Brick was in a state of panic and self blame after someone had been bitten while following his instructions. 'Damn it, damn it, damn it!'
It had been smooth sailing for him so far as he was able to use his knowledge to his advantage and to keep himself alive.
While he did believe in himself and his plans to keep them safe, there would always be variables for the best laid out plans.
He was not a god which could predict every outcome and be able to prevent every misfortune.
He still had no power of his own and could only watch on helplessly as it had happened without warning.
He blamed himself because they had been bitten while carrying out his orders and had put their trust in him to ensure they would be safe as they carried out the extermination of the zombies.
He felt like he had failed them and let them down.
Brick did not have long to wallow in self blame due to that person still being alive, so long as they were living then there was a chance for them to live.
The group helped to carry the victim inside a nearby house then Brick gave out several orders. "Hold him down no matter what and do not question a thing unless you want to prevent our attempts to save him. Any hesitation will lead to his death!"
Brick turned on the flames on the hob of the cooker then left it to burn, he heated the blade in the flames then brought it to the arm where the circulation had been cut off by what had been tied around it. "Sorry, this is the only way… hold him tightly!"
"Argh.. what are.."
A towel was placed over their mouth in a way that would prevent them from moving or biting their tongue during their struggle when they were in pain.
Some pain relieving tablets were swallowed but there was still a lack of stronger medicine, a skilled doctor and proper tools for the task.
The pain which was experienced was enough to cause them to thrash around and eventually pass out or go into shock then eventually die but there was no other option available.
It was either they acted right away or let the infection spread then they would have to kill them either way.
The sounds of the struggles, muffled screams and the sounds of the flesh and bone been cut were heard from within.
Once some time had passed, there was body laying on the table which had lost a part of their arm and the wound had been cauterised.
They were still breathing but looked very weak and pale.
Brick was sitting far away with a grim look on his face. 'I knew something like this could happen and yet I still put them in that situation. Was I too rash or was this something that would have happened anyways? If I keep doubting myself now and in every situation then how can I continue to do so in the future..'
The road was long in his journey and there would be a mountain of bodies which would be left behind. 'Is this where the main character usually gets their resolve and goal? When they have encountered a failure or setback then would have to push forward? Hah.. so funny.'
While most of them would be from the zombies, there would be humans among them too whether it was from killing them himself or indirectly killing them due to his own mistakes.
Not every death could be blamed on him and he wished to prevent as many deaths and infections as possible but he was beginning to understand a little more about the heavy burdens that were placed on the shoulders of the protagonists of such worlds.
Each decision made had risks involved and there would be casualties no matter how hard he tried to prevent it or chose to apply certain different approaches.
The longer that the zombies remained in the Reed residence, the more they posed a threat to those that were still living within.
They remained as normal zombies and there were enough to pose a risk to most people but depending on certain factors, they could pose an even greater threat if they were allowed to continue to live and feed.
It was not explained clearly in the novel about how they evolved or mutated but it could several theories could easily be gained from the novel and other similar novels.
The more human flesh they ate or the energy or virus they had been able to absorb as time had passed would aid their evolution.
In some cases where there was a much larger population, a special type classified as a zombie king or variant would emerge.
The chances of such a zombie being born from the Reed residence was much lower but the zombies could still grow stronger if they were left alone for too long.
It was better to clear them quickly before they posed a greater risk so that was why Brick had been using such a method.
The less zombies that were around, the less likely that one would appear when he was away.
The novel never strictly stated when the rank one zombie would appear in the city since they only appeared once Lucy had confronted her first one many days later but it could be anything between a couple of days to a week.
It was unknown how long Brick would be away so he could not afford to leave behind a potential threat that could possibly appear.
Even if the rank one zombies could be dealt with by a group of people if they worked together, more inexperienced people would fall prey to them more easily then another spread of the virus could happen within the walls which would make his previous efforts useless.
A hard slap hit both of his cheeks then he stood up. "First thing is first…"
His gaze turned to the body laying there. "Care for him the best you can but keep a close watch over him. He may have been saved but we cannot be certain if our efforts were useless. When I am outside, I will try to see if I can find something useful."
Even if the infected area had been removed, there was still a period where they would have to be observed to determine if they could survive or if the virus had made its way past the point which had been removed.
There was a need for various supplies and the most important for combatting various diseases or helping to survive certain critical moments was having medicine.
Whether the patient would survive during their wait would be unknown but Brick still wished to try to add getting some pain relievers and other things to help them overcome that critical period if they survived by the time he made it back.
Others may suffer similar fates in the future so it was better to be fully prepared for it.
Most of the supplies that Brick had purchased before the apocalypse came would only help in survival and could not provide enough assistance to the present situation.
It was not that he had forgotten about the potential dangers and the need for certain things but instead it was that his funds were limited and he needed to prioritise how he spent it.
He not meet the conditions to loan a large amount of money suddenly, he did not know of any loan sharks which could give him money right away and he did not have anything of great value besides his own home which was not actually under his name.
All that he had was the money which was sitting in his bank account and what had been saved up during his time being sponsored and taking part of the duties as a trainee.
If he was born with a better status or more riches then things could have been much easier for him but it was something completely out of his control which had set him up with his current body and what came with it.
He was walking outside and a hand grabbed onto him. "Where are you going now?"
Brick looked back and saw the worried look of Alice who seemed to have been watching over him earlier. "We do not have time to sit around so I am going back out there. One word of warning.. if he suddenly dies or turns then do not hesitate to remove people from by his side and take measures to prevent his reanimation. He may have fought alongside us not long ago but he still could pose a danger to everyone."
Alice released her grip and revealed a complicated look on her face. "Alright.. this is very difficult. I do not know how you can do this and act so quickly but just know that without you.. this would not have been possible."
She had remained frozen on the spot when the bite had happened while Brick had jumped in then acted quickly.
It was not until Brick had begun to yell was when she had begun to move again.
It was the same for everyone else, they had begun to panic but Brick had pulled them back from it.
Their respect for him had increased and when they got to see a more humble side of him, they came to realise that the person they were following and putting the burden on the most may seem reliable but he was still a young man who had not completely matured.
He left through the door with a renewed vigour in his steps and saw Homer waiting there impatiently. "I know… I just had to deal with a problem."
Brick walked back towards the gate with a lollipop in his mouth which provided him with some much needed sugar.
He had already eaten and had a drink but the additional sugar from the lollipop helped his calm down a little and think better than before.
It was a habit of his to have sweets when he wanted to feel better or wanted to think more clearly that had formed during his previous life.
When he was stressed or was busy working on something there would usually be a packet of lollipops by him or sone other sugary sweets.
Thinking, memory and learning was closely related to glucose levels and how efficiently the brain uses that fuel source so topping it up with some sugary sweets would help him regain his focus to where it was needed.
He could not get lost in the loop of bad thoughts that would plague him and had to think about how to move forward instead.
Homer stood back and watched as Brick started to attract the zombies that lingered around the gate then quickly finished them before climbing over the wall.
He was a little disgusted once he saw Brick pulling at the limbs of the zombies on the outer parts of the pile of zombies. 'Does this kid not get an upset stomach carrying out such tasks?'
He did not know that Brick had experienced such things but he had already overcome it, there were many others who became pale or were sick once they were exposed to the slightest thing and not everyone could handle remaining in the room as the patient was being saved by Brick.