Low on Time/Issue 46

This is issue forty-six of Low on Time, entitled: Johnson's Medical Centre.

Issue 46; Johnson's Medical Centre
Kelly sat next to the shirtless Ike, shirt in her hand, pressing it up against his cut, trying to stop the bleeding. She's been sitting there for over an hour at this point, her swollen face still ached, and her vision was still blurry, but she can still see Ike's face.

His eyes were just open enough where he can see Kelly looking over him. He was getting paler and paler by the minute, and as time went on he became more and more light-headed.

Kelly knew this wasn't working. She knew he was going to die if she couldn't find a way to stitch him up... and soon. She slowly pulled the shirt, which was now drenched in blood, away from Ike's chest. She looked at the shirt, then back to Ike's chest which the blood dripped slowly out of. Kelly quickly put her hand over his forehead... he was starting to burn up.

"I gotta go get something." Kelly silently said to him, before attempting to stand up.

Ike grabs her by the wrist forcefully, and she turned back toward him. He just shook his head, painfully. "Please don't leave me--" he painfully said.

"I have to." she replied, rubbing his forehead. "I have to make sure you live."

"I don't wanna-- I don't wanna die alone."

Those words killed Kelly. The way she saw it, she either stayed with him and he dies, or she gets something to save him. She didn't even think of the possibility he'd die while she was gone. But as she looked at the pain on his face, his voice quivering... her mind was made up.

She quickly tugged her arm away, and stood up, hurrying to the shed door. She looked back at him, and Ike didn't have to say anything-- his eyes said it all. He was scared. Not of dying, but by being alone.

She turned away from him, and stormed out of the shed. As she made her way outside, she looked around, and puled the pocketknife out of her pocket, seeing the area was clear.

She quickly looked back at the shed door, and realized she couldn't just leave it undefended for a zombie to wander in and feast on Ike. She looked around, seeing a small piece of plywood on the lawn. She dropped the pocketknife on the ground, and ran for it, picked it up, and ran back setting it up against the door. It wasn't the best, but it has to do.

She picked the pocketknife back up, and quickly left the area, storming into the streets.

Kelly wandered around the small town aimlessly, looking for a medical center or something of the sorts. She didn't wander too far from Ike's location, as the shed was located right outside of the town, but she knows she has to pick up the pace if she wants Ike to live. And, off in the distance, she sees a sign, "Johnson's Medical Centre".

So, she picked up her pace, jogging through the abandoned town, where a surprisngly lack of zombies roamed. She quickly stabbed the first zombie in the head she came across, and as she removed the pocketknife from it's head, the blood spurted out and it dropped to the floor.

She continued to run, and quickly made her way inside the medical centre, shutting the door behind her. She then looked around the clinic, the blood stains spattered on the walls & floor, the decomposing dead bodies. She quickly covered her mouth as she hurried through the waiting room, opening the door to the doctor's office.

Ike still sat up against the shed wall, feeling himself grow weaker and weaker as time went on. He knew he was a goner-- but the fact that he had to spend his last moments alone made it all worse. How could Kelly just leave him like that?

He could hear the moans and groans of the zombies as he tilted his head back, and closed his eyes, drifting into a deep sleep.

''Ike sat at the bottom steps of a porch, alone. He had his head tucked into his lap as he silently wept to himself. He couldn't get anything out of his mind-- Jake, Amanda, Paul... all gone. But, he couldn't stop to think that it was all his fault.''

''Kelly suddenly appeared behind him, just staring down on him. She just waited until Ike felt her there, which it didn't take long for him to do. He just slowly turned toward her, and starting shaking his head quickly.''

''"This isn't real." he silently muttered. "This isn't real."''

''"Yeah, it is..." Kelly simply said, shrugging her shoulders.''

"No. This is a dream."

"Perhaps, but these are real emotions you're feeling-- real memories and thoughts."

''Ike just put his head in between his legs again, and Kelly just remained standing there, watching him. As it became apparent that Kelly wasn't going to just leave him, he turned back toward her.''

''"Just fucking go!" he screamed. "I don't want you here!"''

"Maybe..."

''"Why are you fucking here then?!?" he quickly asked, interrupting her.''

"To tell you not to give up. Not yet."

''And just like that, Kelly disappeared. Ike just looked around aimlessly, confused and scared.''

Ike was pulled out of his dream by the sound of the shed door opening. His eyes slowly opened as far as they could go, before just sighing. His eyes screamed the word "Help", but he couldn't force himself to say anything, so he just sat back, trying to rest easy.

Kelly just looked on in disappointment when she saw how empty the doctor's office was. Not a sign of one fucking thing to help Ike. She just stumbled backwards, tears starting to come down her face. She knew she wasn't going to be able to save him now.

A zombie then suddenly enters the room, stumbling toward Kelly, slowly. She lifts her pocketknife, eyes full of guilt and anger, and she charges the zombie. She stabs the zombie in the forehead, and as it fell... Kelly got lost in the moment.

She started to stomp on the zombie's face, each stomp making the face a bloody, unrecognizeable mess. She hated these things. They took everything she had, she was about to have, and her future. She was totally sickened by these-- people.

She silently left the doctor's office, weeping to herself, just determined to get back to Ike now before he died.

As Kelly walked along the deserted, dark road along the the outskirts of the town, she couldn't help but just-- fall to the ground. She was so tired-- of everything. Of death, of life... she just wanted it all to end.

The moan of a zombie caught her attention, walking ahead of her not too far away. This was it. She could end it all riht now if she wanted to-- she could end her suffering. What did she have left to live for anyways? A dying friend? A painful and long death-- that's unavoidable?

But, as the zombie came closer, the flesh dripping from it's teeth, Kelly realized she couldn't just end it... after everything she's been to. She quickly pulled the pocektknife out of her pocket, and stabbed it in the side of the head, not wasting any time.

She continued to walk on-- thinking about everyone and everything. Dylan was hard enough to lose in those early days-- but she moved on. Owen & Kira were tough on her too, two people full of energy and innocence-- gone. Then losing Trent, Langston-- she wasn't sure if she could've came back from that. She loved these people, and as she had gotted to know the ones who remained, Manning, Ryker, Julia, Jake, & Olivia... losing them was harder than she ever would've thought. She can't lose Ike. Not after all this, not after everything they've been through together.

As Kelly got back to the shed, she quickly noticed that the plywood was on the floor, next to the door. Her face said it all, she was scared... Ike was in there, and something was in there with him.

"No, no, no..." she wept silently to herself, running to the door.

As she opened the door, she stopped suddenly, seeing a group of three men crowding over where she left Ike. She quickly ran up to the closest man, and weakly grabbed hold of his neck, putting the pocketknife up to his throat, catching the other two's attention, who drew on her.

"Let him go..." Kelly silently said, looking back down on Ike who just watched her silently. "Don't hurt him, please. Just go."

One of the men, bleach-blonde hair, lowered his gun slowly, as did the man next to him.

"We won't hurt you... just put the knife down." he said.

"Please-- just leave us be." she silently said again.

As she was distracted though, the man she had hostage suddenly turned on her, pushing her to the ground, to which she dropped the pocketknife. Kelly quickly reached back for it, but the man quickly restrained her.

As Kelly squirmed for help, all she could do was quietly say. "Please don't hurt him."

"Eli, talk to her." the man who held Kelly restrained said.

The man with the bleach-blonde hair got on his knees, so he was eye-level with Kelly, who just stared at Ike. He was still dying.

"Listen," the man said. "I understand you wanna help your friend-- I respect that. But we aren't going to hurt you guys."

"Just-- leave us be. Nothing good comes from strangers."

"That isn't true... here, let me tell you what. We'll take you back to my group-- we got a doctor who can patch your friend up." as Eli finishes up, he quickly noticed that Kelly was still staring at Ike, and he turned toward him as well. "Or, you can sit here and watch him die."

In the moment, Kelly was ready to shut these three people out and just sit with Ike for as long as she needed to. She knew Ike couldn't speak for himself, so she had to be his voice... she wanted him to live.

"Fine." she finally said, silently.

Eli looked up at the man who was restraining Kelly, and motioned for him to let her go. As he did so, Kelly quickly hurried over to Ike's side, taking a look at his cut.

"He looks like shit... with all due respect." one of the men said.

"Ben... shut it." Eli said, shrugging his shoulders.

"We have to get going--" Kelly said, not taking her eyes off of Ike. "He won't make it if we wait."

"Hold on sweety... we ain't gonna take back a wounded guy and his beat up girl back to our group if we don't understand what the fuck happened here." Ben replied.

"We were-- we were on the run." Kelly said, trying to remember the last day. "We were attacked out of the blue by a group of bandits... we had to run for it."

"And your face? His chest?"

"C'mon Ben..." Eli said, to which Ben just silenced him with the motion of his hand.

"I was attacked by a guy-- my friend saved me before I could get hurt."

"There." Eli said, walking over to Kelly & Ike, before looking back at Ben and their friend. "Is that answer good for you?"

"Perfect." Ben said sarcastically, walking over to him. "I'll carry him."

"No." Kelly quickly said. "Let me do it, please."

"You'll need some help." Eli said, grabbing a hold of Ike by the shoulders. "What's your name?"

"Kelly... this is Ike." she said, grabbing Ike by the ankles.

"Well Kelly, name's Eli. Pleasure to meet you." he said as they lifted Ike.

Ben and the other man went ahead to make sure they were clear.

"We'll see how I feel about that..." Kelly said under her breath, just loud enough for Eli to hear.

"We're good people. When you meet our group I think you'll be more than satisfied you came with us."

"I hope so."

As Ben and the other man walked slightly ahead of Kelly and Eli on the dark and deserted road, Kelly never took her eyes off of Ike, who was now unconscious. Everything about this situation bothered her, and the dark didn't help her either.

"So Kelly," Ben said from in front of her. "Where you from?"

"New York." she said, not taking her eyes off of Ike as she spoke though.

"New York?" asked Eli. "I always though the coast was the best idea... guess that's a 'no' then, right?"

"Never tried it. We were always pushed west no matter how much we tried not to... wanted to get to the countryside and set up camp. Live off the environment, grow our own food... and look at us now." as Kelly finished her sentance, she started laughing to herself. As both Eli & Ben exchanged worriedsome glances, Kelly continued. "You know how close you guys were to saving all of my people? Oh my God!"

"How long ago did they pass?" Eli asked.

"A couple of days ago. We were all getting ready for bed and some fucking psychos killed all of my friends-- my fucking family."

Eli's eyes widened as he heard that. He knew that it was him and his group who killed them. But, he knew he couldn't say anything, so he just sighed.

"We're here." Ben said, catching both Kelly and Eli's attention.

Kelly looked up, and off in the distance saw a bright light shining on the street in front of her. There in the street stood a huge wall, where she could make out the figures of a couple of people walking along them.

"Get the gates open!" Ben screamed, before taking Ike from Kelly and Eli, lifting him over his shoulder.

The group of four started to run toward the gates, Kelly not taking her eyes off of Ike, blood dripping from his mouth at this point. As they reached the opening, the gate was opened from the other side, and they're met by a small group of people, all carrying assault rifles.

"Ben? Where the fuck have you been?!?" one of them asked.

"Who the hell are these people?" another one asked.

"We'll answer questions later." Ben said, trying to fill them in. "Where's Katy?"

"In her house, man."

"Thanks... Eli, Jerry, answer all their questions. Kelly come with me."

As Eli and the other man attempted to talk to the crowd, Kelly ran after Ben who was already on the move, Ike still over his shoulder.

"Who's Katy?" she asked, still following him. "Can she help him?"

"She can try." Ben simply said.

Credits

 * Kelly Gay
 * Ike Dennis
 * Eli
 * Ben
 * Jerry

Deaths

 * None