Page 52 of A Wilderness Within

Caroline gazed at them a moment longer before she took some fresh clothes to the ladies’ room, along with one of the boxes of the pregnancy kits. It was time she tested one out. She followed the instructions, then got dressed while she counted the minutes. Then, with a shaking hand, she retrieved the test from the counter and looked at it. A single blue line. She checked the symbol against the box. Negative. Not pregnant. She was torn between relief and disappointment.

We have Ellie. Her niece would be a delight to them, always and forever. No matter what happened in the future. She dropped the test in the trash and came back into the center of the library.

“She’s fed but needs a change,” Lincoln said, handing Ellie to her. “Your turn.”

“Thanks.” Caroline changed Ellie’s diaper and put her back in the crib so she and Lincoln could eat.

“So…I used the test,” she said quietly as she took a bite of the canned peaches they’d brought in from the car.

Lincoln watched her intently. “And?”

“Not pregnant,” she said.

“Are you okay?” Lincoln covered her knee with one hand.

“Yeah. It’s probably for the best. I guess I was excited about the idea of a baby, but right now? We have Ellie, and until we figure out a vaccine, I don’t want to risk another innocent life.”

Lincoln nodded. “Agreed.”

They packed the car, and she took a moment to collect a few books. Classics by Dumas, Brontë, Austen, some modern ones by Graham Greene, J. K. Rowling, and C. S. Lewis. She took books that meant something, books that were part of humanity’s legacy, a legacy she would fight with her last breath to preserve for Ellie and future generations to come. When she carried the box up to Lincoln, he couldn’t hide his smile.

“Only one box? I was convinced you’d try to sneak another one.”

She chuckled, but her heart ached as she faced the library again.

“I wish we could stay here forever.” Safe, surrounded by the stories of people long dead. The place of the written word had become more of a sanctuary than a tomb. No one would come back here, not for a long while. She sensed it deep inside her bones, and it filled her with sorrow.

We were your last visitors, and I’m sorry we couldn’t stay. She bid farewell to the library and tried to ignore the pain in her heart that stung sharply for having to leave it all behind.

“You sure you’re okay?” Lincoln asked as he curled an arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.

“Yeah. I will be,” she murmured. For the hundredth time, she marveled at the thought of their chance meeting, of how they’d almost killed each other, and how he had casually stated he’d have her in his bed. He had been right, damn him. But she had no regrets in letting fate or instincts make that choice easier. Lincoln was her man, now and always. Just as Ellie and Kirby were hers, in a different but equally important way.

“How far to Atlanta?” she asked once they got back to the road.

“Maybe two days if we don’t have any more major issues on the highways and if we continue to stop for supplies.”

They drove for three hours before Ellie’s cries made it clear she needed a change, and Kirby took to whining as well. Lincoln found a shopping center not far off the highway, and they piled out. Kirby ran to the nearest bushes, and Caroline took Ellie into the burger joint they’d parked next to. She used a lantern to illuminate the dark women’s bathroom as she changed the baby’s diaper.

Ellie kicked her chubby legs and squawked loudly for such a tiny creature. Caroline laughed and tickled her tiny feet, playing peek-a-boo with her. Then she fixed her onesie and tucked her back in the portable car seat and opened the door to leave the restroom.

She froze as she stared down the barrel of a gun.

She knew only what Lincoln had taught her about weapons, but she recognized the extended barrel of a silencer. Her gaze went from the gun to the man holding it. He was dressed similar to Lincoln when she’d first met him, wearing black military pants and a dark sweater. Another gun was tucked away in a shoulder holster. He wore a backpack, and his eyes were cold and expressionless. Military? The three men in Nebraska who’d tied her up had dressed like it, but according to Lincoln they hadn’t been. But something about this man was different. He held himself still, utterly calm, not high from a killing spree. He was a true soldier, like Lincoln was.

Caroline didn’t move, but when Ellie sighed and wriggled in her car seat, Caroline wanted to push the baby carrier behind her. Where was Lincoln? Or Kirby?

“Please… Don’t hurt my baby,” she said, keeping her voice calm. “Let’s talk it out. Tell me what you want.” She nodded at her backpack. The man’s eyes didn’t leave her face. “Please. She’s innocent. We need to band together, not hurt each other.”

The man’s eyes widened. “It’s you, isn’t it?” He suddenly grinned, but that smile terrified her. No one smiled like that now, not unless they found something they wanted. That wasn’t a good sign. She slowly set the carrier down behind her. The man was still grinning, and he started to lower his weapon.

Caroline struck. Lincoln’s lessons paid off. She kicked out in a martial arts move that would have made Lincoln proud and knocked the gun from his hand. It hit the floor and slid far out of reach. Then she grabbed her own gun from her hip in a move she’d practiced a hundred times until she could do it without thinking. Just because she believed in hope for all mankind, it didn’t make her an idiot. She would hear these men out, but she wasn’t going to do that by giving up a safety advantage.

“Don’t fucking move,” she growled, aiming the gun at the man’s head. Lincoln had said never aim for the chest on anyone who looks military. They might be wearing protective Kevlar. A head shot at close range was easier to pull off.

“Easy.” The man wasn’t smiling anymore. “I just want to talk. No one is going to hurt you or the kid.”

“After that little greeting of yours? Yeah, right.” She scowled at him. Every protective instinct she had seemed to have tripled with Ellie nearby. Her hands didn’t even tremble as she held the gun, and she knew they wouldn’t shake if she pulled the trigger.

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