Lives We Lost,The by Megan Crewe Read Free Book Online Page B

Gav said, gesturing toward the island.
My throat tightened. “Of course I want them to be okay,” I said. “But I’m not a superhero, Gav. What can I do that they can’t figure out on their own? Anyone who’s okay knows where the food is, how to find shelter, and anyone who isn’t, I couldn’t help anyway.”
“It’s true,” Tessa murmured. “We’re not doctors.”
“But I can do this,” I went on, nudging the cold box. “I have to do this.”
“We can’t go anywhere without supplies—without a car,” Gav protested.
“I know,” I said. The SUV could have been blown up. Even if it hadn’t, I didn’t think I could set foot on the island, even for a few minutes. Once I saw the wreckage, I might not be able to leave again. “Maybe I can use the boat. The St. Lawrence would pretty much get me there.”
“You’d freeze. What if there’s a storm? Kae . . .” He stopped and studied my face. “You’re not going to listen to anything I say, are you?”
I shook my head. “Not unless it has to do with getting these samples to Ottawa.”
He exhaled in a rush, and his gaze settled on Tobias’s truck. He turned abruptly.
“Give me your keys.”
“What?” Tobias said.
“The keys to the truck. I want to take a look.”
He held out his hand. Tobias blinked, and hesitantly handed over a single key on a ring. The rest of us watched as Gav strode over and opened up the back of the truck. He clambered inside, the metal floor ringing under his boots. The sound seemed to break Tobias’s stupor.
“Hey!” he said, heading over. “That stuff’s mine.”
Gav poked his head out.
“You’re pretty well equipped,” he said. “Tent, sleeping bags, an awful lot of food.”
“Like I said, there’s no way I can go back to the base now. I’ve got to get by somehow.”
“And that’s another reason you weren’t here earlier,” Gav said. “Because you were stocking up your truck before you left.”
Tobias’s face reddened.
Gav jumped down and closed the back door.
“Tell you what,” he said, his voice strained. “You make it up to us. You take me and Kaelyn to Ottawa, then drive us back when we’re done there, and we call it even.”
“You really have a vaccine?” Tobias said to me. “We could get rid of this virus for good?”
“I think so,” I said. My hopes lifted. “If you’d help . . .”
He lowered his gaze from the five pairs of eyes trained on him. “Okay,” he said after a few moments. “Yeah. It’s not like I’ve got other plans.”
“Am I coming too?” Meredith asked, squeezing my arm. My stomach twisted. I didn’t want to bring her places where we couldn’t be sure of being safe. But the island wasn’t safe, either, not anymore. The guys in the helicopter could come back for another round. We’d been lucky to escape the first time.
“We should all come,” Tessa said firmly. “It’s dangerous for any of us to stay on the island, that’s obvious. And I’m sure we can scavenge more food around here so there’s enough for all of us. The most useful thing we can do is bring the vaccine to the right person. The more of us there are, the faster we’ll be able to find someone who can help once we get to the city, right?”
After a couple seconds, Leo nodded. “I want to help!” Meredith said. Tobias shrugged as if it was all the same to him. I paused, unprepared for the sudden show of support, and Tessa gave me a small smile.
Gratitude washed over me. Yes. If we were all together, we could protect each other. Safety in numbers. I would never have asked them to risk it before, but now, with the situation on the island becoming even more precarious, it felt right.
We could get through this together, like we had so much else.
six
    Gav was the only one frowning.
“What about everyone else on the island?” he said. “We can’t
all leave without telling someone what happened so they can be
prepared in case those psychos with the helicopter come by again.” “I’ll go,” Leo