That's a better idea than Howard's had all morning. "If it's a suppressor, we don't know where it is or what it looks like."

But having food and water would buy them some time. Maybe not Howard, although water at the very least could help clean up the infection some.

"It's worth a shot. I guess the radio tower is still our best bet. Karis and I tried the radio and it's still giving out a signal up there."

While Cedric stretches and packs up some of the fluid, Howard excuses himself to change the plastic on his side to something less horrendous and switch the sleeves around his burns to some clean strips of curtain. While he's out of sight his nausea gets the best of him. He spends a few minutes vomiting into the house owner's clothing drawer, shivering, and struggling to breathe.

When he returns he looks possibly even worse, despite the clean dressings. "Let's see if we can get a car. I don't know how far I can walk."