Page 10 of Chaos Destiny
The group continued to chatter, the sound mostly muffled to my ears. Occasionally, I picked up on something that made me laugh or shake my head, but most of my thoughts remained on my patients. The people counting on me.
When the first signs of the clinic came into view, the sun was at its highest. The air had grown muggy and thick. As fuel was scarce, the distance had made taking vehicles optional, but if the days didn’t soon cool off some, it would be too dangerous to travel on foot.
“Is that it, Omar?” I asked, pointing to the one-story structure that appeared to be in decent shape.
He squinted. “Sure is. What do you think? Might have supplies?”
“Clinics usually have a few things here and there in stock. Considering how rural this location is, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a pharmacy on site.”
We picked up our pace.
Memphis and Dallas jogged ahead, weapons raised. Tasia and Phil left the group to check the perimeter while Omar and I continued straight ahead.
A couple of minutes later, Tasia and Phil gave the all-clear. Memphis and Dallas stood at the entrance looking down at an unmoving figure that had definitely once been an Infected.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s dead, isn’t it?”
“It’s a fresh kill,” Memphis said. “The blood hasn’t dried. Looks like a knife to the temple.”
“Fresh enough that the person might still be here?”
Dallas smiled. “Guess we’ll find out.”
Memphis entered first, rifle in the air. “Daddy’s home!”
Omar sighed.
I bit back a smile.
Phil and Tasia followed, and I entered next, with Omar protecting my flank. I hated the idea that I was “precious cargo” when their lives were just as important as mine, but I understood the circumstances. My training gave me an inherent priority, especially in a scenario like this one that none of us could have envisioned would have happened in our lifetimes.
The team announced each room they cleared. Omar and I walked down the hallway, which ended at a door with a filing cabinet leaning across it.
“You know shit’s bad if they locked something in,” Memphis said. “Brother, prepare to breach.”
A noise caught my attention.
It was quiet, and it was a miracle I’d heard it, but because of what it sounded like, my ears would have picked up on it in a thunderstorm.
“Everything okay, Doc?” Omar asked.
I peered inside the last room Phil cleared. The room itself, a former administrative unit, was a mess. The Infecteddidn’t have the mental capacity to hide, but that didn’t mean whoever was hiding inside would be interested in friendly conversation. One year ago, the person inside could have been a potential acquaintance. With resources as scarce as they were, relationships had to be approached while dangling a tenuous thread that created a demarcation between support system and competition.
Still, the fact that the person was hiding could have indicated that we meant them more harm than they meant us. If I was right about what I’d heard, they had a crucial reason to be more cautious than aggressive.
“Okay to go in?” Memphis asked.
I turned to find them all looking at me.
“You know better than I do,” I said.
Phil shook his head. “Still gotta consult the First Lady.”
Phil and Tasia moved the filing cabinet. Memphis and Dallas, who I suspected feared nothing, went in first, followed by Phil and Tasia.
The noise sounded again.
Omar’s head swung around. “What was that?”
