The Reckoning - 02 (15 page)

             
While I was gone, she’d already cleaned Gunny’s wound and had him lying on a bunk. He seemed to be resting comfortably.

             
“Are you hungry?” she asked, softly.

             
I was about to answer that I was famished until I realized she was talking to Odin.

             
“Yes, you are,” she said, holding the sides of his face. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

             
Odin followed her like he’d found his new best-friend.
I couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle.
She began opening three large cans of dog food and dumped them into a bowl.
Then she worked the pump and filled another large bowl with water.
Odin attacked the food like it had been months since he’d eaten.

             
“The poor thing was starving,” she said, shaking her head.

             
“Yeah, he usually is,” I agreed.
“Where did you get the dog food?”

             
“I had a husky that I’d planned on taking in here with me.
She bought me time to escape by charging at the
things
that used to be my family.”

             
“I’m sorry,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

             
“Thanks,” she replied, smiling sadly.

             
I slumped into a chair and started removing my body armor.
I winced in pain as I strained my wounds.
My entire body ached like never before.
I wasn’t sure how much more punishment I was going to be able to take before I gave out from pain and exhaustion, but I was pretty sure I was going to find out before it was all said and done. I wasn't planning on giving up.

             
“You look like you’ve been through Hell,” said April.

             
“You have no idea,” I groaned, setting the Interceptor vest on the floor beside me.

             
She went over and began filling a large porcelain basin with water from the pump.
Carefully, she sat it on a table next to one of the beds.
Then she grabbed a large first aid kit from the shelf behind the sink.

             
“Come over here and lie down,” she said, motioning towards the bed.

             
I did as instructed and shuffled over to her.

             
“Now take off your clothes,” she said.

             
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” I said, defensively.

             
“Relax,” she replied, grinning. “I just want to check your wounds.”

             
“Do you know what your doing?”

             
“I should hope so,” she said.
“I’m in my third year of nursing school.”

             
She was evidently older than I had taken her for.
I did as I was told and lay down on the bed on my stomach.
She spent the next half hour cleaning and bandaging my numerous cuts, punctures and scrapes.
Then she did something I really didn’t like.
She gave me a shot right in the left cheek. The butt cheek, that is.

             
My thoughts drifted to food, but I was too tired to get up. I hadn’t realized just how tired I really was. I could barely keep my eyes open. I glanced over at Gunny, but he was already passed out. He was breathing steadily and seemed to be resting comfortably. I couldn’t ask for more, at this point.

             
I was hungry enough to eat a rhino, but too tired to care.
I fell asleep, right there on the bunk.
I was still naked, but exhausted beyond the point of modesty.
I had the vaguest of sensation of being covered with a blanket, but then I was gone.

The thought fleetingly slipped through my brain, “
I wonder what was in that shot? I sure hope I can trust her.”

“
Trust
men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.
”

-
Ralph Waldo Emerson

14 April

             
I awoke to the smell of food.
My stomach rumbled its eagerness to investigate, but I gingerly lifted my head.
I glanced around the room, my vision slowly taking focus.
Near the shelves of food, April was cooking food on a camp stove.
Whatever it was, it smelled delicious.

             
“Good morning,” she said, over her shoulder.
“How did you sleep?”

             
“Like a rock,” I mumbled, my mouth thick with sleep.

             
“Good,” she replied. “You looked like you could use it, so I gave you a mild sedative.
I also gave you a massive dose of antibiotics, just in case.”

             
“Thanks,” I managed to say as I sat up. “How’s Gunny?”

             
“He’s fine,” she replied. “While you were asleep, I removed the pellets and stitched him up. I gave him a sedative. He’ll be asleep for a while. I didn’t have any blood to give him, but I did give him some fluids. I think he’ll be ok, in time.”

             
“That’s great,” I said. “He’s a tough old bastard.”

             
“Go ahead and clean yourself up,” she said.
“I put some clothes next to you that should fit you.”

             
“Where are my clothes?” I asked.

             
“Well, the shirt is drying,” she replied. “But I think the pants are beyond my skill to repair.”

             
I didn’t argue with her.
I just picked up the bundle of clothes and limped over to the bathroom area.
The blisters on the bottoms of my feet were killing me.
April didn’t turn to watch me, so I used the toilet and started filling the sink with water.
It was cold, but I washed with it anyway.
I scrubbed away the worst of the filth with a bar of soap, and rinsed myself over a drain in the floor.
Once that was done, I dried off with a towel and checked the clothes.

             
There was a black t-shirt with a Jack Daniels logo on it, a pair of blue jeans, clean socks and a pair of underwear.
I slipped into them and felt much better.
The clothes were a decent fit, and it felt good to be wearing something besides BDU’s for a change.
They even smelled clean.

             
“Thanks,” I said, slipping the socks onto my feet.

             
“No problem,” she replied. “You still have a little time before the food is ready.
There’s a razor and shaving cream on that shelf above the toilet, if you want it.”

             
I smiled as I picked up the razor.
I wasted no time in stripping off the t-shirt and lathering up my head.
I decided that I was going to keep a goatee. Sheriff’s department policy forbade facial hair other than a moustache, but I think it was safe to ignore that now. I liked having my head shaved, but I missed my goatee. Shaving with cold water isn’t nearly as effective as hot, but I wasn’t going to complain.
I took my time and scraped my skin smooth.
I only nicked myself a few times, but I attributed that more to the cold water than anything else.

             
By the time I finished and had my boots back on, April was motioning for me to join her at the little table.
Odin was still sound asleep on one of the beds and didn’t bother to come to eat with us.
That must have meant that she had fed him well, the night before.
Odin rarely missed a meal, if he could help it.

             
I limped over and sat down in the chair opposite her, looking longingly at the plate.
It was mounded over with fettuccini Alfredo with chicken.
I could tell it was canned chicken, but I didn’t care.
There was also corn and green beans.
I dug into it all with gusto.
We ate in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.
I was wondering how I had gotten so lucky to find this oasis in the middle of zombie country.

             
“Eat all you want,” she said, eventually. “I made plenty.
Besides, you look like you could use a good meal.”

             
“Thank you,” I said, “for everything.”

             
“No problem,” she said, blushing. “I only did what was right.”

             
“You have to be careful,” I said, shaking my head. “Not everyone who survived this is friendly.”

             
“I imagine so,” she answered. “Things like this either brings out the best or the worst in people.
It’s human nature.”

             
“Yeah, I suppose so,” I said, refilling my plate.

             
After I’d eaten my fill, I leaned back in the chair and sighed.

             
“That was fantastic,” I said, smiling. “Thank you.”

             
“I don’t know if I’d ever call my cooking fantastic,” she replied, smiling, “but you are most definitely welcome.”

             
“I’m going to hate to leave here,” I said.

             
“Where are you going?”

             
I told her about my family and of everything that had happened since the zombies first hit us.
I intended to stop there but it all came tumbling out of me, unbidden.
She listened as I told her about losing my friends both to zombies and to other survivors.
I told her about seeing friends die right before me and how I nearly sacrificed myself to save my family.
She cried as I told her about leading the zombies away and detonating the marina.

             
We talked for quite a while, talking about what we’d done before the zombies came. It all seemed so distant, now. Like from another life. We even managed to laugh a few times. My reverie was broken when Odin whined from near the door. I glanced up and saw him pacing back and forth by the door.
I knew what that meant, too.
He needed to go outside.

             
“I’d better take him outside,” I said. “I don’t want to be locked in here with one of his yard-bombs.”

Then I limped over to my gear and picked up my M-4.
I quickly checked the load and safety.
Satisfied, I stuck two more magazines in my back pockets and headed towards the door. Odin was waiting for me and got excited as I approached.
I stopped by the door and listened for any sound of movement from outside.
When I didn’t hear anything, I peeked out the little window in the door.
It looked clear, so I cautiously unlocked the door and opened it as quietly as I could.
I kept Odin from bounding past me and crept up the stairs.

             
I peeked out of the stairwell and scanned the area.
I didn’t see anything, living or otherwise.
Odin wasn’t growling or acting concerned, so I let him go.
He immediately headed into the grass and found a spot to drop a landmine.
I used the time to drag the bodies out of the stairwell and move them out of the way.

             
The sun was almost directly above us and the day was growing warm.
I wondered how long it would take me to reach Nixa, and from there Springfield.
Odin padded back down the stairs and disappeared into the shelter.
I took another quick look around and followed him down. April was sitting on the bed next to Gunny when I closed the door.
I secured the locks and limped back towards the table.
She watched me with concern on her face.

             
“Mission accomplished,” I said, grinning.

             
“I take it you didn’t run into any trouble.”

             
“Nope, all’s clear topside,” I replied.

             
“I hope you weren’t planning on leaving, today,” she said, getting up from the bed.

             
“I was considering leaving at first light.
I have to get back to the jail.”

             
You’d better let me take care of those blisters, first,” she said. “If not, you won’t make it very far. Besides that, there’s no way Gunny will be fit to travel any time soon.”

             
I sighed and considered it.
She was right, and I knew it.
I could barely walk around the room without a pack on my back, let alone trudge another twenty miles or more with a hundred pounds on my back.
There was just no way I could do it and hope to make it. Gunny was going to need extended bed-rest if he had a shot at recovery. There was nothing I could do to change that, either.

             
“Why don’t you let me take a look at your feet,” she said, reaching for the first aid kit.

             
I didn’t argue.
Instead, I took off my boots and socks. While she inspected the blisters, I began to formulate my route back to town.

             
“These blisters will have to be lanced,” she said.

             
“I thought you weren’t supposed to do that,” I replied.

             
“Usually, you shouldn’t.
But you have such a large amount of fluid build-up in them that you’d be better off draining it.
You should be fine in a couple days.”

             
“A couple days?” I asked, incredulously. “I can’t wait that long.”

             
“You’re going to have to, if you want those to heal without getting infected.”

             
I had to give in to her logic.
She was right, of course.
I had to let them heal, or it would only get worse.
The last thing I needed was to find myself in the middle of nowhere, unable to walk.
It was the worst kind of stupid to try.

             
“Alright,” I said, slowly. “Let’s do it.
I have to get back on my feet as soon as possible.
I’m going after my family, if it kills me.”

             
“Believe me,” she replied, “I understand.
I’ll get you fixed up as fast as I can, I promise.
In the meantime, you can rest and recover.
You look like you could use the downtime to heal and regain your strength.”

             
I didn’t argue, just nodded curtly and grimaced.
I looked away while she worked. I had to admit, the girl knew what she was doing. It was over before I realized it. Oddly, they felt better once the fluid was drained.
Once she was done, she heated a large pan of water on the camp stove and had me soak my feet in hot water with Epsom salts.
After a while, she helped me back to the bed and I lay down.
Then she brought me a bottle of water and a handful of pills.

             
“Take these,” she said, holding them out to me.

             
“What are they?” I asked, holding them in my hand.

             
“Vitamins and herbal supplements, mostly,” she answered. “Plus a healthy dose of penicillin tossed in for good measure.”

             
I took the pills a few at a time and washed them down with the water. Between the big meal and the meds I’d just taken, it wasn’t long before I felt drowsy and slipped off to sleep. I dreamed of the Vikings, again. This time, they were on a ship with a stone sarcophagus wrapped with chains. I felt like I was one of them, more than just watching. I knew that something
evil
was in that sarcophagus, and it was our mission to banish it forever.

             
I awoke in semi-darkness, with only one of the lanterns on. I could hear the soft breathing of the others. Then I sensed something out of place. There was a movement in the darkness and I realized it was April. She was reaching out to me. When she found me, she crawled on top of me and leaned towards me. I started to protest when she grabbed me in a vice-like grip. I saw, too late, the dead eyes and pale skin. With a sudden lunge, she sank her teeth into my neck and I felt the blood erupt from the wound.

             
Opening my eyes, I found myself sitting up on the bed. The room was well lit and I was breathing like I’d just run a marathon. My heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest. April was sitting at the table and jumped to her feet in surprise.