Mark drove around the hospital to the side of the parking garage. Pax smirked. It still tickled him a little that they could have had a much easier entrance to the hospital, had Guthrie and the others taken a little bit of time to investigate. But then again, that's not who they were at the time. It wasn't about asking questions, it was about getting what they wanted, no matter the cost.
Pax hopped out of the truck at the entrance of the structure. He looked around, making sure no soulless were nearby. Only one shuffled its way toward him, but he pulled his knife out and plunged the blade into its skull, dropping the body in a second. Pax put his knife away and grabbed the rolling gate the camp had installed months ago. He rolled it to the side, waiving Mark and Todd's vehicles inside. Then he rolled the gate closed and hopped back into the truck with Mark.
The truck took the turns up to the third floor and parked. Two men stood around the pillars of the concrete structure holding guns. Pax had made sure there were always two guards stationed here. They hadn't needed them yet, but he never knew when they would run into a group like he used to be in. He figured he would deserve something like that, but the people inside the building didn't. They had already lived through something awful and remained good. Untainted, unlike Pax.
"A little help here, guys," Pax shouted to the guards as he exited the truck. Everyone rushed over to Eduardo in the back of Todd's truck. He was bleeding all over, but was still awake. Pax's friend smiled, but the color in his face was growing pale. "Let's get him inside."
The two men ran inside and came back out in a matter of seconds rolling a hospital gurney out and up against the truck. Paul and Mark shuffled Eduardo to the edge of the truck bed, and the other two men grabbed his legs. They all lowered him onto the gurney. The guards began to run him inside, but Mark quickly stopped them. "You guys stay out here. Todd, you and Paul take him in."
Todd and Paul quickly took over and ran their friend inside. Pax helped the women and Brennan out of the cab of the truck. "We're home now."
"There's beds inside?" Brennan asked, his eyes wide.
Pax smiled. "Yup. A bed for everyone." Inside, it made him feel good to make this boy smile. But it was also sad that something like a bed could give someone like him so much excitement. The two women looked at each other. They seemed a little shy, a little scared. "There's nothing to worry about. I know we didn't have much time to talk before, with Eduardo and all, but I'm Pax," he said, offering his hand to the women.
"Marcie." The older lady shook his hand. "This is Olivia."
"Hi," Olivia said, somewhat unsure.
"Come on, let's go inside."
Pax led the women inside, followed by Mark. The hallway was crowded with people, and all eyes were on them. Everyone had awaited their return, which was exactly what Pax was afraid of. "How'd the run go, Pax?" Someone shouted from the small gathering.
"It went great." There was a sigh of relief from everyone. "We have three new additions to the camp. This is Marcie, Olivia, and Brennan." The three of them waved, followed by a completely silent hallway.
Finally, someone broke the tension. "What about food? Supplies?"
Pax shook his head. "Not today, but we go out again tomorrow. For now, we need to get Eduardo patched up and get these people something to eat." Pax could feel the silent grumble of the crowd. He took a deep breath. "I know you're all curious, maybe a little impatient for new supplies, but here we are. We deal with everything as it comes, trying to find new solutions every day. We aren't desperate. We have plenty of supplies and food to go around still. Let's help Brennan and his family get situated. They're good people, just like you, and we welcome them all. We will never turn people away that don't deserve to be. Just remember, if we do that, it could have been you."
Vanessa walks up through the crowd, her lips curved into a smile. It was the one thing he was glad to be met with. She was a star in the center of grumbling clouds. "You heard the man, people. Let's get a room made up for these three and show them around." Vanessa looked around. "Becky, you and Herman get on it." Vanessa turned to Brennan and squatted down. "I'm Vanessa. I think you'll really like it here. There are other kids that you can play with. I'll make sure to send them down your way in an hour or so, once you're settled." Brennan's excitement grew again.
"Thank you," Marcie said to them.
"Just make yourself at home," Vanessa said, sending them off. Becky, a larger woman with a ponytail grabbed Brennan's hand and led the group down the halls.
"Thank you for that," Pax said.
She smiled and waited for everyone to disperse. "They're not wrong. But neither are you. You need to bring everyone back here, but they have a right to know about the supplies. We have to figure something out."
Pax nodded. Vanessa was right, as always. But right now, he wanted to get a shower so he could clear his mind.
6
Dan
"Too pussy-whipped to finish the job, eh?" Mick spit blood at Dan's feet. "Maybe it's just that you can't do it anyway. You're all show but can't deliver when it counts. I wonder if that's the same as in the bedroom, huh? Courtney needs to be shown a real man." Mick grabbed his crotch and shook it in front of Dan.
"You're lucky I'm letting you off right now. If I were you, I'd run fast and far." He winked at Mick and stepped up close into his face. "I'm telling you now, that if you don't keep moving, you'll be dead."
Mick swallowed but didn't flinch. "All hot air, nothing but talk. Your bitch has you on a leash."
Dan shrugged and waited for Lacey and Shane. The two walked past him and to the gate. Anthony and Jennifer opened it, allowing the three to leave. "If we see any of you here again, you'll be killed. Do you understand?"
Lacey began to cry. Mick turned and flipped Dan off. "Go fuck yourself."
Shane smacked Mick's hand. He looked pissed. Probably angry at his brother, but also angry with Dan and the rest of the people in the camp. "We get it. But you'll have to live with this decision for the rest of your lives. All of you," Shane said, scanning the camp.
Dan nodded. Anthony and Jennifer closed the gates, latching it together. They placed a beam of wood across, locking it down. It was an effective gate against a strong group of soulless but hadn't been put to the test by a large horde. Dan hoped they wouldn't need to test that as he felt it probably wouldn't hold. The construction in the camp hadn't been the best, but it did the job they needed it for now.
Dan kept his hand on the pistol on his belt, strumming his fingers against the grip. He knew he had to go back out there. Lacey wasn't a threat, unless she was coerced into it. Mick was an obvious threat. He'd be surprised if he didn't try to circle back and break in immediately, which would be foolish and end with Mick dead. Shane he could definitely see as a threat if the right situation presented itself. He had Lacey to look after. If they didn't find a camp to take them in, they would be desperate. It's even possible they'd run into a group that roamed and then it was just a numbers game. They knew exactly how many people were in the camp when they left. If they had stronger numbers, it wouldn't be too difficult to take over the camp, which is exactly why Dan needed to continue to build and continue to eliminate any and all threats as they came.
He turned and walked to Courtney. She still had some dirt on her but didn't seem to mind. Her face was what he was worried about. She had a large bruise underneath her eye. She rubbed it with her left hand. "Let me see it," Dan said.
She lowered her hand and allowed him to get close. "How bad will the bruise be?"
He shrugged. "Looks like it won't be too bad, but we'll find out in the morning. I'm glad you're okay."
She nodded. "Thank you."
"Of course. I wasn't going to let him hurt you."
"I know that, and thank you. But I meant thank you for being glad that I'm okay."
Dan stared in her eyes and nodded his head. "I'm trying you know. I just-"
"I know. I'm glad you're back."
"Not for long. I have to go back ou
t there."
Courtney scrunched her face. "Again? What for?"
Dan opened his mouth, but was quickly cut off. Blanche stepped in between the two of them and faced Dan. "It's about time you got back. We were talking about where to put the solar-"
"I already told you where to put them," Courtney cut her off.
"I was talking to Dan. If I remember correctly, he is the one that pulled everyone together. You just laid on that bed, doing what you're good at."
"Whatever Courtney said about the solar panels is fine with me. In fact, any time you have that kind of question or information, you should just ask her. I may be the one who brought everyone together, but I'm not the one keeping everyone together."
Courtney smiled. It made Dan happy to see her appreciated. It also made his time in the camp easier. The last thing he needed was being pushed to the limit in condition of withdrawal by some old annoying woman. He might just snap on her. Blanche shook her head and stormed off. "Some people."
Dan looked at Courtney. "If we don't-"
Anthony came up to the two. "Courtney, I-I-I'm sorry that I didn't step up and help you. I-I-"
"Anthony, you have nothing to be sorry about. None of it was your fault. Mick was the one wrong."
Dan waited for Anthony to leave. He was a good man. Just the right kind of dim. At his core he knew the difference between right and wrong. Dan had met many people that thought they were intelligent, but were the opposite. In Anthony's case, a simple mind that was content was the best thing. He knew what he was good at and what he wasn't. Dan never had to wonder what he was thinking or if he was lying to him. Dan liked him. "Are you okay, Anthony?" Dan asked.
Anthony nodded. "Don't need to worry about me, Dan. I'm just sorry that I locked up. I was too scared to do anything."
Courtney smiled and put her hand on Anthony's shoulder. "You're fine, Anthony." He smiled and walked off.
"Now then, if we don't have one more person-"
"Whatcha guys talking about?" Jennifer interjected.
"Jesus Christ, Jennifer." Dan finally broke. "I'm trying to talk to-"
"Whoa, I just had some asshole put a choke on me, and now I just want to know what's going on. I don't think that's exactly the reaction I should be getting right now."
Dan inhaled deeply and let it out. She had just been through some shit and, besides, she was the only other adult in the camp he could more than tolerate. It was surprising how much he seemed to have in common with Jennifer sometimes. "Alright, I was just telling Courtney that I need to go back out there."
Jennifer looked at him cross. "You just got back. Courtney has been worried. What would you need to do that for?"
"Mick being out there is a recipe for disaster. They know where we are. He could convince Shane, they could find people. We're not safe with them out there. Exiling might mean death for them, but we couldn't know for sure."
Courtney shook her head. "This is nonsense. We aren't just going to kill someone after letting them go."
"He's right," Jennifer said.
"What?" asked Courtney.
"I'm sorry, Courtney, but Dan's right. Mick is a loose cannon, and Shane wasn't too happy to leave with Lacey. They have each other to think about, and if they don't die and can't find another safe place, they'll become desperate."
Dan smiled. He was right. Jennifer and he had a lot more in common than he thought sometimes. Courtney started, "I know he nearly killed us—"
"Yeah, that's a big part, but think about it. If Dan and Cole didn't do what they did with Alan and those men, where would we be now? If we had figured it out sooner and sided with Dan, Cole would be here because he wouldn't have had to come out guns blazing and save us all. Even sooner, Miles would still be here. Who knows who will be next if we let them form a plan."
Dan watched it all on Courtney's face. She was outnumbered and knew it. There wasn't much she could say other than. "Okay."
7
Pax
"Every day we use up resources. Sure, we are fine for a little while. Medical supplies aren't too bad, but we could use minor pharmacy needs. Luckily, we haven't needed to use much in the way of anesthesia or any major narcotics, until today at least." The doctor in the white coat paced around the room as he gave the speech.
Pax found it interesting that, after everything had happened, he still chose to wear the white coat. Maybe it was a way to hang onto his past, or maybe it was a way to keep up appearances and hold that higher respectful position. Either way, Pax respected his opinion. Pax didn't have any sort of medical training, and the doctor was the most experienced in the hospital. One of the lucky ones that happened to be in the basement when it all went down. Everyone knew him as the doctor. He had a name but lost it somewhere along the way. He kept to himself mostly, not socializing much, so it never became awkward to only know him as that.
"But what about food. We can only grow so much—"
"So, you're saying we don't need medical supplies?" Pax interjected.
The doctor stopped and looked at Pax, his eyes squinted. "Nothing major at the moment, although—"
"Right, some minor pharmacy needs." The doctor nodded at Pax. "Stuff we can find at any drug store, maybe a well-stocked grocery pharmacy?"
"Yes."
"Okay, so we can avoid traveling to any other hospitals. Or at least, not have to find any other hospitals."
"Okay? But the other—"
"Look, Doc, I appreciate your openness and keeping check on the use of medical supplies in here. I don't know anything about those things, which is why everyone is very glad that you're here. Between you and the other doctors, you've done a lot and most of us wouldn't be here without your persistence and hard work."
"Thank you, Pax."
"But when it comes to the other things, food, shelter, people, we all have the same knowledge about those subjects. In fact, maybe some of us are more equipped to deal with those areas than you are, of which I mean no offense. I understand your worry, but that shouldn't be on you to do. You take care of medical so we don't have to worry about something we have no idea about, and we will take care of everything else."
The doc clenched his teeth and stared down at Pax. "This is ridiculous. You expect me to sit back, just patch you up when you come back from a run, but not voice my opinion? Fine, you want my medical opinion? If something doesn't change, someone will end up dead. Lots of people, probably. Things are scarcer every day. The danger gets worse every day. The city is tapped and full of soulless and maybe even draws in people we don't want to run into." His glare never left Pax. "I'm sure that's something you know about, Pax."
Pax felt it sting deep inside him. The doc had every right to be concerned, but he couldn't let people treat him that way. Not if he wanted to keep everyone safe. The moment he let anything go, that's when there could be a mutiny, pulling everyone's focus from the goal of safety. Pax stood and put both fists on the table. "Doc, I think you'd better sit down."
"Or what? You'll silence the one person that has something to say about how you're running things here? I think you're too chicken shit to want to go outside the city. I don't know why, but there's so much out there left untapped."
Pax lifted his hand from the table and rested it against his pistol on his hip. Before he could continue his lack of thought process, Vanessa grabbed him by the arm and stood. "The doc has some good points." She looked at him, her eyes motioning toward the chair. "Thank you for your opinion, why don't you sit so we can discuss it further."
"I just want what everyone else wants, Pax. The same thing you want." The doctor sat down and folded his arms in front of him.
"I think we should leave the city, too." Mark sat in an office chair in the corner. His feet were kicked up on the table, and he spun the chair back and forth. "Pax, man, it's getting tight in this city. You know it just like I do, there's not much. Sure, we can continue to send people out to finish the last places, but we need to do more."
"The garden isn'
t growing as much as we need to keep up with it," Vanessa said. "We don't have enough in the kitchen to keep up for the next year. With pulling in more people—"
"We can't turn anyone away," Pax said.
"I'm not saying we need to. But if we don't change plans now, then we will have to. In fact, it'll be too late by then because we won't be able to keep up."
Pax felt like he was getting it from both ends. Maybe the doctor was right. Maybe he didn't want to leave the city, but in a way, that wasn't true. He wanted to connect his group with other people. He wanted to keep everyone safe and continue to lead them as he had been. He just figured the city would have lasted a lot longer than it had. "How does everyone else feel about this?"
He looked around at the other two doctors who hadn't spoken. Ramesh wasn't much of a person to speak out, but when questioned, he was usually willing to give his opinion. Everyone liked him, and he was always polite and smiling in the halls. He was the first to speak up. "I think we need to look outside the city. If anything, it's just another measure of finding supplies and backup if anything goes wrong. But there's also so much more. There could be others out there, just like us."
Pax nodded and looked to Gretchen. She was the surgeon who had taken care of all of Pax's bullet holes and stab wounds when he made it to the hospital. She was known to be loud, but was never an outright bitch to anyone. "It makes the most sense."
"Okay then. It's settled. We assemble a team to go long term past the city. Look for new supplies, maybe find communities outside this one," Pax said. It may not have been his idea, but he knew it was for the best. Inside, he felt relieved to finally be making this move
"Maybe we should start going east," Vanessa said.
Exodus: Soulless Wanderers Book 3 (A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Thriller) Page 4