What Once Was a Curse

"Tell me doc, am I gonna make it?" Tommy groaned.

"The bullet didn't hit anything important," I turned him over some. There was an exit hole. "The bullet isn't in you, it passed right through, thankfully. Should just need to plug the hole and let you rest for a day or three."

"Nice," Tommy said. Then he passed out on the floor.

"Don't sleep yet. I need to put on a bandage. After we clean that wound. Which, trust me, is gonna suck."

Tommy opened his eyes again, grumbled some, then lifted his shirt as I pulled the small bottle of rubbing alcohol and gauze that I'd swiped from the hospital when this all started. I didn't have many medical supplies right now. If we needed more, then we'd have to try our luck with a nearby pharmacy, or else make a run on a hospital or clinic. And those places always had Z's in them. Too many had died while undergoing care.

Tommy hissed in pain while the rubbing alcohol went to work, while I pulled the gauze tight around his midsection, covering the hole, then taping it down with the last of my medical tape. Yep, if we didn't find more supplies soon, then I'd be patching people with leaves and sticks.

Still, Tommy would live, for now at least. I got up and turned around to see Amara standing maybe a foot away from me. She held her pistol lightly at her side.

"Your turn," said Amara. "Go on, we'll watch over you two."

"Thanks guys, but I can take watch." I said.

Or at least, that's what I tried to say. Instead, Amara took my spear and not so gently pushed me to the ground. Eh, who could complain? And besides, the ground felt nice.

-----

I closed my eyes for what felt like a few seconds. When I opened them again, Amara and Sam were talking over a small fire outside the shop, under a darker sky.

I stood up and brushed myself off some. Best not to be too filthy. Someone might mistake me for a Z. I glanced over at Tommy. He was still asleep, though he didn't seem uncomfortable. Looks like my limited tools had been enough.

I walked out and looked over at Amara and Sam. They were both laughing. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

They both jumped a bit when I spoke. Amara recovered first. "Sorry Chris, we were just relaxing a bit. You've been out for about eight hours now. Think that's the first time you've actually slept recently."

"I got an hour or two here or there. What do you want from me?"

"To take care of yourself," said Sam. "If our doctor is half asleep when he needs to take care of us, we're more likely to die, simple as that."

"Plus which, if you're tired then a Z will sneak up on you, then we've got to kill you. And I'd rather not do that," said Amara.

"Alright, fine," I said. "I'll try to get a bit more sleep, more often. One of you can go sleep for now though. I've had more than enough rest."

Sam stood up. "I guess I could use a bit of shut eye. Make sure Amara doesn't nod off, alright Chris?"

"I've prepared," she said, holding up a thermos. "This place still had a bit of electricity, and I also found an old coffee machine in the back. So, we've got plenty of liquid sleep right here."

"No fucking way," I said, holding out my hand for a cup. The last time I'd had a cup of coffee here, it'd been from some crappy shop. Whatever they used for their drink could not be classified as coffee. This was pure Americano, a nice rich roast. Whoever had owned this place knew their shit.