“I don’t know,” Chad said, turning his head to look at me. “I think you should try to wake Tob up. We have no idea what’s going to happen next.”
Dad moved the van forward when one of the military guys motioned for him to.
The same guy stepped up to Dad’s window.
“I need you to cut the engine and have everyone exit the vehicle,” he instructed.
Dad killed the van’s engine and undid his seatbelt while the solider opened his door. Other soldiers had moved up to the other doors, opened them, and motioned for us to get out.
I reminded myself to take deep breaths and not panic as I picked up Tob and climbed outside. They were going to allow us in where it was safe. Surely they had reasons for doing things the way they were doing them. If nothing else, they were vetting people well before letting them through the gate.
“Step over here, please,” a female solider said, motioning us off to the right side of the van, toward the gate.
Once we were all there, they searched us and took Chad’s gun. For a second, I thought he might fight them. Then he glanced around at all of us, relaxed, and handed it over peacefully. It was obvious to me he was trying to keep us all safe, even by surrendering. Again, he surprised and impressed me. He was more concerned with our safety as a group than himself alone.
The female solider proceeded to ask us questions. She started with personal information like our names and where we were from; it got a little complicated when we had to explain Tob, but they didn’t seem too surprised we’d found him. Then she asked the question I thought might be coming.
“Have any of you been bitten by a zombie?” she asked.
“Yes,” Chad and I said in unison.
“Tob, too,” Chad said, nodding at the little guy snuggled against my chest and neck.
“What about you, sir?” the soldier asked Dad.
He shook his head “no,” looking grim.
“Show me the bites,” she said, and the three of us obliged. “It looks like you’re all healing nicely. When you go inside, you’ll be taken to our medical facility for testing.” She turned her attention to Dad. “You’ll be escorted elsewhere to get set up as a citizen.”
My heart dropped into my stomach and my blood ran cold with fear. Dad and I were going to be separated. I didn’t want that.
“She’s my daughter,” Dad said, stepping forward. “What do you plan to do with her? I want to go with her.”
I felt some warmth return to my body at my dad’s attempt to keep us together. I waited to see what the soldier’s reply would be…
The solider looked Dad in the eyes and said firmly, “She won’t be harmed. You don’t have a choice. Either you do as we tell you or you don’t come in. It’s your choice.”
Her statement confirmed my fears, and I started shaking a bit as I willed myself not to cry. I’d promised myself I’d be strong for this new world. I couldn’t break down the moment things didn’t go exactly how I wanted. I consoled myself with the fact Dad would be safe, we’d just have to be apart for a little while, like before when he went to work and I went to school. That calmed me down a little, but not much. After Mom…being separated from Dad was my biggest fear.
The solider who’d directed us forward climbed into the van and drove it through the open gate. All our food and supplies went with him. If we decided to leave, I didn’t think we’d get any of it back. From the look on Dad’s face, he didn’t seem to think we would either.
Dad sighed heavily, nodded, and hugged me. He whispered that he loved me, everything would be okay, and we’d find each other again. He also reminded me we’d be safe, and said everything would be okay, again. He kissed my cheek and let me go.
Again, I had to fight the urge to burst into tears.
“Okay,” he said, turning back to the solider. “Let’s do this.”
With that we were escorted inside and separated.
Chad, Tob, and I were taken to a medical facility that was inside one of the largest buildings in the shopping center; the store had been cleared out and now looked like a hospital in every aspect. The place even smelled like a hospital. One of the people from the car in front of us was sitting in a small waiting area. She was pregnant and looked distressed.
“Have a seat,” a nurse instructed. “You’ll be seen shortly.”
I looked at Chad, seeking direction. I felt emotionally shattered at the moment and not particularly confident. I was glad to have him by my side to handle all the changes.
He smiled and nodded at me. He put his hand on the small of my back and led me over to the seating area.
His simple guidance and touch helped me feel a little better.
I sat down and he sat next to me.
“I wonder what they’re going to do to us,” I said in the strongest voice I could manage, which seemed to be slightly louder than a whisper.
“I have no idea,” he said, “but I bet whatever it is will involve a blood test.”
“That would make sense,” I said, shifting Tob since he’d fallen asleep again. “I hope they can do something to help him. I’ve been really worried about him. I’m glad he peed earlier. I still think he needs more fluids.”
“They’ll probably give him an IV and hopefully some nutrients or something that will help him get his strength back.”
I nodded, rubbing Tob’s back, hoping Chad was right. The little guy needed all the help he could get.
A nurse came out and took the pregnant woman away.
We waited a few minutes and another nurse came out to take me and Tob.
I stood and nervously glanced at Chad. Apparently my eyes were desperate, because he tried to calm me down.
“I’ll find you later,” he said, and patted my forearm.
“Yes,” the nurse said. “You’ll see each other again after your examinations.”
That calmed me down. We’d see each other again right after. That was reassuring.
I smiled at the nurse and followed her down the hall.
The nurse led me down a short corridor, neither of us speaking. She stopped suddenly and opened a door on her right.
“In here,” she said, and motioned us inside.
She shut the door behind us and I sat down on one of the padded chairs that sat against the wall, just inside the door.
No sooner had I gotten comfortable than the nurse returned with a doctor.
“What do we have here?” the doctor asked, pulling a chair over and sitting in front of us.
I didn’t speak.
The man smiled at me, put the ear pieces of his stethoscope into his ears, picked up the round end, breathed on it for a second, lifted the back of Tob’s shirt and listened for a moment. He frowned and let go of the listening end.
“Nurse,” he said, sitting back and taking the stethoscope earpieces out. “We’re going to need immediate fluids, a full blood work up, and x-rays done on this little guy. Please take him to the ICU tent and see that he’s taken care of.”
“Yes, doctor,” she said, and immediately reached for Tob.
“You’re not taking him anywhere!” I announced, clutching him to me.
The nurse frowned and pulled her hands back. She glanced at the doctor.
“Miss,” the doctor said, smiling at me, “your son is very ill. We need to get him taken care of. I promise we’ll keep you up to date on his condition and you’ll be allowed to visit him once we get him settled after testing. You have to let go and let us take care of him now.”
“He’s not my son,” I muttered, kissing him on the head. “We found him.”
The doctor nodded. “You’ll still be able to see him once he’s settled. I understand you’re concerned for his wellbeing. But, again, we need to do what’s best of him right now.”
I nodded, sighed, kissed Tob again, lifted him, and held him out to the nurse.
She took him in her arms and snuggled him close.
I smiled at the gesture.
She saw my smile
and winked at me.
The doctor stood.
“Her too,” the nurse said, heading out of the room. She closed the door behind herself.
“Oh, really?” the doctor said, and sat down again. “So you survived a zombie bite too? How are you feeling?”
“Okay,” I said, and shrugged.
He asked to see my bite, asked me a few more questions, and then I was sent off with a different nurse to get blood work done. For the most part, other than the needle that drew my blood, it was a painless process. The most annoying part of it all was that they wouldn’t answer any of my questions. To all of my inquiries, everyone would reply, “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Chapter Eleven
After all the medical stuff was taken care of, the nurse I’d given Tob to appeared to give me an update. The fact they were keeping their word made me feel better about letting him go.
“He’s doing well,” the nurse assured me, patting my arm. “Nothing but malnutrition has shown up on any of his tests. He’s badly dehydrated – we don’t think his organs will suffer any permanent damage. We have him on IV fluids and liquid vitamins. He’ll be on them for a couple days until he’s eating and drinking enough to keep himself strong and healthy.”
“Oh, good,” I said, sighing with relief. “When can I see him? Can Chad see him too?”
“Is Chad the one you were with in the waiting area?”
I nodded “yes.”
“Yes, he can see him too, I’ll make sure of it,” she said.
“When?” I asked again, not having gotten an answer.
“Right after you get cleaned up,” she said, and nodded. “Someone will take you in a bit. I have to get back to work.” She turned and left before I could ask more questions.
Someone in military garb came and got me. We met up with the pregnant woman from earlier.
We were taken to a large building that had sinks, toilets, and showers – obviously a bathroom area. We were instructed to take a shower and were left to our own devices. Soap and shampoo was provided in each shower stall; we were given underwear, socks, a gray jumpsuit, and cheap canvas shoes to put on after we were clean.
“Hi,” I said to the pregnant woman after we were alone. “I’m Elaine.”
“Melissa,” was all she said before she stripped and walked into a shower stall.
I shrugged off her unfriendliness. I don’t know what she’d went through before she got here, and she looked exhausted. I’m sure it was nothing personal.
I stripped, went into one of the shower stalls, turned on the water, and washed away the grime and sweat from the day’s activity. As my muscles relaxed under the hot spray, my fatigue reminded me of its presence. With my spurts of energy and stress induced adrenaline, I kept forgetting I’d been very sick recently.
Once I was showered and dressed, I headed outside, clutching my dirty clothes. The pregnant woman was already outside with the military woman who’d shown us to the showers.
The soldier took my dirty clothes and nodded in the direction of a large tent far off to our left.
“You need to report there,” she said. “Someone will show you to the barracks after.”
She turned and headed in the opposite direction with the pregnant woman following close behind.
I wanted to ask what would happen to my clothes, but then I decided it didn’t really matter. They’d provided me with something to wear after my shower, so apparently they weren’t going to let me wander around naked.
It didn’t take me long to get to the tent, although, at first, it seemed like a long ways off. When I went inside, I realized it was a medical tent. There were nurses bustling about and people on cots, separated by bug nets.
One of the nurses noticed me standing there.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Yes…” I said, “…I’m supposed to see how the little boy I brought in with me is doing. He’s just a little guy. His name is Tob.”
The nurse’s face lit up and she grinned.
“Tob, yes,” she said, “follow me. He’s quite the little character, isn’t he?”
“Yup,” I said, and had to rush to keep up. I wanted to ask what he’d done now, remembering his cuteness taking a bath, but I didn’t get a chance to before I was by his side.
He grinned up at me from his cot, his hazel eyes shining. He had tubes hooked up to him and he was being monitored by a couple machines.
“Are you enjoying the attention?” I asked, bending forward to stroke his head and kiss his cheek.
He giggled. “Med’cine.” He pointed at all the tubes and stuff around him.
“Yup,” I said. “They’re going to make you all better.”
He yawned wide and long.
“I better let you rest,” I said, bending down to kiss his cheek again. “I’ll be back to see you when I can.”
“Love ’Laine,” he mumbled, reached up, cupped my face in his little hands, and kissed my cheek. “Night.”
“I love you too. Night, sweetie,” I said, fighting back tears as I stood up straight.
I turned to find the nurse who’d guided me here, smiling.
“Quite the little character,” she said again, and motioned for me to step away and speak with her. “We’re going to induce a comma – not too deep – to make him comfortable and allow him to rest easy while his body recovers. We’ll feed him intravenously while he’s under. We were waiting for you to come see him before we did it, so he would know you’re still here for him. You can come see him again when you have time. I believe you and someone named Chad are on his approved visitor’s list.”
I nodded, too choked up from Tob’s affection to speak.
“There’s someone waiting outside to take you to your barracks,” she said, and pointed to where I’d entered the tent.
I headed that way to find a male solider waiting for me outside.
“Follow me,” he said, and took off walking.
I followed him out into the night; it had gotten dark fast.
We arrived at a long tent and he announced, “This is your barracks. You’re assigned to bunk 42.”
I opened my mouth to ask about Chad and Dad, but before I could make a sound, he took off in the opposite direction.
I entered the barracks through a heavy flap doorway. There were lights strung through the ceiling, down the middle, that allowed me to see where I was going, but they weren’t overly bright. Numbers were spray painted on the ground at the end of each cot that ran along both walls of the tent. Most of them were occupied with people of various ages, ethnic backgrounds, and of both genders. I tried not to be rude and stare at anyone, and walked until I found the number 42.
Cot 41 was occupied with someone who was sleeping, but 43 was empty. I hoped that would be Chad’s.
I sat down on my cot and fought the urge to lay down and sleep, even though I was exhausted. I wanted to see if Chad would arrive soon…if we’d be kept together. I hoped so, because being alone in all this was overwhelming. The nurses seemed nice, but everyone else was either unfriendly or preoccupied with their duties.
Thankfully I spotted Chad coming through the barracks, the same way I had, within a few minutes. He was wearing a similar jumpsuit to the one I’d been given, and looked like he’d had a shower too.
I stood up and hugged him tight before he could say anything; he hugged me back just as tight. He smelled clean, confirming my suspicion that we’d gone through the same process.
“Where’s Tob?” he asked, letting me go.
“They’re doing what you hoped they would,” I said, sitting back down on my cot.
Chad sat down on cot 43 and looked at me expectantly.
“They said he was very sick…something about dehydration and his internal organs,” I explained. “They said they were going to induce a coma, give him fluids through an IV and vitamins, and feed him intravenously for a couple days. We’ll be allowed to visit him if we want – our names are on his visitor list.”
Chad nodded. He seemed pleased Tob was getting taken care of. “What did they do to you?”
“Weighed and measured me, and took blood,” I said. “You?”
“Same,” Chad said, and yawned. “Did they say when we’d see your dad?”
I shook my head and frowned. “They wouldn’t answer any of my questions – it was annoying.”
“Same,” he said, and snickered. “Did they say you’d find out tomorrow?”
“Yes,” I said with a grin. “I guess there’s nothing to do tonight but sleep. I’m tired, so I’m not too stressed about it.”
Chad yawned again. “Let’s get some rest and worry about everything in the morning.”
We laid down and let our exhaustion take us.
Chapter Twelve
A loud bell was ringing, but I didn’t care. I was warm and comfortable, and I didn’t want to move. I did open my eyes a crack and look around though, to see what was going on around me.
Chad flew out of his cot and looked like he was ready to take on the world in hand-to-hand combat.
I giggled and mumbled, “Easy, killer.
“What? What’s going on?” he asked, blinked rapidly, and sat back down.
“Don’t know,” I said, sitting up and stretching. “I’m assuming it’s time to wake up and the bell is how they make sure we do it.”
A solider came into the barracks and started yelling, “Get your asses out of bed and get your breakfast! Then report to building B for your instruction!”
“Where’s building B?” Chad asked aloud. He looked around and seemed to panic. With a wild look in his eyes, he grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, close to him.
“We need to run,” he whispered. “We need to get out of here now.”
“Where?” I asked, whispering back. “There’s nowhere to go. And even if there was somewhere to go, what about Dad and Tob?”
A young man across the aisle must have heard us because he answered Chad’s building B question.
Zpoc Exception Series (Book 2): Re-Civilize (Elaine) Page 6