- chapter eleven -

                                    

                                          
"What the fuck happened?"
                          
The truck, full of the bread rations Sheryl was promised, was erupted into flames. It laid on its side, the doors ripped apart and the windows shattered. The smoke from the fire indicated that the flames were not recent. The truck had been burning for a while.
                          
"Who would do such a thing?"
                          
A gasp escaped Liz's mouth once she lifted her head from the mercenary's shoulder. "Jesus," Locus wheezed, suddenly dropping the girl he carried on his back. She crumbled to the sand, her legs too weak to support her. She stared at the flames in awe. 
                          
Locus ran to the back of the truck, fanning the smoke away so that he could see inside. The bread rations were transported in a paper bag. The whole food supply was burnt to crisps. The mercenary winced as soon as the smell of gasoline rushed into his nostrils. 
                          
"What are we gonna do?" Johnny crippled to his knees, his hands placed dramatically over his face. "They'll starve," he concluded. Locus stared at the horrific scene for a few moments. He was in utter shock. 
                          
After hearing Liz's whimpers from the ground, the soldier quickly snapped out of his trance and hurried over to pick the girl up. Her whole body shook from her heat exhaustion, and she clung to him with weak arms. 
                          
She was worse than before. Her skin began to turn yellow, and she wasn't producing sweat anymore. Locus gazed down at her droopy eyes with a look of concern. If they didn't get her to a cool place soon, her condition would surely worsen. 
                          
"Johnny," Locus spoke with urgency, "The town's not far from here. We have to hurry." The mercenary yanked the boy off of his knees and practically threw the backpacks in his face. "Now."
                          
***
                          
The town was a run-down shabby place, full of wooden buildings and poorly hand-made shelters. There were about ten people in the square when the three soldiers ran into the town. Liz bounced in the mercenary's arms as he sprinted for help. 
                          
"We need a doctor!" He screamed into the ever-growing crowd. "She's very sick, please," Johnny pitched in. The people of the town stood uncomfortably still, staring at the strangers in shock. 
                          
One little girl, who Locus almost mistook for Bella, held up a finger and pointed to a crippled building to their right. The mercenary exhaled in relief and hurried to the doctor. 
                          
A man with wide-rimmed glasses stood up from his armchair as soon as Locus busted down the door. He was reading a book, and a terrified look crossed his face at the sight of the armor covering the soldiers' bodies.
                          
"She's dehydrated," Locus explained, "It's bad." The doctor nodded almost immediately, not hesitating before he pointed to the make-shift operation table in the middle of the room. The men gently laid the girl down on the surface.
                          
"Someone get me a cool, wet rag," the doctor ordered as he began to rummage around in his cabinets. The two soldiers stood there for a moment, until the older man shouted, "Now!" Johnny instantly scrambled for a rag and ran it under the faucet. 
                          
Locus placed the cloth on Liz's forehead, unknowingly taking his hand in hers. She seemed too out of it to notice. The doctor returned from his search of the cabinets with a syringe filled with a dark blue liquid. 
                          
Locus tensed at the sight of the needle. "What are you doing?" He placed a hand protectively over Liz, almost covering her with his body. The doctor was nearly trembling as he held the needle, "This will help her."
                          
"Locus, man," Johnny placed a firm hand on the mercenary's shoulder, "Let him do his job." The soldier glared at the doctor for a slight moment before taking a step back. The man with thick-rimmed glasses became assure of his actions again, sticking the needle into Liz's inner elbow. 
                          
She whimpered weakly, tears collecting in her eyes as he inserted the mysterious blue serum into her veins. Locus pushed the hair away from her face, showing her a reassuring smile. "I've always hated needles," the girl huffed a laugh. Locus grinned.
                          
After the liquid was drained into her body, the doctor sterilized her and then took a step back. "Is that it?" Locus furrowed his brow, snapping at the man. "She's dehydrated. We have to let her body recover on its own. I just helped it along," he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. 
                          
"What about her shoulder?" Johnny pointed to the crusty bandage that covered the girl's entire left arm. The doctor winced as soon as he gazed at it. "Oh my," he hesitated before examining the wound, "Is this from a gunshot?"
                          
"Two gunshots," Liz piped up, a weak smile covering her lips, "I'm kinda proud of it." The doctor pursed his lips, "Well, you shouldn't be... It's terribly infected." His nose scrunched up as he pulled apart the bloody wound, "It seems to have been poorly stitched up and reopened."
                          
"I'll have to patch her up," he began pushing the soldiers out of the door, "Everyone out."
                          
ayoo what's up people? i've been struggling with some writer's block lately so sorry if the chapters are seeming a little vague or boring.
btw, do you guys like it when i do author notes? like when i ask questions? or do these little paragraphs annoy you or do you just skip over them? i honestly wanna know so i can either write more or just leave them out. please comment. thanks!