Into Ruin

Chapter 17 Bites

Cynthia listened closely as Edward breathed in and out. The stethoscope that Marcel had found pre-disaster confirmed that Edward's lungs sounded normal, no strange fluids or congestion. She checked his pupils, reflexes, and mouth, but nothing showed any signs of irregularity. It had been a week since they encountered the cannibal in the warehouse and all three men had normal bills of health. Peyton was the exception, but it was his mental state that slipped further and further from sane.

Cynthia wanted to help Peyton, but Marcel had her busy checking every resident for abnormalities. There were plenty of ugly wounds, empty bellies and gaunt faces, but little sign of infectious disease.

"Am I clear, doctor?" Edward asked.

"I'm a nurse, Edward. And yes, you appear to be in good health."

Edward looked up at the door and smiled. "Looks like your next appointment is here."

Cynthia didn't look up as she already knew it was Marcel. She finished making a few notes on Edward's page as his echoed footsteps grew fainter. As much as she didn't appreciate Marcel's efforts to integrate himself into her life, she did have an important issue to discuss with him. He couldn't ignore it any longer as it affected everyone.

Marcel sat on the plastic chair and removed his shirt. Despite how many times she told him it wasn't really necessary, he still did it. She took the chance to examine him for any extra scrapes, open wounds or bruises but all she found were a couple of old scars.

"From the army," he explained when she stared a little too long.

"As long as they're nothing new. Any change in your mental state, headaches, blurry vision, irregular heartbeat?"

Marcel smiled. "Only if you're in the room."

Cynthia suppressed a groan and focused her attention on inspecting his head and face. No abnormal discharge around the eyes, ears or nose. No swelling or redness.

"I need to discuss something important with you."

"Anything," Marcel said with a smile.

Cynthia took a deep breath and exhaled some of her tension. She wouldn't take no for an answer. Not when her son and the others were at risk. "I know you don't want to hear this, but we have to move to new territory."

"Cynthia, you're overreacting because-"

"Please," she said and placed a hand on his warm shoulder in hopes that it would bring her point across more strongly. "You are placing innocent people in danger by keeping them here, so close to those creatures. We're only growing weaker with less and less food scavenged. You've asked me to inspect everyone and these are my observations. People are malnourished, tired, afraid and dehydrated. We need to be closer to water for drinking and bathing, closer to an area where people can freely go outside, collect and hunt food."

"Believe me, Cynthia," he took her hand in his. She quickly jerked it away and regretted her earlier action. "I want all of this for these people too. But moving now, when our team is in two is not a wise decision. We cannot leave information of our departure in case the wrong people should find it. We could even be attacked along the way, and with so many vulnerable people, we could lose more than we would if we stayed. Once we have our whole community, we will be strong enough to move together."

Cynthia crossed her arms. "I'm worried some may not last that long." She thought of some of the frailer children and even Peyton whose mental state was declining.

Footsteps echoed on the cement floors. "Nurse Cynthia," April, the young woman who'd arrived with Mischa, called out.

The bare-footed brunette carried a small child in her arms. It was one of the girls that Cynthia had examined a few days ago, Lorie Ann. Her eyes were shut and her limbs hung like overcooked spaghetti at her sides. Marcel jumped up from the examination seat. April placed Lorie Ann on the seat, but her limp body couldn't stay upright.