They Walk

Chapter Forty Seven

When I wake up the next morning the sounds of the sleeping area in the Pal Hop, are already becoming familiar. Without opening my eyes I can hear some people snoring from sleep, and I can hear children trying to be quiet when they giggle. I can hear different people coming in and out on the large room. All of the noise, may it be soft, but still sounds loud to my ears and it makes my head throb.

Rolling over in the cot, I finally open my eyes, and have to squint against the dim flickering candle light.

If none of the shades are open on the windows above, then it must still be early. Beside me, the little girls and their mother are sound asleep clutching one another tightly, and it makes me smile sadly. Across from me on his own cot, Gabe is still sounding asleep. I can’t help too notice how much more calm he looks in him sleep, almost peaceful. I know I should probably wake him, since he’d only worry if he woke up and I was gone.

But I know he’d be even more upset to know where I plan to go off to.

I’ve been trying to ignore the fact that I haven’t been feeling any better since the accident, but I’ve been getting worse. This headache for example, just isn’t going away and it’s starting to affect my sleep and even my awake time. There is too much to do, and have to worry if I’m going to pass out. So, I thought since we’re in a place where there is all the medical staff handy, I’d get a second opinion of my concussion. This will be my only chance to slip away before we leave, and I’ll have to be quick.

If that’s even…I don’t know…remotely possible?

Trying to be quiet and not to disturb Gabe, I slowly shift into a sitting position and swing my legs around so my feet touch the ground. Quickly, so that I avoid the cold stone floor, I slip on my sneakers. Standing up now, I grab my hoody that is lying at the end of my cot where I dropped it the night before, and throw it on. Glancing back at Gabe, I swiftly make my way to the double doors on the other side of the room. I have to zigzag around cots and playing children, and have to walk around the stage that is now being used for extra cots and blankets. I finally reach the doors I grab one of the many flashlights littered in a tote by the door. The guards stationed at the doors don’t stop me as I turn it on.

I pull open the door with a slight squeak and sneak through before I change my mind.

Out in the hallway its pitch black, and I grip the flashlight and raise it high so that I can see a clear path in front of me. The medical treatment is being done in one of the smaller stadiums upstairs on the second floor, so I have to use the stairs to the right of the small lobby I’m now in. As I start toward the door, I can’t resist the urge to look over my shoulder and glance behind me. Creeping along in the dark is never a good thing, especially when there are actual monsters outside. Since it’s still early, there isn’t anyone loitering around, so I make my way to the stairwell door without any interruptions. Once I’m stepping up the stairs, I want to change my mind and go back.

The air feels tighter here and it makes me feel claustrophobic.

Sweat pools between my shoulder blades, and I have the awful idea that the dead could be down below at the bottom of the stairs. Shaking my head, I know we’re as safe as we can be here, and I push myself forward.

I practically throw myself at the second floor stairs, and fling myself into the dark hallway. This area isn’t as vacant as downstairs, and I can see the flickers of flashlights as people in scrubs walk in and out of rooms. Raising my own, I walk down the hall and look from door to door trying to figure out where I need to go. I’d assume there would be some sort of waiting area, but things aren’t exactly to code these days.

So I shouldn’t really expect much, I’m sure.

I must look pretty lost or confused, because one of the guys in scrubs shines me with his flashlight.

“Can I help you with something?” He asks in a deep baritone voice.

“I hope so I was hoping to see a doctor, if there is one free. I don’t want to intrude or anything, it’s not really an emergency.” I say in a rush, and try to not look like a crazy person.

“Well you came to the right place. And don’t worry, you’re not intruding it’s what we do here. If you go down the hall a little more, take a left and there will be a set of double doors. Go right inside and someone can help you.”

He gives me a patient smile, and as his light pulls away, he makes off in the opposite direction of where I’m going. I guess it’s no going back now. When I get to the end of the hall, I turn left and sure enough there is a set of doors. Taking a deep breath, I push them open and step inside.

The room is bright with artificial light, and as I scan the room I see the kerosene lamps all around. This must be the stadium, since it’s designed almost the same as the ones downstairs. Except this one is half the size and there is no stage. The floor is littered with over a dozen hospital beds, and only half are occupied. I feel my pulse quicken at the thought, that someone in here could have been bitten. But then I remember how Sam was treated when we first got here, and I know no one infected would make it inside.

Along with the beds, there are a handful of people walking around in scrubs checking on the patients.

At the back of the room, there are a couple desks and a few people wearing lab coats sitting at them. Not wanting to disturb the nurses with the patients, I make my way to the back of the room towards the people I’m assuming are doctors. Only one of them looks up as I approach, and I think she’d be a good one to talk to, since she looks friendly enough. She has short brown hair and bright blue eyes behind wide rimmed glasses. She looks like she could be young, but who really knows, I notice a nametag that says ‘Becky’.

I come to a stop in front of her desk.

“What can I do for you sweetie?” Becky asks.





“I was hoping to get you opinion on something, if you’ve got a second or two.”

“Of course, if you could have a seat on one of the empty beds and I’ll join you in a moment.”

As she gives me a bright smile, I turn away and pear around the room and try to decide where I want to go. Figuring it would be best to be away from the other patients; I choose a bed on the far side of the room and plop down on it. I’m not eve sitting very long, before Becky comes over to me carrying a clipboard.

“So how can I help?” She asks again, crossing her arms over her chest with the clipboard between them.

“A couple days ago I was in a car accident, and I got a pretty bad concussion trying to break a window with my head.” I say as I lift my hand and point to the still tender gash along my left temple.

Becky narrows her eyes, and steps closer to get a better look. Placing the clipboard on the bed, she reaches into her pocket and produces a pair of latex gloves. Once on, she prods along my temple, making me flinch.

“This was stitched up. Did you do this?”

“I met a nurse that took care of me. It still hurts, is that normal?” I ask almost insistently.

She drops her hands and steps back to watch me.

“It seems to be healing properly, since it was well stitched. Did you lose consciousness at all after you hit your head?”

“Yes, and I was told that my heart stopped for a few seconds before coming back. After that I was out for over twenty four hours.”

Her eyes go wide, before she can control her face to just looking concerned.

“How about feeling irritable, have trouble concentrating, unable to remember things, headaches, dizziness, and blurry vision?”

“I had and have all of that to some degree still, except for irritable. Well, maybe not very irritable I mean.”

She gives me a smile, one that I don’t have a hard time returning.

“Well, at least you have a sense of humor, so that’s good. But it worries me that you still have these symptoms, and even more that you were unconscious for so long. If you weren’t here talking right now, I’d say you might have severe damage to your brain and maybe a bleed.”

She lets out a sigh before continuing, and I’m pretty much holding my breath.

“But, since you up walking around and talking clearly, I’d say severe concussion if not maybe a little damage to you brain from the hit. The brain is a very sensitive thing, and it heals at its own pace.”

“What should I do about it in the meantime though?”

“I’d say stay off your feet, and to not doing anything too strenuous. But I have a feeling you’re not going to listen to that. I’d feel more comfortable if I could actually do an MRI on you, to be safe, but we don’t have the equipment here.”

“I won’t be like this forever will I?” I hope it’s not forever anyway.

“There really is no way to tell for sure, but I’d say months, if you really wanted a time frame.”

Months, I stare at her in shock because she can’t be right, can she? That doesn’t even seem fair, who knows if I’ll even live for months without being hurt.

“Don’t worry honey, it’ll get better I promise. And in the meantime, I can give you some pain pills for your headache.”

I nod my head, and just stare at her numbly. She pats my knee, and turns away back towards her desk. She goes behind it and gigs around in the drawers before pulling out a handful of packets. Satisfied, she walks back over to me. Back in front of me, she places the packets in my hands that are just lying in my lap, and makes me squeeze them.

“Take a packet of these pills, every six hours if you can, and go get some rest alright? And try not to get hit in the head again, it won’t end well.”

I nod again.

As I watch her go, I wonder if I’ll ever be alright.

This pain inside goes deeper than my temple, and it’s got claws that are wrapped around my very being.