The Doc

Chapter 9

It was a cold evening as Alice set about building a fire while Jacob sorted out the sleeping arrangements. Alice was bundled up in her biggest jumper, coat, hat and a scarf; despite this, her nose was still bright red.

Maria had suggested that Jacob started being put into rotation with the patrols a few months back. Alice and Buzz were delighted at this idea. Jacob was a good kid but he spent a majority of his time in his bedroom, when he wasn't at school. He went out with Tommy and Maria for his first few patrols but for the past few weeks, he'd been rostered into rotation like everyone else. Tonight, it just so happened that Alice and Jacob were out on patrol together. 

There was some food they had reserved for the trip, so they nibbled on what they had; dried fruit, bread and some meat. Paired with the embers of a peaceful fire, they were steadily lulling off to sleep. Until -

"Nice fire. Mind if I warm my bones?"

It was the voice of a ghoulish looking man, come to bend down at the fire as if he was welcome. He had Alice and Jacob reeling quickly, as they hopped up from their spots in confusion and anger.

"Hey!" Jacob roared, and like clockwork, he had the man at the business end of his shotgun. "Who the hell are you?"

Alice span around to grab the repeater by her tent, but then she heard something slice the air. Alarmed, she turned back around and was met with her brother's brains split open under the rusty, crimson metal of a tomahawk.

Alice's only thought was to duck; she had a feeling there was one for her too. And it barely missed her, grazing her chin and leaving a deep gash. It knocked her back and then the shock finally kicked in, when she met the ground with a hard thud.

She scurried to escape, but a murky hand threw her back down. The hand belonged to another bandit, who straddled her and held a machete up in the air. Her scream was so loud, she couldn't hear the man above her cackling. The metal rose, about to meet her flesh but Alice put all her strength into a punch at the unsuspecting man's jaw. At his fall, and at her freedom, she fled as fast as she could.

She was making distance, but at the same time a gunshot erupted behind her. Her leg began to burn intensely and she had no choice but to fall. She knew right away it was the fault of a bullet. She groaned loudly into the mud, but a rustle through the bushes behind her put a pause on all her noise.

"Should we chase 'er?"

"Nah, she's not goin' far with that shot up leg."

Alice lay as still as she could manage in the dirt until the sound of the bandits footsteps disappeared. She rolled over and tried to inspect her leg. Blood was seeping out from her thigh and she winced in agony as she hoisted herself to her feet. Alice ripped the bottom seam of her shirt and tied it just above the wound as tightly as she could manage. She hobbled her way back to her camp and then she saw him.

Between the campfire and the tent, he lay face up in the mud. Alice made her way over to him as tears began to form in her eyes. Sounds welled up in her throat, unreleasable sounds with no form and her breath shuddered unevenly. She reached her hand out across his face to touch the cheeks of her little brother. He was still warm but she could see the life disappearing from him as his lips slowly turned blue.

All at once, the dam broke and a strangled sound escaped Alice's lips. It came again, louder this time as she collapsed onto his chest.

"I'm sorry, Jake," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

Alice was suddenly brought back to reality when she heard the uneasy sounds of a clicker nearby. She planted a careful kiss on her brother's blood stained cheek before she pulled herself to her feet; wincing silently.

"I'm sorry," she said again before she pulled herself onto her horse and headed back in the direction of Jackson.

She reached the gate in record time.

"Hold it!"

"It's me," Alice called out, groaning in pain at her leg. "It's Alice, open the fucking gate."

The gates opened almost immediately and Alice ushered the horse forward.

"Alice, Jesus Christ!"

Tommy was talking to Roger in the stables as she came in and he rushed over to her. She all but fell off the horse and into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Roger took Poppy back to her stall as Tommy tried to take stock of what had happened and why the doc was inconsolable.

"Alice, what happened?"

No response.

"Maria, I need you at the stables, asap," Tommy said into his radio before latching it back onto his belt. He rubbed Alice's back and tried his best to comfort her before he spoke again. "Alice, where's Jacob?"

Again, no response.

Tommy was grateful to see Maria turn the corner across the street ahead of them. She linked eyes with her husband and quickened to a run as she saw the bloody mess of a woman he was trying to console. She reached them and instantly took over.

"Alice?" She said, supporting her and taking her weight off Tommy. "Oh my god, Alice. It's okay, honey. I'm right here. I'm right here."

"Let's get her to the surgery and out of the view of the whole town," Tommy suggested, eyeing a few civilians who were watching the proceedings nearby. Maria nodded in agreement and the trio headed over to the surgery.

They burst in the door and Maria carefully sat Alice down on a waiting room sofa as Tommy got on the radio once more.

"I need someone to get Danny and get him over to the surgery asap," he said. "I don't fucking care if it's 3am and you have to wake him up. It's fucking urgent, David."

"Alice?" Maria said, sitting beside Alice on the sofa. "Alice, you're having a panic attack, honey. You're safe, this feeling is gonna pass. You're safe, I'm right here."

Maria cradled Alice's cheeks and looked straight into her eyes, the panic was palpable.

"Alice, you made it. You're back in Jackson now, it's okay," Maria continued. "Can you try and breathe with me? Breathe in, and out. That's it, good job. In, and out."

After a few minutes of guided breathing, Alice managed to calm down enough to talk, just as Danny burst in the door. His hair was askew and his eyes were puffy. He looked at Alice and said the only words that would come out of his mouth.

"Holy shit,"

"Alice, what happened?" Tommy asked, crouching down beside her.

"We got ambushed," she stammered, tears still streaming down her face. "We were just going to sleep and some bandits jumped us. Jake was...he was dead b-before I knew what was going on. Then they shot me. I...I think I pretended to be dead so they left."

"Jesus Christ," Tommy got to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. "I knew that patrol wasn't a good idea, Maria."

"How was I to know, Tommy?" Maria snapped, getting to her feet. 

"He was a child, for Christ sake!" 

"More sensible than some of the adults around here!"

"Guys," Danny said quietly, out of Alice's earshot. "Alice has just seen her baby brother murdered in front of her. Maybe now isn't the best time for a domestic squabble?" Tommy recoiled, like a child after being scolded in school, while Maria sighed indignantly and headed outside. "Tommy, can you help me get Alice into the surgery so we can get rid of this bullet?"