other houses in the area.
“I’m going to need your help,” Danny said as he shrugged off his pack, took out a bottle of water, and poured it over his hands.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
Nate lay on the couch with his eyes closed. His hair was soaked in sweat and his entire midsection was covered in blood, as were his pants and what was left of the shirt Danny hadn’t already cut away to put on the bandages earlier.
“Tell me you can do this,” she said to Danny.
“The first-aid kit has everything we need.”
“Danny, tell me you can do this.”
He nodded. “I can do this.”
She stared at him for a few long seconds before finally nodding. “Okay.”
“Let’s get to work,” Danny said, then handed her another bottle of water to clean her bloody hands with.
----
“ W ANT A SOUVENIR ?” Danny asked.
She shook her head. “Be my guest.”
“Eh, souvenirs are for old people anyway.”
Danny flicked the bullet he had dug out of Nate into the bathroom sink. There was just enough light coming from the small rectangular opening behind her to see the 5.56 bullet as it clinked around the porcelain bowl before vanishing down the drain.
All that damage, from such a small thing…
Gaby concentrated on rubbing Nate’s dried blood off her fingers, but it didn’t seem like she was making any real progress. After a while, she gave up and grabbed a blue cotton towel hanging off a rack and forced herself to be satisfied with wiping the sweat off her face.
“He’s gonna be out the entire night from the morphine,” Danny said, “which means you and I get the privilege of guard duty.”
“Yay us.”
“What I said. Anyway, we have everything we need to survive the night. Burglar bars over the windows, extra food, and water. All we have to do is stay as quiet as mice and they won’t ever know we were here.”
“Who are we talking about? Ghouls or humans?”
“Both.”
“You think there’s more of them out there? Besides the guy in the Jeep?”
“I think that technical was already on its way here before the fun started. Maybe because of whoever they were exchanging fire with earlier.”
“It had to be Mercer’s people. They’re everywhere.”
Danny nodded. “Yeah. Mercer’s fun boys are becoming a real pain in my ass. Right now, though, I’m more concerned with why those boys in black were here in the first place. That technical came later.”
“The Jeep.”
“Uh huh.”
“What if Nate was right? What if they were tracking us?”
“The question is why.”
“Mason?”
“Maybe.”
“But you don’t believe it.”
“No. Something else is going on.” He shook his head. “I’d give my left pinky finger to find out what.”
Danny seemed to drift off, lost in thought, and Gaby did the same, staring at herself in the mirror above the sink. She was already covered in dirt and sweat, but now she’d added streaks of blood by touching her face with her bloodied hands. A year ago the sight of the girl looking back at her would have horrified her, but these days it barely registered. She wetted the towel with a dab of water from what was left in her bottle and went to work.
“He’s still out there,” she said after awhile. “Mason.”
“Yup,” Danny nodded.
“We should have killed him.”
“Probably.” Then, “Get some rest, kid. It’s been a long morning, and it’s going to be a long night. We can’t travel with Nate in his condition, at least not if you want to keep him alive for cuddling later.”
“I’d really like that.”
“A little cuddling, a little premarital sex…” Danny said before turning and leaving the bathroom.
She smiled wryly after him before returning to cleaning Nate’s blood off her cheeks and forehead. When she was (mostly) done, she tossed the towel into the overflowing trash bin, snatched up her rifle, and went outside to join Danny. She could already feel the temperature starting to drop around her.
It would be dark soon.
“I’m going to need your help,” Danny said as he shrugged off his pack, took out a bottle of water, and poured it over his hands.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
Nate lay on the couch with his eyes closed. His hair was soaked in sweat and his entire midsection was covered in blood, as were his pants and what was left of the shirt Danny hadn’t already cut away to put on the bandages earlier.
“Tell me you can do this,” she said to Danny.
“The first-aid kit has everything we need.”
“Danny, tell me you can do this.”
He nodded. “I can do this.”
She stared at him for a few long seconds before finally nodding. “Okay.”
“Let’s get to work,” Danny said, then handed her another bottle of water to clean her bloody hands with.
----
“ W ANT A SOUVENIR ?” Danny asked.
She shook her head. “Be my guest.”
“Eh, souvenirs are for old people anyway.”
Danny flicked the bullet he had dug out of Nate into the bathroom sink. There was just enough light coming from the small rectangular opening behind her to see the 5.56 bullet as it clinked around the porcelain bowl before vanishing down the drain.
All that damage, from such a small thing…
Gaby concentrated on rubbing Nate’s dried blood off her fingers, but it didn’t seem like she was making any real progress. After a while, she gave up and grabbed a blue cotton towel hanging off a rack and forced herself to be satisfied with wiping the sweat off her face.
“He’s gonna be out the entire night from the morphine,” Danny said, “which means you and I get the privilege of guard duty.”
“Yay us.”
“What I said. Anyway, we have everything we need to survive the night. Burglar bars over the windows, extra food, and water. All we have to do is stay as quiet as mice and they won’t ever know we were here.”
“Who are we talking about? Ghouls or humans?”
“Both.”
“You think there’s more of them out there? Besides the guy in the Jeep?”
“I think that technical was already on its way here before the fun started. Maybe because of whoever they were exchanging fire with earlier.”
“It had to be Mercer’s people. They’re everywhere.”
Danny nodded. “Yeah. Mercer’s fun boys are becoming a real pain in my ass. Right now, though, I’m more concerned with why those boys in black were here in the first place. That technical came later.”
“The Jeep.”
“Uh huh.”
“What if Nate was right? What if they were tracking us?”
“The question is why.”
“Mason?”
“Maybe.”
“But you don’t believe it.”
“No. Something else is going on.” He shook his head. “I’d give my left pinky finger to find out what.”
Danny seemed to drift off, lost in thought, and Gaby did the same, staring at herself in the mirror above the sink. She was already covered in dirt and sweat, but now she’d added streaks of blood by touching her face with her bloodied hands. A year ago the sight of the girl looking back at her would have horrified her, but these days it barely registered. She wetted the towel with a dab of water from what was left in her bottle and went to work.
“He’s still out there,” she said after awhile. “Mason.”
“Yup,” Danny nodded.
“We should have killed him.”
“Probably.” Then, “Get some rest, kid. It’s been a long morning, and it’s going to be a long night. We can’t travel with Nate in his condition, at least not if you want to keep him alive for cuddling later.”
“I’d really like that.”
“A little cuddling, a little premarital sex…” Danny said before turning and leaving the bathroom.
She smiled wryly after him before returning to cleaning Nate’s blood off her cheeks and forehead. When she was (mostly) done, she tossed the towel into the overflowing trash bin, snatched up her rifle, and went outside to join Danny. She could already feel the temperature starting to drop around her.
It would be dark soon.
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