With A Whimper (Part Seventeen)
Nov. 14th, 2006 06:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missmara13Title: With A Whimper (Part Seventeen)
Author: Mara
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, death, language, blood. Did I mention violence and death? And Blood? lol
Summary: Most of the world is either dead or Crazy, but in California a group of survivors tries to find a way to avoid both fates.
PART SEVENTEEN
When they arrived back at the lodge, they were met by a pretty young woman with her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a scrub top over a pair of jeans, a stethescope hanging around her neck. "You left a note about injuries?" she said to Caleb.
"In back," Caleb replied.
Trey and Summer were already helping Ryan climb out, and the woman went straight to him. "What's the injury and how long ago?" she asked.
"Shot twice," Summer said. "Once in the shoulder, once just above the knee. It happened... god... 9 or 10 days ago."
"Treatment?"
"I got the bleeding stopped and stitched him up, but... but I was a candystriper..."
"I'll give it a once over," the woman said. "What's with all the blood?"
"It's from the fucking Crazy that was trying to kill him," Trey said. "I blew it's head up."
"Yeah, that was overkill, Trey," Ryan said.
"Right, next time I'll wait for it to finish killing you, then I'll politely and gently kill it," Trey replied.
"That's the way," the woman said with a chuckle.
"I'm sorry," Kirsten said to the strange woman. "Who are you?"
"Emily Cutter," she replied. "I know, ironic name for an ER Nurse. Even I wasn't twisted enough to become an OR nurse with a name like Cutter."
"This is my older daughter, Kirsten Cohen," Caleb introduced. "And... I don't know most of the rest..."
"The boy you're treating is my... my only surviving son, Ryan Atwood, and the man on his left is his biological brother, Trey Atwood...." Kirsten explained.
"I'm Summer Roberts," Summer said. "My dad was a plastic surgeon and I used to read some of his medical books... so I kinda became the closest thing to a doctor."
"On first glance I'd say you did a good job," Emily said, carefully peeling back the bandages on Ryan's shoulder so she could look. "Though it looks like it's been bleeding a little more..."
"You try wrestling with a Crazy," Ryan advised. "You'd tear out stitches, too."
Emily snorted and undid her ponytail, letting her hair lose and turning to reveal that she had a bald patch with very raw looking skin. "Ripped out a hunk about 3 weeks ago, right before I ran into Caleb and he brought me with him to here."
"You alright, Ryan?" Alex asked as she came over, eyes sweeping the area for any signs of danger.
"Will be," Ryan replied. "All the kids okay?"
"Freaked out by the blood, but they're not hurt," Alex reported. "Lindsay's trying to sing Marnie a lullaby so she'll stop crying. But... the girl can't sing."
Ryan snorted. "Tell Marnie that once I get cleaned up, I'll tell her a story. That usually works."
"Right," Alex agreed.
"And get somebody started unloading stuff," Ryan added, "I don't want any of us having to come out here after dark, just in case."
"Me and Luke can handle that," Trey said.
Lindsay appeared with Marnie in her arms and Josh and Jessie on either side, clinging to her legs, with Kaitlin right behind her looking scared. "What should we...?" Lindsay asked.
"Get the kids inside and cleaned up, then try to get Marnie down for a nap," Ryan said. "Josh, too, if he'll go. Then try to sort out our stuff so that we can all get changed into something relatively clean..."
"We've got extra clothes," a voice said fromt he main doors, and Kirsten and Ryan both looked up, relief washing over them when they saw it was Hailey.
"Oh thank God," Kirsten said, rushing forward to hug her sister. "I thought..."
"Thought the same," Hailey replied. "I was taking advantage of the cabin to get away from Jimmy and him always talking about Julie marrying dad... God, it's been a nightmare."
"You have no idea," Ryan said as Summer and Emily flanked him up the front steps to the porch.
"Shit," Hailey said. "Are you okay? Where's..."
"Sandy and Seth are gone," Kirsten said. "They died of the virus, very early on. People had only just started becoming Crazies..."
"Crazies?" Emily asked as they all headed inside. "That's a better name than I've heard anywhere else."
"Seth came up with it," Ryan said. "Maybe an hour before he died, he figured they weren't Zombies because they didn't want brains."
"And you can kill them with a bullet in the heart as easily as destroying the brain," Sadie said from the doorway, where she was watching Luke and Trey unload the rover and SUV.
"But if you take out the head you know they won't get up again," Ryan countered, biting his lip as Emily and Summer lowered him into a big soft chair that was already covered in a blanket. "At least it's not contagious through the blood," he added. "I'd long since be one of them if it was."
"I've been trying to figure out why some people lost it," Emily said. "I'm not an expert, of course, but I think at least in some cases they just couldn't handle the psychological trauma of everything. In others, I think it was a mutant strain of the virus that affected the brain and caused..."
"Don't get her started, she won't shut up," Sadie said.
"The point is," Emily continued. "I think if you're immune, then you're immune. I can't figure out why some members of a family are immune and others aren't, or... or anything else. But I think it's impossible to get it now when you haven't before. Unless it mutates again, and then everyone could get sick."
"Pleasant," Trey said as he and Luke carried in a trunk. "It's the drugs and shit, where do you want it, Summer?"
"Over here," Summer said, then turned towards Emily. "We've got just about everything we thought would be useful, including stuff for recovering Ryan's wounds."
"Good," Emily said. "After I finish checking him out, I'd like to take a look."
"Sure," Summer said. "You'll probably know what to do with it better than me."
"I'll teach you," Emily promised.
"Don't know what's in this one," Luke said as he came back in carrying another trunk.
"Just put it next to the meds for now," Ryan said, wincing as Emily carefully cleaned his shoulder. "How's it look?"
"Good," Emily said as she put a fresh bandage over the wound. "No signs of infection, it's healing pretty well. A few weeks of not travelling and just resting oughta fix it right up."
"His leg was worse," Summer said. "It bled worse, and... and it kept starting to bleed again..."
Emily nodded and moved to Ryan's leg. "Smart move with the pants being cut off."
"Only way I could get Summer to let me wear pants," Ryan muttered.
"That could be taken the way wrong way," Trey said as he and Luke returned with the last of the bags.
"Funny," Summer said. "Ryan was ready to hop out of the hospital on one leg and get clothes from the SUV."
"I didn't wanna risk facing Volchak or his group in my underwear!" Ryan protested.
"Volchak?" Caleb asked.
"Real nasty piece of work," Trey said. "Guy's a psychopath, uses rape and murder to get people to do what he wants. It was him and Donnie that shot Ryan. Luke got Donnie, though. Guy had a hole in his side."
"I might have killed him," Lindsay said. "With how much blood he lost, and the amount of sedatives I gave him so I could get out of there... he might have died."
"It wouldn't be a big loss," Alex said. "The guy shot Ryan, if he died, he deserved it."
"Someone's an angry girl," Hailey said.
"I'm alive because Ryan and I found eachother in a convenience store and he asked me to join up with him and the others," Alex said. "Luke's alive because Ryan and Summer went to check on his family and found him. The little kids? They'd be dead one way or another if not for Ryan. We all owe him our lives, I can't speak for them, but I'd die for him in a second."
"No one's dying for anyone," Ryan said. "We're safe now. We might not always be, but... for now we're safe."
To Be Continued...
Author: Mara
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, death, language, blood. Did I mention violence and death? And Blood? lol
Summary: Most of the world is either dead or Crazy, but in California a group of survivors tries to find a way to avoid both fates.
PART SEVENTEEN
When they arrived back at the lodge, they were met by a pretty young woman with her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a scrub top over a pair of jeans, a stethescope hanging around her neck. "You left a note about injuries?" she said to Caleb.
"In back," Caleb replied.
Trey and Summer were already helping Ryan climb out, and the woman went straight to him. "What's the injury and how long ago?" she asked.
"Shot twice," Summer said. "Once in the shoulder, once just above the knee. It happened... god... 9 or 10 days ago."
"Treatment?"
"I got the bleeding stopped and stitched him up, but... but I was a candystriper..."
"I'll give it a once over," the woman said. "What's with all the blood?"
"It's from the fucking Crazy that was trying to kill him," Trey said. "I blew it's head up."
"Yeah, that was overkill, Trey," Ryan said.
"Right, next time I'll wait for it to finish killing you, then I'll politely and gently kill it," Trey replied.
"That's the way," the woman said with a chuckle.
"I'm sorry," Kirsten said to the strange woman. "Who are you?"
"Emily Cutter," she replied. "I know, ironic name for an ER Nurse. Even I wasn't twisted enough to become an OR nurse with a name like Cutter."
"This is my older daughter, Kirsten Cohen," Caleb introduced. "And... I don't know most of the rest..."
"The boy you're treating is my... my only surviving son, Ryan Atwood, and the man on his left is his biological brother, Trey Atwood...." Kirsten explained.
"I'm Summer Roberts," Summer said. "My dad was a plastic surgeon and I used to read some of his medical books... so I kinda became the closest thing to a doctor."
"On first glance I'd say you did a good job," Emily said, carefully peeling back the bandages on Ryan's shoulder so she could look. "Though it looks like it's been bleeding a little more..."
"You try wrestling with a Crazy," Ryan advised. "You'd tear out stitches, too."
Emily snorted and undid her ponytail, letting her hair lose and turning to reveal that she had a bald patch with very raw looking skin. "Ripped out a hunk about 3 weeks ago, right before I ran into Caleb and he brought me with him to here."
"You alright, Ryan?" Alex asked as she came over, eyes sweeping the area for any signs of danger.
"Will be," Ryan replied. "All the kids okay?"
"Freaked out by the blood, but they're not hurt," Alex reported. "Lindsay's trying to sing Marnie a lullaby so she'll stop crying. But... the girl can't sing."
Ryan snorted. "Tell Marnie that once I get cleaned up, I'll tell her a story. That usually works."
"Right," Alex agreed.
"And get somebody started unloading stuff," Ryan added, "I don't want any of us having to come out here after dark, just in case."
"Me and Luke can handle that," Trey said.
Lindsay appeared with Marnie in her arms and Josh and Jessie on either side, clinging to her legs, with Kaitlin right behind her looking scared. "What should we...?" Lindsay asked.
"Get the kids inside and cleaned up, then try to get Marnie down for a nap," Ryan said. "Josh, too, if he'll go. Then try to sort out our stuff so that we can all get changed into something relatively clean..."
"We've got extra clothes," a voice said fromt he main doors, and Kirsten and Ryan both looked up, relief washing over them when they saw it was Hailey.
"Oh thank God," Kirsten said, rushing forward to hug her sister. "I thought..."
"Thought the same," Hailey replied. "I was taking advantage of the cabin to get away from Jimmy and him always talking about Julie marrying dad... God, it's been a nightmare."
"You have no idea," Ryan said as Summer and Emily flanked him up the front steps to the porch.
"Shit," Hailey said. "Are you okay? Where's..."
"Sandy and Seth are gone," Kirsten said. "They died of the virus, very early on. People had only just started becoming Crazies..."
"Crazies?" Emily asked as they all headed inside. "That's a better name than I've heard anywhere else."
"Seth came up with it," Ryan said. "Maybe an hour before he died, he figured they weren't Zombies because they didn't want brains."
"And you can kill them with a bullet in the heart as easily as destroying the brain," Sadie said from the doorway, where she was watching Luke and Trey unload the rover and SUV.
"But if you take out the head you know they won't get up again," Ryan countered, biting his lip as Emily and Summer lowered him into a big soft chair that was already covered in a blanket. "At least it's not contagious through the blood," he added. "I'd long since be one of them if it was."
"I've been trying to figure out why some people lost it," Emily said. "I'm not an expert, of course, but I think at least in some cases they just couldn't handle the psychological trauma of everything. In others, I think it was a mutant strain of the virus that affected the brain and caused..."
"Don't get her started, she won't shut up," Sadie said.
"The point is," Emily continued. "I think if you're immune, then you're immune. I can't figure out why some members of a family are immune and others aren't, or... or anything else. But I think it's impossible to get it now when you haven't before. Unless it mutates again, and then everyone could get sick."
"Pleasant," Trey said as he and Luke carried in a trunk. "It's the drugs and shit, where do you want it, Summer?"
"Over here," Summer said, then turned towards Emily. "We've got just about everything we thought would be useful, including stuff for recovering Ryan's wounds."
"Good," Emily said. "After I finish checking him out, I'd like to take a look."
"Sure," Summer said. "You'll probably know what to do with it better than me."
"I'll teach you," Emily promised.
"Don't know what's in this one," Luke said as he came back in carrying another trunk.
"Just put it next to the meds for now," Ryan said, wincing as Emily carefully cleaned his shoulder. "How's it look?"
"Good," Emily said as she put a fresh bandage over the wound. "No signs of infection, it's healing pretty well. A few weeks of not travelling and just resting oughta fix it right up."
"His leg was worse," Summer said. "It bled worse, and... and it kept starting to bleed again..."
Emily nodded and moved to Ryan's leg. "Smart move with the pants being cut off."
"Only way I could get Summer to let me wear pants," Ryan muttered.
"That could be taken the way wrong way," Trey said as he and Luke returned with the last of the bags.
"Funny," Summer said. "Ryan was ready to hop out of the hospital on one leg and get clothes from the SUV."
"I didn't wanna risk facing Volchak or his group in my underwear!" Ryan protested.
"Volchak?" Caleb asked.
"Real nasty piece of work," Trey said. "Guy's a psychopath, uses rape and murder to get people to do what he wants. It was him and Donnie that shot Ryan. Luke got Donnie, though. Guy had a hole in his side."
"I might have killed him," Lindsay said. "With how much blood he lost, and the amount of sedatives I gave him so I could get out of there... he might have died."
"It wouldn't be a big loss," Alex said. "The guy shot Ryan, if he died, he deserved it."
"Someone's an angry girl," Hailey said.
"I'm alive because Ryan and I found eachother in a convenience store and he asked me to join up with him and the others," Alex said. "Luke's alive because Ryan and Summer went to check on his family and found him. The little kids? They'd be dead one way or another if not for Ryan. We all owe him our lives, I can't speak for them, but I'd die for him in a second."
"No one's dying for anyone," Ryan said. "We're safe now. We might not always be, but... for now we're safe."
To Be Continued...
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-15 05:26 am (UTC)I forgot Sadie? Damn, I really thought I had them all. Maybe it was the fact that you hadn't mentioned her much or that she wasn't in this chapter (or was she?) or that I don't know what she looks like. I have to do some research on that matter. But fifteen is a big group.
Yay, more alone time for my favourite couples. *gives Mara a hug*
Yep, I could imagine Trey saying the first comment, but I also could imagine him thinking about the second. You really get into Atwood-brothers' heads. I wish I could. Aaaand, when Trey thinks about her with her own kids he could also start to think about how she got those kids and I bet Trey has a very vivid imagination. But I bet he already has thought of that.
My mind needs a serious scrubbing. For some reason it's filthy tonight.
And a little OT, since it doesn't actually have anything to do with this fic... When you're gonna update 'Another Day'? I'm starting to miss it.
Good to hear you plan to update fairly soon.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-15 05:51 am (UTC)Sadie only had like 1 line this part, so it's not surprising you forgot her... lol...
It's kinda scary that I get in their heads... lol... Yes, Trey would have VERY vivid mental images of how Lindsay could get those kids... and how he could help... lol... a filthy mind isn't neccesarily a bad thing... lol
I'm working on Another Day right now, trying to get the next part written in a way that I don't hate (I've already deleted the next chapter twice because I hated it so thouroughly... lol) so hopefully within a couple more days...