“Raine?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you awake?”
“I’m not sure,” she said after a moment. “I thought I was, but everything is so red.”
“Red?”
&n
bsp; “Yes, red,” she repeated. “Like clown hair. It’s so soft. Your hair is soft. I want to touch it.”
“You’re being silly,” I told her.
“Maybe,” she said. “It is soft though. Can I have some more water now?”
“Not yet, babe.”
“We still don’t have any, do we?”
“Not right now.”
“It’s been too long, though – hasn’t it?”
“Hush, Raine,” I finally growled. “Your questions drive me nuts.”
“I didn’t mean to,” she said quietly.
“It’s not you,” I said. “I’m just a moody asshole, remember?”
Her dry lips curved up just a little before falling back into place. I watched her tongue come out and trace over them, but there wasn’t any moisture to leave behind.
“I’m dizzy,” Raine said.
“I know,” I replied. “Just stay where you are. Don’t try to move around so much.”
I lay down on my back, staring up at the dark canopy of the raft. As much as I didn’t want to think about it, my overactive mind figured she might have as many as six hours left but not much more than that. I was starting to shake and itch again, and I seriously doubted I would have the strength or muscle control to pull myself back onto the raft another time, so no more fishing. I wouldn’t be far behind her – a half day, maybe. A half day lying here with her body. I didn’t think I’d be able to just toss her overboard, not unless I went with her.
“Bastian?” I heard her soft voice struggle to get enough volume to reach my ears. I leaned a little closer and saw her hollow eyes looking deep into mine. “Bastian, I’m scared.”
I rolled and reached around her torso with one arm, slipping the other one under her shoulders so I could pull her close to me. I held her head against my chest and wrapped my arms around her tiny, gaunt frame.
“Don’t be scared, Raine.” I closed my eyes and hugged her to me. My eyes squeezed shut, and my lips pressed into her hair. “I’ve got you.”
I could feel her body slump into mine, and I had to listen close to her breathing to make sure it remained steady as she drifted off to sleep. I tried to take a deep breath myself, feeling the dark unconsciousness of deprivation overcoming my mind and body.
“I’ve got you,” I repeated, wondering if she still believed I could save her.
* * * * *
Dizzy, dark, chilled, dusty…I ached when I tried to move, so I stayed still. Even opening my eyes required far too much effort. My back and arms were chilled, but my chest and legs mingled with the warmth of another body. Had I let some chick stay with me after I fucked her? It seemed out of character, to say the least. I never kept someone in my bed. I didn’t like it.
This felt different. I did like it. Whoever it was, she was warm and soft but very small and felt frail in my arms. I immediately wanted to hold her close so I could keep her safe – protect her from whatever else might have been out there in the dark.
I had to be dreaming because none of this made any sense. I couldn’t be dreaming because I didn’t have dreams about warm, pleasant, feminine bodies pressed up against mine. I had dreams about blood, death, and pain.
There was a strange sound in this dream, if it was a dream. I couldn’t place it. It was a tapping, plopping sound. I opened my eyes to see what it was, but they immediately closed again without focusing on my surroundings. It was easier to stay where I was and hold on to…this body…this woman…this…Raine. It was Raine. That’s who I was holding. If I could just figure out what the damn drippy noise was, I might regain a little sanity. A memory of one of my foster parents taking me camping with two of the other boys they fostered danced around in my head.