don't you worry, child

Brooke was still fuming about Joel’s lack of watchfulness. Deep down she was mad at herself for trusting Joel, but it was easier to put the blame on her brother instead of owning up to her own mistakes. She figured town was the first place to look, since the other areas would take a lot longer to search through. She’d left Joel and Verina back at the trailer in case Matthew went back there. 

As Brooke approached the Trading Post she spotted her son and a wave of relief washed over her. “Matthew!” she called out, picking up her pace as she approached him. 

Matthew heard the familiar voice from behind him and thought at first that he might be mistaken. Then he turned around and saw his mother hurrying toward him. He stared at her in disbelief, wondering if he actually was hallucinating.

Lottie walked down the street towards the Trading Post with her arm weighed down with a cloth bag. Things from the farm to trade for supplies they needed. People from Shady Grove weren’t allowed to trade, but as an employee of Gray Farms Lottie wasn’t trading for herself and she was far to honest to even think of taking some from either side. Right now the farm needed some hoof trimmers and a hoof pick. The last thing they needed was for an animal to split a hoof and have an infection.

Along the way though she spotted a familiar face and paused to walk up to the young man. “Matthew!” Lottie grinned, seeing him. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?” It was good to see a familiar face.

Matthew spun around at the new voice, his fists automatically clenching as his body tensed, ready for a fight. When he saw who it was, however, he relaxed, and a look of disdain crossed his features.

Tatiana had just left the trading post, trading yet another rabbit for some jerky and nuts.  It wasn’t much, but it was better than having a rabbit you knew nothing to do with it.  Honestly, she could never see herself skinning something, she knew she’d jack it up.  Instead she traded, and hoped trading would always be an available option around here.

Seeing Matthew just outside the Post she watched him for a moment and sighed.  She knew where the kid came from and didn’t want him to do something stupid.  She walked up to him and held out a couple pieces of the jerky she had just traded for.  “Hey Matthew, want some?“  She questioned as she kept the jerky out.  “I’m more of a cashew fan than a jerky fan, so I need someone to share it with.“

Matthew started at the new voice, not having noticed the woman approach. At first he raised his fists, ready to fight whoever might be trying to run him off. But then he recognized the woman as Isabella’s friend. She frequented the Blackout on more than one occasion, though he can’t remember ever speaking more than a few words to her when he studied there after school sometimes. He watched her warily, eyeing the jerky in her hand.

“There’s . . . there’s my uncle,” he said in reply to her question. He swallowed, realizing he had no idea where Joel was or if he was safe. If the bastard had gotten high again . . . He stopped that thought immediately. He wasn’t going to think like that. Joel would be okay.

Delilah headed up the stairs to one of the unused staff break rooms, opening the door and allowing him in. “No one should bother you here, we don’t use this one but if anyone comes in and asks just let them know you’re waiting for Delilah Ross okay? They shouldn’t question you after that. There is some running water if you wanna wash up, there might be something newer to wear in that lost and found box. The vending machine doesn’t have much but if you hit it just right on the side, you can get something out of it.”

Delilah had been working almost all morning, mostly just taking inventory of the medical supplies for the monthly counts. She would have had no idea what was happening if it wasn’t for one of the nurses yelling for help. The sound of nurses crying out codes and patients weeping almost sent her back to the day of the initial outbreak.  She quickly pushed any thoughts of the past away, she didn’t have time to spiral when people needed her help. 

She had spent the last two hours trying to sooth people’s fears. Some did not know what to expect after being bitten, never having dealt with the infection so close before. Delilah knew them though, she had the stages of infections memorized in her head. Sometimes it would only take hours, some it could take a few days. She knew there was no cure, all they could do is help them die a bit more comfortably and help their families deal with their loss.

The twisting in her gut told her what would happen before the mayor’s messenger ever arrived. Anyone who was bitten or thought to carry the infection would have go. An outbreak in the hospital would destroy the town, not that they were doing so well considering the infected were already breaking into the town. For once, Delilah found herself agreeing with the major but there had to be an order for everything. They couldn’t just bash someone’s head in if they were bitten.

For now they had quarantined part of the hospital, part of the building was sealed off with those that had been bitten while the rest of the hospital was being used as a sort of waiting room for the bitten’s families. Delilah had been distracting some children when she felt someone walking towards her. She had assumed it was the woman who had kept asking to see her husband. 

“Please,” he panted, his voice breaking on his panic. “Please, let me hide here. I won’t tell anyone that you let me in. I promise.” He wavered on his feet, reaching out to grab at the wall to steady himself. He knew there was no chance of her not knowing he was from Shady Grove. The very state of his appearance screamed poverty and homelessness. From the top of his disheveled hair to the bottom of his torn sneakers, he was the very picture of impoverished. His jeans were worn and covered with dust, a hole in each knee. His shirt was too large and threatened to slip off one shoulder, but he’d thrown it on that morning because it was all he had.