I followed Jason out of the house and across the road to a similar looking one, although this was one was light blue and had colourful flowers all around the driveway. It had a tall carport positioned over the driveway that led into a garage. The roller door was up and mostly empty army-style cots lined the cement floor.

As we approached, I saw Gabe's limp form spread out on one, his dark hair flopped across his face. It was longer and straighter than his brothers, Jason's curling more at the edges.

Next to Gabe sat an older man, leaning close over his chest. He looked up as we approached. The man had thinning grey hair and a salt coloured beard. He wore spectacles and a stethoscope hung loosely from his neck. "You must be the young lady who stuck this boy like a pin cushion."

I levelled my gaze at him as we came to a halt at the foot of Gabe's cot. Jason crossed his arms over his chest and remained characteristically silent, waiting to hear my response.

"Yes. If I hadn't, he would have died," I said matter-of-fact. "He had a tension pneumothorax. I had to relieve the pressure."

"What if you were wrong?" He rose a grey eyebrow.

"I wasn't," I said firmly. "But... if I was, I would've tried something else."

The doctor leaned back slightly and continued to peer at me. "And this foil dressing?"

I shrugged. "I didn't have a proper three-sided dressing. I had to improvise."

The doctor nodded, seeming to make his mind up about something. "Well, you might've just saved his life, young lady."

"Yes, I know."

The old man looked back at me, raising a furrowed white brow. "How did you know how to do a needle thoracotomy? It's not a typical procedure just anyone would tend to know in the zombie apocalypse."

I cleared my throat and glanced at Jason and back at the doctor. It felt weird to be divulging personal information to people after so long. "My, uh... parents were both doctors," I said, my voice felt rusty, saying words I hadn't used in a while. "My dad was a doctor in the army. I used to go with him sometimes to his advanced trauma management training days, before all this started."

"The army was overrun early, wasn't it?" The old man made his hands busy with Gabe, checking his wound and measuring his pulse.

"Yes, sir." I said, then hesitantly added, "My dad was deployed in Western Australia when the outbreak occurred."

The old man nodded slowly, as he took in my words. I took a deep breath. This was the first time I'd spoken out loud about my parents in what felt like forever. I felt Jason's eyes on me and I avoided them.

"You said both your parents were doctors?"

"My mum was a first responder at the hospital during the initial outbreak."

The old man glanced up at me. "Went down with the ship?"

"More or less."

"Well, I'm sorry kid, if it's any consolation. Which it's not. But what you did out there saved this kids life," the doctor said. "I'm sure Jason here thanks you for it at the very least. What's your name anyway?"

I told him.

"Well, Tera, I'm Doctor Martin, but everyone either calls me Doc or Martie. You pick which one and let me know by using it." As he spoke, Gabe started to stir beneath his hands. Doc felt his chest and gave me a nod. "There's no more subcut emphysema. I'd say the lung's just about reinflated."

Gabe slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times as they adjusted on us all, standing around his cot.

"Tera?"

I smiled. He'd remembered my name.

* 🧟‍♀️ * 🧟‍♂️ * 🧟‍♀️ * 🧟‍♂️ *

I stepped away and let Jason have a moment with his brother. Doc followed me, wiping his hands on a clean cloth and adjusting the spectacles against his nose.

"Well, you've successfully treated your first patient in Toorak Township," he said with a crinkle-eyed smile.

My smile faded slightly. What was I supposed to do now? The persistent urge to leave as soon as possible had been seeping away the small amount of time I'd been inside its walls, and now, the thought came sliding back. My mum's words came sliding back.

Don't trust anyone, honey. They'll only get you killed.

I'd been on my own for years, and I'd survived. I sucked my top lip in thought. There were so many things in Toorak that I hadn't had in so long. Food, water, clean clothes, other people. More people than I'd met in years out on the road alone.

Doc watched me thoughtfully. "Tera? I'm gonna be bold and say you look like the kind of girl that doesn't need our help. I know you've been out there, probably on your own, for the last however long." His face looked drawn and old and tired at his words, like he'd been the one to experience the last however many years of my life and all I'd had to endure. "But Toorak needs your help. I'm not gonna be around forever, and I get the feeling we could use someone like you with your skills."

I sat down on the end of one of the cots, facing out into the street. I watched as some of the townspeople passed by, a woman with a baby on her hip, an elderly couple trailing after them, a teenager on his bike. I almost felt like laughing. This was absurd. How were there this many people? I turned my head and looked over at Jason and Gabe. The doc followed my gaze.

"I'm not saying you have to stay, kid. All I'm saying is you should think about it." Doc put a friendly, warm hand on my shoulder for a moment, then turned and left, retreating to the back corner where a long wooden counter had been erected to hold various medical supplies.

I felt the air stir and turned to see Jason come up and stand beside me. He crossed his arms casually. "He's right you know. Toorak could really use someone like you on the team."

Was he, too, telling me I should stay? I decided to change the subject. I cleared my throat. "How's Gabe doing?"

Jason shrugged, glancing back over at his brother, who now lay back with his eye's closed. "He feels alright. Doesn't remember much after you stuck him in the chest."

Probably a good thing. "Jason? What would happen if I stayed?"

Jason turned his gaze back to me. His light eyes were serious, as always. "Then... I guess you'd be one of us."

"One of you?" The words felt foreign, unfamiliar. I couldn't remember what it felt like to be one of anything. "What does that entail exactly?"

"Mali scheduled a meeting for tonight, for all the runners and scavengers. You can come with me, if you want, and find out for yourself."