End of Humanity

S I X

"We're nearly there." Kaylee says as we walk through an overgrown wheat field. Since the sun sets in the west it must be around three in the afternoon. Kaylee speed walks ahead of me, eager to get to her brother.

Her long, curly, brown hair is put into a ponytail at the bottom of her neck. She's slightly smaller than me, probably around one hundred and fifty-five centimetres.

Kaylee wears a muscle shirt that is a size or two too big and what look like school shorts. The shorts she's wearing have the initials M.S.H.S. Mitchelstown State High School? If so she went to the same high school as I did.

In the distance I see an old, red barn. That's original.

Kaylee pulls a wood board from the side of the barn which reveals a hole. She crawls through the space. My backpack and I won't fit through the hole together so I take it off and throw it through the space.

I go on my hands and knees and crawl through the small space. Once my body is inside the barn I stand up and grab my backpack. I look around the barn. There's hay covering the floor and some hay bales stacked up on the back wall. In one corner of the barn is a tractor that doesn't work since the Watchers disabled technology.

The last thing I find is a guy, around my age, rested against a hay bale. Kaylee and I walk towards him. He is definitely Kaylee's brother. They have the same wide nose, skin colour and curly hair. However, her brothers skin has become pale because of the infection that has made him to have a fever. His curly hair is cut short, sort of like a high top fade hairstyle. The sides of his hair is lightly shaved and the top has slightly longer hair that shows his curls.

"Alfred." Kaylee says as she tries to wake up her brother. "He's been sleeping a lot. Probably trying to fight the infection."

"Speaking of infection can I see his back." I ask.

"I will need your help with that." Kaylee says as she crouches beside her brother. She groans as she tries to roll her brother on his side. I crouch beside him and help her roll him on his stomach.

I lift up his shirt to reveal his back scratches. The scratches were definitely caused by a Lunatic. There are two sets of scratches made by two hands and two sets of human nails. The scratches are surrounded in a sea of redness. Green coloured pus fill in the scratches. Yep, definitely infected.

They are deep just like Kaylee said. They might need stitches. Unfortunately, I don't have the equipment to give him stitches in my backpack. I will have to take him back to my home to let him recover and find some stuff that will work as a needle and thread.

I don't have something to actually kill the infection but I do have saline solution keeps the bacteria count down at a level where the body can handle it. I will need to apply saline to his wound two or three times a day. I will run out of saline really quickly especially with the wounds this big. I need to find more saline or some type of bacteria killer.

I take the first aid kit out of the backpack. I put the latex gloves on and grab the saline solution. I press the plunger down letting a stream of saline pour of the wound. After the saline is poured on the scratches I get out two large dressings, not the salad kind. I place the large band aids over Alfred's back to cover up the scratches.

I tightly wrap the bandage around his back and torso and then use the adhesive tape to keep the bandage in place. "That's all I can do for now. The saline won't kill the bacteria but it will keep the bacteria count to a rate were your brother will be alright." I state.

"Thank you so much." Kaylee gives me a quick hug which surprises me. I hug back. "How did you know how to do that?" She asks. I want to tell her that my Mum was a general doctor and my dad was a nurse, but I really don't want her to keep questioning about my family so I say "In school there was a first aid class."

Kaylee nods and turns to her brother she whispers "Alfie, you're going to be alright. I swear."