Page 15 of Chaos Destiny
“It’s rain, not acid.”
“Tayler—”
“There’s a baby. Omar and the rest don’t know, but the clinic we found? Someone else was there. They didn’t speak, but I saw them, and I heard the baby. I left them with formula and medication.”
“So, they should be fine.”
“Or they’re in a similar condition.”
I dabbed sweat from the woman’s forehead and leaned closer, inspecting her roots. Despite her complexion being similar to mine, her hair color went all the way to the scalp. The man at the clinic also had blond hair, but I didn’t see the baby to determine whether this woman might be its mother.
“You think the person you ran into with the baby is related to her somehow?” Allen asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“Then we’ll send the twins.”
“Once I have her stabilized, I’m going with them.”
“Tayler,” he walked up behind me and set his hands on my waist, “you’re too precious to me and to this camp for you to keep willingly putting your life in danger.”
“It’s a baby, Allen. One who might not even be old enough to crawl. When this all started, do you know how many babies we lost? The infection wiped out their immune system in days.Days.Do you have any idea how many babies I watched die?” I turned around and looked him dead in the eyes. “I’m going. If the baby’s in distress, I need to beon scene.”
He peered over my shoulder. “Is there any way to tell if she had a baby recently?”
“In a normal environment, yes. In this environment? Let’s just say I have to turn some medical concepts on their heads. I learned to practice medicine in a well-stocked facility, not on a battlefield. Yes, I could do a pelvic exam, but I’ll wait until she starts to show signs of improvement.”
“And if the baby’s not hers?”
“It’s still a baby.”
“A baby who’s not alone.”
“I wasn’t asking permission.”
He dragged a palm over his low-cropped, dark brown hair. Outside of physical restraint, there was no stopping me, and he knew that. For us to be discussing a human life was one thing. For it to be a child was another.
Thirteen babies died, all of whom were airlifted to the trauma center set up at the CDC complex after being infected by parents, siblings, and daycare center teachers. There, all of us, with our prestigious degrees and impressive backgrounds, were forced to face our own futility as the babies all passed away one after the other, too young to turn into what approximately half the population had turned into.
“There’s a storm coming in,” Allen said. “That means I’m coming with you. I’ll still bring Dallas and Memphis. Omar will have a problem with it, but he can stay with Carolyn and watch over the woman.”
I turned away from him and faced the woman again, wishing I at least knew her name. If she didn’t make it through the night, we wouldn’t even know who we’d be burying.
“Tayler, if we get to the camper and there’s no baby, that’s it. We’re not looking for this personorthis mysterious baby. You’ve only been out there once in the past...I don’t know how long, so you don’t know what it’s like. How cutthroat it’s become. Everyone thinks they’re a sheriff from a small town inGeorgia. Once resources truly become scarce, it’ll be too late for benevolence.”
I had no comeback for that.
While I understood that I was more valuable behind the walls, I didn’t want to develop complacency. I never wanted to be the one who risked others’ lives because of my bullheaded stupidity. Because of my father, I could shoot an earring out of an earlobe from yards away. Still, in our current environment, my ability to use a firearm and to treat mild to severe illnesses didn’t come close to weighing the same unless those walls fell one day.
“When do we leave?” I asked.
“Let’s meet out front when you’re done here.” He cupped my shoulders and gently squeezed. “We’ll try the EV. Hopefully, it can get us there and back safely on a solar charge.”
7
GAGE
Living out in California,the biggest natural disaster threat I generally encountered was an earthquake. Sometimes, we had wildfires. Due to the lack of humidity on the West Coast, once the earth went dry, flames took root.
