Don was riding his bike through the street at high speeds. Dodging and weaving through stalled cars, and if he needed to, he would even go off-road to avoid blockades regardless if they were natural or human-made. A look within those brown eyes, one that was filled with pure conviction.
Where was he headed at this time of night? Why was April not with him?
Well, when Don arrived at the base, it was already dusk. Rebecca, standing guard outside, was relieved to see them since she got word that something may have happened when Josh told their side of the story. However, when Rebecca saw April's state, her relief turned into concern and worry.
With Rebecca's help, Don could get April into the house safely. They allowed her to rest in the master bedroom. Everyone gathered to see what was going on but was told to leave a few moments later since they needed to undress April and patch her up. No one made a rebuttal and did as they were told. Everyone except Don, Rebecca, and April was waiting in the living room.
"Tell me, what happened, Don?" Rebecca asked as she started to undress April. Don stood against the door with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes shut tightly. "We were ambushed. Some guy wanted to fight. He had snipers on standby. Apparently, they were not supposed to fire upon us but did so anyway, and that was how April got injured." Don explained, leaving out the part about what happened afterward.
"I see..." Rebecca had finished undressing April, who was passed out. It didn't seem like Don was telling the whole story. For now, she decided not to ask about it. April had been passed out the entire time, which was why Don had to carry her into the room.
Rebecca saw the grazing wounds. One on the left arm, one on the right leg, one on the left side of the stomach, and one on the right side of the head. Rebecca was amazed that April wasn't hit with a lethal shot, but at the same time, she was confused about what had happened. Upon further inspection, Rebecca saw that April had hit her head on the left side.
"She has a concussion. We can clean and patch up the grazing bullet wounds, but Don..." Rebecca remarked while noticing one more thing. April was pale and seemed to be burning up at the same time.
"April has lost a fair amount of blood. Without proper medical attention, she may end up dying..." Rebecca stated.
Don's eyes flashed open with worry. "You are joking, right?" Don uttered, hoping that maybe Rebecca was wrong.
Rebecca shook her head as she cleaned up the grazing wounds. "No... She may need a blood transfusion if we want to save her." Rebecca said with sorrow and sadness in her voice. She knew just as well as Don did that there were no hospitals in this world and, most likely, no doctors.
Don's hands curled into a balling fists out of frustration. He knew next to nothing about this world or what was within it. He had not even been here for a week. It was then he realized that there was one person who had been here for half a year. Don would hastily move out of the room, and on his way out, he slammed the door. It wasn't on purpose; it just showed how anxious he was. Rebecca nearly jumped when she heard the door slam. She wanted to chase after Don but decided to patch up April.
Everyone jumped at the door, slamming, but they were not prepared for Don, who hastily made his way toward Tyrone. "D-Don?" Tyrone could see the look in Don's eyes.
Angst, fear, worry, and hope.
Don did his best to hold back and suppress himself from interrogating Tyrone. "You have been around here the longest... I am going to be short. April is dying. I want a straight answer. Do you know of any kind of doctor or hospital?"
Everyone's eyes went wide when Don said April was dying. Even Tyrone was worried. "Well... I... may..." Tyrone remarked timidly, which caused Don to exclaim nearly. "Tell me!"
Tyrone shuffled back into the couch. "A-Ah... It was a passing rumor. When I was traveling with my old group. There was word of an outpost that was set up. A fairly large one. It's in Austin. I heard the group took hold of the Texas Capitol and decided to use it as a base. Apparently, it has a hospital set up there as well as a few doctors. That's all I know!" Tyrone explained with a bit of fear in his eyes.
Don nodded before seeming to race out the door. The sound of the bike engine turned on, and before anyone could even follow Don, he was already gone.
Everyone was silent for a moment while looking at one another. "Damn it..." Josh broke the silence and grimaced. "We should've been more careful!" He exclaimed as he took hold of his arm and held it tightly in anger. John placed a hand on Josh's shoulder. "We have only been here a little while. There was no telling what is out there." John tried to comfort his cousin. "Even still... Do you think April will make it?" Jake inquired. No one said a word until Rebecca came out with a heavy sigh.
"April won't die right away. She's a tough girl. But she does need medical attention, and I highly doubt anyone here is a doctor." Rebecca remarked.
No one would speak up.
"Where is Don? I heard the engine go off?" Rebecca inquired as she looked around.
"I think he went to Austin." Noah murmured, which caused Rebecca's brow to raise. She was trying her best not to worry, but anyone could see how worried she was.
"Tyrone said that there may be a doctor there. I think Don plans on bringing them back." Noah explained.
Rebecca cast a downward gaze. "I see. Do we even have the proper equipment?" Rebecca asked.
"I know Don brought a lot of medical supplies and stuff. So, we might have some. Why don't we try and keep April in a stable condition." John's mother spoke up, her calm tone of voice seeming to ease everyone a little.
"That's right!" Jake exclaimed. "I'll go ahead and gather up the items and equipment we may need."
"Then, I'll standby in the room and watch over April." Rebecca remarked.
"We'll go ahead and revisit the homes that have medical supplies." John said while patting Josh's shoulder, who nodded after looking at his cousin with a smile. "I'll tag along." Tyrone remarked, and they seemed pleased to hear it.
"Jake, can you tell me what we don't have. I'll see if I can craft any equipment we need." Noah began to move, and Jake called out with a "Yeah!"
Alice, Sarah, Juan, and Catalina were awestruck. The fact that these people could move quickly and efficiently was on a whole other level. Maybe that was because someone's life was on the line. Regardless, they were inspired by it. "Is there anything we can do?" Juan asked openly.
"Yeah, can you help me gather the materials?" Noah answered, and Juan nodded before turning to Catalina. "Watch over Sofia, okay?" Juan said with a smile, and Catalina nodded softly. She understood that someone needed to stay with Sofia.
"What about us?" Alice asked.
"Can two help me prepare snacks and beverages for the others?" John's mother inquired, and they nodded. Everyone was set about their tasks, so no one seemed to have time to despair. They all seemed to believe that Don would return with a doctor and that they would be able to save April.
Don did not take his bag but did have full magazines in his vest pockets. His guns were loaded as well. He had reloaded his mags and guns before they left the shed. Don continued to pick up speed as he raced toward Austin.
An oversized moth came in front of him. Don didn't have time to deal with bugs, so he withdrew his 1911 Ruger and fired upon it a couple of times which caused it to drop to the ground. Don weaved past the bug while continuing down the road. Every so often, bugs and undead would be in his path. Regardless of whether they were hostile, Don killed them and moved along. The sheer conviction in his eyes meant that nothing would stop him from saving April.
It took longer than anticipated, but Don arrived nonetheless. He began to slow down to a stop in front of a large steel scrap wall with a large steel scrap gate. Searchlights had lit up the outside nicely so those patrolling on the wall could see who or what was coming.
"So the rumor was true. In an entirely different city, though..." Don turned off his bike and kicked up the kickstand.
The gate was also guarded by people who stood outside with assault rifles in their hands. They were dressed in police uniforms. As Don approached, one of them spoke out to him. "That's close enough. What business do you have here?" One of the guards asked.
"I am here to see if there is a doctor inside." Don answered.
The men looked at each other before looking back at Don. "There is, but why do you need to see the doctor?" The other guard asked. Don kissed his teeth with annoyance. He didn't have time for twenty questions, but... "I need to save a life." Don was trying to hold himself back. There was no need to shed unnecessary blood.
"I see. Well, as long as you don't cause any trouble, it should be fine." One of the guards stated before pushing a button beside him, which caused the gate to lift off the ground with the sound of chains coming from the gate. Don nodded before heading inside, "Thanks."
Don could see a decent amount of people walking around and about. There were stalls set up here and there, and even people prostituting themselves. Aside from that, the pathway was paved nicely. A makeshift signboard was a short walk in front of him with directions to the most important places, such as a weapon shop, clothing shop, armor shop, materials shop, and medical shop.
They were labeled as such to keep things simple. The signboard displayed the inside of the Texas Capitol with all the important places, including the main office. The outside of the capitol held other attracts aside from stalls and prostitutes. There seemed to be a casino, a shooting range, and a resting area.
For now, Don moved towards the building. He avoided the sleaze bags and douches along the way. Entering the building, Don saw that a decent number of people were also wandering around and conversing with others. Patrol guards were in the same uniform as those on the wall and at the front gate.
Don hastily made his way toward the medical area. As he went inside, he noticed a fair amount of nurses and doctors running around, trying to keep people alive and healthy. Some people were waiting in a seating area while a receptionist sat at a desk. Don made his way up to the receptionist. "Do you have any available Doctors?" Don asked hastily.
The woman looked up from the desk towards Don, who appeared heavily armed but unfazed. "Umm... we don't. If there is an urgent matter, do try and come back in the morning." The receptionist answered, which caused Don to kiss his teeth.
"I don't have time for that. I need someone now! I didn't drive all the way over from Harris just to be told to come back in the morning!" Don exclaimed. The receptionist sighed softly and shook her head. She pushed upon some kind of button that was under the desk, "I am sorry, sir, but there is nothing we can do. I am going to have to ask you to leave. If you continue to cause further trouble, I will call security." The receptionist stated, even though she had already done that.
Don was starting to become agitated. There wasn't much he could do without resorting to violence. Turning on his heel, he moved towards the exit but stopped mid-way. "If she dies... you better hope you do not see me again." Don turned to look back at the woman, who sighed heavily as if she had been threatened many times. "Have a good day, sir." The receptionist remarked.
Don couldn't do anything but leave the building. It was probably a good thing he did since the guards had just moved past him. "Damn bitch called security anyway." Don muttered before looking around some more.
"This place really does look like an outpost. How long has this place been here? How long have all of these people been here?" Don muttered before shaking his head. "No, I don't have time for those questions. I need to find a doctor." Don began asking the various people around if they knew medical knowledge or knew anyone who did.
Eventually, he got a tip to try the bar. It was a small-looking building. Upon pushing the doors open, the place appeared just as trim on the inside, aside from various small groups here and there and a couple of people at the bar sitting on barstools—a woman in a dress and a man in a suit. The bartender was cleaning a glass while simply minding his own business.
Don didn't have time to make friends or gather information, so he talked rather loudly. "Alright, listen up! I am looking for anyone with medical knowledge or who knows medical knowledge. I don't have time for twenty questions, so if you know anyone or have some degree of medical knowledge yourself, then speak up now!."
Don did gather attention. People looked over towards him, except for the two at the bar and the bartender. A bit of murmur here and there, but no one decided to tune in about knowing anyone or if they knew anything. Instead, a large beefy man rose from his seat with a bright red nose and stumbled towards Don. "And... why do you need that information..." The man stated with a hic in between his question.
"To save someone." Don stated firmly.
The man scanned Don before a smile curved across his face. "Why didn't you just say so from the beginning." The man hic'd once again.
"If that is all you need, then we can help." The man said.
Don wasn't stupid or dense at what the man meant. This man was obviously just messing with him. "I don't have time for your games. If you don't know anyone, then piss off." Don remarked coldly. "Aye... is that how you ask for a favor? Geez... just because someone is dying doesn't mean you have to be a prick. How about I teach you a lesson." The man swung the bottle of booze at Don.
Don ducked under the swing only to rise and slam his hidden blade into the man's throat. Afterward, he kicked the man in the stomach to push him away and sheath his hidden blade with a flicker of his wrist.
Everyone except the two at the bar and the bartender rose. Don's eyes started to lose their faint light. "If you want to come at me, then come at me. I don't have time for your games." Don looked around the room. He counted eleven people, including the bartender and the two at the bar stools.
"Why can't a girl have a drink in silence for once." A woman in a black dress muttered from the barstool. "I am not sure, Ma'am. Perhaps people just enjoy causing trouble." A man in a suit that was sitting beside her answered.
The woman set the empty glass down and turned to look at Don, then towards the corpse on the ground. A heavy breath escaped her lips before moving towards the corpse and removing a hidden knife from her thigh to destroy the brain. "If you plan on killing someone, then kill them." The woman stated.
Don didn't seem to care about her complaint. "Anyways, you need a doctor. Fine, let's go before any more people end up dying." The woman knew from one glance that Don would have killed just about everyone here. It was the look in his eyes. "Ma'am, would you like me to join you?" The man asked while still holding his glass of liquor. "No, need. Remain here and keep me updated on the situation." The woman replied as she put her knife away.
The woman was beautiful. Pure black hair, long lushes hair, black eyes, and crimson lips. Her appearance was gorgeous. From head to toe, a goddess. Yet, Don wasn't interested in the slightest. The only thing he cared about was the fact that she said something about a doctor. "Are you a doctor?" Don asked, and the woman nodded. "You don't have time for twenty questions, so hurry up and lead me to the patient." She retorted, and Don nodded. Both of them left the bar without another word.
"Shall I clean this up for you?" The man in the suit asked the bartender.
"As long as you don't charge me an arm or a leg." The bartender replied, and the man shrugged. "That is entirely up to my Mistress." The man answered.
"Then go ahead. As for the rest of you, sit down and finish your drinks or get out." The bartender stated to the others, who were still standing up with bewilderment on their faces. The man in the suit stood up and began removing the corpse from the shop. The others knew not to mess with the bartender, so people generally listened when the bartender said something.