“No hospitals,” Ben replied immediately.
“I agree. A pharmacy would be better.”
After my experience with the two cops, I knew the hospital was not a wise choice.
“Statistically,” I intoned, “hospitals will now contain the highest concentration of infected individuals.”
Lucas sat back and blew out a breath, “Pharmacy it is.”
Ben nodded toward the windshield. “There.”
A small building stood at the next intersection.
ASHFORD FAMILY PHARMACY
Ben parked the van in the lot and turned off the engine. The surrounding silence seemed threatening.
And it was. Everything now was.
Lucas checked the street behind us. “I don’t see any sign of infected.”
“That won’t last long.” I opened the door and got out of the van.
Ben grabbed his shotgun. “Let’s move. I’m tired of the delays. I need to get to Taryn.”
I did too. Hopefully, we’d intercept her near her last known location, but if she encountered the infected, her route might have changed. There was no point in saying that out loud. Ben wasn’t a fool, so I was sure he’d already considered that possibility.
Inside the pharmacy, the air smelled stale. The electricity had become unreliable, and the central air hadn’t fared well because of it. Shelves had been raided. Medicine was scattered throughout the place.
None of this surprised me in the least.
Lucas locked the front door while I pushed Ben behind the counter. “Sit.”
Ben didn’t argue, and that was a little worrying.
Lucas found a flashlight while I began pulling supplies from the shelves.
Gauze.
Alcohol.
There were a few packs of antibiotics, but no painkillers. I’m sure those were the first things looted.
Ben sat heavily on the stool behind the pharmacy counter while I cut the sleeve away from his arm.
“Nothing for the pain,” I told him as I began cleaning the wound.
Ben grunted. “I’ll be fine. Just get it done.” He turned to Lucas. “Get a bag and pack up all the antibiotics. I have a stash at home, but you can never have enough.”
The overhead lights flickered, then dimmed, and finally steadied again. The power grid grew more unstable every day.
I’d expected it to happen sooner or later.
I poured antiseptic into the wound. Ben sucked in a breath through his teeth but remained silent.
Lucas held the flashlight over my shoulder. The beam revealed several ragged punctures just above Ben’s bicep.
Buckshot.
