Dead USA (DrTrollinski and Elwin)

[DrTrollinski]

Five Months Later - December 23rd, 2015.





The Police Department proved to be fruitful to the survivors. They flourished there, and the power and hot water they had access to was nothing short of amazing. Running water was still a thing, too - it seemed like the sewage works were actually quite healthy, which was just a straight up mystery. Even in other houses, five months down the line, the stuff was all still working. It was strange, but a lot of the people there chose not to question it and instead decided to just make use of it while they had the chance. Clay and Jackson really appreciated having working toilets a lot more than anyone, seeing as they weren't really comfortable with going outside to do everything they needed to do - sure, it wasn't a private bathroom, and it was a public one with showers merged in it, urinals, and stalls with toilets in them, but that wasn't too much of a problem. Over the five months they had plenty of time to warm up to everyone in the group and got used to having other people in the bathroom while they did their business or showered. Hell, a lot of the guys showered at around the same time, but thankfully there was a small wall between each shower head which went up to around waist height, so not everything was that open. It was the same in the women's bathroom, but without the urinals, obviously.


Over the month, Greg had a lot of things that he put into action. First off was the fortifications - barricades for the whole building. Dumpsters stuffed with twigs, logs, trash, and scrap metal now fully surrounded the perimeter of the building, and none of them had wheels except the two that blocked the entrance. He put this into affect, boarded up the windows (But not to the point where it was dark in rooms during the day) and even converted a little break room into the gym for the group to hang out in.


During the month, he took everyone out to get some warm winter clothes - sweaters, scarves, gloves, hats, coats, socks, boots. Everything. One of the very first things he did was take everyone out to a nearby mattress store so they could grab blankets, mattresses, and pillows to put in the offices. For now, Greg, Luna, Clayton, and Jackson all shared the Sheriff's office, whereas others got to share with who they wanted. Clayton occasionally went in and stayed in Coden's room for a night so they could sit and talk about the gun lessons they'd been having.


Oh, yes, the gun lessons - all the kids, including Jackson, were dragged off alongside Beth and Luna to practice shooting with Greg. Over the five months he trained them up to be decent shooters in case anything went down, and Jacob had been helping Jackson get good with the bow, which was coming along very nicely. It seemed that he could pull the arrow back more and more by the day, and now he was happy with his little revolver and his bow and arrows. It was going well, but that wasn't all. Phil and Jacob took Luna out on some days to loot houses for food, water, and other critical supplies - this was supposed to help her learn what to do out there, and how to fend for herself; they also took her hunting and taught her about the wild. All the plants and their uses, and what stuff you shouldn't eat out there, which would eventually come in handy for the whole group. Greg also taught her basic medical stuff like suturing, bandaging, anesthetic, and wound cleaning; he taught the boys that - including Coden - alongside her, too.


In terms of people, Phil had warmed up to pretty much everyone, and was a much nicer guy now. He tried to be friends with most the people in the group, but he showed no interesting in 'loving' anyone there. Greg had done his best to get a little closer to Luna as well, now that they were able to settle down. He hoped that they could be better off in terms of their relationship where they didn't have to stress all too much; he was pretty much over the death of his wife, but a bad thought occasionally came by him. Jacob and Jackson were very close now, and Jackson and Clayton had pretty much accepted Luna as their new motherly figure, and that was obvious to both her and Greg just by the way they acted.


Greg and Phil had also been nicer to Coden, but they were strict at the same time. Greg sort of posed as his only fatherly figure but didn't force that on him - he was just there if he needed him. Phil, on the other hand, was way nicer to him but tried to do his best to make sure that Coden understood why he needed to be respectful to the rest of the group here, and also made him aware, that if he didn't do that, sadly there'd be consequences. Greg also helped to try and get him away from his mother for some alone time when he wanted it, and he occasionally gave him a one-on-one shooting lesson when he got the chance - It gave Coden the chance to breathe and be treated more like an adult, and both Greg and Phil hoped that that would make the kid a little bit more pleasant and sophisticated.

**

​

Clayton got up before everyone else. He'd been doing that recently, for some reason. He went downstairs to the bathroom and used one of the urinals, and then he stripped off his flannel PJ's - which most people wore during the winter at night - and hopped into the shower. The hot water still got him every time, and it was nice to have access to that, soap, and shampoo. He was going to be thirteen very soon, and that was pretty scary, but he didn't care too much overall.


Jackson was nice and snug in the bed that was beside Luna's and Greg's. Greg only had himself and Luna on single mattresses - it would be kind of weird if he said that they were sharing a bed now. If she ever wanted to do that, he'd be fine with it. It wasn't as if they didn't have double mattresses in the back office down the hallway. Jackson occasionally gave off a childish snore, but he seemed to smile in his sleep - he'd resorted to hugging a teddy bear at night. He didn't like sleeping on his own in the dark, and that helped him out big-time.


Phil had built a little sniper's nest on the roof out of wood and scrap metal. It didn't have a ladder, and was more of a little box that he could lie down behind and peek out over the town. He kept watch near enough every day.

 

[Elwin]

Luna never stirred through the nights. During the months at the Law Enforcement center or the survivors 'home' now, she had grown out of her nightmares and managed to remain peaceful. For the first few months as they settled, she struggled with sleepless nights, terrified of hallucination flashbacks and the first night when the virus broke out. She came to terms with arrangements eventually, realizing that they were protected and nobody was going to go anywhere; not her, Greg, the boys or anyone else in the group.


The following months had given her time to reflect on her past life and put it behind her. Luna had grown in strength and knowledge, learning to love freely and not worry about the consequences of her actions. She had grown deeply in affection for the Clayton, Jackson and Greg, quickly adjusting to a life where they were almost her own. She always knew in the back of her mind that that wasn't ever the case and she always silently payed respect to their Mother for bringing up such a wonderful set of children. Luna was only young and greatly respected Greg and his late wife for what they had done. She was careful never to speak her thoughts to Greg, though.


She had also tried to grow closer to the only other woman, Beth. Beth had certainly made it a task but eventually gave in to Luna's kind advances, letting her assist her and allowing her to open up. Luna didn't think much of Beth beforehand, but Beth had told Luna many personal stories of her past that made Luna feel very protective of the woman. They both became good friends and Luna would sometimes help Beth do domestic chores, however she stayed clear of this often as it wasn't really something she wanted to do. Beth on the other hand wasn't brilliant at using weapons or looting, so she stayed away from this. Luna had helped her learn to use a good as accurate as Beth could manage, but Luna swore to protect her regardless.


Unlike everyone else, Beth had struggled to become happy through the following months. The weather grew colder, to match her growing depression and on one occasion had been saved by her son and Luna from committing suicide. After that, Luna helped her with recovery and allowed her to grow closer to Coden, as she saw him in a new light. The pair finally acted as Mother and Son. She still nagged him and he still mouthed back at her, but that would never change.


Coden had allowed Phil to help him develop his personality in a respectable way. He still occasionally lashed out and had anger issues, but this was understandable. In September, Coden turned sixteen and with his new age he grew another few inches.


~~~


Luna awoke from her slumber quite comfortably. She had heard Clayton wandering out of bed, but had only been half asleep. Luna turned a little, stirring out of half consciousness. She pulled her blanket closer to her, feeling the morning chills nip her skin. She raised her head, blinking the sleep from her eyes and used her hand to push down her stray hair.


Beth slept alone, but close to the room where Luna, Greg and the boys slept in-case she had night terrors and could confide in Luna. She had done this a few times, waking Luna in the middle of the night to have a cry. But it made her feel better. The first thing Beth did when she woke was turned and slip a cigarette out and smoke it. This was a secret between her and Luna, as Luna would fetch her the cigarettes to smoke when she went looting and allowed her to smoke them indoors.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Greg awoke not long after, as did Phil. Phil had been very different over the past five months, and he'd actually made the effort to become friends with everyone - Luna, Beth, Clay, Jackson, Greg - Pretty much everyone. Greg slowly rose up with a yawn and then took a deep breath; he looked over at Luna, and then at Jackson, and then at the door. He slowly rose up and went out into the hallway after slipping on his pants and sweater. The first thing he always did, on most mornings, was check in on everyone to make sure they were still where they should be. First he went to Coden's room and checked on him - he still looked asleep, and he smiled. Greg had managed to become quite close with him over the past five months, and he had something planned for him as a nice Christmas gift. He'd already gone out and got it and stored it somewhere secret, but he knew he'd like it - he was yet to take he and Clay out hunting, but they needed to know how to shoot first. Now that that was done, they could go out hunting pretty soon.


He went out of Coden's room and wandered down the hallway, sighing a little as he rubbed his forehead in tiredness. Next up was Beth's room. He respected her depression, but most of the respect he had for her was lost when she attempted suicide. The fact that her son had to talk her out of it and saw her like that was the most disgusting thing he could imagine, and he hated it. That didn't show, though. He liked her, but he hardly respected her as a person anymore. He slowly creaked the door open and looked inside. He was surprised to see her awake.


".. Shit--.. Sorry, Beth... Didn't know you were up. Just checking in on everyone." He shot a friendly smile at her; he was about to back out of the room, but then he saw the rising smoke from a cigarette in her hand. He didn't frown, because he didn't want to come across as aggressive either. ".. Beth--.. Why are you smoking in here? We went over that anyone who smokes had to smoke outside or at least lean by an open window and do it then." He said. He was just worried about the kids - their lungs hadn't fully developed yet, so he didn't want damage to be done. Clayton and Jackson both grew immensely over the five months, with each of them spurting out a few inches each. Jackson looked almost like a ten-year-old rather than an eight-year-old, but they both still looked the same, they were just taller.


Phil instantly went up to the roof with his scoped rifle and went in his little sniper's nest to look over the town. Dead, as usual.

 

[Elwin]

Beth glanced up at Greg, letting out a long winded sigh. "I'm sorry, it just helps with my night terrors. I passed it by with Lu-" Beth stopped abruptly, remembering she wasn't supposed to say anything. She didn't want to get Luna in trouble, she had been nothing but a friend for the past five months. "I'll put it out." Beth sat up, pulling an ashtray that was hidden behind one of her bags and put out the cigarette. Beth smiled at Greg and waited for him to leave so she could get dressed for the day. She hadn't woken up feeling good that morning, but better than usual. She knew that people treated her differently after the incident, even as they tried to not to show it. But they didn't understand the gravity of her depression and how low she really got on occasion.


Just after Greg checked his room, Coden woke up and jumped out of bed with a burst of energy. He put on his jeans and a sweater - which unfortunately needed replacing soon as he seemed to have not stopped growing at all. He was taller than Greg, but not so much Phil. Coden made his way out of his room, stretching and letting out a large yawn. He was starving but needed to go see his Mom first to make sure everything was okay. This was a new routine of his. He paused when he saw Greg. "Oh hey.." He mumbled and peaked into Beth's room. "Mom, it smells like smoke." He commented grimacing. Beth rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Never mind about that Code..I'll be up in a minute so go do your business."


Luna had a slow rise from her bed, feeling particularly lazy this morning after being woke up by Beth twice in the night. She said up and pulled her t-shirt over her head swapping it for a tight black long sleeve. She then dragged herself out of bed, moaning a little as she felt tired. She swapped her bed pants for some blue jeans that were a little muddy from previous outings. They didn't have too many things to choose from in terms of clothes, so they made do. She headed to the bathroom and did her business, using the toilet, washing her face etc. The cold water on her skin made her feel a little more awake, but she still struggled to stop yawning every few minutes.

 

[DrTrollinski]

".. It's not a problem, Beth." He said, he heard most of what she said, and heard half of Luna's name. He'd talk to her about it - he was far from angry, so it wasn't all that bad. He only ever experienced depression once in his life, and it was very minor. In the first month he felt it come back, but it never really got anywhere because he had Luna, Coden, Jackson, and Clayton to lean on, and they all subconsciously helped him fight it off. He sort of knew how bad depression could get - he'd operated on patients that were alcoholic because of it, and one of them, he even operated on someone who had shot himself in the chest because of it. It was heavy shit. He peeked out of the room and greeted Coden with a nod. He wasn't all that much taller, but only by an inch or so.


"Hey, buddy." He smiled, then he turned back to the room and stepped inside, sighing as he closed the door over. ".. Hey, Beth--.." He sighed a little. "It's nothing personal, I just don't want the kids breathing in the spoke, that's all..." He said, looking around for a moment. He may not have respected her all that much, but he did worry about her. He didn't want to risk Coden losing his mother again. ".. Are you feeling alright today? I mean, I have to say that you look quite well." He smiled warmly. "You need me to get you anythin', or something? With the power, don't forget that we've got hot coffee." He chuckled a little and smiled at her.


Phil couldn't help but feel that there was something that needed to be cleared up. He remembered when he sort of snapped at Beth back at the house about Coden. He'd already admitted it to Luna, and she was close with Beth. He figured it was high time that he did the same to her, but maybe in a little while. He still continued watching over the town that he pretty much had by the balls now - if anything came in, they wouldn't leave if he didn't want them to. Hell, Phil just felt even worse for Beth after what happened - He'd been through the whole run of depression for years, and, noticeable, he was the one that actually respected her more after what happened. He was a lot nicer to her after that, and made the effort to help out whenever he could. He'd go and talk to her later.


Clayton got out of the shower feeling considerably sick. He didn't feel or look good at all. He was quite pale, dreary-eyed, and he felt god damn awful. He didn't have a cold, or anything, but he certainly didn't look well. With a shiver, he hopped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself why picking up his PJ's and carrying them back upstairs to his room to get dressed, and then went downstairs to sit with Luna in the staff kitchen at the table. He still looked sick, and simply greeted her with a nod and weak smile.

 

[Elwin]

Beth gave Greg a friendly nod as she got out bed. She pulled a knitted jumper over her nightwear and smiled at Greg and her boy. "Hot coffee sounds great." She replied heading out of the door. Coden put his arm round his Mom, flashing a grin. "Let's go get some breakfast then!" He said, squeezing her. Beth rolled her eyes and tensed up a little. "Oh Coden, do you mind.." She said this in a passive tone, not aggressively. Coden shrugged smiling and took his arm away. "Whatever, Mom." They both headed towards the kitchen.


Luna sipped a mug of coffee slowly as she eyed Clayton. "Hey man.." She said, taking the mug away from her lips. She studied him for a moment. He was pale and looked tired. "Rough night?" She asked with concern. He definitely didn't look himself. Luna put down her mug and stood up walking over to him. "Or worse than that.." She muttered under her breath and placed her hand on his forehead without warning. "Have you been sick?" She questioned. She worried about him, especially as he was such a preserved kid.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Hot coffee it is." Greg smiled. It was nice to see Beth happy, as well as being close with her son. It was quite a joyful thing to witness, and Greg was just happy that things were going well.


".. Not recently, I just--.." He sighed a little and leaned over, putting the side of his head down in his arms on the table, still looking off at Luna. His forehead was a little sweaty, but it was cold sweat. ".. I don't feel good, that's all." He gave a flimsy shrug and looked up at her with puppy eyes. He knew she'd be able to do something about it - Luna had a solution to just about everything when it came to him and his brother.


-


Phil was looking over the town, but then he thought he heard something.


'Help...'





Whatever it was sounded hoarse and croaky - It was down below in the streets, but he couldn't see anything. It must have been a trick of the mind - his former self catching up to him again. He'd called for help on so many nights after the abuse and betrayal from the only man that he ever loved, yet, was never loved back by him. People never knew, but Phil occasionally got up in the night, sweating profusely. He'd dream about it - he could smell every smell, hear every sound, and feel every ounce of pain shoot through his body. All he had to do was run his hands down his own body and he'd shudder in disgust and fear. When he woke up like that, he'd go downstairs and get a little drunk, weep for a while, and then go and pass out in bed. This had only been occurring since he spoke to Luna about it all, and thankfully, no one had caught him so far.

 

[Elwin]

Luna sighed and smiled at Clayton, grabbing his hand and brushed against her mouth as she sat beside him. "I think maybe you should rest today and we can see how you feel after a while before taking it up with your Dad." She said, kissing his little hand. "Maybe some soda will make you feel better." Luna meant energy soda by this, but still hope to make him smile. She stood up and rummaged through the cupboards, producing a bottle of Gatorade and tossing it to Clayton.


Beth and Coden entered the kitchen together and sat down at the table. Coden sat next to Clayton and smiled at him, till he saw his ill face. "Jeez, Clay. You alright?" He asked, patting him on the back. Luna smiled at Beth and went and sat beside her, popping her hand on top of hers. "How are you feeling this morning?" She asked casually. "I'm okay today, I feel content." Beth's voice turned to a whisper. "Greg caught me smoking in bed though.." Luna sighed. "God damn..well it isn't for the best anyway, you know that."


The town close by was silent and empty. Rubbish and bodies littered the ground, making it seem like a nightmare on Earth. The weather was cloudy and dull with cold winds coming in occasionally. A hooded figure sat on the roof of a general store, sharpening a knife with a stone.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Clay took the Gatorade with pleasure and quickly drank some of it down. It didn't make him feel much better, but it didn't make him feel much worse either. He smiled at Coden and shrugged, and then smiled as a greeting to Beth as well.


".. I dunno, man..." Clayton shrugged at him. ".. I just feel sick. Felt like that since I woke up this morning." He said, Greg walked in, patted Clayton and Coden on the head, and then went and poured everyone but Clay a cup of coffee; he placed them down in front of everyone, and then sat down beside Luna.


"Morning, everyone." He smiled round at the people he hadn't seen already today.


--


"Help..."





Phil heard it again. That was a weedy little high-pitched voice. It wasn't his former self any more, he knew that for a fact. He slowly rose up and peered over the building with his naked eye. Then he saw something. A child, very young - he was walking across the snow covered ground and leaving bloody footprints in it - his feet were bleeding, and he looked like he was crying but no tears were rolling down his cheeks. His face was dry. That was dehydration - He looked freezing cold. Hypothermia?


He didn't have time to think. He saw something else he'd never seen before - letting out a yell of a roar as it went along, a running one of the undead came speeding around the corner. It started going directly at the boy; what the fuck? A running one? He quickly raised his rifle and looked down the scope - he already had the gun lined up with the runner's neck. He shot one bullet after dragging it up a little and hit it straight in the head. The boy froze on the spot and slowly turned to look at the thing that was eventually going to kill him. He said nothing. He didn't know where that shot came from, either.


Phil expected people to come running to the roof after that, so he made his way to the door and down the metal steps to greet anyone that came running at them.

 

[Elwin]

Luna's coffee flew out of her mouth as she heard the sound of gun shots. She rose up quickly, putting her hand on Greg's shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen. She ran and grabbed a pistol, heading towards the entrance. Beth paused and looked at her son. "Coden go.." She said, giving him permission to join with the commotion. Coden gave her a quick nod and headed to also fetch a gun, in-case there was trouble. He caught up with Luna. "Luna what was that?" Luna shrugged. "No idea, let's hope nobody got hurt." She muttered as they made their way outside.


The hooded figure finished with the rock and launched it at a walker who was making its way up the street. It hit the walker on the head, which knocked it a little. The figure climbed down off the roof, using the windows and landed on the ground, steadying with their hands. The figure stood up, withdrawing two guns and aimed them at the walker as it turned to notice the figure. The walker dropped to the ground after a head-shot, creating a whirlwind of snow beneath it. The snow quickly turned red. The hooded figure walked over to the corpse, kicking it onto its stomach, so its face was turned away. "Rest in peace" The figure muttered, saluting the walker.

 

[DrTrollinski]

(If there's a different character speaking, you should put the dialogue on a new line. Putting two or more lines of dialogue in one paragraph is often used as a continuation for one character. Just saying Makes it easier to read, too )


Phil sighed and quickly ran downstairs; he caught up with the two of them and literally jumped by them and sped outside. He heard another gunshot in the distance, but he didn't care about that. He could only assume that whoever it was had heard his rifle shot as well. He ran up the steps and followed the trail of bloody footsteps to where the young boy was cowered; he put his rifle over his shoulder and then looked off at Luna and Coden; he gulped and looked back to the boy whilst crouching down - He'd never dealt with kids before, and the only experience he had was Jackson, and even that was meager. He took a deep breath as the pale-faced, dark-haired boy turned to look at him.


He could see that the boy's lower body was completely smothered in his own mess, but it had all dried. He looked like he was in pain all over, especially his feet. His hair was dark brown, and sort of the same length as Jackson's - Medium-length. His eyes were a dark blue with a tinge of green, though. They were nice eyes, no doubt.


".. H-.. Hey, buddy... My name's Phil..." Phil gulped. God, this was so awkward. ".. You--.. You look cold, and hungry, and your feet are bleeding, too... I heard you calling for help, and... We have food, and I have a friend who's a doctor, and he could take a look at your feet, if you'd like to come inside." He offered. The boy stared at him with big wide eyes and then looked towards the police department, and then Luna and Coden, and then back to Phil.

 

[Elwin]

(Haha okay thanks...I'm not useless you know ;P)


Luna rushed over to Phil as fast as she could. It was difficult to gain speed in the snow but she tried her best. Coden followed behind her, his gun at his side. "Jeez..." Luna muttered, clamping a hand over her mouth. Coden just stood his mouth wide open. "Phil..? Do you want me to take him inside?" She was shivering. It was freezing outside, so the little boy must have been absolutely frozen. Coden shuffled behind her, feeling emotional. He didn't want to get upset in front of the child though, in case it worried him.


The figure heard shots in the distance. It was nothing new, nothing that they hadn't come across before. But it was probably better to keep an eye out for trouble. The figure pulled down their hood. It was a woman, with a deep brunette head of hair that flowed around her face. It matched the golden tone of her skin and her sharp arched brows. She had a constant concerned expression, like she was in deep thought. Light snow started to fall from the sky and settled on the woman's head as she walked through the streets, a pistol in each hand. She seemed as though she was searching, but not for food or water. For something else.


She faced to where she had heard gunshots, unsure of whether to follow it through. It could be someone she could loot or a whole group that she wouldn't be able to take on alone. Or even a hoard of walkers that were being taken care of. Ultimately she didn't want to lose her life before she had fulfilled her wishes, so she decided not to follow it through and remained in the street. The cold pinched her cheeks, painting a strip of rosy red. Perhaps it'd be a good idea to shelter from the cold.

 

[DrTrollinski]

(Never implied that you were, my dear ;P)


Phil gulped and stayed silent for a moment. Phil and the boy seemed to link together right there - Phil had looked into those pain-filled eyes before, those desperate and devastated eyes that cried out for help without the need for words.


He'd seen them when he looked in the mirror.


"No--.. I--" When he spoke his voice was weak, shaky, and almost had a squeak to it. He quickly cleared his throat and shook his head. ".. No... I'll get him inside..." He whimpered, quickly wiping some tears away that were on the verge of bursting out of his eyes. ".. Luna, go and prepare some warm powdered milk. Coden, go and get me the thickest blanket you can find, and get Greg. The poor kid's feet are just--.." He bowed his head and slowly shook it, holding out a hand towards the young boy. ".. Come on, kid... We won't hurt you, okay...? You want to come inside...?" He asked again. The boy slowly reached out and took his hand. His fingers and feet were blue from the cold, and his face was continuously flushing of color. Phil stood up and slowly walked the boy towards the door and into the lobby.


The boy winced with every footstep he took, but he didn't have any more energy to cry. Now all they needed to do was wait for Luna and Coden to do as he asked - This boy was going to die if they didn't help him soon. The bottom of the boys pants were wet, but his shirt was soaked. As uncomfortable as it may have made him, Phil told him it was important to get his wet shirt off or he'd get 'very sick'.


That was if, of course, it wasn't too late for that already.

 

[Elwin]

Luna nodded at Phil and ran inside, followed by Coden, who stumbled a little on the way - due to his urgency. They both rushed to carry out their jobs, Luna entered the staff kitchen, brushing past Greg. "Greg, go see Phil now." She commanded, going through the cupboards and grabbing the powdered milk. She boiled some water, tapping her fingers against the surface impatiently. When the water boiled she prepared the milk and grabbed the mug with two hands, rushing to find Phil and the little boy. Coden came through, almost knocking Luna. He was carrying two thick blankets. They both hurried into the lobby where Phil was aiding the boy. Coden waited for Phil to undress him before attempting to wrap the blankets around him. Beth stayed put in the kitchen. She wasn't sure what was happening, but by the urgency of everyone else she remained with Clayton, in case he needed anything.


The woman walked through the streets, looking left and right for stores that had no broken windows. They were all blacked out inside and almost empty in storage. She paused. In one of the stores a couple of men were gathered around in a circle, but she couldn't quite see what they were doing. She was curious, but debated whether to keep moving, until she heard their gunshots. "Fuck, what is going on in there?" She muttered to herself, hiding in a doorway on the opposite side of the street. One of the men moved aside and she noticed that another had his pants dropped and was pulling them up at that moment. She edged closer keeping to the right, just out of sight.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Greg ran out into the lobby after hearing how seemingly urgent everything was. He was shocked when he saw it. A little boy, much younger than either of his two sons, was standing there, shivering, pale, and wrapped in two blankets. There was blood oozing from his feet and forming a small puddle on the floor; Greg sighed in shock and quickly grabbed a chair and pulled it over, gently easing the boy back onto it. He looked him in the eyes and put on the best smile he could.


".. Hey, kiddo... I'm Greg. I'm a sur--.. I'm a doctor." He said, just in case the kid didn't know what a surgeon was. ".. What's your name?" He asked. The boy looked at him, and then desperately at Phil, and then back to Greg. He opened his mouth to speak, but not a single word escaped his lips. Greg frowned a little and nodded. ".. Don't worry, we can talk later. Do you mind if I take a look at your feet?" He asked, the boy merely shook his head. Greg smiled and slowly lifted both of his feet up - the feces had been spread right now his legs to near his ankles, but that was something that could be dealt with in a little while.


When everyone saw his feet, it was a shock. The soles of them were completely cut to pieces, with several incisions that were long, or deep, or light. It was horrendous, and the fact that this kid was walking barefoot was the scariest part. Greg winced and then looked up at Coden.


".. Coden, go get the medical bag from the armory..." He requested. He looked at him and saw that he looked rather torn and stressed out. ".. You okay there, buddy...?" He asked. Phil took the milk from Luna and frantically nodded in thanks. He looked so upset.


(Taking a quick shower.)

 

[Elwin]

Coden obediently ran to the armory, frantically looking for the medical bag. When he saw it he grabbed it quickly, but a few things dropped out. He was feeling the pressure and shoved everything back into the bag as fast as he could, before running back down into the lobby and almost throwing it at Greg. "..Here.." He said, with a pant. Luna stood there, unsure of what to do. She felt her eyes welling up so she turned to wipe them in privacy before turning back and leaning down to the height of the boy on the chair. She didn't want him to feel at all intimidated as the experience must have been frightening, to say the least.


The woman waited, stood silently. She pulled her hood back up and point her guns. The men were to busy to notice her. As they shuffled around she caught a glimpse of what they were so fussed about. A young girl, maybe younger than twenty years old lay limp across the floor, covered in blood. She had no clothes on and her eyes were flickering around slightly. The woman felt a lump raise in her throat and her glassy brown eyes raise tears. She couldn't wait. The woman pointed both guns into the air and shot simultaneously, hitting two heads. The other two men turned around and before they could raise their guns she shot them, crying in the process. The hooded woman ran to the scene as one of the men had landed on the girl. "Shit shit shit!" She got into the store quickly, as the door had been hanging on its hinges wide open. She dropped to her knees and pulled the man off with a heavy breath, tears streaming down her face. The woman had died. Her eyes laid open, lifeless as the men had raped and shot her dead. She screamed, emotional pain sparking allover her body and pulled the woman up close to her, hugging her corpse. "You poor poor thing..." She rocked the body gently, spluttering spit and tears. "Barbaric fucking humans, all of you.."

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Thanks, pal... Take a breather." He said to Coden as he took the bag and dug through it, getting out a gauze pad and some wound sterilization fluid; he doused the pad in it and then realized that it would hurt the boy too much. He looked at him and then took a deep breath as he looked back into the bag. ".. Close your eyes for me, buddy... I just need to put some magic spray on your feet, okay? It'll help make the pain go away." He said, the boy looked anxious for a moment but then nodded and shut his eyes. Phillip let out a sudden sob and quickly covered his face with one hand. This boy, this kid whose live he just saved, it clearly really meant something to him. He put the cup down on the ledge of the window beside him and then covered his face with both hands.


Greg looked at Phil and sighed, and then at Luna, and then at Coden as he drew up some anesthetic into a syringe. The good old 'magic spray' lie was something he always fell for when he went to the dentist as a kid, and he just prayed that it would work now. He slowly lifted the boy's feet and injected some into the areas that needed it most. He didn't even flinch. His feet were so cold and cut up that they couldn't even hurt anymore. This really upset Greg. He managed to do both feet and clean them without so much as a reaction from him.


Greg looked at Phil and then back up Luna and Coden; he jolted his head off to the side at Phil while running his eyes across the two. He wanted at least one of them to do something, seeing as he was a little occupied.

 

[Elwin]

Luna knelt beside the boy, frozen. She was trying to control her emotions the best she could. She swallowed hard and a wobbly smile painting across her face. "Do you want to tell us your name, dude?" She said in her softest voice. She wasn't sure whether to expect a reply or not but it was better to try than not. Coden knelt beside Luna and put his hand on her back. They hadn't ever been close but he felt this was something precious he shared with all of them. He could see the pain in Phillip's eyes. Something he had never seen before. He felt tears rolled down his cheeks, which he quickly wiped away with respect to the little suffering boy.


The woman rocked the corpse for twenty minutes, in silence. She had lived a life of cruelty but since the virus broke out, she had seen behavior that she never realized was humanly possible. It had made her numb. But not this time. The sight of the victim's dying eyes had blown out a flame in the woman's heart. She felt her spirit crushed. In that moment, the silence was quieter than ever. The fight to survive suddenly seemed like a fight worth giving up on. But she was stronger than that. The urge to avenge the victim grew deep as she gazed into her lifeless pupils. Eventually the hooded woman took two fingers and shut the eyes. One of the most frightening things about them was that the look they gave her had never left when she died. It was a look that whilst those men defiled her spiritually and physically, had come to realize that it was the end of the road. Perhaps that is why no screams escaped her lips as they tore away each piece of her with every thrust. The hooded woman breathed her warm breath onto the cheeks of the corpse, holding her close.

 

[DrTrollinski]

The boy didn't say anything. He opened his mouth to speak again but nothing but a croaky breath came out. He just looked more desperate. The blood still dripped from his feet, but Greg was cleaning them now. He looked down at him and tingled his toes. Hm. He couldn't feel them. Greg noticed how much he was moving his feet and quickly looked up at him, smiling.


".. Can't feel your feet?" He asked. The boy shook his head. ".. That's what the magic spray does, okay? It does that so I can help the cuts without hurting you." He said. Greg was a master of speaking to children, especially after raising two of his own. He knew every comforting lie, and every tone you needed to use to keep them calm. He also knew how they behaved, so he was doing a fine job so far. ".. How are you feeling now? Do you feel warmer?" He asked. The boy shook his head; Greg leaned over and took the cup of milk from the windowsill and handed it to Luna. ".. While I suture his feet, help him drink that milk, hm?" He muttered to her, and then he stood up and went over to Coden's side, slowly turning him away from the others and looking at him face-to-face.


He could see that Coden looked considerably upset. It hurt to see him like that. ".. Hey..." He said, patting him on the shoulder and leaving his hand there. ".. You did well, alright? Keep it up, hold it together." He smiled and then gave him a quick friendly hug with one arm, patting his back. He was still essentially only a child - not quite an adult yet, but he hoped Coden would appreciate his action. "If you're up for it, I'll teach you how to do medical stuff like I do. You've been a big help already, but I can see that you wish there was more you could do - Watch how I stitch, and then you can help me with the bandages." He said, slapping his shoulder gently as he turned back and crouched in front of the boy again.

 

[Elwin]

Luna gingerly grasped the cup and edged closer to the little boy. She smiled at him and held up the cup. "I'm just going to help you take a nice drink of this warm milk. It'll make you feel a lot better.." She said, her voice soothing. She had managed to gain control of her emotions and held back the tears for the sake of the boy. She slowly lifted the cup against his lips. She had already checked prior to bringing it in that it wasn't too hot, so it should have been a comforting temperature. The milk dribbled down his chin slightly, but he was consuming it in small amounts. Luna wiped his chin with the back of her hand, pulling the cup back so he could take breaths between drinking. "Is that okay?" She asked him, trying to be as soft as she could. She didn't want him to be the least bit frightened, but of course nothing could help that.


Coden looked down at his feet, shuffling them nervously. "..Okay.." His voice was quiet but he meant it. He really did want to help the boy. Or anyone for that matter. Coden realized as he grew older he wanted to be an asset to the group. Just like Greg.


The hooded woman gently put her arms beneath the naked body of the corpse, lifting her up close to her chest. It was no struggle - the corpse had clearly not had food for a long time as she was feather light. "You'll be at peace.." The woman whispered to the body, making sure she was snug in her arms. She had already placed her guns in holsters at either side of her jeans. The woman walked out of the shop and into the snow. Blood splashed onto the snow and covered the front of the woman. She didn't mind though; in fact she had not even thought about it. The woman had remembered a children's play area near by with some grass. She would take her there. As she made her way there, she was lucky to not come across any walkers that would spoil her plans. The children's play area was empty and the grass was covered with snow. In the grassier area there was a large tree. Nothing surrounded it. The woman walked to the tree and gently laid the corpse against it, leaning her head upwards. She knelt down beside her and used a blanket from her backpack to cover her wound. It was only a matter of time before walkers would feast on her body. But leaving her in the place she was defiled would have been an insult to her memory.

 

[DrTrollinski]

<p>The young boy nodded sheepishly. Color seemed to instantly go back to his face when he sipped some of it down; after he'd had the first series of sips he didn't even care about breathing. Whenever Luna took the cup away he instantly reached back out and shakily pulled it back to his blue and frozen little lips, gulping down as much as he could each time. He kept doing that until the cup was empty - his stomach was empty, too, but he felt way better now that he'd had a warm drink.</p>


<p>


Greg reached up and grabbed Coden by the shirt, pulling him down beside him while taking a clean piece of sterilized gauze from the bag and handing it to him. ".. Coden... When I start the sutures, I'll talk you through it, okay?" He said as he tossed a pair of latex gloves down into his lap. "Seeing as it's bleeding, I need you to clean the wounds of blood between each stitch, okay? Can you do that?" He asked as he slowly inched the needle closer to the boy's right foot - it was all going over the little one's head. He was clueless to what they were talking about, with blood being the only thing relevant to him. </p>


<p>


The boy looked at Luna and tried to speak. His lips opened again, but he couldn't say a word. With a disheartened look, he looked down at the ground and his lips were quivering. It was truly heart-wrenching; he'd lost his voice from crying out for help.</p>

 

[Elwin]

(I apologise if my posts get shorter, I had to switch to mobile and its really slow :c)


Luna pulled away the empty cup away from him gently. "Do you want me to fetch you some more?" She asked, softly. "Just nod yes and shake for no. Try not to strain your voice little dude." She gently took his cold hands between her warm ones and cupped them tightly to warm them up. She could see that he had regained some strength from the drink and it give her a glimmer of hope.


Coden nodded, nervously awaiting for Greg's command. "I won't hurt him when I touch him will I?" Coden knew he probably wouldn't but he still felt cautious. As he spoke, the dog bounced through into the room and sat beside Luna, wagging its tail vigorously. Luna smiled, sheepishly.


"We don't have a name for this one yet."


She said, aiming her words at the little boy.


The hooded woman wiped the tears from her rosy cheeks and stood. The fire in her mind roared with passion as she stormed to the store where the event took place. An array of curse words screamed from her mouth as she shot the men's corpses in the face repeatedly before bending down and swinging punches. She aimed rid of their distinctive facial features so that they were as insignificant as they had made their victim.

 

[DrTrollinski]

The boy nodded once again. He wanted more of that stuff. It made him feel so much better, and now he felt more welcome. He wanted to speak to Phil to tell him to stop crying, but his voice was gone. He cracked the faintest smile and leaned forward and patted the dog gently on the head when she spoke of it - he had a name in mind, but he couldn't exactly tell her right now.


".. Of course not, that's why we've used the anesthetic, you know, the stuff you use to numb areas?" He said. ".. You would have had it at the dentist, if you ever had a filling or a tooth pulled out." He explained. ".. Watch closely, now... When it comes to suturing..." He pushed the needle through the boys flesh and looped it over the biggest laceration. ".. You need to do it like... the stitching is a shoe, for example. Little loops. That way, after ten days it would have healed, and then they can be easily removed." He said, slowly working his way up the biggest cut on his right foot. "See? Nice and easy - Keep calm so you have a steady hand, and there you have it." He said, finally knotting off the sutures.


Greg looked up at the child and smiled. "How's that feel so far? Good?" He asked. He nodded.


Greg looked at Coden and then nodded, waiting for him to wipe the blood away. "One of the primary things you need to do is make sure that there's no fragments of anything in the wound. So, say he stepped on glass, you need to make sure that there's no glass in there. You can notice if there's anything by the bleeding - the bleeding will be a lot heavier if they've got something wedged in there." He said, stitching up the second wound. "Also, you need to identify which ones need stitching - if they're really split apart, heavily bleeding, they need sutures. If the sides of the wound are closer together, they should be fine with just bandages." He added. "Sound good so far?" He asked.

 

[Elwin]

Luna stood up and rushed to the kitchen to prepare some more milk. Beth and Clayton were still sat at the table and she hadn't seen any sign of Jacob or Jackson. Beth looked concerned but was clearly feeling intrusive if she went to see what the commotion was about. Luna nodded at them both as she filled the cup with hot water. "Luna..what is going on?"


Luna just looked at Beth and started walking out of the doorway. She paused, putting one hand on the door-frame. "You'll find out soon, I wouldn't recommend coming to look just yet, though." with that, she went back into the lobby and this time she gave the little boy the cup, but kept close in case he dropped it or wanted her to hold it.


Coden nodded at Greg. He understood - kind of. He went ahead mopping up the blood from the stitches, whilst trying to balance learning and panicking at the same time.


~~


Once her anger started to slip and the woman realized she was wasting her ammo, the mood slowly slipped into stillness and she pulled her guns away from her front and in their holsters.

 

[DrTrollinski]

".. I really don't feel good." Clayton choked as he set his head down in his arms on the table. His head was absolutely killing him now, and he could feel his stomach churning and getting ready to send whatever was in it back up. He didn't know if Beth would be able to support him, but she'd changed a lot recently and she seemed happier.


The boy instantly took the milk up and gulped half of it down in the first go, pulling away to take a deep breath. He couldn't figure out what was going on with his feet, but he couldn't feel a thing. They were so cold and numb, just like the rest of his body... But for some reason, he felt hot. Phil had finally pulled his head from his hands and was now just looking at the boy in nervousness. The child shuffled the blankets off of his shoulders and took a deep breath - Greg looked up at him and frowned while moving onto his second foot.


"Phil, is he still cold?" He asked, Phil leaned forward and touched his head and his back.


"Freezing."


".. Hypothermia's set in, then..." He sighed. Phil bit his lip and instantly wrapped the blankets around his body again, biting his nails thereafter. Greg looked back up at the child who seemed confused. ".. Keep those blankets around you, kiddo... You've got a thing where your body feels hot, but it's actually cold. You need to stay wrapped up, okay?" He said, the boy thought for a moment but then simply nodded. Greg continued suturing his left foot and then looked off at Coden. "Coden. I need you to run and grab a bowl of warm water, large enough for both feet to be in." He said. ".. He needs a wash before the bandages, and getting in a shower with bandages on is illogical. I want you to wash the blood from his feet and stitches, okay? Use your hand and be gentle, you don't want to pull any out." He added.


Phil stood up and slowly rubbed his head. Something had occurred to him - They didn't have any clothes for this child.