Now standing in the storage room, I began looking for potential sources of water and any windows that might open. I heard footfalls from the lobby and decided to see if I could help in any way.
“Hi Zoe,” whispered Jane. “Eww, yuck,” she said as she wrinkled her freckled nose. “You stink.”
I winked at her. “Yes, I do. Girls, stay here in the lobby, ok? We need to clean up a mess in the back of the building before you go back there.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Susan, who walked in during the conversation.
“I have some bleach soaking a mess in the very back room. I’m trying to find towels, water, and any windows that might open for fresh air.”
“The guys are bringing Gus in. We should try to find a place for him to lie down first.”
“What about that bench?” asked Abbey, pointing to a long bench seat in the lobby that sat under one of the front windows.
“See if the cushion comes off, and we can put him on the floor away from the window,” suggested Susan.
“I’ll help!” said Jane.
The two girls set to work checking out the bench seat cushion. I was glad to see it came off easily; by the sound it was attached by Velcro.
“Just bring it to the middle of the floor, girls,” instructed Susan.
The girls laid it out on the floor just as Gus appeared, propped up by Boggs and Nathan. He was awake again, but looked haggard. My heart twisted in my chest.
“Lay him here,” said Susan.
She was proving to be a true friend and a good woman. My thoughts flickered over to Emilie for a moment, and I had to force her from my mind. I knew I had to hold it together and stay focused on helping Gus.
Boggs and Nathan helped lower Gus onto the makeshift bed. It was narrow and too short for him, leaving his feet overhanging onto the floor.
“Abs, can you grab a seat cushion for Gus’ feet?” asked Nathan.
The pre-teen hustled in the task she’d been assigned, producing a smaller seat cushion. Jane helped lift Gus’ feet while Abbey tucked it under. Gus winced as his feet were lowered.
I knelt down beside him, and felt his forehead. He was hot and clammy at the same time. He looked over at me, his eyes not quite focused.
“Hey,” I whispered softly.
“Hey,” he said back, his voice broken.
“How ya doing?” I asked, running my fingers through his sweat-soaked hair.
“Been better,” he said before starting to cough. He found my free hand with his and held onto it. “Infection’s setting in, faster than I expected. I need antibiotics, Zoe.”
I nodded. “I think I found some in a cabinet. They’re in little glass bottles.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. I thought he might be falling asleep again, but he opened them and looked at me. “Bring them to me?”
“I’ll get them,” said Boggs.
“I need you to look for IV supplies,” groaned the sick man that lay before me.
“Gus, I don’t know what to look for, or how to put an IV in,” I said
“I’ll help, it’ll be ok,” he said quietly.
“Ok.” I kept my gaze on him, ignoring anything else around us. It was just me and him, in the moment.
As we locked our gaze on each other, and Gus’ grip tightened on my hand, I was vaguely aware of Nathan and Susan talking in the background. Nathan was going back into the smoke shop to block the doorway leading to our current location, and Susan would wait for him at the back door to let him back in.
“Close your eyes, Gus, rest,” I soothed as I ran my free hand through his hair.
He nodded and closed his eyelids. I could tell he was getting sicker by the moment and I was so worried.
“Abbey?” I called to the preteen.
“Ya, Zoe?”
“The room Boggs just went into. Can you go back there and find the refrigerator? It’s a small one next to the wire shelves. Open it and see if there’s anything in there to drink that’s in sealed cans or bottles?”
“Sure.” I kept my gaze on Gus, but saw her stand up in my peripheral vision.
“Can I go with?” asked Jane.
“Of course you can, sweetie. Both of you stay out of the room behind it though, ok?” warned Susan.
“Ok.”
The two girls scuttled around the reception desk and into the storage room beyond. Gus’ eyes flickered open.
“Hey, Zoe,” he whispered.
“Hey.” I forced a small smile.
“I’m cold. And my stomach hurts.”
“Your bandages are getting pretty nasty,” I said.
“You should cut them off.”
I nodded. “Let me just find some scissors, ok?”
“Sure.”
“You have to let go of my hand.”
“Ok, baby. You got it.” He was starting to sound delirious.
I stood and walked behind the reception desk, hoping to find some basic office supplies. There were several drawers, and I got lucky when I opened the first one. I found a bottle of Ibuprofen and a pair of scissors. There was also a bottle of water on the counter top. It was full and unopened. Thank you, God, I thought to myself. I gathered the three items and walked back to Gus’ side. Boggs was right behind me, along with the girls.
“He’s burning up,” I said. “Boggs, can you help him sit up so I can get some Ibuprofen into him? I found some in the desk.”
“Sure thing.” Boggs knelt down on the ground behind Gus’ head and helped prop his shoulders up.
“Gus,” I said, above a whisper. You need to swallow these.”
He looked at me, his eyes still not quite focused.
“Hey, Zoe,” he said again, as if just seeing me for the first time that day.
“Open your mouth,” I insisted
He opened his mouth but seemed confused. He began chewing the pills, and then made a face of disgust.
“Here, sip.” I held the bottle of water to his lips and tipped it up. Some dripped down his chin and growing stubble, which I wiped away with my hand. He finally started drinking deeply.
“’Kay, lay him back down. I need to cut his old bandages off. Girls, it’s probably best if you don’t watch, ok? How about if you both go behind the desk and see if you can find some paper and pens or take some magazines from the table with you to read.” They followed directions quietly and without complaint.
“I brought the little glass bottles out. I’m not sure what the medicines are, though,” said Boggs.
“Let me take a look,” said Nathan, who had suddenly appeared with Susan at his side.
“Where’d you guys go?” asked Boggs.
“I secured the door from the smoke shop side and Susan let me in the back door. It’s not perfect but with some fiddling around on this side we should be able to get it secure.”
“Was the alley clear?” asked Boggs as he handed the small bottles over.
“Yup, just the red bag we threw out.” He was studying labels.
“Nate, do you have any idea which medication he needs?” asked Susan.
“This one looks good. Cephalexin. It covers a lot of bad bugs. I’ll take it back and get it ready. We’ll need a few more things, too.” As he walked behind the reception desk, I heard him quietly greet the girls.
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 infecte
d,” said Boggs.
“Doesn’t it seem fast for infection to have set in?” I asked.
“Ya. 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. “Ya, I could actually use a good stretch and a potty 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.
CHAPTER 10
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 N
athan. “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.
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