"Alison!" I heard my older sister, Maggie calling to me. I ran down stairs and see her at the front door. I frowned, "Yeah, Mag?" I asked. She smiled down at me, "You want to go outside with me?" She asked. I grinned and nodded.
Dad walked in from the living room. "Dad, we going outside," I said. Dad looked at us a bit worried. "We're going to be here, at the porch," Maggie said and I made a face. Dad nodded, "Okay."
Maggie and I walked outside and sat down on the front steps. "It's still so weird," I said and Maggie looked at me. "What is?" She asked. "The silence," I replied. She sighed and nodded in agreement. "I don't like it either," She said and I looked down at my shoes.
"What it that?" Maggie asked, causing me to look up at her. She looked up ahead and I glanced at the direction. I narrowed my eyes and I could see a man running toward the house and he was holding a young boy, probably at my age.
"Ali, get inside," Maggie said as we got up. I ran into the house and Maggie followed. "Dad!" Maggie called. Dad ran over, "What is it?" He asked. "There is a man outside holding a boy," I said.
He stepped outside as Patricia, Beth and Jimmy walked over form different rooms. "There's a man outside," Maggie said and we all followed Dad.
Jimmy came out with a baseball bat in his hands and we all looked at the running man. Maggie pulled me to her as we saw the man approached closer to us. The man was wearing a uniform. A cop's uniform.
"Was he bit?" Dad asked him. "Shot, by your man," The man replied. "Otis?" Patricia asked, shocked as me. "He said find Hershel. Is that you?" The man asked and Dad nodded. "Help me - Help my boy."
"Get him inside," Dad ordered and we all walked inside the house. "Patricia, I need my full kit. Maggie -" Dad said. "Yeah?" Maggie asked. "Painkillers, coagulates - Grab everything. Clean towels, sheets, alcohol," Dad said as we walked the bedroom. "In here," Dad said.
The man put the boy in the bed. "Pillowcase," Dad ordered. "Is - is he alive?" The man asked. "Pillowcase, quick," Dad said and the man did what he said. "Is-is he alive?"
"Fold it - Make a pad," Dad said and the man did what he said. "Put pressure on the wound." Dad put on his stethoscope and started looking for a beat in the boy's chest. "I've got a heartbeat. It's faint."
"I got it - Step back," Patricia said and the man moved backwards. "Maggie, IV," Dad said. "We need some space," Maggie said to the man, who didn't moved his gaze from the boy.
"Your name?" Dad asked the man. "R-Rick," He said. "Rick?" Dad asked. "I'm-I'm-I'm Rick," The man said. "Rick, we're gonna do everything we can, okay? You need to give us some room," Dad said. "Now."
I took Rick's hand and he turned his gaze down and looked at me. I gave his hand a small squeeze and he followed me out the room.
"Move!" We heard screams. Rick and I looked out from the window to see a man and Otis running to the house. Rick walked out to met them. I sighed sadly as I watched him.
"Hi," A hand placed on my shoulder and looked up to see Beth, my big sister. "Do you think the boy is gonna be okay?" I asked. "Of course," She said and pulled me to a hug.
We pulled away just when Rick, Otis and the man walked into the house. They walked into the room that the boy was. I followed them, "You know his blood type?" Dad asked Rick. "A-positive, s-same as mine," Rick replied.
"That's fortunate. Don't wander far - I'm gonna need you," Dad said before glancing at Otis. "What happened?" Otis was shocked as he explained, "I was tracking a buck. Bullet went through it. Went clean through."
"The deer slowed the bullet down, which certainly saved his life, but it did not go through clean. It broke up into pieces. If I can get the bullet fragments out . . . And I'm countin' six," Dad said.
Patricia walked up to Otis, "I never saw him. Not until he was on the ground," He whispered, he broke down crying and Patricia comport him. "Lori doesn't know," Rick muttered. "My wife doesn't know - My wife doesn't know." He started crying and the man hugged him.