A New Beginning

Chapter X

The next morning the snow stopped falling and the winds died down. The fire in the courtroom was dim as the last few flames flickered lightly. Xavier hardly slept as he pondered on the idea of leaving Ronny. He didn't want to, however, Ronny told him to make the best decision for Sarah. Sarah had a hard time sleeping as well as the stress kept her up. Xavier and Sarah both knew Ronny's importance. They also knew that they couldn't separate Ronny and Albee. As the morning light perked under the door, Xavier stood up and walked out of the room. Sarah followed him as the two walked up the stairs to the ground level. Outside, there was about two feet of snow. A pile had been created within the building by the shattered window, however, it was smaller as it had begun to melt. "Jesus", Sarah exclaimed, "What are we gonna do"? Xavier said, "We have no choice, we have no food or water. We gotta go out there". 

Meanwhile, downstairs, Ronny awoke to the sound of coughing and Albee's cries. He immediately picked up Albee as he examined the child to see what was wrong. He realized Albee was hungry. As Ronny began to search through the supplies, he heard coughing again. It appeared to be originating from Nick. Once the baby formula was created, Ronny picked up Albee as he walked closer to Nick. Nick was alive as he pale face returned to a normal white. "Hey buddy, how are you feeling"? Nick stuttered, "I'm fine". By now Thomas was awake as well. As Thomas walked over to them, he said, "Nick, you're finally not shaking". Nick, clearly, had trouble speaking as he said, "Yeah, I know". Thomas said, "Can you sit up"? Nick looked to the ground as he positioned himself to push off of the ground. However, as he applied pressure to his arms, he was visually in pain as he mustered enough energy to lean against the nearest wall. Once his back felt the wall, he collapsed as he grabbed his arm. "It's not getting any better, huh," Thomas asked. Nick chuckled, "The pain means that I'm healing". Thomas said, "Let's have a look at it, see if we can clean it". Nick lifted his arm outward so Thomas could look at it. As Thomas looked at the wrapping, he could see it was soaked in blood as it was before. He began to unwrap the dirty cloth to reveal a gruesome site. The teeth punctures were a deep purple color, almost black. The immediate area around it was dark red. Nick's hand and fingers were pale as his veins in his wrist were clearly visible. Both Nick and Thomas were in disbelief. Thomas looked at Nick, his voice was low and sorrowful, "Listen, Nick. I don't know if this is gonna heal". Nick didn't want to think that as he said, "It just needs to be cleaned and bandaged. Where's Sarah? I need her". Thomas looked back to Ronny who was watching from afar. Ronny stood up to find Sarah.

Upstairs, Xavier and Sarah were looking outside to see how difficult it would be to search for supplies. They were standing near the window that they broke. Xavier attempted to stand on the snow, however, his feet sunk in as he quickly climbed back into the building. "It's not gonna work", he said, "The snow hasn't froze over yet". Sarah said, "So can't we just say here for a few days and let it freeze over or let the sun melt it"? Xavier said, "We have to find supplies. This isn't a fantasy. We can't just sit around for a few days without food or water. We have a baby that constantly needs supplies and Nick who's still injured". Sarah understood the issues the group had, however, she also knew the dangers of going outside. Sarah said, "What if you get stuck out there? A biter could get you or you could freeze to death". Xavier looked outside and then back to Sarah, "You don't need to worry about me. I can handle myself out there". Sarah watched Xavier as he looked outside. The wind picked up snow as it drifted down the unseeable street. Xavier said, "Ya know when Ronny said he saw Kyle, I --". Xavier looked to the floor as he choked on his words, "I couldn't handle it. He was the first person I met when I made it to Seattle. It seems like it was such a long time ago now". Xavier lifted his head as the wind bit into his cheeks and nose. Sarah hugged him from behind as she said, "We all miss Kyle". 

As Sarah comforted Xavier, Ronny appeared from the stairway. "Sarah, we need you downstairs". Sarah looked to Ronny as she released Xavier, "What's wrong", she asked. Ronny said, "It's Nick. He's awake but his arm isn't looking too good". Sarah sighed, "Let's look at it".

As the three walked into the courtroom, Nick awaited them. Everyone could instantly see Sarah's concerned face. She ran to Nick as she got a closer look. She slowly twisted Nick's arm back and forth. She looked to Xavier as she said, "It's infected. Without antibiotics, Nick could ultimately die from this. I'm surprised he's still this healthy with lack of medicine and proper amounts of food". Xavier said, "I guess we gotta go out there". He then looked to Thomas and said, "Seeing as how everyone else is either injured or caring for a child, you and I are gonna have to go out there". Ronny interrupted, "No, Xavier. You relax. Take some time to rest. I can go out there". Xavier looked at Ronny surprised, "Are you sure? You gonna leave Albee here"? Ronny said, "I trust that you and Sarah can take care of him while we're gone". Xavier looked at Thomas as he said, "Hey listen, I know we had our disagreements, but I just -- I'm sorry for being on you. Being the leader isn't easy. Just make it back safely". Thomas smiled as the two hugged, "Don't worry. We'll make it back". Ronny then put on his jacket as he and Thomas ascended to the main floor. 

As the two looked outside, Thomas said, "Ok so how are we gonna do this"? Ronny said, "Only one way". He then climbed through the window frame and into the snow. As he stepped, the snow beneath him sunk. Ronny groaned as he said, "I already regret this. I can't do wet socks". Thomas laughed as he said, "We've been walking in snow for months and you're just now complaining about wet socks"? Ronny smiled as he said, "We never had to deal with this much snow". Thomas then climbed into the snow as he said, "Oh, nevermind. You're right. My socks instantly became wet". Ronny looked around the town as he said, "Well let's not make this too long then before we lose all of our toes".