by C. A. Hoaks
Chapter 36
The Coming
“Who are they? How do they know about the lodge?” Harry asked.
Randy shrugged. “I think someone connected to Pablo’s wife. It’s how they ended up here. When he comes back from the supply run, we can sort it out. They’re safe where they are, and so are we.”
Liz frowned. “Are you sure this is necessary?”
“They can stay where they are, and we can do what we can until we sort it out or Pablo comes back. It’s the safest option for us. I’ve got medical supplies, water, and foodstuff. We’re about ready to go.”
Liz nodded. “I’ll get Carrie.”
Randy pulled the pickup across the bridge and drove the quarter mile to the hastily erected camp. He made a U-turn and stopped about twenty feet from the front of the first tent.
Ben Nascha wiped moisture from his face as he pushed himself up from a camp chair in front of a canvas tent. The residents of the camp moved out of their tents and into the central gathering place created by clusters of tents. Men had gathered firewood from the surrounding woods and were in the process of building half a dozen small fires. A few of the women were surrounded by small children wearing remnants of native dress. All stared at the visitors suspiciously.
Ben waved at the new arrivals. “Greetings, folks.”
Randy and Harry both stepped out of the vehicle and walked forward to greet Ben. Randy extended his hand. “I’m Randy Matherson. It looks like you’re settling in pretty well.”
“We appreciate the hospitality,” Ben answered. “But we’re running low on water.”
“We brought a dozen gallon jugs of water for drinking and cooking. We’re working on filling an IBC storage container. We should have it ready by late this afternoon then everyone can get cleaned up if we can set up a camp shower back in the trees. Do you need any other supplies brought then?”
“We have a couple tarps.”
“We have a hose connection hooked to the bottom so there should be plenty of pressure to run twenty or thirty feet. There’s a shower nozzle in our supplies, so I’ll rig up a shower head on it with a shut-off. Then your folks can at least get cold showers.”
“Sounds good,” Ben responded.
“If you have men to help unload the truck, we’ve brought a few things. Just let me know if there is anything else you need. We have our doctor with us to check your people out and treat injuries.”
Liz stepped out of the truck and extended her hand toward Ben. “Hi there. I’m Liz Jameson. This is Carrie Hamilton, and we’re here to offer our help. We brought water, some smoked venison, and supplies for your camp. You’ll have to let us know what else you need to make your camp more comfortable while we wait for Pablo. Cassie, and I can take care of anyone with medical needs.”
Cassie interrupted. “I’m a Physician’s Assistant. I can treat fundamental medical issues.
Randy added. “We expect everyone to be checked for bites while we’re here.”
Ben released Liz’s hand and gave Randy a quick nod. “We came a long way, and now you seem reluctance to welcome strangers.”
Harry stepped up and introduced himself. “It’s not that. We just have to be careful. We’ve seen some bad things out there.” Harry added. “Limiting accidental exposure is our goal. Our own folks go through an exam after every trip off-site.”
“We’ve had to face the dangers of contact with the infected ourselves since leaving Eagle Pass.” Ben’s face grew dark. “We lost more than half our people just trying to survive the first few weeks on the rez. It got worse when the cartels regrouped and headed north.”
“Eagle Pass is quite a distance. Let’s pass out the supplies then get this over with so we can give your folks time to rest.” Randy announced. “Meanwhile, you can make a list of any supplies you need, and we’ll see if we can help out.”
Ben turned and made a couple hand signals, and four men stood in front of them. After Liz pointed out the supplies, the men carried the boxes of food to the women at the center of the camp.
Liz and Carrie picked up boxes of medical supplies and turned toward Ben. “We’d like to set up two areas for examinations and a tent for medical treatment.”
“You can use my tent for the doctoring. What do you need for the exams?” Ben asked.
Randy nodded toward the two men. “Tents are fine if they're not too dark inside.”
Ben stepped up to the occupants of the closest two tents. After a quick conversation, they stepped away with quick nods of agreement.
“I’ll bring families first. We’ll bring in the guards one at a time when we have replacements,” Ben announced.
Group after group arrived to be examined. The people were quiet and obviously exhausted. The silent women brought their daughters into the enclosure, each removing their outer clothing then standing there in the heated tents for Liz to examine them. The men and boys of the family mirror the same procedure with Randy and Harry doing the examination.
Liz counted off a dozen families. None were bitten, but several had open sores or wounds that were in need of medical attention. Liz passed them off to Ben to ensure they received medical care from Carrie. The next groups were single adult men and women. Liz stood outside and waited until a tall, dark-haired woman was ready for her examination. She wiped at the moisture glistening on her face and sighed at the prospects of entering the airless tent once again.
“Well, get this over with, already. It’s stifling in here.”
“Sorry. I know that.” Liz stepped inside trying to lighten the mood.
Before she could introduce herself, the woman held up her arms, turned a full circle and snarled at Liz. “Meet your approval, dominar?”
“Why would you call me, that? You know it’s not like that,” Liz protested.
“You treat us like peons coming with hat in hand.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. We only want people to be safe. Part of that is ensuring no one is bitten,” Liz answered.
“Call it what you want, but it feels invasive and discriminatory.” The woman countered crossly.
Liz squared her shoulders and answered in a low, calm voice. “If I hear you say anything like that again, I will personally haul your ass off and drop you into the middle of a herd of infected. I lost my family out there, a husband and both my daughters. We’re here offering sanctuary, and you dare to spew that liberal crap. Get dressed and get out of here.” Liz swept open the door flap and left the enclosure. When the woman stomped out, Liz added. “No one says YOU have to stay.”
As the woman walked past Ben, he called out. “Hey, Tammy, making friends I see.” The woman glared at both him and Liz then turned and stomped away; Ben just laughed.
“Well, she must have been a joy to travel with,” Liz commented.
Ben chuckled again. “Her name is Tammy Robertson. She was a big shot civil rights lawyer in Eagle Pass. She had a government grant to fight deportation of illegals. Parked her ass in a big office and seemed to show up every time ICE picked up somebody.”
“She doesn’t seem to be happy to be here.”
“Tammy lived the good life. Her only skills were arguing and being a pain in the ass. Now it’s all she has left.”
“That won’t win her many friends here. We all try to get along.”
Before the conversation continued the man, Randy had examined appeared and smiled at Liz. He threw a look over his shoulder. “I would rather have had her check me out, bro.”
Randy laughed. “Married woman, Romeo.”
“My loss.” The man with long dark hair, a bronze complexion, and wide smile held out a clenched fist to Randy. He met the fist bump with a grin, and the man continued. “Catch you later, man. When you’re ready to go deer hunting let me know, I’ll grab a bow.”
“You bet.” Randy grinned.
The rest of the visit went without a problem. Carrie identified the medical needs of two in the group having more than minor injuries. Despite Ben’s cla
ims otherwise, Carrie insisted they be brought back to the lodge. Finally relenting, Randy loaded a woman with a broken arm, Enola into Ben’s truck, he ordered him to follow him to the lodge. Randy led them back across the drawbridge.
Ben stepped out of his truck and walked up to Randy. “Nice.”
Randy nodded. “Not mine. I was just working here. We were turning it into a hunting lodge for the wealthy and stupid. Never got a chance to even open.”
“And now?” Ben asked.
“We’re trying to make a safe place for survivors,” Randy answered. “Come sit down while you wait your turn.”
Ben nodded, and Randy led him to a couch to sit and wait. A few minutes later Maria brought both men bottles of water.
Liz and Carrie led Enola into the first aid office. Liz asked. “What can I do?”
“Wash up. We lucked out when the break was stabilized shortly after it happened. We’ll put a real cast on the arm, then Randy can take her back.”
Thirty minutes later the woman sported a plaster cast from her hand to a few inches above her elbow. The young patient thanked them then left the room. Liz stuck her head out the door and looked at Ben.
“Okay, big guy, your turn,” Liz called out.
Ben lumbered into the medical clinic and sat down on a chair. He pulled his arm from the sling and laid it on a table. The bandage sported a dark stain with an ugly yellow puss of infection at the center.
Carrie gave Ben a small yellow pill with a glass of water. When he handed the glass back to her, she turned to his arm and pulled the tape free. She stopped, washed her hands, then slipped on surgical gloves before she removed the bandage. She knew it was infected, but under the light, it looked even worse than she imagined. She cringed at the smell of corruption.
“Not good?” Ben asked. “I figured something like that. It hurts like a bitch.”
“Liz, give him another valium,” Carrie whispered.
Liz complied, and Ben took the second pill.
“You can give me antibiotics, right?” Ben asked.
“The dead tissue is making the area even more susceptible to infection. At this point, the damaged tissue has allowed bacteria to grow and spread. It’s going to take more than that,” Cassie answered. “I’m going to have to debride the wound as much as I can then we’re going to use an old-time method to clean up the rest.”
“And that is?” Ben asked a little hesitant.
“Maggots. Three days, I think will allow them to clean up the rest of the dead tissue.” Cassie replied.
“No way! Maggots!” Ben pulled his arm from the table where Cassie had been cleaning the wound with antiseptic soap and water. “That’s just nasty.”
“Quit being such a baby. From what I understand Native Americans used the same method. Besides, I’ve been raising them for the last few weeks. The eggs were harvested and disinfected. Since the larvae hatched, I’ve been growing them in aseptic conditions and feeding them sterilized food. I was hoping to get a few more generations in before they were needed. But here we are. We use them, or you’ll lose your arm.”
Ben sat back in the seat dejectedly. “Lose my arm?”
“I’m not going to lie to you. It’s bad, and this is your best option.” Carrie answered. When Ben’s arm was clean as she could get it, Cassie led Ben to a gurney. “Hop up, Ben.”
“I don’t need to lie down.” He protested as he stumbled.
“You might not want to, but I what I gave you say’s you will. Besides, I don’t want you jerking your arm while I’m working. I’m going to give you a couple shots to deaden the area.”
Ben slid up on the gurney and laid back. Cassie set up her equipment and gave him a quick shot in the arm. She stood by watching then smiled as his eyes drifted closed.
Liz chuckled. “The shot was something to knock him out, wasn’t it? He thought he was taking an antibiotic.”
“I expected the Valiums to knock him out by now.” Cassie laughed as she slid a metal tray under Ben’s arm. “Yep. It would be too painful without it.” She responded as she slipped a drape under his arm, then used another to cover his arm.
“What do you want me to do?” Liz asked.
“Put on a pair of gloves, then grab his hand. Rotate to the right just a little to expose the wound. Try not to watch. It might be tough.”
Liz did what she was told then watched with a certain amount of curiosity at what Cassie was doing. “What if this doesn’t work?”
“Pray it does.” Cassie picked up forceps and scalpel and went to work. An hour later she rinsed the wound with saline, spent several minutes studying her work. After a final examination, Cassie decided she had done what she could and picked up a sterilized plastic cup. She shaped a plastic into a shallow cover to protect the four-inch wound.
“Do you think you got it all?” Liz asked.
“No. That’s why I’m using the maggots.” She walked across the room to pick up a covered dish. She returned to the sleeping man. She dumped the maggots into the wound, spread them across the raw flesh and covered the wound with a light mesh. She added a dressing then wrapped the arm with the plastic protecting the injury.
“How will you know when to remove the maggots?” Liz asked.
“Since this is the first time I’ve done this, I’m not sure. I’ll check it in three days. I’m thinking when all the tissue starts looking pink and healthy.” Cassie withdrew a syringe and filled it with a vial contents. “I’m hoping the antibiotics will finish it off.”
Chapter 37
Flashback
They waited behind the vegetation watching the parade of pickups followed by an Army troop carrier with a canvas cover. The truck was an ugly behemoth painted in desert camouflage, while a sand-colored, heavy-duty Humvee followed close behind. The riders in the back of the pickups looked to be a rough bunch while they waved rifles and blades in the air. Some wore keffiyehs protecting them from the sun.
“Survivors,” whispered Zack. “Should we signal them?”
“I don’t think so,” Steve answered. “I saw the same thing in Iraq, and more often than not, they tried to kill us. They could be legit, and just be soldiers back from the Middle East that scavenged a National Guard base or the military vehicles, but do you want to take a chance I’m wrong?”
“I hadn’t thought about it like that,” Zack responded. “I saw a post on the Internet about camps and how refugees trained. But you know all the crazy jihad shit on the Internet..”
“And who was behind the attacks on the bases?” Steve leaned over resting an elbow on a saddle horn. “You have to start thinking about every situation as a potential risk, Zack. We know what the infected want, but people are different. Some will be more dangerous than the dead because they think. That’s why we’re avoiding the turnoff to Van Horn and taking the side trail. We make a mistake, you and I could die.” He nodded toward the two women and child. “A lot worse could happen to them.”
Zack frowned. “Man, you’re scaring me.”
“I hope so. We’re on horseback. The only one that is a decent rider is Darlene, and she’s got Penny to worry about so it’s more likely none of us would escape an attack.”
“Gotcha.” Zack watched the vehicles disappear into the distance then turned back to Steve. “Can we head out?”
“Give it another five minutes. Then we’ll ride down and under the overpass. We should avoid most of the urban area around Van Horn by following the ravine up into the hills.” Steve answered.
Ten minutes later, Zack passed Darlene and Penny leaned from her mother’s horse toward Zack. When he paused, at Darlene’s mount Penny bent over and into his arms before Darlene could stop her. Penny wrapped her arms around Zack’s neck and giggled when he tried to pass her to Darlene again.
“No,” Penny whispered. “You.”
Zack looked up to Darlene. “What do you think?”
Darlene shrugged. “If you don’t mind.”
Zack smiled down at the fair-hair little
girl. “Alright, but you have to let your mom hold you until I get in the saddle.” He pulled her from his neck and passed her up to Darlene. Once mounted, he unwound the lead of the pack horse from his saddle horn and handed it to Della, then climbed into his own saddle. He guided his mount alongside Darlene and reached out his arms for Penny.
Penny leaned toward him, and he pulled her against his chest. With her thin legs dangling at the side of the saddle she patted Zack’s chest a couple times, then settled with her head against him. She squirmed for a moment then stuck her thumb in her mouth.
“If everyone is ready….” Steve called out, and everyone nodded. He headed back the way he had come.
Zack used his heels against the horse’s middle and gently reined the mount to the left to follow Steve. The horse walked forward and caught up with Steve while the two women fell in behind. Steve glanced over and grinned. “Be glad when we get where we’re going.”
“We all will be. I see you got a new job,” Steve noted over his shoulder.
Zack made a slight shrug. “I guess. Her mom gets tired. I’m just helping out.”
Steve chuckled. “Sure.”
The five horses made their way down the trail to the gulch with the highway bridge over the deep abyss in the distance. They clung to saddle horns as they jolted and swayed when the horses slipped their way into the shallow riverbed. The riders with Della leading the pack horse made their way single file along with the sandy terrain for a quarter mile then under the overpass. The riders gathered in the shade under the bridge, and suddenly, Steve raised his hand.
Zack whispered to Steve. “Is that gunfire? It came from ahead of us.”
Steve nodded. “We’re only half a mile from Van Horn. We need to get away from here. Can you hang on to Penny? We’re heading up into the hills. I don’t think we can take a chance getting near whatever is happening.”
“I thought we were going to try to scavenge supplies?” Della commented.
“Van Horn either hs infected, or that bunch we saw is attacking a group of survivors. Either way, we’re not taking any chances.”
