Outlast (1) - The Walking Dead

Chapter 18

Helping Marion like this was hard. She deserved better, as did Juan. It made me even angrier that these fools get away with it.

I checked the guns for ammo, both pistols almost full. Not knowing how many men were left I didn't want to waste my bullets.

The commotion coming from the office was still happening. I settled Marion on the floor and peeked my head round the corner to see Joe watching two men beat another man.

"Alright boys, that'll do." Joe pulled the other men off and I saw the man on the ground. He barely looked like a man, but I knew it wasn't Evan.

"That'll teach you to disrespect our leader." One of the men said and spat at the man.

They both sat down next to Joe and started sharpening their knives.

"Lou and Dan deal with that boy?" Joe asked and one of them nodded.

"Yeah, probs took him to the quarry."

"Good. I'm just worried they ain't back yet is all." They went quiet for a while until Joe spoke again.

"Quarry's only a few miles out, shoulda been back by now." One of them said and the other agreed. Joe sighed and motioned with his hand for them to go. They got up and left the room, leaving Joe alone.

"Hello Joe, long time no see." I rounded the corner with my gun pointed at him.

He stood up stiffly and looked at me. He tried to reach for his own holstered gun but I quickly shot at it, the bullet grazing his thumb but I didn't care.

"Now listen here girl, you're not thinking straight, you want revenge, I get it. We all do, but you gotta do what's right in the mind." He said nervously while backing up and tapped his head.

"What's right? Like tying a little girl up and letting middle aged men beat her with belts? Is that right Joe?" I advanced on him with my gun still held out, I noticed my other weapons and backpack were lying on the table and grabbed them while still cornering Joe.

The rifle settled on my back and I winced as it made contact with my cuts. I held my backpack on one shoulder as it would hurt my wounds too much.

Joe got out the second door and whistled high pitched. A bullet came whizzing past my head, narrowly missing me and shouting started in the distance.

"You picked the wrong fight." Joe shouted and started running. I shot after him, satisfied as a bullet tore through his ankle and made him stumble. I aimed for his head when my gun clicked.

"Fuck!" I threw the gun down in fury and pulled out my rifle. I spotted four men hiding behind the shelvings. One man was near a gas canister which I shot. It blew up on him and igniting the rest of the wooden boxes.

"Shit, move!" The other three yelled and dashed through the front door.

I quickly followed suit after going back for Marion, and we exited as the building was engulfed in flames. I saw Joe and his boys running further ahead, I let go of Marion and ran after them. I shot close to them, narrowly missing. Another shot embedded itself within the shoulder of one of the men. He cried out in pain but kept running.

They hit the road and got into their van. I shot through the back window and at a tyre, but the van didn't stop. It revved loudly and took off down the street.

I stopped, hands bent over my knees gasping for breath, hot tears trailing down my cheeks. I'd let them get away. I'd let Marion down, I'd let myself down, I'd let Evan down.

"They're gone." I sniffled as I heard Marion limp up behind me.

"It's ok Chey. They'll get what's coming." Her voice trembled and I held on to her again.

The fire had attracted some walkers as lots more started to show up in the vicinity. I killed the closest ones to us and walked across the road into a convenience store.

The alcohol aisle was right in front of me, I pulled out two bottles, one of vodka and one of whisky. The whisky was for me to drink, the vodka was for my back.

"Ugh, how can people drink this stuff?" I scrunched my face in disgust as the brown liquid burned my throat and nose.

I found some painkillers for Marion, they would help for a little bit before we could find a doctor.

After doing a quick thorough sweep of the store I leant against the counter with gauze bandages, a clean shirt and trousers and the vodka at hand.

"Here, can you pour this on my back." I handed the bottle of vodka to Marion who looked at me pitifully.

I stripped my shirt off, the fibres sticking to my oozing back, and feeling relief as it came off. I heard Marion gasp from behind me as she saw my back.

"They did that to you?" I could hear how shocked she was without having to look.

My trousers were sodden with blood so I just decided to bin them. I only kept my knickers and bra on then as I had other outfits in my backpack.

Placing the scrunched up shirt in my mouth, I gave Marion the thumbs up and she poured the vodka on my back. It took all but a second for the immense stinging sensation to kick in, I almost collapsed from the pain.

"Sorry!" She whispered and I shook my heads urging her to continue.

Taking another few gulps of whisky she carried on until there was a watery bloody puddle on the floor and I was on the verge of passing out.

To the best of my abilities I gauzed my back and bandaged my whole torso. I slipped the loose shirt on and the jeans, and finished off the rest of the whisky, it was only a small bottle.

"Fucking bastards! I hate them all!" I screeched, throwing the bottle at the wall and watching it smash and slumped against the counter again.

In my rage I'd swiped everything off the table. A map sat not too far from me. I opened it and my eyes landed on what I could assume was the quarry.

I shoved the map into my pocket and helped Marion back up; she'd slumped against the wall from exhaustion.

"C'mon, we have to find you a doctor." I said and put her arm around my shoulder. She nodded and swayed with me.

"There's a doctors clinic not too far from here, I reckon the docs may have hid out there." She said. We walked for about half an hour before we reached the clinic. It looked well boarded up from the inside, I could only pray that there was a doctor inside.

We waited for about a minute after I knocked on the door. I knocked again and suddenly saw a face peering at me through a gap between the bookshelves and furniture they'd used to block the door.

"Hello? I see you. My friend needs help, I hear you're doctors." The person disappeared and I sighed. A window above opened and a woman leaned out, cocking a rifle our way.

"You bit?" She asked skeptically.

"No, she's been stabbed. Needs a doc." Marion besides me started to sway and I had to use all my strength not to let her fall.

"Please!" I looked back at the woman but she was gone, the window shut.

The furniture in front of the door started moving, and the door opened a crack. Two men came out in white gowns, one with a gun, and the other supported the off side of Marion and led us into the building.

I helped the man maneuver Marion into a room where she could be treated, and left her in their care.

"She'll be ok, your friend. She has sepsis but it is in the early stages where it can be treated. You got her here just in time." The doc told me. I learned his name was Dr Tate, he was a nice man.

"Thank you for letting us in. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't." I confessed. It was very genuine and trusting of them, and I hoped one day I could repay the favour.