Winter by Cathy F Bolton

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WINTER, Part 5
By Cathy F. Bolton

Walman lay in a white tomb. The weight of the snow pinned his body so that movement was impossible. He had landed on his side, tucked in an almost fetal position. The arm that shielded his face also trapped a small pocket of air. He figured this was the only reason he was still alive. The cold and diminishing oxygen level drugged his consciousness and he fought the urge to fall into a deadly sleep.

He heard a scraping noise above him. They must know where he was and they were digging him out. Hope gave him the will to hang on.

Over a meter above him the sensitive nose of the creature detected a meal below it. It dug furiously, its huge clawed paws beginning to reach deep into the snow.

Julia jerked awake, momentarily wondering where she was. In the darkness, she was aware of the musty smell of wet clothing and the pressure of another body against hers. As she moved slightly, a shot of pain from her injured leg rudely jogged her memory. Alonzo still rested in her arms. She felt his breath, warm and steady against her skin. How long had she slept? No sound of the storm reached her. Had it stopped?

She adjusted her position enough to feel for a pulse in the pilot's neck. The beat was steady and stronger this time. Relieved, she refastened his shirt and gently lowered him to the floor.

She reached in her jacket pocket removing a packet of emergency rations and a Sedaderm cartridge before sliding away. She left her warmer jacket covering him. Donning his jacket, she was putting the articles in the pocket when her hand brushed his communication gear. She vaguely remembered picking it up from the ground and shoving it in his pocket before they started for the Rail. Her mind had been so dazed from the shock of avalanche and her injury that she hadn't remembered it was there. It offered a possible way out of their present dilemma if she could reach camp. With her arms, she pushed down the evergreen windbreak. Drifted snow had braced the limbs against the entrance. The enclosure had served its purpose protecting them from the storm but it also isolated them from anyone who might be looking for them. She was surprised to see the snow had stopped, the wind was gone and it was dark.

Using the rock face, she rose and gingerly tested her leg. It was stiff and painful but not unbearable. She wanted to find a more open area so the communication equipment would be free of interference. She limped in the direction of the slope.

Not far from her position, Walman was battling for his life. The oxygen level was just about gone and he was very close to freezing to death. The digging sound seemed so close but he heard no voices. Suddenly he felt something jar his arm and the cover of snow broke enough to allow a small current of fresh air to reach him. He was barely able to raise his freed arm enough to gaze under it. The sight that greeted him was not what he had expected.

Devon never had time to consider her opinions. Bess almost collided with her and True in the hallway in a rush to tell her the news.

"Devon, Morgan has Julia on gear. She and Alonzo are safe......well, kind of safe. Alonzo's suffering from exposure and Julia hurt her knee but they're alive."

Recovering from the surprise at this miraculous turn of events, Devon hurried to grab a headset. Cutting into Morgan's link, she was relieved to see the younger woman looked well enough considering the ordeal she had gone through. The strain of the day caught up with her and she felt her knees go weak with relief. She leaned heavily against the table.

"Thank God! Julia, we're on our way to get you. Morgan has a fix on your position." She glanced at Martin for confirmation and he shook his head in agreement. "Stay where you are, we'll be there shortly."

Julia frowned, "Devon, Morgan said Danziger and Baines made it back. What about Walman?" Through the eyepiece, Julia could see Devon looked troubled.

"We don't know. John said they never saw what happened to any of you. Since you and Alonzo are safe, there's a possibility that he may be also. We'll be prepared to mount a full search. John told me the thermal scan on Zero is operational so if he's alive we should be able to find him. Julia, I'm leaving now, if you want, Morgan can stay on-line with you."

"No, I'm ok, I want to go back and check on Alonzo. There will probably be interference so tell Morgan not to worry if my signal fades. I'll watch for you."

She swung the eye piece away, shutting off the sound but leaving the device on to be tracked. She was turning to go back when the faint sound of a human cry reached her.

Walman watched in panic as the monstrous creature thrust its paw toward him, snarling in frustration that he was just beyond its reach. The animal's claw had just managed to shred the outer part of his jacket. Occasionally, it would thrust its head into the hole but he was well beyond the gaping fangs. The beast began to dig again, trying to widen the hole. Walman's cry was faint but it carried in the still night air. "Nooooooooo!"

Julia limped slowly in what she thought was the direction of the sound.

"Walman?" She edged her way through the trees. "Walman, is that you? Can you hear me?"

She stopped sensing rather the hearing something close by in the darkness. The animal crouched, abandoning the hole and Walman at the sound of her approach.

The animal began to move, circling just beyond her vision, with an almost supernatural stealth. Moving only when she moved, stopping when she stopped, its paw raised in mid-air. It gained ground steadily. The darkness worked in the creature's favor for it hunted equally well in day or night. The woman was disadvantaged with limited sight. The animal recognized her uneven gait as an injury and smelled the blood on the jacket. It became bolder and more aggressive as it moved closer and she remained unaware of the danger.

Hearing nothing, she sighed and thrust her cold hands into the jacket's pockets. As she swept the landscape with her eyes she was suddenly aware of the animal's movement. She froze, seeing a dark shape moving toward her. The creature was aware of her notice but its eyes remained fixed and it came swiftly, exploding out of the dark toward her. She turned to run but her leg gave out and she fell in the animal's path.

Alonzo missed Julia's warmth and reached for her to find only emptiness. He thought he heard her calling so he wrapped the jacket around himself and stumbled into the night. His shoulder was stiff and painful, the only reality he felt as he followed her prints in a numb, almost dream-like state. He stumbled across the drifted bank. The trees and rocks were starkly defined against an unbroken covering of crystal power. Finally, just ahead, he saw her form silhouetted against the snow. She turned as if to run and fell.

"Julia....!"

He started to call for her to wait but his words were lost when he caught sight of the beast. It lunged at her. For a moment, both forms merged into one before falling from his sight.

Will drove a body he no longer seemed to control. His journey took on a surrealistic quality as he crested a small rise and found the creature's still form sprawled half way down the incline. Julia was trapped under its weight and was attempting to free herself. The quickest way down was on the seat of his pants. As he reached them, he grabbed the animal's fur to break his momentum and slid to a stop in a shower of crystal flakes The animal's eyes stared blankly ahead. Its tongue hung limply out the side of its mouth. Alonzo tore his gaze from it and desperately searched Julia for an injury.

"Are you hurt?"

"Aside from being a bit mashed, I don't think so. Help me get it off."

Grasping the fur and pulling together, their combined strength moved it enough for her to squeeze out. Panting from the exertion, they lay side by side until he caught his breath enough to ask, "I don't understand, what happened? I saw it attack you."

She gave him a tight smile as she reached to pick up something that lay on the ground beside her. Her hand still shook with residual fear as the memory of the animal charge replayed in her mind.

She held the object up to him and said with bravado, "Full sedaderm canister, set on maximum. A good doctor is always prepared. It should be out for quite a while."

Shaking his head in disbelief, he took her hand in his, "Let's not wait to find out if you're right. Why did you go off alone anyway?"

The words spilled from her. "Alonzo, your gear was in your jacket pocket. I forgot all about putting it there. I made contact with camp. They're coming for us." She grabbed him remembering "I heard a cry just after I signed off and I think it came from this direction. Devon said Walman is still missing." She looked back at the animal. "You don't think it could have..."

"I don't know. I don't think it would have attacked you if it had eaten." He shivered at the thought that it might have devoured Walman. Julia misread his reaction.

"Alonzo, switch jackets. You don't come anywhere close to fitting in mine. How does your shoulder feel?"

"It's sore, kind of burns too." She could tell the injury was still painful as he grimaced when he removed her jacket and put his own on.

"I'm afraid it might be getting infected. I wish they'd hurry." She got to her feet and leaned on him and they slowly made their way to the top of the hill.

It was his sharp eyes that caught the break in the snow's surface. Small mounds surrounded an indentation. "Julia , stay here." He ran off to investigate and she saw him kneel and lean into the hole. "Julia, it's Walman!" He looked around for something to dig with and when he found nothing, he cupped his hands and dug furiously.

Baines and Devon found them both trying to free Walman. Their combined effort soon had their friend free. While Julia thought him lucky to be alive, it would be a tense battle to keep him that way. Walman was barely conscious. Alonzo and Baines carried him as best they could while Devon supported Julia on their trip back to the rail.

They raced back to the bio-dome knowing every second counted. From the rail, Devon contacted the Rover telling them the missing group members had all been found and they could turn back. Danziger listened from the camp and contacted Cameron who was driving the Rover. He told him they were only a quarter mile from his gear signal. It was a shame to waste a trip out, with the room and manpower available, they could bring home a meal. Without Devon's knowledge, they voted for Danziger's suggestion and kept going. Fortunately, there were no more problems. The Rover and its cargo of frozen meat arrived back about an hour behind the Rail.

Those that remained in camp were enlisted to help care for Walman and Alonzo. Although the pilot insisted he was fine, Julia made him sit in a warm bath. Walman remained her top priority but she stole time for Alonzo, monitoring his core temperature and increased the water temperature as his readings returned to normal. She also managed to clean and stitch his injury and shot him with a synthetic antibiotic she concocted. His skin was red around the wound and it weeped with a yellow discharge. She would have to keep a close eye on it in the coming days.

Bess had managed to cook a little of the meat. Julia cautioned about eating too heavily since they were not used to such a rich fare. It would be best it they tried a broth first. She had tested the meat and found it rich in protein. It would hold them for awhile and supply the strength the injured needed to heal. Walman responded well to treatment. The position he landed in no doubt contributed to fact he was still among them. He was packed in warm rocks and they would take turns watching his condition during the night. Catching Alonzo's concerned expression as he followed the young doctor with his eyes, Devon finally called a halt to Julia's activity.

"Enough for tonight. Walman's stable, you said so yourself. Everyone is taking a shift to watch him. Baines and Danziger are asleep and Alonzo would be if he could stop worrying about you. " The young woman looked over toward the pilot and found him watching them "Why don't you take a hot bath too. You've been out in the cold almost as long as the others and shouldn't you be off that leg?"

Julia gave in. As the situation grew less grave and things slowed down, she began to realized just how tired she was. With Devon's help, she immersed herself in the hot water, letting the heat soak into her body and replace the cold. She found herself nodding and was glad Devon stayed with her. It would be too easy to fall asleep and drown in her exhausted condition. She only took enough time to rewrap her leg and get Devon's promise to wake her if there was any change for the worse in Walman's condition, before she fell into bed. She was asleep before the older woman tucked the covers around her.

Devon was beat too. She wanted to check on everything one last time before she retired. As she entered the front room, she checked with Magus who assured her Walman was sleeping peacefully. Danziger and True were huddled close in sleep and she was sorry she hadn't the time to tuck her own son in. She knew Yale would care for him in her place. Despite the grief she had given him, she was glad Danziger had given them all a full stomach to sleep on tonight. As she made her way to her room, she was surprised to find Alonzo still awake in his sleeping bag.

Reading his mind she told him, "Julia's fine. She took a hot bath and is sound asleep as you should be."

He smiled as her, "Thanks for taking care of her Devon."

Feeling like everyone's mother, she replied, "You're welcome, now go to sleep!"

He laid down, pulling the bag close around him and slept soundly.

He woke just before dawn. Trying to get back to sleep proved futile as the previous day's events replayed in his mind. The memory of the creature's attack on Julia still haunted him. He had come so close to losing her. Too restless to sleep, he got up. Denner just glanced at him from where she sat in vigil of Walman. He went back to Julia's room, feeling a need to see her safe. He walked quietly and knelt beside her. In sleep, her look was one of a frail woman-child but he knew better. Each day brought him a new awareness of her strength and courage. She was smart, beautiful, resourceful and caring, like no other woman he had ever know. He wanted to touch her so bad but he was afraid he'd wake her. Somehow she must have become aware of him because as he looked at her, her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him a moment before she woke fully and began to sit up.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

He rushed to reassure her, pushing her back down. "No, everything is fine. I just thought I'd check on you. I missed you."

She smiled suddenly and opened the covers to him, inviting him inside her bed.

"What about your leg?"

"I'll make sure it doesn't get in the way."

He slid in next to her and she jumped suddenly, "Alonzo, your feet are freezing."

"Sorry. It's cold out there. Maybe you can warm me up like you did in the cave." He tried to sound serious. "There's one thing I want to know. Do you treat all your exposure victims like that?"

She teased him back, "Of course, that's one of the reasons why I became a doctor. Speaking of which, how does your shoulder feel? "

"As good as new." She looked at him skeptically "Honest, you're incredible doctor . Do you know that?" There was a sudden desire in his eyes.

"Don't you dare pop your stitches."

They slid down under the covers and their love making took on a new intensity as they each beat back the shadow of death and celebrated life. His passion for her had intensified, taking her to new heights. She rode his strength, matching it with her own ardor, feeling the heat build until at last it exploded inside her. She drifted in ecstasy, transported to some other dimension for a time.

Winter lost its hold that night. In darkness, life woke to the warmth of a lover's touch and began a journey into the light of a new beginning.

-The End-

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