The Host ¤ The Next Chapter

The Host ¤ The Next Chapter: 23

The Host ¤ The Next Chapter: 23

Taylor

"Has she come back yet?" I asked the current guard.

Tomas was sitting on the ground, weaponless in the garage. Ever since May's disappearance, Jeb had wanted at least one person in the hanger for if she ever returned. Meanwhile, Jesse and a few others would take the jeep and search the desert when it was safe. A body hadn't been found yet, but everyone knew you couldn't spend more than a week out in the desert before you would up dead.

"No." Tomas replied. "Not yet."

My eyes trailed towards the ground. Another day passed and nothing found. She probably was dead. I turned to leave.

"I'm sure they'll find her." Tomas added when he saw me walking away.

I paused for a moment to let him say what he wanted to say. Then I continued down the tunnel towards the main cavern. My steps were slow and heavy, with no hope. Whitney had reassured me for the first three days that May had to be alive. Now, she didn't talk to me at all. She was the smartest one of us all. She knew that May was probably dead by this time. Sarah had never talked to me at all. Neither had Gabbie. I was sure Gabbie didn't give anything about her. Sarah probably wasn't concerning herself about May either. They had never had much feelings for her as I did.

Although I was almost to the main cavern, sound tended to travel through the tunnels easily. The soundwaves that were coming to my ears was of an engine. The jeep's. The others were back and they were early. I turned on my heel immediately.

The tunnel went much faster around me with my new energy. Of course, I knew there was a chance that they'd found her dead, but I still wanted to see her for myself. I rounded the corner and prepared myself.

Jesse was exiting the jeep, slamming the door closed. Tomas had gotten up from his spot to open the back door for the other two guys. One of them stepped out sideways with an arm around their neck. The other came out with the other arm around their neck. Both had an arm around the person they were carrying. It was a girl with red hair.

May was dressed exactly the way she had been when she left. Her clothes were a bit roughed up from time in the desert, but she was still in one piece. The guys carrying her started heading in my direction. I went to them. I wanted to see her closer.

"Hold on." Tomas stopped me. He had been standing off to the side after opening the door. He'd rejoined the crowd when he saw my goal. "She's unconcious. The last thing she probably wants to see IF she wakes up is you if you drove her to run out into the desert."

I was taken aback. "You're blaming all of this on me?"

"That's not what I said." Tomas told me sternly.

"That's what you're implying." I countered.

"Both of you shut up." Jesse growled as the guys carrying May left us. "Breaking up a fight is usually not my style, but in this case I'll make an exception. You're making each other look like idiots." he turned towards me first. "None of us care what happened between May and you. We're just glad we found her alive." he turned towards his own brother next. "And it doesn't do any good to point fingers at anyone. It doesn't help May get better." he eyed both of us now. "So get over it."

Jesse stormed off after they guys, walking right inbetween Tomas and I. We stood where we were, processing what he had said. Jesse was the last person I would have thought of to break up a fight. But he was right. We were acting dumb. However, I wasn't going to hang around to give out an apology. I left the garage first. Tomas followed after a few seconds later. I could tell because his footsteps echoed off the wall.

"So how is she?" I asked.

It didn't take me long to get to Doc's place. Not with Jeb holding back most of the people who had some or any relationship with her. He'd only let me through because I'd promised I'd only be a minute.

"She collapsed from dehydration." Doc told me honestly. In one hand, he held a sponge. He was gently dabbing away the sand from her forehead and face. The other hand held the bucket of water he rinsed the sponge in. "May should be fine after a couple feedings of water."

I remained silent as I watched him wash another patch of sand from her face.

"Don't worry, Taylor. I'll take good care of her." Doc reassured me.

"I know you will." I muttered.

I turned and leaved.

The following days, I re-visted Doc as much as I could. Jeb was hesitant with letting me see her. I was only allowed to see May when she was sleeping, which was always. She hadn't stirred at all, not even the day she was first brought back. Doc was concerned her brain had suffered some sort of trauma from the desert heat. He also said that only time would tell if she would recover or not.

I was left to sitting at her bedside for the few minutes Jeb gave me. I didn't argue him for more time. I knew that there were other things in the base that needed more attention. The crops had to be harvested, raids needed to be ran, and more kidnappings.

I really wondered what May would think if she knew I was still going on the kidnapping hunts with the others. She probably knew we had nothing against her, but we were forcibly removing her kind from our planet. All of us wished there was a better way, but as of yet, nothing had presented itself to us.

I got up from my chair when my time was up and bid Doc farewell. The others needed me for a raid soon. He saw me to the door of his hospital. Then I left without looking back.

The tunnels of this giant underground maze had been formed naturally by water. Weak chunks of rock weathered away over time. However, the water had never cut out a complete straight path from one cavern to the other. Many had sharp turns, dips, and hills. I was going around one such turn when I stumbled upon Felicia.

How the older woman had gotten passed Jeb, I had no clue. She would be the last person on the guest list. However, she had gotten this far. When she saw me, she froze in her tracks.

"Fell in love with the devil child, did you?" She retorted unpleasently. "The monster should die for killing my dear Jenny. She was a sweet girl. She never did anything to deserve death so early." 

"May doesn't deserve death either." I growled. I had my right hand balled into a fist, but the last thing I would do was hit an elder. That would surely get me into hot water with Jeb.

"How can you be so sure? She killed my Jenny. Back in my day it was called murder. You were sentenced to death for that kind of thing." Felicia countered, holding her ground where she stood in the tunnel.

"This isn't the world you used to know." I argued back. "And when does death solve anything? We kill people who kill people because killing people is bad? That's the worst joke I've ever heard."

Felicia looked really angry with me now. If I was ready to punch her, she was about to slap me.

"Go back before you regret what you're about to do." I told her, holding my own ground.

She stayed where she was for a moment, considering her options. Then she blew me off and turned around. I listened to her mutterings as she walked back to the main cavern until they were barely whispers. When I felt she was out of the tunnel, I continued walking to the cavern.