It was morning, and it was at the end of Joe and Nisa's turn to take the watch at the bunker's heavy iron door.
That night was extremely uncomfortable. Joe admitted to himself that there was indeed an attraction to the alien beside him. He felt it the moment he looked into her dark eyes on the day they met. He had been trying to hide it out of guilt.
Joe felt the all-consuming guilt because he had just lost his girlfriend, which prevented him from letting the female alien know that there was an attraction between them. He kept his distance, not from distaste or hate, but because he felt a pang of overwhelming guilt, like he was moving on too soon, and to someone who was part of the race that caused her death.
Carrie had brought them some breakfast as they sat on the small sofa in the hall by the large steel door. They both ate quietly, neither speaking to the other. Their job was to wait at the steel door for four hours. It may be a small bunker, but it was necessary, he knew, keeping a constant watch. They were in too much danger to grow lax, thinking they were safe inside the bunker.
Shadick and Zack headed toward the large door, preparing to go on a hunt for meat. Each had a blaster, a bow, and a quiver filled with arrows, along with a freshly sharpened machete. They need weapons not only to hunt with, but to keep themselves safe from all the dangers hiding in the rubble of the town.
Zack looked at Joe. "Stay at the door. Leave it open a crack, watching for us to return. If you see anyone other than the two of us, close the door and lock it," he ordered. "We will be back as soon as we can."
Joe nodded, then got up, spinning the giant metal wheel to open the door. Shadick and Zack pointed their blasters, just in case there was someone outside the door. After they were sure no one was out there and that it was clear, they walked out and disappeared down the long tunnel that led to the hidden entrance to their bunker.
Joe stood at the door; it was cracked open just enough to see out. He peered out, eyes scanning the long tunnel. Joe used the need to keep his eyes on the tunnel as an excuse not to look at Nisa, who was sitting quietly on the sofa, looking extremely uncomfortable.
"I can do that if you like," Nisa offered. She knew he was avoiding her, and she didn't know what to do about it.
To Joe, it was clear she was uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if it was him, the situation, or that she might feel like she wasn't being useful. When it came to females, he never understood them.
"It's fine," he told her, his eyes not wavering from the crack in the iron door.
With only forty minutes left on Joe and Nisa's watch, a loud bang could be heard outside, then running feet in the narrow tunnel between the hidden entrance and the bunker.
Peering through the crack of the door, he saw Shadick and Zack running at full speed, heading for the bunker, both stressed and war-weary as if they had just come back from a bloody battle. Both men were covered in blood.
Joe moved out of the way, letting the two run inside, then slammed the door behind them and quickly spun the lock.
Hearing the noise, Carrie and Shelia exited the control room, heading for their mates.
Seeing the two men covered in blood, Carrie's face paled, then turned red in anger. "What the hell happened?" Carrie hissed, running to her brother and Shadick, checking them for injuries.
After her check, she decided that they didn't appear to be injured themselves. Relief washed over her.
"Why are you covered in blood?" Shelia demanded, her tone even, looking between Zack and Shadick. "What happened out there?"
After the two men caught their breath, Zack spoke first. "It's not our blood." He assured them. "We were hunting and found some large game. It was a deer, a buck. It must have wandered down the mountain. We got it and started bringing it back. A patrol shuttle flew above us. Apparently, they're still patrolling this town. We hid under the carcass, trying to hide from the shuttle. After they flew by, we started bringing the deer back, but the three on patrol saw us and started shooting at us. We had to leave the deer. We couldn't run from the blasters and carry something that big," he explained.
Shadick pulled out a leather bag that he had been carrying. He shrugged, then grinned slightly. "We still have these," he said, smiling. "We were heading back when we saw the deer. We couldn't pass something like that up," he explained.
Carrie looked inside the leather satchel; there were six large rabbits and two fully-grown geese.
Nisa looked at Shadick. Her face was pale with worry. "Did they follow you here?" she asked. "They saw you, and they still shot at you?" She couldn't believe that their own people would shoot first and ask questions later after they saw Shadick, who was one of them.
"We don't know if they followed; we just ran for it," Zack answered for Shadick.
"Yeah, they saw me," Shadick told her. "They still shot at us anyway. Your two partners must have been injected with the serum, and their interrogation revealed I was present. I can only guess that I am one of the ones on the wanted list. They're orders must be to shoot on sight."
Carrie let out a sigh. She wanted to change the subject. Hearing about Shadick being in danger made her uneasy. "Well, as much as I am disappointed that you weren't able to bring the deer back with you, I'm glad you two are okay," Carrie told them, leaning in to kiss Shadick, who accepted it with a soft smile.
Shelia did the same to Zack.
"Go clean up, both of you," Carrie ordered. "You two are a mess. You have to be fast, though, in case the patrol was able to follow you here."
At Carrie's order, the two men headed back to clean up. Carrie and Shelia handed Jamie and Alice a blaster. Joe and Nisa already had theirs held tightly. They all watched silently and listened at the door, fear and anticipation radiating from them. They were waiting for any sign that the patrol had followed Zack and Shadick back to the bunker.
Five minutes later, Zack and Shadick returned. They had rinsed off and dressed in something clean. They each had a blaster ready to defend the bunker in the event the patrol guards tried to enter.
A sudden loud sound was heard outside the bunker. A loud bang against the door followed, then the sound of a communication radio going off. It crackled, then a voice came through the radio.
Everyone in the bunker leaned against the door silently, trying to hear what was said to the patrol guards on their radio. It was somewhat muffled, but they could still make out what was being said.
"All patrol is ordered back to the ship immediately. All patrol is ordered back at the ship immediately," the voice on the radio ordered.
A frustrated voice sounded; it was one of the patrol guards. "We have survivors, sir. They got away, but they're trapped, sir," one of the patrols stated on his radio.
The voice on the radio sounded annoyed. "Leave them; return to the ship immediately!" the voice ordered. "You were given an order. Follow it!"
There was silence for a while, long enough to know that the patrol had left the tunnel and, most likely, their shuttle from the planet.
"Let's get that meat before they come back," Shadick stated. "We need it too badly to leave it."
Zack nodded, then opened the door. They all peered out to ensure that they were sure that the town patrol was really gone. Looking down the tunnel, there was no sign of them.
Zack turned to Joe. "Same as before, leave it a crack. Close it if anyone shows up that isn't us," Zack stated as he and Shadick dashed out of the bunker and through the tunnel. They had to get their meat before the patrol returned or before someone else found it.
Thirty minutes later, Shadick and Zack came down the tunnel. They had a large buck in tow that was already field-dressed.
Entering the bunker, they both smiled widely. "We got back to it before anyone else could get it," Zack smiled. "We have lots of fresh meat."
Joe looked at Shadick; his face was strained. "Do you think the patrol is going to be coming back?" he asked Shadick.
Shadick sobered. "They will be back. There is no doubt about that. I don't know if they told anyone where we are trapped. If they didn't tell them, then we can deal with them. If they did tell them, then we have a long and hard battle on our hands."