I kept quiet, in my head I kept hearing Nia, calling my name, screaming as a pus-filled zombie ripped shreds of skin off her arms. Once again, I was not there to keep her safe. But she’s not harmed, she’s safe and well in the infirmary I kept reminding myself.
Whilst the soldier and Will discussed ways to raise a fence and what materials they would need to re enforce it, I looked around. I could see a town in the distance, most of the food would probably be gone but we could possibly check it out for materials and other useful items but then realised that a town that close to camp would have already been checked by Captain Coopers men.
“George? That ok with you?” Will looked at me expectantly.
I nodded, running my hands through my dark hair, I just wanted to get back to Nia. “Yeah sounds good, Lt could you take the plans back to Captain cooper? Now if you don’t mind I’m going to go see my friend” before waiting on his reply I turned and stalked back to the main compound. Going straight to the medical wing to the side of the main building.
“Sir, you can’t come in here” The nurse called out from behind her desk. I kept walking towards her but she didn’t back down. She was tall and awfully thin; her light hair was cut short and spiked. But it suited her delicate features.
“Sir please”
“Listen, nurse?” I waited for her response
“Amy” she replied firmly.
“Nurse Amy, please my friend was attacked, just yesterday I buried my whole family out under the trees in our cemetery, I can’t lose another person that I love, I just can’t. Please let me see her” my whole body shook as the tears threatened to come again, to overwhelm me. She looked into my eyes for a few moments, then nodded but did not move.
“She’s still in surgery, take a seat in the waiting room and I’ll ask the doctor to come and see you when she gets out.” She patted my arm.
“Was she……bitten?” I gulped and closed my eyes both wanting a reply and not.
“No, it didn’t look like it. But she has sliced her leg up badly. Once out of surgery we will put her in a room of her own for twenty-four hours just for security measures but we will know more once the doctor has finished.” The nurse gave me a warm smile and gestured again to the small waiting room on my right. Billy was already sat in there, on the blue hard plastic chair, head in his hands.
Will came in seconds later followed by Adam “How’s Amelia?” I asked Adam.
She’s good, they gave her the all clear but she still must wait out quarantine like the rest. We lost another two…” he trailed off at the end, dipping his head.
My heart ached, any loss of human life was a tragedy, we were losing this war against the undead. When he lifted his head, my gaze met his, shifting mine to Billy and then Will I knew that we would fight until the end, we would not go down easy.
“What’s the news with Nia?” Adam asked going to sit opposite Billy.
“We don’t really know a lot except that it’s her leg, it’s not a bite, but it requires surgery.” I explained letting out a frustrated sigh. Not being able to see her was hard, I felt a pang of regret that I’d been ignoring them for the last few days.
“Ok that’s good, well not good but good you know?” Adam looked at me for help, I don’t think the poor boy knew what he was saying by the end of his sentence.
Despite the grim situation and the loss, we all felt, I started to laugh, soon the others joined in. We laughed and laughed, my ribs and jaw ached from laughing so much, but damn it felt good, I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time, I don’t think any of us had. As it wore off, I wiped tears from my eyes, the good type of tears this time.
“I so needed that” Will admitted, he looked straight at me, his jade green eyes burning into my soul. He knew that I needed it as well.
What I didn’t need was the rush of guilt that washed over me, a wave of grief hitting me in the chest like a slab of concrete, making it so that I couldn’t breathe. I had buried my entire family the day before yet here I was laughing it up with my boys, like I hadn’t a care in the world.
I suddenly felt that the room was getting much smaller, the walls, floors and ceilings were closing in on me. “I uh, I need to go, see you later” I mumbled.
I ignored the worried calls from Will and Adam and sped out of the building, and over to the small out building they used as an armory. I asked the bulky, bald, mean looking guard what was a good gun to use for practice. He grunted at me, handed over a gun and pointed to the sheet in front of him. I signed out what I was told was a SA80 A2 then exited around the side of the building where I could see a few shamblers, pushing up against the fence.
I walked closer to the fence. Calmed myself, took a deep breath, and lined up the shot on the first of the moaning undead. I wasn’t sure of the gender. All traces of hair were gone, it wore no shirt, the chest cavity had been ripped open, and although I wasn’t close enough, it didn’t look as if any of the soft organs were still inside. Ripped denim jeans still clung to its legs, looking stiff with blood, mud and other bodily fluids.
