Struggle (The Hibernia Strain) Read Free

first time, “Look kid.”
    Who is she calling kid; she only looks about four or five years older than me.
    “We’re staying put for the time being. There are plenty of medical and food supplies available to us here. Right now this is the best place to be. You just focus on recuperating. Understood?”
    I ’m quite taken aback by her assertive nature and reply with a rather meek, “Yes.”
    I definitely prefer it when Flynn does the talking.
    I push in the door to my room and return to bed. Before lying down, I flip the duvet over so the dampness of my sweat from earlier is away from my body.
    Tho se soldiers aren’t the only ones separated from their comrades. My priority is to reunite with Shawn and Emma. It’s been three days since we parted company. If they followed my instructions then they should have moved on from the hotel by now and be at Emma’s homestead.
    When I get out of here I ’ll still have to check the hotel though to make sure they haven’t overstayed, on the off chance I’d make an appearance.
    By now they must be thinking the worst has happened to me. If so , I suppose Emma is crying away, and I don’t imagine Shawn will be much comfort to her. Either that or he’s already trying to sleep with her himself, knowing that if I was dead I wouldn’t have any objections. Sly bastard . I shake my head with an annoyed grin.
    “What ’s so funny?”
    It ’s Flynn. I didn’t notice him entering the room.
    “Oh it’s nothing really, just a private joke.”
    “I see. Well you mustn ’t be feeling too bad if you can manage a laugh. Here, take these.”
    He hands me the packet of morphine tablets from earlier , as well as a small green medical bag.
    “I ’ll leave you in charge of self medicating yourself. You should apply some of this antiseptic cream and bandages on a daily basis to help prevent infection too.”
    I take the stash, place it securely in my hoody pocket and thank him.
    “By the way, don ’t let her get to ya okay. She’s just on edge. I can’t say I blame her. We’re trained to deal with some heavy shit, but this right here is a whole different ballgame.”
    “Don ’t worry I won’t. I can totally understand where she’s coming from.”
    Happy that we all seem to be on the same wavelength , he leaves the room and goes into the one opposite mine, returning minutes later with a selection of different foods.
    It turns out they horded all the food and supplies they could find from around the hospital and stored it in there.
    I ’m still famished despite eating a hearty meal earlier so I proceed to fill my face with packet sandwiches, fruit and some crisps.
    Once I ’ve gorged myself, I feel like resting for a bit, so I push my seat close to the window and angle the blinds in such a fashion that I’m inconspicuous to the outside world. I can easily scrutinise the vast expanses lying out in front of me from this high vantage point.
    The hospital is on the edge of the city. The i mmediate area surrounding it isn’t densely built up and there are plenty of green areas. Further in the distance, plumes of smoke swirl into the sky. Presumably it’s the result of the infected setting fire to buildings to force the inhabitants to take flight in to the dangerous streets outside. Such cruel master mindedness it is.
    The road networks are quiet now. It’s hardly surprising. Its being so many days since this all began, that anyone who hasn’t fled already probably isn’t going to now. Is there even anyone left to flee?
    I hold strong at my lookout post until darkness begins to fall. With the visibility reduced, there’s little point in continuing. I close the blinds and move into the hallway.
    A dim radiance illuminates the hall from the various emergency exit signs and other minor light sources scattered about, like vending machines and blinking medical equipment. The hospital must have its own backup generator.
    I can tell from the glow bei ng emitted from the scope on