She was ice cold. I felt for a pulse but it was much too late to help her. I didn't tell Cate. I glanced back as I saw her crying from a distance. There was no sense in upsetting her further.
I kept walking further across the street as I searched every home that once stood. It seemed an impossible task to find anyone left alive. It'd only been twenty-four hours. I'd gone longer without food and water when Joshua and I had driven across the Gravelands. This was worse. These people had died from what the government had purposefully done. It wasn't from starvation. I pulled my sweatshirt tighter and zipped it. If anyone had survived I wasn't sure how. It was a cool morning and it had been an even chillier night.
Pushing aside rubble, I heard the faintest whimper. “Hello?” I called aloud, digging deeper for the sound. My fingers carefully pushed aside the broken glass panel from a window along with two pieces of heavy stone as I listened for the soft sound again. It was someone crying. “I'm coming for you.” I answered. “Cate!” I called, hoping she'd hear me and would come help.
My eyes widened in shock as I unburied and saw a small space, where I found a little girl still alive. She shook and cried but was physically unharmed, which was surprising, given the circumstances. “It's okay,” I assured her, lifting her into my arms. “Cate!” I called, feeling the little girl shiver. I unzipped my sweatshirt, then wrapped it around her body as Cate came towards me. Her face looked red but she hid her tears.
Cate cleared her throat. “Let me look her over.” She held out her arms but the little girl tightened her hold, shaking her head no defiantly.
“Okay, okay.” I rubbed her back. “We're just going to take you to the van. Get you something to eat and drink,” I assured her. We walked the half-mile back to the vehicle over the rubble. Once inside I sat her down and grabbed a bottle of water, opening it for her. Cate grabbed some snack food while I left the little girl momentarily alone. “There could be other survivors,” I told Cate. “We need to keep searching. You should stay with her though.”
Cate gave me a look. “What if you need help?” I knew she was right, but I couldn't fathom leaving the little girl alone for even a few minutes. She was young.
Cate walked back into the van, bending down to the girl’s height. “What's your name?” she asked. I stood by the door, seeing her wide blue eyes staring past Cate towards me. She pointed at me and then sipped her water quietly.
Cate sighed, stepping out of the van as I climbed into the seat beside the little girl. “Are they good?” I asked watching as she ate some crackers. She nodded enthusiastically. She handed me a cracker, offering me one.
“Thanks.” I took it from her fingers and popped it into my mouth. “I'm Olivia,” I told her. She handed me her empty water bottle and I grabbed another from the bag behind me, opening it. I offered it to her, watching as she drank another sip. Already she looked better.
“I'm Adelaide,” she told me with bright eyes.
“How old are you?” I asked as she played with the hem of my sweatshirt she wore.
“Six,” she whispered. She was small for her age but incredibly bright. I could see that already.
“That's Cate.” I pointed towards the window. “We're both going to search and see if we can find more people buried under the rubble. Can you promise me you'll stay in the van?”
Adelaide nodded as she sipped her water. “I promise.”
“Are you hurt at all?” I asked her, knowing it should have been the first question, but other than looking dirty she seemed unharmed. Adelaide shook her head no. “Okay good.” I smiled reassuringly, giving her a hug. “We'll be back soon. You stay here.” I grabbed another bag of crackers. “If you get hungry,” I said, handing them to her, “these are for you.”
“Thanks, Olivia.” Adelaide answered.
I climbed out of the van, heading with Cate as we searched the rest of the streets through Thena, hoping Adelaide wasn't the last survivor.
CHAPTER 7
Cate and I headed back to Shadow with Adelaide in the backseat. Behind her lay two other survivors, barely breathing. Cate managed to stabilize them to get them back to town. I didn’t know how long they'd last. I hadn't even gotten their names. We'd been careful to distract Adelaide and not to let her see the badly injured bodies we transported. The last thing I wanted was to give the child nightmares.
The five-hour drive felt like an eternity. We reached Shadow at night and though I was worried about barreling into town with our headlights glaring, I also knew we had little choice.
The moment we crested into town, everyone came outside to see us, including Taron. A part of me hoped that he was Adelaide's father but I knew the chances were slim. Cate would have mentioned it, if that had been the case. We stopped in front of the medical center and Sydney came rushing outside. “You're back already?” I wasn't sure what she expected. How long were we supposed to be gone?
“We brought three survivors with us. A young girl and two patients in critical condition,” I told Sydney. I helped a sleeping Adelaide out as Chancellor Collins and Sydney worked to get the two injured into the infirmary.
“Olivia?” I heard Joshua's voice through the crowd and saw as he moved to the front, coming to wrap his arms around me. He stopped, seeing the small girl in my arms. “Is she…okay?”
“She's fine. Just asleep,” I assured him. “She got lucky.” I felt her shift in my arms. “Shhh, go back to sleep.” I patted her back. I glanced around; everyone was dispersing. Collins had gone into the infirmary to help Sydney.
“Come on, it's late. We'll take her back with us,” Joshua offered, freeing up my arms as he carried her home for me. “In the morning we'll figure out what to do.” She didn't wake up again. I nodded, knowing he was right. She deserved a family—her family—if they remained alive. I opened the front door and Joshua carried Adelaide upstairs and into the spare bedroom. I was thankful for the twin-size mattress. Though the room was rather plain of decoration, it was perfect. Joshua laid her down in bed and I tucked her in as well. Tomorrow, Adelaide would need a shower and fresh change of clothes, but at least she'd be well rested and cared for.
I closed her door, heading for our bedroom. “How was it?” Joshua asked me as I shut the door and stripped down for bed. I didn't care that Joshua watched as I changed into my pajamas. I was much too tired to care or to walk into another room. At least the lights were off and the darkness hid my curves.
“Tiring,” I breathed, finding the mattress and lying down, closing my eyes. “I searched for hours and we only found three people.”
Joshua knew as much by the van we'd brought back from Thena. “At least you found three people. Three who wouldn't have survived without you being there,” he reminded me, trying to be the optimist he always was.
I nodded weakly. “I'm not sure the two adults even have much of a chance of making it through to morning.”
Joshua stripped down to his boxers, climbing into bed beside me. “You remember the medical center: their technology is superior to anything I've ever seen.” I knew he was right. I'd seen what they did to us and what they'd done for Joshua's injured foot. “If these people have any chance, you gave it to them,” he assured me. “Besides, you saved that little girl.”
“Adelaide,” I told him. “Her name. I saved Adelaide.”
I felt his breath as he kissed my cheek. “You saved Adelaide.” He affirmed, wrapping an arm around my waist. “You did amazing, Olive.”
CHAPTER 8
Waking up early the next morning, I heard the soft patter of footsteps against the floorboards. “Olivia?” The sweetest and softest voice pulled me from slumber as I rolled onto my back, glancing at the open bedroom door.
