Merman - Romance

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“What’s wrong with her?”  Ridec was hurrying through the large high ceiling room behind the old timer.

“She’s not so much sick as she’s pregnant,” the old man explained pushing open another large oak door and entering, Ridec followed close behind.

“Pregnant?  That’s not…”  Ridec stopped in the middle of his sentence as he saw a young woman laying on the ground with a tattered old blanket tossed over her.  She was making jerky movements and her face was contorted in pain.

“You think she’s ready to give birth?”  The young man that was kneeling beside her bed looked up with concern at the group as they entered.

“I’ve never seen anyone that far along with an infection pregnant,” Mark muttered.  “I didn’t even know it was possible.”

“Give birth?”  Jessell looked appalled and Ridec could fully understand why.  The young woman’s face was covered in orange lines which ran down to her neck and disappeared under the blanket she was clutching.  “I say we shoot her before she turns into one of those zombies and try to eat our faces.”

“Don’t you dare hurt Kayla,” the young man that was kneeling on the floor behind Kayla got to his feet slowly.

“She looks pretty bad…” Kent started to say but the young man gripped a stick from nearby and pointed it towards the group.

“Don’t any of you come any closer.”

“Relax Steve, this boy here knows a little medicine,” the old man said.

“You can help Kayla?”  Steve questioned with a great deal of hope in his voice.

“I…I’m not sure…”  Ridec started to say but Jessell cut in.

“You think he can work miracles?  That girl is as good as dead.”

“I can…”  Again Ridec didn’t get to finish his sentence.

“No Ridec, I don’t want you anywhere near her.”

“But…”

“No butts Ridec.”

Jessell’s voice was hard and uncompromising and everyone in the room stared over at Ridec.  Ridec couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, he hadn’t been on this earth long but he had been long enough to know that the men didn’t play second place to the women folk.  In fact if there was one thing he had noticed it was the women seemed to depend on their men, and not so much the other way around.

“We didn’t introduce ourselves, how rude of me.”  It was the old man who spoke first and broke the awkward silence.  “I’m Kyle.”

“It’s…it’s nice to meet you, I’m Ridec.”  Ridec was glad for the opportunity to change the topic and the focus from himself.

“This here is Kayla, she’s about due now,” Kyle pointed down to the young woman on the floor who was still writhing in pain.  “That’s Steve there that’s getting himself all bent out of shape, he’s the baby’s father and Jake over there is his father.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Ridec muttered.

“You got to help Kayla,” Steve said urgently but Ridec didn’t respond; the last thing he wanted was an argument with Jessell.  The old man seemed to sense his hesitation and pressed on with the introductions.  “That’s Nathan – he wandered in here much like you lot a few months back and has made his home with us.”

He was pointing at the young man that had been in the outer room with a stick in his hand, the man waved his acknowledgment.

“This is Tim he’s Oriel’s dad,” Kyle explained and the twelve year old boy hurried forward to shake Ridec’s hand then glanced at the others as if he was thinking about shaking their hands and seemed to change his mind.