A sense of fatalism had settled into his bones. At this point, it was all or nothing, and he was prepared to die for Amy. He rolled down his window and shouted, “What do you want?”
One of the cops replied, his gun trained on Alex, “We don’t want any trouble, but this is our town. State your business.”
“My sister is sick. She needs urgent medical attention,” Alex shouted back.
“Is she infected with the virus?” the cop asked.
“No, but she was badly injured. I think she’s got septicemia. Blood poisoning.”
“If you’re telling the truth, we can help you and her,” the cop said. “But if you’re lying, you’d best turn that truck around and go back the way you came.”
“You can help her? You’re serious about that?” Alex asked, cautious hope filtering into his system.
“We’ve got a doctor and the proper facilities. He can treat her if you’re willing to come with us,” the cop said.
“What’s the catch?”
“You have to give up your guns. We can’t allow armed strangers into our community.”
“Not a chance,” Alex said, shaking his head.
The cop shrugged, his weather-beaten face blank and emotionless. “Suit yourself, but I’m not allowing you to go any further. Go back.”
“I can’t. I need antibiotics,” Alex replied, his desperation growing.
“Sorry, but that’s our rules. No guns. Take it or leave it,” the cop said.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
The cop sighed. “You can’t, but it seems to me you’re up the creek without a paddle. Make up your mind.”
Alex hesitated, but one look at Amy’s pale face was enough to convince him. It was a risk, but one he needed to take. “Alright. I’ll do it.”
“Good,” the cop said with an approving nod. “Follow us. Once we get there, you’ll be disarmed, and we’ll take you in. If you try anything, we’ll kill you. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Alex drove behind the cop while the other car tailed him. They turned off to the local hospital, and Alex was surprised to see that both the gate and fence had been heavily fortified. Armed men patrolled the wire, and more jogged over to inspect his truck.
The cop who’d spoken to him waited to one side while the others disarmed Alex and searched his truck. When they were done, he asked, “Well?”
“We’ve got all the weapons, Sir. The rest is just food and water.”
“And the girl?”
“She appears to be sick, but I can’t tell if she’s infected with the virus or not,” the man replied.
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough. Take them to Dr. Williams, and leave one man behind to guard them. If he tries any funny business, shoot him. Same goes for the girl,” the cop said, his eyes cold.
“Yes, Sir.”
Alex was escorted to the emergency wing of the hospital, a man on either side of him. Two more carried Amy inside on a stretcher where a team of nurses loaded her onto a gurney. Before he could move a muscle, she was wheeled away out of sight.
“Hey! Where are they taking her?” he asked, but the guards refused to answer.
One steered him to the side while the rest departed, his gun trained on Alex the entire time. “Wait here and shut up.”
Alex ran one hand through his hair, eyeing the guard with dislike. The bulky man returned his gaze with equal hostility, and the air between them fizzed with distrust. “Can you at least let me speak to a nurse?”
“No,” came the reply, and Alex wanted to throttle the man.
He was about to kick up a fuss when a balding, middle-aged doctor in a white overcoat approached with his hand outstretched. “I’m Dr. Williams. How can I help you?”
“I’m Alex, and the girl that just came in is my sister, Amy,” Alex replied as they shook hands. “She was scratched on the head by zombies, and it’s become infected.”
“I see. How many days ago?”
“Three days. She has a fever, and she’s in a lot of pain. Please, help her. I’m begging you,” Alex said.
Dr. William’s expression softened. “I’ll do my best. In the meantime, you can wait over there. There’s coffee, although it’s not very good.”
“Thank you,” Alex said, falling into the nearest chair. He was too tired to do much else and too worried to care about anything but Amy.
Not long after that, the cop from earlier showed up and introduced himself. “I’m Officer Brown. Jake Brown. You are?”
“Alex Donahue.”
They shook hands.
“The nurse informs me that your sister is indeed ill, but not with the virus. You spoke the truth.”
“I did.”
“Well, you seem decent enough, and you’re welcome to stay until your sister is recovered,” Officer Brown said.
“What happens after that?” Alex asked.
“That’s up to you. You can choose to stay if you’re willing to contribute to the community. Or your belongings will be returned, and you can be on your way. But if you try to screw us over, you’re dead. Understand?”
Alex nodded. “I do, and I can’t thank you enough.”
Officer Brown shrugged. “In these times, good folks should stick together.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, did you run across three people in a Humvee?” Alex asked. “They would’ve passed through here a few days ago.”
Officer Brown nodded. “Indeed, we did. They stopped by the clinic on the other side of town. We watched them but didn’t approach.”
“Why not?”
“We don’t bother the army folks, and they don’t bother us unless we need something,” the officer replied.
“They weren’t with the army,” Alex said. “Fort Knox was overrun.”
“Yes, we found that out a couple of days ago. There’s very little left of the place,” Officer Brown said as an expression of sorrow flitted across his face.
It was gone as quickly as it came, however, and Alex got the impression that Jakes Brown was a man of controlled emotion and zero tolerance.
“The people in the Humvee did us a favor, though,” Officer Brown said.
“What favor?”
“They wiped
