Goodbye to a World | shane walsh

05 | dissolution

Kirkwood was just a 30-minute walk from Tolmond, but with Shane battling an infection, the journey dragged on far longer than Nola had anticipated.

As they neared the outskirts of Kirkwood, Nola's concern peaked. Shane, as stubborn as ever, refused help or breaks, but she could see the truth in his staggered steps and hear it in his ragged breaths. His skin had taken on a ghastly, pale hue, almost like a rotter's, reflecting the snow under a thin layer of sweat.

Nola's eyes scanned the area, searching desperately for a pharmacy or drugstore. Kirkwood seemed more intact than the last town, which was promising—though she wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.

They began searching the department stores and apartments. Kirkwood offered more supplies than Tolmond had. They found decent winter wear and a good amount of non-perishable food. After clearing two rotters from the apartment above a general store, Nola noticed how untouched it seemed. She hoped to find some over-the-counter medications that might ease Shane's symptoms. Maybe the town's pharmacy would be better stocked than Tolmond's.

"Jackpot!" Nola shouted from one of the bathrooms of the apartments they were clearing. Shane stumbled over, leaning heavily against the doorframe as she rifled through the medicine cabinet. She turned to him, holding a few bottles.

"Anti-inflammatories and painkillers," she said, her voice laced with a forced optimism. "They should help until we find something better." She handed him a few pills, and he swallowed them with the last of their water before collapsing into the living room.

"This town seems relatively untouched... I think it's worth checking out the pharmacy," she suggested, packing the pill bottles into her bag. "Not just for antibiotics, but for other things we might need down the line." Shane nodded, the medicine already dulling the edge of his fever and pain, but it was a temporary fix. They both knew it.

"We should stay the night here too," he said, placing his bags down. "Let's leave the heavy stuff here and just take what we need, make it easier. Plus, we'll have more room for anything else we find." Nola agreed, shedding her bag and keeping weapons before they ventured out to explore the rest of Kirkwood. They found a few more useful items and gathered as much food as they could before finally locating a small drugstore.

It stood out from the other buildings, the only one with its doors and windows boarded up. "You think someone's inside?" Nola whispered as they stood in front of it. Shane examined the front, pondering the idea.

"I don't think so... the wood's rotting and falling apart," he said, touching a board that crumbled at his touch. "If someone was in there... probably long dead by now." Nola nodded in agreement; the building looked too weathered for anyone to still be living inside.

They circled around to the back. Shane banged on the metal door, listening for any signs of life—or death. Only silence answered. The two exchanged a nod before cautiously opening the door.

The interior was suffocatingly silent, the air thick with decay. The only light came from the doorway they'd entered, casting long shadows across the aisles. Nola flicked on her flashlight, revealing row upon row of pills and prescriptions. Her heart pounded with a dangerous mix of hope and desperation as she pressed forward.

Shane lingered by the door, keeping watch while Nola scoured the shelves. She found heavy-duty painkillers, salbutamol, epinephrine—everything but the antibiotics Shane needed. She didn't have time to read the labels, swiping entire shelves into her bag. It was a frantic, almost manic scramble—every second counted.

"Shit!" Shane's voice tore through the silence, followed by the sickening groans of rotters. Nola's blood ran cold as she spun around, only to find Shane struggling against a rotter that had him pinned to the wall, its rotting jaws snapping inches from his neck.