“Take the pills from the white bottle twice a day, and the pills from the orange bottle once every four or so hours,” he instructed Mateo. “Do that for the next two or three days. You’re still gonna run a fever, but you should be okay.”
“Thanks, Marcus.” Mateo shivered, then shook his head. “I still can’t believe I slipped like that. That really could’ve cost me if you weren’t here.”
“We’re lucky to have you Marcus,” Julie added with a warm smile.
“No big deal,” Marcus replied with his trademark forced aloofness. “I’m gonna head back to my room now. Be sure to rest and drink a lot of water. You’re in shock right now, and it’s only gonna get worse. But just know that the sickness from the infection itself won’t kick in for another couple hours.”
“Damn it, I’m already starting to feel light headed,” Mateo declared a few minutes after Marcus had returned to his room. He turned to Ehsan and Fatima. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to help guard this evening. Think you’ll be able to handle it?”
Fatima nodded. “Absolutely. You just worry about getting better.”
Mateo smiled, but the color had already started draining from his face. “Thanks.” His voice already had far less of its normal vitality than usual. “I’ll see if I can get Sarah or someone else to join you.”
“Please don’t worry, I’ll find someone to fill in for you,” Julie offered. “You go rest.”
“Thanks,” Mateo repeated. He tried to smile, but was too shaken. He walked toward his room, slower than usual. His feet dragged as if his shoes had weights in them. Ehsan looked away.
Everyone remained quiet. Then Fatima spoke, and Ehsan could sense before she opened her mouth how little she wanted to say whatever she was about to say. “I hate to ask, but…” she cleared her throat. “I really hate to ask, but is there a plan in place in case the treatment fails? I do not want to think about it, but we also need to consider the possibility.”
“We do,” Julie replied sternly, looking at the ground. “We’re gonna give him everything he needs and barricade his door. One of us will check in occasionally to see if he needs anything. Once his fever passes, we’ll let him out. If it doesn’t…” She hesitated. “If not, then Josue and Ryan take care of him.”
“I see,” Fatima said flatly. She cleared her through again. “Has… that ever happened?”
“Yes, once,” Julie admitted. “One of the other teachers from this school got bit in the early days, when we still didn’t know bites could turn someone. We didn’t have anything to treat it with, but back then we didn’t know how dangerous bites were, so we thought he’d be able to recover on his own.” She hesitated. “We were wrong. He turned. Luckily for us, he made the mistake of going for Cecilia first. She threw him onto the ground and held him there while Mateo went to get his fire ax.”
“How awful,” Fatima commented.
“Yeah. It was our first lesson about what bites could do to people.” Her eyes strained with a deep sadness that’d become all too common since the outbreak. “Anyway, I’ll go see about getting someone to help you two with lookout duty. I’m sorry I can’t do more.”
“Just doing that is an enormous help,” Fatima told her with a smile.
“Yeah, thanks Julie,” Ehsan added.
“You’re welcome,” she responded with a timid smile as she turned toward the library.
“I guess we should go update Ryan and Josue,” Fatima told Ehsan. Ehsan nodded and the two of them walked over. When they reached the lunch tables Ehsan saw Ryan and Josue peak their heads over the top of the roof. After getting close enough to not have to yell, Ryan asked them what had happened.
“Mateo was bitten,” Fatima informed them. “Marcus treated it, so now we are waiting to see what happens.”
“Son of a bitch,” Ryan muttered.
“Dumbass,” Josue added dismissively.
“Not the time,” Fatima shot back.
Josue grinned. Ehsan braced himself for the inevitable argument that would follow. “What, you think I should compliment him on his good decision making?”
“He could die, Josue,” Fatima countered. “Do you really not care, at all?”
Josue laughed. “Mateo is oversensitive about a lot of things, but he’s no pussy. He’ll be fine.”
“Choice of words aside,” Fatima began with a roll of her eyes, “do you really think so?”
Before Josue could respond in an off-putting way, Ryan spoke first. “Yeah, he’ll be fine.” Ryan smiled. “Mateo ain’t no candy ass. He’s a tough son of a bitch, and you got that pharmacist to help fix him up, too. Ain’t no need to worry, Fatima.”
Fatima smiled. “I hope so.”
“Anyway,” Josue began loudly, “I’m getting tired. Wanna take over?”
“You got it,” Ehsan replied. Eager to break the tension, he added “assuming you’re asking if I wanna take over the world.”
Josue laughed. “Well, considering the condition it’s in now, you could probably buy it at a bargain price.”
“Rich dudes in suites always say to buy low and sell high.” Ehsan shrugged. “Or at least they do in the movies. And if you can’t trust movies to give you sound financial advice, who can you trust?”
Everyone laughed. Fatima seemed anxious to laugh after everything that had happened with Mateo, though there was a pain and hollowness in her laugh that made Ehsan want to give her a hug, something he hadn’t done in years. Ryan and Josue left the roof while Ehsan and Fatima climbed up. They went to the chairs and sat down, both quietly contemplating what’d happened with Mateo.
“They seemed pretty confident he would be alright,” Fatima pointed out, though not sounding convinced.
“Yeah.” Ehsan looked toward the street. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“This couldn’t have happened at a worse time, either.” Fatima sighed. Before she could go on, they heard Cecilia’s unmistakably composed voice from below.
“Hello, you two. Julie told me about what happened to Mateo.” Ehsan and Fatima walked to the edge of the roof. Ehsan saw a folder with pieces of paper in Cecilia’s arms. “I decided to help with guard duty tonight. I shall remain down here grading assignments and working on my lesson plans, but if you need anything, please let me know.”
“Sounds good,” Ehsan responded.
“Actually, I have a question,” Fatima told Cecilia. “Or a few, I suppose.”
“Yes?”
“Well, I was wondering what you thought about everything that happened earlier. Specifically, I was wondering if you thought any of it was connected.”
She nodded. “I thought a lot about it, actually.” She narrowed her eyes. “In just one day we have had a walkway destroyed, found a crayon drawing of the area that specifically labels the school and clinic, and had a zombie herd pop out of nowhere. Not to mention the figure you two claimed to see. It does raise some suspicion.”
Fatima nodded. “I’m not sure why, but I feel like all of it is connected.”
“Yes, I also considered the possibility,” Cecilia admitted. “Or at least for the destroyed walkway and the crayon map. I am not sure about the herd. Usually I do not believe in coincidences, but I simply cannot see how someone could lead an entire horde to set up an attack without it backfiring.”
“Maybe it did,” Fatima pointed out, striking her usual thinking pose. “Maybe they tried to set up an ambush and it did backfire on them. Perhaps, in trying to set up that ambush, whoever did it got eaten in the process. Perhaps that explains why we have seen nothing else from them since earlier today.”
“Interesting thought,” Cecilia replied with a subtle nod. “It is possible, but I would rather act as if that were not the case. I think we should be on guard as if whoever wrote the map and took down the bridge is still out there.”
Fatima nodded. “Agreed. In that case, though, we have to figure out why they have yet to make their move.”
“I would imagine that, if
they mean us harm, they are going for a war of attrition,” Cecilia answered. “Their plan could be to gradually chip away at us, one bridge at a time. Maybe even one horde attack at a time, if they somehow orchestrated the group all of you encountered. Make things just a little harder, bit by bit, until they found the right moment to attack.”
“That makes sense,” Fatima agreed. “Though, if that were the case, what would the point of the crayon map be? Why would they want to alert us and make us put our guard up?”
“It could be a mind game,” Cecilia reasoned. “The purpose could be not to cause physical harm, but mental. To get us to panic and make sloppy decisions. If we became irrational from fear, then we would be an easier target.”
“I see,” Fatima replied with a satisfied nod. “Thank you, Cecilia. You gave me a lot to think about.”
“You are very welcome,” she replied with a guarded smile. “I am sorry you two had to join just as this all started. This is quite the unhappy coincidence.” Ehsan noticed Fatima’s eyes narrow ever so slightly. “What matters right now, though, is that we remain calm, and avoid doing anything foolish. This is not the time to be making careless mistakes, or rush into something recklessly.”
“Agreed.” Fatima cleared her throat. “Sorry for the abrupt transition, but speaking of small mistakes, have you seen Mateo? Do you think he will be okay?”
“Yes, I believe so. Marcus treated it well, and Mateo takes good care of himself. His immune system is excellent, so his body should be able to handle it.”
“We’re really lucky to have Marcus,” Ehsan interjected.
“Yes, we are,” Cecilia agreed. “Though if something were to happen to him, he has taught a few of us how to treat wounds as well. Even if he passed, the group would still be able to take care of itself. Likewise if we lost Mateo.”
Ehsan was taken aback by how random, and callous, Cecilia’s comment was. He didn’t know what to say in response, especially in the midst of worrying about everything else they’d just talked about. Fatima, however, responded with an edge in her voice that made Ehsan suspicious. “Good to know. We have to make sure this group is able to survive, no matter what.”
“Agreed,” Cecilia replied. “Anyway, I must go start my work now. Let me know if you need anything.”
“We will. Thank you, Cecilia.”
With that, Cecilia walked into the room below them. Ehsan and Fatima walked over to the chairs to sit down and watch the street. After making themselves comfortable, Fatima leaned over to Ehsan and whispered, “Cecilia thinks we did it.”
“What makes you think that?” Ehsan demanded, managing to keep his voice down despite how startled he felt.
“I think what she said about the group being strong without Marcus or Mateo was a warning. She wants us to think that, if we plan to do something bad, this group can handle either death.”
Ehsan didn’t know what to say. He felt they’d bonded with the group so quickly that the thought of anyone being suspicious of them hadn’t crossed his mind. “Are you sure? It was a bit odd, but maybe she was just reassuring us that the group was prepared for anything.”
“Earlier she said she does not believe in coincidences, then she said it was a coincidence that we arrived when everything bad started happening,” Fatima pointed out. “I doubt that choice of words was an accident. She also said that we ‘claimed’ we saw a figure in the window. She might have thought we were trying to draw attention from ourselves.”
“Huh, that could be,” Ehsan admitted. “I dunno, I didn’t notice anything, but it’s possible. What do you think that means for us?”
“I’m not sure.” She paused, assuming her normal thinking pose. “I suppose it just means being careful. Cecilia will probably have a close eye on us for a little while. We need to prove we have no connection to whoever is out there.”
“Makes sense.” Ehsan grimaced. “And I guess I can see why she’d be suspicious. I mean, she’s not wrong. Everything did start pretty much right after we got here.”
Fatima nodded reluctantly. “I dislike it, but I can see why.” She sighed.
Thereafter, they spent their guard duty in uneasy silence. They sat and watched the street, both of them turning over in their heads not only everything that had happened that day, but the possibility that Cecilia didn’t trust them. The sting of the distrust ebbed the further into their guard shift they got, however. At one point Ehsan realized that, while Cecilia probably sat below them partially to keep an eye on them, she wouldn’t have let them stay on guard duty on the roof if she didn’t trust them at all. He decided to mention the idea to his sister.
“Good point,” Fatima admitted with a whisper. She seemed genuinely encouraged by what he said. “I doubt we would even be here if she did not trust us at all.”
The two of them finished their shift in a less uneasy silence. Ehsan still felt a pang of hurt, but it didn’t cut as deep as it had when Fatima first brought it up. His mind focused more on the destroyed walkway and the crayon map, as well as who had been in the second floor window of the house with the missing walkway. He also worried about Mateo. He couldn’t stand the idea of anyone at the school, especially Mateo, turning into one of those things.
When night set in, Ryan and Josue came to relieve them of guard duty. Ehsan noticed Ryan no longer seemed sick. Cecilia stayed behind to meet with Josue and Ryan. Fatima looked like she wanted to ask what they were talking about, but both of them felt immense worry for Mateo. They decided they went to go check on him. With the moon now completely full, they had more than enough light to guide their path. They walked up to his room to see two large teacher’s desks jammed in front of the door. The blinds of the classroom were closed except for one small section that had been propped open by rubber bands.
Fatima peeked through the opening. “He seems to be asleep.”
“How does he look?”
She squinted. “Sweaty, and breathing a little heavy, but otherwise he seems alright. Wait, he just moved…” She focused her eyes even more. “He just reached for his water bottle and took a sip. Okay, now he just grabbed the towel next to him to wipe off the sweat on his forehead.”
“Glad to see he’s able to move. Since he’s awake, why don’t we see if he needs anything?”
“Good idea.” They picked up the table closer to them and moved it out of the way, then did the same with the other. They knocked lightly and announced that they were coming in. They entered to find him lying down with his eyes closed, but he waved feebly.
“Hey Mateo,” Ehsan whispered.
“Hey there,” he mumbled back quietly.
“Anything we can get for you?” Fatima asked.
“No thanks.” Ehsan hated hearing how faint his voice sounded.
“Are you sure?” Fatima pressed. “Not even more water, or a new towel?”
“Well…” Mateo coughed. “I guess a new towel would be nice.”
Fatima walked toward the stack of dry, folded towels a few feet away from Mateo’s shoulders and grabbed one. She placed it right next to him and grabbed the towel he had been using. Ehsan could tell the towel was soaked in sweat, but Fatima didn’t bat an eye.
Mateo replied with something Ehsan couldn’t hear.
“Anytime.” Fatima knelt down. “Is there anything else we can do?”
“No thanks.” He coughed.
“Okay. We will check on you in the morning, then.”
“I hope you feel better,” Ehsan added.
The two of them walked out and moved the first desk back in front of the door. Before they could get to the second desk, however, Sarah turned the corner, her eyes red and sunken in.
“Hey,” she said curtly.
“Hello,” Fatima replied, a look of concern coming across her face. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah, just tired,” she responded. “I’ve been taking care of Mateo pretty much all evening. I don’t do stuff like this much, so I’m not very good at it. I just went to go take ca
re of something, but I came back to spend the night here.”
“Aren’t you scared he’ll turn?”
She shook her head. “I know Marcus has treated zombie bites before, so I’m not too worried. Honestly, the hardest part of this whole thing is seeing him suffer like this.”
“Well, I’m glad we have Marcus,” Ehsan said. “Anyway, I guess we’ll leave you to it. We’ll be nearby if you need anything.”
Sarah smiled. “Thanks. I think I’ll be okay, but I really appreciate it.” She moved the desk in front of the classroom and entered Mateo’s room.
When Ehsan and Fatima entered their room they noticed two of their desks each contained a tall stack of clothes. One stack for Ehsan, one for Fatima. Sets of adult pajamas had been included, as well as pairs of slippers. They changed into the pajamas while leaving the slippers and other clothes next to their makeshift beds. The striped white and powder blue pajamas that had been chosen for Ehsan fit him well, but Fatima’s purple pajamas were baggy on her.
“You’re like a Persian Barney!” Ehsan remarked playfully. Fatima stuck her tongue out at him and the two of them settled into their beds. The comfort of their resting area made Ehsan feel better, though he still worried about everything that was happening.
“Ehsan, I hate to worry you further, but…” Fatima paused. “Do you wonder if Marcus said that he could cure zombie bites just to get in good with everybody here? Do you think he really can cure bites?”
“I didn’t think about that at all.” He paused. “I dunno, he’s already a pharmacist. Plus, he helps as a backup scout and cleanup guy. There’s no reason for him to lie.”
“Good point. I suppose I might just be over-thinking it. I really want to think Mateo will be okay, but...”
“Makes sense, you’re worried after all,” Ehsan said. He wanted to tease her about her crush on Mateo, but thought better of it. “But I think he’ll be okay. Right now the best thing we can do is get some sleep. We gotta be ready, just in case.”
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