Dead.

Chapter Five

In the centre of the camp, they made an emergency station, which was shielded by the vehicles on the outer rims, there was a puddle of people.

"Elias here has had a nasty cut on his arm, been getting sick." One of the men chirped up from somewhere and Cass nodded, gesturing for them to make an orderly line so she could see each of them. Jay stood at her side as she set up her things as best, she could.

"How did it happen?" Cass asked the young man standing before her, his arm was red and angry looking around the gash. He ought to have got stitches but it had scabbed up enough to not need them and she could tell it was infected.

"Snagged it on something, not a dead, we were walking through some building and I went to jump down, next thing I knew there was blood everywhere." Elias said and Cass nodded, made sense and the injury looked consistent with his story.

"I'll dress it, I can spare a couple antibiotics." Cass said, uneasy with the number of eyes on her right then as she pulled out some bandages and two pills handing them over to him. They were strong antibiotics; with any luck they wouldn't need much. She carefully wrapped his arm tight and ignored his wince. He lumbered off and went to sit. Jeffrey was watching with keen interest from behind her, leaning on a post with his arms crossed, the machete catching the light at his hip. It was a casual reminder that she was in hostile territory.

"You learn all that before this?" Jeffrey piped up. Cass didn't look up from her next patient as she inspected them. A chesty cough, nothing to worry about for now except getting plenty of fluids. She didn't carry cough drops around on her, no one really did.

"I was two months off graduating." She said, keeping her eyes firmly on her job as she ushered the next one forward, a woman who looked like she hadn't slept in a long time and had a limp in her right leg.

"We aren't bad people." Jeffrey started and Cass snorted some, moving her dark hair from her eyes to inspect the woman's leg. It was difficult, this wasn't the Infirmary she was used to with beds and tables. She would've done a better job inside but that was out of the question.

"Tell that to Jackson and Greg." Cass muttered, "Not to mention the other men you butchered to get to Greg." She added for good measure, "You've sprained it, you need to rest it, keep it elevated for a few days. You could also use some more food." Cass said to the women who just stared at her like some porcelain doll.

"Have you got anything for the pain?" She asked hesitantly and Cass shook her head. It wasn't worth wasting painkillers on this sort of thing.

"You brought that on yourselves." Jeffrey said, nonchalantly. Cass still refused to look at him as the woman limped off.

"It was a mistake. We aren't bad people either." She pointed out to him, "Otherwise I wouldn't be here." She shrugged and rolled her shoulders to work out the aches.

"You're here because you don't have a choice. Those walls won't stand forever and you lot were frightened at a show of force." Jeffrey said, bluntly and Cass closed her eyes.

"I would have helped these people either way, difference is you didn't ask and you wanted to prance around with guns." Cass said, her tone sharp and Jeffrey grinned and moved close behind her, Jay shifted with his rifle.

"Kind people don't last long, look around you, there's none of them left, doll face." He whispered in her ear and Cass narrowed her eyes. She nodded to Jay when Jeffrey retreated, if they shot now then they would be gunned down.