The return to the base was a tense journey. Hruday's condition worsened with every bump and jolt of the van, sending fresh waves of pain through his body keeping him awake but he finally gave in even though Roy kept begging for him to stay conscious. The only fortunate aspect of the situation was the zombies' strange behavior; many of them seemed to return to their original spots, and the criminals' desperate final struggle to escape had distracted most of them.
Hector drove with grim determination, weaving through the debris-strewn streets as fast as he could without attracting too much attention. The rain had subsided, but the roads were slick, making the drive treacherous. Zombies still lurked here and there, but the group managed to evade them with relative ease.
Roy, sitting in the back with Hruday, kept a close eye on him. Hruday drifted in and out of consciousness; his breathing was labored and shallow. The infection from the shotgun wound was spreading quickly, and the bullet fragments left inside him were causing severe pain.
When they finally arrived at the base, relief washed over them. Michael and the others were waiting anxiously at the gate, their faces etched with worry. As soon as the van pulled in, they rushed to help get Hruday inside.
Hruday was quickly taken to one of the makeshift infirmaries they had barely even set up anything besides a bed. Emily, a trainee doctor who had been just rescued yesterday by hruday himself, before even settling to the new situation had to immediately went to work. She knew the situation was dire; Hruday's fever was dangerously high and seemed to be poorly treated and barely healed from bleeding
Hector and the scout leader tried to keep others out, but even in this tense moment, the scout leader's scheming was evident trying to establish dominance and making his presence as a leader, making Hector feel sick.
Roy, Mark, and Michaël held Hruday tightly as she removed two large bullets. She began to clean the wounds in a manner that made Michaël and Roy question her background, leaving them feeling sorry for Hruday. After cleaning with the antiseptic, she cut her hair and placed it in boiling water as she attempted to extract the bullets using the standardized knives and scissors to cut his skin, which horrified Michaël.
He wanted her to stop, but Hruday's screams and movements demanded his full attention. She meticulously stitched each wound, and Hruday had two additional non-gun-related injuries requiring stitches.
Micheal thought " It was all Hector's fault; how could I protect myself and Troy's sister while looking after Hruday? Eventually, Hruday lost consciousness, and Michaël wished it had happened sooner so that it lessened his pain.
He felt he unlocked a new depth of fear and mistrust toward the doctors, a sentiment echoed by Roy and Mark, who were shaken by Hruday's screams and curses. The last thing Hruday said, laughing in frustration, was scary to say the least, "You all enjoying this, you sick fucks," before passing out. Michaël, feeling guilty, The way Emily worked was impressive, but terrifyingly cold and brutally bloody.
Days passed in a blur of pain and fever for hruday. The base was abuzz with activity as everyone tried to help in any way they could. Word of Hruday's condition spread quickly, and many came to visit him, some out of concern, others out of curiosity because in the society that had strict laws of selling guns, one wouldn't see gunshot even in their lifetime, but now it seems things started changing for worse.
In the dim light of the infirmary, Emily worked tirelessly to keep the infection at bay. She managed to remove a few more of the larger bullet fragments, but many remained lodged deep within his flesh. The shotgun's 3 buckshot had scattered, making it impossible to extract every piece.
Each time she attempted to remove more fragments, Hruday begged her to stop; the pain was too much for him to bear. What struck Emily as strange was how Hruday remained half-awake, rarely slipping into a full deep sleep, despite the severity of his condition and meds.
only a heavy dose of antibodies and sleeping pills were helping him sleep but she couldn't afford to task his liver too much his blood was already less and seemed to be infected
Hruday: (groaning) "Muff... fucker... Are you guys trying to kill me or save me?"
Emily gently touched him, her cold, sanitized glove brushing his skin "I'm trying to save you, Hruday. But I can't do it if you keep pushing me away it will hurt more if I leave it inside."
Hruday: laughing dryly said in dry "Hurts?! you have no idea my whole body feels dry my head hurts like hell I can't see properly my whole body aches I feel like itching everywhere I feel something is crawling all over me if i talk I cough if cough I feel like dying "
don't worry hruday your body is fighting the infection and healing that's why
Hruday cursed under his breath, clutching the edge of the bed as Emily carefully removed a stitch to access another fragment. The pain was excruciating, but he forced himself to smile through the agony. "Thanks, doc. Where are my friends?"
Emily: trying to comfort him said "They're outside. You need to rest now. I promise I won't do anything while you sleep. You're safe. Look, I am locking the door."
Despite Emily's best efforts, the infection was relentless. Hruday's condition continued to deteriorate. His fever spiked, and he was plagued by bouts of delirium. The base's limited medical supplies were a serious problem. Regular medical stores didn't carry much surgical equipment, but thankfully, Michael had raided a dental clinic and brought back sterilizers and other tools, which proved invaluable.
What baffled Emily the most was how resilient Hruday seemed. Despite losing so much blood, he was still conscious and still fighting. Yet the infection was spreading far too rapidly for her comfort.
Emily sat with Michael outside the infirmary one night, her face drawn with worry. "Something's not right, Michael. Hruday should be much worse, but he's holding on well. also, not at the same time It doesn't make sense. He's strong, but this infection... it's like... I don't know i have no experience in bullet wounds ."
Michael frowned. "You think it's something else? Something... more than just the wound?"
Emily hesitated. "I don't know. The wound was bad, sure he lost;lot of blood it shouldnt be this dangerous as he seems to be awake, but it's the infection that scares me. It's like his body is trying to fight off more than just the bullet fragments. Maybe it's something in the environment, or maybe something... inside him."
Michael looked uneasy. "You don't think it's the virus, do you? From the zombies?"
Emily shook her head. "I can't say for sure. I've never dealt with something like this. But we have to be careful. If it is... well, I'm not equipped to handle that."
Michael's expression darkened as he heard. emily continued "We need to perform blood transfusion. If we don't, I'm afraid we might lose him."
Emily continued. "We need antibiotics, antivirals, anything that might help. And we need to keep a close eye on him. If his condition changes even a little, if he starts to show any signs," her voice trailed off, the implications left unsaid.
As the night wore on, the tension in the base was palpable. Hruday's condition was worsening, and the mysterious infection added a layer of fear that no one was willing to voice.
In a quiet moment, when no one was watching, the scout leader slipped into the infirmary. He carried a small vial of black liquid and a cloth pouch containing something else. He moved quickly, making sure no one was watching, and approached Hruday's bed.
Scout Leader: muttering under his breath"This should help... or at least, it should keep you quiet for a while."
He uncorked the vial and poured a few drops of the black gluey liquid onto the wound, then pressed it gently he did for other parts just as someone entered he quickly took out the cloth pouch and opened it taking out a herb and sliding the bottle inside his pocket
Hruday's eyes fluttered as he came to consciousness due to pain as he heard and tasted the weird weed but kept silent he started to struggle hruday realized this was itchy grass his mouth started to ich so he spat flinching from stomach pain "What the hell did you put " a nurse named Trinity came and asked "What happened" hruday said he is trying to poison me
the scout leader said no no I was giving him an anti-bacterial and immunity booster Tulsi, he picked up the spat leaves and showed the nurse said
"no sir do not bring anything in here, infact I wouldn't have allowed you if you were not... the scout leader interrupted her saying it's ok I understand I won't do this again The scout leader stayed a moment longer, watching him carefully, before slipping back out of the infirmary as quietly as he had come.
As the night wore on, the base was filled with a tense silence. The mission to the hospital was set for the following morning, and everyone knew the stakes were high. Hruday's life, and possibly the lives of others, hung in the balance.
Meanwhile, tensions were rising among the survivors. The revolver Hector had used during their escape had become a point of contention. Several of the more aggressive members of the group argued that the weapon should be handed over to the scout leader for safekeeping, fearing that it would lead to more violence if left in Hector's hands.
Scout Leader coldly said "That gun is a liability. It needs to be secured, not kept by someone who might get trigger-happy."
Hector said firmly "I saved us with that gun. Do you want to take it? Come and try."
The argument escalated, with both sides refusing to back down. It took Michael stepping in to defuse the situation, promising that the revolver would be kept under lock and key, only to be used in emergencies.
But even as the disputes simmered, the focus returned to Hruday's worsening condition. The infection had taken a toll on him, and it was clear that without proper antibiotics, he wouldn't last much longer. Emily did what she could, but she knew that they needed more than just basic medical supplies to save him.
In a quiet corner of the base, Michael, Roy, and a few others gathered to discuss their next move. There were other patients in the base who were also in need of medical attention.
One had a pancreatic infection, another was running a dangerously high fever, and yet another required epinephrine to manage a severe allergic reaction.
Michael speaking quietly "We can't wait any longer. We need to get to the hospital's medicine storage. It's our only chance."
Roy nodded "It's risky, but we don't have a choice. Hruday's not going to make it if we don't get those meds."
Emily: (pleading) "We need blood testers and transferring equipment, painkillers, and anything else we can find. If we don't do this, we're going to lose Hruday his condition is worsening he hasn't woken up since I removed it might have made a big mistake removing one of the bullet fragments i can't judge him his condition is worse than what it looks like."
trinity said and he isn't the only one we have an appendix infection patient and a severely allergic one and others are also getting sick
The plan began to take shape. They would need to move quickly and quietly, avoiding the zombie hotspots along the way. They would split into two groups—one to create a distraction and lure the zombies away from the hospital, and the other to infiltrate the medicine storage and grab as much as they could carry in the small truck/tempo they had luckily the hospital had moved storage outside to be able to sell the drug to outsiders.
As the group prepared for the mission, Hruday's condition continued to worsen. He hadn't slept in days now he was sleeping all day, his body wracked with pain and fever. In his more lucid moments, he tried to keep up his usual bravado, but it was clear to everyone that he was struggling.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the scout leader was seen slipping into the infirmary where Hruday lay. this had concerned Roy especially because he seemed to put something into his mouth
As the night wore on, the base was filled with a tense silence. The mission to the hospital was set for the following morning, and everyone knew the stakes were high. Hruday's life, and possibly the lives of others, hung in the balance.
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guys do tell me if you like this current style because you see I am an SS fan the major thing I hated was its length I mean 1 chapter but for lotm no comments, would pass and nothing would have happened but I realized it was because I was so excited and wanted more chapter its not that I hated the explanations and description but sometimes it did felt ahh I don't know so tell me