Faded Scars

Chris sat up against the hard leather seats of the jeep, the sun bore deep into his eyelids waking him the little sleep he had gotten, how much time had passed? Hour or maybe more?
He glanced over at the driver’s side to his savior, a young boy with shaggy hair and large goggles his infection masked tucked below his chin. He wanted to make conversation, but found it best not to bother him.

The door of the safe house began to shake and give, 6 or seven infected scratched screams echoed through the tin and concrete walls, a mixture of the other survivors and the people even if they could be called people trying to get inside
The leader of the house called to outside the door he clutched the rifle to his chest shaking trying to wipe the mass of sweat dripping down his forehead “I CAN’T LET YOU IN!” “I can’t let you in” he face was pained. Chris shrank into the corner of the main room where away from where the others where huddled guns in hands, He couldn’t stay, he felt dizzy from either exhaustion or fear, He stood up ‘Have to find a way out’ he made his way to the other parts of the house boarded windows little bits of light pierced threw the cracks, ‘adleast it’s day time’ he knew day or night his odds were almost the same, Stay and die or leave and die in a day.
He made up his mind, Chris kicked violently at the window threw the glass and wood, a sharp pain began to shoot threw his leg; he ignored the pain pulling and bending wood, looking for a tiny opening for freedom. It finally gave way. Climbing out he tried to run, feeling the sharp pain, his leg was beginning to soak with blood “Shit!” he herd the screams from the other side of the house. His heart was beating fast again; he began to run to the road ahead, ignoring the sharp pains. The blood rushed in his ears, he knew the infected wouldn’t be far behind. The road ahead was long and dissertates, but he kept running.
Chris knew he couldn’t keep this up, with very little sleep and water, He felt his vision began to tunnel, but he had to keep going, the sounds around him sounded angry. The screams were coming closer, he herd another sound screeching like a bird but wasn’t, it was familiar but couldn’t make it out, that was all he had to think before the darkness enveloped him and he felt the hot pavement against his skin.

Ear shattering crack echoed in his head, His eye’s shot open he eyes painfully tried to adjust to the light, A light brown figured hovered over Chris shaking him gently but urgently, she was calling something to him, it was muffled but he could hear it faintly now “Es usted miel bien? Niño?” the face came into focus now, a round faced woman with large brown eyes filled with concern, her frizzy dark hair around her shook as she shook his shoulders again, “Niño Are you alright?” “Yeah…” he said roughly his thought was dry “I’m fine…” the woman turned to the figure holding a shot gun, scanning the area calling in Spanish, to fast for him to understand, the figured nodded motioned his hands to fallow, slinging the gun back over his shoulders.
They helped Chris to a jeep parked near by the woman pulled him into the passenger’s seat, there were three people huddled in the back, the woman climbed in back to sit in the middle holding on the people next to her muttering in Spanish, soothingly.
The figure from before climbed into drivers side setting the gun on the dash, he was young, the hair was tucked but still peeked out shaggily out of his hat face covered by large aviators caked with dust goggles and infection mask. They began to dive away, he looked threw the dusty windshield to the scattered bodies, shot in the head clean.
He jumped slightly as a hand from behind touched his shoulder “No need to fear niño, Just rest” That strangely comforted him, and in this time not a lot of things could comfort people, Chris closed his eyes, the world began to wash away with every softly spoken Spanish word Said behind him.

He had been awake for sometime now, the car was now silent now, the woman had fallen asleep, the only one’s left awake were the boy and Chris, it felt unnerving.
He went against his better judgment and finally spoke “Is there a medic, where we are headed?” The boy’s hands tightened on the wheel and nodded, Chris took this as signal, and this ride wasn’t meant for more conversation.

The sky had grown dark, Chris had begun to nod off again until the jeep took a sharp turn onto bumpy terrain and he was nearly launched from his seat, the car went up hills and down slopes the road only seemed to get bumper as the went, finally he came to a stop,
He began to swell with regret ‘another house…’
The house was tall, no barriers though, looked almost abandoned, he had turned off the jeep. The woman in the back stirred “come, wake up” Chris limped out the jeep; the small jump to the ground sent a throbbing pain into his body. the boy grabbed a large tarp with straw and hay coating it, he motioned to the others, they pulled it over, it now just looked like a pile of hay and debris ‘these people are smarter then I thought…’ the woman led the others along side her, like a mother bear, keeping them near. He reached the porch, Chris tried to climb the stairs but a hand waved past sending silent heeding, he reached under the first step, pulling upwards propping up the side with a large board, he motioned them inside.
The woman opened a short door cooed “inside, inside” Chris felt uneasy, panic closed in.

Stairs fell behind them; he had no choice but to go forward. After the small door the stairs lead down to a larger door, the woman reached next to the door pulling on something, seconds passed and the door opened, it was heavy and dragged like stone.
The room here was larger than the house above, well lit but cold rugs and cloth covered the walls trying to keep some sort of home feeling to it, small green house stations, and water running water Chris felt his body come back to him, the thirst and pain.
The woman guided the rest of the people “Come, We will find you a place to stay” Chris stayed behind to examine the space, though it was night a dozen of people sitting in the would be kitchen perched next to a wall barrel with a metal spout others sitting around a small television a group of large men huddled in the corner weight lifting smoking chatting casually. The boy brushed past Chris, the men straighten up as the boy pulled up his goggles, “captain!” one yelled, another put out his cigarette, “Welcome back captain, ”the boy nodded setting his gun down taking things from his pockets “Bring back anything…useful?” the men glanced at Chris and laughed, Chris felt the annoyance raise in his face, He was a small build, but not weak or useless, but what happened at the safe house earlier that day flooded back, maybe he really was useless the annoyance faded to shame, and he stayed quite. The boy pulled out a small cloth sack, the biggest one stood up from the weight bench taking it and skimming threw “Excellent, We can use these, the gas line is need of repair” the boy nodded, picking back up his gun, Reaching back into his pockets throwing a small box at one of the men they looked existed “payment accepted captain” they waved the captain goodbye as he disappeared behind a sheet hung from the wall.
“Ah Niño” the woman surprised him “lets see if we can repair that leg”
Nell, as she introduced herself as she woke the doctor from his room to see his injured leg, and run the proper tests for infection, “Dehydration, lacerations, exhaustion” he took out a note pad, “name…” he grumbled wiping the most needed sleep from his face Chris felt bad for him “Name…” he grumbled again Chris snapped his attention back “Christopher” the doctor smiled weekly “ah, Well Christopher, Your clean as captain had said…Correct Nell dear?” Nell smiled sweetly” Yes Dr. Leonard” “Just be sure to eat, and drink and get some sleep” The Doctor went to the desk opening a locked case taking a small bottle of pills taking several out handing them to him “one a day, for the pain until it heals” the doctor patted his arm “Welcome Christopher, Now if you excuses me, I’m going back to sleep.”
After the doctor had left, Nell led him to his room “you should get some sleep Niño” she smiled “Good night… Christopher” her r’s rolled “and welcome” she giggled Chris smiled “uh, yeah thanks Nell” she floated away down the hall,
Chris rubbed the back of his head puzzled, this hair felt rough and unclean ‘I need a shower that’s what I need’
Chris entered his room, it was dark, but he clicked on the light a simple bed against a rack of wine bottles and a crate with simple supplies on it, “so it’s wine cellar…” looked threw the supplies the simple things he missed out on, tooth brush, a slightly worse for wear comb, and soap.
Chris pulled off his jacket and layers of shirts grabbing the bar of soap and heading of his room, looking for a place to bathe.
He wondered down the dimly lit hallway he herd the faint sound of running water, he found a door where the sound resonated, it felt slightly jammed he pressed hander, it propped open Chris stumbled in, he saw a figure leaned against the water he panicked “oh sorry! I-I though it was communal…I’ll g” the person turned alarmed, taken out the trance of the water, they scrambled he could see a pair of breasts came into focus in the dark he could see the face Chris froze “y-you’re a GIRL!” she scrambled, eyes fearful she stumbled to grab her towel, he saw her slip trying to grab onto anything in a last attempt to stay up then and fall,
The shower room was quite except the sound of running water; Chris senses returned “oh shit!” he ran to her, looking down at the very soaked, naked and unconscious captain.