Aaron didn’t respond. He just watched Susan move through the garden and pick vegetables.
“That was a good thing you did last night,” Richardson said. “We’re starting to get to where there’s more young people than old. I bet half the people here had never even seen Star Wars.”
“Glad everyone liked it.”
Richardson continued to just look around. He closed his notebook and dropped it to the bleacher seat in front of them.
“I was here when it all started. Right here, in this spot. My ten-year-old niece had a soccer game. I picked her up and brought her here so my brother and his wife could set up a huge birthday party for her. One of the girls on the team was infected. We thought it was just another soccer fight. You wouldn’t believe how competitive the girls used to get.” Richardson smiled for only a second, then frowned once again. “My niece was bitten, and I had to kill her myself. I never saw my brother and his wife again. I still don’t know what happened to them.”
Aaron waved around them. He wanted to get Richardson’s mind off the past. “Looks like you’ve done a great thing here. I’ve seen plenty of places out there, but nothing like this. Most people will kill each other over scraps of food.”
“This place will die eventually. The walkers will get in, our luck will run out. We all know we’re on borrowed time.”
This didn’t sound like the upbeat leader Aaron had gotten to know.
“Then do something before that happens.”
Aaron pulled his own memo pad from his back pocket and opened it.
“Grow, expand,” he said. “Block off both ends of the street. Make sure every single house is clear of walkers. Make this whole area yours.”
Richardson smirked at Aaron’s notes. He was still impressed the young man knew how to write. “Got any more bright ideas in there?”
“We need more gas and generators, or a windmill.”
“Now how do you even know what a windmill is?”
“My father taught me. We always talked about making one. We need to get power back here. Just some little things to make life easier. Wouldn’t you rather use a chainsaw than an ax to cut down trees?”
“Last time I checked, Aaron, getting a chainsaw from the hardware store isn’t the easiest thing to do with a million dead corpses in the way.”
“That’s the easy part.”
“Oh yeah? How?”
Aaron said nothing, and Richardson knew he was hiding something.
He didn’t get a chance to press the matter further.
They both heard shouts in the distance. Carrie was running and shouting at the top of her lungs.
“Travis is hurt! We need some help!”
Aaron and Richardson exchanged looks before jumping off the bleachers and sprinting to Carrie. Susan had already made it to her and held her by the shoulders.
“Carrie, what’s going on?”
She could barely catch her breath. “Travis. He was trying to fix the smokehouse by himself. He fell off the ladder. The side wall came apart and fell on him.”
They ran toward the smokehouse. Most everyone was funneling in that direction. Aaron could see a crowd gathering. Travis was motionless under a pile of cinderblocks, the ladder on top of him.
No one dared approach him.
Even Richardson stopped at the front of the crowd, at least ten feet away from the injured man.
“What’s going on?” Aaron asked.
“He’ll probably turn into one of them,” Susan said.
Aaron rushed forward and started moving cinderblocks.
“Aaron! Be careful!” Richardson called. “If he bites you-”
Aaron ignored him. He moved as quickly and carefully as possible. He threw the ladder to the side and started clearing the area around Travis, making sure not to touch him. As he worked, a new set of hands joined in to help. He looked up to see Sam.
They didn’t say anything, just looked at one another for a second.
Slowly, other people started to help. Richardson joined in, then Larry, then Susan. Soon, at least ten people were clearing away the rubble. After they were done Aaron knelt next to Travis.
He didn’t move, but Aaron could see he was alive. His chest moved slowly. He had a head wound that bled, but the worst injury was his right leg. It was bent backwards at the knee, and they could see the bone.
Carrie took a few steps back and vomited.
“Travis? You okay, buddy?” Aaron whispered.
He started to stir. “I think I fell.”
He tried to move. Aaron put a hand on his chest.
“No, no. Don’t move. Just be still.”
A voice came from behind Aaron. “What should we do?”
He thought back to some of the training Aunt Denise had given him so long ago. He knew they had to keep Travis conscious, perhaps set the bone. Beyond that, he didn’t know what to do, and Travis’ leg didn’t look to be in any condition to be set.
Richardson searched the faces of the crowd. Most of Lexington had gathered. Nikki was near the back with the children, trying to keep them from the grisly sight.
“James! Where are you?”
An elderly man pushed his way through the crowd. He had very pale skin and thinning white hair.
“I’m here, Richardson. I’m here.”
He froze when he saw Travis. Aaron could tell from the man’s face he didn’t like what he saw.
“Severe dislocation. Probably compound fracture.”
Richardson nodded. “Okay, what do we do?”
James said nothing, just motioned for Richardson to follow. A younger man that Aaron didn’t know left the crowd and joined them. Larry did too, a meeting of the minds.
The crowd started whispering amongst themselves. Sam stood close to Aaron and put a hand on his shoulder.
“James used to be a doctor back in the old world. The young guy there is Eric. James is training him.”
Aaron didn’t like what was happening. James almost didn’t even look at Travis. He didn’t check his pulse or for signs of a concussion.
“Let’s go see what they’re talking about.”
Sam tried to protest, but Aaron was already moving, and she wouldn’t let him do anything alone. The three men lowered their voices as Aaron and Sam approached.
“What’s going on?”
The three men traded glances.
“We’re trying to figure out what to do with Travis,” James said.
“How about helping him?”
“How do you figure we do that?”
“You’re a doctor, right?”
“Look, this isn’t exactly a hospital. We can try to set the bone, elevate his leg. But if it gets infected, and he dies, then we’re all in danger.”
Aaron searched everyone’s faces. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing here. So you don’t want to go over there and help him? Is that it?”
“Aaron, keep your voice down,” Richardson said. “We’re just trying to think of everyone. We’ll do what we can, but we should probably isolate him. I know it’s sad, but he could very well die.”
“Okay, if this was the old world, what would you need?”
James thought a moment. “Morphine, antibiotics, bandages, stitches. After the puncture wound heals, we’d have to put the leg in a cast.”
“I’ll go out and get what we need.”
Larry shook his head. “Aaron, the local hospital is crawling with walkers. And James, do you think even if there were drugs there, they’d still be any good?”
James scratched his chin. “Morphine does have an expiration date. But if it’s stored properly, kept out of direct sunlight, there’s a chance.”
Aaron looked at James. “Okay, what am I looking for?”
“You can’t go alone.”
“I do better alone.”
Sam gave him an angry look.
“You don’t know hospitals,” James said. “You won’t even know where to look.”
Aaron opened his mouth
to argue, but James was right. He wouldn’t be in any danger, but it would take him forever to find medicine or supplies.
“I’ll go,” Eric said.
“No,” James said. “You stay here. You watch after Travis. Get some help getting him moved. Make sure he stays conscious, concussion or not. I’ll go with Aaron.”
Aaron turned to the Lexington crowd. Carrie had soaked a rag in cold water and set it on Travis’ head, which was more than anyone else had done. He spotted Garrett and Ray by themselves, whispering to each other.
“Hey, Garrett,” Aaron called. “You up for a supply run?”
Garrett looked at Travis. “For that dumb old fuck over there? Fuck him, and fuck you.”
He spit on the ground and walked away, Ray a step behind.
Aaron shook his head. What an asshole.
“I need volunteers,” he said. “James and I are going to the hospital to get supplies for Travis.”
Larry tapped Aaron on the shoulder from behind. “I’m in.”
Nikki pushed her way through the crowd. “If you’re going, Aaron, I’ll go.”
“No, Nikki, you’re needed here.”
“I’m coming,” Sam said.
He looked at his best friend. “I guess telling you no is a bad idea?”
“Very bad idea.”
To Aaron’s surprise, half of Lexington stepped forward, all volunteering. He was amazed. He knew the world of the dead brought out the worst in people, but it could also bring out the best. Lexington proved that.
Aaron’s eyes fell on Scott, who ran the forge. He had the look of a man who could take care of himself.
“Okay, Scott, you’re in.”
Larry took a deep breath. “I’ll drive.”
Aaron walked over to Travis, who actually had a smile on his face, despite the pain. Carrie held his hand, which might have had something to do with his good mood.
“You just do what Eric says, okay? We’re gonna go get what you need.”
Travis nodded. “Thanks. Don’t get yourself killed for me.”
“We’ll do our part. You just stay awake and be strong. Eric’s gonna have to set your leg, and it’ll hurt like hell.”
“Yeah, I know. Fell off a swing and broke my arm when I was a kid. No stranger to pain here.”
Aaron smiled, then looked at his crew. James, Larry, Scott, himself, and of course, Sam. He gave them a nod, then they headed to the storeroom for guns.
Richardson watched them leave. He knew they all wanted to help Travis, but he also knew if Aaron wasn’t leading the way, there wouldn’t have been as many volunteers, especially Sam.
The young man was slowly becoming their leader.
* * *
Fifteen minutes later Larry drove the truck while everyone else was in the back. The back door was open, and walkers grasped at the truck, but they couldn’t get a good grip. They moaned in frustration as the fresh food drove by, and they were unable to do anything about it.
James leaned against the side. Scott was near the front, where the open sliding door separated the back from the front cab. Aaron and Sam sat next to each other, a fact the older doctor noticed.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been outside the school,” James said.
Aaron smiled, which only made James more nervous. Everyone was afraid. They had different success in hiding it, but they were still afraid. Sam did the best job of keeping it under control, but her constant unsheathing and re-sheathing of the knife strapped to her leg was a giveaway.
“It’s not so bad out here,” Aaron said. “Just don’t get bit.”
James wanted to talk. It was how he dealt with being nervous. “I heard you lived in Baltimore for a while. How did you manage that?”
“Very carefully. Sam saved my life.”
James looked at the attractive bronze-skinned woman. She was dressed exactly the same as the last time she went out. She had two layers of clothes, two knives, a hat covering her head, a Beretta tucked in her belt. Everyone in Lexington had noticed the change in Samantha since Aaron had arrived. She smiled a little more. James even caught her playing with the kids once or twice. She had softened a little, but he had no doubt about her ability to kill a corpse.
The truck bucked as Larry ran over a few wandering corpses. Sam watched their bodies on the street as they drove. Larry had to slow down for a turn, but the walkers still didn’t pose a threat.
That would all change when they had to stop.
“So what’s the plan, James?” Scott asked.
“I have no idea of what shape the hospital is in. There’s plenty of supply rooms, we just gotta hit them and get what we need.” He patted the two backpacks he brought with him. “Got plenty of room.”
Scott gestured to Aaron. “What’s with the bow?”
“Huh?”
“Everyone here has a gun or two. Why did you bring a bow and arrow?”
Aaron ran a finger down the string of the bow. “Never liked guns much.”
James smirked. “I didn’t either, until the heart attack victim I was working on shot up and tried to bite my face off.”
“Guys,” Larry said from the front. “We’re almost there.”
Sam leaned close to Aaron. “Stay close to me. I’ll watch your back.”
He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. There was a time she would have pulled it away. Now she relished his touch, and squeezed back.
“Me and you, fighting our way through corpses. Things don’t change much, do they?”
Larry drove slowly enough around the hospital to get a good look, but fast enough that walkers couldn’t reach them. The parking lot had surprisingly few walkers. Most of the windows on the first floor were broken. Some were boarded up, an eerie glance into a past fight for survival.
“Okay, James, you know where you’re going in here?” Larry asked.
“Well, it’s been a long time, but I know where the supply rooms are. I just hope the inside is as clear as the outside.”
Larry shook his head. “I wouldn’t bet on that. I’m sure a hospital is a good place to find a lot of dead people.”
“The front door looks clear. Park as close as you can.”
Larry stopped the truck near the door and everyone jumped off the back. There were two corpses slowly approaching from in between a few abandoned cars, but they were a safe distance away.
Scott lifted his gun to fire, but Aaron motioned for him to stop. “Save your bullets. Noise draws them.”
They filed inside the hospital. James tried to keep his composure. Another lifetime’s memories flooded back to him. The last time he was at the hospital was on the first day the dead rose, when he was a young know-it-all doctor. The bloodstains on the walls, the mess of papers on the floor, he was part of that a long time ago.
It was dark, but there was enough light coming from outside that visibility wasn’t a problem. A lone walker was behind the front desk. She clutched a phone in her hand while spinning slowly in a circle. When she saw the humans she moaned and bared what was left of her teeth.
“Keep moving,” Aaron said. “We can move around. They’re only a danger if they’re in a group.”
Larry gestured to his right, down a long hall. “You mean like that group?”
Aaron turned. Eight or so corpses moved slowly toward them. They were a mix of old doctors and patients, still in the hospital after over twenty years.
“Damn,” James said. “There was a supply room down that hall.”
Aaron knew he could just walk forward and knock every single corpse down. They wouldn’t hurt him. But then his secret would be out.
“Are there any others we can get to fast?”
James thought a moment. “The second floor. Follow me.”
He led them down another hall toward the stairs. There were a few walkers in the way that Sam put down with single shots to the head.
James reached the stairwell door first, and was too anxious to open it.
“No, wait!”
Aaron said.
He was too late. James swung the door open, and two corpses fell out of the stairwell. They tackled James and pinned him to the ground. Their teeth barely missed his throat.
Aaron and Sam acted fast. She drove her knife deep into the side of one of their heads. He grabbed the other by the back of its shirt, and just threw it off. Sam stabbed the other through the temple. Her knife still had gore from the first kill.
“You okay?” Aaron said, helping James to his feet. “You can’t just rush around. You get bit?”
James shook his head. He felt like he was going to vomit. “I’m sorry. I’m fine…just not used to being out here.”
Sam carefully leaned into the stairwell. It was completely dark, but she heard nothing. Still, she had to be sure. She let out a small whistle, knowing any walkers in the stairwell would moan.
“It’s clear.”
“That’s a strange way of handling walkers you have there,” Larry whispered to Aaron as they entered the stairwell.
“I’ve been yelling at him to be careful since we met. He won’t listen to me,” Sam said.
Aaron moved past Sam to take the lead. They were blind moving up the stairs. Despite using the hand railing they almost tripped a few times. Sam bumped into him as he stopped near the second floor door.
He peeked through the small pane of glass carefully, and saw movement straight ahead near the end of the hall. It was more movement than he thought they’d see. He knew walkers liked to be near each other. But to be in that large a group, without any food around, could only mean one thing.
“Shit. A thinker.”
Larry wrinkled his face in the dark. “A what?”
“A thinker. Some of them can think. They’re the most dangerous ones.”
James considered that. “That’s probably the scariest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Aaron nodded. “Where’s the supply room on this floor?”
James carefully peered through the window. “It’s to the right, away from that mob, thank God.”
“Trust me. When that thinker gets a sniff of us, they won’t stop. He’ll have them all turning doorknobs to get to us.”
Dead Living Page 17