“Here they come,” warned Rebecca.
“I see them.” Dickson waited until the others got close before driving.
The road turned right and soon came back out onto the main road on the other side of the gas stations. Most of the deaders staggered off to their right, following the horde into the DOT compound, leaving the left clear except for a handful of living dead. Dickson veered to the left and headed east along the main road, getting out of the area as fast as possible.
Chapter Six
Chris stayed for dinner. Because he, Nathan, and Kiera had worked hard all day, Miriam defrosted and cooked some of the steaks Paul had stored in the freezer as well as two hamburger patties, one for Little Stevie and the other for Shithead. After everything had been cleaned, they all sat around the living room chatting and drinking coffee while Little Stevie played Nintendo Switch.
Alissa blew on her coffee to cool it off a bit. “Kiera told me about this afternoon.”
Nathan and Chris stared at each nervously and turned their gaze onto Kiera. Chris asked, “What did she tell you?”
“That you spent all day working on a perimeter fence.”
Nathan almost sighed with relief. “We did. We set it up around the entire cabin.”
“Isn’t it a single strand of barbed wire with cans filled with rocks attached?” asked Steve.
“Yeah.”
“How will that stop the deaders?”
“It’s not supposed to stop them. If they get caught in the barbed wire, they’ll shake the cans and warn us deaders are in the area.”
Steve thought about it for a moment. “Wouldn’t somebody have to be outside to hear it?”
Chris snorted. Kiera giggled. Nathan’s face became stern.
Steve seemed confused. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” answered Nathan.
“It’s been pointed out to him already.” Kiera had a shit-eaten smirk on her face.
Steve opted to ignore the little secret between the three of them. “I’m more worried about the driveway leading up here.”
“Why?” Alissa had not even thought about that before now.
“The road is wide open.” Steve drank some coffee. “Anyone can come right up it.”
“Why can’t we string some barbed wire across it like in the woods?” Miriam asked.
Steve placed the cup down on the coaster. “I’m not worried about deaders so much as the living.”
“We haven’t seen any living since we got here.” Nathan sounded dismissive.
“Yet.” No one responded, letting Steve’s response set in, so he continued. “Anybody could come up that driveway and be sitting out in front of the cabin before we realized it. If it’s a car with one or two people in it, we’re safe. But if it’s a biker gang, we may not be so lucky.”
Nathan shook his head. “I don’t think a biker gang—”
“He’s right,” interrupted Chris. “It’s our weakest point. If a pack of deaders follow a deer up here we’re screwed.”
“How likely is that?” Alissa asked.
Chris shrugged.
“She does bring up a point,” said Steve. “No one has been out there for weeks since you went to get the medical supplies for my leg.”
“That was fun,” Kiera cut in.
Miriam rolled her eyes. “Oh, dear God.”
“As far as we know,” continued Steve, “every deader in New England could be milling around North Conway. Or they all wandered off, leaving the city as empty as an early Sunday morning.”
Nathan agreed. “We should do a recon of the surrounding area tomorrow so we know what’s out there.”
Kiera straightened in her chair and her eyes opened wide. “Can I go?”
“Sure,” said Chris.
“No!” added Miriam.
“Come on,” Kiera pleaded. “Why not?”
“Because last time you almost got yourself killed.”
“I saved everyone.”
“I said no, young lady.”
Kiera made a frumpy face and crossed her arms across her chest.
“She was a big help last time.” Nathan gently prodded Miriam. “The experience does her good. Besides, we’re not getting out or going into any stores. We’ll be driving around getting a feel for the area.”
Miriam hesitated. “Are you sure she’ll be safe?”
“I will be.” Kiera almost shouted the words.
Alissa tapped Kiera’s arm to warn her to be quiet. “Don’t worry. I’m going along so I can guarantee she’ll be fine.”
Kiera stared at her mother with large saucer-plate eyes. It reminded Alissa of the way Archer stared at her when he begged for treats.
Miriam said nothing, internally struggling with her decision. “Steve, what do you think?”
“As long as she’s with the three of them she’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” Miriam sighed. “You can go.”
“Yes!” Kiera jumped out of her seat, ran around the table, and hugged her mother. “I promise, you won’t regret this.”
“I do already.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Steve asked.
“We’re fine,” Nathan responded.
“Thanks,” added Chris.
“I feel useless sitting around her all day doing nothing. I want to pitch in.”
“When you’re back on your feet you can.” Alissa’s voice had that reassuring tone she had practiced so often while being a nurse.
“Do you need me to go with you?” Miriam asked.
“No!” Kiera spoke too quickly and received another tap on the arm from Alissa.
“We’re fine,” she said. “Thanks for the offer.”
Miriam nodded. “I’ll stay here with Steve and keep an eye on Little Stevie.”
“Great.” Little Stevie stayed focused on his game. “You two will be upstairs all day and leave me alone again.”
Kiera placed her hands over her ears. “TMI. TMI.”
Alissa stifled a laugh.
Nathan and Chris stared at each other, finally realizing what Little Stevie meant when they noticed Miriam turning fifty shades of red. Steve did not help matters any by giving the two men a thumbs up.
Miriam pushed her seat back and headed for the kitchen. “I’m going to do the dishes.”
Steve chuckled. “You did them already.”
She stopped at the door and glared at her husband, though she smiled flirtatiously. “One more word out of you and I’ll go with them tomorrow.”
Steve pretended to close a zipper across his lips and saluted his wife. Everyone laughed except Little Stevie, whose interest had returned to his video game, and Kiera who no longer wanted to be a part of this conversation.
Chapter Seven
Dickson stopped for the night at a junkyard fifteen miles from New Hampton. It offered the perfect place to lay low — off the main road so passing deaders wouldn’t notice them, a gated compound, and scores of wrecked cars so their own vehicles blended in. As a plus, the only deader inside happened to be the owner, which they took down silently and quickly. As Carter built a campfire in the center of the yard where it could not be seen, and Elaine and Nora along with Williamson inventoried what supplies were saved from the Silverado, Dickson went to check on the Taylor kid.
He found the family gathered around the bed of the Chevy, with mom and son sitting on the tailgate. The deaders had fucked up his arm bad, with three inches of the fractured humerus poking through the skin. Dickson remembered breaking his arm as a boy. It had been the worst pain he had ever experienced. This must hurt like a son of a bitch. The kid panted heavily and groaned every time anyone touched his arm. At least he didn’t cry like some sissy. His mother sat behind him, cradling him and telling him everything would be all right. Stratman hovered nearby, watching nervously as Rebecca examined the wound. Joel and Connie stood back and watched.
“Can you fix it?” Diana asked through her tears.
“I’m checking,” Rebe
cca answered.
Dickson strolled up and peered over Rebecca’s shoulder. “I didn’t know you were a nurse.”
“I’m not. After college I spent a few years as a flight attendant and they trained us in first aid. I’ve set broken bones before but nothing this severe.”
“What does he need?”
“He needs to get to a hospital.”
“Good luck with that.” Dickson ignored her angry glare. “What do you need to fix him up?”
“I’m going to need three pieces of wood or metal to hold the bone in place, preferably no longer than his upper arm. I’ll also need bandages for the wound and enough gauze to cover it. Something to stitch up the wound if you have it. And the strongest pain meds you have.”
Dickson snapped his fingers, catching Stratman’s attention. “You heard her. See if we have any of those supplies.”
As Stratman headed for the other vehicles, Dickson turned to Joel. “Take the girl and find some splints for his arm.”
“What should I be looking for?”
“Something to make a splint out of, asshole. You’re supposedly smart. You’ll figure it out.”
Joel’s expression faltered. For a second, Dickson thought he might cry. Taking Connie by the hand, Joel led her into the junkyard.
Meanwhile, Rebecca tended to Brian. She patted him on the leg. “You’re lucky in one respect.”
“How?” asked Brian.
“If the bone had punctured the artery, you’d have been dead an hour ago.”
“Lucky me,” Brian grunted through clenched teeth.
“I’m going to set the bone.”
“Will it hurt?” he asked.
“Even more than when you broke it.”
“Fuck.”
“Brian.” Diana chastised him from force of habit.
“Sorry.”
Rebecca caught Diana’s attention. “I’m going to need you to hold your son tight.”
Diana nodded.
She glanced up at Dickson. “I need your help as well.”
“Sure.” He moved closer.
“When I tell you to, pull on Brian’s arm. Not too hard, though. I need an inch or two at most so I can push the bones back together.”
“Gotcha.”
Rebecca tapped Brian’s ankle. “Are you ready?”
“No.” His attempt at a laugh ended with him wincing.
“On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
Dickson pulled on Brian’s arm as Rebecca pushed the extruded portion of the humerus back into place. The teenager screamed at the top of his lungs. His body convulsed for a moment and went limp.
“Is he…?” Diana couldn’t finish her question.
“No,” Rebecca responded. She reached out and rubbed Diana’s shoulder. “He passed out from shock. It’s better for him. He’ll sleep through it.”
“How’s the bone going to heal?” she asked
“Poorly. If he were in a hospital, they’d probably screw the bones together so they could heal properly. I don’t have that capability. Sorry.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means his right arm will probably be crippled for life, or until we can find a doctor who can fix it.”
Diana cried again and hugged Brian. He groaned even while unconscious.
Stratman arrived a minute later with an armful of medical supplies that he placed on the tailgate. “Here you go.”
Rebecca thumbed through them. A bottle of rubbing alcohol. A bottle of Advil. “Do you have any needles and thread?”
“We couldn’t find any.”
“Shit.” Rebecca thought for a second. “What about Crazy Glue?”
“No.”
She thumbed through the supplies. They had only one roll of tape and gauze. “Is this all?”
“For the tape, yes. There’s more gauze.”
“We’ll need it. Do you have any duct tape?”
“I might have some in the Chevy.”
“Could you get it for me?”
Stratman nodded. “Sure thing.”
Rebecca opened the rubbing alcohol and held the bottle over the wound. “Hold him down.”
Diana pinned Brian’s shoulders against her chest. Rebecca poured a third of the alcohol along the wound. The teenager grimaced and moaned. When finished, she patted down the area around the wound with a sterile pad and, when dried, sealed the wound shut with strips of surgical tape.
Dickson observed the process until Carter and Williamson came up to him. He ushered them away so Rebecca could work.
“What were you able to salvage from the Silverado?”
“Not much, unfortunately.” Carter hesitated. “Five packs of bottled water and seven crates of canned food. Twenty rolls of toilet paper….”
“Who the fuck needs that much toilet paper during an apocalypse?” snapped Dickson.
“…only one box of medical supplies, most of it gauze. We lost the box filled with prescription meds.”
“What about ammo?”
Carter and Williamson avoided Dickson’s gaze. “We left most of it behind.”
“Fuck!” Dickson walked away and turned his back on them. Now they would have to restock everything they had spent the last two months gathering. The shitty part was they would have to accomplish this with only limited ammunition. He spun around to face his men.
“Why didn’t you save the important stuff like ammunition? That’s what we needed.”
“Boss, come on.” Carter at least had the balls to stand up for himself. “We did the best we could. Considering the horde of deaders coming after us, we’re lucky we saved anything.”
Dickson glared at Williamson. “What about you?”
Williamson’s gaze switched between the two men before he finally lowered his eyes and pointed at Carter. “What he said.”
Dickson wanted to kick their asses but decided against it. They might be assholes, but he needed them. “Grab some of the food and see if the girls have the fire ready. Help them with the cooking.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Carter slapped Williamson on the arm and the two ran off, glad they would receive no ass kicking.
Dickson went back to the Chevy. Rebecca finished up with Brian’s broken arm. She had wrapped gauze tightly around it and held it in place with a strip of duct tape Stratman had brought her. Joel and Connie had found three pieces of metal that Rebecca used as splints, securing them in place with more duct tape. When she finished, she stood and moved beside Diana.
“He’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
Rebecca nodded. “He’ll be in a lot of pain for a while, but that can’t be helped. I’ll change the dressing every day to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”
Diana forced a smile. She clutched Rebecca’s hand and squeezed tight. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“No need to. We help each other out.”
Dickson motioned for Rebecca to follow and led her far enough from the Chevy so the others could not be heard.
“Is the kid really going to be okay?”
“His arm won’t heal properly under these circumstances and he’s going to be in a lot of pain for weeks, but as long as he doesn’t develop an infection he’ll live.”
“That’s good.”
“Do you really care?”
Dickson ignored the insult. “What do you need to help him recover?”
“Painkillers and anti-biotics.”
“We’ll have to do another supply run soon since we lost most of our stash today. We’ll get the meds you need when we do.”
“Thank you.”
“You did good today.” He meant the compliment with sincerity.
“I did?”
Dickson nodded. “You got us out of that jam at the interstate and you fixed up the kid. I appreciate it.”
The compliment took Rebecca aback. “Thanks.”
Dickson moved in close so he could speak quietly into her ear. “But if you keep mouthing off to me, I
’m going to bitch slap you so hard you’ll be the one needing medical care. Understood?”
Rebecca gulped and nodded.
Dickson gently patted her on the cheek. “Good girl.”
He strolled off and let Rebecca tend to the kid. Right now, he needed something to eat and to plan out how they were going to resupply.
Chapter Eight
Alissa, Nathan, and Kiera stood at the dining room table making sure they had everything they needed for the recon. Chris had brought Shithead with him to go along for the ride. The dog lay curled up on the sofa until Archer came along. The cat meowed once. Shithead jumped off, avoiding contact with the small but mean creature, and moved over near the humans as the Archer took his rightful place on the couch.
Alissa and Nathan each had a main weapon, a back-up sidearm, and a melee weapon. Chris had his own and had already placed them in one of the cars. Each of them, including Kiera, had a backpack with extra ammo, three plastic bottles of water, three protein bars, and a small medical kit.
“Don’t I get a weapon?” Kiera asked.
“I put a knife in your bag,” Nathan answered.
“Do you think that’s safe?” Miriam seemed concerned.
“Would you rather have her out there unarmed?”
“I’d rather not have her out there at all.”
“Mom.” Kiera whined the word and turned to Alissa for support.
“I understand how you feel, but she needs to learn how to defend herself for the future.”
“Besides,” added Nathan. “We’re only driving around to get an idea of the number of deaders in the area. If we find any, we’re going to avoid them.”
“I know. I’m being a mother.”
“A good mother,” added Alissa.
“I can go?” Kiera’s voice rose an octave in anticipation.
“Yes.”
“You’re the best.” Kiera hugged her mother then stepped over to Alissa. “Can I get a gun?”
“No.” Alissa and Miriam answered simultaneously,
“Are we ready?” asked Nathan.
“All we need is Chris,” Alissa scanned the living room. “Where is he?”
Miriam pointed to the deck. “He stepped outside after he got here.”
Nurse Alissa vs. the Zombies | Book 3 | Firestorm Page 5
