{"id":258,"date":"2013-07-21T22:43:22","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T22:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=258"},"modified":"2013-07-21T22:43:22","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T22:43:22","slug":"chapter-57","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-57\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 57"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 57<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Darwin was right.\u00a0 Even our contemporary, human society functioned on the principle of \u201csurvival of the fittest.\u201d\u00a0 Granted, it meant something different to the modern man than it did to the wild animals:\u00a0 mental strength got you further than physical prowess.\u00a0 Brains over brawn, education instead of instinct, charisma rather than quickness \u2013 those were the traits that kept you alive, got you ahead, made you a success.\u00a0 There was competition over colleges, jobs, women \u2013 natural selection at its finest.<\/i><\/p>\n

I had it all.\u00a0 I was king of my jungle.\u00a0 Graduate of an Ivy League college, CEO of a successful company, husband to a beautiful woman\u2026 well, that last part hadn\u2019t worked out so well.\u00a0 But my trophy wife, before she was my soon-to-be ex-wife, had given me a son, so I could add \u201cfather to an incredible son\u201d to the list as well.\u00a0 By anyone\u2019s standards, I\u2019d done well for myself.<\/i><\/p>\n

In another time, I might have been an outcast \u2013 the scrawny Puerto Rican and Irish kid who couldn\u2019t play sports or fight or hunt or build things with his hands.\u00a0 But what didn\u2019t kill me made me stronger, at least in the way that mattered.\u00a0 While others kids were climbing trees and throwing footballs, I was studying; I was thinking; I was dreaming.\u00a0 Some kids get athletic scholarships; I got an academic one.\u00a0 And while my peers were up to their ears in debt from college loans, I was already starting to rake in the millions, as my company expanded.\u00a0 Despite my one limitation, I believed I was better than them.\u00a0 Better than everyone.<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the ones on top who have the farthest to fall.<\/i><\/p>\n

On Infernal Friday, I fell just like everyone else.\u00a0 The ones to get back on their feet the quickest were not the smartest or the richest, but the strongest, the ones with true survival skills.\u00a0 You see, we\u2019re back to basics now.\u00a0 Back to classic Darwinism.\u00a0 Survival of the fittest, where fitness means strength, speed, endurance, and good aim.\u00a0 The strong will survive.\u00a0 The weak will become zombies.<\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure why I survived the initial outbreak, but I can\u2019t imagine I\u2019m long for this new world.\u00a0 It\u2019s not just because I\u2019m not cut out to be a zombie-hunter.\u00a0 It\u2019s because the whole point of natural selection is to pass on the genetic traits that will equip a species for success.\u00a0 And despite my own personal success, no one\u2019s going to want to repopulate the planet with my genes.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Friday, May 11, 2012<\/b>
\nWeek Three<\/i><\/p>\n

Howie lay on his back on a thin blanket, stripped down to his thin, white, cotton undershirt and boxer shorts.\u00a0 Even so, he was sweating like a pig inside the stuffy chapel.\u00a0 He had never felt so unclean, so uncivilized.<\/p>\n

He closed his eyes and imagined himself sitting in his office, in the high-backed executive chair made of smooth, buttery leather, behind a colossal desk of gleaming mahogany, dressed in a neatly-pressed pair of slacks, a crisp button-down, and his finest silk tie.\u00a0 The blinds would be closed, blocking out the heat of the afternoon sun in favor of the cool air blasting steadily from the air conditioning vents in the ceiling.\u00a0 In the dim light, the computer monitor glowed, black type standing out on white, as he smiled over the company\u2019s latest figures.<\/p>\n

Gone.\u00a0 All gone.<\/p>\n

The scene changed.\u00a0 He was nude, nothing against his bare skin but the silky softness of the twelve-hundred thread count Egyptian sheets he lay between.\u00a0 Lying next to him, sound asleep, the top sheet draped over her breasts, was his ex-wife, Bree.\u00a0 She looked as beautiful as ever, her blonde hair spilling over the pillow as she slept.\u00a0 He watched her for a few moments, yawned contentedly, and stretched out his legs to the tips of his toes beneath the sheets, still not reaching the end of the king-size mattress.\u00a0 She stirred as his weight shifted, but her blue eyes remained closed, her lashes thick against her cheeks.\u00a0 Smiling, he let his own eyelids grow heavy and drift downward\u2026<\/p>\n

His eyes flashed open, and he was back in the church, feeling sticky and smothered.\u00a0 He longed for the cool, crisp luxury of his office.\u00a0 He longed for the lavish comfort of his bed.\u00a0 He longed for his old life.\u00a0 For Barty, and even Bree.<\/p>\n

Gone.\u00a0 All gone.<\/p>\n

In his memory, another image flickered, that of Bree naked in bed again (she\u2019d always preferred to sleep in the nude), but this time, her body was blemished with purple sores, her eyes were fixed half-open, and she was no longer beautiful.\u00a0 He squeezed his eyes shut again, not to keep looking this time, but to extinguish the image, force it out of his head, before he could remember any further.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to remember, couldn\u2019t bear to see them again, not like that\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay, Howie?\u201d<\/p>\n

He opened his eyes again to look around, startled, and there was Kayleigh, watching him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d he mumbled and looked away, but he could still feel her gaze on him and knew she had not.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d gotten the sense that a lot of Kayleigh\u2019s staring into space was really people-watching.\u00a0 She was more insightful than people gave her credit for, what with the persona of the mute, unstable, air-for-brains weakling she\u2019d built around herself.\u00a0 Slowly, she was coming out of that shell.\u00a0 He attributed the change to Nick\u2019s seizure.\u00a0 It had been Kayleigh who\u2019d come for help, Kayleigh who\u2019d \u201csaved the day\u201d with her actions, small as they were.\u00a0 She was pleased with herself, he could tell, even if she didn\u2019t make a big deal of it.\u00a0 She had been talking more, even smiling, ever since that day.<\/p>\n

Yet still, she struggled.\u00a0 Of them all, she and he seemed to have had the hardest time adjusting to life in the post-plague, zombie-infested world.\u00a0 Some individuals in their group were well-equipped to survive in it \u2013 Kevin, of course, and, surprisingly, AJ, who almost seemed to be enjoying himself.\u00a0 Others, like Jo and Riley, Nick and Brian, had adapted quickly.\u00a0 Even Gretchen, the schoolteacher, and Gabby, the little girl, were faring as well as could be expected.\u00a0 But Kayleigh and Howie both had struggled to adjust.\u00a0 Perhaps it was because life had changed the most for them \u2013 she, the spoiled sorority sister, and he, the wealthy CEO \u2013 both educated, yet neither possessing the sort of smarts that mattered in this new world.\u00a0 Maybe that was why they had bonded.<\/p>\n

Kayleigh had opened up to Howie first, telling him about the people she had loved and lost \u2013 her father, her family, her boyfriend Bradley Lee.\u00a0 He sensed she expected him to pour his heart out to her in return, but he couldn\u2019t bring himself to talk about Bree and Barty.\u00a0 Mostly Barty.<\/p>\n

He closed his eyes yet again and tried to picture his son the way he\u2019d last seen him alive:\u00a0 dark hair, glowing mahogany skin, brown eyes that crinkled at the corners whenever he flashed his big, gap-toothed smile.\u00a0 Howie couldn\u2019t help but smile now, sadly, just picturing it.\u00a0 It had been clear, the day Barty was born, that his son had inherited his dark, Puerto Rican looks, rather than Bree\u2019s fair, European features.\u00a0 Despite his pride in having a son who looked like him, he\u2019d feared those weren\u2019t the only genes he\u2019d passed on.\u00a0 Yet Bartholomew Dorough had grown into a strong, healthy boy, athletic and outgoing like Bree.\u00a0 Looks, it seemed, were the only realm in which he resembled his father.<\/p>\n

It was cruel irony that Howard had been the one to survive.<\/p>\n

For a man who had been worth millions a few weeks ago, he was now worthless.\u00a0 Utterly worthless.<\/p>\n

\u201cYo, Howie!\u00a0 Get off your lazy ass; we got a job to do!\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie scowled, as AJ\u2019s crude, raspy voice grated his ears.\u00a0 He raised himself on one elbow, as AJ came barreling into the multipurpose room.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d he asked stiffly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSupply run.\u00a0 Kevin\u2019s orders,\u201d the other man added quickly, before Howie could protest.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re running low on food, and Kevin thinks we might as well finish off anything perishable before it goes bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie wrinkled his nose.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you think it\u2019s gone bad already?\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s only been a month.\u00a0 Stuff that\u2019s packaged and doesn\u2019t need refrigerating will still be good.\u00a0 Cereal, crackers, that kind of thing.\u00a0 Kevin says we should eat that before we get into the canned stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then why doesn\u2019t Kevin get it himself?<\/i> Howie thought peevishly, but he knew better than to say this aloud.\u00a0 His expression must have given him away, though, because AJ added, \u201cHe and Brian are heading out to shoot zombies and try the radio again, and Nick and Riley are on guard duty.\u00a0 He asked me to pick someone to help me get supplies, and I picked you, so suck it up, be a man, and let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie bristled, but climbed slowly to his feet, pulling on a pair of pants over his boxers.\u00a0 He had learned from Kayleigh that refusing did no good, and his powers of persuasion had proven pointless here.\u00a0 Kevin was in charge, and AJ was his right-hand man.\u00a0 Their command had been established easily the first week, and though he resented it, Howie knew better than to stage a coup<\/i>.\u00a0 He was used to being the boss, but it was obvious even to him that Kevin was the man best equipped to lead in this situation.\u00a0 Howie had been a competitive force in the hotel industry, but he knew nothing of waging war with the undead.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to know.\u00a0 But Kevin and his squad insisted everyone pull their weight, and so, reluctantly, Howie followed AJ to the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck,\u201d Kayleigh called half-heartedly after them.\u00a0 AJ ignored her, but Howie acknowledged the goodbye with a grimace over his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat vehicle are we taking?\u201d he asked AJ, as the other man handed him a rifle and prepared to unbolt the front door.<\/p>\n

\u201cKevin took the Hummer, and Jo thinks we should save the ambulance for emergencies, so we\u2019ll take the truck.\u00a0 You can drive if you want.\u00a0 I\u2019ll ride shotgun, and we can throw shit in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie frowned, picturing the dented pick-up Brian and Gretchen had arrived in.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d rather drive my own car,\u201d he said at once, thinking of the tinted windows, the cool leather interior with the air conditioning blasting.\u00a0 It would feel so good to escape into the luxury of his old life once more, if only for a short while.\u00a0 \u201cIt has eighteen cubic feet of trunk space, which should suffice for the amount of supplies we could reasonably be expected to obtain in one trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJ shot him a look, opened his mouth to retort, seemed to change his mind, closed it again, opened it once more, and finally replied, \u201cWhatever, dude.\u00a0 Whatever floats your boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Satisfied to have gotten his way, Howie ignored the condescension in his tone and shouldered his gun, trying to prepare himself for the threat of zombies, as AJ finally opened the door.\u00a0 He winced against the shock of the light and heat that spilled in from outside, wrinkling his nose.\u00a0 The air he\u2019d been craving wasn\u2019t fresh at all, but ripe with the stench of decay from the bodies lying or lurching about.\u00a0 It was almost worse than the stale, stagnant air inside the chapel.\u00a0 The breeze felt nice, but smelled terrible.\u00a0 Howie wanted to hold his nose, but didn\u2019t dare take a hand off his rifle.\u00a0 He breathed through his mouth as they crept towards his Lexus.<\/p>\n

AJ broke into a run, and Howie followed, panting behind him.\u00a0 He used the automatic starter on his keychain so that the engine was running by the time he slid behind the wheel.\u00a0 The leather seats practically scalded the backs of his legs even through his trousers, but within minutes, icy air was blasting through the air conditioning vents.<\/p>\n

Even AJ had to sigh and rest his head against the back of his seat for a moment, fanning the cool air towards his face.\u00a0 \u201cGod, that feels good,\u201d he groaned.<\/p>\n

Howie smiled in self-satisfaction.\u00a0 Despite the rotten stench outside, the Lexus maintained its smell of new leather, though as they drove away from the chapel, Howie\u2019s nostrils detected the odor of sweat coming off of AJ \u2013 and probably himself, as well.\u00a0 Someone had picked up deodorant on one of their supply runs, but it could only do so much when they were constantly sweating.<\/p>\n

AJ didn\u2019t seem to notice; if he did, he didn\u2019t mention it.\u00a0 Now that they were on the road, he was focused, his gun armed and ready in his lap, his eyes darting back and forth like an edgy animal\u2019s.\u00a0 He lowered the passenger side window, shooting at every zombie they passed.\u00a0 Howie flinched at every shot and struggled to keep his hands from jerking the wheel.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake a left here,\u201d said AJ, when they reached the intersection of Florida Keys Avenue.\u00a0 \u201cThe catering office is a couple of blocks up the street, part of the base\u2019s club complex.\u00a0 We\u2019ll try there today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie nodded, having no choice but to follow his directions.\u00a0 After three weeks of following Kevin around, AJ had come to know the layout of the base considerably well, certainly better than he had.\u00a0 He let AJ navigate, and sure enough, in just a couple of minutes, they were parked beneath the overhang of an expansive building with a white-columned fa\u00e7ade and a sign labeling it The Bayshore Club.\u00a0 It looked like a swanky place, and for an instant, Howie\u2019s spirits lifted.<\/p>\n

Then he felt a familiar, warm, wetness in his nose, and his heart sank.\u00a0 He looked down to see a spot of glistening red on the steering wheel in front of him and watched as another drop fell to join it.<\/p>\n

\u201cReady?\u201d AJ growled, reaching for his door handle.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait,\u201d said Howie.\u00a0 He reached up and touched the moisture at the base of his nostrils, then pulled his hand back to look.\u00a0 His fingertips were streaked scarlet.\u00a0 He tasted metal as the blood dribbled down over his top lip.\u00a0 \u201cMy nose is bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 AJ turned to look at him, frowning.\u00a0 \u201cDamn, it is.\u00a0 Well, stuff some kleenex up it or something, and let\u2019s go.\u00a0 We can\u2019t hang out here; I\u2019d bet money those motherfuckers can smell blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie could smell blood, too.\u00a0 He was starting to feel light-headed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not that simple\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning his head back, but he could still feel the blood trickling down his mouth, his chin, the heel of his hand.\u00a0 He was going to get blood all over the pristine interior of his Lexus, but for once, that wasn\u2019t his biggest concern.\u00a0 He should have known better than to blast the air conditioning like that\u2026 all that dry, cold air after so much heat and humidity\u2026\u00a0 \u201cCan you open my glove compartment?\u201d he asked AJ thickly.\u00a0 \u201cThere should be tissues inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Impatiently, AJ flung open the glove box, handed him a huge wad of tissues, and slammed it shut again.\u00a0 Howie started to feel annoyed.\u00a0 If AJ didn\u2019t want to be held up by him, he should have known better than to make him come along.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t the first nosebleed he\u2019d had in AJ\u2019s presence, and it certainly wouldn\u2019t be the last, unless\u2026<\/p>\n

His head snapped upright when he heard the moan.\u00a0 He stared out the windshield at the small flock of zombies staggering up the sidewalk towards them and felt his panic skyrocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn, too late,\u201d AJ cursed.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think \u2013 fight, bail, or run for it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not in a position to do any of the above at the moment!\u201d cried Howie, holding the tissues to his nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine, then I\u2019ll fight.\u201d\u00a0 Before Howie could stop him, AJ jumped out of the car and started shooting.<\/p>\n

Howie had to hand it to him \u2013 he was a pretty good shot.\u00a0 But by the time he\u2019d taken down most of the undead, there were more \u2013 lots more.\u00a0 They were like termites crawling out of the woodwork \u2013 the emerged from around both sides of the building, even through its front doors, and still more came from across and down the street.\u00a0 Either AJ was right and the blood had attracted them, or maybe it was the noise, but suddenly, there were zombies closing in on them from all angles.<\/p>\n

AJ jumped back into the car and locked the doors.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, so fighting didn\u2019t work, and I think we\u2019ve lost the chance to make a run for it.\u00a0 The supplies will have to wait.\u00a0 Let\u2019s bail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie nodded, reaching out to start the car again.\u00a0 The engine sprang to life, and he put his foot on the gas to rev it, but not even the roar could scare the walking dead that surrounded them.\u00a0 He shifted into drive, and with one hand holding his nose and the other gripping the wheel, he eased the car forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cFloor it!\u201d shouted AJ.\u00a0 \u201cRun them down!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t wanna wreck the car!\u201d Howie protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, they\u2019re gonna wreck it for you if you don\u2019t get us outta here!\u201d<\/p>\n

He was right:\u00a0 even as Howie tried to navigate through them, one-handed, the zombies swarmed around the car, their faces pressed to the windows, their hands beating determinedly against the glass and aluminum exterior.\u00a0 The Lexus bumped and bounced over the fallen bodies of the undead, but the ones left standing did not get out of the way.\u00a0 Howie accelerated, but some of them clung to the car, hanging on to door handles, bumpers, whatever they could grab.<\/p>\n

He looked into the rearview mirror, his nose still leaking blood into the handful of tissues, and saw two riding on the trunk, trying to climb up onto the roof.\u00a0 When he lowered his eyes to the windshield, he gasped and jerked his foot off the gas pedal \u2013 a third zombie clung to the hood, inching forward on its belly.\u00a0 Howie slammed down on the brake, but he was too late \u2013 the zombie had grabbed hold of one of his windshield wipers and managed to hang on.\u00a0 He flicked the wipers on, but as the zombie was dragged sideways, it struck the windshield with its free hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cFuck, man!\u201d shouted AJ, and Howie gaped in dismay at the spiderweb pattern of cracks that had appeared in the glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s shatterproof glass,\u201d Howie said, \u201cso it should be-\u201d\u00a0 The word \u201cokay\u201d died on his lips, as the zombie rammed its skull into the already-cracked windshield, and a circle of glass imploded.\u00a0 Howie cried out and let go of the wheel, both hands flying up to cover his face.\u00a0 He slammed his brakes again and opened his eyes just in time to see the zombie fly off the hood.\u00a0 He watched it bounce and roll on the ground, where it lay motionless.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould that be considered zombie suicide?\u201d asked AJ, looking at the lifeless heap.\u00a0 \u201cThat thing totally just smashed its own head.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie stared at him.\u00a0 He had a small piece of glass embedded in his forehead and another cut on his cheek.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t seemed to have noticed either yet.\u00a0 Howie reached up to feel his own face and felt a jolt in his stomach when his fingers came away bloody once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cDude,\u201d AJ chuckled, finally noticing this, \u201cnow you\u2019re really bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not funny,\u201d said Howie, feeling his face again.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t tell where exactly the blood was coming from; his whole face stung, wet and sticky with it.\u00a0 He could feel it running slowly down his hands, his wrists, his arms.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get back.\u00a0 I\u2026 I need Jo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, floor it, then, before we end up with zombie hitchhikers!\u201d<\/p>\n

The thumps and thuds of zombie bodies came from all directions now.\u00a0 There were some on the trunk, some crawling up the hood, and still more had made it onto the roof.\u00a0 Howie felt sick imagining the damage to his Lexus, but he felt even sicker picturing the damage to his face, the blood pouring from his nose and each of the cuts caused by the flying shards of glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you drive?\u201d he choked.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026 I can\u2019t\u2026 I shouldn\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?!\u00a0 Now<\/i> you want me to drive your precious car?\u201d\u00a0 AJ was incredulous.\u00a0 \u201cWell, fuck, then move outta the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a tangle of limbs, they managed to switch positions. \u00a0AJ collapsed into the driver\u2019s seat, grunting, but didn\u2019t waste any time getting comfortable.\u00a0 He floored the accelerator, and the car lurched forward, throwing the zombies off the hood and sending the others flying over the roof and right into their path.\u00a0 The car practically went airborne as it bounced over the pile of bodies.<\/p>\n

Howie groaned, pressing the blood-soaked tissues to his face.\u00a0 He felt like a human colander, the blood draining out of him through multiple holes in his skin.\u00a0 He knew he needed medical attention, but now was not the time to explain why to AJ.\u00a0 His only relief was that they were not far from the chapel.<\/p>\n

AJ veered back onto Florida Keys Avenue, and as he sped back towards the church, the horde of zombies chasing after them fell behind.\u00a0 By the time Howie staggered out of the car, he felt too light-headed to even notice the many cracks, dents, and scratches in the amethyst pearl exterior of his car.<\/p>\n

\u201cDude, are you okay?\u201d asked AJ, coming up alongside him.\u00a0 \u201cYou look about ready to faint.\u201d\u00a0 The teasing smile left his lips as a look of genuine concern came over his face.\u00a0 Without waiting for a reply from Howie, he threw Howie\u2019s arm around his shoulders, supporting his weight as the two men dragged themselves across the chapel\u2019s lawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?!\u201d cried a female voice, and Riley came running towards them.\u00a0 \u201cGod, Howie, you\u2019re bleeding pretty bad\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She hurried them to the door, where Nick stood, waiting to usher them in.\u00a0 Howie leaned against AJ, who hauled him into the multipurpose room, where the others sat, including, thankfully, Jo.<\/p>\n

The nurse came over right away, a look of alarm on her face.\u00a0 \u201cDid you get bitten?\u201d she asked, in a grave hush.<\/p>\n

Howie shook his head quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of it\u2019s from the windshield breaking,\u201d AJ explained, \u201cthough he did have a nosebleed before that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGabby, get the first aid supplies,\u201d Jo asked her daughter, and the girl came trotting over at once with the box she and Brian had brought back from the base hospital.\u00a0 Jo set to work mopping up the blood with gauze.\u00a0 \u201cThese cuts must be deeper than they look,\u201d she commented, after a few minutes.\u00a0 \u201cThey won\u2019t stop bleeding.\u00a0 Some of them might need stitches.\u00a0 Hold this in place while I get out the suturing equipment.\u201d\u00a0 She guided Howie\u2019s hand to one of the gauze pads she\u2019d applied to his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cPut pressure on it, now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie nodded.\u00a0 He knew the drill.\u00a0 He also knew it wouldn\u2019t do much good.<\/p>\n

He cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll take awhile for it to stop,\u201d he told Jo quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a hemophiliac.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite his low voice, all eyes in the room turned to him.\u00a0 Everything else in the room seemed to stop, as everyone paused to listen and stare.<\/p>\n

Jo\u2019s eyes widened, her expression serious.\u00a0 \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me before?\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie shifted uncomfortably.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026 I guess I didn\u2019t want to be considered a liability.\u00a0 You know\u2026 the weak link.\u201d\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t help it:\u00a0 he looked at Kayleigh, who blushed when he met her eyes and quickly dropped her gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cDude\u2026 you were the weak link before we knew you had hemophilia,\u201d said AJ with a snort, but when Howie looked at him, he was smiling.\u00a0 \u201cAt least now you have an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie managed a smile in return.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for getting me back in one piece,\u201d he offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot sure you can say the same for your car,\u201d AJ replied, \u201cbut at least it still runs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d said Howie, and to his surprise, it didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Perhaps it was because he was still worried about bleeding, but the damaged Lexus seemed trivial now.<\/p>\n

The concern must have showed on his face, because Jo patted his shoulder and said, \u201cYou\u2019re going to be fine.\u00a0 Most of these cuts really are superficial, and I\u2019m excellent at suturing \u2013 you\u2019ll barely have scars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Howie replied quietly.<\/p>\n

Jo peered at him closely.\u00a0 \u201cYou weren\u2019t injured anywhere else, were you?\u00a0 No impact from the seat belt or steering wheel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie shook his head.\u00a0 He knew she was wondering about the risk of internal bleeding \u2013 dangerous for anyone, deadly for a hemophiliac.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d she said with a nod of relief.\u00a0 \u201cJust take it easy, then, and keep an eye out for signs of a bleed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

All his life, he had been dealing with the symptoms and stigma of hemophilia.\u00a0 As an adult, he\u2019d done so quietly \u2013 few people in his life, with the exception of his family and closest friends, even knew of his illness.\u00a0 He had a medical alert bracelet that he barely wore; it was at his home in Orlando, tucked away in the top drawer of his bedside table, never to be seen again.\u00a0 He viewed it as a sign of weakness, a magnet for sympathy and even fear.\u00a0 As the leader of his company, the last thing he wanted was to be patronized or pitied.\u00a0 He took care of himself as best he could and dealt with the issues sprung from his hemophilia privately.\u00a0 It had been a long time since he\u2019d had a bad bleed, but then, he\u2019d lived a cautious and controlled life up until now.<\/p>\n

That life was over now.\u00a0 Gone.\u00a0 All gone.<\/p>\n

If he was going to adapt to this new life, he realized, he was going to have to start opening up to and accepting help from the rest of the group.\u00a0 Otherwise, he\u2019d never survive.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 57 Darwin was right.\u00a0 Even our contemporary, human society functioned on the principle of \u201csurvival of the fittest.\u201d\u00a0 Granted, it meant something different to the modern man than it did to the wild animals:\u00a0 mental strength got you further … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":57,"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\/258"}],"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=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/258\/revisions\/259"}],"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=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}