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The World We Once Knew

Page 32

by Trahan, Leeaja


  Addie could feel a lead weight fall in her stomach because her brother was never like this, “What is it?” She asked in a shaken tone.

  Dane immediately shushed her before he explained in a low, quiet, and vulnerable tone. This only did worse for her nerves.

  Hugging her close, the sound of his voice vibrated against her ear from his chest, “We couldn't find any Adelaide. The place we went to looked as though it had been cleared for a while now.” He whispered.

  The breath had been stolen from Addie's lungs. She knew exactly what this meant. The years that Dane was in and out of the hospital while they grew up flashed back through her mind. Tears welled in her eyes before she shut them tightly and burrowed her face deeper into his chest. She could feel her heart break while in turn caused her fist to ball up his shirt. Every moment broke him down. His palm rested against her smooth ponytail and petted along her head comfortingly while he rubbed down her back with his other hand.

  Taking in a long breath, he sighed out his words, “I won't be around much longer. Q-Qui...” Struggling with her name, he cleared his throat, “Quinta and Leon will take care of you tomorrow alright? Don't be stubborn or emotional just please do as they...as she says. Look after one another for me, alright?” He whispered as he kissed her head.

  Although he was telling her the only option she had, Addie was already shaking her head against his chest. Without having anything to say, Addie's sobs filled the room and all Dane could do was hold and savor this last moment with her.

  Quinta returned to the main room, rubbing her eyes repeatedly as she took a seat on the floor across from Leon with a soft huff. She found it hard to relax because the sounds of Addie’s audible gasps affected her already troubled mindset. They seemed to be in there forever and before long she was beginning to bounce one leg on top of the other. She stared at seemingly nothing, shaking her head from one side to the other while lost in her own thoughts.

  For a moment, she glanced over to see that Leon to see that he had had dozed off. Quinta’s eyes narrowed as she straightened her back and glanced over at the window again. She knew that if she was going to do this, she would have to get to the hospital now, and stay overnight. The chances of survival were slim to none. In fact, this was a suicide mission. Even if she were to perish she hoped that she would at least be able to get the medicine out. But that too was a long shot.

  Of course, she had done many things alone before, in fact zombies one on one was quite…simple really. The only ones that were really threats were ones near chemical plants or that stray one that had an odd mutation when it encountered the viral strain. But the clusters of infected patients, doctors and visitors of what used to be, was just as dangerous.

  The sounds of Addie’s cries practically ripped Quinta to the core. She knew exactly what it felt like to lose her only family and Addie's pain to leave a sibling behind to die. Her own twin suffered the same fate. This hit too close to home and she honestly couldn't sit there any longer. The decision she'd been fighting had been made. Standing up, she took one last look over at the closet before she hurried over to the rickety desk in the corner of the room.

  Scribbling a quick note that read, “Went to hospital. Leave me if not back by noon. --Quinta.”

  Strapping herself with her belt, machetes, and backpack, Quinta unlocked the door quietly and slipped out. Turning her attention to the setting sun, Quinta propped a board against the door in her own feeble way to protect them. She didn't have much time and her nerves were shaken to their core. With the thoughts of Addie, Dane, and her own family in the back of her conscious, she returned the way she and Dane had come and ran down the street towards her destination.

  She had to fight for the man she loved.

  Staying in there long enough for Addie to tire herself with her tears, she pulled her face away which showed that her eyes were puffy, red, and swollen.

  Dane pat along her shoulder as he stared down into her face, she was so beautiful, “Just remember what I told you alright? I know you'll do great. It'll be okay Addition, I'll be fine. I promise.” He whispered as he opened the door.

  Dane did his best to comfort his sister and clean her face before they finally exited the room. The darkened windows that lined the top of the wall showed that they had been there for a while and Addie's cries didn't go unnoticed. Little did Dane know that his closest companion had just began the start of selfless and suicidal journey. Leon was easily in sight with his head tucked against his shoulder but Quinta was unable to be found.

  She really couldn’t have gone to wash up that long, could she?

  As Dane rushed past to check the empty bathroom, Leon’s eyes blinked open. His gaze settled on Addie who stood there in a fragile state and watched her brother’s every move. Silently, Leon waved her over and patted beside him. He was more than happy to be there for her through his own pain, especially for this. Addie’s mouth twisted into a frown as she obliged Leon and quickly fell into his embrace. Dane had started to panic now that they had lost almost all sunlight. His tall frame rushed for his bag and fumbled for a candle before he lit the wick.

  Turning to face Leon, Dane’s tone dared him to test him, “Where the hell is Quinta?” He asked seriously. “She was out here with you.” He added.

  Leon nervously looked from one end of the building to the other before he slightly pushed himself a bit more, “I fell asleep. She must have left when I passed out. She’ll be…”

  “She wouldn’t do that.” Dane cut in with a short and absolute quip.

  Turning his back to them with the light, Dane looked around until he caught sight of the paper Quinta had left behind. Picking it up, Dane could hardly believe what he read and how angry he was at her in that moment. He wanted to speak to her, tell her how he felt before he couldn’t, and before he had the chance, she ran. She ran to the hospital.

  What the hell was so damn important that would push her to do this?

  The answer was obvious but the panicked grip in his abdomen refused to admit that he was the reason for her ultimate demise.

  “You idiot” he uttered. Crumpling the paper in his palm, Dane started to pace as he pressed his hand to his forehead, “She went to the hospital. The. Fucking. Hospital. Of all the places, she could go. She knows not to step foot in there because that is asking for a death wish.” That word caused him to pause and his head to hang, “I’ve only contemplated that in my last resort.” He whispered.

  He held a small smirk to himself about Quinta. They thought alike and he knew deep down, if it was her dying, he wouldn’t hesitate either.

  Leon spoke as though he’d read Dane’s mind, “You’re not going out there now to get her. You won’t be able to see past the end of your bat in five minutes.” He expressed.

  Addie, who had been resting her head on this Leon’s shoulder, straightened up, “Dane. He’s right. Don’t go out there. W-we know Quinta, she’s good. Hopefully she knows what she’s doing and she will come back.” She whispered.

  They didn’t understand how steep this was, not only for Quinta’s life but also Dane’s heart. No matter how much longer he had left, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

  He wanted to die first.

  Dane crossed his arms and could feel emotion rile deep within him, “She wrote this note like she was prepared not to come back. She said that if she wasn’t back by noon, for us to leave her here to die.” He said.

  Seeing Dane unravel, Leon tried to be the voice of reason, “We can’t hold back Dane. I’ve already called backup, it’s too dark to go out and look for her. If she’s not back well…she will be stranded here and…” Leon’s voice trailed off; unable to finish the sentence.

  Standing there for what felt like an eternity, Dane watched Addie place both hands over her face all before he turned his back to them again. Returning into the bathroom, he closed the door behind him, and gripped the sides of the sink. There was a profound thudding against his temple. His breaths were short, his k
nuckles were white, and his chest hurt unbearably. All he could do was wait for Quinta to return despite the odds. He tried his damned hardest to have faith but her absence killed him little by little.

  The weight of Dane’s world crashed over his shoulders and broke him. Uncaring of his own demise now, he had to force himself, convince himself that he would never see her again. He would never say goodbye. He would never hold her in his arms. He would never tell her that he loved her. It was in that moment that Dane’s shoulders shook, his head tilted slightly to the side, and the agony within his heart broke in the form of tears. For the first time in a long time, Dane cried. Out of anger, out of frustration, and out of his love…for her.

  Chapter 12

  By the time Quinta had arrived back at the hospital the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon and the tattered landscape around her was washed in the moonlight. So far, she'd only come across two walkers and took them out before they noticed her. She hurried her way to the entrance of the emergency room and hoped to be inside before the walkers began to roam. The glass windows and doors were broken into, jagged to the touch, and boarded up from the outside in to keep out the infected. By the looks of it now, this is what kept them inside.

  Quinta ran her fingers along her hairline before she braced her foot against a metal pane and wrapped her fingers around one of the loosened boards. Pulling at it, her arms burned and her overused muscles bulged as she took another deep breath and used all she could muster to snap that wood in half. This made just enough room for her to enter.

  The smell alone was ten times worse than any she'd experienced. How eerily quiet within only caused her to have a moment of doubt. Faltering for a moment, she pressed the back of her hand to her nose and mouth. Wetting her lips, the look on Addie’s face came to mind, almost alike to how she saw her sister, Queenie, nearly a year ago.

  Blowing out, Quinta tried to keep her wits and her spirits high even though she'd already given up, “Jah 'elp me through dis...” She whispered to herself.

  To her, God had been dead long before the outbreak, but if there was a moment she didn't need him more. It was now. Ducking down, she placed one foot into the building. The glass crunched beneath her foot which marked the first step into the shadowed building. Her breaths were shaken as she fully stood within those walls. The electricity was shoddy but operational because the lights would flicker occasionally and lit up the scene for a brief moment. Reaching behind her, she unsheathed one of her machetes, and bit down on her bottom lip as one hand held a flashlight.

  There were chairs littered all over the ground, coffee stained magazines splattered around the place, and pools of blood among the rotten corpses. Thankfully, from a sign that hung from the ceiling, one of the pharmacies was on the first floor. Hopefully there would contain enough of the medicine to keep Dane healthy until they could return home.

  Quinta made a quick maneuver to the security center and cupped her hand over her nose as she came across one of the guards. Sitting in a chair, his head was leaned back, and he was past his expiration date. She swallowed back the need to purge before she crouched down to fish through his belongings for a master key to manually open the double doors.

  Carefully, Quinta scanned over his body only to hear a low, guttural grumble behind her. The hairs on her neck stood straight up while under the desk a shadowed figure had rose to its feet. Limply it stood over her and stared right into her back. Her hand tightened around the butt of her blade, as she swallowed to wet her throat, listened, and waited for its next move. After a few moments of it trying to focus, the thing finally realized that live prey was just within its grasp. Its mouth had already rotted off and hung open while the bone of its jaw jut out from the thin layer of dried flesh. A low, dull “NNNNNN” whirred from its mouth before it took a step towards her.

  Quinta quickly gave a kiss to her knuckles before she rolled out of the way and swung her knife to meet with the beast’s leg. Her blade sliced into him quite easily and his body fell with a thud. Hissing out hoarsely, the thing began to claw over towards her which shocked her to stumble over. Sweat ran down along her cheek and over her nose in the chaos. She quickly pulled her hand away, reared her foot back, and slammed against his face. Kicking him from her leg, she bent herself forward to connect her blade to his face. Its body fell lifeless with a thud before her blade clattered to the floor by her hand. Taking a moment, Quinta panted out a breath with her hand to her chest before she caught sight of a set of keys underneath the chair.

  Rolling her eyes, Quinta cursed herself for having not paid attention to the ground first before the body. Her mind wasn’t in the right place and this was the wrong time to screw up. She needed to focus if she wanted and way of survival this night. Maybe then she would have noticed the other before he caught her off guard. With the keys in hand, she pushed herself to her feet and rushed over to the locked doors that lead into the ER. Fidgeting with one key after the other, one finally unlocked the latch and the doors opened opposite to one another with a creak.

  Blowing out, she could hear far-off moans of ones who had not died off scattered throughout the hold. Quinta hurried down the long, dirtied corridor with her breath caught in her throat. She read the signs that pointed in the direction of where the pharmacy was. There was movement in every curtained room but, thankfully, she passed swift enough not to bring attention to them.

  She came to a skidded stop as she realized she was about to pass up the pharmacy in her quickened state. The feeling that she'd gained a stroke of luck came and went within the same second. Not one undead roamed the halls but still that did not bring her comfort in the slightest. Quinta kept on high alert even though the walkers seemed as though they rested far in between.

  Quinta kept repeating to herself that she only had to break in, get the drugs, and rush out before she was known. She also knew well enough not to make too much noise nor stay in one spot for too long. Keep moving and it would be harder for them to lock onto her. This was a valuable a tidbit of information she had learned on her travels.

  That’s what she thought.

  Her hand gripped and yanked at the knob. Shaking her head in frustration, her fingers nervously tried the keys in her hand. Key after key, it wasn't long before she realized that this door required a whole different set that would unlock the door. Sadly, there wasn't the corpse of a doctor in sight and she surely wasn't going to dig in other rooms to find one.

  “Fuck.” She muttered under her breath.

  With her adrenaline on high and coursing through her entire frame, Quinta shook her head and went for it. Kicking at the door, she slammed against the frame a couple times with a hard knock. Under the pressure, the wood snapped and swung open. With unauthorized entrance came the very thing Quinta tried her hardest to avoid.

  Noise.

  An alarm, one that was to alert officials if ever broken into, whistled out and pierced through the air. A bright, red light flickered and the noise would die off for a second before it broke silence again. A gasp escaped Quinta’s lips while she froze in place. The mental tracker she kept her mind quickly spiraled down to zero for chances of survival. This was solidified by the howls in the distance and the moans of the ones that still hung onto a thread of life. She had two options, sprint away and forget the entire mission, or try to at least find anything and hope that they were further away and gave her enough time to leave. An image of Dane's face and the thought of his death was enough to make her decision. She had to save him or die trying. Huffing out, she quickly paced across the room and around the desk towards the back. Her foot collided with the second door only for the bright red lights to flicker profusely behind her. Each time the alarm fell into silence only gave her a dose of how close the creatures lurked in search of the sound.

  She held her breath all while her fingers danced over bottles, loose pills, packages, and everything that looked or sounded similar was stuffed into her pockets and bag, “Shit...shit...shit...” She repeated as she shook
her head.

  With the sound dying off once more, the sounds from the creatures proved that she was wrong and they were closer than she'd previously wished. With the packages falling into her bag, she hoped that she had at least found what he could use before she turned on her heel. Bolting out of the room, her escape was short lived as she came face to face to one of the advanced infected. Screeching in the air to alert the others, Quinta stumbled back as she reached around to grab a machete again.

  The torn, rotten patient held its curled hands and arms in the air before it took off running in her direction. Quinta reared her arm back and flung her blade over in its direction. The machete contacted its head which in turn caused the whines to die off as he flew back onto the ground with a heavy thud. Blowing out, Quinta aborted this mission because she needed to get out of there and fast.

  Rushing out of the room, she grabbed her knife and yanked the blade from the bodies head before she paused. Fifteen swaying bodies filled the hallway she'd just came from and she could only imagine the ones that would lead back towards the exit. If that alarm kept working, as long as there was power, they would keep coming. Hope slowly drained from Quinta's body as she backed away and returned herself into the pharmacy’s waiting room. Closing the door, she tipped a vending machine that was within over to set up a flimsy blockade. The warm, red light from the coke machine washed over her body as she stood there. This bought her at least a small chance of starving to death over being eaten alive.

  Quinta scanned around the room as tears began to well in her eyes. She shook her head but the poisonous thoughts of failure filled that space. She never thought this would happen or that it'd have to come down to this. Maybe she should go for the main power source? She sure as hell didn't know where that was and there wouldn’t be any trusty signs to lead the way. In fact, she had a better chance of trying to run through them all and get caught before she dared to trek further within. Running through idea after idea, she steadily began to lose traction and hope. Time was running out, her chances to run were slim at best, and the survival of the night with extreme exhaustion was little to none. Soon, it dawned on her that she wouldn't be able to get out of the building let alone see. Now that they were awake, any sort of light would attract them like flies. The reality of the situation had finally struck her, fear had settled over her shoulders, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She stood in her final resting place just like those soldiers and she was just another statistic to Sanctuary. Pacing back and forth, Quinta didn't want to believe but now she was forced to with no other choice. She lost track of time holed up in the dark but she knew morning would soon come and that no matter what, her time had run out. After hours of jumping and flinching at each gurgle that came outside of her flimsy shelter, Quinta finally succumbed to exhaustion.

 

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