CHAPTER NINETEEN
Violet fell asleep while Hayley watched out the window. She and Estelle both slept very soundly and didn't awaken until midmorning the next day. She managed a nice languid stretch before she got her bearings and the previous night's memories flooded her mind. Her sanctuary had been destroyed by something that had to have been enormous. She sincerely hoped that it had left the area because she was terrified of anything that could do that kind of damage. She also noticed Hayley was agitated with Estelle who had latched on to her hair. Violet pried the chubby little fingers off the troubled hunter and curled her nose. The ungodly stink of zombie was stronger than she had ever smelled. What had Hayley done in the nigh to make her reek so? She looked fairly clean.
Their human let out an unearthly shriek and moved with enviable speed as she snatched her cub up and readied her weapon. She tilted her head to the side and scanned the room. There were no threats nearby. Why was the human disturbed? Perhaps the new location threw her off. She hated moving dens. Maybe the human did too.
Violet stared in horror as another hunter rose from the bed. What horrified her even more was that this hunter was a true zombie. Risen from the dead crouched a tired looking Vincent. He looked almost as horrible as he smelled. Being dead must have a way of bringing you down. His head lolled to and fro as he tried to peer at her. He collapsed on the bed and Violet surprised herself by reaching out as if she wanted to steady him or soften the short fall from the bed to the floor. Then another realization hit her. He must have slept next to them the whole night. He obviously hadn't mauled them to death so maybe he remembered her. The million thoughts running through her head ceased when Hayley graceful leapt down to where Vincent had fallen and nuzzled his cheek. This was Vincent. Alive and almost well. Somehow.
Violet stared in wonder at the man before her. He had managed to survive a gunshot, being sealed in a mausoleum and had found his way back to the mate who had loved him through an entire apocalypse. He was one determined zombie. As she plopped out two cans of spam onto the floor for the hunters and fed Estelle some delicious pears and cereal her mind began to wander. These hunters were two perfect examples of intelligent zombie life. Would there even be a society left to come up with a cure for this illness? A vaccine maybe? Maybe the zombies that showed signs of intelligence could go through some sort of intense behavioral training and therapy and be reintegrated into society. Well there would have to be a society and some scientists and probably some brave therapists first.
Vincent ate slowly, and it looked like it might pain him. Violet waaited until he was done to approach him. He looked horrible. Dirty and covered in god knows what. He needed a bath, and while he was too weak to fight her was the best time to do it. Placing estelle on the bed with the contented female hunter, violet ambushed the alarmed Vincent.
She moved quickly and scooped him up. He was way too light. He was alive but barely. He managed an outraged snarl but was too weak to act upon his pitiful threat. Hayley lifted her head and watched interestedly but made no move to leave the bed. She simply rolled Estelle over playfully when she wriggled too close to her hair. The infant was captivated the the silvery blond curtain that cascaded around the hner when she pulled her hood down.
As she carried Vincent into the bathroom he began to make sad little whimpers. It almost sounded like he was pleading. She was scaring him, she realized. She reassured him gently, speaking in low soothing sounds. His terror increased as she started to undress him. She realized she had forgotten to check the master bedroom for some mens clothing. Vincent would be naked for a while. But he would be doing better naked than in the clothes he had. There was more dirt and dried blood than there was cloth.
Once she got him undressed she started to run the bath before examining him. Like she had guessed he was far too thin, his ribs and hip bones prominent on display. He also had an infection in the area he had been shot. It looked pretty bad. She sucked in a tight breath and wondered if the antibiotics she had would be enough to help him. He was also covered in slashes, some of them looking really fresh. Her eyes widened when she realized the other infected must have attacked him. Maybe they really were starting to cannibalize each other.
She placed him in the luke warm water and he whimpered his objections. As gently as she could she used a wash cloth to wipe away the grime. The water was filthy within seconds. So much so she had to let it out and rerun more water. She laughed outright as a frustrated Hayley carried a squirming Estelle in by her onesie. They sat and watched as Violet washed the filth off Vincent. He grumbled but didn't whimper anymore. Violet took this as a sign he was enjoying his cleanliness.
Vincent snarled unhappily as violet scrubbed too hard on his infection. She, in turn, wanted to vomit as she watched pus and blood pour from the open wound. She realized with disgust that she was going to have to drain all these infections out. Vincent was going to hate this. But she set to work doing this and every time he yowled in pain Estelle and Hayley made a responding displeased noise. Violet couldn't help but laugh. Estelle had been accepted as a member of the family and played the part well.
She was done with the most repulsive task she had undertaken, so she washed him off one last time before carefully towel drying his uninjured areas and patting his wounds dry gently. She rummaged through the medicine cabinent before finding gauze and Neosporin. She applied the topical antiseptic and ended up wrapping the entire ssupply of gauze around his torso and arms. This was one beat up zombie. She decided that with his evening can of corned beef she would slip a few antibiotic caplets in, to help with the healing process. She would have to check her bag and the other bathroom for more gauze. These wounds would definitely require a lot of changing bandages.
Now that he was all bandaged up, violet carried his naked form to the bedroom. She laid him on the bed and watched as he fell asleep almost immediately. Poor guy was so weak. She went to the master bedroom and was excited to see boxers, sweatpants and an old oversized blue sweatshirt embellished with a large yellow M. grabbing a black tshirt she returned to the room with her findings. Vincent didn't even wake up as she dressed him. In fact, he didn't wake up until his mate yowled in his earwhen Violet served them lunch. Hayley got two cans of tuna and Vincent got a special mix of canned chicken, tuna and a can of mixed vegetables. He needed his nutrients. Estelle had sweet potatoes and peaches for dessert, while Violet opted for a can of ravioli. She was pleased to see everyone had eaten all their food, including the pills she had hid in vincents food. He would heal up nicely. She even managed to not feel ridiculous about being the only human being alive who spent her time and valuable supplies on nursing a zombie back to health.