Z-Day Chronicles: Rising Up

Chapter 2

After minutes of flying, the survivors in the chopper gazed upon what appeared to be a large camping settlement. Below them, they saw hundreds of small tents and a couple of buses. Surrounding the settlement was a border consisting of soldiers and military vehicles.

"Temp-Set, this is HR-Team Alpha," The pilot started through his radio headpiece. "We are in possession of four survivors. Requesting permission to land and refuel."

"HR-Team Alpha, this is Temp-Set," The woman in the other end responds. "You are cleared for landing and refueling. Welcome back."

"10-4. Be advised, one of the survivors is injured and will need 24-hour surveillance."

"10-4, Alpha. Medical teams on standby."

As the chopper touched the ground, three soldiers rushed to its location. They were carrying blankets, a bag of medical equipment, a stretcher and some bottled water. Joseph Boyer was asked to step out of the chopper and lay on the stretcher. After complying, the medics carried him to one of the large tents not far from the chopper. The other soldiers handed the remaining survivors some water before following Joseph.

Inside the tent looked like what appeared to be an infirmary. There were beds aligned in two columns and IV lines beside each bed. There were nurses sterilizing needles and tending to some patients that were lying in their beds.

The two soldiers carryimg Joseph transferred him to an empty bed near the front exit.

"Sir," One of the nurses began. "Are you allergic to iodine?"

"No ma'am," Joseph answered.

"Can I see your right arm?"

Joseph complied, stretching out his right arm and allowing the nurse to dab some iodine on it, where an IV needle would then be inserted into his vein. After he was given the IV, the nurse removed the gauze on his side to reveal the large scar.

"How did you get this scar?" Another nurse asked.

"Scratched myself on a fence while climbing to unhinge it," Joseph answered. "Had to before zombies could get us."

"Well that was really smart of you, and really brave; but because of the condition of the injury, we have to keep you under watch overnight. Standard procedure."

"I understand."

The nurses rubbed some alcohol on the large scratch and then applied a small coat of honey to the wound. Then they covered it with some fresh gauze and wrapped Joseph's abdomen, keeping the gauze snug. Joseph was then given some food and water, and was asked to get some rest.

Jake took the remaining survivors to the main camp. The main camp was in the center of the military outpost. There were four buses aligned next to each other on one side of the camp, varying from school buses to Greyhound and Charter buses. The number of tents where other survivors would sleep numbered to the hundreds. Left of the camp was a couple of storage trailers that carried an endless supply of canned food and bottled water.

"Alright, make yourselves at home," Jake told the group. "It's not much, but we do have extra tents, enough rations for everyone here, and he have soldiers patrolling the camp 24/7. You'll be safe here."

"What about my son," Bill asked. "He's in the tent with all them nurses. What are they going to do?"

"Your son is gonna be okay. He's in good hands. We're just keeping under watch overnight."

"But he wasn't attacked by a zombie," Shine implied.

"Maybe not," Jake responded. "But it's standard procedure. I wouldn't take it personally. Like I said: he's in good hands. He'll be alright. You're more than welcome to visit him anytime you want while he's in the infirmary."