Dark Grace (12 page)

I had begun cutting through the layers of bandage and binding I had wrapped Gus with right after he was stabbed.
I could feel his fever radiating from him without even touching his skin.

“How does Nate know about that stuff?” I asked.

“I have no idea,” admitted Susan.

I looked over to make sure the girls were still occupied, and then peeled the bandage back.
The packing material had turned a shade of green-brown and nothing about it looked good. It smelled rancid, but not as bad as the dog-soup in the operating room. The edges of his wounds were an angry shade of crimson. Gus’ breathing was even and he appeared to be in a deep sleep. I was glad for that.

“Looks infected,” said Boggs.

“Doesn’t it seem fast for infection to have set in?” I asked.

“
Yes. I think so.”

Susan interrupted our little conversation.
She looked a bit queasy near Gus’ wounds. “I’m gonna run back and help Nathan.”

“Thanks, Sue,” said Boggs.

“We should probably pull the packing out,” I said quietly. I fished a pair of rubber gloves out of my pocket. I had stashed them there when we were cleaning up the dog mess. “Can you find a trash bag or something?”

“No problem.”

Boggs stood and found his way to the restroom. He was moving a little on the slow side and I guessed he must be exhausted. I slid my hands into the too-large gloves and set to work taking the small strips of rags out of Gus’ wounds. The one in the smaller wound came out easily. Gus winced in his sleep as I tugged at the larger one. It had started to dry and was sticking badly. I sighed, not quite sure what to do.

Boggs came up behind me rather silently, causing me to jump.
“Found one.” He yawned.

“I got one out but the other dried and is stuck.”

“Maybe pour some water on it to moisten it?” he suggested.

“Hmm.
Maybe.” I carefully poured a small amount of the drinking water onto the crusty clump of rag. I let it sit for a minute, and then tugged at it again. Gus winced and his eyes flickered open, but he fell asleep again quickly. I tucked the strips of packing into the sack that Boggs had found in the bathroom. “I need to pull the sheets strips out from under him.”

“Here, I’ll help,” said Boggs.
He went to Gus’ other side and tucked the binding underneath our sleeping friend. Gus only barely reacted to the movement. “Can you pull it through on your side?”

I slid my hands underneath the man who secretly held half of my heart.
I held back panic when I felt just how hot he was to touch on his underside. “I don’t think the Ibuprofen’s helping with his fever,” I mumbled.

“He’ll be ok, Zo,” said Boggs.
“Give the pills time to work.” I looked up and into Boggs’ eyes. “I know he’s important to you.”

I had no words.
Instead of speaking, I looked back to Gus in his brokenness. I pulled at the binding that Boggs had shoved toward me, and once they were free of our patient I packed them into the trash bag.

Susan and Nathan returned, both of them carrying several items.

“IV bags?” I asked.

“Yup.
We’re lucky all this shit is here,” said Nathan. “I have the antibiotics ready.”

“How will we do all this?” I asked.

“When I was twelve years old, my brother had leukemia. My dad wasn’t around, so I was left helping my mom with a lot of stuff like this,” explained Nathan. “I’d set up his antibiotics once a day, in the middle of the night. We had a home nurse during the day. The nurse taught me how to connect the IV lines and the antibiotics and all kinds of stuff.”

“Gus said he’d help us put the IV in his arm, but he’s really out now.”

“I’ll do it,” said Nate.

“Your brother’s nurse taught you how to start IV’s?
At twelve?” asked Susan, her tone disbelieving.

“No, not that part,” he sighed.
“My brother died just before he turned eight. I was fourteen. My mom was a hopeless drunk by then, so I left. I lived on the streets for a while. Let’s just say I got good with finding my own veins.”

“Nathan, I had no idea,” said Susan.
Her tone had changed to that of someone in love who was concerned.

“It was a long time ago.
It’s just not something I mention often, ya know.”

“Ok,” was all she said in reply.

“Let’s get this bastard going,” said Nate. “Zoe, mind stepping aside so I can work on him?”

I looked up.
“Sure, I could actually use a good stretch and a bathroom break.”

Boggs stood and came to my side, offering me a hand in standing again.
My legs had fallen asleep from kneeling and were like Jell-O. He wrapped an arm behind my back and helped me to the small bathroom.

“Want me to come in?” he asked.

“Please. My legs are asleep.”

We walked into the bathroom together.
It was windowless, so Boggs left the door open for lighting. My legs felt like they were on fire as circulation was returning.

“Hold onto my shoulders.
I’ll help you with your pants.”

I snickered, because it seemed absurd.
Still, I wrapped my arms around his neck and shoulders and let him pull my pants down. I lowered my butt onto the toilet and peed while he stood there. “Romantic, huh?” I asked, joking.

“Not so much,” he grinned at me.
I used some of the toilet paper than hung from its holder on the wall to wipe myself, and then stood. My legs were sturdy enough now that I could walk without them buckling. “Your legs better?”

I nodded.
“Should I try to flush?” I asked.

“You can try, but I imagine we’ll need water to add to the tank to make it really work.”

I let the toilet be, and we walked back to the lobby together. Nathan had rigged an IV setup and a tube was leading to Gus’ left arm. There was a sloppy tape job over a needle sticking into his vein. Nathan was busy injecting a syringe of fluid into the IV bag.

“Is it working?” asked Boggs.

Nathan looked up at us. “It’s dripping. We’ll need to give him a dose maybe every six hours, and we’ll keep the fluids running to keep him hydrated. Hopefully within twenty four hours he’ll perk up.”

“Nathan thinks we should re-dress his wounds,” said Susan.

“Boggs, I think we’re all exhausted. Gus has the only comfortable spot in the place, and that’s iffy. Are you up to making a salvage run with me?” asked Nate.

“Sure.
What are you thinking?”

“When I came in from the alley earlier, I noticed a sporting goods store about three shops down, across the alley.
Hoping for some camping pads or air mattresses. Might be able to find some rations to eat too.”

“Sounds good.”

“I should come with,” I said. Everyone looked at me. “Susan can keep an eye on Gus and the girls.” We all knew that I was a better shot than Susan, and might be able to sense danger.

“I’ll clean up his wounds and put new dressings on while you’re gone,” said Susan.
“There’s all kinds of supplies in the back room. Abbey or I can wait at the back door to let you in.”

Boggs sighed.
“Ok. We’ll make it quick.”

Nathan gave Susan a brief kiss on the lips, and Boggs took my hand in his.
“Let’s go,” he said.

Our walk into the alley was uneventful. The sun was on its way to setting, no longer riding high in the sky. An evening breeze was blowing in from the Sound, chilling the air. The smell from the bagged dog was horrid, and the underlying sickly sweet stench of a dead zombie was wafting in from the distance. A large hawk was circling overhead, likely in search of a meal. I turned my head away from the sky and followed Nathan and Boggs to the right. The alley was lined with metal doors on each side, in essence two strip malls back to back. The doors were labeled with various signs that announced which business was which, likely for deliveries. We made it two doors down, and Nathan stopped at a doorway labeled Sherman’s Sporting Goods. I checked my head for any hidden signatures of the dead, but came up empty.

“I don’t want to make much noise, guys.
I’m going to try to pick the lock, so if you can each watch the alley for trouble while I work that’d be great,” whispered Nathan.

“You got it,” mumbled Boggs.

Boggs and I each positioned ourselves to watch opposite ends of the alley. Minutes passed and the sun was growing even lower, sinking into the horizon. I watched as a mangy looking cat ran by the alley, using the main street as a route. I idly wondered where it was going. My question was answered as a shambling, well decomposed zombie followed it. No trace of it intruded into my mind. I held my breath, hoping it would pass us unnoticed and that more were not following. I quietly backed up toward Nathan. “Almost done?” I whispered.

“Got it.
Let’s get inside.”

He opened the door inward and I walked in first, followed by Nathan and then Boggs.

“Keep alert in case there’s any of them in here,” whispered Boggs.

The lock now broken from our entry, Nathan pulled a piece of rope out of his pocket, attached it to the inside door handle and tied it to a shelf that was just inside and to the right.
I hoped it would keep the dead out.

We had entered into what looked like a back storage room.
It was darker than outside with a concrete floor and similar walls. Boxes lined shelves. A water cooler sat just outside a small office that had a large window. Unfortunately the water jug was empty. I held my hammer tight in one hand and stepped to the large Plexiglas window of the cubicle. A bloated man sat in the desk chair, as if he had been working late. He reminded me of the Swingline Stapler guy from the movie Office Space. He had older style metal gold-rimmed glasses that were still on his swollen face, crowded so badly by the inflated skin of his face that they seemed to be a physical part of him. His tongue was protruding from his mouth, blackened and puffed-up, making him look like a sick Halloween joke. A gaping hole appeared where his neck and chin should be. As I stepped closer to the window to peer in out of morbid curiosity, I saw a pistol lying on the desk near one of his puffed up hands. The wall behind him, including a large hanging calendar, was coated in old blood, brain matter, and hair. I made a mental note to collect his gun on our way out. For now, I figured it was best to leave the door to the cubicle shut since the smell of death was trapped in there with the dead man.

I turned and looked for Boggs and Nate, who were listening at a doorway that led to the front part of the store.
As I caught up to them, I saw Nathan nod to Boggs and then to me. When the door was opened, we stepped forward, treading lightly, and entered the main area of the store. It was occupied on one side with circular clothes racks, still filled with hunting garb and t-shirts. One held exercise clothes, spandex, tanks, and sports bras. The walls were lined with shelves that held gear for outdoor activities. It was a small shop and I didn’t see any firearms, sadly.

“Let’s make this quick, guys,” said Boggs.

“Fine by me,” answered Nathan. “Gather what you think is useful and we’ll bag it up before we go.”

“I’ll focus on food and drinks,” I offered.

“I’ll grab the camping pads and any bedding I can find,” suggested Boggs.

“And I’ll focus on potential weapons,” added Nathan.

“Nate, there’s a pistol on the desk in the back office we should grab on the way out.”

“Thanks, Zoe.”

“There’s also an extremely dead man in there.”

“Noted.”

We all looked at each other when we heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked.

“Set your weapons down,” said a husky male voice.

We all slowly turned toward the voice and did as instructed. Standing with a gun aimed in our direction was a short man, no more than five-foot-five, with sandy blonde hair and a scar running down his left cheek. Aside from the scar, he looked like he was pretty much a computer geek. He was skinny and wore slacks and a button-up short sleeve plaid shirt.

“Who are you and why are you in here?” pressed the man.

Nathan answered. “We’re just looking for some supplies.”

“Is it just you three?”
It was a soft woman’s voice.

“Get back, Agnes,” ordered the man.

“Stop treating me like a kid,” she huffed.

I looked back and forth between the two.
Agnes was no taller than the man, and had the same sandy blonde hair and similar features. They were both slight of build and looked young, maybe in their early twenties like me.

I decided to speak up, interrupting their little squabble.
“We have a few more people waiting for us. One is sick, and two are just little kids. We’re not looking for trouble.”

Boggs gripped my upper arm gently, but I shook him off.

“What’s wrong with the sick person in your group?” asked the man.

“He was stabbed,” said Nathan.
“By some pretty bad people that were following us.”

“Great.
Then you need to leave,” said Agnes flatly. She had her arms across her chest.

“They were tracking us with a device,” explained Nathan.
“It’s gone now.” He looked from Agnes to the man. “Mind not aiming the shotgun at us?”

The short man stared Nathan down for a long moment and then finally took his aim off of us.
“Ok. I’m Linus. This is my sister, Agnes.”

“Good to meet you,” said Boggs. “I’m Boggs, this is Nathan, and this is Zoe.”

“Likewise,” chimed in Agnes.

“You guys living here?” asked Nate.

“Nah, just passing through,” admitted the short man. “We’ve only been here for a couple days.”

“We’re hoping to make it to the Survivor’s Center across the sound,” said Agnes.
“Last we heard they were thriving.”

“Where’d you get news from?” asked Nathan.
     

“A long range radio, but it died weeks ago,” said Linus quickly.
“They said they have a compound with generators, windmills, and lots of fences.”

“Did they say where they were?
Was it east of Concrete?”

“
Yes,” said Linus with a puzzled look on his face. “How’d you know?”

“Those were the people after us.
We barely escaped. They were keeping the living dead below ground and feeding them limbs from living people.”

“Serious?” asked Agnes with a disgusted look upon her face.

“Dead serious,” replied Boggs. “Have you two been on your own this whole time?”

“No,” answered the brother.
“We lost a couple of friends we were traveling with a few weeks back.”

“You’re welcome to tag along with us if you like,” said Nathan.
“I’d highly advise against going to the compound, though.”

The brother and sister looked between each other, almost in some moment of silent understanding.

“Where’s the rest of your group?” asked Agnes.

“Just across the alley in a veterinarian’s office.
We plan to hole up there for a few days while our friend recovers,” answered Nathan.

Linus spoke for them both.
“We’ll come meet your group, spend a day or two with you and then decide…if that’s cool?”

“Let’s grab some gear then,” said Boggs.
“I want to get back before daylight’s gone.”

“I heard you mention beds,” said Linus.
“There’s a whole box of air mattresses in the back. They might be most comfortable for now, but if you plan to travel lightweight camping rolls would be good.”

“Any air pumps and batteries?”

“I’m sure this place has some,” Agnes chimed in. “Line and I can gather some basics. You all look like you need a change of clothes.”

“Ok, let’s get to it,” I said.

I walked to the clothing racks and began looking through options. I settled on a pair of bright blue spandex exercise pants, a jogging bra that would hopefully support me better than the tight tank I had been wearing, and a t-shirt that said “BABE” in pink sequins across the front. A pair of men’s boxers and clean socks finished off my selection. I grabbed something similar for Susan, and luckily found shorts and t-shirts that I thought would fit Abbey and Jane. I also grabbed a package of six men’s tube socks to help keep their legs warm. By the time I finished, Linus and Agnes had gathered a box full of various snacks, along with a pile of sleeping bags. I set the clothes I had scavenged nearby and began searching the aisles for anything else useful. I stopped at a rack of backpacks and grabbed five that looked like they’d hold the most. I passed them out as I came across the others. I filled mine with a couple of emergency thermal blankets, some dehydrated food packs, energy bars, and topped it off with bottled sodas I found in a refrigerator case near the cash register.

We met back as a group near the sleeping bags.
We decided that we’d each carry a pack on our backs, and Boggs would carry the box that held air mattresses and two pumps to inflate them. Linus and Nathan would keep their hands open for their weapons. Agnes and I would each carry a sleeping bag. If things were clear, we’d make one more trip for more sleeping bags today, and possibly for more supplies tomorrow.

We took all of the gear to the back door, and set aside the items that would wait for the next trip.
Boggs, Nathan, and I had all changed clothes. Nate and Boggs looked like they were getting ready for a hunting trip, both wearing white tank tops and camouflage cargo pants.

“Hang on a sec,” I said.
I walked to the small back office, held my breath, opened the door and walked in. I could hear something crawling inside the corpse. I snatched the pistol off the desk, along with three bullets that were left lying beside it, and made a quick exit.

I joined the others.
Agnes was covering her mouth and nose in reaction to the smell that escaped the office.

“Ok,” I said.

“Zoe, mind listening at the door?” asked Boggs.

“Sure, no problem.”
I stood facing the door, and searched my brain. I could feel the living dead, but they were at least a few blocks away. I wasn’t ready to explain myself to our new companions, so turned my head and placed my ear against the door to make it look like I really was “listening” in the traditional way. I had to turn partly sideways because of my belly’s growth. “Sounds clear,” I whispered.

Nathan and Boggs had already gone over the plan to get to the vet’s office door.
It seemed pretty simple, as long as we didn’t run into any of the dead.

“Ok, I’ll open the door.
I’ll lead the way. Linus, you bring up the rear,” said Nate.

Linus nodded in understanding.
“Ready.”

Nathan untied the rope that had kept the door secured and pulled the door open.
The alley was bathed in shadows, the sun quickly fading completely out of sight beyond the horizon. We walked as quickly and as quietly as we could. Nathan stopped me and asked me in a hushed whisper to take the lead once we were steps away from the door to the vet’s office. I did so, not questioning his reasons. I watched him head back to the sporting goods store, where he rigged the rope from the doorknob to a wood pallet that was lying in the alley in order to keep it closed. I knocked softly on the door before me, hoping that Abbey or Susan would answer soon. My mind was beginning to buzz with the dead and I knew they were drawing closer. The door opened, swinging inward. I stepped into the darkness of the building.

“Zoe, thank God!” said exclaimed.
“We were getting worried.” She took the sleeping bag from my arms. “Gus has been asking for you in his sleep,” she said quietly.

“Thanks.
I’ll go to him. Oh, we have two new people with us.”

“Oh?”

Boggs stepped in behind me, and Susan and I continued down the hall to make room for the others.

I rushed to Gus’ side.
He was tossing in his sleep, mumbling. I sat on the floor beside him the best I could, my belly getting in the way. I found his hand and held onto it. “I’m here,” I whispered. “I’m here.”

“Zoe,” he mumbled before returning to a more restful sleep.

Jane and Abbey were busy building a house of cards in a corner. I heard the others join us. The newcomers were introduced to Susan and the girls.