and then her smile turned to a frown as she looked at my dad.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Nothing. Got into it a little with some infected over by the wall. Nothing serious. Josh took one out; I took out another. No big deal.” My dad tried to sound casual, but there was something in his voice that alarmed my mom and me.
“Let me see your arm,” Mom said.
“I’m fine. Just a scratch from a branch. No worries, really.”
“Show me.”
My dad sighed and rolled up his sleeve on his right arm. On his wrist was a bloody mark, and it was easy to see the semi-circular pattern on the edge. The wound was red and angry looking, and my world turned upside down when I saw it.
A Tripper wave was coming, and my dad was infected.
Chapter 19
I didn’t know what to say or do. I just looked at my dad and his injured arm. My mother put her hands up to her face and just started crying. I felt like doing just that, but I couldn’t get past the feeling of being empty.
My dad broke the silence. “Look, I’ll be okay for a while. We know it takes a while before the worst of it hits. I’ll get everything as squared away here as I can. Once I’m gone, it’s up to the two of you if you want to stay or go to a larger community. Right now, I’m going to clean this up and get ready for the Tripper wave. Josh, you need to help. Maria? I’ll need some help with this wound.”
My mom looked up at my dad like he was crazy, but she helped him anyway. She wrapped her arms around his waist and helped him upstairs. I noticed she kept her hands away from his injured arm. I would have, too.
I shook myself to get moving, and I went out to the garage. I tried to keep myself busy by getting the window covers, but my hands kept slipping and I kept dropping them on the floor. When I went to pick them up, I had a hard time because my hands were shaking so badly.
Finally, I rounded up as many as I could carry and took them inside the house. They were labeled on the inside, and I placed each one by its appropriate window. After I had gathered each one, I went around and put them over the windows themselves, latching them in place. The covers weren’t anything more than plywood, but they were meant to keep the Trippers from seeing or hearing anything that would get them to attack. I had hoped we wouldn’t need them anymore, but for some reason the damn Trippers kept coming back. I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s how we all were going to end up one day, just wandering around in a daze, slowly decaying away until we eventually die. I wish they all would die right now.
After I put the covers in place, I opened the small window my dad had cut in each one. It was a small square right in the center. It was too small for a Tripper to fit through, but it was big enough to have plenty of angles to shoot them away.
I didn’t do anything other than close the drapes on the upstairs windows, and I looked in on my dad. He was washing his arm and his wound, cleaning it out as well as he could. It was a nasty bite, but since it had gone through his shirt first, there was a hope he wasn’t too deeply infected. I had heard some people had been bitten and managed to not turn, so if it wasn’t a bad bite maybe my dad would be okay.
He caught me looking, and he glanced over at my mom who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was lost in a daze, just looking out the window, not really doing much at all.
“Hey, Josh! Seems like it wasn’t as deep as I thought. Maybe there’s a chance after all. Help me with the bandage, would you?” My dad tried to sound cheerful and light, but I could hear the strain in his voice.
“Sure,” I said. I went over to the sink and took the roll of bandages. Dad held the sterile pad over his cut while I wrapped it up a few times. I tied it off and then cut the extra.
“Good work,” Dad said. “Let’s check the
“What happened?” she asked.
“Nothing. Got into it a little with some infected over by the wall. Nothing serious. Josh took one out; I took out another. No big deal.” My dad tried to sound casual, but there was something in his voice that alarmed my mom and me.
“Let me see your arm,” Mom said.
“I’m fine. Just a scratch from a branch. No worries, really.”
“Show me.”
My dad sighed and rolled up his sleeve on his right arm. On his wrist was a bloody mark, and it was easy to see the semi-circular pattern on the edge. The wound was red and angry looking, and my world turned upside down when I saw it.
A Tripper wave was coming, and my dad was infected.
Chapter 19
I didn’t know what to say or do. I just looked at my dad and his injured arm. My mother put her hands up to her face and just started crying. I felt like doing just that, but I couldn’t get past the feeling of being empty.
My dad broke the silence. “Look, I’ll be okay for a while. We know it takes a while before the worst of it hits. I’ll get everything as squared away here as I can. Once I’m gone, it’s up to the two of you if you want to stay or go to a larger community. Right now, I’m going to clean this up and get ready for the Tripper wave. Josh, you need to help. Maria? I’ll need some help with this wound.”
My mom looked up at my dad like he was crazy, but she helped him anyway. She wrapped her arms around his waist and helped him upstairs. I noticed she kept her hands away from his injured arm. I would have, too.
I shook myself to get moving, and I went out to the garage. I tried to keep myself busy by getting the window covers, but my hands kept slipping and I kept dropping them on the floor. When I went to pick them up, I had a hard time because my hands were shaking so badly.
Finally, I rounded up as many as I could carry and took them inside the house. They were labeled on the inside, and I placed each one by its appropriate window. After I had gathered each one, I went around and put them over the windows themselves, latching them in place. The covers weren’t anything more than plywood, but they were meant to keep the Trippers from seeing or hearing anything that would get them to attack. I had hoped we wouldn’t need them anymore, but for some reason the damn Trippers kept coming back. I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s how we all were going to end up one day, just wandering around in a daze, slowly decaying away until we eventually die. I wish they all would die right now.
After I put the covers in place, I opened the small window my dad had cut in each one. It was a small square right in the center. It was too small for a Tripper to fit through, but it was big enough to have plenty of angles to shoot them away.
I didn’t do anything other than close the drapes on the upstairs windows, and I looked in on my dad. He was washing his arm and his wound, cleaning it out as well as he could. It was a nasty bite, but since it had gone through his shirt first, there was a hope he wasn’t too deeply infected. I had heard some people had been bitten and managed to not turn, so if it wasn’t a bad bite maybe my dad would be okay.
He caught me looking, and he glanced over at my mom who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was lost in a daze, just looking out the window, not really doing much at all.
“Hey, Josh! Seems like it wasn’t as deep as I thought. Maybe there’s a chance after all. Help me with the bandage, would you?” My dad tried to sound cheerful and light, but I could hear the strain in his voice.
“Sure,” I said. I went over to the sink and took the roll of bandages. Dad held the sterile pad over his cut while I wrapped it up a few times. I tied it off and then cut the extra.
“Good work,” Dad said. “Let’s check the
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