{"id":296,"date":"2013-07-22T13:05:25","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T13:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=296"},"modified":"2013-07-22T13:18:26","modified_gmt":"2013-07-22T13:18:26","slug":"chapter-74","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-74\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 74"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 74<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I wonder if the others are okay.<\/i><\/p>\n

I think about them a lot.\u00a0 Really, there\u2019s not a lot of options of stuff to do.\u00a0 It\u2019s like the early days of the church, only worse.\u00a0 We got hella spoiled by the luxuries of the base.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t realize that till we moved into this freaking golf course.\u00a0 Riley was right about the zombie count being lower, though; we\u2019re lucky.\u00a0 We\u2019re alive.\u00a0 So I think about the others, what they\u2019re doing.\u00a0 I bet the fence will be done soon.\u00a0 Knowing AJ, he\u2019ll paint it.\u00a0 I hope Howie\u2019s alright; he seemed to be getting better before we left.\u00a0 I wonder if Gabby\u2019s okay, now that Kevin\u2019s gone.\u00a0 He seemed to be like a surrogate father to the kid.\u00a0 Is Brian okay?\u00a0 After Riley, I\u2019d probably say I was closest to him.\u00a0 I miss him a lot; we did plenty of goofy shit that helped keep his mind off his family.<\/i><\/p>\n

Do they think we\u2019re dead?<\/i><\/p>\n

They probably do.\u00a0 I would.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been gone for almost two weeks now, far beyond the three days we promised.\u00a0 We have no way of contacting them, no way of telling them how wrong everything\u2019s gone.<\/i><\/p>\n

I hate this.<\/i><\/p>\n

I hate being stuck here.<\/i><\/p>\n

I hate feeling so damned helpless.\u00a0 So fucking idle.<\/i><\/p>\n

That\u2019s how we feel, all three of us.\u00a0 Especially Kevin.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never seen him like this.\u00a0 He seems so damn lost, like he doesn\u2019t have a real plan now.\u00a0 He\u2019s second guessing, because of what happened here, and before that, Kayleigh\u2026\u00a0 It\u2019s not his fault; sometimes things happen.\u00a0 But it\u2019s killing him, I think.\u00a0 Also, I think his injuries are hurting more than he\u2019s willing to admit to me or Rye.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know for sure; he won\u2019t let me check.\u00a0 He says he\u2019s fine, and he\u2019s handling it.\u00a0 Something\u2019s off.<\/i><\/p>\n

All we have now is each other.<\/i><\/p>\n

If that changes, I don\u2019t know if we can survive.<\/i><\/p>\n

Song Quote of the Entry\u2026 Nirvana, one of my favorite bands of all time.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u2026man, it\u2019s so hard to explain if you weren\u2019t here in the world before. But they were fucking epic.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you died alone
\nA long long time ago<\/i><\/p>\n

Oh no, not me<\/em>
\n We never lost control<\/em>
\n You’re face to face<\/em>
\n With The Man Who Sold The World<\/em><\/p>\n

I laughed and shook his hand
\nAnd made my way back home
\nI searched for form and land<\/i><\/p>\n

For years and years I roamed<\/i>
\nI gazed a gazely stare
\nWe walked a million years<\/i>
\nI must have died alone<\/i>
\nA long long time ago\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

– Nirvana, \u201cThe Man Who Sold The World\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Wednesday, October 3, 2012<\/b>
\nWeek Twenty-Four<\/i><\/p>\n

The sun was only beginning to give out the smallest rays of light to pierce the otherwise velvet black sky, as Nick glanced out the windows by the double door entrance.\u00a0 He was sitting up against one of the walls, his guns resting at his side.\u00a0 Riley lay against him; her head was in his lap as she was lost within a peaceful slumber.\u00a0 A small smile was etched on her face, a look of peacefulness he\u2019d never seen on her awake.\u00a0 His hand ran through her hair ever so gently, his eyes gazing at her tenderly while he let her sleep.<\/p>\n

Nick had promised to wake her up, so he could let her take her turn for zombie watch, but he didn\u2019t have the heart to disturb her.\u00a0 She bottled so much inside, never let him see her fear.\u00a0 She was so determined to prove to Kevin that she was strong, able to handle this mission, despite all the problems that had come their way thus far.\u00a0 He felt the least he could do was let her rest for as long as possible.\u00a0 He was sure she\u2019d chew him out for it later, but he didn\u2019t care much; it was worth it.<\/p>\n

His eyes scanned the area, seeing no potential threats at the moment.\u00a0 They landed on Kevin, who was sleeping on the other side of the main lounge.\u00a0 He\u2019d made sure Kevin had the couch, as he was still hurting, no matter how hard he tried to convince them otherwise. \u00a0He\u2019d been so distracted lately, as well, a fact that deeply unsettled the two blondes.\u00a0 Still, neither of them said much to him about it.\u00a0 What could they say?\u00a0 They seemed to have reached an impasse, and neither of them was sure of how to get out of it.<\/p>\n

A moan reached his ears.\u00a0 Without thinking, Nick grabbed the shotgun, spotted the zombie, and fired a shot that soared through the one open window.\u00a0 The shot hit directly in the skull, and the body crumpled almost silently to the ground, where a pile of them now lay from a week-and-a-half\u2019s worth of sniping.\u00a0 Nick smiled at his shooting.\u00a0 It always felt good when he was able to get one down with the first shot.<\/p>\n

He felt Riley stir, and he stayed almost perfectly still, knowing the noise from the blast might have disturbed her.\u00a0 She was an incredibly sound sleeper, sounder than Nick could ever be these days.\u00a0 He often got jealous of that.\u00a0 She shifted against him, turning a bit and mumbling.\u00a0 He sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick blinked, staring down.\u00a0 Did I hear what I think I did?<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d he asked, forgetting, for an instant, that she was, in fact, still asleep.<\/p>\n

She simply snuggled against him more, giving her own sigh of contentment.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019d heard her wrong.\u00a0 But what if he hadn\u2019t?\u00a0 Was he even ready to hear those words?\u00a0 Nick shook his head, stroking her hair again.\u00a0 He had no idea.\u00a0 Nick didn\u2019t think about being with her; he just was<\/i>.\u00a0 It felt right.\u00a0 They just fit, somehow, and there was no logic, no reason to it.<\/p>\n

At least she was asleep; she wouldn\u2019t know what she\u2019d said.\u00a0 Only Nick would.\u00a0 So he wouldn\u2019t have to worry about it, not really.\u00a0 Riley wasn\u2019t the type to really outright say anything personal.\u00a0 She could be blunt as hell when she wanted to be, but when it came to being truly emotionally vulnerable, that was something she couldn\u2019t handle very well.\u00a0 Right then, he was thankful for that little fact.\u00a0 As long as he was able to act like it never happened, at least.<\/p>\n

He glanced outside again.<\/p>\n

Killing zombies is way less complicated.<\/i><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

SMACK!<\/p>\n

A hand slammed into the back of his head \u2013 playfully, of course, but it still smarted a bit.\u00a0 Nick rubbed the back of his head, wincing as if the smack had inflicted more pain than it actually had.\u00a0 He held back the laughter that wanted to surface.\u00a0 He\u2019d never tell Riley, but she got cute when she was angry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe you stayed up all night instead of waking me up for my shift!\u201d Riley cried, giving him an irritated look.<\/p>\n

Nick smiled, looking sheepish.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t wanna wake you.\u00a0 You looked so\u2026\u201d He struggled for a word. \u201c\u2026 so happy.\u00a0 It\u2019s okay; I handled it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her expression softened.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 Well, then, thanks.\u00a0 I just, don\u2019t want you always covering my slack.\u00a0 I told Kevin I could handle coming, and I can, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Their gazes shifted over to Kevin, where he still lay resting upon the couch.\u00a0 They had no way to tell, but the sun was high in the sky, so Nick guessed it to be maybe around noon.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like Kevin to sleep in so late.\u00a0 Their eyes met, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing. He was just the one who vocalized it first.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should wake him.\u00a0 You think he\u2019s alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly?\u00a0 I think something\u2019s up, beyond the fact that we\u2019re trapped in the middle of the country with no plans of how to get home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had been like this for the past few days:\u00a0 lethargic, pensive, and isolated.\u00a0 They\u2019d both tried to piece the new shell that Kevin had built around himself, but he refused to let them in.\u00a0 Nick set his jaw as he walked over.\u00a0 That ended now; they didn\u2019t have room for that sort of behavior anymore.\u00a0 Too many things rested upon it.\u00a0 They had to get back to Florida, and they had to figure out just how they were going to do it.\u00a0 Brian and Gretchen had said they\u2019d almost been killed just going down there from Atlanta.\u00a0 Their odds were going to be far slimmer traveling from Colorado.<\/p>\n

Still, they had to try.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019re right.\u00a0 Fuck, how did everything go so bad, so fast?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWe didn\u2019t think about the rest of the country; we assumed it would be okay.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t think that maybe the rest of America was just as bad.\u00a0 Why else would we assume we could refuel?\u201d\u00a0 Riley shot him an ironic smile.\u00a0 \u201cWe were optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick smiled back, making his way towards Kevin.\u00a0 The truth was, they had been thinking it hadn\u2019t spread.\u00a0 Maybe not consciously, but their actions had said otherwise.\u00a0 He shook Kevin a bit, ever so gently, in hopes of rousing him.\u00a0 Kevin shifted, but didn\u2019t wake.\u00a0 Nick frowned when he shook him again.\u00a0 Kevin moaned, in a weak echo of a zombie, but still didn\u2019t rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cRye?\u00a0 C\u2019mere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d\u00a0 She stood beside him, watching Kevin.\u00a0 The man\u2019s brow was glistening with beaded diamonds of sweat; his black hair was pasted to skull.\u00a0 He mumbled something, tossing a bit on the couch before lying still once more, looking far paler than normal.\u00a0 Her brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s not looking too good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can\u2019t be the Osiris Virus; we\u2019d have caught it by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because we can\u2019t get that, doesn\u2019t mean other shit can\u2019t touch us,\u201d she remarked darkly.\u00a0 Her hand touched Kevin\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s warm, really warm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShit.\u201d\u00a0 Nick paced, trying to think of how Kevin could have caught a virus, when it occurred to him:\u00a0 the injuries from back at the base.\u00a0 The fact that Kevin wouldn\u2019t let him check him out after that night.\u00a0 Even if Nick had, it wasn\u2019t like he could just run out and get medical supplies.\u00a0 It was far more complicated than that now.\u00a0 They had been living off of the dry supplies they had been able to find at the clubhouse so far.\u00a0 Venturing out to get food, or anything, was a dangerous task.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick ripped open Kevin\u2019s shirt and nodded, confirming his suspicions.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s from back at Buckley.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t tell us he was still hurting.\u201d\u00a0 There, angry red lines spider-webbed along his chest.\u00a0 Just above his navel was a raw, angry wound with a thick grey-white fluid seeping from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u00a0 Mom, it\u2019s okay; we\u2019re going to be okay\u2026 I\u2019ll take care of you now\u2026\u201d Kevin murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s delirious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wish Jo was with us right now.\u00a0 That\u2019s gotta be a pretty bad infection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick ran for their pitiful first aid kit, while Riley went to grab a towel from the kitchenette.\u00a0 They came back at the same time, and Riley set to cleaning the wound.\u00a0 Nick handed her Neosporin and bandaging; all the sanitized wipes had been used the day at the base.\u00a0 Neither said anything, but they shared the same thought; one look at each other said enough.\u00a0 Both were worried; neither had a clue of what to do.\u00a0 He saw the faces she made while draining the pus, but didn\u2019t laugh, for once.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I\u2019m doing this right.\u00a0 I\u2019m no nurse.\u00a0 Whenever my brothers got hurt\u2026 well, I screamed till Dad came.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need Jo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t I know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do we do now?\u201d he asked, as she bandaged up the wound so it wouldn\u2019t get infected further.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can we do?\u00a0 We wait and pray like hell that will work.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

If I didn\u2019t fucking hate hospitals before\u2026 I sure as hell do now.<\/i><\/p>\n

Thursday, October 4, 2012<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Week Twenty-Four<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI have to go to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, hell no.\u00a0 No way.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 I\u2019ll shoot you before I let you walk out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick was staring down Riley, as they stood hovering over Kevin.\u00a0 His condition hadn\u2019t improved; in fact, Nick was worried it had actually worsened.\u00a0 Kevin still slept in a feverous delirium.\u00a0 And although he didn\u2019t like it, Nick knew this was beyond the meager supplies they had at their disposal.\u00a0 He was going to have to risk a trip to the local hospital and see what he could find.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d known this the night before, that this would be an eventuality if nothing changed.\u00a0 He\u2019d spent the night flipping through the map at the back of the phone book to try and find the nearest hospital.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought over and over again about how he could get in and out the quickest, what way to get in.\u00a0 Despite all that, he didn\u2019t feel even the slightest bit prepared.<\/p>\n

It was a suicide mission, and he knew it.<\/p>\n

The simple truth was, Kevin didn\u2019t have a prayer if he didn\u2019t try.\u00a0 Riley knew it, too, and that was why she stood in his way, her rifle in hand, threatening to shoot him before letting him go kill himself instead.\u00a0 He\u2019d never seen her like this; her face was pale, her blue eyes pleading, begging him not to go.\u00a0 The gun itself shook with nerves in her hands.\u00a0 The expression on her face was one of anxiety, her lips set in a firm line.\u00a0 It felt like she was saying those three terrifying words all over again, just as unconsciously as before.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needs more than what we\u2019ve got here.\u201d\u00a0 He watched as she took that in and could see she knew he was right.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t go alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t come with me!\u00a0 What if those things get in here?\u00a0 Kev would be an all-you-can-eat buffet to those fuckers!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a death trap if you go alone.\u00a0 Hell, it may even be a death trap if I go with you, but you won\u2019t make it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t leave him here to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen no, no way, you\u2019re not going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gonna die if I don\u2019t get something!\u00a0 You were even saying so last night, weren\u2019t you?\u00a0 He needs some antibiotics.\u201d\u00a0 Nick was trying to sound calm, rational, and logical \u2013 three things that he never quite accomplished properly.\u00a0 Still, someone had to stand strong; someone had to keep from breaking down.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re going to fucking die trying to go get them!\u00a0 It\u2019s a goddamn hospital, you barely made it out alive from one before, and that was before all the goddamn corpses even managed to rise!\u00a0 If there\u2019s a mass zombie party, the hospital is where it\u2019d be.\u00a0 We\u2019ll figure something out, but you are NOT<\/i> going to a hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if there\u2019s no other option?\u00a0 You\u2019re just going to let Kevin die?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not!\u00a0 But what if you don\u2019t make it back!?\u201d she countered.\u00a0 He could see her fighting back the stream of tears that threatened to fall.\u00a0 There was so much left unsaid in that statement.<\/p>\n

He approached her cautiously, wrapping his arms around her, pushing the gun aside.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to make it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026 no, you won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

He buried his face in her hair, breathing her in.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I will.\u00a0 I swear.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to come back just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley shoved him away, her expression stony and cold.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a dead man walking.\u00a0 You already decided.\u00a0 Just go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRye, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re practically dead; just go make it official already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust have a little faith.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike Howie when he almost died?\u00a0 Or how about Kayleigh when she did<\/i>?\u00a0 Just fucking go already!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRye-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out!\u201d she yelled, looking like she wanted to do nothing more than curl up with a teddy bear and cry.\u00a0 The gun fell to the floor; the safety must have been on, as it didn\u2019t go off.\u00a0 She wrapped her arms around herself, as if to make up for the embrace Nick wanted to give.\u00a0 But he couldn\u2019t try to find another way.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t just waste time when he knew this was the only answer.\u00a0 So instead, he gave one last look at the girl who held his heart, grabbed his weapons, and walked out the door.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Nick sat in the Hummer for awhile outside the hospital, unsure of his next move.\u00a0 When he\u2019d thought this over, it had seemed simpler than it actually was, once he arrived.\u00a0 He drove carefully around the building, hunting for the pharmaceutical entrance.\u00a0 He figured that would be his safest route, less bodies there, hopefully, and then he wouldn\u2019t be forced to make some roundabout journey in search of medication.<\/p>\n

That was the other hole in his operation. What medicine should he get?\u00a0 He knew antibiotics would be his best bet, but that was as far as his knowledge went.\u00a0 They\u2019d always relied on Jo for any medical incidents, big and small alike.\u00a0 Sitting there in the Hummer, he realized they probably should have had her teach them what she could, just in case.<\/p>\n

He cut the engine, hearing the moans from outside the vehicle.\u00a0 It was harder to tell now how many were close than it had been back in Tampa.\u00a0 On the base, once they\u2019d cleared it out, they had learned how to determine how far off a ghoul was from the decibel and distance of the moans.\u00a0 Now, there were so many, it was just a neverending chorus.<\/p>\n

Nick grabbed his axe and doubled-checked to make sure he had his handguns and ammo tucked away.\u00a0 He swallowed back any fear bubbling up from within his stomach and opened the door.\u00a0 The smell, once again, slammed his senses, and he wondered if those zombies would ever just finally decompose completely and fall apart, thus doing them all a favor.\u00a0 The zombies wandering amongst the cars detected him immediately.\u00a0 His feet slammed against the pavement as he raced indoors.<\/p>\n

He kicked through the small door, coming up to the desk of the pharmacy.\u00a0 Hearing the zombies behind him, he looked around before grabbing a nearby mop and jamming it through the door handle to keep the door shut for now.\u00a0 He just prayed the shatterproof glass of the door would stay true to its name.<\/p>\n

Nick glanced around, reacting just in time to a uniformed, undead nurse lunging at him.\u00a0 They fell to the ground, her jaws snapping at him eagerly for her next meal as the axe slipped from his grasp.\u00a0 The hands wrapped around his neck, and he struggled for air, as he fought to get free.\u00a0 His hand struggled to reach his weapon, as spots began to appear before his eyes.\u00a0 Nick struggled with every ounce of strength he had, his other hand keeping her just out of biting reach.\u00a0 Finally, he was able to grab the axe and slam it clumsily into her skull as hard as he could.\u00a0 He felt the skull shatter beneath the force, and the reanimated corpse slumped on top of him.\u00a0 Nick gasped for air, enjoying the feeling once he was able to breathe normally again.\u00a0 He shoved the body off of him, getting up slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m never going into a hospital again after this,\u201d he muttered, putting the axe back into the strap along his belt.\u00a0 \u201cOnly for Kevin would I do something this damn crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another zombie rose from behind the counter, and this time, his guns came out swiftly.\u00a0 The first shot slammed into the zombie\u2019s shoulder, causing it to stumble, and Nick cursed his own bad aim.\u00a0 The next shot connected with the skull, and he watched it fall quickly to the floor.\u00a0 He heard another set of moans, sounding like they were coming from the other side of the door at the end of the room, leading to the rest of the hospital.<\/p>\n

I really don\u2019t want to know how many heard me just now<\/i>, he thought to himself with trepidation.\u00a0 He put his hands on the counter, hopping over it with ease, due to his height.\u00a0 He walked into the back room, where another zombie was there to greet him.\u00a0 He stumbled back, almost tripping.\u00a0 A shot fired off wildly, as a result, bouncing off the metal lamp hanging from the ceiling and firing through the top of the zombie\u2019s skull.\u00a0 Nick, once again, was thankful for his incredible luck.\u00a0 He ran into the stock room, leaping over the newly-fallen body, and started sifting through the medical prescriptions.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2026 antibiotics, antibiotics.\u00a0 Fucking doctor handwriting; how the hell do they expect anyone to read this shit?\u201d\u00a0 He fumbled his way through the little bags of medication, reading the labels and tossing them aside as the moans grew louder.<\/p>\n

\u201cFuck, fuckety fuck fuck!\u201d Nick yelled, forgetting himself as shoved a bunch onto the ground.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t got time for this\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Finally, he saw the labels he\u2019d been looking for.\u00a0 \u201cPenicillin\u2026 okay.\u00a0 Amoxicillin\u2026\u201d\u00a0 His eyes skimmed the label.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, that too\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He saw several bags, but the one word he read was \u201cantibiotic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not caring about much else, he grabbed as many of them as he could, stuffing them into a larger bag he found stashed under the shelves.\u00a0 He thrust himself back over the counter, pulling the mop free from the door handle.\u00a0 Before the ghouls could shove their way in, he forced his way out, axe once again in hand.\u00a0 Many fell to the ground, and using that window of opportunity, he ran through the small gap, using the blade of his weapon to decapitate only those that got truly in his way.<\/p>\n

He ran for the Hummer.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think about it till later, but he felt more in shape than he used to be.\u00a0 Once past the horde, he felt his speed pick up without as much effort as it used to take before the dead had risen.\u00a0 Nick raced quickly into his ride, tossing the bag of medications into the passenger seat, started the engine, and floored it.<\/p>\n

\u201cCause this is Thriller!\u00a0 Thriller night\u2026\u201d<\/i> he sang happily, a song of victory.\u00a0 The moment deserved one, because Nick recognized the fact that he had been incredibly lucky, once again.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney, I\u2019m home!\u201d he called, as he came through the doors of the golf course clubhouse.\u00a0 The ride had been uneventful, compared to the hospital trip.\u00a0 All the drive had taken was some careful maneuvering around the wreckage of cars, and keeping his lunch, as he ran down zombies again and again.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t hitting them that unnerved him; it was feeling the bumps as he drove over them that did it.<\/p>\n

Riley kept her back to him.\u00a0 She was standing by Kevin\u2019s bedside \u2013 or couch-side, if Nick decided he wanted to be accurate.\u00a0 He could see her shoulders jerk just a bit, so it wasn\u2019t like she hadn\u2019t heard him.\u00a0 Nick strolled towards her, shaking the bag.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got goodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n

He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWe can try the penicillin first, see if that works.\u201d\u00a0 He knelt down beside Kevin, who groaned tiredly in his sleep.\u00a0 Nick grabbed the cup of water Riley had been using to try and keep him hydrated, after taking out two tablets.\u00a0 Opening Kevin\u2019s mouth, he laid them on his tongue, following it up with some water.\u00a0 Once he was sure Kevin swallowed them, he stood back up, turning back to Riley, who was watching sullenly.\u00a0 She turned away before Nick could get a good look at her face, not letting their eyes meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they don\u2019t work, I brought some others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0 It was one word, short and harsh.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not even going to talk to me?\u201d he said, feeling hurt.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t had a choice; why couldn\u2019t she understand that?<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t what?\u00a0 Can\u2019t talk to me?\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, that\u2019s not it, Nick!\u00a0 God!\u201d\u00a0 Her voice shook.<\/p>\n

He grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to turn back towards him.\u00a0 That was when he saw.\u00a0 Her eyes were bloodshot, her face splotchy from tears shed while he\u2019d been away for the past couple of hours.\u00a0 It hurt his heart, seeing her so broken like that, knowing he was the one who had caused it.\u00a0 \u201cHey, I\u2019m here; I\u2019m okay.\u00a0 Kevin\u2019ll be okay.\u201d\u00a0 His hands rested on her shoulders, one coming up to stroke her cheek affectionately.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t take this.\u00a0 I can\u2019t\u2026 I can\u2019t lose Kevin.\u00a0 We\u2019re so far from the others; we\u2019ll probably never see them again.\u00a0 Kevin might die from this infection, zombies are roaming the world, and he might die from an infection, Nick!\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes watered again, and Nick wondered when was the last time she had let herself break down like this.\u00a0 \u201cAnd\u2026 losing him would be bad enough.\u00a0 But when you left\u2026 I thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He pulled her close, and he held her tight.\u00a0 Her body shook, as he wrapped his arms around her, her face buried into his chest.\u00a0 He understood the fear she had; he had felt that very same feeling that day at Buckley, when he\u2019d seen her just before the blasts.\u00a0 For an instant, he had thought she was going to die, and the fear of losing her had been all-consuming and more powerful than anything he\u2019d felt before.\u00a0 There were no more words spoken between them.<\/p>\n

There didn\u2019t need to be.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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

Chapter 74 I wonder if the others are okay. I think about them a lot.\u00a0 Really, there\u2019s not a lot of options of stuff to do.\u00a0 It\u2019s like the early days of the church, only worse.\u00a0 We got hella spoiled … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":74,"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\/296"}],"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=296"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":314,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/296\/revisions\/314"}],"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=296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}