Disclaimer: i do not own or make money from the anime death note, the radio nowhere idea and plot however is MINE.
Suggested Listening : The Bottom by It's Alive
letters from the sky – civil twilight
Part 35
~Cheated~
Getting up had possibly been a rather stupid idea, Matt conceded about fifteen steps out of the room he had been in. He was dragging an IV bag along and though he was loath to admit it the damn pole was probably one of the only reasons he was still standing.
His left leg was in a cast and throbbed like someone had just taken a baseball bat to it.
Matt had woken up a few minutes ago in a room he didn't recognize and hooked up to an IV. He had obviously been rescued—or it was some odd version of hell—but when he had yelled there had been no answer. It was not like in the movies where there was a convenient call button for him to press either.
His head had also been bandaged but from what he could tell there wasn't anything wrong underneath; he had left the white piled up on the counter in the room.
There was no one in the hallway—that looked very similar to all the other ones of the community decontamination/clinics that he had been in. The further along he went the less oppressive the silence became and Matt headed for the noise.
Matt had to stop every few steps to give his leg a chance to rest and stop shaking so damn badly. The rest of him seemed alright to him but his leg was slowing him down.
Shuffling along the corridor he eventually reached what looked like either a break or conference room and noticed two men in lab coats conversing. One noticed him and dropped their sandwich back onto the plate in surprise.
Both men were at his side in seconds and helping him to a chair to sit down. Matt was a little irritated at how relieved he felt to be seated and wondered if Mello's impatience had rubbed off on him after so long. But what could he do when his own body failed him?
"You shouldn't be out of bed never mind walking all over the place on that leg." The younger of the two men stated with a shake of his head. It seemed he was at least well known enough for both of them to recognize him instantly. Unless they had attended to him before he woke.
"Where am I?" Matt knew there was no way he was still in the same community but as to where exactly he was, he hadn't a clue.
"Community eight."
Matt's mind scrambled through the list of communities he knew of but he was drawing a blank as to where exactly that was.
"Chesapeake Bay, Connecticut." The elder man supplied for him with a knowing tone.
Connecticut? He had been in Virginia when he had passed out. It was only then that he realized he had not asked the most important question yet.
"Were there any other survivors?" They would not know Mello by name so it was easier to ask about survivors in general.
"Yes but not all of them came here. It depended on their injuries. Look, stay here and we will get you the head doctor as she will have more information on what happened then we would." They both headed for the door, only
Matt nodded and looked on in amusement as the younger guy grabbed his forgotten sandwich on the way out. He was alone again but at least it didn't feel like a bad horror flick anymore. Seriously, waking up with deserted hallways and no one around? At least the place had not actually been crawling with infected.
Matt immediately heard when the doctor arrived long before they came into his view by the clicks of their shoes on the floor. A tall Asian woman in black slacks, a heavy green sweater and boots walked into view and it wasn't what Matt had been expecting. Matt supposed the community was just lucky to have people who knew a little about medicine at all.
"You sir, should not be out of bed." The woman had brunette hair that was tied back at the nape of her neck; she leaned against the doorjamb as though unconcerned with him at all despite the way her sharp eyes watched his movements.
"So I have heard. What happened the other day? I'm not sure how much you would know about the incident but anything would be helpful, especially about survivors." Matt asked.
"The other day? You have been out for nearly two weeks fighting a bacterial infection from all the dirt that had gotten into your leg. And that was on top of the three days before anyone had even found you in the mess that was left."
That long? He had been out for that long?
Matt let out a large sigh as his mind processed the information.
"As I am certain you already know the infected broke through the communities defenses and wreaked havoc on them. There had already been reinforcements coming from surrounding communities thanks to the prompt distress call the community head made. I believe that is the only reason anyone at all survived." She shrugged.
"As for survivors I can tell you there were not that many. I believe the last count was somewhere around forty-three out of the three-hundred and ninety that the community had been made of. Are you looking for someone or just fishing for information in general?" She locked gazes with him, not bothering to hide her curiosity any longer.
"I'm looking for someone. His name is Mello. He would have needed to be on antibiotics for his arm. He should have been found where I was." Matt leaned forward, somewhat hopeful.
"I'm sorry, to my knowledge you were the only one found in the decontamination clinic. I can have someone check for you as well as in the other communities where refugees were taken if you wish?" She pushed away from the wall, rolling her shoulder a little as though it were as stiff as her tone.
Matt felt despair creeping up in his chest and didn't know how he was still breathing. If Mello had not been found with him, that meant he was dead, didn't it? Why would someone rescue him and not Mello or vice versa?
"Sir?"
Matt vaguely registered that he wasn't responding but really, he just needed a moment. A long moment.
.
.
Matt was allowed to walk around on crutches after two more days of bed rest. Apparently he was one of the more docile patients they had; one that actually listened when they were told not to be up and walking and for that he was released early on the strict orders that if he felt tired he would sit and rest.
Matt had no plans on disobeying that.
That was the current reason for it taking him a rather long time getting to the communities general office. It seemed like he would go fifteen steps and need to rest. It was rather pathetic despite him knowing he was probably lucky to be up and walking at all considering the circumstances.
That didn't make Matt above complaining.
Matt shifted his weight to his good leg and managed to open the heavy doors and sneak inside before needing the use of the crutches again. It was going to be a long recovery.
He was immediately noticed and greeted by someone obviously expecting him and he was led into an open office where an aged man sat with a gruff and authoritative appearance. Matt might have called him ex-military.
"Hello Matt, have a seat. Ching Lan said you would visiting today." A large calloused hand pointed to a folder where sheets of paper peaked out from the side.
Ching Lan was the woman Matt had met two days ago, the main doctor that resided in the split Decontamination/Clinic center. She had kept her word in having someone drudge up a list of survivors, their descriptions and where they had been taken.
Mello wasn't in community 8 with him so Matt hoped the blond had been taken elsewhere.
"Thank you for getting all of this. I know its not normal procedure." He seated himself and understood the reasoning of him not being able to simply take the papers.
"I think we all need a bit of help in these times. Its not like we can all just pick up a phone and call anymore. All we have are the radios but we cant have them tied up. I hope you can find your friend." The man said before moving back to the window.
"I hope so too."
.
As it turned out there was absolutely no one fitting Mello's description in any of the communicates that had taken in survivors. There had only been three, community 8 included, that had done so so it wasn't as though Matt had many places to look. But the lack of information had been a problem in getting his answers.
And now that he had them... it still didn't click.
Matt had stared at the papers that had been brought over with supplies and it was unreal, Mello was no where. None of the pictures taken matched his.
Closing his eyes Matt let the folder fall from his grip and land back to the desk. That left few realistic options. Either Mello was dead or he was an infected. Those were not options Matt wanted to consider.
But reality was often cruel.
Matt palmed the tears away from his eyes and took a deep breath to control himself before his appearance was noted. Now was not the time or place. He needed to find Mello, even if it was just his body.
Dead or infected, Matt needed to know.
.
.
The cleanup of Community 4 had gone relatively well; the infected having been destroyed by means Matt was certain weren't usually taken against them. Bodies of the dead and decomposing were still being pulled from hidden corners of the community and from under rubble of buildings that had collapsed in the cross-hairs of the attack. They were only kept long enough to be identified or photographed before being burned.
Even if they had not ended up turning they still carried the infection and could not simply be buried, not ever. It was kind of sad, or so Matt thought.
A body fitting Mello's description had yet to be found and neither had an infected for that matter. It was more than Matt had hoped for. It did not mean that Mello wasn't an infected or still stuffed somewhere in the community, rotting away as he had tried to flee, but the latter option seemed unlikely as Mello wouldn't have even been able to get up never mind run for his life.
No body, no living corpse, so until proven otherwise Matt was hoping for a miracle. He knew it was denial to stave off the pain of loss but he didn't care. It kept him going.
He had left Community 8 about two months ago.
Life on his own wasn't as hard as he had expected after traveling with Mello for so long. He helped do things for a few of the communities but it was lonely.
He wasn't going to stop looking for Mello, not until he found him, whatever the condition. So until then...
"This is Radio Nowhere...Mello, if you are out there—no, wherever you are. I'm coming for you."
-End?-
AN: yes, this is the 'official' conclusion to RN. Don't fret though, I have a 3 part epilogue that will finish things off. I didn't include them as part of the normal story because they are a bit... different in feel.
And before anyone asks the epilogues are all connected and none of them are alternate endings. They ARE the ending of the story. :D I do suggest listening to the songs on the epilogue as they are important, especially the second parts.
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Special thanks to reviewers: guest 1&2, mxmsupporter, Lotta Devon, issagokurosaki , Kkartter, LissaRojas, Keono, S'moresForMooses , theheartstourniquet, Deadly Nightshade1395
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