“Can’t talk now, a baby’s dying in front of me,” Bruce told her kneeling by the baby then looking up at Frank.
‘’Frank, I need you to find a stick that’s as tall as you and bring it to me fast,” Bruce told him as Frank took off.
Bruce wiped the babies arm off with alcohol, then, put an IV in the bend of his little arm. The baby never even moved. That made Bruce real nervous. Then he reached in his first aid bag and pulled out a small 250cc IV bag of normal saline. He hooked up the tubing to the bag then connected to the babies IV. Holding it up, the fluid ran into the baby as Frank ran back with a stick. Bruce shoved one end into the ground and hung the IV bag from the top of his improvised IV pole. Then he turned to Frank. “Where are your parents?” Bruce asked looking at the skinny kid. Then Bruce grabbed a vial of dextrose from his kit. Doing some rough calculations, he grabbed a syringe.
“Don’t know, bad men shot at the bus we were on and it crashed. The driver told Paul to take us and run after we wrecked,” Frank replied looking at Bruce with hope.
“An adult sent you out by yourself without anyone older?” Bruce asked looking at the kids wondering which one was Paul as he drew up 10cc’s of dextrose. Then Bruce slowly pushed the dextrose in with the IV fluids.
“Paul’s sixteen,” Frank said with an angry expression on his face.
“Where’s Paul now so we can get him?” Bruce asked.
“A blue man bit him before he brought us here. He swam us over here and said he had to go and for us to wait here for him. He was going for help. He told me to protect everyone until he came back,” Frank said with tears running down his cheeks.
“How many days ago Frank was it that Paul left?” Bruce asked with tears running down his own face.
“Two days ago and we saw Paul this morning. He was over there and he was a blue monster,” Frank told him with tears rolling down his face. Pointing towards where the mob used to be.
“Frank, you’re a great leader. We’re the help Paul was looking for. We’re going to take you to some place safe but we’ll have to fight to get there. Do you know the names and how old everyone here is?” Bruce asked and Frank nodded his head. Danny was still feeding the kids, breaking off small pieces of food for each one. “I want you to point to each one here and tell me their name and how old they are, Ok,” Bruce told him checking on the baby that had started to move around.
“This is Emily and Sherry, they are twins and both are four,” Frank pointed at the two little girls who had run up to Bruce. “This is Nathan and he’s six, this is Robert and he’s seven, this is Alice and she’s seven and I’m nine,” Frank finished as Bruce watched the baby.
“What’s the baby’s name,” Bruce asked.
“Don’t know,” Frank said shrugging his shoulders.
“Aren’t you family?” Bruce asked with a shocked voice.
“No,” Frank said.
“Where did you come from and how did you get here?” Bruce asked trying to keep his questions simple.
“We went to the building the army men told us to. Then they said we had to leave and go to the mountains. We got on some school buses and, I think it was five days ago, bad men shot our bus and it crashed,” Frank told him eating a piece of food Danny gave him. Then Danny lifted his shirt up and felt over his body.
“So the bus driver told Paul to get you kids and run. Someone just gave Paul a baby, then, Paul took off with you kids. On the way here, Paul was bitten by a blue monster. He led you here and swam each of you to this island. Then he left and showed up this morning as a blue monster?” Bruce asked trying to make sense of the child’s story.
“Yep, but Paul did kill the blue monster after it bit him, cause it was tryin’ to get Sherry,” Frank said, glad Bruce had finally got all his story, as he ate more food.
Bruce looked at the baby who was now awake, moving around and kicking his feet. Half of the IV fluids were in as the baby started moving around kicking and cooing. Bruce figured the baby at 14 lbs or 6Kg and the 250cc was double the bolus he needed, Bruce knew the baby needed it all. He opened one of his FSR pouches taking one bar of food out breaking it in half and handing the rest of it to Danny. He opened some gauze out of the first aid kit then picked the baby up in his arms. Wetting the gauze with water Bruce wiped the baby’s dry mouth out.
“Danny, I want you to tell your mother what’s going on here. We need another thirty minutes before we can move,” Bruce told her as he bit off a piece of bar and chewed it up. The IV bag was empty and Bruce clamped the tube. Taking some of the food bar he chewed up out of his mouth, Bruce put the paste in the baby’s mouth. The baby started kicking and laughing sucking his fingers. “Does the baby have a bottle?” Bruce asked toward the kids.
“I’ll get it,” Alice said and ran to the tree and pulled the bottle out of the only backpack he saw. “Here you go Mr. Bruce,” she said handing him the bottle.
Bruce told her thank you and opened the bottle smelling it to make sure it did not smell like spoiled milk. It smelled ok so he put a little water in it and rinsed it out then filled it up with water. Reaching in his pack, he took out a powdered sports drink mix pouring it in the bottle. The baby started pulling his goatee as he finished with the bottle. He took more of the chewed up bar out of his mouth putting it in the baby’s mouth which made him happy again. Bruce picked up the bottle shaking it up to dissolve the powder and put the nipple in the baby’s mouth. The baby grabbed the bottle and started to slam the water down, sending huge bubbles up the bottle. The baby needed the electrolytes and sugar but Bruce had to keep taking the bottle out of the baby’s mouth so it wouldn’t get sick. This action really pissed the baby off, big time, at Bruce. He could care less that Bruce saved him. He wanted that damn bottle. The baby had no problem telling everyone he was pissed off with his cry, until Bruce put the bottle back in its mouth.
Danny had told Debbie the story, crying through the whole thing. Debbie came over the radio. “Bruce baby, what do you need from me?” Debbie asked and he could hear tears in her voice.
“I need you to cover us until I can get these kids ready to move. It shouldn’t be much longer,” Bruce told her looking at the baby, then at the kids.
“As God as my witness, you take as long as you need. You will not be disturbed,” Debbie said in a tone of determination that sent shivers up Bruce’s spine, making him proud.
“Frank did any of you drink out of the lake or have you been bitten or scratched by the blue monsters?” Bruce asked.
“No, Paul told us not to drink the water and we gave the baby our last water this morning. Paul didn’t let the blue monsters near us,” Frank replied.
Bruce nodded his head as tears ran down his face. Bruce wished he could have saved Paul from his fate. A sixteen year old kid protected seven kids, which he didn’t know and led them to safety. Knowing he was infected, he took them to a safe place and left so he wouldn’t hurt them, then died alone. Bruce prayed to God to let Paul know the kids were ok.
Bruce could feel the anger building as the tears dried on his face. He took deep breaths calming himself. Now was not the time, he reminded himself. Maybe later, but not now, Bruce wanted to unleash the rage but needed to stay focused for the surviving kids. Rage would come later he promised himself.
Glancing at his watch, Bruce saw it was after five p.m. He told Danny to get ready to go and called the kids around. He put the baby in Alice’s arms as he cut the blanket down to make a sling so he could carry the baby across his chest. While he worked he talked to the kids. “We are fixing to leave. It’s too dangerous here, blue monsters are coming. We are going to your new home. If you see anything that scares you, don’t yell or make noise because the monsters can hear real good. We can fight the monsters but if you make noise more will come, ok? And we could run out of bullets and they would get us,” Bruce said as he tied the two ends of the sling together.
All the kids told him ok except the twins, they just looked at him with wide eyes standing at h
is side holding his pants legs. Bruce took the baby from Alice putting it in the sling. Taking the IV out, Bruce put a band aid on the spot. He put everything back in his pack grabbing several powdered drink mixes out of his pack then put it on. Putting the empty baby bottle in his left thigh pocket with the drink mixes, Bruce looked around as he put his gloves on. He told the kids to follow him and for Danny to bring up the rear. When they reached the boat he radioed Debbie.
“We’re coming back. Keep us covered,” Bruce told her as the last kid got in the boat. He pushed the boat out to ankle deep water then motioned for Danny to get in. Then he turned the boat with the back to him and pushed it out climbing in.
“Take your time baby. We haven’t seen anything in twenty minutes,” Debbie told him as he started paddling.
“Dad the blues are gone from the other side,” Danny told him as he started paddling hard and fast.
Looking between strokes, he saw nothing was on the far bank. He radioed Debbie, “Meet us at the boat house now. We’re goin’ to have to move fast. I think we’re about to have company, more than we have bullets for,” Bruce said paddling hard with the baby just smiling up at him.
When he reached the boat house the others were there waiting on them. They helped the kids out of the boat Bruce was the last one out as he tied the boat up just in case they needed it again. Danny was making introductions as Debbie came over to Bruce and looked at the baby with tears in her eyes.
“Bruce, what are we going to call him?” Debbie asked holding the baby’s hand.
Bruce was looking at her playing with the baby and told Debbie, “He has a name baby. It’s Paul.”
Chapter 7
Bruce called everyone around, “Kids, we’re going to have to carry each of you because monsters are coming and we have ta move fast.” Bruce could feel goose bumps on his arms knowing the infected were getting close.
“Conner, carry Frank. Jake, carry Alice, sling your rifle and carry your P90. Debbie, carry Nathan and Danny carry Robert. Emily and Sherry come here I’m carrying both of you,” Bruce gave out orders.
“Daddy, I can carry the baby,” Buffy volunteered.
“No BB, you have to protect us. If they make it by you, we all die,” Bruce told her.
“Nothing will make it by me Daddy. I promise,” Buffy answered in a hard voice.
“We are moving out fast. We aren’t stopping for at least two hours. If someone has to stop before then, everyone else keep going. Remember if you give out, the child you’re carrying dies with you,” Bruce said as he kneeled down and picked up one twins leg putting it through his left backpack shoulder strap as she straddled his hip. Then he did the same to the other twin on his right. Even if they let go they wouldn’t fall. With his arms wrapped around the twins and his rifle in his right hand he took off at a fast jog.
The others fell in behind him. The pipeline was a mile from them and they reached it in seven minutes. Turning down the pipeline they settled into a quick jog. Bruce glanced down at Paul as he turned down the pipeline. Paul was just smiling and clapping his hands. Bruce looked up, staying in the middle of the pipeline. He didn’t want to get too close to the wood line on either side. Sweat poured off his body, raining down on Paul and soaking the twins as they held onto him with a vise like grip.
Conner was the last man in line running at the pace Bruce had set. When Conner was on the roof he had questioned himself. Why he was following this crazy man? Bruce was waging a war, with hopeless odds, against the infected and against any others that prayed on the weak or helpless. Hearing Danny tell the story of the kids on the island, he knew now why he followed Bruce. Bruce thought of others and would fight for you until the last breath escaped his lips. Running down the pipeline, Conner looked at the small boy he was carrying. Conner knew in his heart that the only reason he would stop running would be if he died from exhaustion. Smiling Conner knew he would die for his clan and could kill a lot before he died.
They had been running for over an hour when, fifty yards in front of them, two blues just popped out of the wood line on their left. One second they weren’t there, the next they just materialized. Without even breaking stride, Buffy raised her M-4 up sending a three round burst into each blues face. They just jogged past the bodies down the pipeline. Fifteen minutes later Bruce heard someone scream over the radio. “Get off the fucking pipeline now, move to your right fast.”
Without hesitation, Bruce turned to the right plowing through the thorn bushes into the woods as everyone followed him. The twins squeezed Bruce when the thorns hit their legs, but never made a sound. After he had run about thirty yards into the woods, Bruce turned back north. Then he heard in his ear, “No. Go further east, to your right.” He followed the instructions and headed east getting pissed. Whoever was giving instructions had better have seen something, because running through the woods sucked, Bruce thought as he jumped another log.
He wanted to ask what they had seen but was having trouble keeping his breathing in rhythm. It had been a male voice so it was either Jake or Conner, he thought as he jumped a small gully. He just kept running, for how long he didn’t know. The voice came back over the radio, “Alright, head north again, you’re fixin’ to come to a road that heads northeast. Take it and I’ll tell you when to turn.”
That could only be Jake, “You memorized the map that well son and can run it from memory?” Bruce asked in amazement between breaths.
“This is Mike mother fucker. There’re infected all around you. We watched a mob of at least thirty thousand pour out of Natchitoches. I know you’re tired but you have to keep going. I hope it was worth it, chasing that group down,” Mike said in a pissed off voice.
“Seven kids on the island, oldest nine, youngest about nine months. Had to save baby, he was dying,” was all Bruce could say as he gulped down air.
“Ok brother, here’s the road now, take it for a mile. Then I’m takin’ ya through some fields and roads to the levee on Saline Lake,” Mike called back. He felt bad about yelling at Bruce hearing about the kids. Since the group was carrying them he didn’t see them with the UAV.
When he reached the road, Bruce turned down the road and just concentrated on moving his feet. He glanced down at Buffy and noticed she was wobbling with her stride. Their fast jog was a good run for her little legs. Bruce reached over grabbing her M-4. She just let it go. He put the strap over his neck and slung the rifle over his back. He called on his radio and asked if anyone needed to stop. Hearing roars in the distance everyone replied, “Just go.” As Bruce was reaching down to try to carry Buffy also, he heard from his side, “I have her Dad.” He saw Jake run up beside Buffy picking her up with his right arm with Alice on his left.
“Alright little sister, you haveta wrap your legs around me and Alice and hold on,” Jake told her as he set her on his right hip.
“Thank you bubba,” Buffy said. She was out of breath but doing her best to hang on.
“Alright, I want you to head right, through this field,” Mike told Bruce.
Never stopping, Bruce followed the directions he was given for another hour, only slowing down to wade across several large creeks. Reaching the levee, they ran on top of it. It was dark now and off to the west and south they could still hear lots of roars. They just kept running until Mike came over the radio.
“Ok, you can rest here. The closest infected is over a mile away. Get you NVG’s on, you have two more large groups to get by. Take twenty minutes,” Mike said.
Dropping to his knees, Bruce let the twin’s legs out of the straps. He pulled off Buffy’s rifle and set it down, then lifted the sling off with a sleeping Paul in it. Laying Paul down gently on the ground he then dropped his pack, unclipping his SCAR from its sling Bruce laid it on the ground. He got up walked two steps, fell down on all fours and puked. As his stomach muscles continued tightening five minutes later, Bruce was expecting his boots to fall out of his mouth any minute. After he stopped puking and never seeing his boots come out, he
sat up on his knees. Wiping his face, he looked at the rest of the group.
They looked just like he felt; hammered shit. His entire body was numb but he stood up and wobbled to his pack. Dropping down beside it, Bruce pulled out his NVG and two bottles of water, handing them to the twins, telling them to drink. One held her bottle out to him. Just the thought of drinking, Bruce would swear for years to come, he felt boot laces at the back of his throat.
He shook his head no, then dug out an FSR and pulled two bars out handing them to the twins. They took them and started eating right away. Bruce watched them, thankful they didn’t offer him any. He took out his thermal scope mounting it. Buffy walked up beside him, picked up her rifle, then took off her pack and started doing the same thing Bruce was doing.
Bruce took out the last bottle of water out of his pack making Paul a bottle of sports mix. Then he slowly drank what was left. Putting the last bar from the FSR in his thigh pocket with the bottle for Paul, Bruce started tightening his vest up. It had become loose with the run. Then he started to drink from the Camelback, the last of his water. Looking at his watch it was just after 9p.m. Holy shit, they had moved twenty miles in just over three hours, he thought. That had to be some kind of record carrying kids and a full combat load. Well, knowing you could get eaten and/or infected did give you a large amount of determination, Bruce determined.
Taking slow drinks, Bruce studied the twins, who were just standing together watching him eating their food in unison. They had blonde hair, green eyes with heart shaped china doll faces. Bruce turned around asking in a low voice, “Everyone drink some water?” He got four yes’s and one fuck you. Knowing who had said the ‘fuck you’ he told Debbie, “Debbie, you better drink one liter or I’ll pour one down you.”
Turning back around, Bruce found the twins still staring at him. Hating to admit it but it was starting to freak him out. One stepped toward him holding out the uneaten half of her food bar and Bruce shook his head no. Then the other one stepped forward holding out hers, again he shook his head. They both stepped forward together putting the food bars on his lips. Somewhat afraid they were fixing to voodoo his ass, Bruce took a bite of each, chewing it slowly. At first his stomach growled in protest threatening to invert itself, but he slowly continued chewing. Once his stomach quit its protest, Bruce thought this was the best food he had ever eaten. Swallowing it he took another bite of each as the twins held the food in front of his mouth. They each fed him half of their food bar. After he had finished the food they both ran up hugging Bruce’s neck, kissing him on each cheek. Then they just sat down at the same time beside baby Paul, who was still sleeping.
Blue Plague Survival Page 10