by Amy Cross
“Now where?” she mutters. “Any ideas, Harry?”
Turning, I look back the way we just came. I'm glad we left the girl and the man behind, although I think we're probably going back to them soon. I wanted to just get back into the car and leave the town, but Julie started walking this way and I was worried about letting her go off alone, so I followed in case she needs my help. Jon would want me to stay close to her until he comes back. Keeping Julie safe is my new job.
My flank still hurts a little, though, from where Melissa kicked me.
“What I am worried about,” Julie continues, as we set off across the square, toward a set of buildings on the far side, “is bumping into more infected individuals who are still on their feet. Melissa said she hasn't seen or heard any sign of movement around here since she and Scott arrived, but that doesn't mean there can't be something trapped somewhere. Or headed this way.” She glances down at me. “I'm relying on your amazing sense of smell, Harry. Okay? If you pick up anything that seems wrong, anything at all, let me know with a growl or a bark.”
I still don't know what she's saying, but I know that she seems calmer than before, and much calmer than the two people we met just now. At least until Jon returns, I feel as if I should follow Julie and let her lead the way.
“We've got to keep moving,” she mutters, stopping in front of a building that has a green cross above the door. She pauses, before reaching down and picking up a rock. “If we stop for too long, that's when we're in trouble. If we keep moving, eventually things'll get better and we won't have to think so much about...”
Her voice trails off, and she stares at the store's window for a moment before suddenly throwing the rock and shattering the glass.
I take a step back, shocked.
“It's okay, Harry,” she says, reaching down and patting the top of my head. “We'll make a note of everything we take, and when all of this is over we'll come back and pay properly. We'll pay for the window, too. We're not thieves, we're just doing whatever's necessary to survive, that's all.” She looks down at me, and I can see the sadness and fear in her eyes. “It's going to get better, you know. All this madness is going to end, and everything's going to go back to normal. Well... Almost everything.”
She pauses again, before stepping forward and peering into the store's dark interior.
“Hello?” she calls out. “Is anyone here?”
She waits.
“I think the place is empty,” she mutters finally. “It's okay, Harry. You just stay out here. I wouldn't want you cutting your paws on the glass. I'll be right back, so just stand guard out here, okay?”
She climbs through the gap and into the store. I try to hurry after her, although I stop when I realize that I can't reach up to the bottom of the window. Instead, I sit and wait as I listen to the sound of her walking about inside. After a few minutes, I turn and look back across the town square, but there's no sign of anyone and I feel as if this whole place has been completely abandoned. Still, I'm starting to pick up on certain scents that are making me worried, and finally I get to my feet and walk over to the top of the steps, where I stop to sniff the ground.
People were scared here.
I can usually tell when humans have been scared. I can't explain how, but something changes, something in their whole body, and in extreme cases they leave traces after they're gone. Their sweat changes.
Stopping next to a bench, I realize I can smell human urine on the ground, but the urine seems different to normal. It's as if someone was right here just a few days ago, and whatever happened to them, they released urine at a time when they were terrified. Now that I'm on the trail, I'm picking up other smells, too, and I make my way cautiously along the front of the building until I reach the far end, at which point I look along the next street and immediately pick up a scent of rotten flesh. I freeze, and a moment later I spot what looks like dead human on the ground, several meters away with lots of blood all over the ground and the wall. There's a small black bird perched on the body's shoulder, pecking at its meat.
Taking a step back, I start barking.
The bird turns and looks toward me, with a chunk of pink meat dangling from its beak.
I bark again, but still the bird just stares. It seems completely unafraid, as if its only business is death.
“Harry? Where are you?”
Still barking, I hear Julie clambering out through the broken window and hurrying this way. When she reaches me, she lets out a faint gasp just as the bird flies up to the top of a nearby wall with its piece of flesh.
“Did the body move?” Julie asks, her voice filled with tension. “Did it...”
She pauses, before stepping past me.
“It looks like it was hacked to pieces,” she continues. “I saw that before a couple of times. When people were worried about a body coming back, they took an ax to it and made sure it was immobile. At least that way, if it tried to get up it wouldn't have any arm or legs. A crude method, but definitely effective. Looks like this guy was set on fire too.”
She turns to me, and I see that she's cradling lots of little boxes and packets in her arms.
“It seems like the survivors from this town took off,” she adds. “Either that, or they died in their homes and...”
She looks around, as if she's worried about seeing or hearing something in one of the nearby buildings, and then finally she turns to me again.
“I'm going to do what I can for the guy at the side of the road,” she continues finally, “and then you and I are going to get going, okay? We can't stay here too long. Like I said, we need to keep moving. We'll patch that Scott guy up, giving him the best possible chance, but then we have to try to reach the rendezvous point at the Rarrah Valley. That's where people will be, or at least... It's our best shot.”
She steps back past me and starts heading across the town square again.
“Harry! Stay close!” she calls back to me. “Harry, come!”
I stare at the burned corpse for a moment longer, sniffing the air, and after a moment the black bird lands on the shoulder again. I watch for a moment as it pecks at a fresh patch of meat, and then it turns and stares at me with two dark, beady eyes. It looks so hungry.
Startled, I turn and hurry after Julie.
***
“Put your hand right there,” Julie tells the girl a short while later, once we're back at the side of the main road. “Press hard. You need to learn how to change his dressings.”
“Why can't you do it?” the girl asks, as she places her hands on the injured man's leg. “You're the doctor.”
Julie hesitates for a moment. “I don't know how long I can be -”
“You're not leaving us, are you?” the girl continues, her voice once again filled with panic. “Please, you can't leave us! You're a doctor, you have to stay! You're not allowed to leave patients behind!”
“I just -”
“Please!”
Julie pauses again, glancing at me for a few seconds, before turning back to the girl.
“Of course we'll stay,” she says finally, with a hint of reluctance. “But I still want you to learn how to do this, so press down on the bandage. Make sure it's nice and tight.”
The girl stares at the bandage for a moment, before shaking her head and pulling back.
“It's gross.”
“You have to learn!”
“You're the doctor. You do it.”
Julie opens her mouth to argue, before sighing as she grabs another roll of tape. She glances at me, and I can see that she's annoyed, but after a moment she starts working on the man's injuries again. After a moment, she turns to the girl. “We were in luck at the pharmacy. I can apply some dissolving stitches, but I'll need to close all the wounds properly before nightfall. I'm going to need some kind of wire, and a flame. And right now, you have to press here.”
“But -”
“Do it!” she says firmly. “If you don't, he'll die!”
The girl
hesitates for a moment, before pressing a finger on the bandage.
“That's good,” Julie continues. “Now whatever you do, don't let go.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
By the time night falls, Julie has been working for hours and I can tell she's exhausted. She gets the girl to start a small fire close to the spot where the man is still unconscious, although the girl struggles and eventually Julie has to do that as well. At least the flames provide some heat as the temperature continues to drop.
While the light from the fire is welcome, it makes the rest of the town seem much darker, and I know I can't afford to rest. I want to sleep, so that maybe I can wake up later and find that Jon is back, but I figure I have to stand guard while Julie is still busy. Jon would want me to keep her safe.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she gets to her feet and heads over to the car. I hesitate for a moment, before hurrying to join her.
“Hey,” she mutters, sounding exhausted as she takes some items from one of the boxes on the back seat. “Are you doing okay there, Harry?”
She glances back toward the girl.
“She's not a lot of help,” she adds. “I guess she's just in shock.”
She takes a slice of ham from a packet and crouches down, holding it out for me.
“You need to eat,” she continues. “You're no use to anyone if you're weak. Please, Jon would want you to have something, and I'm sure we'll be able to find some fresh supplies eventually. Jon always...”
She pauses, and it's as if the mention of his name has brought fresh tears to her eyes. She wipes the tears away, but more come soon enough.
“Please eat,” she adds, holding the ham closer to my mouth. “I know what it's like, I'm not hungry either, but we have to keep our strength up. Come on, ham was always your favorite. Remember how you used to do all those tricks just for a taste? This is a whole slice on offer.”
I sniff the ham for a moment, but I feel too nauseous to eat.
“Roll over,” she says suddenly.
I stare at her.
“You know this trick,” she continues. “Harry, roll over.”
I hesitate, before rolling over.
“Good boy,” she says, holding the ham out, and this time I eat it automatically. After all, I always get ham after I've performed a trick. By the time I remember that I wasn't feeling well, I've already swallowed.
“Roll over,” she says again, holding another piece of ham.
I do as I'm told, momentarily feeling pleased that I can follow a command. Again, I eat the proffered ham before I even have a chance to realize that anything is wrong.
“Now let's try like this,” she continues, holding up yet another piece. “Eat, Harry. Please.”
This time I take the ham and swallow it almost whole. Now that I've started to eat, I feel a little better.
“I'll try to find something healthier for you soon,” she explains, “so don't get used to the ham lifestyle.”
She takes another slice and seems like she's about to eat it, but then she hesitates. After a moment, she holds it out for me.
“I'll eat later,” she mutters. “Right now, I...”
Her voice trails off for a moment, and then she looks past me and watches the silhouette of the girl and the man against the fire. Once again, I can tell that she's sad.
“He's not going to make it,” she whispers. “Even if I could get him to a hospital, it'd be touch-and-go, but out here there's no chance at all. All I can do is try to ease his pain, and to be honest that means making sure he doesn't wake up. His hips and legs and shattered, he's lost a lot of blood, and that head injury means he probably hasn't had a hope ever since he was hit. The brain damage would be too severe.” She pauses. “I should just let him go now, but I can't do that. I have to try. Still, I doubt he'll last the night.”
She hesitates for a moment.
“I saw worse at the hospital,” she adds finally. “In the first few days, when people were starting to come in but we still didn't know what was actually wrong with them, and we were learning about it by seeing what was happening right in front of our eyes... I remember the first time I saw one of those things start to move again after it was supposed to be dead. I don't think this Scott guy is infected, but I can't be sure. If I ever seen another of those creatures again...”
She pauses, and then she smiles.
“Listen to me, talking to a goddamn dog,” she mutters, patting my flank. “You're a good listener, Harry.”
She seems upset, and I can see more tears glistening in her eyes. Stepping closer, I nudge her arm with my nose, and she reaches over to stroke the fur on the back of my neck. Maybe it's because she was taught by Jon, but she has a very similar touch, and she reminds me of the way he'd absent-mindedly pat me while he was thinking about other things. And now, as Julie continues to stroke my fur, I can tell that she's starting to fall asleep, and I turn just in time to see her head dipping forward before she jerks back.
“I just need to get a few hours,” she mutters. “I'll be able to work better once I've slept. It's been days since I managed. We'll sleep in the car, with the doors locked. Just for a little while, okay?”
She heads back over to talk to the girl, and finally she comes back to the car. There's not much room, even after she's cleared the boxes off the seats, and she tries to get me to sleep in the front. I want to stick close to her, however, and eventually she relents, shifting to make room for me. I curl tight next to her belly and then I close my eyes, ready to sleep again. I tell myself that this time, maybe I really will wake up back at the cabin with Jon. Even though I know that something bad happened, I figure that it might un-happen.
It's not long, however, before I wake on the car's back seat, and I realize that something seems to be wrong with Julie.
Although she's definitely still asleep, she's moving about a lot, and she's mumbling under her breath. I can barely see a thing, since there's not even any moonlight tonight, but I can hear Julie's voice and she sounds upset by something, as if she's trying to warn people. A couple of times, I hear her mention Jon's name, and finally it seems as if her voice has changed a little. Now she's begging, and she sounds desperate, and she's saying Jon's name more and more. She twists and turns, and with each passing second she seems to be getting increasingly upset.
“Jon!” she shouts suddenly, sitting up and hitting her head on the car's roof.
I pull back, startled as I slither down off the seat. Looking up, I see Julie's silhouette and I realize I can hear her gasping for breath.
“Damn it,” she says after a moment. “Another nightmare. I need some air.”
She turns and opens the door, before stepping out into the cold night air. I want to sleep, but instead I get to my feet and jump out after her. I can tell her heart is pounding, and she takes a moment to steady herself before heading back toward the still-burning fire.
I hang back a little, and I can see the silhouette of the girl as she continues to sit with the injured man.
A moment later, I watch as Julie's silhouette kneels next to them, and I can hear muffled voices.
“No!” the girl screams suddenly, pushing Julie away. “He can't be! You said he'd be okay!”
The girl starts sobbing, clutching the man close to her, while Julie's silhouette watches from a little way back. I can tell that something's wrong, and as I cautiously make my way closer to them, I realize that I can already pick up a faint scent of death.
“You said you'd save him!” the girl whimpers. “You promised! What kind of fucking doctor are you, if you can't even keep someone alive?”
Julie's silhouette seems frozen for a moment against the flames, before finally she puts her head in her hands. I step closer and wait for her to rub my fur, but after a moment I simply settle next to her and place my chin on the side of her leg. She's crying again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Morning sunlight streams down as Julie uses the shovel to add more dirt to
the pile, and finally she steps back. She already looks not only exhausted but also thinner than before, and her eyes are sore from crying during the night.
Nearby, Melissa is staring at the hole they've finished filling in. I watched earlier as they dug the hole at the side of the road, and then they put the man's body at the bottom before shoveling all the dirt back in, and now they're both just standing back as if they're not quite sure what to do.
The black bird is watching from a nearby wall. He already looks plumper than yesterday.
After a few minutes of silence, Julie grabs an old tree branch and drives it into the ground at the edge of the grave.
“What's that for?” Melissa asks, her voice trembling with anger.
“It's so you can find the grave again.”
“Why would I need help finding it?”
“When this is all over,” Julie replies, “and things start going back to normal, you might want to come back and -”
“Back to normal?” Melissa stammers, interrupting her. “Are you fucking insane? How the hell is anything ever going to go back to normal? The whole fucking world has turned to shit!”
“But soon -”
“But soon nothing!” Melissa hisses. “Do you think someone is gonna come along and save us all?”
“There was talk of rendezvous points all over the country,” Julie continues, although she doesn't sound like she really believes what she's saying. “Places for survivors to go, places where -”
“Everyone's dead! It's the end of the world, you dumb bitch!”
“I'm sure -”
“You were sure you could save Scott,” Melissa adds, turning and storming around the side of the grave, heading toward us. “And how did that go? Obviously you're a fucking awful doctor! Maybe you're not even a doctor at all, maybe you're just some fantasist who likes fucking with people!”
“Melissa -”
As she gets closer, Melissa suddenly turns and kicks me hard in the belly. I let out a pained yelp and pull back, scared she'll try again, but she hurries past and makes her way back across the road, heading toward the buildings.