Wormwood Dawn (Episode VI) by Edward Crae Read Free Book Online Page B

I bet it’s expired.”
    “Doesn’t matter,” Toni said. “Even if it’s expired, it’s still better than nothing. And there are other things you can take. There are herbs, minerals, and other things that help keep blood sugar down.”
    “Like what?”
    “Ginseng, chromium, vitamin B, shit like that.”
    Jake grunted. He had never really heard of those things being good for blood sugar, but Toni seemed to know what she was talking about.
    “Before my career change,” she said, “I was a CNA.”
    “Why did you become a trainer?”
    “Somebody said I wouldn’t make a good nurse. So I didn’t even bother going ahead to nursing school.”
    “You believed them when they said that?” Jake asked.
    Toni nodded, pursing her lips. “That’s what you do when it comes out of your mama’s mouth.”
    Shit , Jake thought. That wasn’t cool at all. He had never listened to anything his mother said; at least not negative bullshit like that. Most moms had negative things to say on occasion, but telling her kid that he or she was no good at something… That was pure and utter bullshit.
    “Fuck that,” Jake said. “You’ve been a good nurse so far.”
    He could see her smile, and he knew he had cheered her up a little. That was comforting.
    “Here we are,” Toni said.
    They pulled up to the intersection where the pharmacy was located. It was big and obvious, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst other buildings that were more rustic looking—except for the gas station across the street, of course. Toni pulled into the parking lot and they stopped right in front of the automatic door. It was already busted out and pulled off of its track.
    “Looks like somebody else got here first,” Jake said. “I bet all the good shit is gone.”
    “We’ll see,” Toni said, shutting off the car.
    They cautiously entered the shattered doors, avoiding the glass that was exploded inward. The pharmacy was fairly well-lit, as the front of the store had large windows near the ceiling. Most of the shelves were in disarray, with a majority of their contents either missing, or dumped onto the floor. Jake could see the pharmacy sign in the back corner.
    “There it is,” he said. “Shall we go shopping?”
    “Look for whatever you can,” Toni said. “If you have any questions, ask me. But I’m sure you know what you’re looking for. I’ll be keeping an eye out and grabbing those herbs and minerals for you.”
    “Alright,” Jake said, heading down the aisle.
    The pharmacy counter was broken and smashed in. The shelves inside were mostly bare, having been previously robbed, presumably. Jake went around, searching the remainder of the bottles for medication he knew of. Amaryl was first on his list, and it was easy to find. There were three 500 count bottles.
    “Sweet,” he said out loud. “This’ll last a while.”
    He noticed an open refrigerator along the back wall. There were several vials lying around it, mostly medications he had never heard of. There were a few Humulin vials, too. He grabbed all four of them, stuffing them in his pocket. They may be bad, he realized, but still better than nothing.
    Nearby, there were a number of pen injectors; Victoza, Lantus, etc. He grabbed a handful of those as well, and then went back to the shelves to search for Metformin. There was one 500 count bottle left. He grabbed it, and froze as he heard a low hiss coming from behind another shelf.
    Toni was there beside him almost immediately, her revolvers drawn. Jake set down his pack and pulled out his shotgun. The two of them waited, searching the shadows for the source of the hiss.
    Then, a pair of clawed hands appeared over the top of a nearby shelf, followed by the horrid face of a stalker. It howled at them through its fanged maw. Jake aimed and fired as he backed away. Toni let loose a barrage, sprinting behind another counter. The stalker leaped off of the shelf and gave chase.
    Jake cocked his shotgun and fired another round,