Day Seventeen- Part 2

*** This Chapter will focus primarily on Paul ***

Leaving the house where he had left Cassandra and an unconscious Viktor he made his way north, past the houses and apartment blocks that covered this area. Everywhere he saw evidence of death, blood staining the ground a dark crimson. Luggage bags were left near family cars, their owners having been interrupted before they managed to escape. A small bloody red shoe caught his attention, reminding him of his own horrors, and he forced himself to look away.

Around him bitters started moving, perhaps smelling him from a distance. Reaching into his breast pocket he removed a silencer that fitted into his Glock and screwed it on, not about to engage those things in close combat unless he had to and this way he knew the noise wouldn't attract more of them.

Aiming at the moving targets he took down ten zombies before he was forced to reload his gun. So far so good – Paul thought to himself. Having cleared most of the residential estate he continued to look around for signs of a truck of some kind that he could use to move Viktor. At times like these he wishes the Russian was the size of your average man instead of a seven foot high and two hundred and ninety pound beast. He had passed several cars already but he knew he would never be able to get him inside one of these cars on a good day, much less with shrapnel sticking out of his back.

Knowing what he had to do Paul left the residential area moving to the main side road, making his way carefully to the progressive hospital. He knew the National Guard had setup a camp there for a while, using it to treat their own people for injuries they received during the riots that had engulfed the city in the early days of the outbreak. It was strange to think that only seventeen days had passed since that day, instead it feel like months had passed. The city had quickly been left to the dead and Paul could not imagine any other city being much better. Once they had all the supplies they were likely to need and a good stash of fuel they would have to leave Las Vegas.

Not far from the junction that brought him to the East Flamingo Road where the Hospitals were located a large crowd of zombies stood, moving slowly and groaning amongst themselves. Paul knew he would waste large amounts of ammo trying to take them all down and that there was no certainty that he would survive long enough to kill them all. Instead he looked around, forming a plan in his mind. Turning around he walked back down the street, into the next entrance to the residential area, removing the silencer and lifting his arm into the air he fired three shots, drawing the attention of the crowd of zombies. They immediately started moving towards him, dragging their rotting bodies to follow him, they teeth exposed as they smelled him and drooled hungering for his flesh.

Paul did not move overly quickly, he wanted to make sure they followed him. Firing another shot into the air he drew even a higher number of zombies and he turned into the apartment blocks that stood near him. Shouting several times he continued to move towards the area that separated two apartment blocks, starting to pick up his pace as he did so.

When he crossed the area he shot down a few zombies that had been congregating there, ensuring once again the large crowd followed him in. When most of them were stood in the pathway he drew two grenades from his bag, pulling the pins with his teeth and threw them into the crowd. Running around the corner he ducked, covering his head with his hands, and waited for the explosion. It had the desired effect, blowing up large numbers of dead and collapsing the supporting walls of the buildings on top of the rest. The surviving zombies continued to move towards him, clambering over the remnants of their counterparts, reaching for him. Drawing another grenade he threw it in too, killing the rest of zombies.

Paul did not return to the road where he had found them, knowing that zombies that would of been near the hospital would have been drawn to the area by the explosions. Instead he cut through the apartment blocks and houses, screwing the silencer back into the Glock.

Finally he reached the dual carriageway that separated him from the hospital. He would have to cross it, make his way past the front of the hospital and get to the rear of the building where the National Guard had setup their camp in the rear car park.

Looking around he was glad they had decided against taking this route to reach the vets, it was impossible to cross by car. The ground was littered with dead, at first piles had been made of the bodies in coroner bags until they had given up and just started leaving them where they feel. The fences that had been erected around the building had collapsed in sections; charred cars were left on sidewalks and the main road. By his estimate Paul could count hundreds, if not thousands, of bodies in that small area.

Starting to run he weaved his way through all the obstacles in his path. He was looking around for signs of walkers but he failed he look down. From under a car a zombie lay, pinned by the tires and the weight of the Ford above him. Grabbing Paul's leg he tripped him, causing him to fall to the ground and drop his Glock.
It was not a major problem since Paul still had his assault rifle which he immediately grabbed. Pulling his legs out of the way of the body he aimed and fired once, hitting the dead man straight in the forehead. At that distance it resulted in the back of the head literally exploding, like a soft watermelon, gushing blood and goo all over the side of the car the body was pinned under.

His attention drawn to steps behind him Paul rolled onto his stomach, looking up he saw several other zombies and he shot them too. Getting back onto his feet he grabbed the Glock from the floor, where it had fallen, and continued to run towards the rear of the hospital. He ended up using two more full clips of ammo before he even got there, but immediately he saw the exact truck he was going to take.

A large 2.5 tonne army cargo truck stood there, in all its glory. A rear cabin was covered in armour plating, instead of the usual cloth materials. It was perfect to replace the armoured land rover they had lost and offered more than enough space to accommodate them all in the rear so Viktor would be comfortable in it too.

Reaching the large truck he found it locked. Slamming his hand against the side door he swore loudly, he could break into it but it would damage a vehicle he wanted to use for as long as he could so turning around he looked for signs of a command tent amongst all the tents that still stood in the abandoned car park.

Spotting one tent, larger than the rest with antennas sticking out of it he moved towards it, watchful for signs of danger. There was little space separating these tens and it was easy for things to hide in corner.

Slipping his Glock into his holster he checked the ammo in his M16, finding it still mostly full. One small step at a time he approached the tent, listening for noise of any occupants. Finding none he used the end of his rifle to lift the flap that covered the tent entrance. The body of a man, obviously a zombie, sat tied to a chair inside the tent. Raising his head and seeing Paul it started to struggle against the handcuffs that restrained him, the metal cutting into his wrists and ankles. Raising his M16 Paul put a bullet in his head and looked around for the keys of the truck.

Finding a lock box he opened it, several sets of keys inside it. Rooting around he looked for a set that matched the truck, all keys labelled with the description and registration of each keys for that particular truck was not in the box and Paul continued to look around for anywhere else that may house keys, finding none.

Looking out the tent he observed the truck, working out how to deal with it and knowing this truck was the answer to a lot of their problems. It not only afforded them a means to transport Viktor but also a large enough cargo area to transport all of the supplies they had accrued since the outbreak. As he stood there he saw the truck was not parked as neatly as the rest, looking more of a rush job than the soldier would usually make.

Squinting he spoke to himself. "What are the chances? I wonder." And he turned around, walking to the body still secured to the chair but now very dead indeed.

He taped him down, feeling for bulges in his pockets where he may still have his leg pocket of his cargo pants he found a small hard object, opening the pocket he reached in and, low and behold, pulled out a set of keys labelled M109A4 2.5 Van. Smiling to himself Paul put the keys into his pocked before removing ammo cartridges from the remaining pockets of the dead body. He spent a few more minutes gathering other ammo from the other surfaces of the tents, putting them all into his bag. He would have loved to look around the camp for more weapons and supplies but Viktor did not have time to waste.

Raising his rifle he got out of the tent, coming face to face to face with yet more zombies. He let loose a spray of bullets and before long another pile of dead bodies was on the floor. Seeing more crowds approaching him from the side of the tents around him, he wasted no time. Starting to run he reached for the keys to the truck and unlocked it as soon as he reached it. Jumping into the cabin he put the keys into the starter slot and brought the engine to life.

The fuel gage was low and the van would need to refuel but there was enough in the tank to do what was needed. Zombies had gathered around the truck, reaching to the windows towards him and getting nowhere.

Reversing the truck Paul started to make his way out of the car park, running over the bodies as he did so. It brought a strange sense of satisfaction to do it, knowing their soft flesh was being crushed under the heavy van. Using the front of truck Paul pushes his way out of the barricaded area, taking down fences, pushing burned out cars out of his way and finally turning into the side road that would lead him to where Cassandra and Viktor awaited for him.

In this truck Paul had no problems dealing with whatever crossed his path and within a few minutes he was outside the house where his friends were safe.
Reaching for his radio as he parked the truck Paul spoke.

"I'm back, just going into the house now."

"Hurry up, there's things scratching at the door." Cassandra replied.

"I'll clear it out. How is Viktor?"

Looking at the man resting next to her she smiled gently, wiping his brow with a towel she had found in the laundry room. "He has been in and out of consciousness, he had some water but he is in a lot of pain and blacks out again. The bandages are soaked through."

Outside the laundry door the things that had stood there moved away, drawn towards Paul. Several shots rang out and the noise of collapsing bodies brought an end to her siege. Pushing the drier and washer away from the door she opened it slightly, making sure it was safe to open it fully.

Outside stood Paul, worry and concern obvious in the way he stood.

"Did you find something?" Cassandra asked.

"What I found is perfect. Come on, let's grab him and get going." He replied, walking into the room where his friend lay collapsed.

Walking behind Paul, Cassandra helped him lift Viktor, thanking every deity in existence that they wouldn't have to carry the giant to the bunker on foot.

The moved him outside where the rear of the cargo van stood open. Cassandra raised her Glock and took down a zombie that was wondering in their direction. Resting Viktor against the flat bed Cassandra held onto to him, straining against his weight that was starting to crush her. Paul jumped inside the cargo area, holding on to Viktor arms he dragged him inside. Stretching his hand to Cassandra he helped her up before jumping down and closing the doors behind him.

Cassandra did not like the darkness so she slipped the metal covers off the small windows that were placed at regular intervals in the sides of the cargo bed, allowing in enough light to stop her from feeling claustrophobic.

Holding on to Viktor she felt the truck spring into life and move, the bumps along the road making Viktor groan even in his passed out state.

It took them some time to reach the bunker, having to weave their way through side streets and all that they found along with them. Cassandra heard Paul on her radio, trying to call Lars but he must be too far from them to be able to hear it so they never got a reply. She hoped they had reached the vet clinic and had found all the supplies they needed, fearing that death would not wait long for Viktor.

When they stopped she heard the door of the truck slam shut, the engine still running. Standing up she saw Paul opening the main gates to the area above the bunker. Running back to the truck he drove the van inside and closed the gates behind the truck around the rear of the property he parked it near the garage, obstructing only the side of the garage that had once housed the armoured land rover that had been buried in the previous explosion. Running around the back of the truck he opened the cargo doors before turning around, facing the cameras and signalling to Eli to get upstairs and help him.

A few minutes later the garage doors slipped open, Eli walking out followed by Louise.

"Where did you get that? Why did you call me up?" Eli asked.

"My Rover got buried under a pile of rubble after a series of explosions. Viktor is seriously injured and we need to get him downstairs. Louise run down, clear the triage area and get ready. You might have to operate on him or whatever." Paul explained.

Cassandra jumped out of the truck, carrying both hers and Viktor's bag. Waiting until Paul and Eli had removed the giant from the cargo area she locked it shut with the keys Paul had handed her. Louise had run off down into the bunker and Cassandra locked the garage behind them as they slowly crossed the bunker entrance and made their way down the stairs.

The two men carried Viktor into the triage room that Louise had created. She stood by the large table, putting on latex gloves as she awaited them. Carefully they placed him on top of the table which groaned with the weight of the Russian. Grabbing a set of scissors she removed his shirt and t-shirt, along with his bandages, stopping when it came to his jeans.

"Does he have more clothes?" Louise asked the men.

"Yeah, go ahead." Replied Eli.

Using her scissors she removed the jeans too, leaving him only in his boxers. Gently she studied the shrapnel that was buried along his back careful not to disturb anything.

Reaching behind her into one of the boxes she pulled out a heart monitor and blood pressure monitor, strapping both to the Russian and taking readings. Both were incredibly low and she knew they wouldn't have much time.

"How much blood had he lost and how long ago did this happen." Louise asked her eyes fixed on the man lying in front of her.

"A lot of blood, I bandaged him a couple of times but he soaked right though them. He also has some burns on his arms and head." Cassandra explained.

"Any of you know his blood type?" Louise asked.

"He is A+." Paul told her.

"Any of you same blood type?"Louise continued, looking up at Paul and Eli, Rina standing under the door frame.

"Yes I am A+ too." Paul replied.

"Good, Eli could you get us another chair please. Paul you can sit down in this one." She said, placing it near the table where the Russian was. "I don't have transfusion equipment here; it's one of the things you guys were meant to collect at the clinic. I'm going to have to cannibalise some stuff and make what I need for now." Suddenly she looked up, her eyes wide with panic. "Are the others ok? Is Lewis?" she asked Paul.

"We were separated but I told them to go to the clinic and get the supplies. Viktor was already injured and it made sense. Nobody else was injured other than Viktor. Your sister had a few cuts but nothing major."

Taking a deep breath to calm her Louise settled down. Turning around she reached into the boxes behind her, looking for several items.

In front of her in a clean counter she placed a catheter, canula and tubing along with cotton balls, gauze, tweezers, sodium chloride, alcohol swabs and iodine.

"Rina get me a bowl with water from the kettle, boiled." She told the woman.

Rina started to say something but Louise turned around, facing her. "I swear to God if you give me any shit right now I will shoot you myself!"

"Rina do it, now!" Eli told his sister as he returned to the room with the other chair and several towels. Running out of the room he grabbed a plastic bag, putting it inside a small bin and placing it near Louise where she could deposit used and bloody items.

"This is going to hurt Paul. I'm sorry but I need at least two pints of blood from you or he won't make it until the others come back."

"Do it." He told her, resting his other hand on Viktor's arm.

First Louise used the swab to disinfect Paul's inner wrist, where the blood pressure was higher and the veins were easier to repeated the same on Viktor's neck, straight into the main vein leading into his heart. She hoped he would not wake up since she had nothing to use as analgesia for the time being. She slipped the needle into his neck, closing the valve as she did so, and connected it to the tubing and catheter, creating a one way system the blood would flow through. It would flow only into Viktor and not into Paul.

Strapping a bandage into Paul's arm she tapped his wrist several times until his veins popped up. She inserted the needle of the syringe into the bottle of sodium chloride drawing a small amount into Paul's skin she injected the liquid into him before putting pressure on the needle and removing the syringe section.

"Cassie pass me the other end of the catheter please." She asked her sister.

When she had it firmly in her grasp she screwed it into the needle and removed her finger. Finally she removed the tight bandage and the blood began to flow into Paul's arm again.

She opened the valves of the catheter until the tubing was full of blood. Using a new syringe she inserted it into a section of the tubing, removing the air that was inside it and allowing the blood to flow until it reached Viktor neck. Confident that no air bubbles were inside she opened the valve and began the transfusion.

"What was the injection for?" Paul asked.

"Sodium Chloride is an anti-coagulant. It will prevent your blood from clotting too early." Turning to Cassandra again, "Could you get him something to eat and drink? Energy drink is good, something with sugar. He is going to feel dizzy after this."

Nodding Cassandra left the room, nearly bumping into Rina as she returned with a bowl full of water, as Louise had requested. Placing it on the surface where Louise had her medical supplies Rina prepared to leave.

"You are not going anywhere." Louise told her. "Lewis said you were a jeweller right?"

"Yes." Rina replied.

"Good, I will need your help with stitching. The way he is bleeding he probably cut open a few veins." Your experience dealing with small items, and a steady hand, will help me if I need to suture anything small, like a vein or internal organ."

"I'm not a doctor or a nurse." Rina argued.

"Neither am I but if this had happened to you I don't think you would care what I was so long as I saved your life. Time we both earn our keep around here."

Rina was not happy but she agreed. Using alcohol gel she cleaned her hands before slipping on her own latex gloves. Standing next to Louise she watched as the young woman slowly mixed iodine into the water Rina had brought over and dipped Gauze pads into the solution.

Carefully she cleaned the area in Viktor's back with the solution, leaving it a funny green brown colour. She checked his blood pressure and heart rate before she continued, seeing that it had improved ever so slightly, the blood transfusion beginning to help.

Grabbing the tweezers she began to remove the smaller bits of shrapnel that were only superficial, Rina mopping up the blood as Louise told her to. Cassandra returned with the drink and a pack of desert from an MRE meal which she handed to Paul, sitting on the floor next to him, resting against his leg, Eli having returned to the office to monitor the screens in case the others returned and needed help too.

As Louise went about the business of trying to save Viktor's life she hope she was able to do this, knowing her pre-med degree hadn't covered surgery and having only that knowledge along with anatomy and the coroners training to get her through this.

"I really hope they hurry up." She said out loud. "We are going to need more blood that what I can get from you alone Paul, plus I need to knock him out for the rest or this could all end badly." She whispered, removing another shard of metal from the Russians back.

To be continued...