Bricks of Ash and Blood

Chapter 2: Work

SIMON  

When I woke up, I was lying in our hospital, the schools infirmity. My vision was blurred, and I felt a dull pain in my shoulder. Painkillers at work, most likely. I opened my dry mouth, working my jaw in circles. I tried to speak, but my voice came out as a hoarse whisper. A cup appeared in front of my face, and I opened my mouth to have water poured down my dry throat.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Two days. Nasty wound. It's not infected, but it's going to take a while to heal."

I turned my head towards the noise, meeting eyes with our resident Doctor, Astrid. She placed the empty cup on a bench by my bed. "What happened?"

She sighed. "They injured you, and killed two of the others. Amber led a charge, and we managed to outnumber them."

I felt sick. Two of our people had died, because I had not prepared a strong enough defence. Inhaled sharply, swallowing my emotion. I couldn't change what happened, only do better next time.

"Can I leave?" I asked flatly.

She shook her head. "Not until your shoulder is better. If it gets infected, you're screwed."

---

A week passed, and I was soon on my feet. Arm in a sling, I was able to leave the "hospital". Alex had overseen the reinforcement of the gate, replacing the large lock which prevented zombie entry, with a metal crossbar that should deter most people. I talked to Amber, who filled me in on the details, apparently, not a single raider survived. While unfortunate for them, it meant new clothes and weapons for our stockpile.

---

I didn't have a clock in my room, batteries were better saved, in case we needed emergency power. Instead, I looked out the window of my room, and taking a rough guess, assumed there was five hours of sunlight left. My shoulder would take weeks, if not months to be fully healed, but I was lucky, it hit the bone, but didn't pierce it. I sat at my desk, reading over the notes I had written a week before. We had been attacked by a group of 24, and we lost two. Other groups are much bigger, ranging from three people, up to eighty. If we wanted to defend ourselves in the uture, we would need to expand. I didn't have a clock in my room, batteries were better saved, in case we needed emergency power. Instead, I looked out the window of my room, and taking a rough guess, assumed there was five hours of sunlight left. My shoulder would take weeks, if not months to be fully healed, but I was lucky, it hit the bone, but didn't pierce it. I sat at my desk, reading over the notes I had written a week before. We had been attacked by a group of 24, and we lost two. Other groups are much bigger, ranging from three people, up to eighty. If we wanted to defend ourselves in the future, we would need to expand, find new people to join us, find new sources of food, water, learn to make our own clothes and tools. I had no idea where to start.

So instead, I chose to go for a walk outside the school. Such things were seen as incredibly dangerous, especially injured as I was. But with the recent lack of zombies, I figured it was safe enough, and it was just the thing I needed to clear my head. I put on my thick leather jacket, sliding multiple small knives into carefully sewed holes, and stuffed a paintball mask into my backpack, along with a package of dried meat, rope, binoculars, water, and my crossbow. I only planned on being out for a few hours, but I wanted to be prepared for anything.

I left the school, making sure to wave to the guard on the roof, so he knew I was gone. I headed for the hills behind the suburbs, bag hanging from my left shoulder. I played idly with a twig I pulled off a tree, enjoying the cool wind. Nine months ago, I was a boy trying to find to find a living in a silently efficient world. Now, I was a man responsible for the lives of those who follow me, and the pressure, I found to be immense. Walking through the suburbs, my thoughts of markets, zombies, and raiders, all faded. Instead, I felt like I was walking to my small apartment again. I closed my eyes as I walked, taking deep breaths of cooling air. The world had gone to hell, but none of that mattered. I passed houses, parks, and eventually, reached the end of modern suburbia. To my left was the nature reserve the hunters usually occupied. I kept going straight, working the muscles in my legs as I ascended the steep hill. Alex no doubt made this small journey often, using the hill to get the best vantage point of the surrounding area.