Two things stood out to Rikke. Things that made no sense. First of all, the girl wore no shoes or jacket. Secondly, neither her socks, shirt, or the flesh of her arms were torn, dusty, or scratched. “Someone took her stuff after she fell.”
She dropped to her haunches and pressed two fingers to the girl’s wrist. The pulse was there. Strong and regular. “She’s alive.”
Outrage filled Rikke’s heart. How could anyone rob someone when they were down like that? Hurt and injured? Exposed and vulnerable? What if a zombie found her like this?
“Is she okay?” Arely asked, and Rikke looked at the kid over her shoulder.
“No, she’s hurt.”
“Are we going to help her?” Arely asked, hovering in the open doorway of the RV.
Rikke hesitated for a brief moment, but her decision was made when Eli joined Arely, his dark eyes pleading silently. “Yes, we’re going to help her. Eli, get a blanket and pillow for the couch. Arely, you’ll have to help me carry her.”
Between the two of them, they managed to carry the girl into the RV. They laid her out on the bed Eli had prepared for her. With infinite care, Rikke removed the helmet, which revealed a girl of roughly the same age as her. She was tall, too, and her feet hung down over the edge of the couch.
Her hair was dark and cut in a pixie style. Easy to manage, Rikke supposed. Numerous rings adorned her fingers, and she carried a man’s wallet inside her pocket. Inside, there was a photo of the girl and an older woman. They looked alike, and she guessed it was family of some sort. Maybe her mom.
Setting the wallet aside, she examined the girl for injuries. She found a shallow cut on the scalp, numerous scrapes and bruises, and a hot and swollen left knee. Nothing appeared to be broken, but there was no way to tell if there were internal injuries.
After cleaning the cuts and abrasions with bleach, she wrapped up the knee with strips of cloth. It was the best she could do without any more medical supplies.
With a sigh, she sat back and surveyed her handiwork. “Well, I guess we have no choice now.”
“What do you mean?” Arely asked.
“She needs a doctor, and so do I. We’re going to this fort. I just hope it’s everything that the couple claimed it was.”
With supreme uncertainty, Rikke got the RV back onto the road and headed toward their new destination. “Fort Detrick, here we come.”
Chapter 14 - Alex
Alex wiped the sweat from his brow with an oily rag. His armpits smelled rancid, and he wished he could take a bath. There was no time for such luxuries, though. Or even sleep. There was far too much work to be done, and the grounds buzzed with activity.
“It looks like someone kicked a hornet’s nest,” Jesse, one of his fellow mechanics, commented.
Alex grunted. “I’m just glad the last scouting party has gone. If I have to work on another motorbike today, I’m going to scream.”
“You and me both. What’s next?” Jesse asked.
“We have to sort out all the junk cars, strip them of anything useful, and push them up against the chain-link fence over there,” Alex said.
“Push them with what?” Jesse asked.
“That tractor over there,” Alex replied, pointing to the yellow monstrosity Nick had gifted him. “I don’t even know how to drive the thing.”
“I do,” Jesse said. “Let’s get to stripping, and I’ll push them up against the fence as we go.”
“Deal,” Alex said, not looking forward to the mammoth task.
He couldn’t complain, though. Everyone on the base was either working their fingers to the bone or risking their lives. The scouting parties were out searching for the horde, and he expected them back within the day. The same went for the extra raiding teams.
Davis and his team set up barricades out in the city, digging trenches, demolishing buildings, and shoring up their defenses. They’d already rerouted the power and water to the inner sanctum Nick had demarcated as their last bastion. Now, Mandy was pulling in all available supplies and either storing it in the warehouses or sending out crates to supply points. The same applied to Mac and their munitions.
Richard and Missy were readying the decoys along with a few volunteers. A dangerous mission, for sure. Saul was setting up the fighting teams, grouping them into squads of three each, and making sure they knew what was expected of them. Jackson had organized several observation points to provide them with advance warning of the horde.
In the meantime, Dylan had taken charge of the incoming survivors. Those willing and able to fight were equipped and assigned a post while the vulnerable women and children were sent to the community center.
He knew Amy and Jenny were at the school for the moment. She was helping to look after the kids under Andrew’s supervision. Tara was at the lab, overseeing the manufacture of extra vials of the cure, and Amanda was at the infirmary. They were getting ready for an influx of patients, and he didn’t envy them the task of looking after the sick and wounded.
Lastly, the soldiers were fortifying the inner sanctum and its buildings. To Alex, the walls of stacked sandbags and razor wire looked inadequate. All the more reason to get this makeshift car-fence up.
Several hours later, he was distracted by an RV that rolled up in a cloud of dust. A girl exited the vehicle, one foot wrapped in a balloon of duct tape. She half-dragged, half-carried another girl who looked dazed, and two children flitted about in their wake.
The girl’s eyes fell on him, and she hobbled over. “Please, help us. We need medical attention.”
Alex rushed them to a nearby bench. “Here, sit down.”
The girl heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Alex straightened up
