The male jerked his head up in surprise. “Wh-what?”
“We have to make sure you weren’t bit or scratched while you were out there traipsing around in Zulu territory.” Denny turned to leave when the man reached out and grabbed his pants leg.
“Wait, we weren’t! I promise. There’s no need to check us for…”
Denny turned and glared at the man. “If you want sanctuary here, then you go by the rules. Both of you will be inspected top to bottom for bites and scratches. If we find any, you’re out on your skinny ass. If we don’t, then come morning, you’re free to leave, or we can discuss you becoming a part of our merry little band of misfits.” He bent down and stared at the man. “Do you have an issue with my rules?”
The man shook his head. “No,” he stammered. “I mean, no, sir.”
Denny stood again and gave him a gruff grunt. “Good.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Quarantine is this way. After you’re checked out, you can clean up and we can get you something to eat. After that, you’re welcome to crash for the night.”
“Thank you.” The woman’s voice was barely heard as she tried to get to her feet.
Denny paused as he was about to leave and turned his head slightly. “Don’t thank me yet.”
The pair were escorted to the quarantine area and placed behind a makeshift curtain. Both were told to strip down to their birthday suit for a thorough inspection. The male raised a brow and began to balk at the notion of getting naked in front of a stranger. “Hey, it’s not like one of those things could have bit the business end of my happy stick.”
The woman standing on the other side of the curtain putting on a latex glove paused and replied, “I’ve seen stranger things.”
The man begrudgingly pulled what was left of his underwear down and the woman stepped in. She found him standing with his back turned, both hands cupping his happy stick. “Don’t worry. I was a nurse before all this. I doubt seriously you have anything I haven’t seen before.”
“If it’s all the same, I’d like to keep Mr. Happy covered until I have to.” His face was red as he spoke and the woman simply shrugged.
“Suit yourself. But ‘Mr. Happy’ will get inspected or you and he will have to find other accommodations.”
“Jason, just do what they tell us.” The female called from her side of the curtain. “I don’t want to go back out there.”
The man exhaled loudly and dropped his hands while the nurse went over him with a fine-toothed comb. When she was finished, she handed him a water basin with a wash cloth, a towel and a hotel-sized bar of soap. “There’s a kettle of hot water over there. Feel free.”
“I don’t know if it will do much good. I lost my pack with my extra clothes in it almost a week ago.”
“We have some extras. Surely something will fit. At least they’re clean.” She pointed him to the area where the drain in the floor could carry away the dirty water and turned her attention to the woman.
As she did her inspection, the nurse suddenly paused. She had found a nasty scratch across the woman’s shoulder, but it was nearly healed. “When did this happen?”
The small woman looked at it and shrugged. “A little over a week ago.”
The nurse nodded and continued to stare. “How did it happen?”
The girl shrugged and shook her head. “I’m not really sure. We were running from one of those things and tried to use the woods as cover. I’m still not sure if it scratched me or it was a tree limb.”
The nurse stiffened and looked at the wound more carefully. “You’re sure this happened a week ago?”
The girl nodded. “Could have been a little longer.”
The nurse nodded, made a note on her clipboard, and continued her inspection. When she finished, she handed her a basin and towels and another hotel-sized bar of soap. “Same drill. I’ll be back shortly with some clothes.” She pointed to a door on the far side. “That room is our quarantine area. The two of you can stay there tonight. I’ll bring your clothes to you there.”
“Thank you.” The girl lowered her eyes and headed toward the drain where Jason was just finishing and dumped the muddy water into the drain.
The nurse stepped from the room and leaned heavily against the wall. She pulled the mask from her mouth and ran a hand through her hair. Nervously, she glanced back through the glass window in the door at the couple and nearly jumped when she heard someone directly behind her. She turned and saw a young girl standing beside her carrying a tray laden with food and bottled water. “Oh, my god, Skeeter. You nearly scared me to death.”
“Sorry, Miss Vicky. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“No, it’s okay.” Vicky Sue glanced back through the window once more, then in a hushed tone told Skeeter, “As soon as you give them the food, gather up Hatcher, Wally, and Henry. Tell them I need to talk with them.”
Skeeter nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” She quickly entered the room and set the food on the small table outside the curtain, then hurried back out and down the hall. Vicky Sue watched her as she trotted down the hallway then made her own way to the small office she used as an infirmary. She couldn’t be positive, but the scratch on the woman’s back looked exactly like a human nail scratch. If it was from one of the infected and the girl didn’t turn…well, it could mean a number of different things. It could mean she was naturally immune. It could mean the infected’s hand wasn’t carrying the virus somehow, or…possibly she’d misidentified the scratch.
She plopped into her chair and used the
