Without Guilt
Chapter XXIII: Distance
"Relax," Dorothy instructed, clicking her pen light on. "Open wider, let me see." She set a delicate hand on his chin as she peered into his mouth.
"What's the verdict, doc?" Kumi questioned as he continued to count and pack jars and tins into a crate.
Dorothy frowned in concentration. "Well, the good news is… it's not infected. It's healing nicely actually." Her frown was replaced by a smile as she leaned back, clicking the torch off and setting it aside.
Otis closed his mouth, tiredly rolling his aching shoulders. He was glad he didn't have to have any more gauze in his mouth at least.
"You still have to stick to soft foods though, there's some lacerations that might reopen if you're not careful." She added, offering him the last of the antibiotic pills and a bottle of water. "Is your throat still sore?"
Otis took the pill, swallowing it before replying. "A little."
"Jesus, man. You sound awful." Kumi remarked unhelpfully, chuckling when Otis gave him a middle finger in response. "Can you imagine how much worse you'd sound if you hadn't quit smoking? The inside of your throat probably looks like those growths on Clickers."
"Ew, Kumi." Dominique complained at the unpleasant visual. She'd push a tin mug of soup into his hand before bringing the other two for Dorothy and Otis.
"Thank you, Dom." Dorothy smiled. "Eat up, then I'll check your bandages." She added towards Otis as she moved away.
"It can wait," Otis muttered as he took the mug. "Camp's just there-" He gestured vaguely through the grimy window. "Thanks, Dom."
The only thing separating them and the QZ was a long sunken road.
"Sure." Dominique offered a gentle smile, hovering nearby as Dorothy packed her medical kit.
Otis sensed that she had something she wanted to talk about, maybe for a while now since she seemed to be waiting for him to recover. "How's… the baby?" He rasped, indicating her stomach lightly.
A bump had started to develop, though it was still easy to disguise with baggy clothing.
Dominique's smile warmed and she moved to sit next to him. "She's fine. She's going to be a big girl like her daddy, I can already tell." She expressed fondly as she looked to Kumi.
"She?" Otis repeated, giving her a curious look.
Dominique's hazel eyes returned to him. "We don't know yet, but I want a girl." She admitted.
Otis hummed, blowing gently on his soup to cool it faster. "Maybe… not in this world." He remarked as an afterthought. "… Sorry." He added quietly when Dominique's expression faltered.
Her smile dimmed but remained nonetheless. "No, you're right." She agreed softly, looking down at her small bump. "When I was in college, I always thought about how I'd raise a family in what seemed like a really difficult time. Now I know what a difficult time really is." She expressed with a light laugh.
Otis quietly watched the steam as it rose from his cup.
"Life was always difficult, I think." Dominique went on. "But I guess I just thought that society would let go of some of its stupid ideas about women once the world went to shit. Hell, we're doing a lot more than the guys most days." She added in good humour.
He gave another quiet hum to confirm his agreement.
Dorothy and Scarlett had saved his life. Dominique had risked her own to get him antibiotics even though she didn't have to. Layla had kept him upright during the worst of it. Mary had always been kind to him.
Dominique was lost in her own thoughts for some moments, just watching Kumi before something occurred to her. "If I have a boy, what do you think I should name him?" She asked Otis.
He was a little surprised by the question, his pale eyes looking to her blankly. "That's not…"
"I'm collecting ideas." She insisted cheerfully. "Dorothy said she likes Jared, but I think it's a little harsh sounding for a cute baby." She reflected, her free hand moving slowly towards his arm. He allowed her to touch him.
"I guess… I don't know." He confessed. It was hard to talk right now, and he gently pulled his hand out from under hers. "Maybe you should name him Otto."
His response was a joke, she knew but it brought a big smile to her face. "Only if you let him call you uncle T." She nudged him gently with her shoulder.
"Do you want Kumi to kill me?" Otis sighed.
Dominique shook her head with a soft laugh. "I already cleared that misunderstanding." She assured, gently rubbing his arm. "I think you should talk to him now that you can talk." She encouraged. "What do you think I should name her if she is a girl?"
"Why don't you ask your boyfriend?" Otis countered, side-eyeing her as he finished his soup.
"I already asked him, he wants a girl too. If we have a girl, he wants to name her Hope." Dominique found it a little cliché, but it was endearing that it was the first thing he came out with.
Otis sighed. "Hope is good. Go with that." He told her as he stood to rinse the mug out before grabbing his jacket. "You done?" He asked Kumi.
"Yeah, all packed and sorted." Kumi confirmed, patting the pile of crates he was currently using as a makeshift seat. "How do you want to do this? We went pretty far out this time."
"It was worth it." Otis assured doing a quick mental count of the supplies they would be able to carry. It was just a little too much for four people – especially with one being tiny and the other being pregnant. He was already sore from the hard journey that he and Kumi had to make to find all this stuff.
"I'm kinda thinking it wasn't such a bad idea that you gave some of it to those smugglers." Kumi sighed. He was aching but willing to tough it out for Dominique.
Otis moved around the small reception where they'd camped for the night, searching for something to use.
"Wouldn't it be easier to make two journeys?" Dorothy piped up.
"Nah, it's not a good idea. Raises too many questions." Kumi dismissed, taking the other mugs to rinse them out and pack the last of their gear.
"I can help carry stuff." She offered, following the two men around curiously.
Otis found a storage closet filled with old cleaning supplies. A quick inspection provided him with a broom and a mop- just the things he needed. He slid his hatchet out from his utility belt, cleaving the heads off the wooden poles and tossing them aside. "Give me your jacket." He told Kumi, shrugging off his own too.
"Do I have to? I like this jacket." Kumi complained, begrudgingly handing the stylish leather trench coat over.
"Don't be a child." Otis clicked his tongue as he snatched it impatiently. With a bit of knotting and fiddling, he managed to create a makeshift stretcher out of the poles and two articles.
Kumi caught on, moving to load what couldn't be carried in backpacks evenly across the stretcher. "Bare minimum."
"It's not the best… but it'll do." Otis agreed. It would be difficult to take across the same route they'd come from so they would have to find another way back. He drew out the map from his backpack, crossing off the areas they'd already scavenged and marking up the ones that had potential for a return.
"Should we go ahead?" Dominique asked just as they finished packing the last of the items.
"No, after we ran into them smugglers, I don't think it's a good idea to split up." Kumi pointed out.
Otis didn't disagree with him. Besides, they needed Dominique's hands free just in case they ran into trouble. Not that he would voice that- Kumi would be ready to grab him by the throat. Dorothy was still learning how to use a gun and her reaction time was slower.
In no time at all, they would be out on the cold street, using what they had of the daylight hours to cover as much distance as possible.
"Not long now." Kumi noted, exhaling a misty breath as he slowly lowered himself into the freezing water.
The stretcher floated before him, easily pushed like a raft.
"C'mere." He'd turn to help Dorothy down from the ledge of the building first, her additional weight briefly sinking him as she hopped down. "Careful, it's deeper than it looks." He warned, releasing her once he was sure she would manage alone.
"Thanks." She squeaked, shivering as she was submerged. Thankfully, hours of walking had at least warmed her enough to avoid any muscle cramps, but she was still eager to reach the camp. "I could really use some hot coco right now."
"That sounds so good. I miss whipped cream." Dominique agreed, dangling her feet off the ledge as she moved to sit down.
The water was dark, the only thing illuminating the dank building being the distant streetlights and moon filtering through the gaps in the floors above.
"You ready?" Kumi asked her delicately as he stretched his arms out to help her down next. "I really don't think you coming out here is such a good idea." He sighed.
Dominique gave him a smile as she took hold of his arms, leaning her weight forward slowly. "It's good to get some fresh air. In a few months I'll be too big to go out and about." She reminded him, sinking down into the water with a shuddering gasp. "Fuck, that's cold!"
"You're okay." Kumi soothed, leaving the supplies to help her cross the stretch of water to the stairs rising out of the flooded basement.
Dorothy was currently pulling herself up those stairs, hating the wet squelching of her boots and socks. "This is exactly how people end up with infections." She complained, twisting water out of her jacket. "So glad I got my tetanus shot." She sighed as she joined Otis on the small landing connecting the basement and the upper floors.
Otis stepped aside to let her through the narrow doorway. "It's clear." He assured, having gone ahead to scout. He turned his flashlight back towards the water where Dominique was being pulled along by Kumi.
Dorothy briefly leaned from behind him to watch them. "She's okay." She told the man quietly, sensing his concern.
Otis grunted out a light agreement, moving half-way down the steps to help Dominique up faster. "Not long now." He told her. "You good?"
Dominique smiled, giving a faint nod. "I'm fine, you boys worry too much. I don't see you fussing over Dorothy this much." She joked.
"Simmons is fine." Otis dismissed.
"Did you ask her?" Dominique nudged him in the shoulder as she moved past him. "Dorothy are you fine?" She asked the younger woman more sweetly.
"Yeah, I'm good, thanks." Dorothy replied nervously when she realised all eyes were on her.
Dominique looked over her shoulder at Otis.
"What? I told you she's fine." Otis shook his head before wading back into the water to retrieve the supplies still floating at the other side of the room.
Kumi lingered a little while on the steps, debating if it was necessary for two people to go back there. He'd stayed in the water a while to help the two women while Otis went ahead to check if the street was clear.
The truth was that they were all exhausted.
Regardless, Kumi went back in once the worst of the shivers had passed, leaving Dominique and Dorothy on the steps.
"You haven't eaten much." Dorothy noted. "You should eat a little more, especially beans, they have good nutrition." Well, in comparison to watery soup.
Dominique's smile was more exhausted this time. She'd been holding herself together. "I don't feel like it. Most of it goes down the gutter, anyway, why waste the food?" She tried to joke.
Dorothy sympathetically patted her back. "I think you should skip out on the next run-" She tried to suggest gently.
"No." The woman declined firmly. "I don't need Kumi treating me any more fragile than he already does. I'm pregnant, not crippled." She would exhale a shuddering breath, rubbing her arms to warm up a fraction. "There'll be plenty of time for rest later, I already feel like a burden making them do all the heavy lifting." She confessed.
Dorothy shrank a little. "Yeah…" She agreed lightly.
"Hey, don't you go thinking things now. This is your first time outside and you did great, okay?" Dominique interrupted before Dorothy could sink any further into her pool of pity.
Dorothy tried to smile but it felt a bit flat, though fortunately she was saved the awkwardness of further conversation when Kumi and Otis re-joined them. They would be pushed up the stairs to the lobby of the office building, soon finding their way back onto the solid tarmac of the street.
"Think we carried this enough. It's gotten heavy." Kumi complained, lowering the stretcher.
Otis dropped his end as delicately as he could manage with his exertion. "Everything's fucking wet." He huffed, brushing his hair back and taking a minute to breathe before moving to tip out any water that had breached the crates.
"Here, let Dorothy carry this one." Dominique moved over to select the lightest box, removing two or three jars to move them to her backpack.
"Dom, it's literally just two fucking streets down." Kumi protested.
"Yes, exactly, just two streets." She emphasised. "We'll manage, it won't hurt anyone."
Dorothy hovered uncertainly nearby, eager to help but also not wanting to get between the two currently arguing. She looked to Otis for help but he was distracted, head half turned to watch something over his shoulder or maybe he was listening out for something.
"K. Dom. Shut up." He rebuked the bickering couple.
Kumi turned to him with a start only to notice that he was reaching for his handgun.
The silence that ensued was soon filled by the frantic shuffling of footsteps, a grating clicking noise echoing through the empty street.
And then it appeared.
Dorothy gaped with morbid curiosity as a Clicker appeared from between the buildings, blindly thrashing at the air as it continued to shriek in search of its prey.
Kumi easily brought up his revolver, taking his time to line up the head but Otis covered his hand in silent instruction to let it be. Whatever it was following, it didn't seem to be heading directly for them, but something had disturbed it.
The supplies were left out in the open as the group slowly moved to find cover behind an old vehicle haphazardly parked on the curb beside a pharmacy. They watched the staggered but agitated progression of the Clicker which slowed as it failed to find anything to latch on to. It paused in the middle of the road, shrieking one more time before returning to quieter clicks.
Nothing seemed to happen for the longest time till Kumi reached for his machete.
Otis let him go this time. A quieter approach was welcome. He would follow him out from behind the vehicle, heading for the supplies. They needed to get to the Quarantine Zone, the sun had already set, and it was dark.
THUNK!
Dorothy and Dominique jumped with fright as something hit the glass of the pharmacy door behind them.
THUNK! THUNK!
They watched in shared horror as a Runner continued to ram itself desperately against the glass, oozing blood onto the already grimy door, fingers clawing as though it could somehow force its way past the barrier.
Dominique firmly pushed Dorothy to her feet, encouraging her to move.
THUNK! THUNK!
Kumi turned to look towards the women as they darted out from behind the car, taking a half step towards them on instinct, but the new sound started the Clicker back on its rampage, its sudden and quick advance taking Kumi by surprise.
"Fuck!" He hacked at the creature as it scratched at his arms, latching on with a deathly grip. "T!"
Otis swiped his pistol from behind his belt, trying to get a steady shot in but wildly missed on the first bullet and narrowly grazed the Clicker on the second. The sound of the gun only further enthused the Runner behind the door, another soon appearing behind it.
"Otis?!" Kumi lost his footing on the snow, tumbling back with the Clicker getting dangerously close of sinking its rotten teeth in his shoulder.
Otis threw his gun down, too frustrated with his inability to get a steady shot in with his right hand. He snatched his hatchet to hurl it with his left, managing a strikingly clean hit to the Clicker's neck.
Blood burst through from its new cut, the Clicker collapsing with a squeaking rasp.
Kumi threw it aside, shuffling back to regain his bearings and quickly look himself over for bites. "You can't aim for shit!" He reprimanded Otis.
Otis ignored him, clutching his bandaged hand. His still healing finger throbbed with pain from the violent motion, making him wince lightly. He'd overestimated his ability to make do with his right hand.
"Kumi, are you okay?!" Dominique ran over to check on her boyfriend.
Otis moved to retrieve his weapons, leaving them to their reunion.
"Otis." Dorothy's voice shook a little as she called out to him, indicating the Runners trapped inside the pharmacy.
Otis steadied her with a hand to her shoulder as she reached him. "You good?"
She nodded. "Is he hurt?" She peered over at Kumi who had found his feet again.
"Some scratches. We'll get him looked at." Otis assured, following her gaze to confirm. He would look back to her when she grabbed his hand.
"You're bleeding." She fretted, frowning at the stains slowly blooming across the bandages.
"I'll live. Come on now." Otis drew away, moving to pick up one of the supply crates and sighing at the mere thought of having to drag himself another two streets after that. "You good, K?"
Kumi nodded begrudgingly. "Yeah. Let's go." He'd take another box.
Dorothy glanced towards the dead Clicker and then the Runners before her focus fell on the little supermarket further up the street. "Hey, I have an idea!" She called to the others as she started a little jog towards it.
"Simmons- don't go far!" Otis tried to call after her, his voice cracking.
"Where's she going?" Dominique asked worriedly.
"I've got her." Otis assured, clearing his throat with a light cough as he started after the petite woman.
"Let's not waste time, c'mon." Kumi prompted Dominique, starting in the opposite direction to make for the QZ.
Please R&R!
