out there and after having just fought a battle with a group of raiders known as the Enlightened Ones, they weren’t in a trusting mood.
Shiloh peeled the duct tape from around the door and grabbed hold of the doorknob. “Ready?” he asked Ian, who nodded and cocked the hammer of his gun in anticipation.
“I’m ready too!” said Lex, nursing his shoulder as he approached the men with a gun drawn and ready. Although his arm was in a sling, he appeared as strong as ever.
Shiloh turned the knob and swung the door open. Standing in the rain was a middle-aged man, soaking wet from head-to-toe. The skin on his face and hands was pale white and he looked like he was about to pass out or vomit, or both. Before anyone could say a word, the man pitched forward and began vomiting profusely.
Shiloh and Ian immediately reached out to help him, each of them grabbing one of the stranger’s arms and not a moment too soon. As soon as their hands were on him the man’s strength gave out and he collapsed unconscious. They quickly pulled him inside and began removing his clothes, while Lex, using his good arm, sealed the door with duct tape.
“Doc!” yelled Shiloh, as he gathered up the stranger’s clothes for disposal.
“Yes, what is it?” asked Dr. July, shoving his way through the crowd, his niece Jessie at his side. “Oh dear me,” he added, when he saw the unconscious man lying naked on the floor. “Carry him into the other room and put him on the cot,” he instructed.
Shiloh and Ian gently lifted the man and carried him into the other room with Lex following behind, fresh clothes in hand. The stranger moaned as they laid his body on the cot but he remained unconscious.
“Jessie dear, fetch my bag will you?” asked Dr. July, as he examined his new patient. “Clear the room!” he ordered, as Jessie reentered the room with his black medical bag.
Ian and Shiloh went and washed their hands thoroughly with iodine. Upon emerging from the bathroom, they found Kati almost in tears.
“Is it radiation poisoning?” she asked.
“That’d be my guess,” answered Shiloh. “We’ll know more after the doc examines him.”
“His name is Charlie,” offered Kati, her eyes full of dismay.
“You know him?” asked Ian. “Is he the one who left in search of food but never returned?”
“Yes,” she whispered softly, her eyes swelling with tears. “Is he going to die?”
“Probably,” admitted Lex, re-adjusting the makeshift sling the doc had made for his wounded shoulder.
“Don’t cry Kati,” smiled Ian, “everything will be okay.”
“Not for Charlie,” she sniffled. “All of this death and destruction, I just can’t take it anymore.”
“There, there,” said Ian, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. “Did you lose someone recently? I know many of us have.”
“Yes,” she sobbed, burying her head into Ian’s chest to hide her tears. “I lost my husband and unborn child, both in the same instant.”
“Oh no, I’m so very sorry to hear that,” replied Ian. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
“It happened on the day of The Vanishing,” she explained. “I was nine months pregnant at the time and our baby was due any day. I’d gone to bed with my husband but when I woke up the next morning, he was gone and so was my baby. All that remained of my husband were his pajamas lying next to me, right where he’d fallen asleep. And my baby, my baby was gone.”
“Was it a miscarriage?” asked Lex.
“No,” she sobbed. “I went to the hospital and the fetus was just gone. My baby had vanished along with all of the other children.”
“How did you know it was gone?” asked Shiloh.
“I’m a nurse,” she explained, “or rather I was a nurse. I worked in the neurosurgery department at the UCSF hospital in San Francisco. When I realized I was no longer pregnant I went to the hospital and gave myself an ultrasound. Nothing showed up on the monitor. Not to
Shiloh peeled the duct tape from around the door and grabbed hold of the doorknob. “Ready?” he asked Ian, who nodded and cocked the hammer of his gun in anticipation.
“I’m ready too!” said Lex, nursing his shoulder as he approached the men with a gun drawn and ready. Although his arm was in a sling, he appeared as strong as ever.
Shiloh turned the knob and swung the door open. Standing in the rain was a middle-aged man, soaking wet from head-to-toe. The skin on his face and hands was pale white and he looked like he was about to pass out or vomit, or both. Before anyone could say a word, the man pitched forward and began vomiting profusely.
Shiloh and Ian immediately reached out to help him, each of them grabbing one of the stranger’s arms and not a moment too soon. As soon as their hands were on him the man’s strength gave out and he collapsed unconscious. They quickly pulled him inside and began removing his clothes, while Lex, using his good arm, sealed the door with duct tape.
“Doc!” yelled Shiloh, as he gathered up the stranger’s clothes for disposal.
“Yes, what is it?” asked Dr. July, shoving his way through the crowd, his niece Jessie at his side. “Oh dear me,” he added, when he saw the unconscious man lying naked on the floor. “Carry him into the other room and put him on the cot,” he instructed.
Shiloh and Ian gently lifted the man and carried him into the other room with Lex following behind, fresh clothes in hand. The stranger moaned as they laid his body on the cot but he remained unconscious.
“Jessie dear, fetch my bag will you?” asked Dr. July, as he examined his new patient. “Clear the room!” he ordered, as Jessie reentered the room with his black medical bag.
Ian and Shiloh went and washed their hands thoroughly with iodine. Upon emerging from the bathroom, they found Kati almost in tears.
“Is it radiation poisoning?” she asked.
“That’d be my guess,” answered Shiloh. “We’ll know more after the doc examines him.”
“His name is Charlie,” offered Kati, her eyes full of dismay.
“You know him?” asked Ian. “Is he the one who left in search of food but never returned?”
“Yes,” she whispered softly, her eyes swelling with tears. “Is he going to die?”
“Probably,” admitted Lex, re-adjusting the makeshift sling the doc had made for his wounded shoulder.
“Don’t cry Kati,” smiled Ian, “everything will be okay.”
“Not for Charlie,” she sniffled. “All of this death and destruction, I just can’t take it anymore.”
“There, there,” said Ian, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. “Did you lose someone recently? I know many of us have.”
“Yes,” she sobbed, burying her head into Ian’s chest to hide her tears. “I lost my husband and unborn child, both in the same instant.”
“Oh no, I’m so very sorry to hear that,” replied Ian. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
“It happened on the day of The Vanishing,” she explained. “I was nine months pregnant at the time and our baby was due any day. I’d gone to bed with my husband but when I woke up the next morning, he was gone and so was my baby. All that remained of my husband were his pajamas lying next to me, right where he’d fallen asleep. And my baby, my baby was gone.”
“Was it a miscarriage?” asked Lex.
“No,” she sobbed. “I went to the hospital and the fetus was just gone. My baby had vanished along with all of the other children.”
“How did you know it was gone?” asked Shiloh.
“I’m a nurse,” she explained, “or rather I was a nurse. I worked in the neurosurgery department at the UCSF hospital in San Francisco. When I realized I was no longer pregnant I went to the hospital and gave myself an ultrasound. Nothing showed up on the monitor. Not to
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