Concisus

Concisus

by

Tracy Rozzlynn

Copyright © 2012 by Tracy Rozzlynn

http://TracyRozzlynn.com

KINDLE EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

Tracy Rozzlynn

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

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Concisus
(kon-SEE-sus), adjective

A Latin word

with many meanings,

mainly:
broken, brief, cut up
.

Concisus

Chapter 1

Other voices drift our way. We’re home. I should be elated and relieved, but I have mixed emotions. I can’t calm the butterflies in my stomach or shake my feeling of apprehension. So much has happened in the weeks since Ryan and I were caught in the flood. I don’t feel like the same person who left the base. It’s silly, but I worry my friends won’t recognize me anymore.

A branch crackles under Ryan’s foot and I caution, “We should say something so they know we’re here. We don’t want to surprise them. They might think we’re something that wants to eat them.”

Ryan nods, cups his hands around his mouth, and belts out a long, “H-e-l-l-o-o-o?”

“Who’s there?” answers a confused and alarmed voice.

With a devilish grin, Ryan looks back at me and winks. “You’ll have to see us to believe us,” he yells.

The group is closer than I thought. We hear their whispered concerns. No one is assigned to the surrounding grid areas. Another team couldn’t possibly be this far off course by accident. In the end, they decide we’re from another team, attempting to poach a discovery from their grid. Understandably, they don’t sound happy.

Only the crest of the hill we climb separates us. My heart threatens to burst from my chest in anticipation. Ryan and I have dreamt about this moment, but it feels too good to be true—any minute now, something horrible will take it away and leave me completely alone. I force my irrational fears aside, climb the hilltop, and gaze down at the group of surprised scientists and soldiers. I’m thrilled when I see the welcome faces of Molly and Jake among the group.

The color drains from Molly’s face. “Catch her!” I yell. Jake turns and grasps Molly as she crumples to the ground. The rest of the group freezes and stares up at us. A distant animal cry breaks the uncomfortable silence as Ryan and I descend the hill.

A burly soldier snaps from his surprised stupor and blocks our path. “Who are you? What are you doing in this quadrant? On whose authority are you here?” With each question, I watch him tighten the grip on his gun holster.

I find the situation and the soldier’s overly tense and edgy reaction comical, but my inappropriate laughter is not the response he wants.

In a flash, he unclasps his holster and raises the gun. His hands shake as he screams, “I want answers now!” Automatically, Ryan and I put up our hands. My heart unevenly jerks against my ribs, and for a second, I can’t breathe.

Jake rushes in front of us. “Austin, relax. It’s okay. I know them. They’re the missing scientists from my team. They’re the ones who were caught in the flashflood.”

Austin slowly lowers his gun, but continues to eye us. “It looks like they got caught in more than just a flood.” I’m insulted. We look and smell pretty good considering our last hot shower and change of clothes was weeks ago.

Ryan keeps his hands up, and calmly explains, “We don’t mean any harm, and we certainly didn’t travel all this way just to get shot the instant we say hello. So can we all just try to relax a little bit?”

Austin only grunts in response, but his shoulders relax. For the moment, I feel confident that he’s not going to shoot us.

“Austin. Stand down,” a tall pimply-faced guy calls out. Austin tenses again, although the other guy seems oblivious that his command is a day late and a dollar short. Standing straight and puffing out his chest, the guy announces, “I’m Elliot Hughes. And this is my team.” He gestures to everyone around him. He doesn’t bother to walk over and properly introduce himself.

I nod politely and walk toward Molly. Jake and Ryan follow.

“We thought you were dead,” Jakes whispers. He is almost as pale as Molly, probably from the tense welcome.

“Sorry to give you such a shock.” I stare at Jake while my throat tightens. Instinctively I blink back tears but can’t keep them from sliding down my cheeks. Relief spills through my body.

I’m home.

Molly wakes and slowly blinks her eyes. I gaze down at her, and she smiles weakly, pale and shaken. A small cry escapes as she asks, “Is it really you?”

Ryan slides a hand under Molly’s back and helps her sit. “It’s really us,” he confirms in a soft voice.

Molly bursts into tears, and I hug her.

Guilt washes across Jake’s face. “How? What happened to you? We thought you were dead. They sent a search party out, but there was no trace of you. They could only go so far before they had to turn around, but they told us you couldn’t have survived. I didn’t believe it at first but as the weeks dragged on—”

“Stop!” Ryan interjects, effectively ending Jake’s remorseful tirade. “It’s okay. I would have thought the same thing.”

Jake’s face brightens a bit.

“What happened to you? How did you survive?” Molly asks as she wipes her tears.

I smile and squeeze her arm. “It’s a long story. Let’s get back home and I’ll tell you all about it. I promise.”

Eventually everyone packs up their equipment, and we accompany them toward the base. From the corner of my eye, I catch everyone’s glances. They look confused, as if they don’t know what to make of us, which is understandable. Ryan and I defied the odds. We shouldn’t have survived the flood, and even if anyone assumed we did, no one in their right mind could have expected us to survive for that long in the wilderness without any preparation or supplies. I wasn’t supposed to have any of Andi’s equipment. Her rejected inventions saved our lives. Plus, no one could have anticipated the help we received from Caper.

So, yeah, I get it. Looking at us is like seeing someone returned from the dead. Still, from their continued gawking, you’d think we’d actually returned as zombies.

I’d love to run right back to the base and greet all of my friends, but first I need to complete a quarantine at the field hospital that abuts the base.

Elliot radios ahead to the field hospital but first he walks a good distance away and whispers into the walkie-talkie. I can’t hear all of the conversation, but I catch enough. He makes it sound as though he’s rescued us from the wilderness. His disparaging remarks irritate me, but at least I know Jake’s and Molly’s reports will reflect the truth and won’t claim that we were “wondering the forest calling for help.”

Chapter 2

The field hospital is more than ready by the time we arrive. At least a dozen doctors in tight, silver isolation suits are waiting. The suits lack breathing equipment, so I assume it’s contained in the egg-shaped helmets they wear. The oversized white helmets make the doctors resemble alien bobble heads. I stifle a laugh.

In quarantine, Ryan and I are immediately separated. I am not happy about it, but I assume it’s necessary, especially when a doctor hands me a paper-thin gown with an open back. I figure a full physical is required, and I’d rather not have my friends, Ryan, or any other non-medical personnel around for that.

During the physical, and over a dozen other tests, the medical staff takes multiple blood samples, hair samples, skin scrapings and more. After a while, I can’t decide if I feel more like a lab rat or a pincushion. Throughout the poking and prodding, they bombard me with questions, impatient to find out exactly what happened and how we survived. I try to take it all in stride, and remind myself that the doctors have my health and the base’s safety in mind.

Late afternoon falls by the time all the doctors finish with me. The day’s been more draining than a full day of walking in the wilderness ever was. They finally give me a tray of food and leave me alone in a small windowless room. Dinner is nothing gourmet—a couple of sandwiches and juice. After weeks of eating berries and jerky, I wish they put some effort into dinner, but I take a bite and realize it doesn’t matter. It’s the best tasting peanut butter and jelly I’ve ever had. I devour everything, and then try to drift off to sleep, but sleep refuses to come.

The harder I try to sleep the more anxious I feel. Something’s wrong. I hunt around the room and finally discover the time on one of the plugged-in monitors. Almost sunset. Early for anyone else, but for Ryan and me, it’s bedtime. I try fluffing the pillow, which doesn’t help. I ditch the pillow all together.
Oh. I know what’s missing
. Like my current room, the igloo didn’t have windows, but I could hear all the nighttime wildlife and feel the heat of Ryan’s arms around me and the soft caress of his breath on my neck. I can’t sleep without those things.

I slip out of bed and try the door, but find it locked. A helmet appears in the small window of the door. “Do you need something?”

“I just wanted to visit my friend and see how he’s doing.”

The helmet shakes back and forth. “Sorry, you’re to remain in your room, doctor’s orders.”

I know the base’s safety is a priority, but locking me in my room is a little excessive. The quarantine area of the building is separated into self-contained wings with doors that only open on the base side of their exit. Unless I plan to run back into the wilderness, I’m not going anywhere.

In the morning, the doctors resume their tests. Some of the tests, like an IQ and an inkblot test, seem wonky, but I play along with them.

Kevin, the lead doctor, enters and relentlessly questions me. I reiterate everything about my time stranded in the woods and then continue to answer all of his redundant questions. He demands to know about every unknown plant, animal, and terrain Ryan and I might have encountered. I quickly tire of repeating myself.

“Look, I don’t know what you want from me. I’ve told you everything I remember. No matter how many times I retell it, it’s not going to change.”

Kevin cracks a smile. “Not everyone can have a good memory. It might help if you list everything you ate in order, giving a detailed description of what it looked and tasted like, and how you felt afterward.” His condescending tone doesn’t make me feel like talking. I have little respect for people like my former best friend Jenna, people who need to bully and belittle others to feel better about themselves. Besides, I’ve told him everything possible.

Well, almost everything.

I feel protective of Caper. He helped Ryan and I survive, safeguarding his food source is the very least I can do for him. So I intentionally glaze over the details of the opal berries and minimize his involvement in our survival. I admitted a meerkit removed the seeds that infected Ryan’s hand, but as far as anyone knows, we found edible fruits and berries by watching the eating habits of various animals in the area.

Kevin sighs and taps his foot. The bright fluorescent lights hurt my eyes, and the barrage of questions leave me feeling as battered and bruised as my arms where the repeated attempts to draw blood have failed. I feel the pressure of Kevin’s gaze on me, waiting for an answer.