Chapter 5 Refuge
She was warm. Too warm, the heat was almost suffocating her. Her arms felt restrained, she couldn't move to escape.
Where was she?
The ground was white and so bright it was painful to see. Large animals with jagged teeth were chasing her and she couldn't escape quick enough, her tired limbs refusing to move faster, and the shimmering anomaly was too far away.
"Well your not going to get anywhere in that!" Lester called after her as she stumbled past him. She looked down to see chains around her ankles and her arms tangled in a straight jacket.
"Come on Claudia, put your back into it!" Steven was a few foot in front of her, a smug amused grin on his face as he watched her struggle past him. " You need to get a move on."
Still she staggered on, watching Conner come into view. What was he eating? A cheese sandwich?
"Cor, look at those teeth, make a quick meal out of you darling!"
Abby stood beside him and shoved her elbow into her friends ribs whilst rolling her eyes.
She was still too far from the anomaly. She could see Nick standing just in front of it, waiting for her with one arm out-stretched and a smile on his face.
She was so close
And then she was falling down the pit and into the deep dark. Falling…
#
The next time she woke she was still warm. Instead of a blinding white, there was a rocky ceiling above her with light flickering over the rough surface. She was wrapped up in what felt like fur.
"Wha?"
"Claudia!" Abby's face suddenly popped into view, the worried frown on her face relaxing at her friends open, clear eyes, no longer gazed by fever.
"God, you had me worried. You've been asleep or delirious for nearly two days! Here."
She helped her friend sit up and manoeuvre her to lie against the wall. Claudia closed her eyes and was silent as the world spun around her, her body trying to get used to being upright again.
When she opened her eyes, Abby offered her a bowl of water. The bowl was made of rock, naturally curved but had been hammered at, to make it deep enough to hold water.
"Your wound was infected. You had a fever, were delusional. They… the people here put this paste on it. It was made by all these plants and stank but what ever it was, it's worked. The infections almost gone."
Looking around her for the first time, Claudia saw the group of prehistoric men, women and children gathered around the blazing fire that stood toward the entrance of the cave, sheltering from the extreme weather outside.
"The girl we saved, the one we pulled out of that pit? She seems to be the leaders daughter. When you passed out they carried you and me because I wasn't far behind you on the whole fainting thing…"
Claudia gave a little laugh.
"You have been spending too much time with Conner."
Abby smiled sadly.
"I've had no one to talk to for two days. I don't understand them, they don't understand me. They gave us shelter, food, medicine and I can't even thank them."
"I think they're thanking us." Claudia told her. Abby slumped down beside her.
"So what do we do now?"
#
They stayed with the family for two weeks whilst Claudia recovered. They managed to communicate with a mixture of signs and sounds. Two of the females Abby had called Trinney and Susannah made them clothes out of mammoth the hide and taught Claudia how to make more clothes and rope. The men were out hunting, but Nor, the girl from the pit showed them how to make traps and stalk small animals.
They knew they couldn't stay food was scarce and the family couldn't 'afford' to keep them. But they taught them how to survive, how to hunt, make food and shelter before the two women left the safety of the family. Honestly Neanderthals were the best teachers when it came to hunting and survival skills.
Five days after they had struck out on their own, Claudia was skinning a hare, when she saw an anomaly opened at the base of the rock formation they sat upon. They collected the bags they had prepared full of tools, weapons and extra clothes and food. Taking one last look at the frozen winter wonderland, they stepped though.
A/N
Sorry for the longer wait. Have essays and presentations piling up but will try and get the next chapter done for mid next week.
Hope this is ok.
Thanks for reading.