“Probably.”
“How do you plan on doing that?” Hannah asked. “Especially without anesthesia.”
Joe didn’t reply because the answer was horrifying. Pulling a molar would have to be done like in the old days. Images of men holding down the patient while the barber or blacksmith pulled the tooth came to him. Fortunately, video hadn’t been invented then, otherwise the recorded screams would have been bloodcurdling.
Once Joe and Hannah were out of the zoo area, Joe decided to take another route to the stadium, namely walking southwest along Brays Bayou until they reached Main Street. With any luck, they’d come across the Salinas men, then be on their way. Accustomed to a city with a healthy night life, the quiet and dark night unnerved Joe.
Hannah glanced back every few seconds or so.
“Expecting someone?” Joe asked.
“No,” Hannah answered in a petulant tone.
“Could’ve fooled me. You’ve been acting nervous ever since we left the zoo.”
“It pays to be careful around humans.”
“It pays to be careful around animals, too.”
Hannah shrugged.
“Let’s follow the bayou,” Joe suggested. “We won’t be making any noise walking on the grass.”
Unlike tree-lined Buffalo Bayou, left in its woodland natural habitat where armadillos, possums, birds, racoons, and snakes called home, Brays Bayou had been concreted in, and trees and brush had been removed. It was more like a barren canal snaking through the city. Sidewalks for walking or biking were on each side of the bayou.
Sensing Hannah was still nervous, Joe decided to engage her in conversation. “I’ve been meaning to ask you what you did besides being an animal activist.”
“I graduated college with a bachelor of science degree then was about to finish—”
“Stop right there.”
Joe froze. He didn’t recognize the voice or the man who jumped out in front of them from nowhere.
“Place the rifle on the ground and give me your backpack.”
“There’s nothing of value in it,” Joe explained. “No money, no weapons.”
“There must be something in it otherwise you wouldn’t be out at night.” The man had a semi-automatic rifle pointed at Joe’s chest. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Put your weapon and the backpack down, and you can be on your way.”
“I’ve got a friend who’s hurt. Her life depends on me getting back to her.”
“What about her life?” The man sighted the rifle on Hannah. “I’ll shoot her unless you do as I say. I won’t ask again.”
“Okay, okay,” Joe said. He swung the backpack in front of him and lowered his rifle. “Just take it and we’ll be on our way.”
The man huffed. “So you can come back and ambush me? I don’t think so.” The man pointed the rifle at Joe. “After I put a bullet in you, I’ll take my time with this pretty little filly. If you got anything—”
A shot rang out.
Joe flinched and put his hands up to protect his face.
Hannah crouched.
The man grunted and a surprised expression crossed his face as the large caliber bullet blasted through him, exiting his back. Blood gushed out of the hole in his chest. His eyes rolled up into his head, and the man crumpled to the ground.
Joe heard footsteps racing along the sidewalk. He crouched and pivoted in the direction of the sound.
“Thought you needed a hand,” the man said in an affable voice, approaching Joe. “I’m Ethan Crossfield.”
Joe noted the man’s flight suit. “You a pilot?”
“I am.”
“Joe Buck. Thanks for saving our hides.” Joe shook hands with Ethan. “This is Hannah.”
“Nice to meet you, Hannah.”
“Same here,” she said.
“Nice rifle,” Joe said. “Where’d you find the weapon?”
“In the grass while walking along the bayou.”
“Incredible.”
“It was my lucky day,” Ethan said. “Probably before the grid went down, some gang member must have been chased by the police, so threw his weapon in some high grass. I literally stumbled upon it. Too bad it only came with one mag of ammo. Where ya headed?”
“The stadium.” Joe hitched a thumb in the direction of NRG.
“Bad idea,” Ethan said. “It’s not safe anymore.”
“I know. I’ve been stuck there since the grid went down. And you?” Joe asked. “Have you been there?”
“Sure have. I had to eject on my approach to NRG. I lost consciousness and when I came to, me and my parachute were headed straight through the roof.”
“Damn!” Joe exclaimed. “Was that your jet that crashed into the stadium?”
“No.” Ethan shook his head. “Another pilot. One of the best.”
“Sorry to hear.” Joe scuffed his boot on the sidewalk.
“Me too,” Ethan said with a tinge of sadness. “The good news is I’ve been helping a mom and her two teens. The bad news is the mom is injured and I’m scouting for antibiotics for her.”
Joe ran a hand over the increasing growth on his chin, thinking. “I’ll save you the trouble. Since you helped us out, I’ll help you.”
Ethan nodded. “Sounds great.”
Joe opened the backpack and retrieved several types of antibiotics. He handed the bottles to Ethan. Albon Oral, Doxycycline, Naxcel, Ceftiflex, Amoxi-Drop, Clindamycin, and Polyflex were just some of the options. “Take these. I’ve got plenty more.”
“Where’d you find them? Pharmacies have already been looted.”
“The zoo.”
Ethan held up a bottle to inspect it. “These are for animals?”
“Right,” Hannah said. “Most veterinary medicine is the same type we take. Let me see those.”
Ethan handed the bottles to Hannah. She read the names and noted the milligrams on each one. “How much does the person who needs these meds weigh?”
Ethan thought a second. “Around one thirty, I guess.”
“What type of injury is it?”
“She had shrapnel in her calf. It got infected, so I decided to remove it. Are you a doctor?” Ethan asked.
“I’ve had some medical training.” Hannah handed the bottles
