Chapter Two : Race Against Time
The drive back to Alexandria was incredibly nerve-wracking, to say the least. In a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, Maggie had taken off her outer shirt and pressed it to what remained of the girl's arm. Despite the belt the girl had tied around her arm there was still an alarming amount of blood. However, no matter how much pressure Maggie put on the wound the blood continued to seep through. Every thirty seconds, she would reach out to feel for the girl's pulse. Her fingers frantically searched for any sign that the girl was still with them, and each time Maggie felt a faint pulse beneath her fingertips.
"Come on sweetie, stay with us." Maggie soothed, her voice cracking slightly with worry as she pulled the girl closer into her arms. She cast a quick glance out the window, feeling her heart race just a little bit faster. The drive back to Alexandria felt like it was taking forever, each mile longer than the last. "Daryl!" Maggie cried out from the backseat. "We're not gonna make it." Maggie feared the girl was growing paler by the second, and her small body was starting to shake from shock. Maggie closed her eyes for a moment as she tightened her hold on the girl that was going to die in her arms, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"Yes, we are." Daryl responded, his voice steady and firm despite the urgency of the situation. He pressed his foot down even harder on the pedal until it hit the floor. The engine roared in response as the car surged forward with new speed. Daryl kept his focus on the road as he tried to push the vehicle past its limits, aiming to get the old car past its hundred and twenty-mile per hour mark.
The moment the gates of Alexandria came into view, Daryl laid on the horn, basically screaming at the people that were on guard duty to open the gates for them. Daryl eased his foot off the pedal, slowing down just a little as he entered their home and drove right up to the infirmary and put the car into park. He wasted no time getting out and quickly making his way to the back to help Maggie with the girl.
"Go and get the door." Daryl instructed as he wrapped his arms around the girl's limp body and slid her out of the backseat and into his arms.
Maggie nodded, quickly getting out on the other side of the car and sprinting up the steps to the infirmary. She slammed the door open as she called for Siddiq. She looked back, making sure Daryl didn't need any help getting up the steps with the girl. "Here, lay her down on the table." Maggie instracted as she helped Daryl lay the girl down on the metal table that they used for emergencies. It was much easier to clean blood off a metal table than a mattress. "Siddiq!" Maggie called out again as she pressed her two fingers against the girl's neck, making sure she still had a pulse.
"Sid…" Maggie was about to call for the man again when he entered the room, and before Siddiq could utter a single word Maggie quickly jumped in with an explanation. "We found her at the strip mall. She was bitten and performed her own amputation. She was unconscious when we found her, and she hasn't responded at all." Maggie took a deep breath once she finished explaining what had happened.
Siddiq immediately rounded the table, rolling up his sleeves, ready to take action. With steady hands, he peeled back Maggie's shirt, observing the damage. It was a clean cut, but there was nothing for him to fold over. He frowned, knowing there was no way he would be able to stitch it unless he took more of the girl's arm, which he didn't want to do. "I'm gonna have to cauterize it if we have a chance at stopping the bleeding." Siddiq explained, getting Maggie to resume pressure with her shirt as he walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the room where he kept all of his medical supplies.
Siddiq moved quickly, knowing that time was of the essence. He grabbed a large metal trowel along with a blowtorch. He was fully aware it wasn't the most humane way, but with their limited resources it was the best that he could do. After securing the trowel and blowtorch, Siddiq grabbed some alcohol and bandages.
He set them on the table and rolled everything over, "I'm gonna need the two of you to hold her down. She may wake up and I can't have her thrashing around, or I may end up doing more damage." Siddiq explained, turning the knob on the blowtorch until a small hissing noise could be heard as he pushed the red ignition button to light the flame.
Siddiq held the flame to the trowel until the metal turned a glowing bright red, signalling that it was ready. He glanced over at Maggie and Daryl, with Maggie giving him a firm nod of understanding. She placed her hands on the girl's upper arms, pinning her to the table as Daryl grabbed ahold of her legs. Siddiq closed his eyes for a moment. This wasn't the first time he had done this, but doing it to a kid was a hundred times worse. He would give anything not to have to do this.
With a deep breath, Siddiq took a moment to steady himself before pressing the hot metal firmly to what remained of the girl's arm. The smell of burning flesh was extremely unpleasant. A combination of charred meat and a sickly-sweet odour, mixing together in a way that made his stomach churn.
Alison's eyes snapped open as a piercing scream ripped through her. Her back arched off the table. Panic set in when she felt strong hands keeping her pinned, making it impossible for her to move freely. Desperate to break free, she twisted and turned with all her strength as she tried to escape her captors. She was frantic as she fought against the hold these people had on her, fear racing through her.
Maggie increased her strength, keeping the girl restrained as Siddiq did what needed to be done. "Siddiq!" Maggie yelled as time seemed to drag on, but at most it was a few seconds. She was reminded of the time a couple of months ago when she needed to hold Judith as she received her first ever stitches because she picked up Carl's knife by the blade. Her cries had been heart-wrenching and Maggie felt helpless as all she could do was watch as Siddiq stitched up her palm. Having to hold a crying Judith was one of the hardest things she had to do.
"I'm done." Siddiq replied as he removed the trowel, setting it down on the table before dosing a towel in alcohol and pressing it to the wound.
Maggie relaxed her grip, allowing the girl to move freely as she reached down and took hold of the girl's hand. "It's alright, sweetie. Squeeze my hand. It's all gonna be over soon." Maggie soothed, trying to bring some comfort to the girl. "You're in Alexandria, you're safe." Maggie explained. She wasn't sure if the girl was hearing her, but if by chance she was Maggie wanted to make sure that she knew that she wasn't in any danger.
Alison sobbed, her breath coming in sharp gasps. She felt completely lost. She had no idea where she was, who these people were, or why she was being held down. She tossed her head back and forth, trying to make sense of everything. She fought to lift her head when she finally managed to tilt her head up just enough to see a slim built man with dark brown hair that travelled down to his shoulders in messy waves. A thin scruff covered his upper lip and chin, adding a rough appearance to him. Alison noticed a scar that ran below his right eye before darkness took her again.
Siddiq carefully worked on cleaning the wound; once he felt satisfied that the wound was as clean as possible, he placed a thick padding of gauze over the wound before firmly wrapping her arm up, taking extra care to make sure the dressing was secure. "If she's able to fight infection then she should pull through. You said she did this herself?" Siddiq asked, finding it remarkable that the girl was able to perform her own amputation. It showed just how strong she was.
Maggie looked down at the girl, still clutching her hand tightly. "We don't know how long she was bitten before…someone needs to monitor her to make sure she doesn't get a fever. There's a chance she could have the virus," Maggie explained, her voice filled with concern. She hoped that the girl made it in time. It would be heartbreaking to do all of this and not have her make it.
Maggie took the time to get the girl changed into some clean clothes, quickly going home and grabbing one of Carl's old sweatshirts and a pair of pajama bottoms from his drawer. They were roughly the same size, and she knew Carl wouldn't mind. It was the best that they could do until they could find some proper clothing for the girl.
With steady hands, Maggie gently slid the girl's arm into the sleeve of the sweatshirt. She made sure to be as gentle as possible, not wanting to cause the girl any more pain than what was necessary. Putting the arm down, she pulled the sweatshirt the rest of the way over the girl's body before calling for Siddiq and Daryl, telling them it was alright for them to enter back into the room. Together, they carefully moved the girl's body to one of the beds.
Siddiq placed the girl's arm into a sling, making sure that the fabric was snug but not too tight. He wanted to limit her movements as much as possible in hopes she wouldn't irritate her injury once she woke. After securing the sling, he set up an IV, giving the girl much-needed fluids and medication to help with her pain. He took a moment to check the girl's vitals, making sure that her breathing and heart rate were good. With everything done, there was nothing left to do but wait until the girl woke and hope that she had gotten to the bite in time.