I was walking back towards the cabin when a shrill bird call pounded against my ears. A distinctive three chirp sound.
I puckered my lips and returned a flurry of whistling noises as I continued my walk to the
cabin.
The whistling was mine and Jarod's signal to one another. We've used it for years before the Plague started when we were kids.
Jarod was my lifelong bro. We have known each other since, well, forever. We became brothers when my mom cheated on my dad for Jarod's. They were divorced later on. I became adopted into the new family and I never heard from my biological dad again. This was over 18 years ago. He is my half brother now.
I was carrying the girl with the 'Spike' guy tagging along behind me. I was hoping when we got there I wouldn't have to see another one of....those again.
By those I mean the dead masses of flesh, full of disease and a hunger for living meat. These things are called zombies. Gah! I hate those pieces of Hell’s imagination put into tangible forms. They still haunt my nightmares every time I lie myself to sleep.
"How do you do that?" The boy asked.
"The whistling? I dunno... you just pucker your lips and blow, easy." I showed him my, if I don't say,
expertise in whistling.
"Oh...ok." He said, losing interest.
"Hey I never got to meet you properly, did I? Well, my name's William." I said, extending my hand.
"Spike." He said, he flinched at my sudden movement, glancing awkwardly at my hand. I raised it back in a sign of innocence.
"Hey, I
ain't gonna bite! Heh, is your hair where you got your name from?" I said in a joking manner.
"Yeah." He replied, obviously not getting the joke.
"Cool..." I said, trailing off.
The cabin was suddenly in sight. I carefully walked up the steps, trying not to jostle the girl. I looked down at her limp head, bobbing in time with my steps. I repositioned my arm to prop up her head. I had a small gasp when I saw her face. God, she was beautiful.
I went to the door and gave a triple knock with my knuckles, reaching as far as I wanted to chance. The door opened half a second later and Jarod stood there, shocked at the strangers that I had with me. I knew he expected me to have come back alone, probably with blood on me, not them.
My solemn expression towards the girl caused his gaze to travel down towards her. He having the same reaction I had. A face of pure awe at such beauty.
I had to stay focused! I brought her over to the table and told Jarod to get a blanket to put under
her. He brought one out moments later and placed it on the rough wooden table, so as not to give the girl splinters. I gently sat her down and set to work on her wounds.
I asked the others to leave. Jarod took the 'Spike' guy to our room.
I grabbed two towels, and walked back to her after a short trip to the medicine cabinet, and grabbed the antiseptic. I eased off her shirt. It was a plain black shirt, with no symbols or designs. Very quickly, I slipped the clothing off of her, still being careful not to bump the wound. I grabbed a towel and used it to cover her chest.
I used the other towel to wipe off the wound and to get the running blood off of her back so she would be easier to work on. It looked like the blood had clotted up, but I had to clean it. I wiped off the semi-solid blood and used a cotton ball and antiseptic to clean it. this produced a small groan and whimper from her. My heart reached out to this person I barely knew.
In this world if you got an infection, you either treat it and pray, or die. This world was based on survival method. If you didn't know it, learn it, because it could save your life one day. No chances are taken. You know what you can and can't eat, or you don't eat. Simple.
The Plague started almost two years ago. I still have nightmares about when it started. They haunt me even during the day.
I returned my attention to my work. The wound was about the size of a.... baseball. Wait...I KNOW those marks. The ragged cut, the circle shape. It was Edd Mullers work. He was the first to go insane out of anyone I knew. He was a little creep I thought had died when he ran away two months after the Plague started. The maniac killed as many as he could with a freakin' sharpened ice cream scoop. He never returned. I don't know how in the hell he could've survived that
long with it, but ya never know.
I grabbed my needle, thread and a scalpel and moved to her arm. I cut out a piece of damaged skin and dipped the needle in the antiseptic. After wiping it off, I quickly sewed the skin back together. The pop of a needle penetrating skin always gives me the creeps.
She must've been out cold, because she didn't move after she whimpered, except for her breathing, obviously.
As soon as I finished
the stitching, I placed some gauze over it and taped it on. I turned away and washed my hands for the second time during the operation.
"I-is it over?" A voice cooed from behind me. Very soft and definitely feminine.
I jumped, startled by the voice. I spun around and looked to the girl on the table, she was looking up at me.
I turned off the water and dried off my hands, staring at her, at a loss for words.
"Um...uh, yea! Yes, yes it is. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were awake. Uh...how long exactly have you been awake?" I asked, hoping she wasn't holding in that pain the whole time.
"A little here and there. Wh-where am I?" She asked, looking around.
"Well, you're in my cabin in a woodland area. A fine and dandy place to be. I do not think I've had the pleasure to introduce myself. I am William." I extended my hand in greeting.
She shied away from it just like her friend...um...oh! Spike did.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle." She said with a warm smile.
I returned it as lowered my hand again, wondering why these people didn't know how to shake hands.
A spark flashed in my mind when she said her name. I've heard that before...but where?
"I'm sorry about the circumstances that we've met under, but at least you've got a place to stay!" I
tried to sound cheery, but came out more as cheesy.
She had a troubled look on her face as she started to let everything sink in. She suddenly bolted up, causing me to jump. "Where are my friends?! Where's Spike?!" She said, sounding terrified. I went over to her and pushed her back down gently.
"I don't know exactly where your other friends are, but Spike is back there with my brother, Jarod. Don't worry, though. We'll find them." I heard 'Eventually' from the back of my mind."But for now, you need to stay still. You don't want your stitches to rip." I
didn't want it to sound that way, but being scary is better than being a pushover.
"Hey, I'm gonna go get Jarod and Spike. I'll be back. And, um, you might want to put on a shirt also." I motioned to the shirt beside the table as I walked back to my room and opened the door. Spike and Jarod were in the middle of a conversation when I walked in. All I heard was "...but there isn't any such thing as a zom-" when I walked in. Spike jumped straight into the air and faced me. He had an agitated look on his face. "Is she ok?" He asked in a rush.
"Yeah she's fine, but don't hu-oof!" Was all I got out as he barreled past me, wanting to see his friend, or quite possibly
girlfriend.
Jarod gave me an odd look as he got up and went into the room, following me. We went into the living room, hoping to know more about these mysterious people and their past. And who knows? Maybe they might become part of our team.