Excerpt: Pervert's Paradise- The Sequel

Sleeping in the hall with most of the community felt strange for Mattie, feelings of their first few months on Eros coming back.

Steve and Sr Rebekah also unable to sleep sat by the fireplace with her, nursing cups of hot tea.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been here. Funny that despite having weathered worse storms than this, there is that feeling of needing to be together when bad things hit us.”

“We’re a community. What else would we do?” Steve swilled the contents of his mug around.

“It’s good we still trust each other enough to do this. And the way the children came together for that story reading was beautiful.” Sr Rebekah commented.

“Nysa was already scared by the hurrying to get inside from the storm. I think sleeping back in our place would have been too quiet for her and we wouldn’t have got any sleep.”

Steve looked over to the side of the room where Chelsea and Nysa curled up on the ground to sleep. “How’s she going with the pregnancy? I respect that the baby is yours and hers, but I guess part of me is drawn to find out how my genetics is going.”

“She’s fine. Not looking forward to the last few months, but getting there. She reckons these first 9 months have been easier than last time. Maybe it’s just that she knows what to expect, and she hasn’t been thrown in at the deep end.”

“I still think it sounds strange to have a twelve month pregnancy.” Sr Rebekah mentioned. “It must be really disheartening to have it seem so much longer, even if it is only because the months here are shorter.”

“I guess it’s probably more noticeable to the women who had children back on Earth as well as here. But then Fiona said she loves to feeling of being pregnant, even if she doesn’t want to raise any more children of her own.”

“I guess that’s why she offered to surrogate for Adam and Peter.”

The winds had now died down occasionally howling through the trees. It was obvious that ice was forming from the rain that had fallen earlier. Creaking of trees and breaking of icicles could be heard as the wind howled around the village.

“It’s going to be a cold one tomorrow. After such a nice warm day today.” Mattie topped up her mug from the billy of tea hanging by the fireplace.

Steve looked across the hall, and the washing hanging from the rafters, lit up by the logs smouldering in the hearth. “The washing needed to be done. At least we got to hang it outside, even if it was only for a short time.”

There was a low rumble in the distance, echoing through the area.

“Sounds like that thunder storm is making a return.” Sr Rebekah noticed, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders.

“You don’t really like them, do you?” Steve noticed.

“Back on Earth I was at a monastery up in the tropics. We had the afternoon thunderstorms come through every day, and when you’re in the building at the top of a mountain, with the tallest spire, you learn the value of prayer.”

Mattie chuckled at the story, but paused as the rumble got louder. There was a loud crack, another rumble which turned into a floor shaking shudder. Everyone woke up, looking around the dimly lit hall in terror.

“It’s okay. Go back to sleep people.” Mattie whispered, grabbing the blanket that was draped over the couch she had been sitting on, and carefully stepping around people as she went to the door. Together with Steve she opened the bolted door, slipping on wooden clogs to see if she could find out what was going on. Light from [moon2] poking through a break in the clouds lit up the snow. Around her was a winter wonderland, a fine layer of frost and ice covering everything, making her breath turn white as she breathed. Branches shivered as the air moved with the shudder moving down from the mountains.

“Do you think we’re at risk of an avalanche?” Steve asked, joining her in the middle of the main road.

“We’re not in the path of any valley here. Maybe further around, or even down the river. You think that’s what it is?”

“What else could it be?” He stated.

Mattie pointed to the hills, seeing a glowing light from above them. “Avalanches don’t glow.” She stared at it a little longer. “Chelsea’s been talking about more people from Earth coming. What if it is another ship having landed?”

“Would be nice.” He put his hand on her shoulder, indicating to move back in, and danger being able to see. “It seems to have calmed down now. I don’t think anything else is going to happen tonight. We can go out and check it out tomorrow.”

They wandered back inside, people looking up at them. “What was it?” Kate looked up at her blearily.

“Probably snow moving up in the mountain areas. Maybe a tree or two.” Mattie returned to where Chelsea and Nysa slept wrapped under a few layers of blankets, head resting on Chelsea’s back rest pillow.

“What’s up Mattie?” Chelsea muttered, holding Mattie’s hand as she slid under the blankets and held her from behind.

“I think your theory may be correct. I think visitors may have landed and they’re up in the hills.”

--,--‘--(@

The hall woke almost instantaneously with a loud bang, the sound reverberating around the village. No one was quite sure what they heard, but the fact that everyone was awake meant the sound had been real.

Slowly people stretched, getting up out of temporary beds on the floor. Dante set about putting the water on to boil and getting food out for breakfast while Mattie investigated outside.

Those who had stayed in their own houses that night also started coming out and stood in the middle of the road looking just as dazed and puzzled.

The sun peaked through thinner clouds on the horizon, showing exactly how low the dark blue snow clouds were, hiding even the closest of hills and making the space around them feel even more enclosed.

Unable to see much Mattie went back inside, people awake and buzzing with discussion on what the noise could have been.

“No much to see. The clouds are fairly close to the ground and I’d say we’re going to have another dumping of snow.” She told those looking expectantly at her.

“So much for the spring thaw.”

“Yeah, we’re going to need to get some more firewood inside and dry with the cold snap it looks like is coming. We’ll have to keep Dante’s hearth going high too.”

Nysa ran up to her in her pyjamas, giving her a morning hug. “Mum, is everything safe? Is the storm gone?”

“The storm is gone, but I think we’re going to have some more snow today.” She picked her up in her arms, carrying her over to the breakfast area.

Dante was preparing some sparrow seed porridge, the filling grain cooked in goats milk making a warming breakfast meal.

--,--‘--(@
Mattie stood in the middle of the main road, looking up towards the hills and seeing the familiar plume of smoke rising that they had come to now expect.

“Mattie, there’s no denying that there is someone else here. It’s a clear day, we should go and investigate, see who else is here.” Chelsea joined her, looking out to see if the smoke was still there.

“I’ll be going. You can stay here though.” Mattie put her arm around her and rubbed her belly.

“Come on Mattie. I want to know what is out there as much as you do. And I’ve still got another two months to go before my due date.”

“We’ll be going out into the hills, the snow is thawing and it’s going to be dangerous with moving snow up there as well as the horned goats. Not to mentioned you’re pregnant.” Chelsea sulked, desperate to stretch her legs. “If you want to do something take Nysa to the greenhouse to see how the plants are. She got some melon plants she’s been growing ready to transplant to our yard once the ground is thawed.”

“You’ll at least take the unicorns The smoke is a fair distance away and I’m sure you don’t want to sleeping be outside in snow.”

“I’ll see who wants to join me. Hopefully Alex, Andy and the rest of the butches will join me.”

“Take Peter. I could really go a nice steak and he’s one of the few who can kill an animal.”

Mattie snapped her head to Chelsea, surprised at her sudden desire to eat meat.

“I’ve got cravings, and if this baby wants a steak, then I’ll get over my revulsion of knowing it was alive and been killed for me to eat, and I’ll eat a steak.”

“What ever you need dear.” Mattie sighed.

Nysa came skipping out the house, her birthday dress pulled over the top of her thick winter clothes.

Chelsea shrugged. “She wanted to dress herself today.”

Mattie laughed, taking her hand and walking to the main hall. She found Peter already in the main all, encouraging Hannah to eat the filling sparrow seed porridge. She served a bowl for Nysa, sitting down at the large bench next to Peter.

“How are the unicorns? Think they’d appreciate a big run out to the mountains?”

Peter nodded, “I’m sure they would. Why, where do you want to go out?”

“That smoke that’s been rising over the hills. It seems to be travelling and moving closer, and it can’t be naturally occurring. Chelsea thinks there may be someone else here, maybe it was another ship landing that night we had the tremor.”

Andy looked up from her breakfast, happily away from their baby that Maria nursed from a makeshift teat. “I’ll be in that. I need to get out in the air for a while. How many unicorns do we have?”

“I’ve got ten that can be ridden, another two we can hook up to the wagons.” Peter told them.

“How many people do you think will be out there? A whole ship? Or just a few?”

Mattie looked around for Sr Rebekah. “Sister, what do you think? Do you know much about the long term plans for the resettlement here?”

She shook her head, enjoying a rare cup of soy coffee. “They wanted me off Earth too. I was left out of much of the planning, I just went where I was assigned.”

“Where they sending other ships out here too?”

She sat down at the table, people gathering around to hear. “Ours was one of the first ships sent. There were plans to send other people later, but it all depended on how well we went, the telemetry that our ship was sending back for the first few months. I don’t know how much later the other ships were to be sent though. I’d have no idea if they thought what we went through was an acceptable cost and could be ethically justified.”

“They were able to ethically justify murder.” Someone murmured, long held bitterness towards those who had stranded them still strong.

“You’d think that anything sent after us would have been more advanced, travelled faster and arrived before us anyway.”

Sr Rebekah shook her head. “They wanted you off Earth. They didn’t care how long it took, and there was certainly no great deal of money being spent to make the trip any faster. And faster ships would have been used by the real scientists, not on prisoners. It’s quite possible that the smoke we are seeing in the distance is from another ship that left after us.”

“I think we should go out there.” Andy voiced what everyone was thinking.

Mattie nodded. “We’ve got ten rideable unicorns, plus two with a wagon. If our awakening here is anything to go by, these people are going to be severely weakened, and probably not to capable of walking to far.”

“What happens if there is also another Br Jacob there?” Chelsea reminded them of the man who had kept everyone a prisoner to his views.

“We’ll need Alex and the other shooters to come with their weapons. Get the wagons to follow up behind to carry back anyone who can’t walk on their own. Take enough food for us and about fifty people.”

Dante looked at her. “Mattie, if there is a whole other community up there, we’re not going to be able to feed them. Spring is always a bit tight. What makes you think we’re going to be able to feed twice our community on our winter dregs?”

“They’ll have supplies though. Those horrible ration bars. Plus I’m sure a trip into the mountains will give you a chance at some fresh meat. I’m sure Peter and Russel will be able to help with that. We might have to eat soup for a while to stretch things out. Besides, they’ve been down here for 3 weeks. It took the monks longer to was us all on the ship, correct Rebekah?” She asked the rhetorical question.

“So we’re going out on the unicorns. Who’s going to join me?” Several people indicated they wanted to join them. “Right, we take out the snow clothing, make sure everyone is armed somehow. See you down at the stables in five minutes.”

Andy started pulling the snow clothing out of the storage area, handing out to those gathered around.

“You’ll be okay?” Mattie asked her quietly.

“Sure. I’m back to full health now. Strong as an Ox.”

Mattie eyed her suspiciously. “Andy, I know you’re determined to get back into things after having Luke, but I just want to make sure everyone who comes with us is fit enough to handle whatever we may come across out there. And that you’re not going to be leaving that baby hungry while you’re gone.”

“Everything is fine. Maria has enough to feed him. There should be a day’s supply, so we can be gone for a while if we need to.”

Mattie nodded, letting her be the one to choose if she was ready. She pulled on the heavy pants, Maria and Chelsea having made a wardrobe of winter clothing out of spare blankets and the thick material made from tree cotton.

Chelsea kissed Mattie as she left, like the dutiful wife wishing her soldier off to war. “Don’t put yourself in any risk please. I’m not delivering this watermelon on my own.”

--,--‘--(@

Peter had some of the unicorns saddled up by the time Mattie got there, carrying shoulder bags of food and drink for the journey.

Steve and Moose harnessed up the wagons, making sure they had enough for the journey in case they got caught in bad weather, but also so there was room to transport people back.

Mattie patted the muzzle of her unicorn, reaching up to rub the point where the horn grew, getting the beast familiar with her before she rode it. While the unicorns has taken well to domestication, Peter assured everyone they rode better if they were at ease with their rider.

Leading her unicorn over to the fence, she climbed up on it to use as a step onto the saddle, nothing more than thick padding secured to the back of her animal. It bucked a bit as her weigh settled in the middle of its back, then slowly trotted around the area as others mounted.

Slowly she trotted over to the wagons, her unicorn greeting the two being harnessed up by snorting at them, steam bellowing out its nose in the crisp air. The creatures eyed each other warily, watching their long horns in the close area.

“Follow behind has best you can. Hopefully we’ll be able to give these guys legs a stretch and take off for a gallop across the plains for a while. Just follow our tracks, we’ll make sure we stop and leave markers along the way if the path looks dubious.”

“Sure Matt. I think there’s a pretty big marker up in the hills to aim for. We’ll try to get to there via the easiest path for these wagons.”

Mattie nodded, her unicorn trotting off and circling around the others eager to go. “Ready?” She shouted back to everyone. Short shouts of yes followed and she pulled the reins to lead her unicorn in a fast trot down the main road.

All the children stood on the front porch of the main hall, eagerly waving at them as they passed. Mattie waved back, enjoying the spectacle their party made as they lead out of town.

Leading along the road, they passed Mattie’s house, still the last house on the edge of their village despite all the extra houses and buildings added since hers had been erected. Safely clear of any people in the village, Mattie flicked the reins and shouted to her unicorn and clicking her heels into it’s flanks, her unicorn opening up to a gallop, flying across the plains to the foothills. Peter, an accomplished rider caught up with her, the mane of his animal trailing in the wind as he crouched low on its back to assist with the speed.

Hooves thundered across the path, ripping up tiny shoots trying to push up through the thawing snow and making a definite path for the wagons to follow.

Mattie breathed deep, her cheeks feeling the cold as the rushing wind around her flicking at her clothes, making her feel alive and awake with exhilaration.

* whooped with joy behind her, spurring them on further and faster, the ground slowly beginning to slope upwards as they reached the foot hills.

Mattie slowed to a canter, pulling her unicorn up so that everyone could catch up before leading them up into the hills.

“Which way?” Mattie asked Peter, valuing his knowledge of how well they would climb the hills, as well as making a decent path for the wagon.

He indicated a path heading away from the column of smoke, one he knew twisted back on itself and would lead them over the first mountain range to further assess where to get to.

“What do you think we’re going to find there?” Peter asked siding up to Mattie as they unicorns picked up a comfortable trot up the path.

“I have no idea. I just keep remembering what we went through when we woke up, the disorientation and uncertainty, the grief I went through losing my partner, the bullying from Brother Jacob as well as some of the stronger men. I have to admit that what we woke up to was so much worse than what we left on Earth. But what we’ve made is as close as it could get to paradise.”

“I don’t know about paradise. It’s been a lot of hard work. And the challenges are so much different to what we’re use to.”

“But we have something we never had back on Earth, something very few people back there seem to understand, and that’s freedom.” Mattie petted the mane of her unicorn, encouraging it on up the path that was beginning to get steeper. “I just hope we don’t run into any trouble from the religious people.”

Andy rode up beside her, picking up on the conversation. “Remember when we first came here we had guns with bullets. We’re out of bullets now, and they will probably have the same armory we had when we first arrived.”

“Alex is a good shot with her bow though. It might not have the same deadly range a gun has, but we can at least defend ourselves to some extent.”

“I’m just hoping that we come across something to eat as well. Dante was right. If there are people here, then we’re going to have to feed them somehow. Maybe a carnivorous goat or two will help to spread things out for a bit longer. Hopefully not everyone on the ship is awake yet and we can keep some of them under the stasis until spring.”

Andy looked at her surprisingly, knowing that Mattie was vegetarian. “Chelsea has cravings for a steak. And the way I figure this pregnancy thing, if her body craves it, obviously there is something in that food that her body needs.”

“Explain what good * was for me then.” Andy shifted uncomfortably in her saddle as they rounded the side of the hill, slowly losing track of where they were aiming for amongst the thick of the trees.

“Where are we going to put everyone? Anything left over from the ship has slowly been cannibalised into things for the community. All our stasis pods have been turned into chairs or children’s beds, we’re wearing a lot of those tough army surplus blankets, and the dormitory hall most people slept in the first year here has been divided up into various workshops and Claire’s doctors clinic.”

“We’ll sleep them in the main hall if we have to. Most of us did that the other week during that big storm. Besides, if we’re lucky we’ve got the supplies from their ship to use too.”

“That is assuming there is a ship, and people. The smoke could have been a meteorite hitting the ground.” Peter told them and Mattie paused, not having contemplated that possibility.

“It looks like it has been moving though. I’ve been watching out for it whenever the view has been clear enough, and it’s not above the same trees every day.”

“We didn’t leave until at least 3 weeks after the first lot of us were first woken.” Peter reminded her.

“Well hopefully we’ll find out soon enough.” She signalled stop, finding a good clearing in which to make the track for the wagon and to get their bearings.

At the back of the group Andy had a spear out, already putting marks in the trees as they had been riding. Mattie pulled a gourd of water off the carry bag she had, passing it around the group.

“I honestly don’t think we have much further to go. We can stop for lunch, or continue on.” She looked around, waiting to find an opinion.

“Continue on.” Andy spoke up eventually, and people shrugged, not really caring which they did.

She nodded, gesturing to Peter to lead the way, the higher hill country being colder and not as thawed as the plains were, snow covering a lot of the ground.

He led them slowly through a valley, following up the path made by what was a contributory to their main river.

“Do you think the wagon will make it up through here?” Alex asked, not sure if she should continue marking trees.

“We have to get back remember.” Peter called out to her. “We need some kind of breadcrumbs to get us back over the mountain ranges otherwise we’re sleeping out here tonight.”

Alex nodded, continuing to put deep gouges in the trees at riding height.

Rounding the bend in the river, they stopped suddenly, coming to the bottom of a small waterfall.

“Shit. I didn’t expect that.” Peter swore, turning his unicorn around and trying to find an easier way over.

“We’re a little off course anyway.” Andy pointed out, seeing the smoke a lot closer, but further west than they had been aiming.

“It should be just over that mountain ridge. Should we aim to go over the hills instead of around? There’s no way the wagons would get this far anyway, so we may as well go the quickest way.”

Peter called out to them to follow him, having found a better path. Andy retraced her steps correcting their markers where they had doubled back on themselves.

The unicorns slowly climbed, the path not too steep, but more than could have been handled by the wagon. Getting to the top of the ridge they were able to see the view of the valley before them, a wide gorge defining two separate ridges of mountain ranges.

“I’d say that’s our river over there in the distance.” Peter pointed out. “It will probably be an easier and flatter route home. Because from memory in a valley like this, but closer to the river was where we first encountered our goats.”

“Looks like we do have visitors from home.” Andy whispered, seeing the large star ship nestled in hills. “I don’t think that’s a meteorite.”

“That doesn’t look right.”

“It’s not quite upright, and the area around it looks disturbed.”

“They crashed.” Mattie realised, taking in the surrounding area and realising the devastation to the trees made sense.

“That probably explains why the smoke is coming from further away.”

“Head there first, see what they have to say, and if they know much about what happened.”

Slowly they started their decent into the leafy valley floor, grateful they had taken note of the direction they needed to head in.

As they neared the site of the smoke, screaming and shouting could be heard.

Mattie drew the only weapon she had, a couple of large crystalline rocks, sharpened sides and a deadly throw.

Clicking her heels into the unicorn they sped off towards the voices, not sure what to expect. The rest followed her, Alex pushing forward with spear raised and ready.

Trees thinned out due to the rocky ground, the hills looming closer. Mattie spurred on to the source of the fire, her unicorn galloping towards it.

The sight of a horned goat caused her unicorn to falter, breaking stride and nearly throwing Mattie.

Alex over took, her throw strong and on target, catching the goat in the side of the ribs, where it faultered, taking it’s last few uneasy steps before collapsing on the ground.

Quickly Alex dismounted, using a second spear to make sure the blow was fatal and humane. Mattie quickly scanned the area for signs of the secondary goat hunting party. Rustling in the bushes showed that the goats had been spooked by the by the sudden noise of ten unicorns galloping into their hunt and we quickly retreating.

Slowly gaunt faces appeared from the cave, looking out on horror at what had just happened.

Mattie dismounted, handing reins to Peter before going over to the fire by the save entrance.

They worse little more than prisoner’s uniforms, swathed in many layers of blankets. “Who are you?” One of them looked out, skin grey with malnourishment.

“I’m Mattie. Welcome to Eros.”

They looked at her questioningly, not sure if what they had just witnessed was real.

“Did the goat get you?” Mattie noticed the wound on the person’s leg, trousers ripped and weeping with blood.

She looked down, stumbled before leaning up again the nearest rock.

“Who’s got the medical supplies?” Mattie demanded, reaching out for the woman as she grabbed the bag offered out by * as he got down off his unicorn.

The woman tried to back away from her, scrabbling further back into the cave. “Who are you? Where are you from?”

Mattie saw the terror in her eyes, then saw the rest of the group, huddled further in the cave, all similarly starved. She dug into her bag, pulling out dried fruits and small nut cakes, offering them to the people. “Please eat. We’ve got plenty of food, and drink.”

Cautiously the injured woman accepted her offering, sniffing the cake. Others approached her, looking to see what she had.

“You’ve got food?”

Mattie handed out what she had, indicating to the rest of the party to hand over whatever food they had.

“We’ve got more food and shelter back in our village.” Mattie cleaned the wound on her leg lightly, dressing it to stop the bleeding and hoping they could get back to the village quickly for Dr Claire to look at it.

“Where are you from?”

“We’re from Earth too. We’ve been here 4 Eros years now. We didn’t think we’d be seeing anyone from back home again.”

“You’re a doctor?” Another asked, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the back of the cavern.

A second fire further back lit the way, showing some huddled forms sleeping on the ground. The air was thick with smoke, mingling with stale air of too many people in close quarters, and something else she didn’t recognise.

“I’m not a doctor, I just know first aid. What’s wrong?”

“They’re dying. They can’t wake to drink.”

“Sr! Sr Rebekah!” Mattie called out knowing that she had the best medical and palliative knowledge than anyone else in the group. “Bring water.”

The group of survivors hushed, parting to let her in.

“Okay, lie them down and I’ll see if we can get them to drink.” She told Mattie, and those who were around them helped lay down the very weak.

Feeling for a pulse Sr Rebekah lifted the first person’s head, dropping a small amount of water on their lips from the carved gourd they had bought with them. Swallow reflexes took over and they drank. She moved onto the next person, realising that there was no pulse and making sure their eyes were closed.

“I guess we arrived too late.” She whispered to Mattie, moving on to the next to help them before it was too late.

Someone shuffled up to then in the cramped area, cautiously looking at Sr Rebekah. “Pardon me sister, what do you need the rest of us to do for you? We’re at your service.”

She looked surprised by the attitude towards her, the way the woman seemed to cower in her presence.

“Firstly, I want you too relax. We’re all here to help you.”

Mattie looked around at the group of survivors and what they had. “I’m Mattie, and I guess I’m the community leader of sorts. We’re like you, we were deported from Earth and we’ve been here 4 years now. We’ve got a community just over on the mountain ridges on the plains where we have food and shelter and warmth. There is a place there for you if you want to join us.”

Some of them looked to her, gratitude in their eyes. “You’re here to rescue us? We’re saved?”

“Our prayers have been answered.” One of them shouted. “Alleluia. Praise God.”

There was excitement through the cave, people with no energy or life left in them suddenly rejoicing and hugging each other.

Mattie looked to Sr Rebekah, surprised by the comments they made, and the religious overtones to them. “We’re going to have to get them back to the village somehow and I don’t know how we’re going to do that with unconscious people and the wagon probably unable to get over here, at least not via the path we took it.”

Alex turned up inside, bloody snow on her hands from having cleanly slaughtered the goat. “Matt, that’s a big boy we’ve got there and a good meal. I can’t prepare it to carry back, and it’s too big to ask anyone to carry it. I know my unicorn well. She’s a good beast and I’ve trained her to carry kills. If I can get back to the wagon, direct them to the river if you can get everyone down that way. I’ve been hunting along the river before and I know the area well, the path is smoother if you and the wagon can get there and meet up.”

Mattie nodded, appreciating the idea. “Do that. And then get back to the community. We’re going to need to get supplies and space for these people. And a good meal.”

She turned to the person nearest her. “What’s you name?” She asked.

“Karrie.”

“How many people here Karrie?”

“We started with thirty five people, and 6 have died from injuries and Simon just today.”

“Twenty eight then?” Mattie looked to Alex. “Go back as quickly as you can. Direct the wagon to the river. We’ll meet them there and hopefully can get everyone carried home. You get back to the village, let them know we’re coming and who we have.”

“We’ll have to check out the ship later, get supplies from there.”

Mattie curtly nodded, Alex hurrying out the cave, loading up and galloping off.

“Okay, Karrie, I want you to try and organise everyone. Gather up whatever you have here. We’ll get the weakest on our unicorns. Those who can walk will until we meet up with our wagons, then it’s going to be an easy ride back, well at least for you.”

She nodded hurrying off to talk with those waiting expectantly.

“Do you think we’re going to be able to move these people?” Sr Rebekah asked her, seeing the fragile state they were in.

“I’m just going to talk to the others. If they haven’t come around we’re going to have to carry them unconscious. We can’t leave them hear to freeze to death, even if they are almost gone.” Mattie went back to where the rest of the rescue party were, Peter calmly talking to the unicorns, while the others assisted those who needed it.

“Peter, Andy,” she indicated for everyone to come and listen to her. “The situation is we’ve got 28 people here, two are unconscious, some can barely walk, and the wagons won’t be able to get across that last mountain ridge. Alex took off just a moment ago to rendezvous with the wagons, let them know what is happening, and hopefully get them to meet us over by the river over west. She’s continuing on to the village to get them prepared for more visitors. We’ve got to get these people to the river, then continue down stream until we meet up with the wagon.”

“If we’re only going slow we can get two on a unicorn.” Peter told them.

“That still leaves another ten people and we have to carry two of them.”

“I can walk and lead one of your beautiful animals.” The man wrapped in layers of blankets stepped up to one of the unicorns, letting it sniff his hand before patting it on the muzzle. “And I would love to know more about the interesting wildlife you have encountered here.”

“This lovely dappled beauty is Gwenevere. We found her when we first when down to the forest where a flock of unicorns lived. She was injured, I looked after her wounds and she’s been faithful to me ever since.” Peter rubbed behind her ear, working up to her single horn. “I’m Peter.” He held out his hand to the man.

“Fergus.”

“If you’ve got extra clothing or food please give it to these people. We can do without until we get home.” Mattie told the others, going back to the cave to get everyone ready and moving.

Sr Rebekah came out while the group of survivors stood around in the back of the cave. “They’re saying prayers for the person who died before leaving him in the save.” She looked at Mattie uncomfortably. “While I don’t mind having people around who are religious, I’m worried about their state of mind, and how brainwashed they may be. A brainwashed fanatic can never be a true believer and they can be very dangerous. They believe because that’s what they’ve been told to do, they don’t understand why.”

“You’ll have your work cut out for you. Hopefully once they get back to the community, see what we have built, and what they can have a lot of that will fall away.”

“I know there are some back home with counselling skills.”

Mattie nodded, smiling at her and giving her a supportive clap on the shoulder. “These people who are unconscious, it may be easier if we try and make a makeshift stretcher with tree branches and blankets. See what we have available in the area.”

Outside she looked around for branches and long sticks, breaking pieces up until she had four poles. She looked to Karrie, wrapped in several layers of sheets and a dirty surplus blanket. Mattie unbuttons her jacket, holding it out for her to take. “We need some of these sheets to make a stretcher. Take my jacket for the walk.”

“No, you’ll freeze. I can’t let you do that.” She protested.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got several layers under this, including a thick jumper. I’ll be walking so there is no fear of me getting cold. But we need the sheets.”

Slowly she nodded, throwing off the blankets and sheets and wrapping Mattie’s jacket around her, basking in the extra warmth it gave her. “Thanks.” She said meekly, helping Mattie to construct the stretcher, using the corners of the sheet and tying knots around the poles.

“I’ll give you a hand with that Mattie.” Brett offered, lifting the two people onto the one stretcher before making sure they were warm enough. “They’re light enough to carry both together.”

“Just make sure their heads don’t hit together as you walk, or that they slide together and suffocate.”

Brett put the now empty bag that had held food beside their heads to act as a cushion. “We’ve got everyone we can up on the unicorns. Time to get going home.”

Mattie nodded, taking the other end of the poles and carefully lifting them, Sr Rebekah watching to make sure they didn’t hurt themselves as gravity caused them to settle close together on the stretcher.

“Okay, let’s go.” She hollered, the large party slowly heading off towards the tree line and the river in the distance.

“What happened to your ship?” Mattie’s asked Karrie, who was leading her unicorn by it’s reins.

“No one knows. We wake up in this dimly lit room. I’m in this clear coffin thing in the middle of a large room. They have these things lined up on the walls, and there were heaps of people in them. I guess we got woken up when those things were disconnected from the wall. Everyone else on the wall was still asleep.”

“I’m sure there will be enough power to sustain their stasis until spring where we’ll have the ability to get everyone else out properly.”

“Someone should have been awake to realise you when you got here.” Sr Rebekah asked. “Do you know what happened to the religious monks?”

Karrie cast her eyes down. “No sister. We didn’t see anyone else.”

”They must have died then. Either on impact of on the journey over. It happened with us. We lost Br * on our trip.”

“Sister, I’m so sorry. We didn’t look to cheek. I know now that I should have.” Karrie looked panicked that she had done wrong.

“You weren’t to know. It saddens me that you’ve been through such an ordeal and th they didn’t organise to leave you with anything for when you woke, and that you were along for your first days here.”

“It is our penance for being evil. You were right to send us away.”

Mattie stopped, shocked by the statement. “Evil? Why do you think you are evil?”

“Unnatural relationships. We’re all evil for giving into unnatural desires. That what your God says, that’s right sister?” She looked at Sr Rebekah for approval.

“No. No, that’s not right at all.” She looked sadly at them, realising the extent to the brainwashing that had been taking place. “No one should be punished for their love. Love is a very natural thing, and if that love is genuine and honest, who cares if it happens to be between two women, or two men.”

“One thing about our community is that we don’t have any form of organised religion. It was decided long ago here that spirituality and religion should be a personal thing, that no one here will be judged on what they do, who they are based on someone’s moral beliefs.”

Karrie looked at her surprised. “But we all need moral guidance.”

Sr Rebekah spoke up. “Actually you don’t. Everyone has the abilty to tell wrong from right. Just because it doesn’t fit one person’s views doesn’t mean that it is wrong. Once you learn that you’ll realised how liberating it can be.”

“You’re a non-believer too. They said in the camps we would have people like you tempting us.”

“We’re not here to tempt you. We just believe that everyone should be free to live their life as they want to, however that may be, and that we don’t judge each other on their life choices.