Of course, the jeans weren’t her size either and, while the clothes wouldn’t benefit her, they would benefit someone in their group. Leaving the computer, she returned to the kitchen to shove a can of chili in the backpack.
She shrugged the pack on before she hid several cans of the food around the kitchen from other searchers. Tomorrow, if the aliens weren’t around, she would bring others in their group to carry as much as they could back to the vault. If they could carry it back, it would be enough to hold them over for a couple of months if they rationed their meals.
Becoming worried about the wounded man she had left, Raine flashed the beam of light around, looking for a first-aid kit. Accidents invariably happened around a kitchen …
Raine struck her forehead with the palm of her head at her stupidity. She moved to the metal drawers, found the knife drawer, and picked up five of them to put in the bulging backpack. The knifes would be the first ones they had managed to find since the bombing. Lucas was going to be ecstatic at her find. Snatching a can opener, she shoved it into the backpack.
Determined to find the first-aid kit, she was about to give up when she found a doorway she hadn’t noticed before. Slowly going through the door, she felt tiny feet scurrying out of the dark interior. When she jumped back, her flashlight briefly shone on the side of the wall. Instantly recognizing the bright red and white symbol on the case hanging on the wall, Raine snatched it, as if afraid someone would steal it.
Not bothering to open the case, she looked around the room. It was someone’s office.
Opening the drawers, she found a pair of scissors, a single-serve can of chicken noodle soup, a bottled water, and a bottle of Tylenol. While it wasn’t the antibiotics Lucas desperately needed, the Tylenol might make a small dent in the pain he was feeling.
Raine moved back to the door in the stairwell; she hated to leave without taking more, but she was too afraid to overburden herself in case she had to take off in a run if any of the aliens spotted her.
Sliding down the rubble-strewn staircase was much easier than climbing upward. Tugging her baggy dress pants back up, she cautiously made her way back to the opening of the building. Finding the street empty, Raine made the dash across the street.
Dropping down next to the wounded man, she took a gasping breath of air, unaware she had been holding her breath. She placed a shaking hand on his chest to check if he was still breathing.
“I was afraid they would find you while I was gone,” she murmured, keeping her voice low. Then, pulling the bottled water and soup out of the backpack, she tried to rouse the unconscious man.
“Please wake up. The aliens who attacked you could come back. I have a place I can hide you if you’re able to move. You’re too heavy for me to carry.”
Raine sighed. He didn’t move. What should she do?
“It’s starting to get dark,” Raine spoke out loud to the man, even though she knew he was unable to hear. “If I leave you alone, you might not make it. If I don’t go back, my friends will worry about me,” she reasoned. When no input was forthcoming, Raine decided to stay.
“I can’t leave you helpless.” Raine took off the jacket tied around her waist, then took the other one out of the backpack. Placing one behind his head, she then made sure he hadn’t started bleeding again. Then she covered what she could of his chest and shoulders, which wasn’t much. The jacket seemed like a child’s article of clothing against his muscular frame.
Scooting closer to him, she shivered, trying to get warm as the temperature began to drop. While the days in Sunset, Nevada were warm this time of the year, the nights were chilly during the spring months. It would be a few more few months before the nights would warm up, as the days grew excruciatingly hot.
Ignoring the growling of her stomach, she took a couple of sips from the water bottle, wanting to save the majority of it for the man. He could have gone without water and be in desperate need when he woke up.
As the night grew colder and darker, Raine had a hard time staying awake. Giving up the battle, she lay down next to the man, snuggling up to his side.
“This is going to be extremely embarrassing when you wake up, but I’m freezing.”
Placing her hands under his back for warmth, she wondered again about the texture of the clothes he was wearing. She tried to place the material, but drew a blank. He must have bought the clothes before the bombing or found a higher-end store, because the feel against her skin was amazing.