“It’s peroxide to clean the wound. I don’t think it will help with the infection, but it’s worth seeing.”
“I’m not a fucking science experiment,” Kev ground out with his jaw clenched. His eyes narrowed on the doctor. Gabe tilted his head up, and Jim nodded, urging him to continue. Jim held onto Kev’s shoulders tighter, pinning him to the wood sign.
“Take it easy on him.” Scarlet’s eyes filled with tears, glassing over. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder as we stood, watching Gabe do his work.
“Can it be cured?” Jim asked this time, his lips set in a grim line.
“No. With any psychotic drug, you just have to wait it out. But that’s not all. We were thinking that the CW was laced with a toxin that killed the mind, but let the body live.”
“How is that possible?”
“Well, it wasn’t until now. Nobody has any idea what the fuck is going on or how to fix it. The problem is the victims’ bodies are dead. We can’t examine dead bodies because the strand dies once the mind dies. And now there’s no equipment to work with. All humans are just meat ready to be eaten.”
“What can we do?” I asked him, my hope crushed. Scarlet now had a steady stream of tears running down her reddened cheeks. I clenched my hand, digging my long nails into my palms to calm myself down.
The fact that doctors had no idea what was happening ruined any notion I had that we could escape this. I wanted to get mad—hit something to release the anger inside of me. But I just held onto Scarlet.
“Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve been sleeping in a car over there. Everyone else is fucking dead.” He put something on Kev’s leg that made Kev tense and jerk. “Or trying to eat me.”
“Did you have a family? Are you just alone out here?” Scarlet asked through a sob. She sniffed, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.
“I have a wife, Maria.”
“Where is she?” Kev grit out as he balled his pants in his fists. Jim rubbed his shoulders instead of holding him, lending him comfort.
“Not sure. Probably dead. She was in Hartford for a convention and couldn’t get out of the city in time. They bombed so close to their meeting that she couldn’t escape.”
“Do you not care?” Scarlet snarled. She glared at Gabriel like he had just told her he killed his wife. I tightened my hold on her as a warning. We needed Gabriel.
“Scarlet!” Jim narrowed his eyes at her as he held onto Kev. Scarlet cocked her head to the side, giving it right back to him. Truthfully, she was out of line. We didn’t know this guy.
“It’s okay,” Gabriel said, waving his hand up and then going back to fixing Kev’s leg. He had a needle and thread now as he tried to stitch the wound. I didn’t see how it was possible since the wound was so deep and wide. “I’m just realistic. Odds are she didn’t make it. Odds are even if she did, I couldn’t find her.”
The snap of Gabriel’s glove made me jump. A perfectly white bandage covered the large cut on Kev’s shin, taped at each corner so it didn’t fall off.
“What do you think?” Kev asked, gesturing down at his leg.
“I think you should take these.” Gabriel handed Kev three orange bottles. “One should help with infections, one with pain, and the other for a fever.” Gabriel stood, stretching his joints as he yawned.
“Do you think I’ll be okay?”
“I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but I am a realist. As long as you don’t show signs of a fever or fall out of consciousness, I would say you’re in the clear. You were bitten today?” Gabriel asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Just a few hours ago. Not too long,” Kev was quick to say.
“Maybe we caught it fast enough. I’ve never see it done before, but then again, nobody knows what they’re doing. You have to tell us what you’re feeling; otherwise I can’t help you.”
“I will. I promise.” Kev looked at Jim, nodding his head up and down a few times for emphasis. His brown eyes were wide, his face still moonlight pale. It was almost like Kev looked up to Jim, idolized him.
“I think he should sleep alone, though,” Gabriel said.
“No!” Scarlet yelled. “We’re not quarantining him like a fucking animal. We know it’s not airborne since none of us are sick. He’s fine.” Scarlet walked over to Kev and replaced Jim by his side, hugging his shoulders.
“If he changes, you’re the first thing he’ll kill, then.” Gabriel turned his back on Scarlet and Kev, shrugging his shoulders like he didn’t have a care in the world what they did.
“We’re leaving at dawn to find a shelter while Kev heals. Then we’re going to find her sister and move south before it gets cold,” Jim said to Gabriel, pointing back at Scarlet. “You’ve been a huge help, and you’re more than welcome to join us.”
“Thanks. I’ll think about it.”
I rolled over, trying to find comfort, but the bed of the truck dug into my lower back. I had to admit, the cool night breeze helped make it more comfortable. Unable to fall asleep, I sat up. Jim rested on the edge of the truck’s bumper, his spine in a rigid line as his rifle lay across his lap.
“Are you okay?” I whispered, wiping the crap out of the corner of my eyes. To dull the cold, I wrapped my arms around my waist as I scooted over to him. I sat down beside him before he answered me. When I placed my hand on his shoulder, he jerked to the side.
“Shit,” he mumbled to himself. “Didn’t know you were awake.” He turned towards the darkened sea of cars and stared straight ahead.
“I just woke up. Did you sleep at all?” I asked him as I tugged my new sweatshirt over my head. I had found it as we rummaged through the cars last night. Jim and I decided to sleep in the back of a truck, Kev and Scarlet were two car-doors down and Gabriel kept to himself in his Corolla, sleeping inside behind locked doors. We were all within a few feet of each other, yet far enough we felt safe.
“Not yet. I’m not tired.”
“You haven’t slept at all since we met.” I placed my hand on his shoulder to get him to relax, but it only made him tense up more. A person couldn’t last this long without sleep—he’d start seeing things. He had to rest.
“I know my limits.”
“You sleep; I’ll watch,” I offered since I was now fully awake.
“Can you just get off my case for once?” Jim whispered, slamming his hand into the black corner of the truck. The bang echoed in the hauntingly still night. I flinched, pausing as I waited for an explanation. But he clenched his hands around the rifle and stared in the distance.
“You know, what?” I said as I grabbed the extra clothes that I now claimed as mine from the truck’s floor. “I’m done with your whiplash of emotions and drama. Just leave me alone.” I climbed over the side of the truck and slid down.
“Lana, don’t—”
“Save it.” I waved my hand behind me as I refused to look at him. I landed near the back wheel and walked towards the cab. I wasn’t going to be treated like I used to. This was real life now. And I was done dealing with the three year old temperamental man with a rifle. I didn’t need to like him to work with him. I could be civil while hating him inside.
An unlocked Camry rested beside the truck and I knew it was safe since we raided it earlier. I climbed into the back seat and quietly shut the door behind me. The lock was upright, but I didn’t want to touch it and set off an alarm, so I left it unlocked. I piled my bundle of clothes in the corner of the seat and used it as a pillow. Lying back against the cool leather seat, I pulled my knees up so I fit in the small car.
Fuck Jim. Honestly? I had never done anything to that man except support his choices. He chose to save me from his band of rapists. That was his choice, not mine. I mean, he did put me in that mess to begin with. But the guilt he pressed down on me was unfair. I wouldn’t feel sorry for dragging him down. He could leave for all I cared.
I covered my face with my hands as I let out a silent scream. I didn’t even know why I got emotional. Frustration with
having to deal with Jim on top of everything else felt monumental—life-altering. I hated Jim for making me feel like all the guys in my life had before. I knew I didn’t deserve this. Therapists told me I didn’t, yet this happened all the fucking time. It wasn’t a coincidence.
Sleep failed me, even after the tears stopped rolling. I stared up through the closed sun roof, looking at the stars that still twinkled despite the hell my world had become. I wondered what the stars thought of, watching all of us running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Jesus…I was losing my mind, talking to stars, personifying them. I needed to get it together.
I couldn’t rely on Jim anymore. It would only be a matter of time before he deserted us. He had told me that he wanted to be alone, liked living alone. But a person couldn’t survive like that forever. Especially with the circumstances around us. I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive.
But maybe Jim was different. Maybe he’d be okay never talking to another human again. Tears fell at the thought that he’d be perfectly fine ditching me in search of solitude. I wouldn’t be okay.
I didn’t know whether I zoned out or actually slept, but from the ache in my knees and crick in my neck, I assumed the former. My eyes burned, dry as a rock. The sun shone through the window right against my stomach, heating me up so much that I sweat through my first layer. I traded my sweatshirt for one of the long-sleeved tops as I sat up.
The shirt had ‘Maryland’ written in big bold letters across the chest in red and white. The gray shirt hung off my slender build about five sizes too big. But it was comfortable and smelled like rain. No blood tainted it; no dirt caked across the front. This shirt had no connection to infections or eaters.
I threw my ratty hair into a knot on the top of my head. Before the bombings, it had been too long, and now I wished I had bitten the bullet and gotten a haircut. Glancing down at my wrists, I realized I only had two more ties left and an old braided bracelet I made last summer. I pushed open the back door and sat up fully, my head spinning with the fast movement. I had to shut my eyes to quell the nausea in my gut.
“I brought you some hot tea.” Gabriel sprang out of nowhere, a Styrofoam cup in his hand. I scooted towards the window, leaned out of the car, and took it, the heat transferring into my bones.
“How’d you get it warm?” I asked him as I took a sip. A disgusting taste filled my mouth. “What is this?” I wrinkled my nose as I resisted the urge to spit it out all over his shoes. He chuckled at my expression.
“It’s water with a little Crystal Lite.”
“It tastes like shit.”
“It’s warm, though. Thanks to my trusty matchbox.” He shrugged his shoulders, holding up a mini-box, no bigger than two inches wide. He had a point. It was just a little step above rain water. The warmth gave me energy as it heated my insides. I took another sip, trying not to use my nose to taste. I needed some nourishment to get moving.
“So, are you going to come with us?” I asked him through another sip as I sat with my legs dangling out of the car.
“I don’t know yet.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and glanced around us.
“What’s holding you back?”
“I just—” He shut his mouth as he caught Jim walking by us. I refused to look over at him, still reeling from his explosion last night. Gabriel resumed when Jim was out of ear shot. “I find it hard to trust people.”
“I don’t think we have a choice anymore. I didn’t know them before the outbreak, either.” I pointed my thumb towards Jim who now stood beside Kev and Scarlet. They chatted, but I couldn’t hear them even though they were only two cars forward in the parking lot.
“Really? You could’ve fooled me.”
“When someone saves you time and time again, you kind of have to trust them.” I shrugged. “If they screw me over, then they screw me over. We’re all going to die someday anyways.”
“I’m not ready to die,” Gabriel stated.
“Me either. They’re good people,” I said, defending them all.
“What do you base that on?” He leaned against the open door, crossing one leg over the other in a casual way. I stood up out of the car and stretched my sore limbs.
“Gut feeling?” I didn’t really know what I based it on. “Jim is rough, but he does what’s right. Always. Scarlet can be annoying, but she has good intentions. Kev, I don’t really know. But he let us stay in his car, and Jim knew him before the infection. He had a family.”
“That’s all great, but it doesn’t make me trust them.”
“The only thing to build trust is time. You have to take a chance. The odds of you staying alive go up exponentially when you are with us. One versus however many eaters there are. No shot. But with us covering your back, at least there’s a chance you can make it out.” I raised my eyebrows, knowing that my points were valid. I pulled my arm across my chest, stretching my back while he stared past me, thinking with his lips pursed.
“I guess I can come for a while. I am interested to see what happens to that guy.” He nodded over towards Kev, who was accepting the help of Scarlet and Jim. They held him under his armpits as they maneuvered him onto the hood of a car.
“Do you think he’ll die?” I asked him as I finished my drink. It made my stomach stop gurgling, so for that, I was thankful. Meanwhile my mouth tasted like a mix of coffee and rotten milk.
“Yes. But I didn’t want to scare the others. You seem stronger.”
I laughed at his words, covering my mouth to stifle it. I shook my head. “I’m not strong,” I told him.
“You’re stronger than Waterworks over there.” I looked over his shoulder at Scarlet. She wasn’t crying, but she clung to Kev’s hand like she might lose him. I thought it was touching, the bond they crafted, but I could see why it reflected poorly on her. Getting attached was a dangerous thing.
“Do you think he’s infected right now?”
“There’s no doubt the infection is in his blood. Once he starts the fever phase, he’ll become incoherent, maybe fall into a coma. We’ll have to kill him before he kills the girl.”
“She won’t let you,” I told him, knowing that Scarlet had grown to like Kev. They were the same age, around twenty-six. She didn’t understand the risks of his injury. There was no doubt in my mind she’d never kill him, let alone let us do it. Maybe she filled the hole her husband left, or maybe she just needed a friend. Either way, she’d never agree.
“I’d do it,” Gabriel said with venom in his tone. Shivers ran down my legs and up my arms at his steely words. But instead of being frightened, I was impressed that he could handle something like that.
“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” I said, clinging to a shred of optimism.
“Right…”
Gabriel watched our backs as he and I stood around the car. I threw the Styrofoam cup on the ground, still hating to litter but doing it anyway. We had no use for the cup so why cart it along? Jim came over after Kev stood on his own, using the trunk of a car as a crutch.
“We’re going to start walking,” he said, his voice softer than usual. “We’re still going south to find Scarlet’s sister. Is that okay?”
“We’re ready,” Gabriel answered for the both of us. I looked over at him, my head still angled down, my nerves shooting off. Gabe smiled at Jim, but it didn’t reach his eyes, obviously fake. I turned and leaned into the car, gathering my things while they stared each other down.
I shoved the extra clothes into a plastic bag. I glanced around the car for anything left behind and saw a little Hawaiian bobble-head stuck to the dashboard. Someone had draped a gold cross bracelet around her neck. For some reason, I liked her as she jiggled her hips. I grabbed her and put her into my bag.
“Ready,” I said as I passed Gabe and Jim and walked straight to Scarlet.
“How’d you sleep?” she asked me. She leaned forward and threw her red hair into a ponytail on the top of her head. Her tresses extended all the way down to her but
t in perfect waves. I wished my hair was that easy. My stupid bun already fell apart.
“Eh. Not too much. But I’m excited to start moving towards your sister. I hope that we find her.” I smiled at Scarlet.
“I know that nobody thinks she’s alive, but I just feel her, you know? She’s safe at her house. I know it.” Scarlet pushed a piece of hair off her forehead. “Sandra is a survivor. She’s already been through so much shit, divorce and deaths. As much as I need her, I know she’d be safer with us. She needs us, too.”
“I believe you.” I ran my hand up and down her arm. She pursed her lips and nodded. Her eyes reddened. “Don’t cry,” I told her with as much comfort as I could. But she needed to be strong. If not for herself, then for Kev.
Jim stopped in front of us. “Let’s follow the highway. We can walk along the woods so we have a cover. We’ll walk until sundown or until we find a place with food.”
I finally snuck a glance at him while he spoke to Kev. Jim wore a new shirt that clung to his chest, showing off his toned body from working in the mill. He hadn’t changed his shoes or pants, both brown with dried-on mud and blood. He wore a black ball cap with American Eagle written above the brim in white cursive. It shadowed his already dark features.
“Lana,” Gabriel said as he waved his hand in front of my face. I looked up and immediately my eyes clashed with Jim’s. I was caught. A sly grin crept onto Jim’s lips, and I blushed, averting my eyes as my face caught fire. Shit.
“Sorry,” I muttered as I shook my head, trying to erase the images of Jim that paraded through my mind.
We left the hospital the way we came, just with some extra clothes and medicine. My pack felt heavier on my back, making me hunch over. We would have to get better bags if we picked up more things. But it just wasn’t possible right now. I ignored the burn.
I had my handgun in my left hand and carried the bag of medicine and my bag of belongings over my shoulder.
As we walked through the town, I stopped and listened, noting our surroundings. It was a quaint town right off the highway with wooden benches along the sidewalks and wrought iron lamp-posts up and down the streets.
The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10 Page 17