“Don’t flake out on me now, brave girl,” Vortex ordered.
Brave girl. Was that me? What had I done that was so courageous? Not succumbing to hysteria might be considered strong, I guess. But I hadn’t found Tash. She was still somewhere out there.
“Vortex, I have to find Natasha,” I whispered and shunted forward.
Cassie shook her head. “You’re going to the hospital, Amy,” she replied.
“When I’ve found her,” I argued.
“No. Now.”
“But—”
“Amy, do you trust me?” Vortex asked.
I looked at him. Did I? The truth was, I didn’t know Vortex from Adam. He could be a serial killer. But Vortex had brought me to safety instead of whisking me away in the field. Nobody would have known.
“Yes,” I finally muttered as Vortex waited patiently.
“The clubs will search for Natasha,” Vortex promised. Tiger nodded his head too.
“If you can lay down…” Cassie began.
“No, I’d rather walk, if you don’t mind.” Vortex and Cassie swapped glances before nodding.
“Let me support you,” Vortex said, and I agreed. His muscled arm wrapped around me, and Vortex walked me to the tent flap.
“Stay strong,” Tiger called out, and I smiled briefly.
Directly outside was an ambulance, and Vortex helped me in. Once inside, the paramedics got me onto a gurney and, once I was strapped in, drove off. It seemed like only minutes passed before we reached the hospital, but the images we’d driven past stayed with me.
I’d seen people walking around. The fire was still blazing out of control, but the white sheets on the ground haunted me. Dead people. People who, an hour ago, were laughing and drinking now lay on that cold earth, gone. I couldn’t comprehend how life could change so quickly. This disaster would devastate so many families.
A fact hit me. Despite my hope, it was likely that Natasha was gone, too. They’d found six survivors. Tash, if she’d been alive, should have been saved by now. She hadn’t been.
Vortex reached out and held my hand.
“Don’t give up, honey,” he murmured as tears leaked from my eyes.
“Natasha’s dead, isn’t she?”
Vortex looked like he was struggling to find a kind answer. Finally, he sighed and nodded. “Hate to say it, brave girl, but probably.”
“Tash was so excited to ride it,” I said and started to melt down. The EMT injected something into me, but I wasn’t paying attention.
“Why did I survive and not Natasha?” I demanded through my tears.
“Vortex, we’ve sedated her; it’s kinder,” the paramedic murmured to Vortex as my vision blurred.
“Amy’s a fighter, had to be to walk out of that hellhole. Let her have some peace for now,” Vortex replied.
That was the last thing I heard.
Vortex
Shamelessly, I’d used Amy’s fingerprint to open her phone, which was still miraculously on her body. Finding a picture of her and Natasha, conveniently labelled, I sent it to Inglorious, who promised to send it to everyone. Then, without hesitation, I scrolled through her address book looking for family. I found ‘Dad’ first and dialled. I’d no idea where the guy lived, but fuck the time.
“Amy!?” a sleepy male voice exclaimed. “Pudding, are you okay?”
