by Dawn, M. K.
“So…antibiotic.” Archer holstered his gun. “Where would those be?”
Sloan examined the first set of bare shelves. “Seems others have been here as well. There’s not much left.”
“If you tell me what we’re looking for, I can help.”
Sloan knew of several antibiotics that could treat the infection. And listing the names of them wouldn’t do much but waste time. “If you could just keep an eye on things, I’ll search for the antibiotics.”
“Okay.” Archer propped himself on the counter near the registers. “Let me know if you need some help.”
“I will.” Most pharmacies arranged their drugs alphabetically, and this one was no different. She knew exactly what she was looking for, and it didn’t take long before she came to the conclusion she feared might happen. “They’re not here.”
Archer jumped off the counter. “What? The medication?”
“Yes.” Sloan took a deep breath. “We need to try someplace else.”
“What’s wrong, Slash?”
Sloan swallowed hard. “Nothing.”
“No, there’s definitely something wrong. You have that look.”
“What look?” Sloan had thought she was doing well at keeping her emotions hidden.
“That stone-cold look where your face goes blank. It means you’re hiding something.”
Sloan had never considered her lack of emotions would to give away what she was feeling. “It could be nothing…”
“What?”
Jumping to conclusions was not something that Sloan did, but if she didn’t voice her concerns, Archer would keep pressing. “I can’t be certain but there are a lot of medications missing.”
“And that’s surprising?”
Sloan examined the shelf closest to her. “Perhaps. It’s just that there is a lot of dust in here, which is to be expected. But there are a lot of empty spaces that are dust-free.”
Archer crossed the room. “Someone was here pretty recently.”
“And it’s like that throughout the pharmacy.”
Archer checked a couple of other shelves. “So, this wasn’t someone who was looking for something in particular. This was someone who was collecting medications for a large group.”
“We can’t be sure, but it’s possible.”
Archer emerged from a few rows over. “Time to go.”
“Are you worried?”
“Worried that there are others out there? Not as much. Worried that they will have gotten to the medication we need before us. Yes.”
Sloan followed him out of the pharmacy and into the Humvee. “Now what?”
“We find another pharmacy.” Archer started the engine. “And pray we’ve gotten there first.”
***
They returned to the distribution center just after dark and found the others in the candle-lit employee lounge.
Molly and Blake sat in the corner playing with a variety of toys. Britney lay asleep on an inflatable pool float, while Axel sat beside her with a book in hand.
“Hey,” Axel kept his voice low. “We were starting to worry. Did you—”
Archer cut him off. “Let’s talk in the hall.”
“Yeah. Kids, we’ll be right outside. Keep your voice down so Mommy can sleep.”
They acknowledge him with a nod of their heads, much too preoccupied with their new toys.
Out in the hall, Axel closed the door behind them. “Did you find the medication?”
Sloan met his eyes as she did with all her patients' family. “No. We went to every pharmacy in town we could locate, but there were no antibiotics left.”
Axel ran a hand through his hair. “Shit. What do we do now?”
“We got a few things.” Archer handed him the bag. “Cranberry juice—”
“Which is expired,” Sloan added.
Archer raised an eyebrow but continued. “And we found some over the counter UTI stuff—”
“None which has proven to help,” Sloan added.
“You’re not helping, Slash.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “He deserves to know the truth.”
Axel’s eyes jumped between them before landing on Sloan. “Which is?”
“This is a very serious situation. How is Britney feeling?”
“Not great. She looks to be in some pain but is trying to hide it. She goes to the bathroom a lot. Can’t her body fight this? People didn’t always go to the doctor for a UTI, right?”
Sloan thought for a moment on the best way to give him the news. “Yes, on some occasions, the body can fight this, but in this case, it will be difficult. She, like all of us, is suffering from malnutrition and weak. Her body might not have enough strength to beat this without medication.”
Axel dropped his head in his hands. “What are you saying, Sloan? Britney’s going to what, die from this?”
The pain in Sloan’s chest hit her hard. “I don’t want to jump to any sort of conclusions. But I do think we need to head for a new city and try to find the medication she needs.”
“Good.” Axel rubbed at his chin. “We leave first thing in the morning.”
Sloan and Archer glanced at one another.
“What now?” Axel asked.
Archer answered. “We’re out of gas. We tired a couple of stations with no luck.”
“Fuck.” Axel balled his hands into fists. “We need to find another vehicle.”
“You and I can head out in the morning,” Archer suggested. “There are a ton, we just need to find one that’ll start.”
“Which is easier said than done.” Axel opened the door to the room. “I’m going to check on Brit. Get her to drink some of this juice.”
“We’ll be right in.” Archer waited until Axel left then turned to Sloan. “You might want to try to be a little more positive there, Slash.”
“You want me to lie?” In all her years of practicing medicine, she had never done so. “Because I’m not comfortable with that.”
“I want you to give them some hope.” Archer looked up at the ceiling. “I get how bad this is, I really do. But we’ve lost so much already.”
“I realize that.”
“Did the prison’s infirmary have what we need?”
That was the first place Sloan thought of. “No. They only had penicillin and related antibiotics, which Britney is allergic to.”
“Damn. Well…”
Sloan reached out and took his hand. “I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it tonight. We should get some rest.”
“Yeah.” But Archer made no attempt to move.
“Was there something else?” Exhaustion had hit Sloan, and she wanted nothing more than to lay down.
“It’s just...we were lucky on the farm. With the garden and animals and medications. Things happened and we were prepared. But now...is this how life’s going to be going forward? Something that used to be so insignificant and what now, it’ll kill you?”
Sloan stopped herself from informing him that even before the apocalypse people died from untreated UTIs. “We’ll find a new place to settle down and build up our supplies once again.”
Archer bent down and kissed her forehead. “Optimism? Coming from you? Thank you.”
She feigned a smile and lied. “It’s what I believe will happen. We just have to keep living.”
***
Sloan sat by Britney’s bedside, wet washcloth in hand as Mother used to do when they were sick as children. “Put this on your forehead.”
Britney did as Sloan asked. “I’m fine. Feeling better, actually.”
“You’re running a fever.”
She waved her off. “That’s a good thing, right? Means my body’s fighin’ off the infection.”
“But it also means there is an infection for your body to fight off.” Sloan took her sister’s hand. “Tell me the truth, have your symptoms gotten worse? Do you have any back pain?”
Britney pressed her lips together essentially answering the question.
“
That’s what I thought.” Sloan stood and paced the room. “We need to find you some medication.”
Britney sat up. “Sloan, keep your voice down or you’ll wake the kids. They need to rest.”
She returned to Britney’s bedside. “I’m concerned about your health. Flank pain is very serious.”
“It’s not too bad.” Britney stretched her back and winced. “Not great either but I can get through this.”
Not without medication. “You should rest.”
“We need to get everythin’ ready to leave so we don’t have to wait when the guys return. There’s a lot of good things in the back that should go with us.”
“That all depends what sort of vehicle they return with.” If they can find one that runs.
Britney scooted back down under the thin blanket and closed her eyes. “Sloan…”
“What’s wrong.” She pressed a hand against Britney’s forehead. “Your temperature has gone up. I believe there’s some fever-reducing medication in my bag.”
“I’m fine, just really tired.”
“And in pain.” Sloan dug in her backpack and handed Britney two pills. “Take these.”
Britney tossed them in her mouth and washed them down with water. “Thanks. How long have the guys been gone?”
Sloan checked her watch. “An hour.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. “Sloan, I’m scared.”
As was she. “I know, but we’ll find something soon. Maybe you should continue to take the over-the-counter medication.” Sloan had no hope they would work, but at this point, it was worth a try.
“Yeah, sure.” Britney opened her eyes and closed them again. “Where’s Axel?”
Sloan froze, her heart thumping in her chest. “Brit, we just talked about this. Axel along with Archer are out looking for a new vehicle.”
“That’s right.” She gave an involuntary shiver. “Are there any more blankets? I’m freezing.”
“Brit,” Sloan covered her with the one she’d been using, “how long exactly has your back been hurting?”
“I don’t know,” she muttered, “before we left the prison, maybe.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Sloan hadn’t meant to shout.
Molly startled awake. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Sloan forced herself to stay calm. “Go back to sleep.”
Molly swung her legs off her blowup mattress. “What’s wrong with Mommy?”
“Mom?” Blake said with a yawn.
Dammit. This was the last thing Sloan wanted. “Your mom’s still not feeling well.”
“Where’s Dad?” Molly asked. “And Uncle Archer?”
“They went to find us a new vehicle. Ours is out of gas.”
Blake plodded over to his mother’s side. “She looks bad.”
Sloan took his hand. “And as soon as your dad and Archer get back, we’re going to go to the next town and find her some medicine, okay? Would you like some breakfast?”
Molly stared at Sloan for a long time. “Auntie Sloan? Is my mom going to get better?”
The question dreaded most by physicians in this position. Sloan had no intention of lying, but she also didn’t want to scare her niece and nephew. They’d suffered so much already. “With medicine, yes.”
Molly looked as if she were going to press further, but thankfully, she didn’t. “Okay. I’m going to play with my toys.”
“You’re not hungry?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Let me know.” Sloan ran a hand down Blake’s arm. “What about you? Would you like something to eat?”
Blake stared down at his mother and shook his head, almost like he knew that Sloan was holding back.
Britney had all the classic signs of sepsis. If left untreated, it would quickly progress to septic shock and death.
Chapter thirteen
Axel
“Son of a bitch.” Axel slammed the door of the SUV. “None of these fucking cars will start.”
Archer leaned against the truck across from Axel. “We have to find a more practical mode of transportation.”
“Is there such a thing?” Axel’s head throbbed. They’d been out here for hours without any luck. He really needed to get back and check on Britney.
Archer cocked his head to the right. “What about that place?”
“What place?” Axel followed his line of sight. “The Pioneer Museum? You’re shitting me?”
Archer pushed off the truck. “Nope. Unless you have a better idea?”
Than what? “I’m not exactly sure what your plan is.”
“In the back.” Archer hopped the six-foot fence like it was nothing. “You coming?”
“Um, is there a gate or something.” There was no way Axel was getting over the fence without some help.
“A locked one.” Silence. “Give me a second and I’ll try to find something to break it.”
Five minutes later, Archer opened the gate. “Damn thing was rusted as hell. Would have been easier if you jumped the fence.”
Maybe for him. “How the hell did you do that anyways?”
Archer tossed the metal pipe aside. “Basic training.”
At times, Axel forgot about Archer’s military background. “Right. So, what is it you want to show me out here?”
“You’ll see.” Archer wandered around in no particular direction.
“Do you even know where you’re going?”
“Nope. Just know it’s out here somewhere.”
Why wouldn’t he just say what they were looking for? “How did you find out about this?”
“A brochure.”
Axel stopped. “A brochure? What the fuck are we looking for?”
“There it is.” Archer broke out into a jog.
Axel threw back his head and swore. Maybe Archer had suffered prolonged damage from his concussion? This running around was way out of character.
“You coming, man?”
“Yeah.” Axel sprinted in the direction Archer had gone. “What is it—you’ve got to be shitting me.”
“What do you think?” Archer patted the side of an old-fashioned horse-drawn wagon.
Axel busted out laughing. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Here.” Archer dug into his pocket and tossed Axel a paper. “Take a look at this.”
He unfolded the museum brochure and flipped through it. “They used to offer wagon rides.”
“Exactly.” Archer examined the wagon. “Looks to be in good shape.”
“And how would you know that? You know a lot about wagons?”
“Not a damn thing.” Archer laughed. “But it wouldn’t hurt to try it.”
Axel stuffed the brochure into his back pocket. “I think you’re forgetting something. That thing needs horses to pull it.”
“Guess you didn’t read the description,” Archer said with the same mocking tone as Axel used. “Says it was pulled by trained horses.”
“I actually did see that.” Axel made a show of spinning in a circle. “Thing is, I don’t see any horses around here.”
Archer crossed his arms over his chest. “We haven't checked the stables.”
“Do you really think after all this time the horses are still going to be hanging around here?” Because Axel had some serious doubts.
“Only one way to find out. Come on. Sign says they’re that way.” Archer headed off to the left, following the direction of the crooked sign.
Axel followed close behind. “This is crazy, you know.”
“Isn’t everything?” Archer pointed ahead. “Look at that, the stables. They seem to be in pretty good shape.”
Axel thought so as well. “They do, but that doesn’t mean anything.” He wanted to hurry and get this over with. The more time they wasted on this wagon, the more time they’d need to find a working vehicle.
With a flip of the handle, Archer eased open the door and peered inside.
“See anything?”
“No horses
but there’s pretty fresh poop on the ground.”
Axel followed Archer behind. “How can you be sure? It’s cold as shit out here.”
“I spent plenty of time with the horses at the farm. I think I know the difference by now.”
“Recently or not, the horses aren’t here. We should get back to tracking down a vehicle.”
Archer ignored him. “See those doors over there. They’re not locked.”
Axel threw back his head and cursed under his breath. “What’s your point?”
“My point is,” Archer threw them open, “they swing both ways and lead to pasture.”
“Man, I know you’re trying to help but we really need to move on. Britney—”
“Would you look at that?” Archer stopped just outside the door.
Axel’s mouth fell open as he came up beside him. “I’ll be damned. Four horses. I can’t believe they’re still hanging around. How are we going to get them to come to us?”
“That’s a good question. We really need someone who has more experience than us.” Archer raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not sure Brit is feeling good enough.” Axel could tell she’d been working hard to hide the pain. “We could try to do it ourselves?”
He clicked his tongue. “If we spook them, we’ll be screwed.”
“We don’t even know if this is going to work.” A lot was riding on this crazy plan. “What if these aren’t the horses that pull the wagon? What if the wagon doesn’t work? I hate to bring everyone over here and then nothing.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
Axel sighed. “Besides to keep searching for another vehicle that works? Not really.”
“Yeah, well, I’m worried that ship has sailed. We’ve been lucky? Honestly, I’m surprised fuel has lasted this long.”
“True.” Axel stared at the horses for a good long minute. “Are they fast enough?”
“To outrun the infested?” Archer widened his stance. “Probably not. And the wagon won't offer much protection from them or the elements. I’m not saying this isn’t going to suck, because it is, but I’m not sure we have any other option.”
Doubt plagued Axel’s thoughts but Archer was right; they were out of options. “Okay. So, we head back to the post office and gather the crew?”
“Yeah. If—when—we get the wagon up and running, we’ll head back and gather our things.”