Delilah smiles, the next second darkness. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”
David says. “I only have the one tent, it can’t handle your aerobatics.”
They laugh, shifting around in the pitch dark tent.
13
A day’s ride later.
Ava playfully punches David in the belly. “Do you want to kiss my ass now or later?”
He says. “I deserved that.”
David and Ava are facing each other talking, the wind begins to blow hard, and Ava’s bandanna around her neck comes off flying away. He quickly grabs it in front of her face, then shoves the bandanna into her front jean pocket and says. “I hope it doesn’t rain again.”
Lou says to David. “Lets talk.”
Ava smirks and says. “Speaking of the Devil.”
David says. “Just start talking you don’t have to announce it.”
Lou says. “We can’t afford anymore delays. I have a finite of supplies and patience.”
David says to him. “I’m so sorry that survival has gotten in your way of your timetable. Under the present circumstances, you should be thanking me, Sacajawea.”
Lou looks over to Youngblood. “Why the fuck are you laughing?”
Lou says to David. “Who you talking to?”
David says. “You, I’m a grown ass man, I do what I want when I want.”
Ava says. “Not this shit again, you know you two are going to be best friends at the end of this. Ya’ll bicker like an old gay couple.”
Lou turns to Ava. “Go be a bitch somewhere else.”
Ava walks away. “Kill each other already, so I can get some peace and quiet.”
Lou’s says. “Fuck you all. I’ve had enough of you David and this charade, just tell me where the Boss is and you can leave, you’re just slowing us down with child’s play and this quest to get a piece of ass.”
David points. “Keep going that way until you’re blue in the face. Don’t drag Delilah into this.” He looks around for her.
Lou walks up to David’s face. “Why haven’t we reached the Boss, yet?”
David says. “We’re not in some minivan driving to fucking Disneyland. The landscape is scarred beyond repair with millions of dead beings and psychopaths around every corner.” David walks around addressing everyone and points at himself. “You should be thanking me for getting you this far. What did you think would happen when we left our comfy homes. People dead or alive are not the only problems out here, the world is still harsh. Food and water don’t come easy out here. The Genesis Virus has a face we can shoot, but there is still countless diseases out here older than mankind that want us dead too.”
Lou walks up to David again and waves his arm at his group. “We are not your friends. Stop trying to impress your girlfriends and get us to our women.”
David says to Lou. “I will live beyond this group, it’s not my first or last. And I won’t have some macho man end my life with impatience.”
Lou says. “Fuck you.”
David says. “I just want to give you a big hug right now. And tell you that everything will be ok and that Santa Claus is real.” Youngblood’s smiling as he slices a pear. Coop is wrapping his blistered feet with no intention to even look their way.
David says. “Just relax and let me do my job. No one is complaining, but you.”
Lou says. “Because these guys are too polite so I’ll be the bad guy and say what’s on everyone’s mind, I don’t give a shit if you like me.”
David says. “I don’t think that was ever up for debate, please continue.” Lou stops wavering and quiets down.
David shouts. “Leave. I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone. I’m tired of your bitching and moaning, I’m surprised the Boss didn’t mistake you as a woman.” After that comment, Lou swings at David, but Youngblood catches he’s forearm with his forearm. Lou pulls his arm away and pushes Youngblood to the dirt.
Lou says to him. “Traitor, don’t forget who you are and your mom’s life. These people are not your friends or your family. We’re just stuck together, enemies versus different enemies. The Boss’s group wasn’t the first to attack us and it won’t be the last. We need to get back.”
Youngblood is helped up by Cooper, he grabs his axe and rushes Lou, who picks up his mace and says. “Don’t test me boy.”
The Chief returns from the horses to see his guys with their weapons raised. He shouts. “I’m going to shoot the first man to swing. I can’t lose two guys now.”
Everyone wonders away from each other. Lou takes a seat on a fallen tree. David presses on the dirt bike’s console to check on its energy level. Youngblood practices swinging his axe in the air. Coop and Ava gather branches. All are desperately trying to act busy to ease the tension and frustration that all are feeling.
Suddenly, the group hears a high pitched scream then a gunshot. David turns around and spots Ava, but no Delilah.
14
Minutes earlier, Delilah stops walking into the woods, and unbuttons her jeans to use the restroom with one hand up against a tree, while holding her handgun with the other. She slides her jeans down, but before she goes, she hears David’s shouting and smirks. “Jerk.”
Just then, a zombie buried under mud and mulch, sinks its teeth into the right side of her belly, she screams and shoots it in the head, its hands scratch her face as she fires. The leaf covered zombie came out of the earth and from the fallen log that Delilah was going to sit on. She falls holding her side. David was right about the restroom buddy system.
15
A sprinting David leads the group past the thin copse of trees in the woods with his machete in hand. When he gets to Delilah, he sees her bleeding on the grass with her hands on her abdomen crying. “I didn’t see it.”
David gets on his knees and rips her shirt around the wound. He feels powerless to contain the blood it’s like trying to swoop up spilled milk back into the jug in one pass.
The rest of the group arrives; David is going through his pack. He looks up and says. “Cover this area, I got this.” David uses his shirt to put pressure on the wound. Sweat starts to pool on his forehead. The Indians and Ava leave David to secure the area. Delilah looks at David and screams. “I don’t want to be one of those things, you know what to do.”
David with both of his palms pressing down says. “Relax, it’s only a flesh wound. You are not going to die or transform. Trust me. We don’t turn into those things, were the lucky ones we can’t die that easily.” David gets another shirt and then tells her. “Don’t worry I’ve seen a wound like this before and treated it with my mom.”
Delilah says. “What happened to them?” David looks away. “He pulled through.”
“Liar. Who deserves a miracle, only good people, don’t the bad ones need it worst.”
David says. “Stop it, you’re a good person. Try to focus on a person you love, like your brother Saul. Me and you will find him.”
“Can I picture you?” Her green eyes have doubled in size. Her red hair blends in with last year’s Fall leaves.
“If it helps. You’re a beautiful mess.”
“Typical.” Delilah feels on the scratches on her jawline.
David douses the wound with water then irrigates it. The pain flows up and down from the wound and out her flailing limbs. David puts his hand on her forehead and snaps his fingers over Delilah’s shut eyes. “Delilah stay awake.”
David wipes the sweat on his forehead with his forearm, tells Delilah. “It’s near your appendix, hopefully it hasn’t ruptured.” Delilah looks over at the zombie close by her head. “It was removed years ago.” And after she says this she slams her raised neck back into the dirt. David then swiftly swipes the blood away revealing a faint scar on her light skin. “What were you thinking, coming out here alone to use the restroom?” Her pants are down to her to knees; Delilah ignores the question and says. “Don’t look at my.” David throws the shirt soaked with blood over her underwear. David
reaches into his pack then scatters coffee from the sliver bin on her cut. Delilah moves her hands over the coffee as he pours. “STOP.”
He says. “The caffeine constricts the blood vessels, slowing the loss of blood.” Queen’s nasty coffee.
Delilah raises her head again to look at her wound. “Kiss me, before I turn.”
David smiles and says. “I don’t want you getting excited and bleeding again.” Delilah tries to smile at David as he opens up his first-aid kit. She caresses his face, leaving a bloody hand print on his cheek.
The commotion is getting louder in David’s head as he concentrates on sewing her up and what he has to do next. He has the needle in his hand and his arms are up like a surgeon after they wash their hands.
Ava and Youngblood come running back. “What’s wrong David?” Frozen in fear with the idea of the first surgery, where’ll he can lose twice if he fails one person. He looks down at Delilah. “I just need a minute.”
David swallows and says to her. “You’re going to be fine.”
Delilah says. “Then why does your face say I’m fucked?”
He looks at his friends. Ava and Youngblood squat down to hold down Delilah’s shoulders and thighs.
Ava says. “Let me do it, she’s losing blood.” David ignores her and hooks through the skin; Delilah’s screams scare Youngblood and the wildlife into high alert.
Ava says to Youngblood. “Hold her.” She puts a twig in Delilah’s mouth.
David looks Delilah in the eyes. “I’m sorry for this.” He wipes his forehead again. “Brace yourself.”
David sews her backwards C wound from the bottom upward. Her back arches up, all limbs tense up, her fingers dig in the dirt. Blood spews over his hands. The longest minute goes by, he stops at the end, grabs the scissors from Delilah’s pale belly, and cuts the excess thread. He steps away to catch his breath. Ava and Youngblood do a poor job of not acting surprise, that he can complete this bloody task after his initial hesitation, with such quick precision.
Ava is still holding Delilah’s shoulders. “Dr. David, are we done here?”
David kneels down, moves a string stuck to Delilah’s sweaty forehead and frames her face with his hands. “You’re going to be fine, it’s only pain, not death.” She’s speaking, though it comes out like glossolalia. Delilah snaps the twig in her mouth and screams in pain as David inspects her wound and the area around it with his fingertips.
David says to the wound. “The bleeding is slowing down.”
Delilah finally makes sense. “David, I don’t want to die.”
David says. “You’re fine, you’re fine.”
Delilah says. “I should have stayed at Dead Town or Concrete Colony. Even that dwarf is looking mighty fine right about now.” Delilah quickly gets quiet and looks to her side, tears roll down her face. David looks in the same direction then back at the wound. “Delilah look at me, don’t close your eyes, keep on talking.” If she didn’t tell me about her appendix, I might have made her wound worst without a second thought.
Delilah says. “We just met…I was supposed to die when you saved me.” Her eyes roll up.
David slightly taps her cheek. “Stay awake.” Delilah opens her eyes at him surprised as if he’s a stranger in a dream.
David says. “This is nothing, I can do this in my sleep.” Delilah opens her mouth as if she has dry mouth; her teeth are covered in blood and she has blood rolling down her neck from her the scratches on her jawline.
Delilah says. “I’m sorry for being such a hassle.”
David takes a deep breath, looking over her. “Don’t worry about it. That’s what I like about you. Your persistence about what you want is what makes us alike.” The veins on both their foreheads are thick red branches.
Delilah passes out for a moment when David finishes dressing the wound.
David stands up, sucks in all the air, and runs his hands through his damp hair. Walks over to Delilah, her eyes are still closed, and he puts his hand on her forehead to check her temperature.
She slowly opens her eyes and whispers. “Is it done?” David shakes his head yes, then leans over and she looks him in the eyes as he softly wipes the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her lips shake.“Don’t leave.”
David says. “You’re going to be fine. This is why we found each other.”
David watches Delilah’s chest slowly go up and down, he places two fingers on her throat. Delilah says in a low sleepy voice. “I was going to leave the group after I…because I didn’t want to hurt you.”
He says. “Save your strength, don’t talk.”
Delilah says. “I can’t do both. Do you want me to talk or shut up?” Not making total sense.
David looks preoccupied and Delilah grabs his quivering hand. Their fingers interlock and both calm down, he holds their hands near his face and she says. “Don’t go.” Tears pool in her eyes. “I’m afraid I’m never going to see you again. Don’t let those things eat me.” He slides the strands of hair off her face. “You’re going to be okay. I have to go for just a second.” David spreads one of his ponchos over her, it flaps in the wind then slowly lands over her, absorbing the shape of her stiff body.
16
David says. “Ava stay with her.”
Youngblood says to David. “Is she going to make it?”
Ava walks up behind David and Youngblood. “David what’s that look on your face? What are you thinking? Please don’t say you have a plan.” Youngblood takes the hint and runs back to watch over Delilah.
David is silent as he gathers his supplies back where he was arguing with Lou, a different lifetime ago.
David walks. “Follow me.”
Ava walks by his side and he says. “She needs more than palliative aid, I need more medicine and antibiotics. I just don’t have enough of anything anymore.”
Ava looks to her left. “What stupid thing are you going to do, now? She’s an ok person, but don’t do this.”
David immediately stops and puts a hand on a tree to catch his breath. “Queen gave me a local map and I noticed a hospital marked on it that is a few hours away.”
Ava says. “It’s been years, the medicine is all gone or expired. Look at yourself, you’re exhausted, you have hardly rested in days.”
David starts to walk again. “The medicine is there, the place is flooded with the dead. Nobody will walk in there anymore in good conscience. I have to try something.”
Ava hates his bumptious tone. “You can’t do this. You keep challenging fate and risking your life. You won’t come back from this, not this time. What about our family with the Boss? Phillip and Abigail? Your sentiment for this stranger will get you killed.”
A fervent David says. “I’m not going to die alone out here and let this virus win.”
Ava says. “You’re a dumbass with a hard-on for any young pretty thing. You have your head so far up her flat ass, you can’t hear me.”
“Yeah, and you’re a bitch with a dead heart.” David turns and around gets in her face. “If I start turning my back now, when does it stop. I’m sorry to say this, but Phillip and Abigail are maybes, Delilah is suffering and will die if I don’t go now.”
Ava pushes him into a tree. “Abigail and Phillip love you. You have already saved Delilah’s life once, isn’t that enough. There’s no sin of omission bullshit to worry about. Delilah doesn’t’ love anyone, but herself. I don’t know why you can’t see that.”
David turns red and his whole body shakes, bristling, blood overheating. “Phillip is dead...lets stop pretending Ava.”
She gets in his face. “What did you say to me?”
“He’s dead, Maria, and Abigail…forget about them.” She slaps him.
David hangs his head low and reclines back against the tree.
Lou checks on them, Ava says to him. “What the fuck are you looking at?”
David exhales. “Ava. All I ask for is for one afternoon. Tomorrow we leave.”
“No.”
Ava says. “What do you owe her? She hasn’t helped us. I hope you have some good reason, I’m baffle how you trust and risk your life for a stranger, because that’s what she is, lets not beat around the bush.”
“Fine.” David heads for the group. “It’s about time I start saving more because my life has been only filled with killing.” He hammers a hand into his palm. “Her life is real, everyone else’s life we want to save is only real to us. We’re chasing dreams.”
Ava is not convinced. “Everyone is going to tag along with you on your dumb mission.” She ignores him and changes her tone to a matter-of-fact nature. “Come on everyone, gather your shit, we leave in five minutes. Chop. Chop.” The Chief and Cooper are dumbfounded by her and keep their thoughts to themselves to not worsen things. The two oldest adults look at each like two kids when their parents argue.
David is getting annoyed. “Delilah can’t travel…don’t worry, I can’t die, I’m meant to help everyone, but myself. It’s my cross to bear. You win.” He walks away from Ava, she runs and loops in front of him, he sidesteps and she mimics him like the Crawlers at the drive-in.
David says. “Get out of my way.”
Ava hunches forward and bobs her head as she backpedals. “Let’s say, you succeed, then what genius, she is now cat-nip for these things if she doesn’t turn.”
“Why do you care?”
Ava says. “I want you to think logically not emotionally.”
David says. “You just want to use me and I can’t die until then, I see that logic clear as day. That’s worst than a stranger using me.”
Ava shoves him in his breastbone and speaks through clenched teeth. “Fuck you.” The Indians all stand in sync. David waves at the guys to sit and that he has it handled. “This is why you care about me, isn’t. I love risking my life for everyone with no regard for my own. I’m your slave only, no one else’s, that’s why you’re so mad.”
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