by S. Ganley
"There has got to be something you can do for him." Garrett said as Doug gave him his opinions on the extent of Kyle's injuries.
"Garrett, you know that I am not a trauma surgeon. While I do have extensive medical training I have never dealt with these types of injuries before." Doug replied softly, keeping his voice low so Kyle wouldn’t overhear.
"So we are just supposed to sit here and watch him die?" Garrett was growing angry at this point. Not necessarily at Doug and his inability to do more than state the obvious but at the totality of the situation. So many people had died recently that the loss of anyone else was more than he was ready to stomach.
Sensing Garrett's dismay at the hopelessness of the news, Doug added what he thought would be a small token of hope, "If I had access to an operating room with the proper equipment, I could open him up and remove the kidney. I don't believe I would take the chance of trying to repair it, but I am confident I could get it out. That would give him a fighting chance. But, out here in the woods with only kitchen utensils, no anesthesia and not to mention the lack of a sterile environment. He wouldn't survive the first cut." Speaking the words out loud Doug realized that he could pull it off if they could get Kyle to a properly equipped hospital in time. His contributions to the group so far had fallen flat. He knew that everyone was going above and beyond their norms in order to help each other survive. Plastic surgeon or not, he was still a doctor and he did have the medical knowledge to perform surgeries. It was time that he finally demonstrated his worth and pulled his own weight.
Garrett knew where Doug was going with this. If they could transport Kyle to a local hospital there was a chance that Doug could save him. Garrett knew the risks involved in that. At a minimum it would take himself, one other shooter and Doug to get Kyle to a hospital with the equipment needed for Doug to perform the operation. That would mean that three other lives would be on the line in the slim hope of saving only one person. Even with that in mind he knew that was a risk worth taking. Everyone of them deserved the best chance possible to make it through this alive. If they were not willing to risk everything fighting for each individual life, then he wasn't sure what it was they were fighting for in the first place.
"Ok Doug. We will get you your operating room. First thing in the morning be ready to move out."
Doug nodded his understanding. He knew where Garrett was coming from and recognized the same risks they were going to have to take. Doug also understood that for him to continue taking ownership of his life again that it was risks just like that which would allow him to stand on his own two feet.
The next order of business that Doug needed to tend to was Kimberly. He spent over an hour examining her and then had a long series of questions for Shellie and Kyle about their interactions with her and the episode with the zombies that had found their way into the station culminating in Kyle ending up shot. Doug deflected questions as he went about his examination but it was evident from his mannerisms that he may be on to something. Adding to the mystery, Doug left the bunkroom for several minutes and spent some time examining the dead zombies inside the lobby. Garrett and Miranda sat next to each other on the floor near the front door having a bite to eat while curiously watching Doug's odd medical examination as he completed checking out the zombies and returned to Kimberly. Doug finally completed with Kimberly and walked out into the outer room to share his findings with everyone else.
"Physically I believe she will recover. She has all the signs and symptoms of the early stages of the infection as I understand it. That includes general flu like symptoms along with high fever and delirium. I would like to start her on a series of strong antibiotics and if we could get her on an IV drip it would help." He paused at that point as he gathered his thoughts. No one said a word as the anticipated other shoe was about to drop. "I also think I understand why she was not attacked when the zombies found her in bed and how they found this place in the first place."
He let that hang in the air for a moment as everyone intently waited his next words. He was finally able to contribute in a meaningful way and was putting forth a strong effort to demonstrate his usefulness to everyone else, especially Garrett and Miranda.
"Kimberly is a mutation. She is the result of a failed conversion from human to zombie. The zombies can not only detect this about her, resulting in their lack of interest in feeding from her but they are also attracted to it."
This revelation was far from what any of them expected and following a moment of awkward silence and shared looks of befuddlement Doug found himself buried under and avalanche of questions and demands for an explanation.
Doug explained that while Kimberly's condition was more reminiscent of a strong case of the flu, her body was showing telltale signs that at some point since the outbreak she had reached a critical point in her infection. In most cases that would have been the point where the body began to collapse on itself and lost its fight against the virus. In Kimberly's case Doug felt that she had reached that point but had somehow managed to overcome it and survive. He could not offer an explanation as to how she had been able to do that but offered that everyone's body chemistry was different. A preexisting condition that she may not have been aware of, her diet, a chemical anomaly in her system or any number of factors working alone or in tandem could be the reason for her survival. He couldn't explain it any better without running a multitude of tests on her. What he could do was offer an explanation for his assumption. He pointed out several oddities he noted during her physical examination. The skin under her fingernails and toenails as well as her gums had been the first things he noticed pointing him in this direction. In both areas the skin color had taken on a pasty appearance with a complete loss of elasticity and texture. These were conditions only found on the human body after death, never with a living person. After he had discovered those abnormalities he had concentrated his examination for search of any additional symptoms along those same lines. When he had examined her eyes he found that even though they still retained their clarity and sensitivity to light there had been a degree of frosting underneath the upper and lower eyelids that was evidence of the beginning stages of postmortem deterioration. That would have eventually led to her eyes taking on the same flat milky appearance shared by all other zombies and resembling those of a corpse several days following death. He had also taken her core body temperature and found that despite her obvious high fever her body was actually measuring several degrees below what was considered normal for a healthy human being. When he compared some of these findings to the bodies of the zombies in the lobby, he had found they all shared characteristics that were indistinguishable from each other. This led him to conclude that when the zombies had discovered her in the bunkroom they had simply mistaken her for one of their own and lacked any interest in her. He wasn't sure what it was that allowed them to make such a distinction between living and dead but the next part of his explanation might be related to it. Doug gave them all a quick lesson on how the sense of smell in many animals is many times more sensitive to that of a human being. When it came to chemical changes in a human body, animals were capable of detecting the smells emitted from someone experiencing those changes. He used dogs as a prime example. A dog was able to detect when a person was scared by the smells their bodies released. It was that smell that sometimes caused an otherwise easygoing dog to lash out at someone who had a natural fear of animals. Certain breed of dogs could also be trained to assist their human owners in medical situations. These dogs could sense even the tiniest drop in blood sugar levels and alert their master that they were in need of insulin before it was too late. Doug felt that zombies were similar to dogs in this way. Their sense of smell was much more sensitive than that of a living human. He believed that in Kimberly's case zombies were able to detect the imbalance of her body chemistry at the point where she had reached the fine line between living and dead. The scents she was emitting were serving both as an attractor to zombies from far away and also as a
detractor when they were up close to her. They were considering her as a meal at one point but then mistaking her for one of their own when they were closer to her.
A stunned silence descended over the room as everyone considered Doug's theory. From what Doug was saying it sounded as though Kimberly would end up being alright once they were able to get her the proper medications. On the other hand, her presence brought with it a danger to all of them. Garrett had another thought altogether about Doug's findings.
"Doug. If she hit the final stage of the virus like you think and came back from it. Is it possible that her blood could also hold a cure for this thing?"
Doug thought about that for a minute, clearly it was not something he had considered. "Nothing can be said for sure until we can run extensive blood and DNA testing. This is really just a theory based on my observations. But that is certainly a possibility. There is the potential for her blood to be carrying the antigens necessary for a cure."
Garrett stood up and faced all of them "If there is even a remote possibility that Kimberly could hold the cure to this thing we have to put her safety and survival at the top of our priority list." He explained to everyone about the pair of jets that Miranda and he had spotted flying past. He outlined a plan to transport Kyle into the nearby town of Mclean, Virginia the following morning to a medical center with a surgery wing where Doug would perform the necessary surgery to save his life. That same hospital had a communications center and he planned to explore the possibility of using that equipment to contact whatever military forces were operating in the area. He was reasonably certain that once they learned of the possibility of a survivor’s blood holding the cure to this thing that they would dispatch a rescue team to extract her and hopefully the rest of them as well. Before everyone could start jumping for joy at the thought of a potential rescue, Garrett stressed that it was a long shot at best. They had no idea if they would be able to get through to the military or even if they would be willing to risk sending a mission to attempt a rescue. There were still too many unknowns. Their biggest challenge would be in just reaching the hospital to begin with. He reminded them of how bad it had been simply taking a trip into the less populated area on the outskirts of Great Falls for supplies. Where they were planning to go that following morning was sure to offer even greater challenges than they had faced in Doug and Cameron's neighborhood.
He proposed one of two options to the group. With the understanding that traveling to the medical center would be extremely dangerous and their chances of success were very low at best. He would lead Doug, Kyle and Kimberly to the hospital while everyone else stayed put with the Ranger Station locked up tight behind them after they left. With the supplies they had secured and Kimberly out of the station, there was a good chance the rest of them would be safe and sound for as long as necessary. He went on to add that if they had not returned within three days then it should be assumed they weren't coming back and those who stayed behind should make their own plans to either stay put or strike out for somewhere else. The second option was for all of them to leave as a single group, taking whatever supplies they could carry. It was possible that once they all left they would not be returning to the park again. Garrett didn't like that second option. He had already experienced the burden of trying to move through hostile territory with Emily and didn't relish the idea of repeating that again so soon. He also knew that realistically if he was to be the defacto leader of this little group that he was responsible for each of their lives and his personal feelings about Emily had to be put off to the side. No one could be considered as expendable.
There was muted discussion between everyone as they considered the options Garrett had laid out for them. The thought of possible rescue was a temptation that none of them had realistically considered for some time now. They all understood the risks involved if they decided to move out as a group and were hesitant to reach a hasty decision even in the face of a potential rescue. Emily seemed to be having the biggest trouble reaching a decision. She may have been a pain in the ass and their biggest liability but she was not stupid. She knew her limitations and that out of all of them she was the one most likely to fall victim in the event of an attack. Garrett heard her mumble something about having been much safer back in their basement, but he chose to ignore her and not engage in the obvious failings of that assumption.
Miranda was the first to offer the opinion that there was safety in numbers and that all of them would be better off moving out as a single group. Garrett was certain that her decision was also somewhat tempered by the feelings that had been developing between the two of them and their brief moment together on the path in the woods. She wasn't willing to allow Garrett to head off into danger without her. His motivation for electing to leave her behind if they did split into two groups was partially based on the fact that she was one of the few of them left capable of mounting a reliable defense while the rest of them were gone. There was also a more selfish reason for such a decision and that was that he was hesitant to put her into any more danger than necessary. Part of him was happy that she wanted to come along, both for the extra security her presence added and also for the opportunity for them to continue to be together even if they were heading to their doom.
Cameron and Shellie agreed with Miranda and offered their preference to continue on as a group. All eyes fell on Emily at that point. Garrett was about to say something to her when Doug held up a hand and then walked over and knelt down beside her while whispering quietly in her ear. For a couple of minutes they went back and forth in what Garrett considered an intimate conversation that he elected to turn his head away from and allow them some privacy. Tears were rolling down Emily's cheeks as she reached up and hugged Doug tightly.
Rising to his feet Doug turned back towards the rest of them, "We are all going, together."
Garrett walked over besides Doug and clasped him warmly on the shoulder, "Ok then, its settled. Get some rest and we will move out in the morning." He looked from Doug to Emily and then back to the rest of the group, "together."
#
It was a little after three in the morning when the computer spit out the results of the air filter measurements transmitted from the Abraham Lincoln following their first flight over the mainland. Dr. Woods had been hopeful with the preliminary findings from the initial analysis conducted aboard the aircraft carrier. The first imagery beamed live from the aircrafts nose cameras depicted Washington as a city on the verge of ruins. Several rows of buildings had succumbed to unchecked fires and had been reduced to ashes. The Smithsonian museums, an architectural marvel, had all been turned into gutted shells of their once magnificent selves. They were all relieved to see that at least the national archives buildings appeared to be in one piece. There was some damage along the sprawling entryway and at least two of the tall marble columns that greeted visitors into the main entrance were laying in piles of rubble down the stairs leading up to the building. Other than that it appeared the building had avoided any significant damage. The Declaration of Independence and other priceless and irreplaceable works of American history were carefully stored in that building and their loss or damage would have struck a stunning blow to those who would eventually be charged with picking up the pieces of their society and trying to rebuild.
Bodies were visible everywhere, in the streets, on sidewalks, throughout parks and around national monuments. The streets were all tangled messes of abandoned vehicles and piles of debris, completely impassable in all directions. Washington, DC looked more like a war torn Beirut than the magnificent city any of them remembered just a few weeks earlier. When the camera panned over the Capital building they really got a taste of just how bad things had been in the final days of the fall of modern society. An airliner had crashed into the reflecting pond directly in front of the capital and fire balled its way up the steps and through the center of the buildings. Judging by the width of the scorched marks from midway along the reflecting pool up to the Capital build
ing it looked as though it was a fairly large airliner that had gone down. The plane had smacked into the building and punched through the front entrance spreading fire and destruction along its path. The aerial view of the Capital showed the center rotunda of the building had collapsed and allowed them a view directly inside the ruined interior. Charred bodies were visible along the burnt path the fuselage of the plane had carved up and into the front of the capital. Some of those bodies were likely passengers who tumbled from the disintegrating body of the plane as it slid along the ground while others were terrified citizens on the ground trying to flee the carnage happening all around them. As the camera panned past that scene, the White House came into view. With the high resolution picture they were able to pick out small details on the ground and could see that a large section of the reinforced fence surrounding the White House had been mowed over by a city bus that now lay on its side several feet into the front yard of the Presidential home. Clearly visible all over the lawn in front of one of the most recognizable buildings in the world were hundreds of figures meandering about around the building and into the street nearby. The camera angle made it difficult to see any faces clearly since they were all facing either towards the ground or away from the camera but some details were apparent. All of them appeared filthy as if they had been outdoors and exposed to the elements for extended periods of time. Some of them show evidence of severe injuries, with a few that had obvious missing limbs or even objects impaled into their bodies. Even without being able to make out specific details there was little doubt to those viewing the screen as to what they were seeing. It was a massive collection of zombies from within the city drawn to one single location for reasons unknown. Throughout the rest of the video footage of the capital they were able to make out close to a dozen locations similar to the capital where dozens and sometimes hundreds of the remaining undead inhabitants of the city had collectively gathered. The jets had followed a path that allowed for a good view of the major roads leading into and out of DC and all of them were congested junk yards packed from shoulder to shoulder with cars, trucks, busses and any other form of transportation the masses were able to take to the road with when panic descended on the population as the outbreak reached its peak. It was something to keep in mind when considering how to move about on the ground near major cities. Helicopters were going to be their primary form of transportation for the foreseeable future.