Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 18
Added 2022-05-29 15:24:59 +0000 UTC“We think it’s pneumonia. He’s back at our camp so he doesn’t infect anyone else,” you say.
Steven scratches his beard, while Serena picks up the plates and scrapes any leftovers and crumbs into a small plastic bag. “Pneumonia can be tricky. If it’s bad enough, he may not be able to survive on just antibiotics. He needs medical attention and that means taking him to our community.”
Steven shakes his head. “Hey, umm…actually, I don’t even know your name.”
“Violet.”
“Well, Violet, you mind if my wife and I speak privately for a few moments? Maybe you and your friend can take what’s left of our breakfast and share it outside in the forest? We just need five minutes to talk.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Serena hands you a plate of what’s left of the eggs, a piece of bacon, and a piece of toast. They even give you a glass of orange juice from concentrate, something you have not had in at least a year. You step just outside of the clearing, and Jesse rushes over to meet you. The two of you gobble the food on the plate, splitting everything equally, even the juice.
“What do you think this is about?” Jesse asks, shoving in the last piece of toast to her mouth. “They seem like nice people, but they could be getting that rifle right now and planning to rob us.”
“Of what? Your harmonica and my first-aid kit are maybe the two most valuable things we have.”
Jesse shakes her head and lifts up the front of her shirt to reveal the revolver. “I still got this.” She brings her shirt back down to cover it.
You hear a whistle from back at camp and realize that’s the signal to come back.
“Why don’t you come in there with me?” you ask. “I don’t think these people are going to rob us or hurt us in any way. Serena is a sweetheart, and Steven is just paranoid like the rest of us.”
Jesse shrugs. “I guess I will, but I’m going to stand behind you in case things go south.”
The two of you walk back into camp and you can see the two strangers gathering their gear into backpacks. Steven disassembles one of the tent poles, while Serena stands and faces you and Jesse.
“Hello there. I’m not sure you heard our names, but I’m Serena and this is Steven.”
“Hey, I’m Jesse. Thanks for the grub.” She stands a few feet back and holds her hands over the waistband of her shorts right near where the revolver sits.
“You’re welcome. So, me and Steven were thinking about how to help you best. We’re not exactly in agreement,” she says and glances at her husband with a smirk. “But we can offer a few options. It sounds like your friend has to go straight to the farming community to get medical attention. It will be a lot faster if one of us goes with you and shows you its location. Otherwise, it could take a few days more to find it, but your friend may not last that long. What we are proposing is that I take your friend and one of you straight to the community. Steven will continue to look for our missing friends, but one of you has to go with him. He can’t search on his own. So that’s the deal. You guys can decide how you want to handle this.”
