{"id":339,"date":"2013-07-22T14:37:18","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T14:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=339"},"modified":"2014-07-17T04:39:39","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T04:39:39","slug":"chapter-93","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-93\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 93"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 93<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Life is fragile, unpredictable.\u00a0 It can be taken away in an instant.\u00a0 It can change in a heartbeat, for better or for worse.<\/i><\/p>\n

Growing up with hemophilia, I learned that hard reality at an early age.\u00a0 One minute, I\u2019d be playing, and the next, I\u2019d be bleeding and on my way to the emergency room.\u00a0 During one of my hospital stays, I met another kid with hemophilia.\u00a0 My doctor introduced us; he thought it\u2019d be good for me to meet another kid my age who was like me.\u00a0 And it was, at first.\u00a0 Gary understood me in a way the kids at my school didn\u2019t.\u00a0 I could be myself around him, not Hemophilia Howie, but just plain Howard.\u00a0 We bonded in the hospital and kept in touch even after we were both discharged.\u00a0 This was way before the days of email and texting, but we talked to each other on the phone and even wrote letters, like we were pen pals or something.\u00a0 Gary lived across town, but sometimes his mom would come pick me up and take us both to the arcade.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t a big fan of video games, but Gary loved them, and while the other kids our age hung out at the skating rink, the arcade was a safe place we could go to have fun.\u00a0 Other times, I\u2019d just invite him over to my house, and we\u2019d listen to my Michael Jackson cassettes and try to teach ourselves how to do the Moonwalk.<\/i><\/p>\n

Then one Saturday, I called Gary\u2019s house, and no one answered.\u00a0 This was before anyone had an answering machine, so I just kept trying all day, but no one ever picked up.\u00a0 The next weekend, same thing.\u00a0 Finally, I called, and Gary\u2019s mom answered and asked to talk to my mom.\u00a0 I could tell from listening to her side of the conversation that something was wrong.\u00a0 When she hung up the phone, my mom turned to me with tears in her eyes and shakily started telling me what Gary\u2019s mom had told her.\u00a0 Gary had gone into the hospital, not with a bleed, just with a fever and a cough that wouldn\u2019t go away.\u00a0 Everyone had thought it was just the flu, but it turned out to be a lot worse than that.\u00a0 Gary had pneumonia\u2026 and not just regular old walking pneumonia, but the kind of pneumonia that people with weakened immune systems get.\u00a0 Like people with AIDS.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t known it until then, but Gary was HIV positive.\u00a0 He\u2019d contracted the virus from a tainted transfusion, before they knew enough to screen donor blood for it.\u00a0 He went into the hospital with a cough and never came out.<\/i><\/p>\n

After that, I stopped hanging out with kids with hemophilia, kids who were sick.\u00a0 And as much as it hurt, I couldn\u2019t blame other kids for not wanting to hang out with me.\u00a0 I knew it could just as easily be me next.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t die from AIDS like Gary, but a bad bleed, a fall, an accident\u2026 any number of things could kill me.\u00a0 Funny, zombies were never on my list.<\/i><\/p>\n

The world was a dangerous place, and my life seemed especially delicate.\u00a0 But I didn\u2019t die.\u00a0 I\u2019m still alive.\u00a0 I\u2019ve outlived all those kids who used to pick on me or avoid me altogether; I\u2019ve outlived everyone I knew in my old life.\u00a0 And even though the world seems more dangerous than ever, I know now that I\u2019m stronger than I thought.<\/i><\/p>\n

Life may be fragile, but as a species, humans are hardy.\u00a0 Death happens, but life goes on.<\/i><\/p>\n

Even when the odds are stacked against us, we will continue to survive.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Sunday, January 13, 2013<\/i><\/b>
\nWeek Thirty-Nine<\/i><\/p>\n

The miracle came in an armored truck, one unsuspecting Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Howie and Brian were on their way back from the communication dome, where they\u2019d been trying, once again, to send messages over the radio.\u00a0 Howie didn\u2019t really think there was any point in trying the radio now, when it was clear from their many failed attempts that there was simply no one left alive to listen.\u00a0 But he couldn\u2019t forget that it was the radio that had summoned Kayleigh and him to MacDill; without it, they\u2019d both have been goners by now.\u00a0 Nor could he blame Brian for wanting to try anything to help his unborn child.\u00a0 Howard Dorough might not have won any prizes for Father of the Year, despite the claim of the cheap \u201c#1 Dad\u201d mug from which he\u2019d drunk coffee when working late in the office, but he knew that fatherly instinct well.\u00a0 Perhaps it was because he hadn\u2019t been able to protect his own child from the apocalypse that he felt bound to help Brian protect his.<\/p>\n

So when Brian looked over at him and asked, \u201cYou think there\u2019s any hope of finding other survivors this way?\u201d Howie didn\u2019t shake his head.<\/p>\n

Instead, he blinked incredulously back at Brian and replied, \u201cDon\u2019t tell me the preacher\u2019s giving up on hope.\u00a0 Of course there\u2019s hope.\u00a0 Miracles happen, don\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian nodded, his expression faraway.\u00a0 Howie didn\u2019t know if he was back to believing or still doubting.\u00a0 He hoped it was the former; he liked the company of the Brian who believed much better than the sullen, angry Brian he\u2019d first met, the one who had renounced his faith.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want that Brian to return, yet feared he would, if anything happened to Gretchen or the baby.<\/p>\n

Whether it was pure coincidence or the divine result of God\u2019s impeccable sense of timing, Howie didn\u2019t know, but in any case, the miracle came mere minutes after he had mentioned miracles.\u00a0 He was just about to make the turn off of Bayshore onto Bridges, when Brian said, \u201cHang on!\u00a0 Do you hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie braked to a stop, mid-turn, and listened.\u00a0 He heard it, too:\u00a0 a horn honking, somewhere in the distance.<\/p>\n

He looked over at Brian in disbelief.\u00a0 Brian\u2019s blue eyes were wide, mirroring Howie\u2019s expression.\u00a0 Without a word, Howie took his foot off the brake, jammed it down on the accelerator, and swerved their pick-up truck back onto Bayshore Boulevard.\u00a0 They headed north toward the main entrance to the base; the honking had to have come from that direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think-?\u201d Brian started to ask, then trailed off.<\/p>\n

Howie understood, but didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0 Neither of them wanted to get their hopes up.\u00a0 But as they sped along in silence, they sure hoped that they would find the vehicle that had honked, and that it was a living person and not a zombie that had pressed the horn.<\/p>\n

As they approached the gate, it appeared to them like a mirage in a desert:\u00a0 a small, armored truck, idling just on the other side.\u00a0 Howie could hardly believe his eyes, but he could even see the driver, sitting behind the wheel.\u00a0 And the driver could see him; he put down his window and waved wildly, sticking his head out to shout something.<\/p>\n

Howie looked over at Brian, wanting to ask, \u201cAre you seeing this??\u201d but he didn\u2019t need to.\u00a0 Brian saw it, too; he was already opening his door, ready to jump out.\u00a0 But they weren\u2019t the only ones.<\/p>\n

As soon as Brian flung the door open wide, Howie was hit with the familiar stench of decaying corpses, carried in on the breeze.\u00a0 It assaulted his senses, stronger than it had been in months, and Howie knew what it meant; he smelled them before he saw them\u2026<\/p>\n

Zombies.<\/p>\n

A small horde of the undead, drawn by the sound of the honking, emerged from behind the armored truck, swarming hungrily around its sides.\u00a0 \u201cShit,\u201d swore the pastor in the passenger seat, and before Howie could react, Brian had already sprang out of the pick-up and was sprinting toward the gate, waving his arms over his head and screaming, \u201cWATCH OUT!\u201d<\/p>\n

But it was too late.\u00a0 Before the driver of the truck had time to look in his side mirror and react, a large zombie \u2013 probably male, from the size, though it was hard to tell anymore \u2013 had grabbed his head, its skeletal hands closing around fistfuls of his hair, which it used to pull the driver further out the truck window.<\/p>\n

Howie could make out another person in the passenger seat, trying to pull him back in.\u00a0 He saw the glint of a gun barrel as the passenger raised a firearm, but there was no room to get a clear shot from that angle.\u00a0 If the zombie was to be taken down, it would have to happen from the outside.\u00a0 But Brian, who was already approaching the gate, was unarmed.\u00a0 So Howie flung open the glove compartment and snatched the small, loaded handgun that was stored inside.\u00a0 He knew he\u2019d never make it in time, but he also knew he at least had to try and help.<\/p>\n

He jumped out of the truck and raced toward the gate, where Brian watched, helpless, as the man was attacked.\u00a0 His truck was completely surrounded now, the area outside the gate swarming with zombies, zombies that would get back inside the base if Brian dared to open the gate.\u00a0 Howie would have to take his shot through the gate.\u00a0 But he\u2019d never been good at distance shooting, especially with a handgun.\u00a0 He raised the weapon anyway, trying to steady his arm as he took aim and fired.<\/p>\n

The first shot missed, wide right, though it did take out a zombie behind the one that was still clawing at the struggling driver.\u00a0 In the time it took him to line up a second shot, Howie watched in dismay as the zombie\u2019s frenzied, flapping jaws finally latched onto living flesh, as it sank its exposed teeth into the man\u2019s neck.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d shouted Howie, and he squeezed the trigger.<\/p>\n

The second shot was low; it missed the zombie\u2019s brain, but hit its shoulder with enough force to knock it sideways.\u00a0 It tore off a chunk of the driver\u2019s flesh as it fell, and blood began to spurt from the man\u2019s jugular.\u00a0 The passenger pulled him back into the vehicle and put up the window, but the man just slumped against it, already fading fast.\u00a0 Howie knew if they didn\u2019t act quickly, he was going to bleed to death, and his companion would be trapped, as the smell of his blood drew more and more of the undead.<\/p>\n

The companion seemed to know it, too.\u00a0 Howie watched a struggle ensue inside the vehicle, as the passenger pulled the driver out of the way, climbed over him into the driver\u2019s seat, and opened the window a crack again, just enough to be heard shouting, \u201cOpen the damn gate!\u201d\u00a0 Howie was surprised to hear a woman\u2019s voice \u2013 throaty, English-accented, but unquestionably female.\u00a0 The bright sunlight bouncing off the windshield made it hard to see inside, but with her features hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses and her hair tucked up under a bandanna wrapped around her head, he\u2019d mistaken the passenger for a man.\u00a0 \u201cFor God\u2019s sake, open the gate, please!\u201d she screamed, her voice shooting up an octave with panic.<\/p>\n

Howie looked at Brian, who was squinting through the gate, eyes narrowed, jaw set, sizing up the situation.\u00a0 A second later, Brian looked back at him.\u00a0 \u201cGimme your gun,\u201d he demanded, holding out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou open the gate and take cover in there.\u201d\u00a0 He gestured to the guard\u2019s station.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll defend the gate.\u00a0 Close it again as soon as they\u2019re through.\u201d
\nThey were taking a chance, risking the undead coming back across their borders for a pair of strangers, but Howie knew it was the only chance the injured man had.\u00a0 And if these were the survivors they\u2019d been seeking, people who could help them in return, it would be worth the risk.\u00a0 So he didn\u2019t hesitate.\u00a0 He tossed Brian his gun and darted into the small building that housed the security controls.\u00a0 He found the button that opened the gate and punched it, praying it would still work.\u00a0 Electricity was unreliable when it came from back-up generators that were running low on fuel, and it had been a long time since anyone had attempted to open any of the gates.\u00a0 If they tried to open it by hand, the zombies would be all over them before they got it closed again.<\/p>\n

But to Howie\u2019s relief, the gate rumbled slowly open, and the woman guided the truck swiftly through it, leaving little room for any zombies to squeeze past.\u00a0 But there was no way to reverse the gate until it was all the way open, and once the truck had cleared it, the undead began to flood through the wide open entrance.\u00a0 Brian started shooting, as Howie smacked the button to close the gate, but it seemed to be taking forever.\u00a0 He felt like a coward, huddled inside the guard\u2019s station, safely out of the way, while Brian defended the base alone, but what else was he supposed to do?\u00a0 Foolishly, they\u2019d only brought one gun between them.<\/p>\n

This is where Kayleigh died,<\/i> Howie realized, as a sick feeling of trepidation caused his stomach to lurch.<\/p>\n

Then, all of a sudden, Brian wasn\u2019t alone.\u00a0 The armored truck lurched to an abrupt stop, and the woman who had taken over driving leaped out of the cab, gun in hand.\u00a0 She shot a spray of bullets into the sea of zombies, taking down several in one fell swoop.\u00a0 At the same time, the back doors of the truck burst open, and out leapt two more people.\u00a0 One was an older, Asian man, armed with a long, sharp-looking spear.\u00a0 The other was a younger, red-haired man who carried a strange, wooden sort of paddle; Howie couldn\u2019t be sure, but he thought it might be a cricket bat.\u00a0 The two men entered the fray, stabbing and beating back the zombies that the bullets missed.\u00a0 Their defense was more efficient than it looked:\u00a0 within minutes, they were surrounded by dead bodies, no longer moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow!\u201d Howie exclaimed, finally venturing out of his safe haven.\u00a0 \u201cThat was incredible!\u00a0 Where did you guys come from?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo time to explain,\u201d the woman blew him off brusquely.\u00a0 \u201cIf we don\u2019t do something now, Giorgio\u2019s going to bleed out.\u00a0 Do you have medical supplies?\u00a0 Sutures?\u00a0 Bandages?\u00a0 IVs?\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie and Brian looked at each other.\u00a0 Brian\u2019s eyes were wide and hopeful.\u00a0 \u201cYes,\u201d he said quickly.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s put him in the back of our truck, and we\u2019ll take him to the medical center.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman, evidently the leader, looked at her other two companions.\u00a0 \u201cGet the first aid kit from the truck.\u201d\u00a0 Then she turned back to Brian and Howie.\u00a0 \u201cYou two \u2013 help me move him.\u201d<\/p>\n

They followed her obediently to the cab of the truck.\u00a0 The driver was slumped across the seat, unconscious.\u00a0 His clothes were saturated with blood, and the upholstery beneath him was sticky with it, too.\u00a0 Howie could feel its warm wetness as he helped drag the man out and carry him to the back of the pick-up, where the other two were waiting with the first aid kid, the tailgate already lowered for them.\u00a0 They pulled the man into the truck bed and lay him flat, while Brian ran around to the driver\u2019s side and slid behind the wheel.\u00a0 As Howie climbed into the passenger seat beside him, he had a bad feeling about the man\u2019s fate.\u00a0 He\u2019d lost a lot of blood already, and as a hemophiliac, Howie was all too familiar with the symptoms of hypovolemic shock.\u00a0 The woman, whoever she was, was right:\u00a0 if they didn\u2019t get him some help soon, he was going to die.<\/p>\n

And if he wasn\u2019t immune to the Osiris Virus, as AJ was, he was going to come back\u2026 as one of the undead.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss Jo,\u201d Howie muttered out of the corner of his mouth, as he and Brian stood out of the way, watching the three strangers work to save their injured companion.<\/p>\n

The woman seemed to have some idea of what she was doing, but the way she barked out orders was completely different from Jo\u2019s calm and quiet leadership.\u00a0 The redhead bumbled and fumbled around in response to her commands, putting pressure on the dressings she\u2019d applied to the unconscious man\u2019s neck wound.\u00a0 Clearly, he was clueless, but the older man appeared to have some medical knowledge as well.\u00a0 He had rummaged through the cabinets in the room where they\u2019d brought the man and found what Howie recognized as an IV kit.\u00a0 He\u2019d had enough transfusions to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needs blood badly,\u201d the woman announced.\u00a0 She looked up at the Asian man.\u00a0 \u201cCan you do a direct transfusion?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man gave a single, solemn nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cShaun!\u201d the woman snapped, and the redhead jumped.\u00a0 \u201cFind another gurney.\u00a0 We\u2019ll start with you.\u201d\u00a0 As Shaun scrambled into the hall, she turned her attention to Howie and Brian, acknowledging them for the first time since they\u2019d arrived at the medical center.\u00a0 \u201cAre there any other survivors here?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

They nodded.\u00a0 \u201cEight of us,\u201d Brian answered.<\/p>\n

A brief smile flickered over her otherwise grim face.\u00a0 \u201cBrilliant.\u00a0 One of you needs to go get them, all of them, and bring them back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will,\u201d Howie quickly volunteered, anxious to get away from that room. \u00a0The sight of blood didn\u2019t bother him, but its metallic smell was starting to make him feel sick.<\/p>\n

Brian didn\u2019t look thrilled to be staying, but he nodded and dutifully took Shaun\u2019s place at the man\u2019s bedside, applying pressure to his blood-soaked bandages.<\/p>\n

Howie started to leave and was forced to jump out of the way, as Shaun barreled back into the room, practically riding the gurney he was bringing in.\u00a0 Curiosity caused Howie to pause and watch, frowning, as the woman positioned the gurney right next to the one on which the man lay and motioned for Shaun to lie down on it.\u00a0 As the other man came forward with a length of IV tubing, Howie realized they were going to attempt to transfuse blood straight from Shaun into the dying man.\u00a0 This seemed like a terrible idea to Howie, who was familiar with the risks associated with blood transfusions, having faced them himself ever since he was a child, before the AIDS crisis, before donor blood was screened for HIV.\u00a0 He knew all about blood-borne pathogens and transfusion reactions that could result from receiving the wrong type of blood.\u00a0 But he also knew that critical situations call for desperate measures, so he said nothing as he backed out of the room and ran for the pick-up truck.<\/p>\n

As he sped back to the house he shared with AJ, Kevin, and Gabby, Howie didn\u2019t know which was racing faster, the truck or his pounding heart.\u00a0 There was so much to tell the others, he wondered where to start.\u00a0 He supposed the most important thing was to bring them back to the medical center, though he wasn\u2019t sure why all of them were needed.\u00a0 They\u2019d have to squeeze into the Hummer, and he could fill them in on the rest as they drove.<\/p>\n

The tires squealed as he swerved onto their street, honking the whole way up it.\u00a0 By the time he\u2019d pulled into the driveway, Kevin had already come running out of the house, Gabby hot on his heels.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Kevin demanded, as soon as Howie opened his door to get out.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Brian?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh God!\u201d\u00a0 Gretchen had emerged from the house next door, just in time to hear Kevin\u2019s question.\u00a0 She clapped her hand across her mouth, like she was about to throw up.\u00a0 Her face was ashen, like she was about to pass out.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrian\u2019s fine!\u201d Howie said quickly.\u00a0 \u201cBut something\u2019s happened.\u00a0 Something big \u2013 something good and<\/i> bad, I guess you could say.\u00a0 We need to go to the medical center \u2013 all of us.\u00a0 I\u2019ll fill you in on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

By then, Nick and Riley had come out behind Gretchen, and even AJ crutched his way out onto the front porch. \u00a0They pelted Howie with questions, but he ignored them all, insisting they get into the vehicle before he answered anything.\u00a0 They piled into the Hummer, Gabby squeezed between Howie and Kevin in the front seat, AJ sprawled across Nick\u2019s, Riley\u2019s, and Gretchen\u2019s laps in the back.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a comfortable ride, but no one seemed to care.\u00a0 They were all eager to hear Howie\u2019s news.\u00a0 He talked a mile a minute while Kevin drove just as fast, telling them about the arrival of the armored truck and the four survivors it had delivered to their base.<\/p>\n

But when they reached the medical center, there was no time for introductions.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s losing blood faster than we can give it to him!\u201d was the woman\u2019s way of greeting Howie upon his return, and her dark eyes flashed as they panned across the rest of the group.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve taken about as much as we can out of Shaun.\u00a0 Who\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n

The others exchanged bewildered glances.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s his blood type?\u201d Kevin asked, on behalf of them all.<\/p>\n

\u201cB positive,\u201d answered the Asian man in a soft, heavily-accented voice.\u00a0 \u201cSame as all of yours, I presume?\u201d<\/p>\n

They nodded, stunned into silence.\u00a0 So it did have something to do with blood type, thought Howie, as to the reason they had all survived the virus.\u00a0 But what?\u00a0 How?<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you know-?\u201d Gretchen started to ask, but trailed off when the man shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is short, and the story is long,\u201d he whispered apologetically.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other words, Giorgio\u2019s dying, and we need blood now<\/i>,\u201d interjected the dark-eyed woman, turning to glare at them again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can have mine,\u201d AJ volunteered, limping forward.\u00a0 Looking back at the others, he shrugged and added, \u201cLeast I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie understood.\u00a0 AJ had been feeling helpless lately, hobbled by his injured leg.\u00a0 This would be a way of making him feel useful again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll all donate,\u201d Kevin offered, as AJ traded places with Shaun on the gurney.\u00a0 \u201cExcept Howie; he\u2019s a hemophiliac.\u00a0 And Gretchen shouldn\u2019t; she\u2019s pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie felt his face get hot as the woman looked between Gretchen and him, frowning briefly before she nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe should have enough.\u00a0 Can any of you suture?\u00a0 We\u2019ve got to close the wound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cWe lost our nurse a few months back.\u00a0 None of us have any medical training.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about you?\u201d Howie asked her.\u00a0 \u201cAren\u2019t you in the medical profession?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a pharmacist.\u201d\u00a0 The woman shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cThis man needs a surgeon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin cleared his throat again.\u00a0 \u201cHowie here says he was bitten.\u00a0 Forgive me, ma\u2019am, for sounding insensitive, but are you sure it\u2019s worth the effort?\u00a0 What if he turns?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t turn,\u201d she answered matter-of-factly.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s immune, same as all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut how do you know for sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes flashed as they met his.\u00a0 \u201cTrust me.\u00a0 We know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got bit, and I didn\u2019t turn,\u201d AJ spoke up from the gurney.\u00a0 \u201cI say we do everything we can to help this guy and hope for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a grim smile, the woman nodded her agreement.<\/p>\n

But their efforts were in vain.\u00a0 Despite the blood transfusions, despite their best attempt at stitching and dressing the man\u2019s massive neck wound, it soon became clear that the bite had done damage beyond repair.\u00a0 As the donor blood joined what was left of the man\u2019s blood in a puddle on the floor, his heart gave out, and after several unsuccessful attempts to revive him, the woman was forced to give up.\u00a0 Howie could tell that she was the type of person who hated to admit defeat.\u00a0 She punched a tray of supplies out of the way and bowed her head over the gurney, heaving a massive sigh.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure if she was praying for the dead or simply collecting herself, but when she straightened up again, her eyes were dry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Brian was the first to offer, placing a comforting hand upon her shoulder, \u201cMs.-?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSelena,\u201d she said shortly.\u00a0 \u201cJust Selena.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSelena,\u201d he repeated her name.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Brian.\u201d<\/p>\n

A round of introductions followed.\u00a0 The older companion of Selena, Shaun, and the dead man, Giorgio, introduced himself as Dr. Kwak In-Su.\u00a0 \u201cDoctor, huh?\u201d AJ challenged.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re really a doctor, why couldn\u2019t you sew up this guy\u2019s neck?\u201d\u00a0 He flung his hand toward the body on the blood-soaked gurney.<\/p>\n

The Asian man bowed his head regretfully.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but I am not the kind of doctor to treats such traumas.\u00a0 In my country, I was a biochemist.\u00a0 I worked in a laboratory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what country is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

He seemed to hesitate a few seconds before answering.\u00a0 \u201cNorth Korea,\u201d he said finally, looking down.\u00a0 \u201cI come from North Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n

His body language made Howie frown.\u00a0 When he looked at the others, he could see that they were equally suspicious.<\/p>\n

Kevin took over the interrogation.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what is it y\u2019all know about the zombie virus that we don\u2019t?\u00a0 How do you know for a fact that we\u2019re immune?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how did you know we were all the same blood type?\u201d Nick added.<\/p>\n

Howie didn\u2019t miss the dark look that passed between Kwak In-Su and Selena.\u00a0 But it was their companion, Shaun, who spoke up.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got loads to tell you, but this isn\u2019t exactly the place for it, is it?\u201d\u00a0 For the first time, Howie noticed that he, like Selena, spoke with an English accent.\u00a0 \u201cIs there somewhere a tad less bloody we can go for a chat\u2026 and perhaps a pint as well?\u201d\u00a0 He smiled hopefully at them, catching Howie\u2019s eye.\u00a0 Howie winked.<\/p>\n

Nick laughed, easing the tension in the room.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna like this guy; I can tell already,\u201d he announced.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s take \u2018em to the lodge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Giorgio?\u201d asked Brian, looking solemnly down at the deceased, whom they\u2019d covered with a sheet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll give him a proper funeral,\u201d Kevin promised, looking at the newcomers, \u201cbut first, I think we need to have a conversation.\u00a0 Can we agree on that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Selena gave a short, single nod.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 Show us the way.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got a lot to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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

Chapter 93 Life is fragile, unpredictable.\u00a0 It can be taken away in an instant.\u00a0 It can change in a heartbeat, for better or for worse. Growing up with hemophilia, I learned that hard reality at an early age.\u00a0 One minute, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":93,"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\/339"}],"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=339"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":450,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/339\/revisions\/450"}],"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=339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}