Chapter 108: Pharmaceuticals

Florence passed the back that she had brought along into Dion's hands before he could open his mouth to say anything about it, as she marched along ahead of everyone.

As if there had hardly been any time between her leaving nursing and today, she began calling things out in short, clipped orders while Anton and others followed swept behind her.

"The rehydration salts first, as many of them as possible. Don't waste time counting them right now; we'll split them up once we are separating.."

She reached high, pulling down several cardboard display cases and tossing them into Anton's arms.

"If they don't get electrolytes into them by tonight, half of them won't survive the fever long enough for antibiotics to work."

Dion, standing in watch, almost felt a slight amazement easing his lingering indignation watching her.

'Seem's like i've been put on guard duty.' He thought to himself as he watched her rush through the aisles with Julian in tow.

It was remarkable how the kid hadn't made a fuss at all this whole time despite everythign happening.

'He even looks... happy.' Dion thought to himself.

And briefly his mind flashed back to how Julian had done something weird before he had separated with him and Paris earlier, right before he drank Florences blood.

His expression fell into a pondering one as he leaned himself against the wall.

At the point that everythign in the world was at, he didn't want to discount anything, or undersell any ideas that he might have.

It could have easily just been something willful and innocent. But there was something about the look in his eyes...

'It was almost like he was really looking for... or at something.'

Julian followed her down the aisle the entire time, his stuffed bear squeezed against his small chest, his eyes wide and silent as he made sure not to touch a single bottle.

Anton reached in, raking handfuls of the foil packages straight into his pockets and bag.

"What about the ibuprofen?" Anton asked, reaching for a bright yellow box.

"Leave it," Florence spilled, not even turning around. "Half the people waiting on us haven't eaten a solid meal in two days. Their stomachs are starved; ibuprofen on..."

Dion shoved two broad boxes of rehydration sachets deeper into the bag to clear space for the rest as Paris kept running over to put things inside it.

He had already heard the things she was telling Anton, so his attention as Paris went back in turned back onto Julian.

'The most ambitious thought is... even though he isn't awakened, maybe he has some sensitivity to prana, like my attribute gives.'

Florence moved past the entire vitamin section without so much as a second glance.

"They don't need supplements right now...," she muttered, sweeping her gaze over rows of unopened plastic bottles. If there was still space in the bags after, she could come back for them, but not right now.

She stopped near the back aisle, pointing down at two entire shelves filled with dusty baby formula.

"You can take it if you have space...," she said quietly, understanding that really if worst comes to worst, they would have to eat whatever they could.

Anton didn't say anything to that beyond a nod, simply waving Basil who had held their bag.

"The amoxicillin is behind the counter in a locked cabinet," Florence said, breaking his stare as she turned toward the elevated pharmacy platform.

Basil stepped up before she could even ask, his heavy boots crunching over shattered fluorescent light bulbs.

He raised the butt of his CZ pistol and drove it through the glass panel of the dispensary cage without hesitation.

The glass shattered inward with a dull, heavy thud, spraying tiny fragments across the neat rows of prescription bottles inside.

Basil reached his broad arm through the frame, sweeping every single bottle of broad-spectrum antibiotic out into his open hands.

"Is this enough?" Basil asked, dumping a heavy pile of amber pill bottles into Anton's arms.

"It's all they have," Florence replied, her eyes scanning the dark interior of the cage. "But at least that will help the fevers for the ones who are showing symptoms."

She looked over the pile sitting between the three men, her lips pulling into a tight, severe line.

"...It does nothing for Marcus though."

"..." Anton's lips pursed, following her.

By the time Florence's bag refused to close, Anton had taken the overflow into the other pack now with Madeline, and Basil carried the rest stacked high in his arms.

"We need to move this to the car immediately," Florence said, wiping a streak of rain and grey dust from her forehead.

"If these boxes get wet, the paper packaging will turn to mush and ruin half the blister packs."

They filed out through the empty door frame, stepping back out onto the slick, wet pavement.

The rain was coming down steady now, coating the asphalt in a thin, greasy sheet of black water.

Dion stopped near the curb, looking back through the cracked glass facade of the pharmacy.

"Give me a minute, I''ll be back," Dion said.

Anton halted in his tracks, turning his head slowly toward him.

"For what?"

"There's a stock room in the back," Dion said, adjusting his hoodie. "I'd rather look through it now than walk two hours back here wishing I had."

"Take Basil," Anton said, nodding toward the big man.

"I'll be faster alone," Dion said flatly.

Anton held his eyes on him a while longer than was comfortable before he let out a short breath.

"Then, we should keep an eye out, I guess. Be quick," Anton told the rest of the group.

Dion turned on his heel and went back in through the building.

He picked his way down the third aisle, around the end of the counter, and out of the window's line of sight.

In truth, he had no intention of doing anything stupid or exposing himself.

He simply wanted to inspect the stock room manually to see if anything high-value had been missed in the panic, without six pairs of eyes watching his every move.

The heavy wooden door to the stock room had already been kicked off its hinges, hanging at a crooked angle.

Inside, cardboard boxes were shredded, their contents spilled out across the wet concrete floor.

It was completely cleared out.