Dead Hunt

CHAPTER 22 – Cold Storage

Lucy and Michael raced into the lodge and down the cellar stairs. His fingers danced across the computer keys as Lucy stared at the opened canister.

“Is this going to work?” Lucy asked as a small tear trickled down her face.

“It should,” Michael said absentmindedly, his fingers not slowing.

“Should?” she asked incredulously.

“Sorry, wrong word. It will work, Lucy. I just have to make a few adjustments. I don’t know how long it’ll take for that nuclear shit to clear so I can’t program this thing to automatically let us out. We could wake up in the middle of the radiation.”

“So how do we get back out?” Lucy asked him.

Michael stopped typing and turned to face her. “We don’t.”

“We don’t?!” her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Don’t worry,” Michael told her. “That professor guy built this system like a tank: dedicated solar panels, redundant backup systems, you name it. He made sure that come hell or high water, Robin would remain safe until he was ready. We will be perfectly safe in there.”

“But?” Lucy asked.

“But, we stay in there until somebody finds us.”

“That could take forever!” Lucy felt panic racing over her entire body. “We could be in there for years!”

“It’s too late to turn back now, Lucy,” Michael placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. “It’s either cold storage in there and hope for the best, or find some really strong sun block.”

Lucy sighed. Michael pulled her to his chest and hugged her.

“Once the dust settles,” Michael reassured her, “they will come back and search the island for the source of the problem. You said you told a soldier what she is…”

“I don’t think he believed me.”

“He will when the virus starts spreading. They will stop her. Then they will find this place. I programmed it to keep flashing a message on the monitor that we are in there, so they will know to let us out. We’ll be okay, Lucy.”

“ Okay.”

“Good, now take your clothes off.”

“Excuse me?” she blinked in disbelief.

“Your clothes,” Michael repeated, “take them off. Underwear too.”

Lucy stared at him as he started to undress. He paused to look at her.

“Lucy, the process of preserving us is fast and very, very cold. Thawing us out is basically the same thing in reverse, only a bit slower. We cannot be wearing any type of clothing or it will interfere with the whole process. Clothes will damage our skin.”

Lucy started undressing with a silly smirk on her face.

“Something funny?” Michael asked as he watched her undress.

“Really, Michael, the things you will do to see me naked!” she laughed.

Michael started to laugh but was distracted as the last of her clothes fell to the floor.

“Ummm, look on the bright side,” Michael said trying to collect his thoughts. “When women get cold, their nipples stick out. When men get cold, we shrink.”

Lucy smiled then lowered her gaze.

“I see you don’t have a shrinkage problem right at this particular moment.”

Michael looked down at himself and his face immediately flushed a bright red. Lucy crossed over to him and hugged him, pressing her warm, naked body into his.

“It’s Ok, Michael” Lucy reassured him, “if you didn’t get excited, I would be the one embarrassed.” She paused for a moment then added, “I really do love you.” She hugged him so tight.

“I love you too,” Michael said as he returned her hug then led her to the canister.

Lucy curled into his chest and wrapped herself around him as the lid slowly closed.

“Michael, I’m scared,” Lucy started to say as a loud hissing noise drowned her words.

She never finished her sentence.

Michael never answered.