"Pass the filet mignon."
"Murphy, if you think you can cook better you can try it next time." Doc answered as Murphy spooned beans onto his plate.
"I'm just saying whose bright idea was it to have the guy who can't even cook good meth try to delve into the mess that's dehydrated food."
"I don't see that stopping you from trying to eat it all." Warren added snatching the bowl from his grasp as he attempted to load the entire contents onto his plate.
"I'm the last great hope of humanity. It would be a shame if I starved to death because that zombie killing food disposal ate all the food like he usually does and—"
"Shut up Murphy!" Warren barked the order and Murphy sullen complied, still making snide comments under his breath.
It was true, 10K did eat a lot when he could get it which wasn't often consider they usually had just the bare minimum of supplies. But tonight even though they had a proverbial feast of MRE's, dehydrated bean, rice, and even strangely some odd tasting canned bacon. 10K had eaten about half of his plate and was picking at the rest.
Cassandra figured he was still upset about Homer. But he looked more sick than sad. During there walk back from the creek he had been much slower than usual and have even stopped at one point like he was about to be throw up before he had straightened back up meeting her concerned gaze with "Got dizzy again." He was really quiet too, but that was nothing new.
"I'm going to get some sleep."
He stood up pushing his plate back. Murphy quickly pounced on the remaining food. Doc glanced up from his own meal saying what they were all thinking. "You okay kid? You don't look so hot."
"Yeah, it's just been a long day."
He looked really tired. He was skin was pink now, almost a flushed fever bright look, but his eyes looked more tired than ever.
They all watched as he walked to the front room to sleep.
"Probably coming down with something" Murphy added as he finished scrapping the teen's plate onto his own. "Hope it's not contagious."
O_o
10K could feel the other's eyes boring into him. He knew they were talking about him and how he had freaked out back at the plant. Losing Homer had been like losing his father all over again. Only this time instead of taking a bullet for him the man had suffered lethal doses of radiation. He still felt sick as he remembered leaving Homer's still undead body in the core.
But he hadn't been able to bring himself to kill Homer like he had killed his father...maybe he was losing it. After all zombies were dead but still it had felt like murder to plunge that knife through his dad's (he refused to think zombie's) skull...and he couldn't bring himself to do the same to Homer.
The zombie was probably still writhing in the reactor core trying to fruitlessly escape, it's eyes glowing and glow in the dark slime spilling from his mouth. 10K had to swallow at that last thought. He felt nauseated and his stomach was cramping pretty bad now. It had been for an hour or two now, even before dinner. He had forced himself to eat because he didn't care to hear Warren's and Doc's questioning comments if he didn't or Murphy's sarcastic insults. Now he was seriously regretting his decision.
He was probably coming down with something as Murphy had said...his head felt dizzy and full, plus the slight twinge he had felt a few hours after leaving the plant had turned into a full blown head splitting throb. He brought a hand up to massage his temples only to find forehead was uncomfortably warm. Great, he had a fever too. He reached in his pocket grabbing the few Tylenol's he had gotten from the cabin's medicine cabinet and dry swallowed them.
He just needed some rest...and for once he could actually get a full night without having to worry much . There was only one bed in the house, but there was some sleeping bags...he glanced at the couch but the decided to leave it for whichever of the women didn't take the bed.
It didn't matter to him where he slept and the cabin's wood floor was certainly better than risking zombies out in the open.
He settled into a sleeping bag and within seconds had fallen asleep.
0_o
It was the throbbing in his gut that woke him up. It felt like all his insides were being eaten from the inside out. The cabin was dark and by the others snores he knew they were asleep. He felt exhausted and wanted nothing more to continue lying there, but he knew that was a bad idea. His stomach was bubbling and an unpleasant taste was creeping up his throat. He sat up, managing to get tangled in his blankets as he tried to move.
His head was pounding and when he finally was able to stand he found himself so dizzy he didn't know if he could make it outside before he became sick. 10K was halfway down the hall to the cabin door before he remembered the bathroom right off the kitchen.
It had been so long since modern amenities...and this one wasn't much more than a composting toilet and a sink with a solar tank, but it was better than leaning over the cabin railing trying to keep from falling face first in his puke or shitting in the bushes as he tried not to pass out.
It was food poisoning. Had to be , it certainly felt like food poisoning..like when that time he was so hungry he had eaten the dented can of beef stew he had found sitting out in the sun. That memory had him fumbling for the toilet lid as he kneeled. He was praying it was only coming from one end because he hadn't had time to find a trashcan.
The pain and nausea was only getting worse, maybe his appendix was bursting...maybe he was going to die right here on the cold bathroom floor and become a zombie...maybe he should call someone so they could give him mercy before he turned.
He couldn't manage to get out more than a pained groan when he opened his mouth though, and that was followed by a wave of mostly undigested food. Another wave followed that, then another...He finally drew a breath, repeatedly swallowing hoping he could suppress the heaves still threatening to come.
It was a necessity, because round two had started from the south end. He managed to get his trousers down just in time before it came. He rested his head on his legs, arms wrapped around his middle in an attempt to soothe the agony in his stomach. That didn't work and it felt like in only a moment he had raised his head back up searching for a trash container or some sort of receptacle. There wasn't anything. The sink was too far away .
He stood up intending to try to hold is intestines off long enough so he could puke. It wasn't to be. He had barely stared to stand before hot slimy liquid filled his mouth. He clamped a hand over his lips but another surge came up and flooded past the barrier. He finally gave in letting his hand go as more came. He was too sick to feel embarrassed as the floor spattered with scant remnants of food and bile. It was a miracle he had enough present of mind to twist his head to the side so at least his trousers didn't get the worst of it.
The other end was continuing to torture him too. He felt so nauseated and just sick...and he couldn't catch his breath enough in between to even call out for someone else even if he would have wanted them to come and find him like this.
X_x
She wasn't sure what woke her up this time. 10k had woken her up earlier stumbling out for a midnight bathroom break. But this time it was less obvious. She froze as she heard a groan...it sounded a bit like a zombie and not.
10k's sleeping bag was still empty, she wasn't sure how long she had slept since she last woke up but a quick touch of the blankets confirmed they were still warm but closer to cool than actual body heat, which meant he had to have left fairly recently.
Maybe he had heard the sound she had and went out to add to his zombie kill count...
She grabbed the knife she had keeping a firm grip on it. Murphy was sleeping a little ways across from Doc and Warren was in the bedroom. She thought about waiting the others but if it wasn't anything serious then she would feel like an idiot for ruining everybody's sleep for no reason .
She decided to go see what was going on herself and then if she needed to a shout would wake the others. The noise seemed to be coming from somewhere off the kitchen. She walked quietly grateful for the solar lights which at least provided enough lights to see the shadows with and make sure they were clear of zombies.
The sound stopped for a moment the started up again. She froze puzzled and then turned to the bathroom door. The sound was loud now, and unrelenting and now that she thought about it less like a zombie moan and more like pained retching and gagging.
It only took her a moment to put together the pieces, 10K's unwell appearance, his midnight awakening and now finally the sound waking her up from her sleep. She winced as she heard the sound again. "10K you okay?"
There was no answer just a pause in gagging before it resumed. Cassandra tried again. "You sound really sick. I'm going to come in okay?" She started to open the door, only to have the sound cut out again. This time he answered. His voice was hoarse and sounded weak. "No—I'm fine—I'm –" He broke off and she could hear him panting then the gagging started again.
She hesisatted torn between ignoring his wishes and going in or getting the others. Ultimately she decided the latter, Doc or Warren would know more about what to do the she would. "I'll be right back."
She didn't get an answer and didn't expect one. Doc was closet and he startled awake a knife pointed in the entirely wrong direction as she carefully stood out of reach just in case. "Something's wrong with 10K."
The old man was still blinking sleep from his eyes but at that he straightened up. Warren had woken up also, probably at the gagging now which now sounded astonishly loud in the nearly silent cabin and had walked in holding her machete at the ready.
"What's that noise?"
"10K" Cassandra answered not bothering to stop and answer the rest of Warren's questions. Instead she quickly made her way back to the bathroom. It was silent inside now.
Doc called out. "Kid you okay in there?"
There wasn't an answer not even retching this time.
"We're going to come in okay."
"Is this a good idea...what if he's dead and we'll just be letting a zombie—."
Warren turned around irritably as Murphy spoke, nobody had noticed he was even awake. "Well what do you want us to do Murphy? The boy is sick."
"Or he's dead and is going to try to eat us...shoot through the door—"
Cassandra quieted him this time. "Shut the fuck up Murphy."
He fell momentarily silent, no doubt astonished she had addressed him like that.
Warren nodded at Doc, machete not quite held at the ready, like she didn't want to consider Murphy's idea a possibility but she couldn't help doing so. Doc gripped the door handle and twisted, the door swung open.
They were greeted by the smell of sickness and 10K's body lying deathly still on the floor. "Told ya, he's dead. Pike him before he turns." Murphy was ignored, because at that moment 10K groaned and then feebly curled up tighter, arms wrapped around his abdomen.
It was obvious he was sick. His face was oddly pale beneath patches that looked like sunburns. Vomit fanned out on the floor where he had missed the toilet and his trousers were undone and partway down.
"10K, sweetie can you hear us?" Warren asked, layer a hand across his forehead. He didn't answer except to groan which turned into gagging. He didn't even open his eyes as more bile spilled past his lips.
Warren looked up. It was her keep calm, but internally panicking face. "Doc can you get his arms and me and Cassandra will get his legs, let;s move him to the couch.
It took a few moments to get him to unwrap his arms enough to pick him up. They fixed his clothes as best they could and then moved out. Murphy was thankfully silent. Cassandra glared at him as she walked past , she was tired of his ungrateful, self centred comments.
They settled 10K down on a the couch, he was mostly unconscious except for the occasional moan.
"Okay, what now? Are we all just going to stand here and wait to catch whatever he's got."
"Murphy shut your hole, if he's got something we've probably all got it, same sleeping quarters, same food, same water...same germs."
"I'll have you know I've got different germs. Life saving germs that are important to the human race and—"
"Murphy you selfish son of a bitch —"
Cassandra ignored the argument starting up between Doc and Murphy and instead crouched next to where Warren was examining 10K.
"What is it?"
Warren looked up. "I don't know. Maybe the flu, maybe a 24 hour bug, food poisoning, you name it. It's not like we've got the benefit of modern medicine anymore." She brushed his hair back from where it was plastered to his forehead, using the back of her hand to feel his sweaty skin. "He's definitely got a fever." She got to her feet. "I'm going to see if Homer had his first aid kit as well stocked as he did the rest of the house. See if you can keep 10K cooled down with a wet cloth until I get back."
Cassandra grab a bandanna from her pack and wet it down as she waited for Warren to come back. His face was drawn with dark shadows under his eyes and except for the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed he could have been turning to a Z.
"How's he doing?"
Cassandra shook her head, not needing to answer Doc's questions. 10k's position clearly spoke for himself.
"He's a tough kid. He'll be fine." Doc said quietly from above her but even he sounded worried.
10K stirred at Doc's voice and his eyes briefly opened partly. They looked blood-shot and by the way he was skimming over everything Cassandra wasn't seeing stuff to clearly. He settled on doc. "Dad?—"
That was all he got to say before he moaned again and gagged. This time the bile he brought up had specks of red.
"Do you—"
Warren cut Cassandra off , with a quiet. "Yeah I do."
Murphy had wandered over and once again offered his opinion. "He's probably got Ebola—"
"Get him out of here." Warren added tightly over her shoulder. Doc grabbed the man and dragged him out the room.
Cassandra watched as she silently took his temperature . "100.2" She gave a low whistle thought aloud "Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever...it could be the flu"
"Or—what else?" Cassandra couldn't keep help the the tremor in her voice and she knew by the quick look in Warren's eye that she had caught that unexpected exhibit of emotion.
"Or it could be a lot of things. " She crossed over to the window and Cassandra followed her as she lowered her voice so the sleeping 10K wouldn't hear. "I'm going to be honest with you. I'm no medical Doc and Doc isn't much either. We've got bad sanitation, sketchy water supplies, barely any food most of the times...this could be anything from some third world bug to a hyped up common cold, but I know someone who can help narrow it down."
They all clustered in the kitchen. 10K was sleeping in the living room, so far he had managed to swallow a sip of water and the accompanying Reglan tablet Warren had found in Homer's first aide kit. Now they just had to hope 10K kept it down, if not then it was suppositories next and neither of the group had any desire to go there.
"Northern Lights this is Operation Bite Mark do you read?" Warren held the Sat phone up higher. "I repeat Northern Lights this is Operation Bite Mark."
They all waited a moment before citizen Z's voice popped up. "This is Northern Lights reading you loud and clear, go ahead."
"We're still in Edgemont, 10K is sick and we need to know if you could look up the symptoms and give us a better idea of what we're dealing with."
"Roger, ready to copy."
Warren gave Citizen Z the info we the others interjecting occasionally.
A low whistle sounded after she finished. "Operation Bite Mark, I've got about 300 possible diseases, anyway we can narrow this down a little? "
"Roger, how so?"
"Onset of symptoms? anything different you've done lately?That sort of thing. Over."
Warrnen and the others answered the questions as best they could.
Citizen Z sighed. "Still got a fairly large list and—"
"Wait." Cassandra broke in ignoring the others looks. She remembered Amelia's fathe had been considered about them reaching their rad limits. 10K had done something diffferet he had been standing in a nuclear reactor.
Citizen Z didn't speak she told him but she could hear his keyboard clicking away. His voice was tight when he came on again. " How long was he there?" He waited for her to answer then asked the next question. "And what type of suit was he wearing."
"I don't know it was big,ornage, with some sort of air filter or something in the back..." Cassandra described the suit as best she could.
There was a few moments before Citizen Z's voice came back on. "Guys, if I'm right this doesn't look good. Now keep in mind I could be wrong or the search could be wrong. I'm no doctor—"
"Will you spit it out man." Murphy said snatching the phone from Warren and cutting citizen Z off. "I'd like to know just what the hell our little zombie killing machine has got so I can figure out how soon to pike him and—Ow fuck—Warren..."
Warren snatched the phone back from Murphy ignoring how he was now complaining about her elbow to the ribs. "Just lay it to us straight."
"Okay, I think he has radiation sickeness."
"What the hell? How'd the kid get that we wore suits, he did too." Doc interjected.
"I'm just saying it's one of the to hits and the symtoms seem to fit. My guess is the suits probably haven't been maintained too well if at all over the past few years, couple that with possibly more radition at the core then you thought and we're looking at this."
Cassandra glanced back towards where they had left 10K , then turned back . Warren had a knowing , sad look on her face and Cassandra had a feeling Warren had figured out more about what her and 10K felt about each other than they had themselves. Cassandra knew the next question Warren asked was for her more so than any of them.
"Northern Lights, we what are we looking at...is this something we can treat or..." The unsaid words lingered in the air , everyone knew what would have come next. There was only one thing to do for someone who was going to die –kill them before they turned.
" Depends on a number of factors...you guys don't feel sick right?"
Cassandra answered no and the others shook their heads.
"Well then 10K's exposure, is probably relatedto him spending more time in there than you and his closer proximity to the nuclear material. I'm looking at a few site now, general consensus is the longer between when the symtoms start and the radiation exposure the less likely it is that you got a fatal dose. When did his symptoms start?"
"He did't look so hot around dinner, that was a few hours ago—"
Cassandra shook her head. "It was before that. At the creek he said he was dizzy a few times and he looked sick. So maybe about 2 or 3 hours after he left the plant."
Citizen Z chimed in. "Okay, and he's got diarrhea and a fever, kinda delirious... Based on the time line and his symptom onset I'm getting that he probably got upwards of 2 Gy's but less than about 5-6Gy's..."
"Which means?" Warren asked.
"Hold your horses...Got it...this means that even without receiving proper medical care there's a chance that this isn't fatal."
Cassandra released a breath that hadn't realised she was holding. Everyone else even Murphy looked relieved.
"If I'm right his symptoms should clear up in a few days.."
"A few days? We don't have time to be playing nursemaid to—"
Cassandra turned around her hand straying to the knife at her belt as she gave Murphy a glare. He glanced between the expressions on both her and Warren's faces and then fell quiet.
"Is there anything we can do?" Cassandra asked , ignoring the desire to stab Murphy as she turned back to the Sat phone.
"Keep him comfortable, push fluids, something for the stomach symptoms if you've got anything...in the lower doses of rad sickness it's dehydration and such that seem to kill not the actual radiation. "
"So the kids got a chance." Doc muttered running a tired hand over his face.
Next and final update will be either Thursday or Wednesday next week. I actually looked up radiation sickness on Mayo Clinic, the CDC, an NRC pdf and every writer's (arguably) best friend wikipedia. So this fic should be about 99% accurate. I've taken a bit of creative license with onset of a few symptoms dependent on the rad dose but considering the difference of each person's constitution timeframes can be variably.
