ALL NOVEL 19. Dead Meat
Circe laid on the granite floor. Besides breathing and pumping her blood, she didn’t do much of anything. The cave around her constantly erupted into a whirlwind of fights, screams, pleading, and death announcements. And she couldn’t process any of it.
The best possible splint that Alfredo and Ebony crafted with the material on hand wasn’t that good. Ebony gave up with the tongue depressors as she had a better idea. A small pair of scissors helped tear her medical coat in half. The sections rolled into tight lengths of cloth that could brace her leg. They tied the torn sheets around her leg to keep the splint together and used a long sheet to tie the bottom. This would hold her foot in place.
Once she woke up, Circe would have to make an effort to keep her leg straight and not put weight on it to help it heal. Ebony poured her mana into basic restoration and her placebo spell, but there was no way to tell how much good either did.
“If we find something sturdier, we’ll remake it.”
“Whadda about these other guys? Don’t like the way that cop keeps on starin’.”
“What about them? I told them I’d get to them when I’m finished here. Besides, they took out zombie swordsman. So having them nearby is keeping us safe. Even if one of them is a big old bag egg.”
A final check revealed that the splint wasn’t as sturdy as she’d like. The supports went from just above the ankle to lower thigh. There weren’t enough ties and the rolls of her former coat weren’t strong enough to keep straight, even with a few tongue depressors rolled in at the ends. The doctor did some tying to strengthen it, but exhausted her cloth supply.
“That’s about the best I can make it, the rest is on her. She’ll have to make a good effort to keep it straight until we can construct a more stable splint. In this situation, it might be wise to have a caregiver on-hand. You seem really strong. My powers really aren’t all that. How would you feel if I stuck around for a bit? Protection for medical supervision?”
Alfredo collapsed on his butt and crossed his legs as he looked toward the doctor.
“Ain’t got no problem wit that doc. The more people that ain’t nuts, the merrier. Yuh know what I mean? Can’t vouch for the lady. Yuh just saved her life an all, but I think she might be touched in the head if yuh know what I mean. She bit me on tuh tit just cuz I was tryin’ to keep her leg off tuh floor an get help.”
“And yet you did everything you could to help her,” Ebony forced a smile as best she could while she stood and wiped her forehead, “It’s hard to tell what this girl is going through after all, especially in a place like this. Hopefully she’ll see that and calm down. After all, there’s only so much a doctor can do when the patient refuses to cooperate with treatment. I’m going to check on the other group, so if she happens to regain consciousness, tell her to keep her little hiney on the floor and her leg straight, unless of course some other monstrosity comes veering over in this direction. Then we do what we have to do.”
Curse Activated
Narcolepsy 01: You require twelve hours of sleep daily or you risk falling asleep involuntarily. Risk increases the longer you stay awake past twelve hours.
Ebony let out a big sigh and suddenly yawned. She couldn’t even manage to curse at her dumb luck or give the old man a warning. Someone had an exceptionally cruel sense of humor. Probably that white haired demon-
Thump!
Lips trembled as Alfredo pushed himself and crawled over to the fallen doctor. This wasn’t at all like what happened to Circe, she was sound asleep! A few light taps on her cheek and turning her on her back failed to wake her up. He tried slapping her cheeks a bit harder, but when that failed stopped.
“Now I hafta take care of two of yuh! That’s not exactly what tuh doc ordered! Listen! I’m fumin’ here!”
He stood in-between the two sleeping women and pumped his fist with a huff.
“So, guard duty it is, eh!”
He watched those closest to his team as a music he found off-putting continued to play. They were in a pocket of calm amidst a lake of conflict, destruction, and death. Alfredo determined to keep it that way.
“Not gonna lie. I’m kinda feelin’ outnumbered here.”
Alfredo thought hard. What did they have over there? Tuh cop, Chinaman in a suit, slutty looking number wit legs, a punky kid, and that fatso lunatic who was choppin’ up those corpses a while back. So, this is tuh best bunch I got? At least they aren’t killin’ each other or goin’ nuts. I ain’t tuh best at doin’ tuh thinkin... but. Well, whudevva it takes, I’m gonna make sure no one lays a finger on these here dames. If that means I gotta get a little chummy, so be it.
He walked slightly forward to the other group and indicated that one of them should approach. They sent Carson. The gamer put his hands in his hoodie front pocket and refused to look Alfredo in the eye.
“What is it boomer?”
“Doc fell asleep and I got no idea why. Can’t wake her either. All I wanna say is, if you good, then I’m good. I just wanna keep my people alive. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
Mark squatted in the distance with his back facing Alfredo. Fedor turned around and took a steady step. Fingers clamped the back of the chipped and jagged katana blade stuck in his body to slowly pull it free. A slight ring resonated from the metal as it hit the floor.
“I am fine,” Fedor said, “It’s nothing.”
Sticky Fat Heal Novice 01: Once a day, all fat that is cut or sliced can stick itself back together to heal. These wounds, including other tissue, heal completely over one day’s time.
“Crazy man couldn’t strike anything of value. But I can’t be taking such risk again today. I lost much blood. Even so, if anybody bothers those women, I will be striking them down. No hesitation.”
The squatting officer began to sweat a lot. Had the big guy seen anything? Hopefully he’d been too busy with his injuries. He glanced towards the butcher. The cleaver hung from his belt. The leather of a holster peeked from under a roll. Not only was this big boy strong with speed far too fast for his size, he was possibly packing.
Mark didn’t have his P320; he’d dropped it after that witch led him right into the ambush at that meth den. The other members of his squad weren’t here, so he guessed they fared better. He’d completely exhausted his abilities and he doubted his raw combat skills would hold up against the big man or that old pot-bellied guy who could turn into a monster, so he decided to play it cool and stay squatting with his mouth shut. No matter what it took, he would not only live but thrive.
“We’ll stay out of your business if you keep out of ours,” Carson said, “But don’t expect us to stick around.”
Fedor shuffled away from the four that had helped him and towards the smear of blood piled with organs, limbs, and meaty slush that used to be a young woman before Adonis attacked her for no possible sane reason. Roaches had come from somewhere in the cave and were feasting on the remains, though there weren't many of them yet. “My only regret is I could not save you. I am too slow and fat to be doing anything right. May God guide your soul, if there is indeed still a merciful God in this place.”
He turned to look back to the others, mainly focusing on Nickey, “Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry. But I cannot be moving around far and fast anymore. I will be guarding this place until Goddess Azoria grants us further instruction. I will be also protecting those two who cannot be protecting themselves.”
Alfredo put his hands up and shook them. He just wanted to be left alone. This was not what he wanted. Mark glanced to each of his three other teammates in turn. They all wanted Fedor on the team, so it was an unspoken agreement. Fedor looked back to the others, competing for the lead with Mark.
“What you be saying now? We staying put and helping old man? What can it be hurting, where else can we be going until whatever happens, happens? Da? In return, he will be owing us later. Doctor too. She is good doctor and good healer. She will be owing us too. Big time. Or you still thinking you be surviving this game by killing each other like idiots?”
Fedor didn’t mention Circe, as in his opinion she wasn’t worth mentioning. But he wanted to save her, at least for now, and this was a favor he could provide to her and the old man for trying to help.
Regardless, the poor thing won’t be surviving for long, Fedor thought to himself.
He didn't even mention her in the same speech with the doctor and the demon man, as she was the liability and not the bargaining chip. There was no going forward for someone as pathetic as her in a place as cruel as this. The demon man couldn't protect her forever, even if he didn't get tired of dragging a dead weight on his back. It was only a matter of time. Fedor had a term for such a case.
Dead meat.