"Gah! It hurts!" Midgel gritted his teeth against the screaming pain in his shoulder. He was laying on his back on the kitchen table, one arm gripping the edge of the table and the hand of his dislocated shoulder holding a backpack. Molly steadily pushed his outstretched arm towards the ground, pain increasing with every push.
"Keep going." Molly ordered.
Midgel closed his eyes and resisted the urge to pull his arm back to his body. He let the weight of the backpack and the push of Molly slowly roll the shoulder back into place.
Molly suddenly made a quick, hard push down. Midgel felt a painful pop in his shoulder. "Ow!" He yelled and sat bolt upright, yanking his arm away from Molly. But the pain suddenly decreased and became a dull throbbing. He rolled his shoulder with very little pain. "I think you got it." He said with a grimace.
"Yup, now give me your face." Molly grabbed a wet cloth and started to wipe away the dried blood on his face to get a better look at the gash on his temple as he swung his legs over the edge of the table.
Without thinking, Midgel jerked away. He didn't mean to, it was just his first instinct. Molly sighed with exasperation. "Would you stop being a baby?" She demanded.
"Sorry." Midgel said. He forced himself not to move as she placed a hand on top of his head to hold him in place and wiped his face clean. He squeezed his eyes shut until he felt her pull away. She poured some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and dabbed at the gash. He winced at the sting, but didn't say anything.
Fidgel watched the procedure, his arm in a sling. Molly didn't know how to set broken bones so they settled on giving him a splint for a few days. But otherwise, he considered himself lucky after watching Zidgel's procedure.
"So have you guys heard anything from Misty, Colette, or Ingrid?" Midgel asked as Molly started stitching the wound on his head.
"No. All power is out. At least in this area." Molly answered.
Midgel fell silent. "How did this even happen?" He asked. He had been wondering this ever since Zidgel told him about the apocalypse.
Molly sighed. "I wish I knew. It started with the power going out and never coming back on. Then we saw them outside the gate." Her voice cracked. She turned toward Fidgel. "The family across the street was among them, Fidg." She said.
Fidgel's breath caught in his throat. "The kids, too?" He asked.
Molly nodded, then started to sob. Fidgel stood up and walked to his wife and pulled her close to him. She cried for a little bit.
"I'm so sorry guys." Midgel said quietly. They had always had a special bond with the family across the street: the Whitefeathers. Now they were dead… or worse.
"Midgel, it's not your fault." Molly pulled away from Fidgel and turned back to the pilot. She took a shaky breath and continued her work on the pilot's face. "This is how it is now, we just have to make the best of it."
Midgel didn't answer, but he glanced at Fidgel. He looked on the verge of tears.
Molly finished the stitching and placed a few white bandages to protect the wound. "Now, what's wrong with your ankle?" She reached down and started untying Midgel's boot.
"You know, I can do that myself." He said.
"Shush, let me be the doctor." Molly responded. She carefully pulled off the shoe to reveal Midgel's swollen ankle. "That's definitely sprained." She said. "We don't have any ice because of the power outage, so you should just stay off of it and keep it elevated for a while."
"Look, thanks so much, Molly. But we have to leave first thing in the morning." Midgel said.
"You're hurt!" Molly protested.
Midgel narrowed his eyes. "Our families are out there, Mol. Our kids. Do you want them to end up like the Whitefeathers?"
"I just think that you won't be able to help them if you're not fit to fight." Molly argued back.
"Molly." Fidgel interrupted. "We have to leave."
Molly whirled on her husband. "You're leaving too?"
"I have to help them." Fidgel stated. "We're a team."
"But it's dangerous! It isn't just the zombies; there are no laws, criminals run the streets. Wouldn't Misty be safer in her house instead of dragging her and your baby across town?"
"Don't you dare!" Midgel growled. He rose to his feet, ignoring his ankle. "Don't you dare just tell us to abandon our families because it's dangerous for us to save them!" He and Molly glared at each other. Midgel's eyes softened when a tear rolled down her cheek. "Molly, it's worth it for us." He said softly.
She sniffed and swiped at the tear. She turned away. "Fine. Spend the night here, then leave in the morning." She turned back. "You are welcome back when you get everyone."
Midgel smiled slightly. "Thanks, Mol." He looked out the window at the setting sun and realized that he was exhausted. The pain that he had been in had drained any energy out of him. He turned to Fidgel. "Where are we sleeping?"
The next morning, the majority of the crew were sitting around and eating dry cereal. The captain was still in the guest bedroom. Everyone felt refreshed from their sleep and the access to the shower that Molly allowed them.
"Welcome back." Sarah said suddenly.
Everyone looked up to see Captain Zidgel standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall. He was starting to look like his normal self, except for his dirt and blood-stained feathers and messed up hair. He smiled as he stepped into the kitchen.
"You're good to be walking?" Midgel asked, downing his glass of water.
"I guess so." Zidgel answered. He sat down at the table. "I'm starving."
"All we got is cereal." Molly said. "And no milk. We need to go out and get some more soon."
"We'll get something on the way back." Fidgel told her, placing a hand on the back of her chair. Midgel winced slightly. He was suggested it like it was a normal grocery run.
"Cereal sounds awesome." Zidgel said. He rose and started limping to the counter.
"Sit, Zidgel. I'll get it for you." Sarah jumped up.
Zidgel nodded and sat back down. "Thanks."
"Let me see." Molly motioned towards the cuts on Zidgel's face as she turned towards him.
Zidgel leaned toward her, allowing her to inspect his wounds. She pushed some feathers out of the way to get a better look. "I think they will heal nicely." She said. She pushed his arm up to look at his bandage around his middle. "I don't see any blood leaking through. I'd say that you're in good shape."
"That's good." Zidgel said. He smiled at Sarah as she placed a bowl in front of him with a spoon and a glass of water. He started to eat. "So what's the plan for today?" He asked after a couple of mouthfuls.
Midgel leaned back in his chair. "I think we should split up like you suggested yesterday."
Fidgel closed his eyes in frustration. "We already decided that it was a bad idea."
"But now, we don't have our ship ready." Midgel explained. "We can't just pick them up like we had planned to. It will take forever to get everyone if we still go all together."
Zidgel chewed in thought. "It makes sense."
Midgel nodded. "I think we should go in pairs. Cap and I will go to our own houses while Fidg and Kevin find Ingrid."
"Will you be able to handle the kids?" Molly asked. "You'll have to bring four of them back, as well as your pregnant wife."
"We'll have to." Midgel said. "I think they'll make it."
Zidgel tapped the table with his spoon. "Then it's settled. We'll leave right after I'm done here."
"Not so fast, captain." Molly said. Zidgel paused. He wasn't used to being ordered around. "First you need to shower and change the bandage. I also fixed your shirts last night." She said.
Zidgel remembered that he didn't have a shirt on. "Fine. Then after that, we're leaving."
"Deal." Molly said.