Zone Zero (Book 1 of 3)

Chapter 5

The next morning arrives the same as any other and we head out to the wall, but this time there is only three of us since Sage has been excused. Usually if a group has less than 4 members they will rearrange and move people into other groups but since this was all so sudden I can only imagine that they haven't had a chance to yet. I suspect that today will be the only day with three of us.

The day passes much the same with the same work being carried over. Walk along the fence, check the traps and then climb the wall to check the other side of the fence's structure but today, something feels a little off.

Maybe it's the fact that Sage isn't here or maybe it's the strong off-putting wind that keeps blowing my long auburn hair around in its ponytail. This wind has an icy bite to it and I feel it cut through my bones and send shivers rippling throughout my limbs as it swirls around kicking up dust and debris in its path.

Get through the day and get your butt home! I keep repeating to myself like a mantra. I just want to be at home today. I want to stay in bed and hide from the world and the more I think about it, the more today feels off. Something in the air isn't quite right and it's giving me a sinking feeling in my stomach.

I watch patiently as Jeremy scales the ladder to the top of the wall as fast as he can as I wait on the ground below him. We are almost done for the day and I am thankful  for it.

Jeremy begins scaling his way back down toward me when a sense of worry strikes in my bones. The wind is picking up strength and I am certain a storm must be on its way.

"Be careful coming down Jeremy!" I yell to him, but the gusts take my voice and throw it away because Jeremy doesn't hear a word I say.

I take a step back and watch him carefully and I can see that the wind is giving him a hard time. He is stuggiling to find his footing with each rung of the ladder and i immediately begin to worry.

Almost as though I thought it to life, Jeremy misses a rung on the ladder completely and loses his grip on the bars sending him plummeting down to the ground below him. I see it happen in slow motion yet I am powerless to stop it or even move an inch.

I scream out in sheer panic as he hits the ground feet first and rolls onto his back in pain.

At the sound of my scream, Steele races over to Jeremy and examines him in the quickest way possible.

"Evie, go to the car and get the first aid kit and find me a god damn stick! He's broken his leg." Steele snaps orders at me but I am stricken with absolute shock.

For some reason, I can't take my eyes off Jeremy as he lies in the dirt writhing in pain.

Steele notices that I haven't moved a muscle and barks again, "Now Evie!"

I snap out of my trance and race to the car retrieving the first aid kit. I search for a stick in my immediate proximity, but I can't see one anywhere. There is only ruble of old houses and building everywhere.

"I can't find a stick!" I practically throw the first aid box at Steele and kneel down at Jeremy's head. He is moving around so much and screaming that I know he must be in agony.

Gently I grab his head and let it come to rest on my lap and I begin rubbing his forehead in a soothing way. I remember my mother doing this to me when I was sick, so I decide try it out on Jeremy.

"I got an idea. Stay here Evie!" Steele commands and then jumps up and sprints to the cars ripping open the boot at record speed.

I keep my attention set on keeping Jeremy calm by stroking his face soothingly. I know it must be working, because he has stopped screaming and focuses only on his breathing.

I look over to Steele and watch him pull a long shovel out of the boot only to snap it over his knee and run back with the pieces in hand. Working like a mad man, he pulls the handle off one end and sets to work with his pocket knife to undo the screws on the spade end. Within a matter of seconds he has his two sticks and begins ripping through Jeremy's pant leg to see the full extent of the damage.

I sneak a glance and find myself having to look away in horror. Now I know just why Jeremy is in so much pain. The bone in his lower leg has completely snapped and has been pushed through the skin and out into the open. Blood is pooling at his feet and at this rate, he stands to lose a lot of blood.

I decide not to look again at what Steele is doing and focus on Jeremy's face.

"This is going to hurt Jeremy, but just try and stay still." Steele's voice rings through my ears as I make Jeremy focus on me.

"Hey Jeremy, remember the time you, me and Sage were on kitchen detail and Sage was so clumsy that she dropped a whole pot of soup and it went everywhere and all we could do to stop from being scared was to laugh? It was so funny to see her face." I know that nothing will take his mind off the pain but I also know I have to try.

"Yeah...I remem..ber...that." He winces and pauses as he responds but at least he isn't watching Steele.

"What about the time that we were checking in on the orphanage and I tried to run up the steps and I fell face first and got a black eye? I must have looked so stupid."

"Yeah...you did...and you told you're...brothers that I...did it to see what they would...say. They just...laughed." His eyes focus on me as he speaks and I know that he is thankful that I am making the effort.

We laugh for a moment more but a blood curdling scream belts out of Jeremy before too long and we come back into reality.

"Ok all done, buddy. Let's get you back to the doctor and get you sorted." Steele stands and pulls Jeremy up with him as I grab his other side. We walk to the cars holding Jeremy close as he hops on one leg, blood dripping from his wound.

"I will drive Jeremy back. I need you to gather the first aid kit and get into the other car and follow right after me. It will be dark soon and we need to get beyond the gates." Steele asks of me instead of snapping like his usual self. He can obviously see how freaked out this whole ordeal has made me.

We pile Jeremy into the backseat and Steele jumps straight into the driver's side and starts the engine as I turn to collect the first aid equipment.

"Evie," I turn and see Steele standing half out of the car calling to me, "you did a good job. Now be quick and hurry back." And with that he drives off into the distance toward the gates.

I hurry over to the fence and begin scavenging the supplies but due to the fierceness of the wind, some of the bandages and packets of syringes have blown along down the fence.

Medical supplies aren't exactly easy to come by nowadays so I make sure to catch every single item and shove them back into the red tin box and close the latch tight. I want to make sure I have everything, so I turn on my heel and search the distance and see something red flapping along with the bursts of wind.

Racing along the fence I drop the first aid box and get closer to the red object only to notice that it is the same red piece of material I saw yesterday when we were leaving.

As I get closer I notice that it is actually a piece of red satin ribbon that has somehow gotten itself entangled amongst the chain link fence.

How strange that a piece of ribbon got itself tangled up amongst the fence all the way out here.

I kneel down and begin trying to unravel the piece of ribbon when I realize, it isn't caught on the fence at all; it's tied to it strategically.

I jump upward as quickly as my body allows it only to hear a soft click from underneath me.

Before I can even look around to see the source of the sound, the ground gives out from underneath me sending me falling into darkness.