{"id":244,"date":"2013-07-21T16:36:56","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T16:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=244"},"modified":"2013-07-22T15:31:03","modified_gmt":"2013-07-22T15:31:03","slug":"chapter-51","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-51\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 51"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART V: \u00a0IN SANCTUM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chapter 51<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a relief to be with a group of people again.\u00a0 All those days, when it was just Brian and me, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder if that was it.\u00a0 If we were it.\u00a0 The last man and woman alive, like in that old Vincent Price movie, \u201cThe Last Man on Earth.\u201d\u00a0 (I think there\u2019s one called \u201cThe Last Woman on Earth,\u201d too.\u00a0 Not sure if they\u2019re related.)\u00a0 It sounded silly even then, but a week without seeing any other live human beings will make you wonder.<\/i><\/p>\n

We still don\u2019t know for sure if there are any others outside our little group, but at least we have each other.\u00a0 We each have our roles here.\u00a0 Kevin is the leader and sort of a father figure, or a big brother, to everyone.\u00a0 He\u2019s not much older than most of us, but he has this commanding presence that makes you look up to him, respect him, trust him.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s because he was in the Air Force.\u00a0 He knows what he\u2019s doing.\u00a0 He knows this place.<\/i><\/p>\n

Jo is like the mother, then.\u00a0 Not just because she\u2019s the oldest woman, but because she\u2019s a natural caretaker.\u00a0 She tries to keep us organized, keep us calm.\u00a0 She\u2019s a comfort to have around, especially for Gabby, but all of us appreciate her.<\/i><\/p>\n

Howie would like to be second in command, but really, I think that\u2019s AJ.\u00a0 He\u2019s the tough guy; he and Kevin work well together, even though they have totally different personalities.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s why Howie and Kevin are always at each other\u2019s throats \u2013 they\u2019re too alike, too used to being in charge.\u00a0 AJ doesn\u2019t want to boss anyone else around; he just wants to do his own thing, and Kevin lets him.<\/i><\/p>\n

Nick pretty much goes wherever he\u2019s needed and does what he\u2019s asked.\u00a0 He and Riley are newer to the group, like Brian and me, so I guess we\u2019re all still learning our place.\u00a0 The three of them are learning how to shoot and how to fight the zombies.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been helping Jo, making sure we have food and water, cleaning up around the church.\u00a0 It\u2019s not exciting work, but somebody\u2019s got to do it.<\/i><\/p>\n

Gabby will usually help us, especially if I\u2019m the one who asks her \u2013 she gripes occasionally if her mom does, but then, she is a thirteen-year-old girl.\u00a0 I was the same way at that age.\u00a0 Kayleigh is worse.\u00a0 I know most of the others are annoyed with her.\u00a0 I try to be understanding; she\u2019s just dealing with everything in her own way, like the rest of us, and not doing so well with it.\u00a0 She\u2019s depressed.\u00a0 But it\u2019s hard to accept someone just lying around while the rest of us do everything we can to keep the group safe.\u00a0 We\u2019re all mourning the ones we lost, but if we don\u2019t protect ourselves, we\u2019ll end up just like them.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure Kayleigh would even mind.<\/i><\/p>\n

I would, though.\u00a0 I get down sometimes, too, but I know I have to keep going, keep fighting.\u00a0 I have to survive for Shawn.\u00a0 I know he\u2019s out there, looking for me\u2026 I just have to be alive when he finds me.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Monday, April 23, 2012<\/b>
\nWeek One<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Kevin!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Gabby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Gabby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Riley!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Spunky!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWoof!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Kayleigh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Howie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Brian!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Gretchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, AJ!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, John Boy!\u201d<\/p>\n

A round of laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s John Boy??\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind, Gabby, you\u2019re too young.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know who John Boy is either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Waltons<\/i>, Kayleigh; he\u2019s from The Waltons<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come she<\/i> gets to ask a question without being snapped at, but I don\u2019t?\u00a0 That\u2019s unfair!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got an answer, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough, guys.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just go to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Dad!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Kevin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

As silence fell upon the sanctuary, Gretchen lay awake on her pew, listening.\u00a0 She\u2019d done a lot of listening over the last three days, much more than talking.\u00a0 It was a nice change, a perk of being around ten people instead of just Brian.\u00a0 With Brian, she\u2019d talked more than usual just to pass the time, fill the silence.\u00a0 Now she was content to let the others make the conversation \u2013 and the decisions.<\/p>\n

There were a lot of strong personalities in the group, she\u2019d noticed.\u00a0 Brian\u2019s cousin Kevin was the natural leader, as the oldest man, the military officer, and the one most familiar with the base.\u00a0 But she could tell that Howie, who had run his own company, was also someone who was used to being in charge and liked to micromanage.\u00a0 He and Kevin constantly butted heads, as they argued over decisions.\u00a0 Riley was another Type A personality, and though she\u2019d been cordial ever since they\u2019d arrived, Gretchen could sense she was not a woman to be crossed.\u00a0 And then there was AJ, who was not afraid to speak of his mind \u2013 or, it seemed, of anything else.\u00a0 It was he who had been volunteering to take on nighttime guard duty, in order to let Kevin oversee the day-to-day operations around the base.<\/p>\n

With so many contenders vying for control, there was no need for the leadership of a teacher.\u00a0 Gretchen could manage a classroom, but she didn\u2019t know the first thing about fortifying buildings or checking generators or making battle plans.\u00a0 In this setting, she was better off keeping her mouth shut and going along with the decisions of those who knew what they were doing.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t yet know where she fit in this group, but she would find her niche, eventually.<\/p>\n

Painfully, she rolled over so that she was facing the back of the pew, turned away from the others.\u00a0 It was hard to sleep in the sanctuary, almost as bad as it had been in the gas station.\u00a0 Her bruised ribs ached when she was lying down, and just the slightest movement in the wrong way was enough to cause stabbing pains so sharp, they took her breath away.\u00a0 The pews were padded, which made them preferable to the floor, but they were also narrow.\u00a0 The bigger of the guys chose to just crash in sleeping bags on the floor.<\/p>\n

She could hear one of them tossing and turning now, the waterproof material of his sleeping bag rubbing together.\u00a0 Probably Nick \u2013 he was the most restless, constantly moving some part of his body.\u00a0 He reminded her of boys she\u2019d had in her class, the kind who took medicine for ADHD.\u00a0 Just like those kids, Nick was a clown, always making jokes or singing.\u00a0 But also, like them, he was sort of loveable, in his own way.\u00a0 He had a cute personality, and his goofy sense of humor did a lot to lighten the mood around the church.\u00a0 With the others so serious and brooding all the time, Nick \u2013 and his dog \u2013 were good for morale.<\/p>\n

Just not good for my insomnia<\/i>, thought Gretchen, rolling her eyes as she listened to him thumping around while he adjusted his position up on the altar.\u00a0 The sounds were another hard part of sleeping in the sanctuary.\u00a0 Gretchen normally liked the noises of night \u2013 the high-pitched symphony of crickets chirping, the low rumbling of motors as cars drove by, the gentle flutter of leaves as a calm summer breeze blew in through the open window, or the mournful howl of the wind whipping around outside on a blustery evening.<\/p>\n

But here, those noises were absent.\u00a0 There were no crickets \u2013 or locusts or birds or any animals, for that matter.\u00a0 They all seemed to have disappeared when the dead rose, instinctively fleeing from something even they knew was unnatural, a threat.\u00a0 There were, of course, no cars, and no breeze, because they kept all the windows firmly shut and locked against the undead, despite the smothering heat.\u00a0 Inside the sanctuary, there were only human sounds \u2013 blankets rustling, bodies shifting; the snores of those sleeping lightly, mixed with the murmurs of those deep in dreams, and the whimpers and screams of those lost in nightmares.<\/p>\n

Gabby, in particular, had had a rough time with the latter since Gretchen had been there.\u00a0 She put on a good front during the day, but Gretchen could tell the youngest among them was having a tougher time than she let on.\u00a0 At least she had her mother nearby, though Kevin seemed to have taken her under his wing as well.<\/p>\n

In any case, Gretchen found it hard to get to sleep with the little sounds of nine other people taking the place of the usual white noise that soothed her.\u00a0 Even worse was the occasional, distant moan of the undead that still prowled the base, which caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end, her body crawling with goosebumps.\u00a0 Every time this happened, many of those who were still awake to hear it would sit upright, looking around, before settling back down, and then the tossing and turning would begin again.\u00a0 It was a wonder any of them slept, but eventually, they always did, awaking in the morning not quite refreshed, but still alive, at least.<\/p>\n

On that night, it was raining, just the kind of summer thunderstorm Gretchen loved.\u00a0 The light spatter of raindrops on the sloped rooftop and down the stained glass window was a lonely sound, but in a way, it comforted her.\u00a0 She pressed her cheek up against the smooth, stained wood pew back, savoring its relative coolness, and drifted to sleep.<\/p>\n

A guttural shout awoke her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWAKE UP!\u00a0 C\u2019MON, WAKE UP NOW!\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen struggled to sit up, her ribs twinging.\u00a0 Spunky was barking, her sharp yelps interrupted only by low growls.\u00a0 Gretchen had never heard the sweet golden retriever sound so menacing.\u00a0 She blinked, looking around for the dog, her vision taking in only blurred shapes in the dim light.\u00a0 She reached for her glasses.\u00a0 The sanctuary was still shadowy, lit by only a single, flickering altar candle, but squinting through the darkness, she could make out a hunched figure running up the aisle.<\/p>\n

She recognized AJ by voice, rather than shape.\u00a0 \u201cFucking wake up!\u201d <\/i>he hissed.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s-\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

The stained glass window exploded.<\/p>\n

Gasping, Gretchen rolled off her pew and fell to her knees, shielding herself behind the pew in front of her, as shards of colored glass flew like shrapnel, raining down upon the altar.\u00a0 The colossal crash was enough to wake the others; she heard shouts and screams at the front of the sanctuary.\u00a0 But when she raised her head over the back of the pew, it wasn\u2019t just the other survivors she saw stirring.<\/p>\n

More figures were shuffling in through the shattered panes of the floor-to-ceiling window.\u00a0 Gretchen saw their contorted bodies silhouetted in the candlelight, heard their ravenous moans, and knew this was it.\u00a0 Their sanctuary had been invaded.\u00a0 They were done for.<\/p>\n

\u201cLET\u2019S GO!\u201d bellowed AJ.\u00a0 Gretchen\u2019s pew was near the back, and he reached her first.\u00a0 Grabbing her arm, he jerked her up roughly and shoved her into the aisle.\u00a0 \u201cRUN, GO!\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen ran.\u00a0 She heard footsteps behind her and put on a fresh burst of speed, afraid to look back, unsure if her pursuer was man or monster.\u00a0 She slammed into the sanctuary doors, forcing them open, and darted into the foyer.\u00a0 There she hesitated, torn between the open door to the outside and the large multipurpose room across the hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn there!\u201d shouted a deep voice behind her, and Gretchen turned to see Kevin pointing to the multipurpose room.\u00a0 He was already armed with his gun.\u00a0 She jumped reflexively as she heard a round of gunfire from inside the sanctuary, drowning out the moans and the screams.\u00a0 Before she could react, Kevin had already run back in, and the sound of his rifle joined that of its brother.<\/p>\n

Gretchen raced across the hall and pulled open one of the double doors to the multipurpose room.\u00a0 Before she could get inside, a small figure ducked under her arm and scurried in first, towing a larger figure behind her \u2013 Gabby and her mother, Jo.\u00a0 Gretchen wanted to follow them in and lock the door behind her, but instead, she stood at the threshold, holding it open for more survivors.\u00a0 She was prepared to slam it shut at the first glimpse of a zombie.<\/p>\n

Howie came running out next, Kayleigh on his heels.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are the others?\u201d Gretchen asked them frantically, as Howie doubled over, panting, and Kayleigh collapsed like a gelatinous blob on the floor, sobbing.\u00a0 \u201cAre they coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re shooting,\u201d Howie offered pointlessly, as another round of fire rang out from the sanctuary.<\/p>\n

Gretchen took a headcount in the darkness.\u00a0 They were missing five \u2013 half the group.\u00a0 Kevin\u2026 Brian\u2026 AJ\u2026 Nick\u2026 Riley.\u00a0 Were they all fighting zombies, she wondered, or had some of them been hurt?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should round up some materials to barricade the door,\u201d said Howie, flipping on the lights.\u00a0 The fluorescent lights in the ceiling buzzed as they gradually brightened, powered by the generators.\u00a0 He pointed across the room, and as her eyes adjusted, Gretchen saw a set of round tables that had been pushed up against one wall, half of them turned upside down on top of the others.\u00a0 Neat stacks of chairs lined the adjacent wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t close it yet, not while our friends are still out there,\u201d Jo protested.\u00a0 Gretchen and Gabby nodded their agreement.\u00a0 Kayleigh just sobbed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just meant we should get ready, drag some of those tables over,\u201d Howie explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood idea,\u201d said Gretchen.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone needs to keep watch at the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will,\u201d Howie volunteered at once.<\/p>\n

As she retreated from the door to let him take her place, Gretchen couldn\u2019t help but roll her eyes.\u00a0 He had to be the strongest in the room, physically, yet he was happy to let the three women and a little girl do all the moving and lifting while he stood in the doorway and watched.\u00a0 That bothered her, but then, maybe he thought he was being noble by putting himself in closest proximity to the zombies.\u00a0 If they did break through the sanctuary, they\u2019d get him first.\u00a0 A wry smile crossed her lips as she followed Jo and Gabby across the room to start pulling down tables.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Kayleigh, could you come help, please?\u201d she asked, trying to keep her tone light, as she struggled to tip one of the tables without dropping it on her feet.\u00a0 They were bulky, hard to maneuver.<\/p>\n

Reluctantly, Kayleigh dragged herself off the floor.\u00a0 She helped Gretchen wrangle down the overturned table, while Jo and Gabby slid another one over to Howie.\u00a0 \u201cOnce we close the door, we\u2019ll stack these on top of each other, just like they were over there, and we\u2019ll pile chairs on top of the upside down table, to add some weight,\u201d Howie said.\u00a0 \u201cEven if they manage to break down the door, they\u2019ll still have quite a barrier to get over \u2013 they\u2019re not too coordinated, are they?\u00a0 And the clatter it\u2019ll make will be enough to alert us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSounds good.\u201d\u00a0 Some of her annoyance with him subsided; what he lacked in manpower, he made up for in logic, and she valued logical thinking.<\/p>\n

She paused at the door to listen.\u00a0 Across the hall, the gunshots were becoming fewer and further between.\u00a0 That meant one of two possibilities:\u00a0 either they were running out of zombies to shoot, or running out of shooters to take down the zombies.\u00a0 She caught Howie\u2019s eye, and the look that passed between them told her he was wondering the same thing she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to check on them,\u201d she blurted.\u00a0 The last thing she wanted to do was go back into that sanctuary, but she thought of Brian and the others, armed but outnumbered, and knew she could not just stand by and hope they made it out.\u00a0 There were more firearms in the foyer, for those on guard duty, and she snatched up one of the rifles, the kind of gun Kevin had trained her and Brian to shoot the day after they\u2019d arrived.\u00a0 Checking quickly to make sure it was loaded and the safety turned off, she held it out in front of her as she crept towards the sanctuary.<\/p>\n

The doors had fallen closed behind those who had escaped.\u00a0 Through the narrow glass panels inlaid in each of the doors, she could see movement, but it was too dark inside the sanctuary to tell what was going on.\u00a0 The solitary altar candle had been extinguished; the only glimmer of light came from the sliver of moon outside.\u00a0 It took all of Gretchen\u2019s courage to reach out, take hold of one of the door handles, and pull it open.<\/p>\n

Catching the door with her foot, she pointed the gun straight ahead and squinted into the darkness\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t shoot!\u201d<\/p>\n

The shock of hearing a voice right in front of her almost caused Gretchen to pull the trigger out of reflex. \u00a0\u201cNick?!\u00a0 Jesus\u2026 you about gave me a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry\u2026 it\u2019s okay now.\u00a0 I think we got them all.\u201d\u00a0 She heard Spunky whine and could just make out the retriever\u2019s shape circling Nick\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cFound it!\u201d\u00a0 Gretchen recognized Brian\u2019s voice, and a second later, a circle of light shone off to one side of the room.\u00a0 Brian\u2019s face appeared like an apparition, floating in the golden ring of light made by the flashlight he held below his chin.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuit goofing off and give us some light,\u201d snapped Kevin.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s make sure before we let our guard down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian quickly obliged, shining the flashlight in a slow circle around the sanctuary.\u00a0 As Gretchen\u2019s eyes adjusted, they made out the forms of Kevin, AJ, and Riley, standing in various spots around the sanctuary, their weapons still in hand.\u00a0 In the faint light, they were able to find the other flashlights, and soon five more halos of light joined Brian\u2019s.\u00a0 Kevin found the wall switch for the overhead lights, and as they came up slowly, the six of them circled the sanctuary, flashlights in one hand, guns in the other, checking and double-checking corners and rows for any undead stragglers.\u00a0 Spunky walked in front of Nick with her nose to the floor, sniffing everything.\u00a0 She growled, still unsettled, but did not bark.<\/p>\n

When, at last, they determined that the sanctuary was clear, Kevin said, \u201cWe need to move all of our stuff into the multipurpose room, quickly.\u00a0 Just because we\u2019ve taken out the first wave doesn\u2019t mean there won\u2019t be more.\u00a0 The noise may have attracted them.\u00a0 It\u2019s not safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen followed his eyes to what had once been the spectacular stained glass window behind the altar.\u00a0 Now it was merely a gap in the wall that ran from floor to ceiling, only a few jagged panes of glass still dangling from the top of the window frame.\u00a0 It would be difficult, if not impossible, to repair, and she wondered vaguely why no one had recognized this as a potential problem before.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go get the others,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll go faster if we all help.\u201d<\/p>\n

She walked back across the hall to the multipurpose room.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just me,\u201d she announced.\u00a0 \u201cIt looks like everyone is okay \u2013 and they killed all the zombies\u2026 for now.\u00a0 There may be more, though, so we\u2019re going to move everything from the sanctuary into here.\u00a0 It\u2019s not safe to stay there anymore, with the window broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo joined her at once to help with the transfer of supplies, and Gabby followed.\u00a0 Warily, Howie and Kayleigh joined them at last.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long for the ten of them to gather up all of their blankets and sleeping bags, clothing, flashlights and candles, and weapons and carry them into the multipurpose room.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we just need to block off the sanctuary,\u201d said Kevin.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t risk them getting in again while we sleep.\u00a0 Jo, would you show a couple of guys where we left the extra lumber we used to board up the windows and doors?\u00a0 If it\u2019s not enough, we\u2019ll have to rip out some of the pews and use that wood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d\u00a0 AJ and Brian went with Jo and returned a few minutes later with armloads of wooden boards.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Kevin had found the supply of nails, along with a couple of hammers.\u00a0 He and Brian set to work nailing boards across the sanctuary\u2019s closed doors.\u00a0 They worked quickly, hardly speaking.\u00a0 AJ carried his gun back to the entryway of the church and sat just inside the doorway, out of the rain.<\/p>\n

Inside the multipurpose room, Gretchen and Jo sat down to reorganize their pile of supplies, while Riley, Kayleigh, and Howie spread out their bedding on the floor.\u00a0 Gretchen suddenly heard Riley ask, \u201cNick, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0 She turned to look in Nick\u2019s direction.\u00a0 He was sitting apart from the others, holding his arm.\u00a0 Spunky lay next to him, her head in his lap.<\/p>\n

Gretchen was immediately concerned, too, as it wasn\u2019t like Nick to be so quiet and removed from the action.\u00a0 \u201cAre you okay?\u201d she asked, joining Riley at his side.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened to your arm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, it\u2019s\u2026 it\u2019s nothing.\u00a0 Just a little cut.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hearing the word \u201ccut,\u201d Jo came over immediately and knelt down on his other side.\u00a0 \u201cLet me see,\u201d she pried gently, and with some reluctance, he lifted his hand.<\/p>\n

Jo kept a composed face, but Gretchen gasped aloud at the \u201clittle cut\u201d that appeared when Nick pulled back his bloody hand.\u00a0 The \u201clittle cut\u201d was actually a deep gash in his forearm, and without his hand to cover it, it bled freely.\u00a0 Jo nudged Riley and her aside and moved in front of Nick, looking him full-on in the face.\u00a0 \u201cNick\u2026 were you bitten?\u201d she asked, her voice hushed and grave.\u00a0 It was the kind of voice used just outside the room of someone who was deathly ill, and it sent chills down Gretchen\u2019s spine.\u00a0 She exchanged a glance with Riley, who looked paler than usual under the fluorescent lighting.\u00a0 From Jo\u2019s reaction, they could both infer what happened to those who were bitten by the undead.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d answered Nick, and Gretchen felt herself sag with relief.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just from the glass, I think.\u00a0 I was sleeping on the altar; I got friggin\u2019 showered with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick\u2019s expression twisted with annoyance.\u00a0 \u201cOf course I\u2019m sure; I\u2019d know if a fucking zombie bit my arm!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Jo held up her hands in defense.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just making sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all good.\u201d\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t all good, not for Nick, at least.\u00a0 Further examination revealed other cuts, tears and dark circles on his t-shirt, where the wounds had bled through.\u00a0 His arms were the worst, for apparently he had awoken in the midst of the crash and raised his arms to shield his face, but there were even bits of glass in his hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake off your shirt,\u201d advised Jo.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Gretchen, I\u2019m going to need some tweezers and something to disinfect them with, if you can find it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen rummaged through the hodgepodge of gear that had been moved from the other room and dumped into a heap, but she couldn\u2019t find anything resembling medical supplies.\u00a0 She went into the foyer to ask Kevin.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know if there\u2019s a first aid kit or anything around here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTry the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrying a flashlight, Gretchen searched the kitchen and eventually found an old first aid kit in one of the cabinets.\u00a0 She carried the whole box back to the multipurpose room and sat down next to Jo to pick through it.\u00a0 \u201cNot much here,\u201d she observed, frowning.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a few antiseptic wipes, but no rubbing alcohol or anything.\u00a0 And no tweezers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have a pair of tweezers in my purse.\u201d\u00a0 Jo raised her voice and called, \u201cGabrielle?\u00a0 Bring my purse over here, please!\u201d\u00a0 To Gretchen, she added, \u201cSave the antiseptic wipes; I can use a lighter to sterilize them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re so prepared,\u201d smiled Gretchen, as Gabby came over with her purse and one of the candle lighters.\u00a0 \u201cComes with the territory of being a nurse, huh?\u00a0 Like how I almost always have Kleenex and Band-aids with me, for little snotty noses and picked scabs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo returned her smile as she opened up her large handbag.\u00a0 \u201cThat, and just being a mom.\u00a0 You learn to have things on hand when you have your own little scabby, snotty-nosed angels running around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gretchen forced herself to chuckle, but she felt a twinge deep down inside her, in a place that was hollow and empty.\u00a0 Inconspicuously, she put her hand on her stomach.<\/p>\n

Jo found the tweezers, and Gretchen held the lighter while she sterilized their tips in the hot flame.\u00a0 Riley held Nick\u2019s hand as Jo set to work picking out the shards of glass, one by one.\u00a0 Gretchen had to turn away, though she cringed every time she heard one of the tiny glass pieces plinking into the bowl they had set out.\u00a0 Even Howie looked pale, as he watched from a distance.<\/p>\n

Kayleigh was already curled in the fetal position on her blanket in a corner of the room, her back to everyone else.\u00a0 After awhile, Gretchen thought she had managed to drift back to sleep, but she had not.\u00a0 When at last Jo had cleaned and dressed Nick\u2019s cuts, and the cousins had finished boarding up the sanctuary doors, Kayleigh surprised everyone by sitting up and asking in a small voice, \u201cDo you mind if we all sleep together tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

They all looked at her.\u00a0 \u201cWe are<\/i> together,\u201d said Riley none-too-kindly, casting an obvious look around the big, open room.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I meant\u2026 never mind.\u201d\u00a0 Kayleigh closed her mouth, drew her knees up to her chest, and folded her arms around them.\u00a0 She buried her face in them like a small child, humiliated.<\/p>\n

Nick shot Riley a look and then rolled his eyes in Kayleigh\u2019s direction.\u00a0 But his tone was patient and polite when he asked, \u201cNo, go on, Kayleigh.\u00a0 You meant, like, sleep close together, instead of spread out like we had been?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayleigh nodded without lifting her head.\u00a0 She was such a drama queen, like some of the nine-year-old girls Gretchen had taught.\u00a0 It was hard to feel sorry for her when she started acting like that, but nonetheless, most of the others liked the idea.\u00a0 They all felt a little shaken, after waking up to an ambush by the undead.\u00a0 Even Howie, at odds with so many, dragged his blanket over to the rest of the group.<\/p>\n

AJ remained outside, insisting that he was still up for overnight guard duty alone, but the rest of them lay down in a sort of square, five going lengthwise, the other four stretched out sideways in two rows at their heads, with Spunky curled at Nick\u2019s feet.\u00a0 Gretchen felt like a gingerbread cookie on a sheet.\u00a0 The closeness made the human sounds she usually hated that much louder, but on that night, they brought her comfort.<\/p>\n

She fell asleep to Nick\u2019s snores and did not awake to Gabby\u2019s screams.\u00a0 The rest of the night was quiet.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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PART V: \u00a0IN SANCTUM Chapter 51 It\u2019s a relief to be with a group of people again.\u00a0 All those days, when it was just Brian and me, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder if that was it.\u00a0 If we were it.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":51,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/244"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":379,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/244\/revisions\/379"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}