Apocalypsis 03 - Exodus

and slowly pulling the door open. She looked at me and gestured towards the opening. “Abter you.”
    I stepped inside, sniffing the air for the odor of dead bodies but getting nothing back but the smell of old, disused, institutional building.
    ***
    We found a front desk that had a set of keys hidden in the back of the bottom drawer. It was locked but we beat it open with a stapler. The ring was huge, with about a hundred different keys to choose from, many of them strange shapes I’d never seen before.
    “This is going to take all night,” I said, moving out of the building and across the front lawn area over to the main gate. Winky followed behind, slowed down considerably by the pain from her earlier antics.
    “It’s about time,” said Peter. “What took you so long?”
    “We were showering and having a meal,” I said absently as I started trying one key after another on the big lock at the gate. I looked up and noticed they’d already taken the blanket down.
    “Try one of those weird ones,” Ronald said, pointing to one that had a flat square shape with some cutouts on the end.
    The first one I tried slid in okay but wouldn’t turn. The seventh one worked, and I had to make six full revolutions before the thing actually opened the lock all the way. Winky and I rolled the gate open a few feet.
    As soon as it was open enough to allow all of our stuff to pass through, I threw out my arm and said, “Welcome to Happyville!”
    Jamal frowned at me as he passed by. “Happyville?” He shook his head and kept on walking.
    “What?” I said at his back.
    Ronald was snickering as he walked by, and it only got worse when he looked at me.
    “Do I have a booger on my face or something?” I said, wiping my nose nervously.
    “Maybe they’re just amused by your complete lack of creativity when it comes to naming new towns,” said Peter as he pushed his bike through. “Or not. Maybe you have a booger.”
    Gretchen came through supporting Bianca, patting me on the shoulder as she walked by. “We’ll work on it.”
    My smiled fell, replaced by a scowl. “You guys are a bunch of downers, you know that?”
    Bodo came in, pushing the bike with the trailer attached, Jenny still sleeping inside it. “I will vote for whatever name you pick,” he said, leaning over to kiss me on the mouth. “No matter how stupidt it is.”
    I slapped him on the back as he moved by.
    The last one through the opening was Buster. I crouched down next to him and tickled him under the chin and around his ears. “You like it, don’t you, Buster? Happyville! Welcome to Happyville!”
    He barked and ran away from me, joining the others who’d gathered at the front door to the penitentiary.
    Everyone laughed as I grumbled about being amidst traitors and rolled the gate closed, clicking the lock into place.
    ***
    We set up camp just inside the front doors and a little to the left. A group of high weeds and bushes shielded us from the view of anyone standing at the front gate. Once we’d unpacked enough stuff to be comfortable, all the girls gathered around Jenny. The guys went to work getting food together for us.
    “What do you think the problem is?” I asked, looking at her shallow breathing.
    Winky felt Jenny’s forehead. “She has a fever bud no swed. She’s dehydraded.”
    “We couldn’t get her to eat anything for a couple days now. They didn’t feed us much, anyway, but she went with nothing for way too long,” said Bianca, stroking her friend’s hair. “I wish we could get her into a bath or a shower. I’m sure she’d feel better if she were cleaner.”
    “We’ll get that set up as soon as possible. Maybe even tomorrow,” I said. “But we have to get some water in her first.” I turned towards the guys. “We need a water bottle over here.”
    Jamal came over and handed one down to me. Gretchen and Bianca lifted Jenny up a little so we could tip a capful of water into her mouth.
    “Come on, Jenny, babe. You’ve gotta get up and drink this,” said Gretchen.
    Jenny moaned.
    “Jenny! Get up!” said Bianca in a sharper voice.
    “I’ve god somethig dad mighd wake her up,” said Winky.
    “You gonna pinch her?” asked Jamal.
    “No. Hold on a seg.” She went over to her backpack and came back with a small bottle. “Here, hab her sniff this. Put id under her dose.” She took the cap off and handed it to me.
    I was about to take a whiff of it, before Winky yelled.
    “Doe! Dod you, dubby! Her!”
    “I