had to try.

  As Natalie brought him the knife, he heard her gasp.

  “Is… is it…”

  “Knife. Now”, Tommy said, as he held his hand out and Natalie gave it to him.

  Quickly slicing the umbilical cord, Tommy walked past the chanting group.

  “Wait, what-”

  “Tommy, wha-”

  “Is the baby okay-”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Do me a favour and shut the fuck up”, Tommy snapped at them, as he headed towards the dining table.

  “Natalie, I need a blanket”, he called out, and Natalie brought him one, laying it down on the table while Tommy lay Shauna’s son on top of it.

  “Okay, I’m gonna try CPR. I don’t know if it will work, but…” he trailed off.

  “Okay”, Natalie whispered.

  Tommy began to think back to his lifeguarding lessons. With a child or adult, you used your full hands, but with an infant…

  Two fingers. Yes, that’s it.

  Tommy placed two fingers directly over the newborn’s heart, and began lightly pressing up and down.

  “You’re doing it wrong. You need to press harder.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie looked around, shocked to see Misty standing there.

  “Are you back with the human race, now?” She asked.

  Misty gave no sign that she had heard her.

  “Press harder, Tommy.”

  “Okay”, Tommy said, pressing down harder on the infant’s chest, before placing his mouth over the newborn’s and breathing in to it.

  As he did so, Natalie saw the baby’s chest rise and fall.

  “Is it working?” She asked.

  “I don’t know”, Misty whispered. “It’s a stillbirth. It might have been dead for weeks already.”

  Oh, God. Natalie closed her eyes. Poor Shauna.

  Then she suddenly remembered Shauna had passed out, and rushed back towards the bed.

  Shauna was still breathing, to Natalie’s relief, but she still looked grey in the face, and there was… there was so much blood around her.

  “Is she…”

  “I don’t know”, Taissa said tearfully, mopping Shauna’s head with a damp cloth.

  Natalie stared at the unconscious girl, wondering what on earth they were going to say to her when she woke up.

  As the seconds became minutes, Tommy still did not emerge from the dining room, and Natalie didn’t have the heart to go back in there. She did not want to look at Shauna’s stillborn baby anymore. Who would?

  Lottie and the others were all standing around, uncertain looks on their faces, and Natalie resisted the urge to scream at them. It wasn’t fair. After all they had been through, out here… it just wasn’t fair. 

  So, you thought standing around chanting to the wilderness was going to help, huh? You fucking MORONS. You ABSOLUTE, BONEHEADED, BRAINDEAD-

  Then Natalie’s thoughts were cut off as she heard a cry, and she felt the happy tears begin to streak down her face as Tommy came back into the room, cradling Shauna’s squalling, struggling, beautifully living son.

  000000000000000000000000

  Shauna screamed as she woke.

  “What happened?! What happened, where is my baby, where is he, where is he-”

  “Shauna”, Taissa grabbed at her flailing arms. “It’s okay, he’s okay, he-”

  “Where is he?!” Shauna screeched, as sound started to come back to her ears, and she realised she could hear… was that crying?

  Oh, my God, she thought, as she looked over to see Tommy holding what could only be-

  “It’s a boy, Shauna”, he grinned, and she could see the tears running down his face.

  Shauna held her arms out, and felt her own tears come as Tommy handed her son to her.

  “Hi”, she said to him, softly. “Hi.”

  Was that all she could say? She wasn’t sure. But as she stretched out her finger, and felt her baby boy’s own tiny digits close around it, she started to laugh.

  He was okay. He had made it… they were going to be okay.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy stumbled back, feeling faint with relief.

  Then he felt someone take his hand, and he knew it was Natalie as he turned to hug her.

  “I’m so proud of you”, she whispered.

  “Likewise”, Tommy said to her, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

  Natalie brought his head down to press a proper kiss to his lips, and Tommy enthusiastically responded, not giving a damn what the others might think.

  The moment when Shauna’s son had started to breathe on his own had been, without a doubt, the happiest of Tommy’s life. Still, he couldn’t believe the CPR had worked.

  Natalie took him away from the bedside to wipe his blood-stained hands with a wet cloth, and Tommy stood there in a daze as she cleaned him up.

  “Thank God, huh?” he said, looking at Shauna.

  “I think Shauna would rather thank you. I know I would”, Natalie replied.

  “Thank the wilderness”, he heard Lottie say as she looked at Shauna, and Tommy saw Natalie’s face darken as she stepped towards Lottie.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Oh, no, no, no, no, NO”, Natalie snarled at Lottie.

  “What?”

  “That was Tommy. Not the wilderness. Tommy. The baby was dead when he came out of Shauna-”

  “Wait, what?” Shauna asked.

  “And if Tommy hadn’t done what he’d done”, Natalie went on. “The baby would still be dead.”

  She glared at the rest of them. “You think the wilderness had anything to do with this? You think the wilderness had anything to do with the moose the other day? You think the wilderness is the reason any of us are still alive? Fuck you. We would all be dead by now if Tommy wasn’t here, and it is long past time you acknowledged that.”

  The group looked around, and Natalie saw them shuffle awkwardly on their feet.

  “Not gonna do it? Fine. But I know that you know it’s the truth.”

  “W-was my baby really dead?” Shauna whispered, looking in bewilderment at her son.

  “Yes”, Natalie said to her. “Tommy brought him back to life with CPR.”

  Shauna’s eyes began to fill up with tears. “Thank you”, she whispered, looking at Tommy.

  “It’s okay”, Tommy said. He looked tired, and Natalie suddenly realised she was as well. After struggling through a snowstorm not once, but twice that day, then helping Shauna with the birth of her child, Natalie was drained.

  She held her hand out to Tommy, and he took it as they headed to the pantry, where they slowly dressed in their pyjamas before settling down into bed.

  “I meant every word I said, you know”, she murmured, burying her head in Tommy’s chest. “I’m not gonna apologise for it.”

  “I know. And I love you for that.”

  “I love you too”, Natalie whispered, as they began to drift off to sleep.

  000000000000000000000000

  Van didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what to think, anymore. There had been too many occurrences where Lottie’s connection to the wilderness had paid off, and Van had been overjoyed when the meditation sessions Lottie was teaching apparently, finally stopped Taissa from sleepwalking.

  Van had asked Taissa how she had known where Javi had been, but Taissa had insisted over and over again that she didn’t know, that she had woken up in the middle of the woods the other night only to find herself face-to-face with Javi, who she hadn’t seen since the doomcoming, same as everyone else.

  But today… and the other day, with the moose… Van flinched. Every word Natalie had said to them was true. Van could understand her anger- it was because of Tommy that they had anything to eat at all, and he had nearly died getting the moose out of the ice. And then he had almost died again this morning, heading out into the snowstorm with Natalie at his own risk to bring Tai and Shauna back to the cabin.

  And as she gazed at Shauna, happily cooing over her son, Van knew things would have gone very differently during the birth if Tommy had not stepped in. Time and time again, he had rejected what Lottie was preaching, acting in defiance of the wilderness, and yet he had won today, there was no denying that.

  It was only a matter of time before the tinderbox that was Tommy and Lottie’s relationship exploded… and Van didn’t know whose side she would be on when it did.

  000000000000000000000000

  Taking care of a baby? Easier said than done.

  As the day progressed, Shauna’s son wouldn’t stop crying, so she stayed in the bedroom, trying to calm him down. She tried to breastfeed him, but her milk wasn’t coming, so as the bed was moved back into the room, Coach Scott mumbled that Shauna was welcome to stay there if she wished.

  She was grateful for the offer, but that didn’t mean she had forgiven the older man yet. The memory of him refusing to help her was still fresh in Shauna’s mind, and it only made the subsequent memory of Tommy stepping in and taking over even more impressive to her.

  She admired Tommy’s humbleness at him admitting he had no idea what he was doing, she respected the strength he had shown in coming to rescue her in the storm, then delivering her baby despite his lack of experience… and she was so, so grateful to him for bringing her stillborn son back to life.

  I wish I had gotten to know him better, back home. If I had… there is no way I would have let Natalie anywhere near him. 

  She gazed down at her fussing baby. “Maybe then he would be your daddy, huh?”

  We could have been so happy if he was. God, if he was… I would never complain. I would never take him for granted. Why? Why couldn’t I have paid more attention to Tommy back home? Why did I have to go chasing after Jeff- 

  Her baby began to cry even louder, and Shauna realised she was squeezing him.

  “Oh, God! Oh God, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, baby, I’m sorry!”

  But all her son did was cry, and Shauna began to cry with him.

  “I’m sorry”, she said again. “Please… just… please.”

  She tried to nurse him again, but to her despair, it still didn’t work.

  By the next morning, Shauna had spent a largely sleepless night trying to calm her crying son, and was absolutely exhausted.

  As she entered the main room, holding him as he cried, she sat down next to Natalie, who was cutting up one of the leftover animal skins.

  Shauna tried to nurse her baby again, but he didn’t latch on to her nipple.

  “Come on. Come on, please try. Maybe you’re just not sucking hard enough.”

  “You’ve been starving”, Natalie said to her. “Maybe your body just can’t…”

  “No, I’m… I’m going to. I have to.”

  But it didn’t work, and Shauna soon retreated to the bedroom, trying desperately to stop her baby from crying.

  “I’m sorry”, she said. “I know you’re hungry, I’m trying to feed you, but…”

  She tried in vain to nurse him again, but it still didn’t work.

  Shauna felt like screaming. She was terrible at this. How could she possibly think she would be a good mother? She hadn’t even wanted him when she had found out she was pregnant…

  As the memory of not wanting her son filtered through her head, Shauna felt sick to her stomach.

  How? How could I have not wanted him? 

  Though he was crying, though he had gone all red in his little scrunched-up face, Shauna thought her baby boy was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

  “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t think I wanted you”, she whispered to him. “I guess you probably knew that. But it was all really complicated.”

  She sniffled, trying not to cry again. “I’ll tell you all about it someday. Maybe you’ll understand. Maybe you won’t. The point is, I… I was wrong.”

  Shauna blinked the tears out of her eyes. “And I love you so, so much. And I can’t wait to see… who you become, where you go, what you’ll do.”

  She hesitated, then decided she would try to feed him again. “But it all depends on this. On us. Figuring this out. It’s you and me, kid. It’s you and me against the whole world. So please, just… please.”

  Shauna brought her breast out of her shirt, and put her son’s head near her nipple.

  “Come on”, she whispered, as the tears finally started to fall down her cheeks. “Come on, please. Come on.”

  Her vision blurred with her tears, and she blinked them out of her eyes again… only to see her baby finally latching on to her nipple, his cheeks moving as he drank from it.

  “Oh, my God. Oh, my God!” She whispered. “Oh, my God, yes, yes, yes!”

  Shauna felt the tension of the last day finally disappear, as she at last began to properly nurse her son.

  “Yes, that’s it. Drink up, drink up. Drink up. Yes. I love you so much. Yes.”

  The door to the room opened, and Natalie stepped in.

  “You okay? Brought you some more tea.”

  She set the cup down on the windowsill, before looking down at Shauna.

  “Wait, is he…”

  Shauna nodded happily. 

  “Wow. What a miracle. I’m gonna go tell the others-”

  “Uh, no, no, not yet. I kind of just want to have this moment for myself.”

  “Yeah. But…”

  Shauna looked pleadingly at Natalie, and she saw the other girl relent.

  “Okay”, Natalie said, as she turned to go.

  “Wait”, Shauna called out.

  “Yeah?”

  “I know you already said it, but… could you tell me one more time? What happened yesterday, when I passed out?”

  “Uh…” Natalie hesitated. “Tommy realised your baby wasn’t breathing, so he cut the umbilical cord as fast as he could and brought him to the dining table. He did CPR for, um… I’m sure it wasn’t more than a few minutes, but… it felt like longer. Know how that happens, sometimes?”

  Shauna nodded.

  “Could you… could you tell him to come in here?” She asked. “I wanna talk to him.”

  “Sure. I’ll go get him.”

  000000000000000000000000

  The storm which had sprung up yesterday had dissipated, thank God. It was getting late in the day, so they wouldn’t be hunting, but Tommy figured they could make a good start on it tomorrow.

  He would ask Mari to come along. He had been serious about training her up, but as he began walking over to Mari to ask her, Natalie called out for him.

  “Shauna wants to see you.”

  “Okay.” Tommy nervously set off towards the bedroom. He wondered what Shauna was going to say. No matter what he had done for her yesterday… it didn’t change the fact that he had killed her best friend.

  Though he hadn’t even told Natalie this, Tommy still saw Jackie’s final moments in his dreams sometimes. The knife pushing between her ribcage, her final exhale of breath, the light going out of her eyes.

  Even her last words. No, especially her last words. Please, Tommy. Please. 

  Tommy slowly pushed the bedroom door open, hoping Shauna wasn’t going to ask him about all of that.

  “Hi”, she smiled at him, and Tommy noticed she had finally managed to successfully nurse her son.

  “Oh, thank God. I was getting pretty worried, to be honest.”

  “Yeah, me too. Listen…”

  Shauna took a breath. “I wanted to thank you. Properly. Not just for what you did yesterday, but… for keeping us alive. All of us. Natalie was right- we would all be dead by now if it wasn’t for you.”

  “Thanks, but… I think you guys would have been okay.”

  Shauna gave him a look.

  “Well”, Tommy shrugged. “Who can say for sure?”

  “I can. I can say my baby would be dead for sure if you hadn’t stepped in.”

  “I’m… I’m just happy to help. And Shauna, I…”

  Tommy paused, and felt a lump in his throat. “I am so, so sorry.”

  Shauna winced, and Tommy knew she had already figured out what he was going to say. “It’s alright, you don’t have to…”

  “No, I want to. I should’ve… I should’ve done this a long time ago.”

  He knelt in front of her. “I’m so sorry about Jackie. I… I didn’t want to kill her. I didn’t, but… I didn’t know what else to do.” 

  Shauna bowed her head, and Tommy saw a tear fall down her cheek. “I’m sorry too. For calling you a murderer. You’re not, I know that, but… I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay”, Tommy said, swiping at his eyes. “So, uh…” he cleared his throat. “Have you decided on a name, yet?”

  “Actually, yes… I want to call him Jeremy. I’ve always liked it, I think it would suit him.”

  “Jeremy Shipman. Huh. Not a bad ring to it.”

  “Jeremy Sadecki, I’m afraid. But… that won’t be his full name.”

  “Oh, yeah. What will his middle name be? Jeffrey?”

  Shauna smiled shyly. “Well, if you’re okay with it… I’d like it to be Thomas. After you. To properly thank you for what you did.”

  The lump in Tommy’s throat got bigger. “Oh”, he croaked. “Um… I’d be honoured.”

  Shauna’s smile got wider, and as she presented her baby to Tommy, he finally got a proper look at Jeremy Thomas Sadecki, who stared up at him curiously.

  “Hey, kiddo”, Tommy whispered. “Nice to meet you.”

  000000000000000000000000

  Lottie didn’t know what to do. Once again, Tommy had defied the wilderness, had defied her… and once again, he had been the one to come out on top.

  He stood against the wilderness and won. I don’t… I don’t understand…

  It had been the wish of the wilderness to bring the storm yesterday, which Tommy had survived, not once, but twice.

  And then, not only had he not joined in their meditations, or their prayers during the birth of Shauna’s son, he had walked straight past them and brought the stillborn baby back to life, using what he had learned back in Wiskayok, not out here.

  He thinks he doesn’t need the wilderness on his side, Lottie was horrified to realise. He thinks he doesn’t need it at all. 

  How could he be so foolish? If this is what he believes… how long before he convinces the others that they don’t need it either? He already has Natalie on his side. Probably Shauna as well, after this. Who will be next? Van? Taissa? 

  No. Tommy Scott could not be allowed to turn the others against her. She would have to stop him… one way or another.

  But how? Lottie wasn’t sure.

  I will have to wait. I have no choice. I will play the part of the defeated, demoralised loser… then strike. 

  It will save us all, in the end. Tommy will come to see that, in time. He’ll HAVE to.

  Because if he doesn’t… this will end in blood. The wilderness will not accept anything less.

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Fifteen

  In the five days after the starlings mysteriously fell out of the sky, an unmistakeable tension began to settle amongst the group. Tommy and Natalie set out every day in an attempt to track the moose that had nearly killed them at the plane, but turned up empty-handed. 

  Travis did not go out with them. He spent most of his time staring into the fire now, not talking, barely moving at all. 

  “He’ll come around. He has to”, Natalie reassured Tommy, but he wasn’t so sure. Now that he finally seemed to have accepted that Javi was dead, Travis seemed practically catatonic, which left Tommy and Natalie as the only available hunters amongst the group. 

  Not that they were having much luck. Any and all available game appeared to have vanished into thin air, leaving Tommy and Natalie to travel miles along the frozen lake to bring cattails back to the group. It had taken them the entire day, but Tommy had seen the looks of frustration amongst the group when they brought the plants back, and he knew they were fed up with cattails, after the six straight months they had fed off of them. 

  With Ben, meanwhile… Tommy wasn’t sure what to do about him. Once the birds were determined to all be free of disease, Tommy’s brother had helped with plucking them, but he had avoided eye contact with Tommy the entire time, and hadn’t spoken a word to him. Tommy knew his brother was still angry with him for cooking and eating Jackie, but he had no idea how he was supposed to make amends for that.

  But none of this really compared to the mythic role Lottie now appeared to have claimed in the eyes of some of the group, which only seemed to become stronger with each passing day Tommy and Natalie returned from the hunts with nothing to show for it. She didn’t offer them her tea anymore, but Tommy suspected that may be part of her scheming, to convince the others that he and Natalie were essentially useless without her. 

  For the first time since arriving here, Tommy found himself actively hating Lottie. She just seemed so… smug. As though she was the only one who really understood what it meant to survive in the wild.

  As if she’d had any clue before they crashed here. Tommy had known for years that Lottie Matthews came from a rich family, but it wasn't until he started dating Natalie that he had finally gotten the full picture. Natalie had told Tommy all about Lottie’s home life- how she stayed in a mansion that cost more money than Tommy would probably ever make, with actual servants waiting on her every beck and call.

  The idea of someone like that knowing more about the wilderness than Tommy, who had practically grown up in the woods, was laughable. Or it would be if it wasn’t starting to actively annoy him into thinking about how he could make the others see that Lottie was a fraud. 

  000000000000000000000000

  On the morning of the sixth day after the birds rained down on them, Natalie and Tommy sat with the others as Shauna went off to bring back some of the frozen meat hanging in the shack. 

  It won’t be long before the stores run dry again, Natalie thought as Shauna came back inside, carrying the meat. Maybe if we try south today-

  “So, who’s the thief?” Shauna asked.

  What?

  “Someone stole some bear meat from the shed”, Shauna snapped. “I guess they think they deserve more than the rest, which… at this point, is pretty fucked.” 

  She pointed to her swollen belly. “If anything, I’m the one who should be taking some more, except I’m not, because I’m not the fucking worst. So which one of you is?” 

  Nobody spoke up, and Shauna scoffed.

  “Okay. Right. Whatever.” 

  “It was probably him”, Mari said to Akilah in a very audible whisper, looking at Coach Scott as he hobbled past them. “He thinks he’s so much better than us.”

  Coach Scott rolled his eyes. “I didn’t take the fucking meat. Okay? In case you forgot”, he motioned towards himself, “not exactly nimble in the snow.” 

  He moved over to his corner, then turned around and glared at Mari. 

  “But you know what? If it had been me, what exactly would you do about it? Would you eat me?”

  Mari stood up, and Tommy moved to stop her. “Come on, that’s enough. He wouldn’t-”

  “This is all because of you, you know”, Mari said to him. Natalie couldn’t believe her ears. 

  “Excuse me?” Natalie said. “How is it his fault?”

  “It’s both your faults”, Mari snapped. “Why we don’t have any meat. Lottie tries to bless you guys for the hunt, but you don’t want anything to do with it, and surprise, surprise, you keep coming back with nothing.” 

  “Are you… being serious, right now?” Tommy stared at her. “You think that’s why we can’t find anything? You don’t think it being winter outside has anything to do with it?”

  “Yeah”, Natalie stood up beside Tommy, enraged. What the hell would Mari even know about this? She had no idea how hard they had worked to try and bring back food. 

  “We’re the only ones who are even trying. Us and Travis”, she added, motioning to their hunting partner. “While the rest of you guys are just sitting on your asses-”

  “If there isn’t any game, then how did Lottie get the birds?” Mari asked. 

  “Um… Lottie didn’t get the birds. They flew into the cabin”, Taissa pointed out.

  “Because she told them to”, Mari insisted.

  “Told them to?” Tommy asked. “What is she, Doctor fucking Dolittle?”

  “It did happen when the blood dripped on the symbol that she made”, Akilah said.

  “We’re still not really sure that’s why”, Shauna spoke up. 

  “Yeah. See, that’s what we call a coincidence”, Ben said. “Those birds were just confused, or they had a disease, or something.”

  “No”, Misty chimed in. “If they were diseased, then we would’ve gotten sick from eating them.” 

  There was a long pause after this, before Tommy spoke.

  “What do you say, Lottie?” He asked. “You gonna weigh in here, or just let other people do the talking for you?”

  Lottie hesitated, before speaking. “I… I don’t know. I still don’t understand how it works.”

  “How what works?” Natalie asked. 

  “How… how we… communicate. How the wilderness gives us what we need.” 

  “The wilderness gives us what we need when we know how to find it”, Tommy said. “And the reason I know how to find it is because I grew up hunting-”

  “And yet, Lottie seems to be the reason we’re getting any food now”, Mari said, her lips twisting into a smirk. “Maybe you’re not as good as you think you are.”

  Natalie saw red at Mari’s cruel words, and she stepped forward. Before anyone could stop her, she had drawn back her arm and punched Mari square in the face, and as the other girl stumbled back, yowling, Tommy moved to pull Natalie away from Mari.

  “That’s enough-”

  “HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?!” Natalie screamed at Mari. “We would all be dead by now if it wasn’t for Tommy!”

  Tommy held her back as she struggled in his arms. 

  “You think we can make it through winter without him?! We wouldn’t have even made it TO winter without him!” 

  “That’s enough!” Tommy yelled at her, and Natalie stopped wriggling, looking at him. 

  “If we’re gonna settle this”, he said, calmly, “we’re not gonna do it by talking.”

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  Tommy let Natalie go, and looked out amongst the group. He saw the opportunity in front of him, and seized it with both hands. 

  “I suggest we resolve this today, once and for all, with an immediate test of Lottie’s… abilities.”

  Everyone looked confused, so Tommy elaborated.

  “Lottie and I go out. One-on-one. Whoever brings game back first… wins.” 

  He saw Natalie’s eyes light up, before Travis spoke.

  “Come on, Tommy, that’s not fair. Lottie isn’t a hunter.”

  “According to all of them”, Natalie pointed at Lottie’s minions, “she’s better than a hunter. I say they go for it.” 

  Everyone else started nodding, and Tommy began to prepare himself, going to collect his jacket. Lottie was looking upset, and Tommy knew he had her. 

  She might think she had some mystical connection to the wilderness, but they would see her for the phony she was after this. 

  Let’s see how the rich girl likes being dropped in the deep end, Tommy thought, a grim smile spreading across his face. 

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  Natalie began checking the rifle for any signs it might be malfunctioning, then loaded it with seven rounds, while Tommy dressed himself in his hunting gear. 

  She wondered how Lottie would fare out there. Personally, Natalie was certain she would give up within an hour when she realised what it was really like to hunt for the group.

  Tommy, however… Natalie was certain he would stay out there until he had brought something back. Even if it took all day. Even if it took all night…

  Natalie paused for a moment, then dismissed her thoughts. Tommy was tenacious, nobody here could deny that, but even he knew when things were too dangerous to continue. He would be fine on his own. 

  Natalie wished there was some way to observe her boyfriend in action, hunting by himself, but resigned herself to the reality of their situation. She would just have to sit and wait. 

  Misty cleared her throat as she set out the rules. 

  “Okay, so one-on-one means no assistance of any kind. If you get a kill, just leave it where it is, and we will come and help you bring it back.”

  I think she’s forgotten how strong Tommy is, Natalie thought. 

  “You yourself have to be back before sundown, or you’re automatically disqualified. If you’re not back by then, we will come out and we’ll find you”, Misty finished happily. 

  Tommy’s mouth twisted, and Natalie knew what he was thinking. During the months they had spent hunting together, there had been times when they had had to stay out until sundown, or later, while following the tracks the game left behind so they could catch them. 

  Natalie would have chafed at the time restrictions herself, but she knew it was for Tommy and Lottie’s own safety, as she went to hand the rifle to her boyfriend. 

  “Oh, and for weapons, we only have one gun”, Misty added, motioning towards the rifle, just as Tommy reached his hand out to take it from Natalie. “Maybe you can draw cards-”

  “Lottie doesn’t need a gun”, Mari spoke up. 

  Natalie swallowed her laughter as Tommy took the rifle from her. If Lottie loses this because of her own minions, I’m NEVER gonna stop giving her shit about it. 

  She saw a smile flicker across Tommy’s face before he spoke. “Probably for the best. As I recall, she failed the Penny Test quite miserably.” 

  Now he turned to Mari. “You didn’t, though, did you? You were one of the few who actually passed. And then you shot… three out of five targets, wasn’t it?” 

  “Uh… yeah?” Mari said, looking confused at the changing expression on Tommy’s face.

  “Would you like to be our next hunter, when this is over?” Tommy asked. “I’m perfectly willing to train you, if you want.”

  Now Mari looked shocked. Natalie was surprised as well, but she was starting to see Tommy’s plan. What better way to lure Lottie’s minions over to their side than by showing them they were the better choice?

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  Mari looked around uncertainly, as she felt everyone’s gazes now drifting to her. On the one hand, she truly believed that Lottie had a special connection to the wilderness. 

  On the other… she had, for six months now, resented the fact that she had passed the stupid Penny Test, being one of only four people within their group of twenty to do so, after which she had shot three out of five targets, only to be shunted aside as Tommy, Travis and Natalie set out every day and were seen as heroes within the group for bringing back food. 

  Mari had almost exploded with jealousy when Tommy had asked Javi to be their new hunter, but had held her tongue, knowing that she would only be seen as a brat for complaining, especially when Javi had started bringing back game. 

  “It’s alright”, Tommy said, noticing her hesitation. “You don’t have to tell us now. How about you think on it, and give us your answer when I get back?”

  “Uh… okay”, Mari said, nervously twisting her fingers. 

  Deep down, however, she already knew her answer. Sitting around with nothing to do, day in and day out, was boring her out of her skull. 

  At least it’ll get me out of the cabin, Mari thought, as their group began to head outside. 

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  “You good?” Natalie asked Tommy.

  “Yeah”, he said, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. “Wish me luck?”

  “Always”, she whispered, leaning in to kiss him. As they broke apart, Natalie pressed her forehead against his.

  “Stay safe”, she said.

  “I will. I promise”, Tommy replied, kissing her again before he set off.

  Natalie knew that Tommy knew what he was doing. She knew he was still the best hunter in the group by far, even with all the time they had spent here. 

  But as he walked off by himself, Natalie couldn’t stop a shiver from going through her. 

  Please be careful, baby. Don’t do anything stupid. 

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  As Lottie set off into the woods, she racked her brain as to what she was actually going to do. She had a knife with her, but would that be enough? Maybe for a squirrel or a rabbit…

  And how do I even kill one of them? Where do I stab it? Lottie had no idea.

  She had felt sick to her stomach when Tommy challenged her to the hunt, but she had known instantly that she couldn’t back down; the others would have lost faith in her, right then and there. 

  Lottie had hoped beyond hope that Tommy would start following her guidance after the starlings fell from the sky, but he only seemed to have doubled down on his stubbornness. And when Mari had insulted him… Lottie winced at the memory. Even she would not have stooped that low. But Tommy’s pride had been hurt, and now Lottie was out in the wilderness, with no real idea of how to catch an animal. 

  Then a rustling from behind her interrupted Lottie’s thoughts, and she turned around, pulling out her knife. But all she saw was a tree with the mysterious symbol carved into it. Lottie had noticed a few others like it spread around the area, and she walked over to the tree, placing her hand on it.

  Please. Whatever you wish, I am willing… I am able.

  But there was no reply.

  “Fuck me”, Lottie breathed. She was so far out of her depth out here, she didn’t even know where to turn.

  Tommy had more experience hunting in his little fingernail than Lottie had in her entire body. Unless a very small, defenceless animal just so happened to cross her path… Lottie saw no scenario in which he wouldn’t win this. 

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  Tommy walked slowly. Carefully. His boots made almost no sound in the snow as he walked through them, sweeping his eyes back and forth as he crouched slightly.

  To say that he was locked in would have been putting it mildly. Tommy moved through the snow with a practiced ease, the kind only gained from years of experience, and he kept his ears open, as well as his eyes, as he travelled down the path- only to find himself face-to-face with hoofprints that could only have been made by a fully-grown moose. 

  After days without seeing a single trace of game, Tommy couldn’t believe he had already found tracks, no more than a few minutes after leaving the cabin. To be honest, he found this almost insulting, after everything they had been through, for something like this to fall so easily into his lap. 

  Tommy shook his head to clear it of his thoughts. 

  No matter. Let’s get this done and go home. 

  He followed the tracks, keeping his eyes open for movement as he cocked the rifle.

  I know it’s you, you big fucker. I bet you felt REALLY proud of yourself for almost killing me back at the plane. Let’s see you try it with a couple of rounds in your chest-

  Then Tommy’s thoughts stopped as he spotted the moose, buried in the ice. 

  The giant deer had walked out into the middle of the frozen lake… only to fall right through it and freeze to death. 

  Very carefully, Tommy began to cross the ice. Though he had always been lean, with the exception of Ben, he was the biggest member of their group, and he slowly manoeuvred himself across the frozen lake, stepping gingerly to make sure he didn’t break the ice. A single misstep could mean death out here, a lesson the moose had learned far too late. 

  His loss. Our gain, Tommy thought, as he carefully brushed away the snow surrounding the fallen moose. Only its antlers and a small section of its head were positioned above the ice. Beneath the ice, meanwhile, its body was swaying gently in the water. It looked virtually untouched, and Tommy knew he had hit paydirt. It couldn’t have been dead for more than a few hours. 

  Fuck yes, Tommy thought, no longer caring if this meant he lost the contest as he set back off towards the cabin. 

  Tommy mulled over the idea brewing in his head, putting together a plan as he came towards the cabin, spotting Natalie pacing back and forth outside. 

  “Hey!” She called out, as she spotted him approaching. “Did you get something?”

  “Yes… and no.” 

  “What?” Natalie looked confused. 

  “I’ll explain inside. We’re going to need help. A lot of help.”

  “Okay”, Natalie said, as she followed him into the cabin. 

  “Everyone listen up!” Tommy said, causing the others to stop what they were doing as they turned towards him.

  “There’s a white moose, frozen in the surface of the lake. It was already dead when I found it, but it hasn’t been dead for long. I’m gonna need help to pull it out- moose can weight up to seven hundred kilograms.” 

  He paused, as he looked at them. “Actually, you know what? Scratch that. Everybody who isn’t Ben or Shauna needs to come with me, so grab your cloaks, all the axes, all the rope, and meet me outside in five minutes so I can run you all through the plan.” 

  “Here, Tommy”, Ben limped forward, holding out a small hatchet. “Take this. And he’s right”, he added to the group. “You all need to dress as warmly as you can-”

  “Wait, I thought the rule was no assistance”, Mari piped up. 

  “Oh my God, Mari. This is food”, Ben groaned. 

  Tommy felt like groaning himself, but he swallowed it as he turned to speak to Mari. He knew he needed to be careful with what he said to her. 

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  “If we can get the moose out”, Tommy said to Mari, “it could feed us for the next week, easy. Maybe two weeks if we ration carefully.”

  Mari watched as Tommy hesitated, then kept talking. 

  “Look, Mari, I can’t tell you what to do… I can only ask. So I’m asking you to help, because we need all hands on deck for this to make sure we don’t starve.”

  “He’s right.” 

  Mari turned around, expecting Natalie- and was surprised to see Misty instead, already dressed and ready to go while gripping the axe she had used to chop Coach Scott’s leg off when the plane crashed. 

  “Look, you wanna complain to Lottie, go for it”, Misty said, with a hard edge in her voice. “But I’m not gonna stand by and let the opportunity to feed us slip away. You want us to fucking starve… that’s on you.” 

  Mari didn’t know which was worse- being accused of selfishness, or having it done by the pint-sized Misty Quigley, who was holding an axe almost as big as her, but still looked determined to head out there and help bring back food. 

  The fact that Misty wasn’t even an athlete, but was still willing to help Tommy bring the moose back, activated something in Mari’s brain, and she instantly felt her face burn with humiliation as she went to get changed. 

  Shown up by Misty fucking Quigley. Didn’t see that one coming, Mari thought, as she pulled the winter cloak Tommy had sewed for her over her head.

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  “You alright?” Van asked Taissa as they began getting changed.

  “I’m fine”, Taissa mumbled.

  She didn’t look fine. Ever since the birds had fallen out of the sky, every night for them had been nothing short of a living hell. Taissa now seemed to be almost possessed whenever the other version of her awakened, always fumbling and jerking with the rope tying them together, to the point where Van had had to switch it to her other wrist, it was hurting her so badly. 

  So far, Van had always managed to bring Taissa back to herself before she took off again, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the possessed version of her overpowered the Taissa that Van loved. 

  After we bring the moose back, I will ask Nat and Tom for help, Van decided, as they walked outside to meet Tommy. 

  There’s no way I can keep this up forever. 

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  Was everybody here? Tommy began to count. Yes, everyone minus Lottie, Ben and Shauna was standing around him. Shauna had wanted to come, but Tommy had gently talked her down. At seven, almost eight months pregnant, it simply wasn’t worth risking her or her baby’s life. 

  “Okay, everyone listen up. When we step on to the ice, make sure to spread out. If we bunch up, our combined weight will break the ice, and we will fall through and either drown, or freeze to death. We’re going to start by tying the ropes around the antlers. That’s how we’ll pull it out. After the ropes are tied, we very carefully hack around the ice with the axes to free the moose.” 

  “Now”, he paused. “This is where things will get tricky. The moment the moose is freed from the ice, it will start sinking into the water. However, this is such a large animal… the hole simply won’t be big enough at the start to pull it out. So… some of us will be holding it above the water with the ropes, while the rest keep chipping away at the ice to make the hole big enough to pull the moose out.” 

  He turned to face Travis. “You and me will each be holding on to the end of one of the ropes when this is happening, while Natalie, Misty, Crystal and Mari keep hacking at the ice to make the hole bigger. The rest of you will be helping Travis and I hold the ropes. Sound good?” 

  Everyone nodded.

  “Any questions, queries, doubtful points?” 

  Everyone shook their heads. 

  “Alright”, Tommy grinned. “Let’s get this done.” 

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  Fucking Christ, Lottie thought, shivering as she moved through the snow. How the hell does Tommy do this every day? 

  After about an hour, she had gone to the hollow stump in desperation, cutting her palm with her knife in an effort to show the wilderness she was on its side. All that had gotten her was a hand soaked with blood, which was now dripping into the snow. Lottie was vaguely aware that she should bandage it. Maybe she had gone too far out already. But those thoughts faded away as she continued through the cold. 

  Surely she would find something if she kept looking. She couldn’t possibly-

  “What are you doing?”

  Lottie whipped around, only to see… Laura Lee?

  It was her. Blonde, beautiful Laura Lee, standing in the snow, wearing the clothes she’d had on the last time Lottie had seen her, before… before…

  Lottie let out a sob. “How? How are you here? Aren’t you… cold?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “Uh… No.”

  Lottie didn’t feel cold at all, which was strange, as she had been shivering from the snow only a moment before. 

  Laura Lee looked at her. “I think we need to get you out of here.”

  “But… but I don’t want to leave you.”

  “Lottie”, Laura Lee said, furrowing her brow, “if you don’t get warm, you’re gonna die.”

  “I… I feel fine. Better than fine, actually.” 

  It was strange, but she really did feel fine. 

  “You have to go.”

  “But… I…”

  “Go. GO!”

  Then Laura Lee shoved her, and Lottie fell backwards into the snow. 

  She felt her mind starting to clear, as she suddenly remembered how people freezing to death felt warm before the end.

  She tried to move back up. I have to go. I have to get back to the cabin. What am I doing out here? I’m not a hunter. I don’t know WHAT I am.

  But she didn’t have the strength to move anymore. 

  It’s over. I’m done, Lottie thought, as she slipped into unconsciousness. 

  She could only hope the end would be quick. 

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  Very slowly, their group of fourteen stepped on to the ice, testing it with their feet as they moved towards the moose. 

  At first, they tied the ropes around the antlers, then Natalie, Tommy and Travis started hacking away at the ice with the hatchets, while Misty used her axe. She looked so ridiculous doing it Natalie almost laughed, but the expression on Misty’s face was one of stubborn determination, as she chopped into the ice surrounding the moose’s head. 

  “Okay, we’re through!” Travis said. 

  “Great, let’s get on the ropes!” Tommy said, holding his hatchet to Crystal, while Travis handed his to Mari. The boys took their places at the end of the ropes, and turned their backs on the girls while holding the ropes over their shoulders, standing as though they were about to take off on a run. 

  Now Crystal and Mari started hacking away at the ice in their place, and Natalie saw the moose’s head beginning to move.

  “Get ready!” She called out, as the other girls took their places on the rope. Natalie stole a glance at them before going back to the ice.

  Five people on each rope, including the boys. More when we join them. This could work. We can actually FUCKING DO THIS. 

  Natalie threw herself back into cutting away at the ice, and saw the moose starting to shift further, as it began to drop.

  “Now!” She yelled.

  Everyone immediately started tensing up on the ropes, as the moose began sinking.

  Natalie and the others frantically began hacking away to make the hole bigger, chopping off pieces of ice as quickly as they could.

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  Jesus Christ, Tommy thought, struggling with the weight, as he saw Travis doing the same while they shifted their weight forward. This thing is HEAVY. Maybe we should have brought Lottie along after all-

  Then Tommy suddenly realised he had completely forgotten about Lottie. The two of them may not see eye to eye on everything, but Tommy wondered if she had made it back to the cabin by now.

  If she actually managed to catch something, I’ll eat my boots, Tommy thought. But despite his feelings towards Lottie, he hoped she was okay. He didn’t want her to freeze to death. 

  “Okay, I think the hole’s big enough!” He heard Natalie call out.

  “Alright. LET’S DO THIS!” Tommy yelled, as they began to pull. 

  “ONE, TWO, THREE- HEAVE!” He roared, and he heard the girls grunt behind him as they pulled on the ropes.

  Despite the heavy weight, there was an unmistakable shift away from the hole.

  It’s working, Tommy thought, as he called out again. 

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  “ONE, TWO, THREE- HEAVE!” Tommy bellowed. 

  Natalie strained with the others at the end of the rope, and the moose’s shoulders began to appear out of the hole in the ice.

  “It’s working!” She yelled out.

  “ONE, TWO, THREE- HEAVE!”

  They strained again… and again… and again.

  Natalie felt like her arms were about to pop out of their sockets, but the momentum from the fourteen of them was undeniable, as the moose’s front legs began to appear above the ice.

  “KEEP GOING!” She screamed. 

  “ONE, TWO, THREE- HEAVE!” Tommy replied, and the top of the moose’s torso emerged from the water as they pulled it out. 

  Then they pulled again… and again…

  On the pull after that, the moose’s rear legs finally appeared, and Natalie knew they were almost done.

  “ONE MORE, JUST ONE MORE!”

  “ONE, TWO, THREE- HEAVE!”

  Their group of fourteen heaved as one, and the last of the moose finally left the hole, its frozen body lying still on the lake’s frozen surface.

  “FUCK YES!” Natalie screamed, as everyone began to clap and cheer, high-fiving each other.

  It happened so fast, none of them had time to react. 

  There was a crack where Tommy was standing… and Natalie’s scream of joy became one of terror as Tommy disappeared beneath the ice. 

  He was under the water before she even blinked. 

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  Tommy had known he was tempting fate by shifting his weight downwards as he hauled on the moose. But it was the only way to make sure he didn’t slip on the ice. 

  As the moose was finally brought up onto the surface, Tommy finally allowed himself a sigh of relief, before he heard the crack beneath his feet. 

  Uh oh, he thought, before he plunged down into the water.

  Fuck, that’s cold. It was the last thing he thought before his head smacked against the rim of the hole he had made, knocking him out like a light as he began to swallow the water. 

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  “NO! TOMMY!” 

  Natalie had seen him hit his head before he disappeared under the water, and feared the worst as she saw Travis bend down to try and grab Tommy. 

  “Oh God- oh my God!” She cried out, pelting over to the hole which Travis had sunk his arm into. As she saw the blood on the rim, Natalie felt her stomach drop.

  “I can’t hold on, he’s slipping!”

  “NO!” Natalie didn’t hesitate, plunging headfirst into the icy-cold water to grab her boyfriend.

  “What are you-”

  Natalie ignored Travis as her head sunk beneath the water. But as she stretched down through the cold to latch on to Tommy’s jacket, she immediately realised she was leaning too far in. 

  Fuck, she thought, as she felt herself beginning to tip over into the water.

  At least we’ll go together-

  Then Natalie felt several pairs of hands grabbing on to her, pulling her up as she kept holding on to Tommy’s jacket. 

  The girls hauled her out of the water as Natalie and Travis kept holding on to Tommy. 

  He had already been under for… what? Thirty seconds? A minute, maybe?

  Too long, Natalie thought, as Travis and her brought Tommy out of the water and onto the frozen surface of the lake. He was white as a sheet, except for the side of his head, which was bleeding freely… and Natalie couldn’t see him breathing. 

  “Tommy?!” 

  Ignoring how cold she was already feeling, Natalie started frantically feeling for a pulse along Tommy’s neck. 

  Fuck. Her fingers were shaking too badly to find anything.

  “We need to get him to the shore!” She heard Misty call out. “It’s too dangerous to keep him here, the ice might break again!”

  The moose forgotten, Travis grabbed Tommy under his armpits and began dragging him back to the shore, as Natalie followed, sobbing while Misty supported her. She was shaking like a leaf from the cold water, but couldn’t bring herself to care, as she felt the tears running down her cheeks. 

  Don’t be dead. PLEASE don’t be dead. 

  “HE’S NOT BREATHING!” She screamed. 

  “He might have swallowed the water, I can do CPR on him!” Misty said to her. 

  Natalie was vaguely aware of how to revive a person, but let Misty take the lead as they got Tommy to the shore, stripping his jacket off. 

  Misty pressed her hands on top of Tommy’s chest, pumping up and down before pressing her mouth to his, filling his lungs with air. 

  Then she did it again, and again, while Natalie continued to cry, kneeling next to them as she was supported by Travis. 

  “Tommy”, she called out, feebly. “Please.”

  Misty kept pumping on his chest. 

  “Please.” 

  Then Tommy let out a choking noise, and Natalie gasped as she saw water beginning to pour out of his mouth.

  “Help me roll him over!” Misty called out, as Natalie and Travis rushed to move Tommy onto his side, while more water poured out of him onto the ground. 

  Natalie circled around Tommy to face him, and saw his eyes flick up to her.

  “N-N-Natalie?”

  “I’m here”, Natalie said, leaning down to cup his face with her hands. “I’m here, baby, I’m here.”

  To her surprise, she saw a grin appear on his face. “You know, they say a cold plunge is good for the soul… but that was just ridiculous.”

  Natalie couldn’t help it- she burst out laughing, as happy tears began falling from her eyes. 

  “You’re cracking jokes?! You fucking asshole”, she choked out, continuing to laugh as she pressed her lips against his, feeling the warmth returning to his body as she kissed him as hard as she could. 

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  “Can you stand?” Natalie asked him. 

  “Yeah”, Tommy murmured, as he slowly got to his feet, Natalie and Travis helping him up. Was he on the shore? His armpits felt like they were burning, and he realised that someone must have carried him. 

  Slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, he saw Natalie suddenly hug Misty as she cried.

  “Thank you”, she choked out.

  “It’s… it’s okay”, Misty replied.

  “You alright?” He heard Travis ask. 

  “Yeah. Did you carry me off?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  Tommy hugged him. “Thanks”, he whispered, as Travis’ arms went around him in return. 

  “No problem.”

  Tommy could now feel a burning sensation in his chest, and as he turned to Misty, he realised what she had done. 

  Before she could say anything, he enveloped her in his arms.

  “Thank you for saving my life.” 

  “Yeah… no worries”, Misty said, as he felt her burrow her face in his neck. 

  Tommy pulled away from her, and saw the rest of the group still standing on the ice. 

  He gave them a thumbs up, and saw several of them wave in return, but the side of his head was aching, and as Tommy brushed his fingers against it, he saw them come away bloody. 

  “Shit.”

  “We’ll get you bandaged up back at the cabin”, Misty said to him.

  “Okay.”  

  Misty took one of his arms, while Natalie took the other, and they started leading him away. 

  “Uh…” he heard Travis say. “What should we do about the moose?”

  “Get it to the shore if you can”, Tommy said. “Leave someone to guard it, and we’ll come back to get it later.”

  “Okay”, Travis said, as he headed back onto the ice, moving towards the rest of the girls as Misty and Natalie half-walked, and half-dragged the stumbling Tommy back towards the cabin. 

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  Despite his miraculous revival, Tommy didn’t look good to Natalie at all. He was still pale in the face, while his head continued to bleed, and he kept stumbling one way or another, before pausing to bend over and retch, a thin stream of bile pouring out of his mouth.

  Probably concussed, Natalie thought, as she and Misty brought Tommy into the cabin.

  “Oh, my God!” Coach Scott called out. “What happened? Are you okay?” 

  “He fell through the ice and hit his head”, Misty said. “Natalie pulled him out. We need to get his head bandaged and put them both in a hot bath.”

  Oh, YES PLEASE, Natalie thought, smiling despite the cold she was feeling. Sitting Tommy down in one of the chairs, Misty and Shauna stripped him to his underwear and covered him in one of the blankets. While Coach Scott sat himself down in another chair and began to bandage Tommy’s head, Natalie stripped to her waist, leaving her topless except for her dark-red bra.

  Natalie saw Tommy gaze at her and grin as he saw her wearing his favourite colour, and Natalie smiled back at him. They were okay. They were going to be okay. 

  She covered herself with another blanket, holding on to Tommy’s hand as he tried to follow the tip of his brother’s finger, which Coach Scott was moving back and forth across his face.

  “Yeah, pretty sure you’ve got a concussion”, Coach Scott said to Tommy. “Probably best you don’t fall asleep anytime soon.” 

  “Okay”, Tommy murmured.

  As Shauna boiled some water to fill the tub in the cabin’s back room, where they were keeping all the leftover animal skins, the others slowly trickled in from the outside.

  “We dragged the moose back to shore. Travis and Mari are watching over it”, Van said to them. “How are you guys doing?”

  “We’ll be okay”, Natalie replied. “Has anyone seen Lottie yet?”

  Everybody shook their heads.

  “We’ll go find her”, Taissa said, as Shauna came back into the room. 

  “The tub’s ready”, she announced to them.

  “Great, thanks”, Natalie replied, as she led Tommy over to the back room, while Misty and Coach Scott brought their changes of clothes for them to dress in when they were done. 

  Once everyone else had left, closing the door behind them, Natalie dropped her blanket and quickly undid her bra, breathing a sigh of relief as the wet material was finally removed from her chest. Taking off the rest of her clothes, she stood naked in the room as she tugged Tommy’s underwear off of him, then patiently guided him into the tub.

  “Hang on”, she said, clambering in after him, grimacing as the hot water made contact with her skin. 

  “Natty-”

  “Ssshhh”, she soothed him, pulling his head into her chest, laying it against her breasts. 

  “Now you can listen to my heart, for once.”

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  In all the time they had been together, Tommy had never found himself in this particular position, with Natalie being the one to cuddle him against her, and he was surprised by how much he liked listening to the steady rhythm of her beating heart.

  “Are you alright?” Natalie whispered to him.

  “I’m… I’m not sure.”

  He wasn’t sure, not really. His head was throbbing, the bandage wound tightly around his head. 

  Tommy wished he could dunk himself fully under the hot water, but that would spoil the bandage, so he settled for rubbing some of the water over his face.

  “No, let me”, Natalie insisted, so Tommy let himself relax as she began washing his face and neck, tracing patterns over his skin with the tips of her fingers.

  As Natalie moved her hands over his chest, Tommy felt himself begin to stiffen between his legs.

  “Um…”

  But Natalie had already seen his erection poke above the water. 

  “Oh”, she giggled. “Whoops. Didn’t realise I was having that effect on you.”

  “You’re kidding, right? You have that effect on me every day.” 

  “Hmm”, Natalie murmured. “Well… it would be a shame to let this go to waste.”

  Tommy was confused, then realised Natalie’s plan as her hand moved downwards and began to stroke him, while her other hand brought his head around to hers, as Natalie pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. 

  As she began to stroke him faster, Tommy slowly turned around, moving to put his back to the other side of the tub, as Natalie moved to straddle him.

  Though it was far from their usual modus operandi, they gently began making love to each other in the metal tub, Natalie burying her face in Tommy’s neck to muffle her moans, while his mouth kissed every part of her skin that he could reach.

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  Natalie bit her lip as hard as she could when Tommy moved his head downward to suckle one of her breasts, while his hand moved the other between his fingers, pinching at her nipple with his thumb and forefinger. 

  “Fuck”, she whispered softly. “More. Please, Tommy, more.”

  It briefly crossed her mind that it probably wasn’t the best idea to have sex with Tommy’s concussion, and the others standing right outside the door, but they had gone too far to turn back now, as the water quietly sloshed back and forth with their movements while Natalie ground her hips against her boyfriend’s waist, her hands gripping onto the rim of the tub. 

  Tommy tightened his hold on her as his arms moved behind her back, hugging her to him, and Natalie began to feel herself getting close. 

  “Almost- I’m- almost- ahh. Mgnh. Ahhhhh…”

  Natalie kissed Tommy passionately to quieten her gasps of ecstasy as she climaxed, while he quickly pulled out of her as he came, his seed blasting against Natalie’s belly in a fiery jet of heat, a sharp contrast against the now-cooling water. 

  They gazed into each other’s eyes as their breathing quietened, and Natalie lay down in Tommy’s arms, finding their usual position after they were done as she listened to his heartbeat. 

  “When you went under, and then we brought you out, you weren’t… you weren’t breathing”, she whispered. “I thought you were dead. That was… it was the worst moment of my life. No question about it.”

  It had been the worst moment of her life. Even worse than when the moose charged at Tommy, back at the plane. Worse than the plane crash. Worse than all of it…

  “When I reached in to grab you”, she continued, “I started to fall in after you, and all I could think was ‘at least we’ll go together’.”

  “What?” Tommy whispered. He sounded horrified, but Natalie turned her head to his, so he could see she wasn’t kidding.

  “I’m serious”, she said to him. “I was serious then, and I’m serious now. I don’t want to live a single day in this world without you.”

  Tommy’s gaze softened. “Neither do I”, he whispered, and they began to kiss again, Natalie twisting in his arms as her hands came up to cup his face. She could feel him hardening again beneath her, and she smiled against his mouth as she moved to straddle him again. 

  But any hope of them going a second round vanished as they heard the cabin door bang open, and the sound of worried voices filled the air behind the closed door.

  Lottie, Natalie realised, as her and Tommy began to scramble out of the tub. 

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  Dressing himself as quickly as he could, Tommy opened the door to see Lottie sitting on the floor, moving feebly as the girls started removing her clothes.

  Shit, Tommy thought, immediately beginning to feel guilty. I did this to her. She should never have been out there on her own-

  “Get her back here”, Natalie said beside him. “We can get her to the tub.”

  “Okay, yeah”, Tommy heard Misty say. “Let’s get her up. One, two, three-”

  “I’ll carry her”, Tommy interrupted, stepping forward and picking Lottie up in his arms, cradling her as he moved towards the back room.

  “I’m sorry”, he whispered to her.

  “It’s okay”, Lottie whispered back. “I… I didn’t realise.” 

  “Realise what?” Tommy asked, confused, as they entered the back room where the tub waited.

  “What you go through for us”, Lottie murmured, as he began to set her down.

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  To say that Lottie felt like crap would have been a severe understatement, as Natalie helped her lower herself into the water. 

  “Agghhh”, she hissed. It was boiling against her skin. 

  “I’m really sorry this happened to you”, Natalie said, her face a picture of guilt. “I was… I was just so pissed off by how everyone was acting around Tommy and me.”

  She paused. “Well, especially Tommy, if I’m being honest.”

  “It’s alright”, Lottie mumbled. “You love him. I can’t blame you for that.”

  She looked at Natalie. “Did you get anything?”

  “Yeah. There was a moose frozen in the lake. It’s on the shore now, waiting for us to bring it back.”

  Dammit. Lottie bowed her head. “How’d you get it out of the ice?”

  “Took fourteen of us to pull it out. Might not have worked even then, but… luckily, Tommy had a plan.” 

  Of course he did. Lottie felt like such a fool as she buried her head in her hands. What was the point in asking the wilderness for food when Tommy could go and get it any time he wanted? While she had floundered about and nearly died in the snow, with as much grace as a toddler falling into a swimming pool, Tommy had organised the group into bringing back a fucking moose, of all things, which would probably feed them until next week, at least. 

  In that moment, Lottie had never felt lower, as the tears began running down her cheeks.  

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  Tommy sat in a chair by the fire, Ben next to him, as they waited for the others to come back with the moose. Tommy had wanted to go with them, but Ben had insisted that he stay behind and rest, lest his concussion overwhelm him and create a whole new set of problems. 

  “You feeling alright?” Ben asked him, quietly. 

  “Wounded pride and a throbbing head. Other than that, I’m fine and dandy.”

  Ben chuckled. “Listen, Tommy…”

  Tommy turned to his brother, seeing the uncertain look in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry”, Ben said to him. “I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting ever since… well, you know… but I’m really proud of how you acted today. It’s because of you that we’ll actually get a proper dinner tonight, for once.”

  “Thanks”, Tommy mumbled, as Natalie entered the room and beckoned to him. Tommy slowly rose out of his chair and followed her into the back room, where Lottie was dressing herself.

  Natalie gave him a look, and Tommy realised what she wanted, as he started speaking to Lottie. 

  “I, uh…” Tommy began. “I know I said it already, but… I’m really sorry. I knew you were in no position to go out there alone, and I challenged you into doing it anyway.”

  He paused. “If it’s any consolation, I almost died today too.”

  Lottie blinked. “You did? How?”

  “I fell through the ice and hit my head just after we pulled the moose out. If Misty wasn’t there to do CPR on me… I might not be here right now.” 

  “Oh”, Lottie said softly. “I’m sorry too, for what it’s worth. Uh… good game?”

  To Tommy’s surprise, she held out her hand for him to shake, like they were opponents on the soccer pitch, facing each other after a match. 

  “Yeah”, Tommy said, shaking Lottie’s hand. “Good game.” 

  Lottie gave Tommy a faint smile, then moved past him, walking out of the room as Natalie turned to face him. 

  “Does she think we were playing a soccer match?” Tommy asked her.

  “Dunno”, Natalie shrugged, as a smile emerged on her face. “I’m really proud of you, you know. It’s because of you we’ll get to eat tonight.”

  “Not just me. All of us”, Tommy said, lifting his hand to cup Natalie’s cheek, as she leaned into him. “And I’m really proud of you too, for what it’s worth.”

  “Thanks”, Natalie beamed at him, as they moved to meet each other in a soft, gentle, passionate kiss.

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  “Do you think Tommy was serious?” Mari asked Travis, as they hauled the moose towards the cabin. “About me being the next hunter, I mean?”

  “I don’t think he’d joke about something like that”, Travis grunted, pulling the moose along. 

  “Besides”, he added. “Tommy’s probably going to be out of commission for a few days while he recovers. I doubt Nat will want to leave his side, so… if you want, I can take you out tomorrow and show you the basics.” 

  “Okay”, Mari said, feeling a smile creep across her face. Even if they didn’t get anything, she realised that she was actually looking forward to what tomorrow would bring, for once. 

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  As the afternoon passed, Van and Taissa helped Travis out as he cleaned and gutted the moose, using the techniques the Scott brothers had taught him to open the huge deer up.

  “We’ll need to preserve the insides”, Travis said. “There’s no telling when we might catch something next.”

  “Okay”, Van said, as she carried the moose’s entrails to the meat shack to hang them up. 

  The mood was a jovial one in the cabin that night, as the group feasted on the moose. They still had to be careful with how much they served up for dinner, but it seemed only fair to give everyone a proper meal, just for that night, anyway.

  For the first time in a long time, Van went to bed with the feeling of contentedness one only got after a good feed, and drifted off quite quickly. 

  She vaguely became aware of Taissa getting up in the middle of the night, probably to go to the bathroom or something, and rolled over to go back to sleep. But as she did so, Van’s wrist twinged painfully from the cuts the rope had made, and she began to rub at it.

  Fuck, that stings, Van winced. 

  Then her eyes snapped open as she noticed she had forgotten to tie the rope around her wrist. 

  Fuck!

  Van sprung out of bed as she realised what Taissa was really doing.

  Fuck, FUCK, FUUUUUCK! 

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  “Travis!”

  “Hmm?” Travis stirred sleepily, only to find Van was shaking him.

  “Taissa’s taken off, I don’t know where she is. Help me, please. I need a hunter for this.”

  Travis briefly wondered if Van had lost her mind, but the urgent look on her face told him she wasn’t joking.

  Quickly pulling his gear on, Travis headed out the cabin alongside Van, quickly spotting Taissa’s footprints in the snow.

  “Why is she taking off?” He asked Van as they followed the tracks.

  “I don’t know, she’s been like this every night. It’s like she’s possessed, or something.” 

  “Possessed?”

  “Not the time!” Van hissed at him. Following the footprints, they quickly came across Taissa… only to see her running.

  “Tai!” Van tore after her girlfriend, and Travis followed her. But as Van brought Taissa to the ground in a vicious tackle, Taissa struggled in her arms.

  “Stop, stop! Let me go! He’s getting away!”

  “What?” Travis asked. “Who?”

  Then he heard a rustle, and saw something move up ahead. Something that could only be… a person?

  Then Travis realised who it was, and ran faster and harder than he had ever run before, bringing his brother to the ground.

  “Javi, stop! For fuck’s sake, stop! It’s me!” 

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  Lottie’s eyes flickered open as the door of the cabin opened, and she grimaced as she felt the cold air rush in. 

  Christ alive, guys, could you shut the door already-

  “Javi!” She heard Misty exclaim.

  Javi?!

  Lottie gaped as she saw Van and Travis dragging the younger Martinez boy in.

  “Oh, my God”, she whispered.

  Nat and Tommy had been wrong. Javi was alive, just as Lottie thought he was.

  And once again, we have proof. The wilderness is protecting us. Lottie smiled.

  Let’s see those two know-it-alls try to explain away THIS one, she thought, as the pantry door behind her began to open. 

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Fourteen

  As Natalie opened her eyes, she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was nestled naked on top of a sleeping Tommy, with the familiar pleasant ache between her thighs reminding her of what they had been doing just before falling asleep.

  But as Natalie’s mind drifted back to the memory of her climaxing in Tommy’s arms, the rest of her memories from that morning flooded in, and she felt her eyes widen in shock as the images flashed through her head.

  Smelling Jackie’s roasting body, rushing outside as though she was possessed, tearing the meat apart between her teeth, then licking it off of…

  Oh, my God.

  Natalie quickly rose up and began to dress. She had to see. She had to know it wasn’t all a dream.

  You know it wasn’t, she thought to herself. You’re FULL, for God’s sake. When was the last time you felt full? 

  But Natalie ignored her thoughts as she finished dressing.

  “Natalie?” She heard Tommy call out. But she didn’t reply, as she left the pantry.

  She couldn’t face him. She couldn’t face anyone, right now. As she strode through the main room of the cabin, she passed by the others. Some, like Taissa, were sleeping, but most of them were sitting by the fire in silence.

  Natalie didn’t look any of them in the eye as she opened to door to face the horrifying sight in front of her.

  She didn’t know what to say. How could she know what to say?

  How could anyone?

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  Slowly, Tommy rose out of bed and began to dress himself. Now that he was full for the first time in a month, he was finally able to think clearly, and he felt a wave of guilt and shame rush right through him.

  He knew that what they had done was necessary. Who knew how much longer winter would last, really? Another month? Another two, maybe? How could they know for sure?

  But that didn’t make Tommy feel any less shameful, as he imagined the look on his family’s faces when they found out what their group had done.

  What… what he had done…

  Then Tommy realised with a jolt that he had not seen Ben that morning. Had he even taken part in the eating of Jackie? Tommy couldn’t remember seeing him there, though of course, he had been so caught up in what Natalie was doing to him, he wouldn’t have noticed if Ben had been sitting right next to him-

  The memory of Natalie licking Jackie off his fingers, then Tommy doing the same to her, went through his head, and Tommy instantly knew they had gone too far, as he finished dressing and walked out of the pantry.

  They had done what they had to do by eating Jackie, but… but they weren’t supposed to like it…

  As he entered the main room, he saw the Yellowjackets huddled together, some staring at the fire, some dozing on the floor.

  But Tommy couldn’t see Ben anywhere, and he knew he must be in his room.

  Tommy nervously knocked on the bedroom door, and pushed it open to see Ben lying on the bed.

  He was awake, but his eyes were only half-open, and he looked like he was staring into… well, nothing really.

  Tommy struggled to find the right words. I didn’t know what else to do… it was this, or starve… Natalie was going to DIE… 

  “I’m sorry”, he choked out, and shut the door behind him as a tear slid down his cheek.

  As Tommy re-entered the main room, he looked out at the others, and saw some of them turn to him.

  “I’m sorry”, he said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  Then he quickly walked across the room, opened the door, and walked outside before they could see him cry.

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  Natalie did not know what to do, as she sat on the porch, looking out at the cooked remains of Jackie’s body.

  There wasn’t much left, to be honest. Just a blood-soaked skeleton with frostbitten hands and feet, the only areas of Jackie’s body that had been spared from their cannibalistic rage.

  Oh, God, Natalie buried her head in her hands. It’s official. We’re cannibals now. How could it have come to this? How… how could we have DONE this? 

  She heard the door open, and felt the familiar tread of Tommy’s feet approaching.

  Tommy sat down next to her, and she wondered what he would say. An apology, maybe? Some expression of regret?

  “I…” she heard him say, beside her. “I’m sorry. I… I didn’t want it to go this way. I didn’t.”

  Natalie kept her head in her hands. Could we have tried harder to find game? We should have. We should have stopped looking for Javi after the first blizzard. We should have sat Travis down and told him Javi was dead MONTHS ago. 

  We should have… we should have…

  Natalie realised she was crying, as she finally removed her head from her hands, and as she turned to face Tommy, she saw his cheeks were wet as well.

  They looked at each other, and Natalie struggled to find the right words.

  What could she say? One part of her wanted to scream herself hoarse at Tommy, the other part wanted to break down sobbing and bury herself in his arms.

  “Was it your idea?” She croaked. “I never asked.”

  Tommy looked away, his face twisting in shame, and Natalie felt a fresh wave of tears come to her eyes.

  No… oh God, please no… 

  Then the door creaked open, and Taissa emerged from behind them.

  Natalie ignored her, as she gazed at Tommy.

  Why? Why would he have DONE this-

  You know why, her thoughts wrestled with each other. Because it was that or watch you starve-

  “What the fuck?” Taissa said, as she looked out at the skeletal remains of Jackie on the pyre. “Guys, what the fuck is that?”

  Natalie was so surprised, she forgot all about her thoughts towards Tommy, as Taissa began to move towards Jackie.

  “What the fuck? What happened?!”

  As one, Natalie and Tommy rose to stop Taissa from getting any closer, as she struggled to move past them.

  “Is that Jackie?! What happened?! What the fuck happened-”

  “Tai! Tai, it’s okay!”, Natalie saw Van emerge from the cabin and rush towards her girlfriend.

  “Something, s-s-something ate her-”

  “Taissa, we ate her”, Van said, looking at Tai in confusion.

  “No, I- I didn’t, I wouldn’t-”

  “What are you talking about?” Van said, as more memories from that morning began filtering through Natalie’s head. They were fuzzy, but she could clearly remember Taissa kneeling right across from her as they… as they…

  She couldn’t even say it.

  “You were sitting right next to me”, Van said.

  Taissa began to retch, and hurtled away with her hand over her mouth, as Van rushed over to her.

  “I must…” Taissa stammered out. “I must have been sleepwalking. Was I asleep?”

  “What?!” Tommy asked. “You weren’t asleep. You were the one who said we should put it to a vote yesterday.”

  A vote? Natalie almost retched herself, but Van was nodding.

  “He’s right. You were talking to us; you were looking right at us. You really don’t remember?”

  Taissa shook her head. “No”, she whispered.

  “Tai…” Van murmured. “You ate her right along with the rest of us.”

  Taissa began to shake, and stammer, then finally bent over the outside fireplace and vomited.

  Oh, God… Natalie turned her head away. The vomit was red. 

  Then Taissa saw it, too, and Natalie saw her friend’s eyes widen as she started to cry.

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  Tommy stared at the weeping Taissa, being comforted by Van.

  How could she have been sleepwalking? It doesn’t make any sense.

  But then again, Tommy knew nothing about sleepwalking. He had never seen it before, he didn’t know anyone who sleepwalked…

  Well, not until now, I guess, he thought, looking at Taissa, before turning to Natalie.

  “I’m gonna…”, he motioned towards Jackie’s remains. “I’m gonna clean this up, and put her in the shed.”

  Natalie stared at him. “You’re gonna put her… back in there?”

  “Just until tomorrow. I’ll take her to the crash site, and store her in the plane so the predators can’t get her.”

  He looked at Natalie, and held his hand out to her, which she hesitated, then took.

  “I’m sorry”, he said. “I… I didn’t want this.”

  “I know”, Natalie murmured, as she slipped her hand out of his and headed towards the cabin.

  Tommy watched her go, and felt his heart sink. Natalie might not be yelling or screaming at him, right now, but he knew she wasn’t happy.

  How could she be? Tommy chided himself. Who the hell would be HAPPY after doing this?

  He followed her into the cabin, and looked around at the others.

  “Does anyone”, he hesitated. “Does anyone know where Jackie’s winter coat is?”

  The girls looked around, before Gen from the JV team picked Jackie’s sewn-together coat off one of the couches and handed it to Tommy.

  “Thanks,” he murmured, before heading into the pantry and picking up some rope from one of the shelves.

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  Natalie watched as Tommy headed back outside, carrying the rope and Jackie’s coat. Some part of her wanted to ask if he needed help, but the words stuck in her throat.

  “He did what he had to do, you know”, she heard Lottie say next to her. “The wilderness wasn’t providing us with food, anymore.”

  Shut up. Just shut up. Natalie looked into the fire, away from Lottie.

  You wanted him dead, now you’re singing his praises. Make up your mind, for fuck’s sake.

  Taissa walked into the cabin and sat down on the floor, staring into nothing.

  Natalie looked at her, wondering what was going through Taissa’s mind.

  Had she really decided to put the decision to eat Jackie to a goddamned vote, yesterday? Somehow, oddly enough, it seemed fitting for Taissa, though Natalie did not doubt that, if the vote hadn’t gone her way, Taissa would have found a way to swing it in her favour, instead.

  She had always been decisive. That was why Allie was at home. That was why they’d left the crash site in the first place.

  And that’s why all that’s left of Jackie is a fucking skeleton. 

  Natalie buried her head in her hands, and tried very hard not to cry again.

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  As Tommy began to store Jackie’s bones in her coat, he saw Van bend down to help him.

  “Thanks”, he murmured.

  “No problem.”

  They worked in silence, and as they closed the coat up, Tommy bound it up with rope, and turned to Van.

  “So…” he began. “Tai… sleepwalks?”

  Van winced. “It wasn’t so bad at first.”

  At first? 

  “How… how long as this been going on?”

  “Months.”

  “Months?”

  Van lifted her sleeve, and Tommy saw a deep red line around her wrist.

  “We were tying rope around my wrist every night so she wouldn’t wonder off.”

  Van took a breath, and continued. “The other night, she released herself, and… she almost walked off a cliff. If I hadn’t woken up…”

  Van trailed off, and Tommy saw the tears in her eyes. He gave Van a hug, which she reciprocated.

  “I’m scared, Tom. I… I don’t know what to do with her.” 

  Tommy was at a loss, but steeled himself.

  “I don’t really know what to do, either, but… I can promise that I’ll keep an eye on her, if it helps.”

  He paused. “We should tell the others.”

  “I suggested that. Tai doesn’t want them to know”, Van said, as she pulled out of his grasp.

  “I guess I understand that, but… if it’s true that she was sleepwalking when we were deciding what to do with Jackie, and then when we were eating her… it may only be a matter of time before they find out.”

  Van swiped at her eyes. “I know. I… I know.” 

  “Maybe we should just… take it one day at a time?” Tommy suggested.

  “Yeah… maybe. How’s… how’s Natalie taking this, by the way? With… what we did to…” Van motioned towards the bag.

  “I’m not sure. I think she’s still in shock.”

  “Guess I can’t blame her for that”, Van let out a dry chuckle, as they started to dismantle the pyre.

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  The rest of the day passed slowly for their group. Coach Scott did not emerge from his room, and as the afternoon became the evening, Natalie went out to the shed to get him some of their leftover meat.

  As she gazed at the few remaining strips hanging from the ribs of their last remaining kills, she winced as she saw Jackie’s winter coat in the corner, bound up with rope. It was just so… small.

  Hard to believe that’s all that’s left of Jackie Taylor, Natalie thought, as she put the meat into a bowl.

  As she travelled to Coach Scott’s room, she passed Tommy sitting on the floor. He looked as though he was going to say something, then shut his mouth.

  Natalie didn’t know what to say to him. She still loved him, she knew that, but… the dynamic between them had changed, now that she knew the lengths he was willing to go to help her.

  As she delivered the meat to Coach Scott’s room, she saw the older man lying on his bed, eyes staring out into nothingness.

  “Uh… Coach?”

  Natalie placed the bowl on the bedside table. “There’s some leftover meat from the hunts, if you want it.”

  Coach Scott didn’t move a muscle, and Natalie turned to go.

  “Did you really lick Jackie off of Tommy’s fingers?” She heard him say.

  Natalie felt the tears come to her eyes again, and walked out the door as fast as she could.

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  As Tommy settled down into bed with Natalie that night, he struggled to find the right words.

  “Look, I… I know what we did… what I did was bad, but… are we okay?” 

  “Ask me tomorrow”, Natalie said.

  “Okay”, Tommy whispered, but as he reached for her, to draw her into his arms so they could sleep together like they had done so many nights prior, Natalie turned away from him as she lay down, facing him with her back.

  Tommy could have taken Natalie yelling at him, screaming at him, even hitting him if that was what it took to move past this. But somehow, having her turn her back on him seemed like the clearest way of saying that while Tommy may have done what was ultimately necessary, Natalie still hadn’t forgiven him for his actions.

  It took a long time for Tommy to fall asleep that night, and when he did, it wasn’t long before he woke again.

  Natalie was making short, snuffling sounds, and Tommy realised she was crying. His heart ached, but he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to gather her in his arms and shield her from whatever was making her feel this way.

  But how could he? The thing making her feel this way was… well… him.

  Eventually the morning reached them, and Tommy prepared himself to head out to the crash site, loading the Marlin rifle and slinging it over his shoulder as he walked out the door. As he did so, he ran into Travis, who was about to head inside.

  “What are you doing? Are you going on a hunt?” Travis asked him.

  “I’m taking Jackie to the plane. I’ll store her where the predators can’t get her, and when spring comes, we’ll bury her with the others. I’ll see if there’s time for a hunt after, I guess.”

  “Okay”, Travis said, taking a breath. “But… how about tomorrow?”

  No. Oh God, no.

  In all the madness of the previous two days, Tommy had completely forgotten about calling off the search for Javi.

  Travis looked at him expectantly, as though Tommy was supposed to reveal some brand-new plan that would magically reveal where Javi was, alive and well.

  Tommy sighed. He didn’t want to do this, but sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind.

  “Uh… why don’t we head inside? There is… something we need to discuss.”

  000000000000000000000000

  “No. No! NO, FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU!!!”

  At the sound of Travis’ voice, Natalie heard a crashing sound, and quickly leapt out of bed to find the boys locked in what looked like a wrestling match.

  “He’s dead, Travis!”

  Oh, God. Natalie understood. Tommy’s just told Travis that the search is off. 

  “FUCK YOU!” Travis was swinging wildly at Tommy, but Natalie’s boyfriend had his arms wrapped around the younger boy as Travis punched him over and over again, and Natalie realised what was happening.

  He’s letting Travis take his anger out on him.

  “He’s gone”, Tommy said, softly.

  “No. No”, Travis said, his voice coming out in a whisper as he continued punching Tommy in the stomach. Natalie saw Tommy wince, but he continued to hold Travis tight, and Natalie saw Travis’ punches slowly lose their power.

  Then Travis began to cry, in horrible, heart-wrenching sobs that made Natalie’s eyes fill with tears as well.

  She knew it had to be done, but that didn’t make this any easier.

  The boys slowly sank to the floor, and Travis buried his head in Tommy’s shoulder.

  “I’m sorry”, he mumbled, continuing to cry.

  “It’s okay”, Tommy whispered, continuing to hold Travis to him. “I’m sorry too. I am, but… if we were gonna find him, we would have done it by now.”

  Travis was still crying, his sobs filling the air as Natalie saw Van and Akilah take Travis off of Tommy’s hands, sitting him down by the fire.

  Tommy started to stand up from the floor, and Natalie saw him wince.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah”, Tommy grunted.

  Natalie knew he was hiding how much pain he was in, as he slowly started to walk over to the rifle, slinging it onto his shoulder.

  “Let me see.”

  “Nat-”

  “Let me see”, she insisted, and he slowly lifted his shirt.

  Natalie winced at the sight of his stomach, which was already starting to develop red-coloured bruises.

  “You still heading out to store Jackie away?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “You don’t have to-”

  “I’m not asking”, Natalie snapped, her voice an angry whisper. “You’re injured. You’re not heading out there alone.”

  “Okay”, Tommy murmured, and Natalie saw a smile emerge on his face as she went to get her coat.

  000000000000000000000000

  As Natalie emerged from the pantry wearing her winter hunting coat, tying the seatbelt buckles around it, Tommy made his announcement to the group.

  “We’re heading out to the crash site to store Jackie in the plane. When the ground thaws, she’ll be buried with the others.”

  Tommy hesitated as he looked around the girls, his eyes landing on Shauna. She was sitting on the cabin’s couch, her eyes staring into nothing.

  A lot of that going on recently, Tommy thought.

  “I’m sorry it came to this, I really am, but… there was no other way.”

  He was looking at Shauna when he said it, and he saw some of the girls gaze at her, but Shauna gave no sign that she had heard him.

  “Well, at least if you bury her out there, it’ll look like she died with the rest of them.”

  Ben’s words sliced like knives through Tommy’s heart, and he turned to go, Natalie following behind him.

  “Wait”, Lottie’s voice sounded out.

  “Oh, God”, Tommy groaned, as he turned back around to see Lottie holding one of her infernal cups of tea out in front of her.

  “I just want you guys to be safe”, Lottie said, sounding upset.

  “Is that why you tried stabbing me in the back?” Tommy said.

  A very awkward silence descended at his words, and Tommy chose to leave it at that, as he and Natalie walked out the door, heading into the cold.   

  000000000000000000000000

  As Lottie watched Tommy and Natalie disappear into the forest, she struggled to swallow down the mix of frustration and shame she was feeling.

  How could she make the two of them understand? Surely they had to have realised by now that the more they resisted the wilderness, the more it would deny them the food the group need to survive.

  Natalie had always been stubborn, Lottie knew that. But Tommy… he was on another level entirely.

  Not just of stubbornness, but of skill. And danger. 

  Lottie could still hear the crunch of the rifle smashing into her nose, before she could put the knife into Tommy’s back. That hadn’t been her finest moment, and she had regretted it in the aftermath, but she had just been so sure the bear was presenting itself to her to be eaten.

  Lottie had felt embarrassed when Tommy claimed the knife she was carrying wouldn’t have done anything to the bear, but mostly she had just felt frustrated at him stealing her thunder. She could have made the rest of them understand by now if Tommy wasn’t just so… so adept at survival. They would have starved to death before winter even happened if it wasn’t for him, that much Lottie could admit to herself.

  Truth be told, there was a part of Lottie that admired Tommy. Not just for his strength and his skill as a hunter, but his willingness to go out into the wilderness, day after day, without a word of complaint… and his love, as well.

  Tommy loved Natalie dearly, it was plain for all of them to see, and Lottie was sure that he would never so much as look at any of the rest of them as long as Natalie was here. There was a part of her that respected him for that, but whenever she heard the two of them making love in the pantry, Lottie could not suppress the pangs of jealousy she always felt towards Natalie.  

  Truth be told, Natalie and Tommy were not as quiet when having sex as they clearly thought they were, and once they had moved into the pantry, Lottie had very discreetly moved her sleeping materials as near as she could to the closed-off area without arousing suspicion.

  Tommy and Natalie had no idea that whenever they made love to each other at night, Lottie had been quietly listening to them. Sometimes that was all she would do, but other times… other times Lottie’s fingers would very discreetly drift between her legs as she lay under her bedcovers, listening to Natalie’s moans and wishing it was her in there instead, as images of her and Tommy’s naked bodies writhing against each other flashed through Lottie’s mind.  

  Despite their situation, Lottie was still a teenage girl, and she knew she couldn’t be the only one of their group to have wished themselves in Natalie’s place. Judging by the moans Lottie had heard the other girl make, it was obvious to her that Tommy knew what he was doing in bed.

  I should have gone after him back in Wiskayok, before Natalie snapped him up. If he was mine, now… maybe he would understand. I would make him the happiest man on earth if he understood. I’d fuck him all day and night with a smile on my face, and if everyone else heard us, I wouldn’t care, if only he… if only he understood. 

  How could I have been so stupid? Why would I try to stab him for saving me?

  As Lottie saw Tommy disappear from her sight, she let out a sigh of regret for what could have been, and turned towards Shauna.

  In the end, it hadn’t really taken that much convincing for Jackie’s former best friend to join them, yesterday. When Tommy beckoned them outside, Melissa had opened the door, and the smell… the smell would have attracted a vegetarian. It had certainly attracted Shauna, who had followed the scent of Jackie’s cooking body outside with what Lottie could have sworn was a dazed, but hungry expression on her face.

  “It’s what she would have wanted”, Lottie offered. “Maybe not for the rest of us, but for you. For the baby. I think some part of you knew that.”

  Shauna sniffled. “But I wanted it, too. I don’t know, I just feel so fucked up.”

  Lottie sat next to her. “You can’t blame yourself. We all did it, together.”

  Except Coach, Lottie thought. In that moment, it was hard to imagine he and Tommy were brothers, with Coach Scott being the only one in the end to reject what had been Tommy’s idea.

  Shauna turned towards her. “I’m scared, Lottie. I mean, everything feels out of control like… like I don’t know what’s gonna happen next. I mean what if I’m-”

  “Shauna, no. You won’t hurt the baby. You’re gonna be a great mom, and you have all of us to help and it’s gonna be a beautiful thing.”

  Shauna turned away to look out the windows, and Lottie struggled to figure out what to say. Maybe…

  “We should do something to welcome him”, she suggested.

  Shauna blinked. “’Him’?”

  “Uh… for you. So you know that we’re all here for you. And besides… we should start preparing.”

  “Are we having a baby shower?” Lottie heard Mari ask behind them.

  “Really?” Misty asked, her face lighting up.

  “Are we?” Akilah asked them.

  Lottie gazed at Shauna. “If it’s okay with you. I think it could be nice.”

  She had already decided what to give Shauna, and despite the animosity between her and Tommy, Lottie found herself silently thanking him for his sewing lessons, as she went to gather the materials she would need.

  000000000000000000000000

  The two of them trudged towards the plane, Tommy carrying Jackie’s remains on his back, while Natalie carried the rifle. As they reached the plane, which was knee-deep in snow, Natalie spoke up.

  “Can… can you give her to me? I wanna be the one to put her away.”

  “Okay”, Tommy said, and he handed the wrapped winter cloak to Natalie, while she gave him the rifle.

  Natalie stepped inside the plane, but as Tommy went to follow her, she turned back to him.

  “Could you… wait outside, please? There’s… there’s something I want to say to her.”

  “Uh… alright?” Tommy said. He looked confused, but he nodded, and Natalie nodded back as he stayed outside.

  She was grateful that he was willing to respect her privacy. It gave her hope that, in the wake of all the craziness they had been through, there was still some of the Tommy within him that she had fallen in love with back home.

  Natalie walked a little way through the aisle, before setting the cloak down in one of the seats. As Natalie sat down next to it, she stumbled over what she was thinking about saying.

  “I’m sorry, but… you’re lucky, you know?”

  She took a breath.

  “I think shit is gonna get a lot worse out here. But you’re already dead, so… way to make everyone jealous of you one last time. I’m sorry… for what we did. For what I did.”

  I licked you off of Tommy’s fingers. Twice. And then he did the same to me. And I… I liked it. And I HATE myself for how much I liked it. 

  Natalie felt a tear slide down her cheek.

  “I really am sorry. But… who knows? Eating you could be the reason why we survive the winter, so… thanks. Rest in peace, Jackie.”

  Natalie bent forward, and hid her head in her hands. But they didn’t stay there very long, as she began to hear the crunching of footsteps outside in the snow.

  Footsteps that definitely did not sound human.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy watched carefully as the snow-white moose appeared directly in front of him while he slowly cocked the rifle. Moose had poor eyesight at the best of times, but by the way its ears flickered back and forth, Tommy knew it had already figured out that it was not alone.

  Goddammit, he thought, as the moose faced him head on. As his father had repeatedly hammered into him, firing into prey from a front angle was risky at best, and downright life-threatening at worst. Also, even if Tommy placed the shot perfectly, he still risked the bullet travelling straight into the moose’s guts, which would spoil the meat, no question about it.

  Always move quietly, Thomas. Do what you can to flank the prey. When it comes to the larger animals, the broadside shot is a hunter’s best friend. With a frontal shot, you are always, ALWAYS rolling the dice. Not just with the kill, but with your own life. 

  The moose most definitely ranked amongst the ‘larger animals’ that Jonathan Scott had been referring to, so Tommy carefully began to step around to the right, putting one foot in front of the other.

  Come on… come on… stop bowing your head, you fucker, I can’t see where to-

  Then Tommy felt his blood turn to ice, as he realised why the moose was bowing its head.

  It’s going to…oh, FUCK ME.

  The moose began to charge as it made a beeline for Tommy, its antlers pointed directly at him.

  “SHIT!” Tommy dove into the entrance of the plane, scrambling forward as the moose smashed into the entrance, barely a metre away from him.

  “TOMMY!” He heard Natalie scream, as the entire plane rocked from the force of the blow. The moose drew back, and smashed into the doorway again.

  “Fuckfuckfuck-” Tommy said, frantically crawling further into the plane, then turning around and pointing the rifle at… nothing. The moose was gone.

  Goddammit. We could have fed off that thing until next week, easy. Why didn’t I just fire? Why did I try to be so SMART about it? Why didn’t I-

  Then Tommy’s thoughts were cut off as Natalie collided with him, and his mouth was engulfed by hers as she kissed him again and again.

  000000000000000000000000

  Even since she had woken up the previous day, Natalie had been wrestling with how she felt about what Tommy had done. She had understood that it was for their survival. She had understood that if he hadn’t done it, they may not have even made it another week, let alone to the end of winter, however far away that was. She even understood that he hadn’t forced her, or anyone else, to eat the cooked remains of Jackie Taylor.

  But none of that had quietened the realisation that the boy she loved was willing to go to such extreme lengths for her. It had been her fainting the other day which had triggered Tommy’s decision, and that… Natalie wasn’t sure she could ever move past that.

  She knew she was being selfish. She knew she was lucky to have someone who loved her as deeply and closely as Tommy, not just out here, but in general as well. How many others would kill to have him as their boyfriend? Most of the girls here certainly would.

  But as Natalie continued to wrestle with her thoughts, she had seen the moose emerge from the forest.

  Shoot it. Come on, Tommy, shoot it, what are you waiting for-

  Then Natalie’s thoughts were replaced by her horror as she saw the moose charge towards Tommy.

  “NO!” She screamed, as Natalie saw Tommy heading for the entrance to the plane.

  A split second later, Natalie felt the entire plane shake as the moose smashed into it.

  “TOMMY!” She screamed again. Had he made it inside? She hadn’t seen him.

  Oh, God. Oh God, PLEASE NO, don’t let him be-

  Natalie scrambled out of the seats into the aisle.

  “Fuckfuckfuck!” She heard Tommy say, as she saw him on the floor, pointing the rifle in the direction of the moose, as Natalie saw the largest member of the deer family suddenly take off.

  Natalie let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding in.

  He’s alright. Tommy’s alright.

  Then before she knew it, she rushed straight towards her boyfriend and launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and straddling him while she kissed him as hard as she could.

  In that moment, any feelings of resentment Natalie had felt towards her boyfriend for his cannibalistic plan evaporated in the wake of the moose’s attack.

  He could have died. Tommy could have DIED, and the last thing I would have said to him was to ask him to wait outside. If that thing had killed him…

  Natalie couldn’t help it- she burst into tears, as she continued to kiss Tommy over and over again.

  It would have been all my fault, she thought, and there and then, Natalie knew she would never have forgiven herself if that had been the case. Never. Not ever.

  “I love you”, she whispered to him, as the tears continued to run down her cheeks. “I love you so much, I… I-”

  “I love you too”, Tommy whispered. “Are you okay?”

  “Me?!” Natalie asked, incredulously. “Are you okay? I thought- for a moment there, I thought…”

  I thought you were dead. She couldn’t say it, she just couldn’t, but she saw Tommy’s eyes widen in understanding as he pressed another kiss to her lips.

  “I’m alright”, he whispered softly, but Natalie felt the tears continue to fall. That brief second when she had thought he was dead had been the worst moment of her life. Worse than her dad dying in front of her. Worse than the plane crashing. Even worse than the realisation just the previous morning that they had eaten Jackie Taylor.

  Natalie would rather have gone through all of that, all over again, than experience a single moment where she thought Tommy was dead, and as she continued to gaze at Tommy, looking into his beautiful hazel eyes, Natalie knew she had forgiven him for feeding Jackie to her.

  He just wanted her, and everyone else, to live. How could she resent him for that?

  Despite this realisation, Natalie could feel all the pain and trauma of the previous few months creeping up on her, and her eyes began to fill up with fresh tears.

  “I…” She began.

  “Yes?” Tommy prompted. “It’s okay, you can say it, whatever it is.”

  “I…” Natalie croaked out, and she started to feel herself slipping into a breakdown.

  “Hold me. Please.”

  Tommy put his arms around her, and Natalie buried her face in his neck, the tears running down her cheeks once again.

  “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to feel. I don’t want to be here, anymore, Tommy. I hate what this place is doing to us. I hate it. I hate it so much.”

  She pulled away and gazed at him. “I want to go home”, she whispered, as she continued to cry, and when she felt Tommy’s arms go back around her in response, Natalie buried her face back in his neck, and sobbed like a child.

  “I want to go home”, she repeated.

  “I know, baby. I want the same thing”, Tommy murmured.

  Natalie knew he did, but it didn’t keep her from crying.

  It was a long time before she ran out of tears, but Tommy never wavered, keeping her close to him, his strong arms around her, as Natalie buried herself in his warm, strong body, and dreaded the moment when they would finally pull away from each other.

  000000000000000000000000

  They followed the moose’s tracks for a bit, but gave up when they saw them head in the direction of the mountains.

  “It’ll be dark by the time we catch up to it”, Tommy said. “Probably better to come back tomorrow, and pick up the trail from there.”

  “Okay”, Natalie said. “Could you…”

  She motioned towards his shirt, and Tommy lifted it up so she could inspect the bruises Travis had left on his stomach.

  Her fingers moved gently over his discoloured skin, but the feeling still made Tommy wince.

  “Does it hurt?” Natalie whispered.

  “A little. I should be fine within a few days.”

  “Okay. You let me know if anything changes, alright?”

  “I will”, Tommy said, feeling pleased at the caring look in Natalie’s eyes. It meant more to him than words could describe.

  Natalie nodded, and as they began walking back to the cabin, Tommy felt her hand quietly slip into his.

  Tommy tried not to show it, but inside he was letting out the biggest sigh of relief he had ever known. They were okay. They were going to be okay.

  As long as he had Natalie, out here… Tommy felt like there was a chance that they could get through winter and retain their sanity at the same time. A slim chance, but that didn’t make it any less real.

  As they travelled back to the cabin, they were surprised to find the others all sitting around, looking like they were…

  What were they doing?

  “We’re having a baby shower tomorrow”, Gen said to them excitedly. “We all have to make a gift for Shauna.”

  “Sounds like fun”, Natalie said. The smile on her face looked genuine enough, so Tommy took it as a good sign.

  They spent the rest of the day together, coordinating with the others as to what gifts they should make and gathering the materials they needed.

  Briefly, Tommy wondered if he should ask Natalie if she knew about Taissa’s history of sleepwalking, but put it aside. After the experience they had had with the moose, it was probably best not to bring any more drama into today.

  000000000000000000000000

  Luckily, ever since they had decided to save the skins of every animal they brought down, the pile of materials they had to choose from gave their group the option to make just about anything they wanted.

  In the end, Natalie was very happy with the burp cloth she had managed to stitch together. Tommy had decided on a playmat, using the skins and furs of three different animals to create something the baby would be safe to roll around on.

  When they presented their gifts to Shauna the next morning, Natalie saw a smile emerge on her friend’s face for the first time since… well, honestly, probably since the doomcoming.

  Natalie hoped that this would mean Shauna was willing to forgive them for Jackie. They already had too much to worry about without the ongoing concern that Shauna might still feel like taking revenge for Jackie’s death.

  Sitting next to Tommy, Natalie watched as Van took her turn, handing Shauna a cone-shaped… what even was that?

  Shauna was confused as well. “What is it?”

  Van looked exhausted as she gave her answer. “It’s a changing teepee. To catch the pee. If it’s a boy. I saw one at a party emporium once.”

  Oh, Natalie thought. That still didn’t explain why Van looked so tired. Had she been up all night? Surely she couldn’t have been so worried as to think Shauna wouldn’t like her gift.

  “I don’t get it”, Mari said.

  “Uh… no, yeah, it’s good thinking. Thanks, Van”, Shauna said.

  “Yeah”, Van quickly stood up and walked away, sitting on Natalie’s other side.

  “You alright?” Natalie whispered.

  “I’m fine.”

  She didn’t look fine. Van was shooting nervous glances at Taissa, who was pointedly avoiding her gaze. Had they had a fight, or something?

  Now Misty stood up. “For my gift”, she said, a happy grin on her face, “I would like to perform a monologue from Steel Magnolias.”

  Natalie was not, and had never been, a fan of the Sally Field movie, but even to her this felt like a step too far. Didn’t the premise of Steel Magnolias involve Sally Field’s character being worried that she would lose her daughter?

  Misty must really have lost her mind if she thinks this is going to end well.  

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy turned his head to Natalie. “Isn’t Steel Magnolias about Sally Field being scared that her daughter would-”

  “Yeah”, she whispered.

  To their surprise, Misty launched into a passionate monologue of the scene where Sally Field’s character broke down at her daughter’s funeral… yet oddly enough, everyone else seemed impressed as she finished, and broke into applause. Tommy clapped as well, though more out of politeness than anything.

  Wierdest baby shower ever, he thought.

  As Misty sat down, Lottie got up, and gave Shauna a very nice-looking blanket that she had sewed together.

  “So he doesn’t get cold.”

  He? Tommy thought. How could she possibly know-

  Then he felt his eyes widen as he saw the symbol on the blanket. The same symbol that had been carved repeatedly into the floor of the attic, depicting an impaled girl with a hook at the bottom.

  Natalie and he exchanged a glance, and Tommy saw the fire crackling in her turquoise eyes as she turned her head towards Lottie.

  000000000000000000000000

  “Is this supposed to be funny, or something? I mean…” Natalie gestured towards the blanket.

  “What? No.” Lottie said, looking confused.

  “Then why would you put that creepy symbol on a baby blanket? Or don’t you remember how we found it all around a dead guy’s fucking corpse?”

  Natalie got to her feet, as Lottie tried to defend herself.

  “Yeah, I remember, but… I think he was using it as protection.”

  “He died, Lottie!”

  “Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean it’s evil.”

  I understand you’re a fucking lunatic, Natalie thought, as she took the blanket out of Shauna’s hands.

  “Give that to me!” She snapped. She was so sick of Lottie acting the way she did-

  “Natalie, don’t!”, Mari took the blanket and gave it back to Shauna. “It was a gift.”

  “We still don’t know exactly what it is”, Misty said.

  “And doesn’t her baby deserve protection?” Akilah asked, motioning towards Shauna.

  “Well, I trust Lottie”, Mari said.

  Natalie rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah, news flash!”

  “So do I”, Misty said.

  “Me too”, Akilah added. “She knows things, we’ve all seen it.”

  “Oh, I’ve seen, alright”, Natalie snarled. “I’ve seen her try to put a knife through my boyfriend’s back when he didn’t do what she wanted-”

  “Tommy’s the one who decided that we should eat Jackie!” Mari shrieked.

  “I don’t remember that stopping you”, Tommy spoke quietly. “Aren’t you the one who claimed Jackie’s jacket for yourself?”

  Mari flinched, as Natalie saw Tommy look out at the rest of the group.

  “I don’t remember any of you refusing to eat her”, Tommy said, a calm, reserved expression on his face. “In fact, I seem to recall you being quite eager to tear into her-”

  “Oh my God, Shauna”, Misty suddenly called out, and Natalie saw blood running down Shauna’s nose onto the blanket.

  But as Taissa came over to press a cloth to Shauna’s nose, Natalie began to hear thuds echoing down around them.

  Was it hailing outside, or something?

  But as Natalie looked out the window, she was astounded by what she saw. Not hail. Birds.

  Dead birds.

  000000000000000000000000

  Slowly, the group walked outside to look at the birds.

  Starlings, Tommy thought, recognising them from his family’s hunting trips.

  He had never seen them do anything like this. He had never seen any animal do anything like this.

  “Did these guys just suicide on our roof?” Mari asked.

  “Be careful, they could be diseased”, Tommy said.

  “We know that there’s a lot of iron in the ground. Maybe it messed with the birds’ navigation”, Misty suggested.

  Maybe, Tommy thought. He wasn’t sure what to make of this. He had never believed in Lottie’s nonsense, of course, but this… this was spooky.

  “We should gather its blessings”, Lottie spoke up.

  “Okay, just… hang on”, Tommy said. “If you’re actually thinking about eating diseased birds-”

  “If you’re worried about disease, all you have to do is check. You can do that, can’t you?” Lottie replied.

  Her tone was calm, but Tommy saw the gleam in her dark eyes as he bent down to pick up one of the birds, carrying it over to the table where they cleaned the kills.

  He didn’t know what Lottie was planning, but he had a sinking feeling things were about to get worse.

  Much, much worse.

  000000000000000000000000

  Van watched as Tommy carried the bird over to the table to check it for disease.

  She didn’t know what to think anymore. Only last night, Taissa had sleepwalked over to a tree with the symbol of the impaled girl on it, claiming that she was following ‘the man with no eyes’.

  As Van’s gaze drifted, she saw the baby blanket Lottie had made for Shauna. Shauna had bled right onto the symbol; Van could see it, clear as day.

  Van’s mind drifted back to the morning after the doomcoming, when the bear had knelt in front of Lottie. It had knelt, they had all seen it, before Tommy had charged forward and put seven bullets into the bear’s body.

  Van had supported Tommy ever since he had begun bringing back food for them, but now… it seemed that Lottie, of all people, was the one who seemed destined to guide them through winter.

  Maybe. Possibly. Van wasn’t certain.

  But she was certain that it was only a matter of time before Tommy and Lottie ended up locking horns again, and when they did… things were going to get ugly.

  000000000000000000000000

   Lottie watched, quietly satisfied, as Tommy began to open the bird up with his knife. He would find nothing there to suggest it was inedible, she was sure of it, even if he checked every fallen bird around them.

  He will be won over by this, Lottie thought. Surely even he cannot deny now that he is going about things the wrong way.

  He will understand. Natalie will understand. They will all understand, and we will all serve the wilderness as it is meant to be served. All as one.

  Together. 

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie approached Tommy, carrying another of the birds.

  “Anything?” She asked.

  “Nothing to suggest that it’s diseased”, Tommy said. He looked absolutely dumbfounded .

  “I mean, it looks… fine. Completely healthy. I don’t… I don’t understand.”

  “Me neither”, Natalie said, placing the other bird on the table as she brought out her own knife.

  “Look”, she began, as she started to open the bird up. “Whatever happens… I’m with you. Okay?”

  “I’m with you too”, Tommy suggested, and she saw the quiet determination in his eyes.

  Whatever comes next… we face it together. Even if we have to go through everyone else here.

  “You and me?” She asked.

  “You and me”, Tommy replied. “Always.”

[steamtrain52]

No Ordinary Boy - Chapter Thirteen

Hey everyone,

If you follow the show, you know what this episode involves.

If you are squeamish, do not read on. I have constructed my own personal take on this event, one that might make you question my sanity, and especially your own if you choose to keep reading.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Now read on… if you dare.

  The next two days proved fruitless in the search for Javi, just as Natalie and Tommy knew they would. There was no game either, to their despair, and as Natalie thought back to the remaining meat in the locker, while she trudged back to the cabin on the evening of the second day, she could find no scenario where their stores didn’t officially run dry within the next few days.

  She could feel herself stumbling along besides Tommy, and had to struggle to move forward, as her vision blurred in and out of focus. How far had they gone today? She couldn’t even remember.

  It’ll be over after tomorrow, she told herself. We will tell Travis the search is over, and no matter how much he screams, or whinges, or cries, Tommy and I will tell him no, as many times as it takes.

  Did they even have the energy to search for game after tomorrow? Natalie wasn’t looking forward to finding out. There was no disguising the fact that they had all been starving for a month now. She could now count her ribs when she looked at them, and Tommy’s as well.

  Not for the first time, Natalie wondered if Tommy had a plan for when the food ran out. Ever since their agreement to extend the search a few more days, he had been acting strangely. The others were probably too hungry to notice, but Natalie knew her boyfriend well. Only that morning, she had found him standing on the cabin’s porch, looking towards the meat shed, an odd, twisted expression on his face.

  She had asked what was wrong, and he had replied that he was just worried about Shauna. But Natalie had seen his eyes slip away from her in that moment, and she had known, deep down, that he was lying.

  But why? What reason would he have to lie?

  Then Natalie’s thoughts left her head, and were replaced by dizziness as they reached the cabin porch.

  It was one step. Just one step. Why couldn’t she lift her feet? They were staying rooted to the ground.

  Natalie managed to lift one of her boots, then swayed, as Tommy caught her before she fell backwards.

  “You okay?”

  “No”, she mumbled, as Travis took her other arm and helped lift her onto the porch.

  “Thanks”, she whispered as they moved inside.

  Can I even make it to tomorrow? I don’t know. But I have to.

  For the sake of everyone here, I have to.

  000000000000000000000000

  After helping Natalie remove her coat and boots, Tommy helped her sit down on the floor.

  She didn’t look good. Her eyes were shifting around, as though she couldn’t see properly, and she was swaying slightly as well. Tommy could also see a cold sweat emerging on her brow, and he lifted his sleeve to gently wipe it off, as Natalie kept moving back and forth.

  Compared to the previous months out here, Tommy’s girlfriend looked thin as a rake. Even her hair looked thinner than it used to be. After half a year in the wilderness, the bleach was finally starting to leave her hair, and her dark roots were showing, but like the rest of her, they were obviously… painfully… thin.

  She can’t last much longer, Tommy thought. None of us can. 

  He had wrestled with his decision for weeks now, but as he looked at Natalie’s sickly, sweating, heartbreakingly thin body, the practical part of his brain was starting to sound very convincing indeed.

  It has to be done. She’ll die if you don’t do it. She might hate you for it… but at least she will be alive to do so. 

  Please understand, my darling, Tommy thought, gazing at Natalie, as he felt tears prickling in his eyes. I just… I just want us to live. 

  “I’m pretty sure it’s done by now”, he heard someone say.

  “Yeah.”

  Tommy looked over to see Misty and Crystal talking to Mari, who was slowly stirring another pitifully small portion of meat in a saucepan over the fire.

  Misty and Crystal. If there was ever an odd couple…

  Truth be told, Tommy hadn’t really interacted with Crystal that much in their time out here. She was a defender on the JV team, but other than that, the only thing he really knew about her was that she liked to sing.

  No, that didn’t quite sum her up. Crystal loved to sing, and dance, and hum under her breath, to the point where the words ‘shut the fuck up, Crystal’, had become quite common to hear over the last few months.

  Yet to the surprise of everyone else, Misty and Crystal had seemed joined at the hip over the previous two days, and as Mari turned around to look at them, Tommy heard her let out a groan.

  “Oh, great. There are two of you now?”

  Looks that way.

  “Is Shauna in the shed again?” Akilah asked.

  “It’s freezing outside”, Natalie said.

  “Well, then maybe one of you should go out and get her”, Ben spoke up.

  “I’ll go”, Tommy said, shuffling to his feet as he headed towards the door. He wasn’t looking forward to interacting with Shauna, but-

  “Don’t. She’ll come when she’s ready.”

  Tommy turned around very slowly to face Lottie, and was about to say some very choice words to her when Taissa spoke up first.

  “You make it sound like she’s doing her homework, Lot.”

  “She’s processing and she needs our support. I think it’s healthy.”

  “Healthy?” Tommy asked. “Spending all day in a shed with a frozen corpse? That’s your idea of healthy?” 

  “Oh, I don’t know”, Natalie said. “Everyone who’s seven months pregnant should risk getting pneumonia by staying up half the night chatting with their dead best friend.”

  Tommy smirked, and Natalie smirked back at him. At least she hadn’t lost her sense of humour.

  “It’s not fair”, Misty complained. “We’re always waiting on her.”

  “Well, maybe we should just eat hers tonight”, Mari stated, taking the saucepan out from the grill where it had been resting. “That’ll get her to move her ass.”

  “No one is eating Shauna’s food”, Taissa said.

  “Then I guess I’d better move fast”, Tommy stated, opening the door and stepping out into the cold.

  The door to the meat shed was open.

  Jesus Christ, it’s like she WANTS to freeze to death, Tommy thought, as he called out.

  “Shauna?”

  There was a crash, and the door slammed shut.

  What the hell? Tommy thought, as he knocked on the door.

  “Shauna, come on, it’s dinnertime.”

  “Just give me a minute!” He heard Shauna say, as he heard shuffling inside the meat shed, before the door opened and Shauna emerged, red in the face, like she’d just been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

  But what on earth could she be doing?

  Shauna looked down and pushed past Tommy, walking towards the cabin.

  Well, waddling was probably a more accurate term to describe it. At seven months pregnant, Shauna had been reduced to a slowly shuffling mess, and the anger she’d shown Tommy in the aftermath of Jackie’s death seemed to have been replaced by a deep, tired sadness instead. 

  Tommy watched as Shauna paused in front of the cabin porch, looking like she was gathering the strength to lift her feet, as Natalie had done earlier.

  “Do you… need a hand?”

  “No”, Shauna mumbled, as Taissa opened the door, carrying the pot they were using for pissing in.

  “Did either one of you take a shit in this thing?” She asked them.

  “No”, both Tommy and Shauna said, as Taissa rolled her eyes and moved past them, while they moved inside.

  Tommy sat down next to Natalie, and slowly ate his way through his portion of the meat. It didn’t take long. Nothing they did in relation to food took long anymore.

  Tomorrow. Let’s put off thinking about it until tomorrow, after we get back. 

  000000000000000000000000

  The next morning, Natalie was stiffer than she could even remember being, and more tired, and more… hungry.

  She was sick of being hungry all the time. She was sick of freezing her ass off every day they went out there. She was just… she was just so sick of it all.

  As she and Tommy dressed that morning, she looked through the window at Lottie standing with Travis, performing the ‘Bullshit Ritual’, as Tommy had so lovingly christened it. It usually made her smile to think of it that way, but she somehow felt too tired to even do that right now.

  “You good?” She heard Tommy whisper next to her.

  “Yeah”, she mumbled.

  “Last day. Then we tell him, tonight.”

  “Yeah.”

  Somehow her brain couldn’t even think of anything else to say in that moment, as she felt Tommy’s hand squeezing hers while he gently pressed his lips to her forehead.

  They set out up the mountain, and Natalie struggled to put one foot in front of the other.

  One more step. Now one more. Now one more-

  “You guys missed the blessing.”

  “We figured you had it covered”, she mumbled back.

  “Would’ve been better if you could’ve been there. The tea… it’s just a symbol.”

  “Of what, exactly?” Natalie asked.

  “My theory? Lottie’s trying to turn us into vampires. No, really”, Tommy insisted, as Natalie let out a snort of laughter.

  “It’s about not being so closed off. Thinking you know everything.”, Travis said.

  “We know more than she does”, Tommy snapped at him.

  “Yeah”, Natalie backed him up. “She goes all ‘witch doctor messiah’, and we’re the ones not being humble?” Natalie asked Travis incredulously.

  “I was talking about myself”, Travis said.

  Natalie scoffed. “It doesn’t bother you that we’re freezing out asses off, trying to feed everyone, while she’s off holding hands, and mumbling, and making friends with the spirits of each and every fucking pine needle?”

  “Everyone has their role. Okay? We’re gonna need more than just food if we’re gonna make it through this winter.”

  “Like what?!” Tommy suddenly exploded. “Name one thing. Just one thing.”

  But Travis was silent, and Natalie scoffed again.

  “Jesus Christ. You don’t actually believe in that stuff she’s spewing, do you?”

  But all Travis did was keep moving, further and further away, and Natalie struggled to keep up with him.

  “Hey, come on”, Tommy called out. “You’re going the wrong way.”

  Natalie stopped. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t realised, but Tommy was right.

  “No, we’ve been that way before”, Travis said, moving further away.

  “Travis, you won’t have the gun if you go that way”, Tommy said. He was carrying the Marlin rifle, and showed no signs of following Travis, to Natalie’s relief.

  “How are you going to kill anything, if you find it?”

  “I’ll figure something out”, Travis mumbled.

  Natalie rolled her eyes. He’s dead. For God’s sake, Javi is dead. 

  Hang on, no. They were talking about hunting. Wait, were they? She wasn’t sure.

  The dizziness was returning, and she shook her head to clear it.

  “Look, if you wanna go that way, go that way, but we need a plan”, Tommy said, as he looked around.

  “When the sun hits that peak, we meet up in the clearing with the mossy tree. Okay?” Tommy said. Natalie didn’t even bother to look where he was pointing. Somehow, it had become too much of an effort to turn her neck.

   Her dizziness was getting worse, and she shook her head again.

  “Yeah. See you later. Good luck.” Those were the only words Travis said before he took off, and Natalie felt nothing but happiness that he was going.

  Finally. She had Tommy all to herself now, and she didn’t even feel dizzy anymore. They could actually act like they were on holiday for once. Maybe if they came to a tree stump or a pile of rocks or something, she could bend over and have him fuck her from behind. It didn’t even feel that cold, they could probably get away with it.

  “Hey, Tommy?” She said, before Travis had even disappeared from sight. “How about we try… try…”

  Why wasn’t her tongue working? Had she bitten it off, or something?

  Then as Tommy turned to her, she saw his eyes widen before she fell forward. She didn’t even feel the pain of hitting the ground.

  Funny that, Natalie thought, before she drifted into oblivion.

  000000000000000000000000

  “No!” Tommy screamed, as Natalie fell forward, smashing into the ground before he could catch her.

  “TRAVIS!” He bellowed at the top of his lungs, and he saw the speck that was Travis turn around. Tommy waved frantically at him, as Natalie began to babble while Tommy turned her over on her back, holding her in his arms. 

  “Wodjet… tufar… magahnan…”

  “What?”

  “Magahnan”, Natalie repeated, as her eyelids fluttered.

  It’s my fault. All my fault. I’m so sorry. 

  After a solid month of starvation, relentlessly walking about a dozen miles each day, and getting up earlier and earlier with each passing week, Natalie had finally hit the wall that Tommy had feared, and he quickly brought his arms under Natalie’s body and lifted her up, cradling Natalie like a baby.

  “I’m so sorry”, Tommy said to her.

  I did this. I pushed her too far.

  Travis drew up next to them, and Tommy motioned towards the rifle.

  “Grab the gun!” He yelled, struggling to keep the tears out of his eyes. “We need to head back, right the fuck now!”

  They set off immediately for the cabin, Tommy holding Natalie close to him.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Natty. I’m so sorry-”

  “Tommy?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. I’m here, baby, I’m here.”

  “Are you… carrying me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Mmm”, Natalie murmured. “My hero.”

  She smiled up at him, but Tommy didn’t feel like smiling back.

  We should never have come out here. Why? Why couldn’t I just sit Travis down and tell him the search was off? Why… why couldn’t I have been stronger?

  Then as Tommy wallowed in his thoughts, he felt the last dregs of his morality slip away from him, and the practical part of his brain finally won out.

  You will have to be stronger now. Stronger than you have ever been before. It’s the only way. You know it’s the only way. 

  I know, Tommy said to himself, but that doesn’t make it any easier. 

  They’ll hate me. I know they’ll hate me, especially Shauna. But they will be alive to hate me, and that’s all that matters in the end. 

  Finally, as they drew close to the cabin, Tommy began to visualise how the plan would go ahead. They would need a pyre, of course, and several-

  What the hell?

  Tommy felt his mouth drop open as he saw the girls building a pyre, right in front of the cabin.

  Had he told them to build one already? He didn’t remember doing so.

  Am I the one going crazy now?

  Then he heard the girls cry out as they saw him cradling Natalie in his arms.

  “Nat?”

  “Oh, my God!”

  “Is she okay? What happened?”

  “She passed out!” Tommy yelled at them. “We need to get her inside!”

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie was vaguely aware of her jacket and boots being removed, of Tommy placing her in their bed, covering her with the bearskin blanket.

  Was it bedtime, already? Oh, good. She felt so tired…

  “Go to sleep. It’s okay, Natty, just go to sleep.”

  “Okay”, she murmured. “Come on, then.”

  She reached out to pull Tommy down beside her into a tight, warm cuddle, like she had done a hundred times before, but this time he moved back, away from her.

  “What…”

  “There’s something I have to do first”, Tommy said, as she gazed up into his hazel eyes.

  “I’ll come by soon, I promise. I promise, okay?”

  “Okay”, Natalie whispered, as Tommy leaned down to press his lips to her forehead.

  “Just sleep, baby. Please, just sleep.”

  000000000000000000000000

  As Natalie drifted off, Van watched as Tommy closed the door behind him, and found himself looking into Van’s concerned eyes.

  “Is she gonna be okay?”

  “I don’t… I don’t know”, Tommy whispered, as Van saw his bottom lip quiver.

  Van decided to give him a hug, and she felt his arms go around her in response.

  “What, uh…” he trailed off. “Why are you guys building a pyre out there?”

  Reluctantly, Van let him go, and struggled to explain. How Taissa had finally gotten sick of not knowing what Shauna was up to with Jackie. How they had found out Shauna had been braiding Jackie’s hair, giving her makeovers, even posing her like she was a doll…

  Tommy’s eyes widened, and Van went on.

  “We’re gonna cremate her. Today. They’ll be bringing her out soon.”

  “No, we can’t do it today. We need the full day.”

  Van blinked. “What? Why?”

  Tommy winced. “There is… something we need to do. It is… going to be the worst thing we’ve ever done, but it might make all the difference between life and death.”

  “Okay. What is it?”

  Slowly, reluctantly, Tommy explained his plan to her, and Van felt herself growing sick.

  “Are you ser… oh my god, you are serious, aren’t you?”

  “I am. And I’m also serious when I say this might be the thing that gets us through winter.”

  Jesus Christ. Van looked away, bringing her hand to her mouth.

  She didn’t want to do this… but she didn’t want to die, either. She felt like she was being torn apart, but maybe that was just the hunger.

  Van didn’t want this. No part of her wanted this. But… despite herself… she understood. She understood why Tommy was even suggesting this.

  Everyone here now looked more like a skeleton than a living person. How could they not? They were starving. They were all starving, and tired, and at the end of their rope.

  Though the Yellowjackets might have differing opinions on Tommy Scott, the one thing they could all agree on when it came to him was that he was the expert when it came to their survival out here. But it wasn’t just that. Tommy had a ruthless, pragmatic edge to him that even his brother didn’t have, and deep down, Van knew they needed that if they were going to survive out here.

  She still didn’t want to go along with what Tommy was suggesting, but…

  “Are you sure?” She asked. “Are you absolutely, positively, one hundred percent sure this is the only way?”

  “I am.”

  “Okay”, Van said. “But you’re gonna have trouble convincing the others.”

  000000000000000000000000

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Fuck you!”

  “No fucking way!”

  The last one came from Shauna, who was already shaking and crying at what Tommy was suggesting.

  He took a breath. “We’ve been down to tiny, miniscule portions of food for the last month. If we don’t eat something, and I mean properly eat something, we’re all going to pass out from exhaustion like Natalie did, and end up wasting away on the floor, just like Jackie.”

  “Who you are now- correct me if I’m wrong- proposing that we eat?!” Ben yelled at him.

  Tommy winced. He’d hoped his brother would support him in this.

  He looked around the room. Some of the girls were looking at him with the same expressions they had worn when they found him holding Jackie’s body.

  Not all of them, though. Van, at least, seemed to have been convinced, while Mari was gazing at him with a neutral, almost tired look on her face. Even Misty looked almost excited at what Tommy was suggesting.

  Not sure that’s a good thing, but I’ll take what I can get. 

  Then Taissa stepped forward, and Tommy met her gaze.

  It would be an understatement to say that their relationship so far had been… unsteady was the word Tommy would use.

  But beneath that, in their time out here the two of them had come to a mutual understanding that if they were going to survive… no option could be off the table. None at all.

  “Are you sure?” Taissa asked quietly. “Are you sure this is the only way?”

  “Yes”, Tommy said. “Jackie is dead. Natalie is…” he swallowed. “I think she might be next. I know, I know this seems terrible. It is terrible, but… if we don’t do this, we will all starve to death, one after the other, before winter ends.”

  A hush fell over the room at his words, and Tommy saw the expressions on several of the Yellowjackets begin to shift.

  “No”, Shauna said. “No, we can’t do this-”

  “Shauna”, Taissa said. “Tommy knows more about survival than any of us, except Coach, maybe. If this is what he’s suggesting… it might make all the difference between life and death-”

  “No!”

  “Fine. We’ll put it to a vote”, Taissa called out. “Majority rules. Nobody abstains. Raise your hand if you say no.”

  Shauna raised her hand, of course, and Ben raised his, to Tommy’s disappointment.

  But as he looked around the room… he noticed that nobody else had joined them. Not even Lottie.

  Oh, my God. 

  “No, guys, please-” Shauna begged.

  “Raise your hand if you say yes”, Taissa said coolly, and the remaining hands from the group shot up into the air.

  “Fourteen votes to two. We’re going with Tommy’s plan.”

  “What the fuck is wrong with you, Tai?”

  “I don’t wanna starve to death. That’s what the fuck is wrong with me”, Taissa snapped at Shauna. “Tommy, what do you need us to do?”

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie drifted in and out of sleep, vaguely aware of the sound of boots stepping just outside the pantry, while snippets of hushed voices reached her ears.

  Slow cook… cut the hair… tomorrow morning…

  Natalie rolled over, and went back to sleep. Eventually, she became aware of Tommy joining her, taking his shoes off as he slid under the blanket next to her.

  “Hey, you”, she smiled at him, cuddling into his side.

  “Hey, yourself”, Tommy murmured, as Natalie listened to his heartbeat, letting it lull her to sleep yet again.

  Eventually, she woke to the feeling of Tommy stroking her hair between his fingers.

  “Mmm”, she moaned, sinking further into him. “How long was I out?”

  “Uh… the whole night. You’ve been in here since yesterday morning. You don’t remember?”

  “Remember?”

  Then the images filtered back through Natalie’s head. Walking out into the snow, her exhaustion-infused fantasies, Tommy carrying her in his arms…

  Oh. Oh, shit. 

  What on earth were they going to do now? Even after her long, deep rest, getting up was the last thing Natalie wanted to do. And she was so… hungry…

  Did she even have the energy to get up? She slowly rose into a sitting position.

  “Okay. Did you tell Travis the search is off? Is he even coming with us today?”

  “I didn’t tell him. And… there’s not going to be a hunt today. We’re doing… something else.”

  “What?”

  “Look, I just want you to know I didn’t… I didn’t want this, okay?”

  “Didn’t want… what?”

  “We’re… we’re…”

  Tommy paused, then looked Natalie in the eye and said the last thing she ever expected him to say.

  “We’re going to eat Jackie. She’s the only verifiable source of food we have left.”

  “W-what?”

  “I’m sorry-”

  “No. No, Tommy, no-”

  “We took a vote yesterday. It’s happening today, Nat. We’ve already built the pyre; it’s going to start soon.”

  “No”, Natalie gaped at him. She could feel hot tears prickling behind her eyes.

  “Tommy, no, don’t do this-”

  “I’m sorry”, Tommy said to her. “But you could have died yesterday. I don’t see any other way for us to survive.”

  He slowly rose from their bed, and left the pantry, closing the door behind him.

  Natalie stared after him, and felt the tears running down her cheeks.

  No. How could it have come to this? Why? Why… why is he DOING this?

  You know why, the more selfish part of her whispered, he’s doing it so Jackie is the only one who dies this winter, and not just the first. 

  But that didn’t stop Natalie from lying down in her bed, and crying herself back to sleep.

  000000000000000000000000

  “How did she take it?” Tommy heard Van ask, as they laid Jackie down by the pyre.

  “Not well”, he replied.

  “She’ll come around.”

  “I… hope you’re right.”

  Despite Shauna’s ongoing protests, they had decided to strip Jackie of her clothes, and cut her hair as well so it wouldn’t burn. At this point, Tommy could feel, their group had decided to put morality and human decency to the side, at least until they felt full again.

  Despite the fact that they were all wearing their sewn-together winter cloaks, Mari quickly swooped down and claimed possession of Jackie’s letterman jacket from where Van threw it on the ground, which caused Shauna to dissolve into a sobbing mess and shuffle into the cabin, slamming the door behind her.

  Tommy winced. What was he going to say to Shauna after this? Somehow the words I’m sorry didn’t quite seem to cut it.

  As everyone else headed indoors, Tommy and Van started to remove Jackie’s shoes, while Taissa began cutting Jackie’s hair with the scissors they had been using to trim everyone over the last six months.

  Briefly, Tommy wondered if he could borrow the scissors for trimming the beard he was starting to grow. He hadn’t cut his facial hair since winter began, and while it did help keep his face warm, it was just so itchy sometimes-

  “Uh… guys?”

  Tommy and Van looked up to see Taissa motioning towards one of Jackie’s ears… except, there was no ear to look at.

  “What the hell?” Tommy asked.

  “Shauna”, Van said. “It has to be. I guess now we know why she was so against us doing this.”

  Oh, God.

  Then as they slowly removed Jackie’s clothes, they found something else: a sizeable divot in Jackie’s left arm.

  “Oh, my God-”

  “Jesus.”

  “What the hell do we do about this?” Van asked.

  “Honestly? I say nothing”, Tommy said.

  “What? What do you mean, nothing?” Taissa asked.

  “Shauna has been through enough. We’ve all been through enough. I think it’s safe to say that none of us are in our right minds just now. How can we be? None of us have gotten more than one meal a day for the last month… and honestly, even calling them meals is pretty generous.”

  Tommy paused. “Right now, we’re planning on doing exactly what Shauna has been doing to Jackie. I say we do nothing… unless of course, Shauna is stupid enough to try and call us out on eating Jackie.”

  The girls hesitated, then nodded, as they finished preparing Jackie for the pyre.

  Ugh. ‘Preparing’. What the hell have we become? 

  They laid Jackie down on the pyre, making sure to leave her frostbitten hands and feet hanging off the edge. Tommy wasn’t sure how to cook a frozen corpse; none of them were. But they were all in agreement that the frostbitten areas of Jackie’s body were strictly off-limits for eating. None of them felt like joining Jackie in death today.

  As they slowly lit the pyre, Tommy looked over to the windows of the cabin, where he could see several of the Yellowjackets watching them.

  The minutes slowly began ticking by, and he, Taissa and Van made themselves busy filling up several buckets with the snow around them. They would need the snow for the end of this… cookout? Barbecue?

  Whatever, Tommy thought, suddenly realising he didn’t care. He should feel guilty. He should feel like this was the worst thing he would ever do with his life. But as the smell of cooking meat began to hit his nostrils, the only thing Tommy could really feel was hunger, and impatience for their meal to be ready.

  He saw Taissa and Van’s nostrils moving, and he knew they could smell it too.

  “It’s a shame we don’t have any applesauce”, Tommy said, trying to lighten the mood.

  “You’re kidding, right? The only thing worth having with this kind of meal is some fava beans and a nice Chianti”, Van said, sucking her teeth in what could only be described as a terrible impression of Hannibal Lecter.

  It still made Tommy laugh.

  Guess we’re all crazy now, he thought, as they descended into silence, watching… and waiting. The crackling of the fire was soon joined by the sizzling of Jackie’s flesh as it cooked, and Tommy felt his stomach rumble.

  Not long now. It won’t be long now. 

  The minutes became an hour, then an hour and a half, then two hours. The three of them began pacing back and forth in an effort to keep warm, as the smell of Jackie’s burning body became stronger and stronger, until Tommy began to feel like it was taking all his strength not to run to the pyre and sink his teeth into Jackie’s cooking flesh.

  Yep. I’ve gone insane. It’s official. 

  “Okay, that’s it. I can’t take it anymore. We have to do this now. It’s been three hours. I’ll go crazy if we wait another five minutes”, Van said.

  Taissa nodded in agreement, and Tommy felt himself nodding as well. Had another hour gone by? He hadn’t noticed.

  They had planned on dousing the flames with the snow buckets when it was done, after which their group of three would slice pieces off of Jackie and bring them indoors for everyone to eat. But as Tommy looked at the cabin’s windows, he could see the remaining Yellowjackets staring out at them, with a look in their eyes that Tommy would have found frightening if he wasn’t so hungry he couldn’t even think straight anymore.

  “Alright, then. Let’s do this. Get the buckets”, Tommy said, as he waved the other Yellowjackets towards them.

  000000000000000000000000

  Natalie was vaguely aware of the sound of the cabin door opening, and the excited voices of the girls sounding out.

  “She’s ready!”

  “Jesus, can you smell that?”

  “Oh, thank God, I was about to faint if we waited any longer!”

  What is wrong with you? Natalie thought. How can you talk about her like-

  Then Natalie’s thoughts were cut off, as the smell of cooking meat hit her nostrils.

  Oh. Oh, God. Oh, my God. 

  Natalie Scatorccio would never do this if she was able to think straight. But the smell of Jackie’s roasted body grew stronger and stronger, until it threatened to overwhelm her.

  Natalie Scatorccio wasn’t thinking too hard, as she felt her body pull her out of bed, tie on her boots and pull her jacket over her shirt.

  She hadn’t realised. She hadn’t realised just how hungry she was.

  If she had been able to take a minute, she would have pondered just how messed up it was that she was about to do this.

  But Natalie’s hunger threatened to overwhelm her as she stormed out the door, heading for the meal outside like a starving, rabid dog.

  000000000000000000000000

  As the three of them doused the flames, Tommy was surprised to see Shauna amongst the group that was joining them.

  I guess her hunger overwhelmed her, he thought sadly. It’s okay, Shauna. No one would fault you for that. 

  Then Tommy heard footsteps on the porch and saw Natalie step out of the cabin.

  Despite the situation, Tommy felt his heart break at the look on Natalie’s face as he walked towards her.

  “Nat-”

  “No”, she said, pressing a finger to his lips. “Don’t talk. Let’s just… get this done.”

  Tommy nodded, and held out his hand, which she took as they sat down together, joining the others.

  The snow from the buckets had done their job, and the hiss of the steam from the quenched fire filled the air, while the smell of Jackie’s cooking body continued to fill their nostrils.

  “Alright”, Tommy said, “let’s… let’s do this, I suppose.”

  There was a brief pause, as the Yellowjackets looked around each other.

  Then Shauna, of all people, tore a chunk of meat right off of Jackie’s hip, and as though a switch had been flipped, the group began to rip into the cooked remains of the Yellowjackets’ captain.

  000000000000000000000000

  Oh, my GOD, Natalie thought, tearing another piece apart with her teeth. The meat was overcooked on the outside, still slightly raw on the inside… and somehow the most delicious thing she had ever tasted in her life.

  Goddammit, she thought, looking down at her section. The bone was stripped clean. Maybe she could try-

  “Here”, she heard Tommy say, and she saw him hold out a piece of meat to her.

  My Tommy. Even now, even with what was going on, he was still looking out for her, and Natalie felt her heart swell.

  She reached out to take the meat, then stopped, and grinned as a very naughty thought indeed began to cross her mind.

  000000000000000000000000

  Tommy was confused by the look on Natalie’s face, then thoroughly taken aback as she reached out to take the meat, not with her hands, but her mouth.

  What the… Tommy thought, as Natalie began to chew. He started to let go of the meat, but Natalie caught his wrist and shook her head.

  She kept chewing on the meat he was holding, savouring every little piece of it until it was gone. Tommy began to move his hand away, but Natalie still kept a tight grip on it.

  “What are you...”

  Then Tommy felt his eyes almost pop out of his skull as Natalie began to move her mouth over his fingers, licking and sucking them like they were lollipops.

  Tommy had seen every inch of Natalie Scatorccio more times than he could count. He had seen her under him, riding him, even bent over in front of him.

  But the sight of Natalie moving her little pink tongue over his fingers was the most erotic thing he had even seen her do, and Tommy felt his erection swell beneath his trousers.

  “Again”, she whispered, and Tommy tore off another piece, holding it out to Natalie as her mouth descended upon it.

  000000000000000000000000

  Ben stared at the group in shock. When the smell of the meat had hit his nostrils, he had at first hobbled out to join them, then stared in shock as they tore Jackie’s body apart in broad daylight.

  Even… even Tommy…

  Ben felt like he was about to cry as he saw his little brother sitting with his girlfriend.

  Natalie was holding on to Tommy’s hand with both of hers while she licked his fingers clean, and Tommy was staring at her with a rapturous, almost ecstatic look on his face.

  Jesus Christ, Ben thought. Despite the horrifying sight in front of him, it still took everything he had to fight against the smell of cooking meat and bring himself back to the cabin.

  Taking one last look, Ben started to feel sick at the sight of Tommy now licking pieces of Jackie off of Natalie’s fingers.

  What the FUCK have you become? Ben thought, before he slammed the door shut.

  000000000000000000000000

  Once they got past their initial hunger, one by one, the group started to peel off from Jackie’s body.

  Tommy and Natalie slowly got up together, and walked hand in hand all the way back to their bed, shutting the pantry door behind them.

  The moment it did, Tommy felt Natalie’s mouth press against his.

  “Natty-”

  “No”, she said, putting her finger on his mouth again. “Don’t say anything. Just fuck me. Please fuck me. Please.”

  Tommy enveloped her in his arms, and less than a minute later they were naked and rolling around under the blankets, twisting and turning like animals in heat.

  It wasn’t long before Tommy felt Natalie shudder and shake in her climax, which began to trigger his own.

  As he finished on top of Natalie’s stomach, Tommy was once again taken aback as Natalie wiped his mess off her with her fingers, which she then brought to her mouth.

  “Wha-”

  “Jackie needs washing down”, she said, looking at Tommy with a mischievous grin on her face.

  That’s fucked up. SO fucked up. But Tommy still laughed at his girlfriend’s joke, and he felt her giggle in response.

  “I mean, if we’re not laughing, we’re crying, right?” She said.

  “True, true”, Tommy replied, as Natalie’s mouth met his in a passionate kiss, before they began to fall asleep.

   Tommy did not know what lay ahead. He didn’t know if this would be the only time they had to do something like this. Now that he could finally feel his mind properly clearing for the first time that day, he started to wonder what the aftermath of today would look like.

  But as he fell into his dreams with his girlfriend’s warm, naked body pressed against his, and a full stomach for the first time in a month, it took every inch of willpower he had to not feel… what was the word?

  Ah, yes. 

  Content.

And now... it is done.

Poor, poor Jackie. She may not have been perfect, but she certainly didn't deserve this.

In regards to Natalie passing out... I love the show Yellowjackets. I really do. But let's face it, they play REALLY fast and loose with logic sometimes.

If what happened in the show happened in real life, there is no way they would have made it through without people getting sick, or passing out from hunger.

You may find the next few chapters to involve much more realistic scenarios than what is portrayed on the show.

Thanks for sticking with me so far, though please know I wouldn't blame you if you refused to continue after what you just read here.

Anyway, new chapter coming soon. Let's see how Tommy and Natalie deal with the aftermath.