by Dawn, M. K.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sloan dressed and brushed her teeth in the bathroom of the gas station they’d used as shelter the night before.
The first day of the supply run went as planned. They hit up several local stores and checked off quite a number of items from their lengthy list. Plus, they’d only encountered fifteen infested, which, in an exposed environment such as this, was exceptional.
“Slash,” Archer knocked on the door, “you about ready?”
“Coming.” She stuffed her yoga pants into her backpack and unlocked the door.
Archer took the backpack from her hands and slung it over his shoulder. Sloan had given up insisting she could carry her own things a long time ago. Taking on the caretaker role in the relationship was part of what made Archer who he was, and even though she didn’t need a man to care for her, she appreciated the gesture.
“Thank you.” Sloan surveyed the bare shelves of the empty store. “I see we took what was left.”
“You sound surprised.” Archer made his way for the door.
Sloan followed. “Some of the food was expired.”
Archer held open the door. “Those dates are just suggestions.”
Sloan climbed in the backseat and scooted over to the middle next to Smith, who hated to be called by her first name. “That may be true on some items for a short amount of time. Not years, Archer.”
He tossed the backpack next to her feet and jumped in. “So, we take it home. Open it and check it out. If it’s bad, we feed it to the pigs. Win-win.”
Smith tilted toward Sloan. “We’ve already loaded up the stuff and it didn’t take up much room. Probably should let him have this one.”
“Fine.” Sloan whipped her head around and glared at Archer. “But if people get food poising because of something you brought back, you’re in charge of clean up.”
Axel snickered. “She drives a hard bargain. Are we ready?”
Shifter drummed his hands against the steering wheel. “Waiting for orders to hit the road.”
Archer rolled his eyes. “Since when do you wait for orders to do anything?”
“That’s right.” He threw the SUV into gear and hit the gas, peeling out of the driveway. “I don’t.”
Sloan jerked backward at the unexpected force. “Whiplash is not an easily treated injury. Maybe take it easy on the gas next time.”
“Sorry, Doc.” Shifter grinned back at her through the review mirror. “Just having a little fun.”
“Fun is one thing.” Axel kept his eyes peeled out the side window. “Drawing unwanted attention to ourselves is another.”
“Yes, Dad,” Shifter mumbled under his breath.
Archer leaned forward to say something, but Sloan placed a hand on his chest. “Let it go.”
Archer blew out a heavy breath and focused on the map he’d pulled out from her bag.
Even though Shifter worked hard, he enjoyed running his mouth. His blatant disrespect that he passed off as jokes caused a great deal of problems between him and some of the soldiers. Archer in particular.
They drove in silence for a while. Smith, Axel, and Archer kept their attention out the window while Sloan went over the list of supplies she needed from the hospital.
“You think we’ll be able to find everything on your list?” Smith asked.
Sloan tapped the small notepad with the end of her pencil. “There are so many unknown factors; it’s hard to say.”
“Okay.” Smith went back to staring out the window.
“But we’re optimistic,” Archer added. “Right, Slash?”
“Of course.” Sloan continued to read over her list. “I wouldn’t have come unless I believed we would find most of what we needed.”
Smith touched her hand to her heart. “Good. That’s good. Rainey is such a sweet woman.”
Sloan looked up from her notepad. “She is very kind, but what does that have to do with the mission?”
Archer nudged Sloan in the ribs.
“Ow.” Sloan snapped her head in his direction. “What was that for?”
“What was what for?” Archer asked with a humorous tone.
Axel snickered.
“I don’t understand what’s so funny.” At times, struggling to pick up on social cues made situations like this one difficult for her to read. “Archer, you hit me in the ribs with your elbow, and I responded appropriately to the pain.”
“Sorry, Slash.” Archer ran a hand down her arm. “You were doing that thing again that you do.”
Sloan glanced around, confused as to what he was talking about. “What thing?”
“Where you focus on the task at hand and not the big picture,” Archer said. “Smith said Rainey is a sweet woman, and you didn’t catch the correlation. We’re here to get medical supplies to help her. Without treatment, she could die.”
“I’m aware of the prognosis.” Sloan turned back to Smith. “I understand now what you mean. You’ll miss her kindness when she’s gone. As many will.”
Axel rotated around in his seat. “When she’s gone? You don’t think you can cure her?”
“I don’t know how to answer that.”
Archer patted Sloan’s knee. “Using the word when implies inevitability.”
“Death is inevitable, as we are human.” Sloan hated when she had to explain her rational thought process. “I apologize if the meaning behind my words was misconstrued. It was not my intention to imply Rainey will die any time soon.”
“So, you think there’s a chance you can cure her?” Smith asked.
Sloan didn’t like to deal in probability. “There are many factors that come in to play. I’ll know more once I have the equipment to examine the skin cells. With many spots like this, catching it early and removing it can increase survival chances exponentially.”
“Can you do that? I mean,” Smith smacked her lips, creating a popping sound, “not in a hospital.”
“Speaking of hospitals,” Shifter interrupted, “I think we’re here.”
Axel averted his eyes as he kneaded the back of his neck. “Yep. This is the place.”
“What’s up with the fence around it?” Smith asked.
“That,” Axel cleared his throat, “was a make-shift emergency room. Guess they needed the room since the military blew up the other fucking hospitals around here.”
“Montana wasn’t the only place they bombed,” Archer said. “They showed us a video in The Bunker, remember Slash, of New York burning?”
She tried to forget. “All the while making us believe that an asteroid hit the Earth.”
“Where should I park?” Shifter slowed the SUV as they approached the fence. “We have some bolt cutters in the back if we need to make a hole.”
“Drive around,” Axel instructed. “Makayla’s group picked us up from the inside so there has to be an opening somewhere.”
Shifter drove along the fence line until they came to a section that had been knocked down. He took his time crossing the perimeter.
“Over there.” Axel pointed to a partially attached fire escape. “That’s where Brit and I came down from. You can park there.”
Sloan stared up at the three-story building and the rickety ladder her sister had used to escape. Britney hadn’t provided many details on what happened that day. The shattered windows covered in dried blood painted a pretty clear picture.
“The pharmacy is on the second floor,” Axel said as Shifter parked. “What else do you need?”
“More than just items from the pharmacy.” Sloan eyed her list again. “I’ll need to check rooms and supply closets to get everything.”
Shifter cut the engine. “What’s the plan?”
“First, we clear the perimeter.” Archer readied his gun.
Axel and Smith inspected their weapons—soldiers following their commander’s lead.
“What about the inside?” Axel asked. “There were a shit-ton of them inside last time we were here.”
“Seems to be pretty damn q
uiet now.” Shifter kept a close eye on the building. “Haven’t even seen so much as a shadow.”
“We should try and draw them out.” Archer knocked his fist on the door panel. “Shifter, you’ll lay on the horn—”
“Wait!” Sloan cried out. She’d seen what sort of damage these things could do as a group, and it scared her to think they’d be sitting in the middle of that sort of danger. “Is that the best strategy you can come up with?”
Archer ground his teeth. “It’s the safest, considering how little numbers we have.” He hated when Sloan questioned his authority in front of the others, but she didn’t care.
“How is this safe?” Sloan flailed her arms around, which was unlike her, but she couldn’t help it. She was scared. “If they attack the vehicle, we’ll be trapped.”
“Slash,” Archer took both her hands and held them steady, “please trust me on this. Getting them to show themselves is much safer than walking into the building not knowing what we’re about to face.”
“I can attest to that from personal experience,” Axel added.
Sloan took a few, calming breaths. “What if there’s too many?”
“Then, Shifter takes off. I’d rather be in a position to leave than trapped inside that building.”
“Okay. That’s rational.” Even though it still caused her a great amount of anxiety.
Archer planted a quick peck on her lips. “Cover your ears; this might get loud.”
“Wait.” Sloan didn’t like the idea of sitting back and doing nothing as they fought off the infested. “I can help.”
“You don’t have a clean shot. Shifter,” Archer surveyed the area behind them, “why don’t you back up a little bit, parallel to the building, but keep us aimed toward the opening in the fence, SUV running.”
Archer nodded to Axel, and both men rolled down their windows. “Smith, I only want you to fire if they start to overwhelm us. Keep your eyes on our back. Make sure they’re not sneaking up behind us.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sloan felt a bit better now that a plan started to take form. “See, taking time to think things through allowed for a more strategic approach.”
“Or you interrupted before I could give the orders.” Archer didn’t give her a chance to argue before continuing, “Shifter, in three, two, one.”
The sound of the horn echoed through the empty parking lot. While Archer and Axel kept their eyes on the hospital, Sloan helped Smith watch their backs.
“Here they come,” Archer said as he pulled the trigger.
Sloan spun around. “How many are there?”
“One.” Archer moved closer to the window. “Axel, you see any more?”
“Nope.”
Sloan never thought that the absence of the infested would cause her heart to race. “Shouldn’t there be more?”
Archer kept his eyes trained out the window. “We’ll give it a few more minutes.”
When no other infested emerged, Archer ordered Shifter to cut the horn.
“I don’t get it,” Axel said as he rolled up his window. “Where the hell are they?”
“Let me get this straight.” Shifter scratched at the white scruff on his chin. “You’re disappointed we didn’t see more?”
“Not disappointed, surprised.” Axel leaned his head against the seat. “There were so many last time. Outside, inside. Where the hell did they all go?”
“They don’t like the cold,” Archer reminded him. “Maybe they left?”
Axel shook his head. “Left the building? Those things run around, bumping into shit. How did they find their way out?”
“Maybe someone else has been here?” Smith suggested.
Sloan searched the area for any signs they may have missed but found none. “Do you think the building is safe to go in?”
Archer wrapped his hand around the handle of the door. “Only one way to find out.”
***
After a thorough sweep of the area, Axel, Archer and Sloan headed into the building while Smith and Shifter kept watch.
Axel had mentioned that when he and Britney were here before, Gunner had led them through an office window.
This time, they opted to go through the emergency room.
Axel led the way, as he was familiar with the layout. Sloan kept enough distance behind him to easily shoot her weapon without fear of hitting Axel. Archer, on the other hand, hung close to Sloan, making the probability of him getting hit by one of her bullets high.
“You need to take a few steps back,” Sloan whispered over her shoulder. “This isn’t safe.”
Archer didn’t budge. “You haven’t really encountered any infested since The Bunker. And as I recall, you froze.”
“Once. I froze once and then proceeded to save your life. Even after losing a substantial amount of blood.” The Bunker had embedded trackers into their arms that controlled their access within the fallout shelter, among other things. Sloan had dug hers out with Archer’s pocketknife just seconds before being swarmed by the infested. Archer had brought her back to consciousness with a shot of adrenaline. The medication kept her awake long enough to kill an infested that had Archer pinned to the ground. She liked to remind him about that from time to time when he started to hover.
“Damn,” Axel groan as he headed left, down the hall, “this part of the hospital hasn’t changed. Wonder who cleaned up the emergency room?”
Sloan stopped at the entrance of the hallway. “What do you mean?”
“Last time I was here, the emergency room was full of bodies.” Axel shined a light into the rooms on either side of him and along the hall before turning around to face them. “Kind of like this. Dead bodies laying around.”
“Why would someone come in and move the bodies from just that one area?” Archer asked, still too close for Sloan’s comfort.
Sloan took a few steps away from him, needing some space. She’d never been claustrophobic until being trapped underground for a year, even though The Bunker had plenty of room.
“Do I smell that bad, Slash?” Archer sniffed his armpit. “I ran a wet washcloth over myself just yesterday.”
“You know that’s not it.” Sloan studied the bodies at her feet. “Speaking of smelling bad, it’s odd that these bodies, though decomposing, are not putting off any sort of odor.”
Archer nudged the leg of the corpse closest to his feet. “You think it has something to do with the black goo?”
“Black goo.” Sloan crouched down to take a better look. “I see we’re using the technical term.”
Axel chuckled. “That’s awesome.”
Sloan beamed. “See, he thinks I’m funny.”
“Hilarious.” Archer massaged his temples. “Don’t you think we should get moving?”
“Archer doesn’t have the stomach for autopsies.” Sloan stood. As interesting as she found the infested, Archer was right, this wasn’t the time for examining the bodies. “When I first cut up one of the infested—”
“Just stop right there,” Archer interjected. “You cut open my best friend and black goo oozed out. It was the craziest damn thing I’d ever seen.”
“I found it fascinating.” Sloan stared into Archer’s eyes. “And a bit unnerving.”
Archer’s face softened. “You can admit to being scared, Slash. The man nearly killed you.”
Sloan sighed, shaking her head, trying to rid herself of the memories. “We should go. Axel, did you see anything in the rooms so far that I might need to take a look at?”
“Nah. Just admin stuff. We should head for the second floor. That’s where the patient rooms are located.”
Sloan took one last glance at the bodies at her feet. “Lead the way.”
***
“How much more stuff do think you’re going to need?” Axel asked as he strolled back into the room. “The SUV is packed. So whatever else you have, it better be small.”
Sloan scanned the medicine cabinet again. “I want to be sure I’ve gotten all that
we can use.”
Axel leaned against the door frame, sweat beading on his forehead. “Why not just take it all? You know. Just in case.”
Sloan had thought the same thing, but the problem was she didn’t know the uses for all of them. “I’ll need to go back to the pharmacy. They might have a book or binders on what these drugs are used for.”
“You don’t know?” Axel pushed off the wall as Sloan passed him. “The great Dr. Egan? I’m shocked.”
Sloan headed down the hall. “Not once have I ever said I was an expert in pharmaceutical drugs.”
“That was a joke.” Axel’s boots slapped the tile floor behind her. “I was kidding. Because you know so much about medicine, it’s always a surprise when you don’t know something.”
“That is true.” Sloan grasped the handle of the pharmacy door but didn’t go in. Instead, she turned to face Axel. “I do know an enormous amount of information, even compared to most medical professionals, but no one could know everything there is to know. That’s impossible.”
Axel crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “Seriously?”
Sloan hardly ever noticed his sleeve tattoos anymore. It was hard to believe that she had concerns after first learning he and Brit were together.
“I wanted to talk to you about something.” Sloan hadn’t considered bringing this up, but she also never thought she’d be alone with Axel on this trip either. “Archer told me you and Britney had a fight.”
Axel rocked back on his heels. “Fight? Which one?”
Sloan grinned, knowing how temperamental Britney could be. “Do you really not know what fight or are you being sarcastic again?”
Axel waited a few seconds before answering. “Britney’s pissed because she feels like I was talking about her behind her back.”
“Well, you were talking about her behind her back.”
Axel scowled. “It’s not like I was talking shit about her. Or to some stranger. It was with you because I love her and am worried.”
Sloan hadn’t meant to make him angry. “I know—” She froze, a light scraping sound above them catching her attention. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes.” Axel stared up at the ceiling. “I think it’s coming from the third floor.”
