I don't own anything to Star Trek. It is all property of Gene Roddenberry and whoever has the rights to it. I don't make money with it. I'm writing fanfictions about Star Trek because I love this story. So I ask you not to sue me.
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It shouldn't bother him. He should be relieved. But he wasn't.
Every day was always a challenge and the dangers and risks were already routine for him. Then why did everything go so smoothly? They had worked hard to be prepared for the winter and it paid off. So far, each of their small group had survived.
... it shouldn't bother him ...
"Jim!"
Despite the snowstorm, Jim heard the sound of his name and turned around. He wasn't surprised to see his Vulcan partner. It wasn't easy to recognize him through all the wild snowflakes, but all he knew was that it was him.
"What are you doing here?" Jim asked, more angry than he wanted to.
Spock caught up quickly and was now so close in front of him that they could see each other despite the storm.
"You can answer the same question for me too. It is illogical to go out again in such weather. Our stocks are adequately replenished. No further risk is required."
Which risks, Jim thought grimly, trying to make out his surroundings. But in this weather he could forget it. He should really be wondering why he was doing such stupid things.
"Let's take refuge in the store there if you really want to start a discussion", he suggested, stomping through the meter-high snow to the old toy store he had recently passed. There they climbed through the broken shop window and took shelter in one of the back rooms. It was freezing, but still better than outside.
"Something's just wrong here", he finally replied as confident as possible without Spock having to ask again. "We have seen signs of survivors, but have not yet come into contact with them."
He remembered the empty floor of the skyscraper all too well. No question that they were survivors and not Romulans. These guys wouldn't want to turn wooden furniture into pieces.
"I assumed the lack of contact satisfied you", Spock replied in a matter-of-fact voice.
"Maybe in the beginning", Jim admitted as he moved an overturned chair to sit by the snowy window. "But these guys have to be somewhere. Winter isn't over yet and I can't imagine they just moved on."
It made him nervous just to think about it. It would be too easy; too easy to be convinced of this truth. Life wasn't easy anymore.
"What will you do if you are right and they are still here?" Spock asked, almost cautiously.
It should have shocked Jim how quickly and instinctively he answered that question in his head ...
I kill them!
... but it wasn't like that.
"Jim!" Came it from the Vulcan by surprise and Jim could have sworn he sounded horrified. But he couldn't read his mind. They hadn't touched.
"That is no longer necessary between us.", Spock reminded him, getting an annoyed hiss from Jim. He had forgotten that in some situations his feelings were so closely connected to his thoughts that Spock could almost hear him screaming in his head.
Jim furrowed his eyebrows and looked outside angrily. The storm just didn't stop. "Sometimes your telepathy is a pain in the ass."
"And I tend to forget how much you've changed."
Jim didn't look at him because then he could tell himself that he hadn't heard the disappointment behind Spock's words. Still, he felt an urge to defend himself.
"No matter how small our group is. I will not endanger either of us again. I will find out where these guys are and make sure they are not a threat to us."
"Then you could have waited for more suitable weather."
He couldn't argue with that. It had been stupid of him, but it had itched so unbearably under his skin.
"Then we wait now. Not that we have a lot of choices. What are you doing here anyway?" On the raised eyebrow, Jim already regretted the question. "You know what? Forget it! I'm sure you're here to make sure I don't do anything stupid."
"Indeed."
So they waited together for the opportunity to return to the skyscraper.
X
The worst part of the whole situation for Jim was that the damn building wasn't far away and it still took them forever to get there.
They'd both been here enough times to replenish supplies that Jim noticed that nothing had changed. Spock helped him search the first floors and the Vulcan agreed that no one could be here. Everything was the same as always. The only traces were of themself.
Jim kicked a wall in frustration. "Shit!"
"All the facts indicate that these survivors have moved on", announced Spock, standing by Jim's side. "There is no danger to our group."
Leave it alone, he probably wanted to say, but didn't. Jim was grateful to him for that too. Still, that nasty feeling persisted. They checked everything from top to bottom and nothing ... wait a minute! They had thoroughly searched the first floors. The above has been covered.
"The cellar!" He broke out. "We never looked in the cellar!"
Had Spock been someone who rolled his eyes in frustration, he would have done it at that moment. "Jim!"
"Let's go down! Just the basement and then I swear to you, I'll leave it alone!"
It wouldn't have mattered whether Spock agreed or not. Jim would have left one way or another and his partner knew that. He just nodded and they both set off to search the basement.
X
"Someone is using the building's basement as a shelter. A logical decision ", Spock praised and examined the area. As soon as they opened one of the cellar doors, they saw the first signs. A heavy box of empty bottles crashed from the ceiling onto the floor. It was hanging on a rope and connected to the door. A kind of alarm system to hear intruders.
Jim couldn't help but clench his hands painful in fists. These people had been here all along. He felt like an idiot. He hadn't considered this before. They could have been attacked so easily when they got the firewood. It had just been foolish of them to assume they had moved their prey to another hiding place. Not every survivor stayed in one place too long. Sometimes they only stayed in one place until the conditions for a safe onward journey were met.
Now these people were also warned.
Damn! How many of these would they find now?
"Jim!" Spock called from the other side of the basement and waved him around the next corner. The Vulcan must have moved quickly to surprise attackers, even if Jim couldn't recommend this tactic and he was supposed to be the hothead. But that didn't matter now.
He followed, ax raised, expecting a nasty surprise, but what he found surprised him much more than expected.
Besides their small group, there had been survivors. They needed firewood and they had the same idea as them. Jim expected trouble ...
... and not that all of his worries were already dead in a line.
"They were executed", Spock said the obvious, while examining the individual bodies. There were seven people, three women, two men, a girl and a boy. They had been made to stand in a row because each body was stretched out in the same direction. The faces looked at the ground. Jim even saw the burn marks on the back of their heads. They were shot from behind with a phaser.
At least they died quickly, thought Jim, and crouched down next to the little girl. This world was no longer a place for children. Maybe it was better that way. Better an end in horror than horror without end. And for a moment he couldn't help but calmly caress the two children's heads. He hoped they'd been killed first and that they wouldn't have to watch their loved ones being murdered.
"There are no more signs of more of them", Spock announced emotionlessly after looking at the basement. "Everything in this shelter could only be designed for seven people."
Even if the Vulcan spoke matter-of-factly, Jim knew that such a scene would not leave him indifferent. It was illogical how cold-blooded the Romulans violated the earth.
... on the other hand, what did Jim come here for? It wasn't that he was worried about other people's lives. No. He came back to clear a source of danger to their group.
He pushed these thoughts off and focused more on his survival instinct.
"All right! Let's search everything! We'll take what we can use", he almost commanded and immediately set off to ransack the shelter.
"Shouldn't we bury them?"
Jim paused, because he hadn't expected the question now. "Are you serious? We don't have time for that. Besides, Romulan patrols just have to find out and they'll know we're out there!"
That didn't seem to convince Spock, as he made no move to look for vital resources. That made Jim angry.
"We take everything we need with us and go." No reaction. "I don't understand why I have to discuss this with you! It is illogical to bury them! You are Vulcan and supposedly a logical being. Where is that logic right now?"
"I heard your logic and you are right", Spock confessed calmly. "But as a Vulcan, I also value life."
"Well!" Jim raged. "And I value our life! They are dead, Spock! It doesn't matter if they rot underground or here on the surface in a godforsaken basement! We live! And I want it to stay that way!"
He started searching the bodies. Did Spock think he was enjoying this?! The dead were already chasing him! That hadn't changed! A few more wouldn't make a difference now either!
He pleaded inwardly with the Vulcan not to look at him like that anymore. Of course, he wasn't the same man he was then. He wasn't a hero who could save the world. The earth was lost and each of them had to learn to deal with it. So he pleaded with Spock again.
"Stop looking at me so disappointed ..."
"You turned your back on me. You can't see my gaze."
"That is no longer necessary between us", Jim reminded him, looking at his hands. He was holding a boot from one of the man's bodies. It was almost the same as the warehouse, not thinking and just acting.
... He did the same thing over and over again. That was how his mind worked now. Was something needed or not? Was something useful or not? There was no more room for further questions.
... He could only save his little world and it was made up of his friends.