George (Book 2): The Long Road Ahead

by Le Clair, Scarlet

  I was only concerned with Nia, she looked tiny laying in the bed. She was covered up to her chest and seemed to be sleeping. The doctor was with her, checking her pulse and blood pressure.

  The nurse walked up to the doctor and spoke quietly in her ear, she nodded slightly and held up two fingers, gesturing for me to join them. I took a deep breath in relief, although my heart still pounded in anticipation as to what she was going to say. I heard shuffling behind me and saw Will and then Billy.

  “How is she doc?” Will asked quietly before I could.

  “She was incredibly lucky, it was a deep cut but she missed any major veins or arteries. I’ve stitched her up and gave her a tetanus shot. She will be on a small dose of antibiotics as its all we have. I want to keep her in here for a few days to rest and because it’s the cleanest room we have and the risk of infection here is lower than anywhere else.” She spoke quietly but confidently, maintaining eye contact the whole time. I liked that.

  I nodded, that made sense. “Ok, what can we do to help?” I asked, my eyes flickering to Nia who had started to stir.

  The doctor led us all outside and closed the door to the room gently, she didn’t speak but instead inclined her head towards the offices. Indicating that she would like us to follow her, which of course we did.

  She moved behind her desk and sat in a blue plastic chair. “Hi all, you know that I’m Doctor Wells. I know that you all want to visit her but I’ll need you to go in just one at a time. We don’t want to overwhelm her ok? Also, don’t forget that she is still under quarantine. Only the three of you will be permitted to enter and there will be a lock code on the door that only myself and my nurses know. Is that understood?” she gave each of us a pointed look.

  We three, nodded in return, we would have agreed to anything just to see her for even five minutes.

  “Billy? If you’d like to go in first” he smiled apologetically to myself and Will but disappeared through the door quickly.

  “Now, you two. The reason I let Billy go first is because I have a request...” she trailed off, waiting for us to reply.

  I looked at Will who raised his eyebrows; he didn’t know what was coming next either.

  “Ok” I nodded at her to carry on, she had gotten our interest.

  “Well, this injury of Nia’s is going to take up a lot of our antibiotics and pain killers. We will have enough to give her a full dose but not anyone else who may need them which is why I explained earlier that I’ll have to scrimp on them.” She waited for us to nod our heads, indicating that we followed her so far and that we understood her predicament.

  “Now I used to work at the following private lab around an hour from here, providing it hasn’t been ransacked they should have a lot of what we would need. For now, I’d say it’s our best bet”

  “Have you spoken to the Captain?” Will asked

  “We have spoken about it in the past, but our main priority was fortifying this compound and trying to find survivors and food. Now that we are running low we need to make this our number one priority” she looked between us both

  “I’d like you both to run lead on the next mission” she leaned slightly forward in her chair, obviously eager to hear our reply.

  Well this was new, a doctor giving orders regarding missions instead of the Captain.

  “Uh, forgive me for asking but shouldn’t the captain be giving the orders and not the doctor?” Will was thinking the same thing as me.

  “Yes” she smiled and inclined her head. “But if I go to him with names of people that are willing to go out on a supply run then he may be more willing to agree to it.”

  I looked at Will, shaking my head from side to side, I’d been going crazy within these walls, maybe it was time for a little road trip. I nodded slowly, Will nodded back,

  “Ok, and this will help Nia too?” if we were going to risk our lives for this medicine then I wanted Nia to benefit from it.

  “Absolutely! It means I can give her the full dose that she needs. I’ve written up a list of items we will need and things that would be useful”

  “Ok, talk it over with the captain and get him to contact us with the details” I confirmed.

  “Will do, you can both go and see her now. Tell Billy I’d like to see him please” she beamed at us.

  We didn’t argue, both of us were out of there like a shot, we opened the door to the ward quietly but needn’t have. Nia was sat up, eating scrambled eggs and laughing at something Billy had said.

  Her face lit up even more when she saw Will and I at the door, Will practically ran at her. I held back to catch Billy as he left

  “Hey George, can’t wait huh?” he grinned

  “Nope I need to see her to believe that she is ok. Bill, the doctor would like to see you in her office”

  His face dropped like I hit him in the gut. “No, nothing bad, just a request” I smiled, the look of relief on his face was comical.

  “Phew, you had me worried there. I’ll head straight to her now.” He clapped me on the shoulder and walked towards the docs’ office.

  I turned back towards Nia and Will who was now sat on the bed beside her. I watched them for a few moments. Will was trying to steal some of Nia’s eggs ‘just to try’ but she wasn’t having any of it and kept slapping his hand away.

  “Will you to behave” I said in mock frustration

  “He started it” Nia complained and poked her tongue out at Will.

  “How are you?” I walked around the other side of her bed and sat in the chair provided for visitors.

  My leg feels sore and a little itchy, from the stiches I guess. The doctor said that I have to stay in for another few days?” she already looked fed up.

  “Yeah, it’s just a precaution, at the moment this is one of the cleanest rooms on the compound and we need to make sure you don’t get an infection.” Will explained.

  Nia nodded but still didn’t look happy. Her face looked a little pale in comparison to her dark locks which were piled high on top of her head.

  “Thanks for saving me, I remember trying to get the zombies to follow me away from the other workers, then I got trapped in that office, cutting my leg on the way in there. I thought I was a goner, but I heard George’s voice and saw you both outside of the room. I knew that I would be ok” her voice broke and she sounded close to tears.

  “We will always be there to look out for you, but next time, don’t be the hero ok?” Will kissed her in the forehead.

  “Ok, but I’m soooooo bored already, please help me” she moaned.

  I chuckled “I’ll see if I can find some books for you to read”

  “That would be great thanks, what would be even better is a Burger with fries and a shake and a DVD night.” She laughed when both Will and I groaned out loud. I missed fast food.

  “That would be amazing but sadly we are fresh out of those. How about some military grade dried food pouches and whatever books I can find children’s or otherwise?” I offered, winking at her.

  “Perfect” she grinned back.

  We heard the beeping of someone entering the door lock code and the small creak of it opening. I looked up to see the doctor gesturing that I should go to her.

  “I have to go and leave you in Will’s capable hands. I’ll try to track down the very best books for you Madame. I’ll be back later as soon as the doc ok’s it” I kissed her temple and for a moment just breathed in her scent. I’d come so close to losing her and that couldn’t happen again. From now on, no more alcohol and I’d go on as many supply runs as possible to ensure that my friends and what I now called my family got the best that this world still had to offer.

  “What’s up doc?” shit I missed bugs bunny too, my inner voice chirped up.

  The doctor smiled thinly, I’d bet she’d heard that a thousand times before.

  “The Captain would like to see you and Will immediately”

  “Ok no problem, just let Will in there a little longer. They both need it
. I’ll go and see the captain and update Will later, I’m able to speak for both of us.” I felt confident that Will would be ok with me speaking on his behalf.

  “Ok, thank you. Here’s a list of what we need, the smaller list below the line I’ve drawn are things that can come in handy. You know I asked you and Will first was because I felt that you both have good motive to go and get these meds”

  I nodded, she was correct. We would protect our friends by doing anything that we could. I looked at the list, I knew what most of the things on it were.

  “I’ll head over and see the captain straight away”

  I exited the medical wing back out into the beautiful sunshine and headed towards the main building.

  Chapter 4

  It seemed quieter in the compound today and as I rounded the corner towards the main part of the building I could see why.

  There were dozens of workers over at the sister compound, making a stronger fence and the foundations for the walkway between the two buildings. Just like Will and I had discussed with the Lt yesterday. They now had armed guards watching out for them. A little too late but then we were all still learning.

  I opened the door to the captains’ reception; he had taken over the manager’s office. The stifling heat hit me straight away, long gone were the days when we had nice cool air conditioning.

  “The captain said he wanted to see me?” I smiled at the receptionist behind the desk, I’d seen her once or twice. She had come to the send-off for my family. She wore a thin navy cotton dress and flat black shoes. Her dirty blonde hair was tied up neatly in a bun with a few wisps of hair around her face. Thin black framed glasses made her pale blue eyes seem larger. Her name was Rachel, I thought to myself. I wasn’t sure if she had been working with the captain before the apocalypse but she seemed extremely efficient at her job here and now.

  “I’ll go and see if he’s ready for you George” she smiled and entered the captains off with a small knock at the door.

  A few moments later she returned “Please go in, can I get you anything?”

  “Perhaps some water please?” my throat was starting to get dry. It wasn’t this hot in the hospital.

  “Ah George, thanks for coming so quickly” the captain stood and extended his hand. I shook it and sat opposite him in the chair her gestured to.

  “No problem Captain, how can I help you?”

  There was a small knock at the door and Rachel entered carrying a tray, with a jug of water and two glasses on it. I could see the condensation running down the outside of the jug, meaning that the water was cold. I looked forward to tasting it.

  She placed the tray on the table and poured water into each glass handing one to myself and one to the captain, with minimal sound.

  “Thank you, Rochelle,” the captain smiled.

  Ah so it was Rochelle not Rachel, I’d have to remember it for next time.

  I took a long drink “Yes, thank you, that’s very nice. It’s so hot in here compared to the hospital.”

  Rochelle left the room and closed the door tightly behind her.

  “Yes, so far we have managed to keep the air conditioning running in the medical area although it’s on very low and only for an hour or so per day.”

  “Ah, that explains it, well you know where to find me when it gets really hot then” I joked.

  “Indeed, we shall both be sat in the waiting area” he laughed. His friendly manner mixed with his air of confidence and the authority that exuded from him demanded respect and I found that I liked him a lot. More than that I trusted him, and that went a long way in this world.

  “Now, for the reason that I called for you. The doctor has sent a message that you and Will have agreed to lead a team to the facility where she used to work to see if there are still medicines and equipment there?”

  “Yes, anything that will help Nia and the rest of our fellow survivors” I agreed, putting Nia’s name before the others to let him know that she was the main reason that we had agreed to go.

  “Let me be straight with you George I don’t like this mission one bit, its why I keep putting it off. The center you’d be headed to is here” he pointed to an area on his map.

  “Now we have come as far as here and here and encountered road blocks both ways. We felt that maybe it was an ambush so we turned around and came back.” He pointed at another two roads, I studied the map.

  “How about this way?” I asked pointing at a backroad.

  “It’s a possibility but unknown territory to us, I can only spare, two maybe three men. Medicine is highly important to us but my men are spread thin as it is. A team went out three days ago and haven’t returned from what should have been a few hours recon mission at the most. I need the rest of my men to make sure that the compound is secure for the civilians we have here. Where is Will?”

  “Ok, I know of a few men that will accompany us also, if you could spare two men I’ll take a six-man team?” I was thinking, myself, Will, Adam and Billy. “Will is still in the hospital with Nia, she was hurt in the attack yesterday”

  “as long as you’re sure and Will is happy with the plan, you leave first thing in the morning, lets meet back here at 1900 hours with your team, and we can go over the mission and the route.”

  “Ok I’ll go and talk to the men now.”

  “Thank you, George,” he nodded and began looking through the maps again. I guessed that it was my way of being dismissed.

  I walked from the Captains office, giving Rochelle a little wave as I passed. She smiled back and trotted into the captain’s office. I was feeling a little more positive. I needed time outside of these walls and fences and really wanted to kick some undead ass. Plus, it felt good to be useful. I knew that Will and Billy would probably still be around the hospital area, and I had a good idea where to find Adam.

  I walked around the outside of the compound towards the back and where the quarantine areas were. Taking the long way. In truth, the captain’s office was a short distance from the quarantine area. But I needed a breath of fresh air after being in that stuffy office. The quarantine rooms were no more than the rest of the offices in the warehouse. Currently there were five areas that were safe enough but also comfy enough for the people suspected to be infected. Each room had a bed and a portable toilet.

  As I entered the large doors I saw movement on my left. John was there with another military guy that I didn’t recognise, working on a jeep.

  “Hey John, how’s things?” I smiled, it was nice to see a familiar face.

  “Aww George, it’s so good to see you. I’m sorry about… well you know” he looked awkwardly to the floor. I knew he meant well.

  “I know, and thank you. Have you seen Adam?”

  “Yeah, he’s with Amelia.” His face lit up, “He’s not left her”

  I chuckled “Ah young love huh?” I joked and walked towards the direction that John had pointed. I tried to fight the pain in my chest, telling me that I’d never again get to visit Kelly anywhere but her grave.

  I focused on Adam who I could now see was sat outside of the room where Amelia was being kept. He was talking to her through the small holes that had been placed in the window. She had only hours left until she was released with the all clear.

  He turned as I approached him, I gave Amelia a small wave which she returned.

  “Hey George, how are you man? How’s Nia?” Adam got up and clapped me on the shoulder.

  “Good morning both, Nia is good. Needs to stay in a little longer to make sure she heals properly, but is otherwise good.”

  “That’s good” Amelia smiled, happy that her friend was on the mend.

  “You look good Amelia, no sudden urges to eat brains?” I chirped.

  “Wouldn’t know, I’ve not seen anyone today that has any” she smiled and poked her tongue out at me.

  “Touché” I replied laughing.

  “So, Adam, I have a mission and I was wondering if you’d like to come with me?” turning to h
im.

  “When do we leave?” he grinned at me.

  We had been through a lot together in the short time we had known each other and had become close. He knew that I wouldn’t steer him wrong. He also knew that if I was asking for help then I really needed it. Amelia on the other hand didn’t know me so well and was worried about her lover.

  “What’s the mission? Who else is going? How safe is it?” she fired off the questions quicker that I could reply. Her good nature from the moment before had disappeared. I waited for her to finish before even trying to answer.

  Adam met my eyes and raised his eyebrows, he was curious too. I couldn’t blame him. I loved and trusted these men like my brothers but I wouldn’t blindly enter a mission. It was always good to brainstorm with the others as we all saw things differently and each had great ideas.

  “Ok the mission is to travel to a medical Center about an hour away, get some anti biotics and other medicines, then come back. A simple supply run. I’m going, I’m hoping that Adam, Will and Billy will accompany me along with two of the captain’s men. As to how safe it is, well it’s the end of the world, nothing is ever safe, but I can assure you that I will have his back as I know he will have mine.”

  She seemed satisfied with my answer but still not happy. Knowing that my word was as good as it would get. Nothing was ever guaranteed anymore.

  “Ok then, the captain wants us to meet in his office tonight at 7. Hope to see you there Adam. Amelia hope you get out of there soon” I smiled at both warmly, even if Adam decided not to come, I would never hold it against him. I knew that they would need to talk about it, they were a couple now, Adam could no longer make decisions like this alone.