Chapter 13: Predicament
"Let's go."
Guillermo led Caesar upstairs. The second floor was much like a hospital ward—each room had several beds and professional medical equipment.
"Don't let all this equipment fool you. Now that the power's out, these machines are completely useless. But the patients are still here."
"The patients are still here, which means they need medicine. Our medication storage ran out a long time ago."
Guillermo knew his base's situation inside and out. He didn't worry about exposing the base's vulnerabilities.
He couldn't think about the long term now—he just wanted to desperately grasp at every lifeline.
After listening, Caesar stopped in his tracks and looked at Guillermo. "After all this talk, you're saying you lack guns, medicine, and even food."
Guillermo didn't hesitate. He nodded.
When things are truly speechless, you really do laugh.
Caesar pointed at himself. "For one pickup truck, you want me to compensate all this?"
Guillermo thought for a moment.
"Actually, we're not short on food. We just haven't eaten normal food in a long time. Usually we make do with simple meals from the supermarket and some shelf-stable foods."
"Guns and medicine—let's split these two categories in half."
Caesar waved his hand. "Stop dreaming."
"No medicine. I can give you a few guns."
Guillermo immediately got anxious. "We must have medicine. Without medicine, they won't last long."
"But I really don't have medicine. The medications these elderly need can't be bought at regular pharmacies—only at major hospitals."
"The risk at major hospitals is too high. We haven't been there either, so naturally we couldn't collect the medicines you need."
Caesar patiently explained.
Most of the elderly here had chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and such. Pharmacies had very little stock and had been looted clean long ago.
Otherwise Guillermo wouldn't be asking Caesar for medicine—he'd just go find it himself.
Guillermo lowered his head in disappointment, saying nothing. He knew Caesar was telling the truth.
Precisely because it was true, he found it hard to accept.
Hard to accept that people in his group would die because of his incompetence.
Caesar didn't comfort him. This was something he had to experience.
In the nursing home, the ratio of elderly to able-bodied was two to one—exceptionally skewed.
The elderly could only survive because the able-bodied went out scavenging everywhere.
All the risk focused on the able-bodied, so the probability of losing personnel was naturally high. The nursing home's ratio of elderly to able-bodied would deteriorate further.
This was a vicious cycle.
Caesar didn't speak up about recruiting them either.
Caesar understood he had the ability to recruit these able-bodied people, but no way to guarantee keeping so many elderly alive.
Food alone was manageable—the biggest challenge was medicine.
Behind the nursing home was very peaceful.
You could say it was completely a pre-apocalypse scene. Some elderly sat enjoying the sunshine, some used canes to exercise.
Others read books or played cards.
Laughter filled with joy. Caesar joined in, playing cards and chess with some of the elderly.
In these elderly, Caesar couldn't see any fear of the apocalypse.
Caesar didn't know if it was because they were old—had experienced too much and taken too much lightly—or because Guillermo protected them too well and they didn't understand how terrible the outside situation was.
"Guillermo, you need to change locations."
Seeing Guillermo walking over, Caesar put away his smile and said seriously.
"What?" Guillermo didn't quite understand Caesar's meaning.
"This is a good place. Few walkers, easy to find supplies. But where there are few walkers, there are many people."
"And people mean danger."
Caesar looked at the elderly enjoying laughter in the last stretch of their lives. "Some people are predators. They won't search for food themselves—they hunt other groups and steal from them."
"In Atlanta, I've already seen a group called Woodbury."
"You're very likely to run into them."
Hearing Caesar's crisis warning, Guillermo realized the seriousness of the problem and nodded heavily.
After thinking for a while, Guillermo also reacted. "Right, your companions arrived."
"Where are they?" Caesar asked.
"They're outside the gate. They haven't come in."
Caesar smiled inwardly. Sure enough, being on the same team—just as cautious.
That cargo truck had so many supplies inside. Rip wouldn't feel safe bringing so many supplies into the wolf's den.
This was no different from a child carrying gold through the marketplace.
The wire mesh opened. Rip stood at the entrance and turned around sharply.
Beth, wearing a denim jacket and jeans, strode out.
"Cowboy, how've you been lately?"
Rip took off his sunglasses, unable to suppress the smile on his face. He unconsciously looked at the sky, looked at the ground—just wouldn't dare look at Beth.
"I... I. Well, same as usual, feeding the horses, herding cattle and sheep..."
Rip dryly recounted his daily life—boring and clumsy.
But Beth listened with great interest. After all, watching a rough man rack his brain for her was quite entertaining.
Thinking this, Beth suddenly jumped and threw herself into Rip's arms.
Rip smoothly wrapped his arms around Beth's waist. His lips instantly met a storm of passion.
The two entangled, using each kiss to tell of their lovesickness and worry for each other.
Jimmy stood dumbly, staring unblinkingly at the two kissing.
Caesar called out irritably.
"Jimmy."
"Hm." Jimmy came back to his senses.
"Your grandfather."
Caesar pushed Grandpa Jimmy's wheelchair, reminding him helplessly.
Jimmy's face piled with smiles as he ran over to Grandpa Jimmy.
Grandpa Jimmy supported himself on the wheelchair and slowly stood up, leaning on his cane to hug Jimmy.
"Jimmy, I missed you so much~"
Jimmy cried to his grandfather, telling him how hard things had been.
Watching family reunions and lovers reunited, Andrea, Morales and the others' resentment about returning to Atlanta dissipated considerably.
After the meetings, Caesar, Rip and the others were about to leave the nursing home.
Though Grandpa Jimmy had only recently come to the nursing home, he had good relationships with most of the elderly.
Grandpa Jimmy said goodbye to each elderly person. "See you in heaven."
"See you in heaven."
The nursing home's elderly all knew that given the current situation, this would very likely be the last time they'd see each other in this life.
Grandpa Jimmy also said goodbye to those seemingly fierce burly men. Each one looked tough and intimidating, but facing this parting, each cried harder than the last.
The compensation Caesar gave Guillermo had been negotiated—several firearms and corresponding ammunition handed over.
Guillermo looked at Caesar solemnly. "You're not lying to me, right?"
Caesar shook his head. "No."
Guillermo took a deep breath and accepted this cruel reality.
"You need to prepare to face this kind of person. Living in the apocalypse, there are definitely many people like this."
"You just got lucky this time—you met me."
Caesar said.
Guillermo scoffed. "It's you who got lucky, meeting me."
"I had several cars full of people. How could I be afraid of just you two?"