RADIO

chapter 25

The night passed by slowly. 

The teens all had fallen asleep in the boarded up shop. The sun rose and lit up the ghost town they were trapped in. 

Dibbs shifted in the spot he layed in, propped up against his partner. Monty's blue eyes opened swiftly as Dibbs stretched. "Morning already?" He mumbled. 

"Yeah" Dibbs let out a heavy sigh and rested his head in the crook of Monty's neck. "Let's get the others up, we need to get moving" Monty suggested, spotting a wanderer through the large window. 

He stood up from where he sat and stretched his arms up to the sky and let out a soft sigh. He grabbed his glasses from beside where he slept and placed the dark rims on his nose bridge, adjusting them as he saw fit. 

He looked around to see Dibbs dosing off once more. "Rocky" he whispered. The mastiff perked up and started to wag his tail. “Get em” he said with enthusiasm. The dog then hopped up and jumped onto the couch where Dibbs sat. Dibbs laughed as Rocky covered his face in kisses. Dibbs pushed the mastif off the couch, “go on rocky” he laughed, finally standing up and brushing the dog hair off his hoodie. 

“Hey, get up” Dibbs said, kicking Rider slightly. 

“What? Whats going on?” She mumbled, sitting up and putting her glasses on. She looked around, soon waking up Jane. “It’s too early for this” Tris complained, her arm still in the makeshift sling. 

“Someone get the love birds up” Rider said, standing up and stretching like the others did. “I'm already up” haze groaned, getting up from the floor. “Good” Monty replied to his comment. 

“Duchess, up” he ordered, nudging her arm. 

She shifted where she layed. her brows furrowed and a small whine escaped her lips. “Fuck” she groaned, turning onto her shoulder. “You okay?” Haze asked. 

She simply put a hand up and let her head hang between her shoulders as she rested on her stomach. Haze turned to talk to the others and Duchess shot up from where she layed. Rider quickly noticed her attempts to run towards the trash can but ultimately failed. 

She fell onto her shoulder and pain from her ankle rang out in her leg. She let out a whine of pain and Haze turned towards her. “Duchess, what are you doing?” He asked. 

She then pulled her self up, her arms shaking and one leg up off the carpeted floor. She reached the trash can and immediately threw up. “Oh shit” Jane gasped. 

Rider ran over to her to help with Haze in tow. Duchess trembled and struggled to stay afoot. Her skin was pale and she was sweating profusely. “You okay?” Monty asked. 

Duchess shook her head slightly. Monty sighed, “looks like we arent going anywhere today” he shrugged, placing his bag down. 

“No, w-we can” Duchess insisted.

“Youre obviously sick, plus you cant walk so what makes you think we can go anywhere?” Rider asked, putting a hand on her shoulder and brushing her hair out of the way. “Come on, youre sitting down” Haze said, swinging an arm under her legs and lifting her from the ground. 

Her carried her over to the now open couch and layed her on her back, “but we have places to go” she whined. 

“We will be just fine here” Dibbs informed. 

Duchess let out a sigh of defeat and threw her arm over her eyes. “Youre burning up” Rider said, noticing her red cheeks and beads of sweat that had formed overnight. Janes brows furrowed as she analyzed the woman. “Must’ve been from the rain and not eating” she commented. 

Duchess whined softly and held an uncomfortable expression. “Sorry guys” she mumbled. 

“It’s fine” Haze said, running a hand through his hair with a tense sigh. “Lets just wait it out here for the next few days or so, then we’ll focus on getting through here” he suggested. 

“I agree” Monty spoke up. 

And as they all agreed to stay within the bookshop, about another week had passed by. Duchess’s condition didnt get any better, if anything it got worse. She could barely even keep water down and refused to eat more than a few snacks. Tris’s arm slowly healed, she now was able to move it freely but the bruising stuck around her shoulder in its dark purple and brown color like a painted canvas with too many colors in one spot. 

The others closely monitored her and soon enough they were out of options. 

“We cant stay here much longer” Haze informed Duchess whilst sitting next to the couch where she rest on her stomach. She weakly lifted her head and faced him. He looked up at her tired eyes. 

Guilt pricked at his heart, “were running out of supplies and you arent getting any better” he sighed. 

“I dont know whats wrong with me…” she muttered, “i'm never sick this bad” 

“You need medicine, we dont have any” he told her. His voice was low and soothing as the others talked amongst themselves. “What medicine?” She asked. Haze took a minute to think and responded, “at least some advil or any other type of painkiller so you can get your appetite back” his hand slipped into hers as Duchess’s arm hung from the couch she rested on. 

“Okay, it's not hard to find, I hope, '' she huffed. Haze let the side of his forehead rest against hers and he tightened his grip on her hand. Duchess reflected his actions. 

“Go and check the pharmacies, i'm sure they are around, and if not then ill have to bite my tongue and get up and move anyways'’she told him. 

“I can do that” he reassured her, holding the back of her hand close to his chest. He kissed the back of her hand and finally got up from where he sat, letting go of her hand. “Tris, Monty, Dibbs, lets go” haze said, throwing his backpack around his shoulders. 

“Im not coming back until i can find something that will help Duchess” he vowed, looking back at her once more before walking through the door with the others in tow.