Chapter 95

Ryker was lying on the ground, his head bleeding, his eyes closed. Jo was doing her best to help Scott as he tried to fix whatever was wrong with the human. He had his medical bag open and was doing what he could, but the expression on his face told Jo he wasn’t having a lot of luck.
“Are you guys all right?”
Jo looked up to see several people running toward them. At first, she was afraid they were human civilians who’d seen the plane crash and were coming to see if they could help, but then she recognized Scott’s aunt, and a wave of relief washed over. She had no idea that Margie was actually planning to meet them at the airport. She assumed she’d be too busy with the other duties she needed to attend to as the leader of this raid.
Jo stood and stepped over to her. “The runway was too short, apparently,” Jo said. “Our pilot is a human, and he’s injured. Scott is trying to fix him.”
“Shit,” Margie muttered, her face riddled with concern. She ran a hand through her short purple hair and then put both hands on her hips. Jo had only seen her a few times in her life, but she did look a lot like her brother. “I asked some of our pilots, and they seemed to think this airport would work.”
Jo shrugged. “Maybe they didn’t realize the runway has decayed over the years.” She remembered thinking that there was an awful lot of plants growing on the runway and infringing onto the asphalt.
“Is he okay, Scott?” Margie said, walking over to where Ryker was lying. “Do you need another healer?”
“I don’t know, Aunt Margie. He doesn’t appear to have any internal injuries. I patched up his side where the glass jabbed him, but his head is the main problem. I have no idea how much swelling might be going on in his brain.”
“Damnit. If Jamie was here, he could fix him,” Margie mumbled. “Can we move him?”
“Give me a minute,” Scott said, his hands on Ryker’s head as if he was trying to heal him despite the fact that his abilities had never worked on humans before.
For whatever reason, this time, Scott’s powers seemed to work at least a little. Ryker’s eyelids began to flutter, and then he opened his eyes and coughed a few times.
Jo felt a wave of relief wash over her. She tried to hide it the best she could, but the fact of the matter was that she’d gone to great lengths to keep this man alive over the past few months, and it seemed like a waste for him to die here and now.
“Ryker, how are you?” Scott asked. “What hurts?”
“Goddamn! What the actual fuck?” Ryker said, coughing a few more times before he tried to sit up but then winced from the pain in his side. The bloody piece of glass that Scott had pulled out of his side was lying on the grass nearby. “Why the hell is everyone staring at me?”
“The plane crashed,” Scott explained. “You were injured. We all just want to make sure that you’re okay.”
Since he’d opened his eyes and spoken, most of the crowd had backed away, but they were still too close to him for his comfort. “I’m fine!” he shouted, even though he still couldn’t sit up. “God, just give me a damn minute.”
Scott sat back on his heels, sweat dotting his forehead. Jo wanted to tell him nice job, but she didn’t want to interrupt him either. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.
After a few long moments, Ryker tried to sit up again. This time, Scott and Margie were able to help him. He wasn’t content to just sit there, though. He wanted to stand up. “Be careful,” Jo muttered so quietly she didn’t even think he could hear her.
He was on his feet now, leaning on Scott and Margie. “I’m fine,” he said again. “Just give me a minute.” That wasn’t the first time he’d made that request.
“You have as much time as you need,” Margie assured him. She made a signal to some people across the way from where they were standing, and a moment later, a dark green army Jeep was headed their direction.
As soon as it arrived, Margie told Ryker, “Get in.”
“I’m fine,” he repeated.
“I’m sure you are, but there’s no reason for you to walk when there’s a vehicle right here. I’m certain that the Vampires are aware of this plane’s landing, let alone its crashing, so we all need to get out of here quickly or else be prepared to fight right here and now.”
“I’m always ready for a fight,” Elliott said. He’d been unusually quiet through the entire exchange, so much so that Margie hadn’t even seemed to notice him until just then.
When she saw him, she handed Ryker off to one of the other people who’d come with her to give Elliott a big hug. “How are you, you bastard?” Margie asked. “Still kicking, I see.”
“Well, you know, they say I can’t die. That hasn’t stopped anyone from trying to kill me.” They shared a chuckle, and then Margie hugged everyone else, including Scott and then she came to her and wrapped her arms so tightly around her, that Jo thought she might not be able to breathe if she didn’t let go soon.
Ryker was loaded into the Jeep, along with the other people who’d come with Margie. The rest of them rushed toward a larger transport vehicle that was parked near what must’ve been the terminal at one point. The building was decaying, the concrete cracking and plants reclaiming the territory that was once theirs. She wondered just how long it had been since this airport was used for anything.
There were a few other vehicles parked near the larger transport that was rolling toward them. It wasn’t as fast as the Jeep on uneven terrain. The party hurried over to it and loaded up as the roar of helicopters in the distance hit Jo’s ear. “I take it those choppers aren’t ours?” she asked.
Margie shook her head. “Nope. I can take them down. We’ve got plenty of troops posted around here, but I’d just as soon get out of here first so that we don’t draw any fire.”
They reached the transport. A few people dressed in army fatigues were stationed at the back to pull them up and into the back of the truck. For the first time, Jo realized Margie was wearing similar garbs. She did have the backing of the Australian military, but Jo hadn’t been expecting to see so much green all in one place.
They all took a seat on the benches on either side of the back of the truck. Jo sat between Margie and one of the people who’d come with her that she didn’t recognize. Sitting next to Margie might give them a chance to strategize, but then, once the truck took off, the rush of wind and the jostling of metal made it difficult to speak. Jo sat alone with her thoughts for a few moments, trying to process everything that had happened and what was about to happen.