Discernment

Chapter 34

Nearly everyone in my car was sleeping on the way to Athena's community. In my car it was Jess, Fay, Indigo, and the newer girl, Alyson. Indigo was up front with me, we were the only two awake. "Thomas.. I need you to ask Athena for something." Indigo says to me quietly so he didn't wake the three in the back. "And what might that be?" I reply. "Fay ran off to the old community and to the hospital. She was looking for some meds, I think the name was EDTA.. She never found it though.. And, knowing this state pretty well, there's a hospital near by. I was thinking we have Athena stop and loot that on our way.." Indigo explains. "Woah, first off, what do these meds do and why does she need them oh-so-badly for?" I ask.

"The lead poisoning that she has in her body. It's supposedly used to excrete the metals in the body.. She said it'd help with the lead poisoning. Think we can do this for her?" Indigo whispers to me. I sigh and take my eyes off the road and look at him for a few seconds. "You're attracted to her, aren't you?" I ask him. "Yeah, I thought it was pretty obvious? Whatever. Anyways, may you please ask her?" Indigo begs.

I read the sign on the side of the highway, "Mercy Parke, next exit." That's when I pick up the walkie talkie and look in the mirror at Fay. "Hey.. Athena? Mind pullin' over to the side of the road real fast?" I ask her. "Sure thing." Athena says as I look up and see the car in front of my slow and pull to the side, as do I and the car behind me.

Indigo and I get out of the car and walk up to Athena's car as she climbed out. "What do you bitches need?" Athena asks. "Do you think we can loot this hospital, Mercy Parke, coming up this next exit? One of my people needs medicine. You could bring medicine to your people too." I ask her. She thinks about it, then nods. "Alright, if you bitches really need this shit, I suppose we can." Athena says. "Let's get this done before this day ends. My scouting party has already been gone a week now." Athena concluded and backed up and climbed back in the car.

Now driving into the hospital drop off spot outside, we wake everyone up in our cars. "Are we there? Already?" Jess asks. "No, we're at the hospital. Fay, I need you to come with me and help me find your meds." I tell her sternly on the outside of the car while putting my pack on. Fay's face enlightens. "Indigo told you, huh?" Fay says and climbs out. "Yeah, what's the medicine you need? I forgot the name." I ask her as I walked with her up to the entrance to the group that was waiting for us. "It's EDTA." She says and looks to everyone seeing if they heard too.

This looting group consisted of Quinton, Athena, Indigo, Washington, Kiki and Erin. "You bitches ready for this?" Athena asks. We all nod in agreement and she turns to kick open the doors. We instantly start looking around for anything that might have dangered us. "Here's a map of the hospital." Kiki says. "Good, we'll need that. Thanks Kiki." I say to her. "Kyanna.." Kiki says. "What's that?" I reply. "I no longer want to be called Kiki. Start calling me Kyanna." She says, almost as if she were offended. "Oh.. Sorry. I'll have to remember that.." I reply, walking towards a biter leaning against a wall and stabbing it in the temple.

"First floor sweeped. Let's get to the second floor now." Erin says waiting to us by the stairs. "Up here is where the pharmacy should be according to the map.." Kyanna says. The eight of them slowly, step by step, ascended to the next floor, only to see it's filled with the undead. "Well, looks like you bitches are going to have to go without these meds.. Let's get outta' here." Athena says. I look at her and frown. There's not that many of them.. As many people as we have right now could take them easily. I just have to provoke the group to help. "Hey you biter fucks! Over here!" I yell and quickly climb up the rest of the stairs and move along the half-wall made of glass. I then grip my bat and break the glass, which gets most of their attention.

"The fuck is this guy doing?" Athena mutters. "Let's leave him. He's a dead man.." Athena says, but then looks to see the rest of the group moves up to help rid the floor of biters. "We're a family. Not leaving him behind when he's willing to do this for me." Fay says, and turns to the group of biters.

I feel the adrenaline as the large group of biters stumbled their way towards me. I swing my bat down on one of the biter's shoulder, and pull it towards me, quickly pulling the bat out and dodging the biter, then watch as it fell to the first floor. "Thomas has a plan! Everyone follow as he's doing!" Erin yells and breaks the glass, as do the others. Biter after biter they fell and spilled their guts. I see there was only a few biters left and weren't after me, and I saw Fay and Athena in the back room behind the counter, so I quickly make my way over there.

"I found it Thomas, Athena's grabbing the rest of the medicine.. Everything. We're surprised it's untouched." Fay says and puts the medicine in her pack. "Go with Athena and give her guides on the medicine, tell her what's useless and what's not." I tell Fay. I then look around and notice that everyone's inside now, sitting or standing around the second floor. "Thomas, you see Fay anywhere around here? I wanted to talk to her." Indigo comes up to me. "She should be back there with Athena, go check.." I explained to him. "Alright thanks, Thomas." He says and walks away.

"Hey, Thomas. Wanna come with me to explore the rest of this floor? There's quite a lot to look at." Washington asks me with a smile, "Yeah, hold on, let me see if anyone else wants to go." I reply and look back. "Well, anyone?" I ask, since this conversation was already pretty loud. Alyson stands up after talking to Jess and smiles. "I'll go.. Jess. Hand me my shotgun?" She says. Now with her powerful gun at hand she walks over to me. "Let's go, boys." Alyson says. "Boys? Try men." Washington chuckles. "Haven't really seen what you can do, so as of right now, you're boys to me." Alyson smirks at us and continues to walk along the hallway in front of us.

"Fay, you out here?" Indigo calls out approaching an open door onto a roof. "Fay? Athena?" Indigo calls out again. He then sees the Athena laughing and watching Fay balance across the edge of the building while tossing pills into their mouths. "Fay!" Indigo runs over. Athena looks over and stands in Indigo's way. "Move you fucking bitch! What have you done?!" Indigo yells, pushes Athena to the ground and drags Fay away from the edge. "Fucking depressants? You two were popping pills?!" Indigo says, then shakes his head. "What's going on out here?" Erin comes out and asks.

I knock on a room with the two behind me. "Doctor coming in." I laugh. "Hey, no offense Thomas, but I would not want you to be my doctor." Washington laughs along with Alyson. "Room's all clear." I say and then move onto the medical bed. "You know, it was terrifying to be sitting on this waiting for the doctor to come in, now I kinda miss that." I say with a small laugh. Alyson opens the cubbard in the corner of the room and pulls out a jar of tongue depressors. "You miss it, huh? Open wide!" Alyson says and springs forward putting the popsicle stick on my mouth. "Come on, man!" I grunt and avoid her reach. "You two calm down, or else no lollipops." Washington says and laughs as he pulled out a jar of lollipops.

After eating a couple lollipops and joking around with Washington and Alyson, I look out the door. "Alright, time to.. go." I say, adjusting the candy in my mouth and move off the medical bed. I waited at the door and watched as Alyson grabbed the jar and dumped the rest into her bag, then threw the jar on the ground. I walk out with Alyson and began walking, then looked back to see Washington coming behind us, though it wasn't just Washington, there were two biters following behind him, one of them falls close behind Washington and grabs his leg, the other closing in on him. "Fucking hell, Washington!" I exlaimed, then ran over, kicking off the standing one and stomping on its head, then look back as a loud gunshot explodes the other one's head. "Thomas! Thomas! Cut it off! My leg.. I was bitten. Cut off my leg!" Washington cries and falls to the floor. I'm panicking, and look up to Alyson. "Go.. Go get Fay!" I yell, then pick Washington up and began carrying him down the hall.

"Thomas, Fay really needs yo- Wait, what the fuck happened?!" Indigo approaches me at the end of the hall. "Washington's bitten, we need Fay to cut off his leg and sterilize it ASAP!" I explain and sat Washington on a chair that the group has cleared away from as they watched me. "We fucking can't, Thomas. Athena and Fay are hopped up on pills." Indigo says to me, then points to Fay and Athena sitting with Erin and Jess.

I'm thinking.. Without a medic that's actually under the influence, I don't know what the fuck to do. "Kyanna.. Hand.. Hand me that hatchet of yours.." I say to her. The group's eyes grow wide as I swung up the hatchet, and brought it down with full force onto Washington's upper calf, over and over again.