by J. R. Tate
“We’ll figure something out. I agree, let’s stay here tonight. We could all use the rest. Maybe by the time morning comes around again, the rescue crews will be here.”
Becky pointed toward Jake and shook her head. “I don’t think sleeping is a good idea for you. With that head wound, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume you have a concussion.”
“What happens if I were to sleep and did have one?” He wished he could just dial Alice’s number and ask.
“Don’t know but that’s what I’ve always heard - no sleep if there is a concussion,” Becky replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Standing, she moved closer to Jake and took a look at his wound. “We’ve got enough gauze and ointment to clean it up. At least keep it from getting infected.”
“Sure, that sounds good.” Jake hadn’t suggested it before because he wanted to make sure they had enough supplies to help the others out first. Crashing the plane was enough - he didn’t want to be the cause of no first aid items for those who were harmless victims in this mess.
Pouring some alcohol on a small piece or gauze, Becky gently applied it to the wound. It stung and Jake gritted his teeth to control the pain. Becky’s brow furrowed and she grabbed a piece of clean gauze and the surgical tape.
“It’s pretty deep. If I clean it up too much the scabbing will break and you’ll bleed more. You don’t remember hitting your head on anything?”
“No.” Jake shook his head, which he regretted immediately. The damn vertigo was back and he had to look up to control the spinning world around him.
“Even more evidence that it’s likely a concussion.” Becky taped it up and scooted away from him. “Your eyes look pretty heavy. Keeping you awake is gonna be tough.”
“I guess I can rummage through more bags.”
“No. You need to rest. All of this will be here in the morning. Resting is good for you. Just don’t sleep!”
Jake had seen this many times before - Becky always took charge of things. Some would say she was bossy, some would say it was just years of experience working as a flight attendant. Jake wasn’t going to argue with her but she was definitely right about one thing - keeping him awake was going to be tough. His body had relaxed into the forest shrubbery and each time he closed his eyes, it was hard to get them to open again.
Colin had already given in and was resting soundly, which Jake liked to see but was also envious of. Even in his impaired condition, he made sleep look good. It was what his co-pilot needed - hands down, he was in very bad shape compared to most of them who had survived the crash.
“We’ve got a long night ahead of us,” Becky said as she dug through a bag. “I’ll stay up with you.”
Jake shook his head and laughed, though he wasn’t amused. It was more of an annoyance. “Great… just great.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
With Manny rescued from the elevator shaft and controlling the generators, Alice was able to divert her focus back on the victims in the ER. When she got back to the chaotic scene, it was better organized when she had left but still like a madhouse. There was no hospital hierarchy anymore - staff didn’t have time to consult with doctors to get the go ahead to perform certain procedures on patients. If they were capable, they did it. With most of their equipment not working, the chances of someone doing an extensive measure was unlikely. They had exhausted all of their resources and were left with basic first aid, which wasn’t enough for the majority of victims who remained, begging for some help.
Alice felt helpless - standing at the entrance to the exam areas, she looked around at everyone. People were lying on the floor with minimal standing room left. Her staff backed off and Rose joined her, her scrubs bloody, her hair tousled from the long day they had just endured. The woman was defeated and Alice understood - she felt the same way.
“What do we do now?” Rose asked, her voice shaking as her gaze followed Alice’s.
“Has anyone reached out to the authorities? Do we know what’s causing this?” Alice asked, taking a step forward.
“Yes, with no luck. Phones aren’t working and with the madhouse outside, it’s becoming too dangerous to even go out there.”
Alice understood that all too well. Looters were running rampant and people were already reverting to their base instincts to survive. It had only been a few hours and already, things were so out of control that anarchy was occurring before their very eyes. She couldn’t accept that no one had any information. Pushing through a small crowd of people, Alice lifted the phone off of its cradle.
Slamming her hand down, she felt like she had swallowed a brick. “No dial tone.”
“It’s been like that all day.”
“You know what this is, don’t you?” A man near the nurse’s station approached them. He had dried blood down the side of his face but he was able to walk - He probably had a head wound but his ability to move was a plus in comparison to so many around them.
“What? Please, if you have information, we need to know.”
“It’s the government. They control us with all of this shit. Cell phones, TV’s, tablets… And now, they’ve shut it all down. And it’s completely crippled us!” The man spread his arms and turned in a circle, his smile eerie, his laugh evil. Wagging his finger at Alice, he stepped closer - too close for comfort. “The look on your face tells me you’re skeptical.”
Alice backed away, getting some distance away from him. “After today, I’m up to believing anything.”
“I’ve done extensive research. Call me a conspiracy theorist but just look at this place!”
“Why Dallas? Why are they focusing on us?” Alice glanced at Rose. Her eyes were wide and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. It was a haunting sight. Rose was usually strong and collected. Nothing ever got to her.
“That’s where you’re also mistaken,” the stranger replied. “It’s not just Dallas, hon. This could affect the entire nation. The entire world!” He raised his voice and Alice motioned for him to keep his voice down. The last thing they needed was to invoke panic.
“How can we know for sure?” Alice asked, swallowing the bile in the back of her throat.
“Get your cell phone out and try to turn it on.” The man motioned toward her pocket.
Doing as he requested, she pulled it from her pocket and tried to turn it on. It was the same story as before - it was completely dead.
“I bet it was fully charged right before the shit hit the fan, yeah?”
“It was.” Alice nodded.
“And all of your fancy little machines in here. They’re not working either, even though you’ve got the electricity running by way of a gas powered generator, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Alice whispered.
“That’s how we know for sure. If it was just a random power outage, electronic devices would work. Have you been outside?” He pointed toward an exit, his voice getting louder with each point he was trying to make. Alice gave up on trying to keep him quiet. Instilling panic would be impossible, especially since she was starting to feel her anxiety raise. Her heart pounded in her chest and all she could think about was the safety of her family.
“I’ve been outside, yeah.”
“Cars are dead. Airplanes have fallen out of the sky. How much evidence do you need?”
The mention of airplanes crashing completely sent Alice into a tailspin. While this was something that people just read about on conspiracy websites and in fiction novels, there was no denying that the strange man was making good points. Her denial was clouding her judgment of what was really happening. Her first duty when the chaos ensued was helping every victim that came through the emergency room doors. But things had changed. They had taken a violent shift toward the ‘every man for himself’ mentality. Her family came before her job. Now was a fine time to think about the future - she had to make sure they were all okay.
Walking to her locker, she gathered her belongings. She couldn’t make eye contact with those who remained in the ER. To her sur
prise, the crowd was beginning to disperse. Maybe the man’s antics were enough to convince others that sitting here waiting for help was a lost cause. Everyone needed to channel their energy elsewhere, and though there were several patients who were completely incapacitated, Alice had to turn a blind eye. They had exhausted all of their available resources - for many of them, they were literally putting band-aids on bullet holes and they were wasting everyone’s time, the victims included.
“Alice, what are you gonna do?” Rose grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“This goes against everything I believe in but I think it’s time to cut our losses here. Think about your family, Rose. Go home.”
“How are we gonna get there? Cars aren’t working. It’s dangerous out there!”
“All the more reason to get to your family, Rose. It’s hard to believe, but that man is right. This isn’t normal. You don’t live far from here. Just get there. Run if you have to.”
Rose pulled Alice in for a hug, her tight embrace comforting. They had worked together for years and it felt like a permanent goodbye. “Be safe, Alice.”
“You too, Rose. Get to that boy of yours.”
Alice wiped a tear from her cheek, slung her bag over her shoulder, and hurried toward the exit. Many other able bodied people were following suit, which made her decision a little easier. She tried not to look at those they were leaving behind. Those who were unable to move, who would likely be dead soon. She hoped they’d have a quick and painless death but that wasn’t likely - without normal medical care, it was going to be horrible for them.
Her inspiration was her family. Fighting the urge to look back, Alice kept her focus on moving forward - the goal was now survival, taking an abrupt shift away from her medical oath to assist others in need. This didn’t seem real - she was stuck in a continuous nightmare that cycled, sucking her into a world that only existed in high budget movies and TV shows.
Her house was miles away from the hospital. The trek to get there was going to be tough, but she couldn’t give up now. Dylan was just a child and in the closest in proximity to her. One goal at a time - she had to get to her youngest child and then figure out what their next course of action would be.
***
Jake was having a hard time staying awake. The concern over the crash and whether or not anyone was coming was enough to plague him with insomnia, but his body was physically exhausted, urging him to get some shut-eye. Wasn’t Becky getting tired? She had been awake and through just as much trauma as he had been through but she appeared energetic, picking through suitcases and gathering supplies that might prove useful if they had to sit through another day of waiting for help to arrive.
Looking up at the sky, it was completely dark. Due to the haze, he couldn’t even spot the moon or the stars, which made it even harder to tell what time it was. The darkness made it hard to see Becky until she was close to him. She would walk back and forth, checking to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep. Her constant hovering was getting annoying and each time he felt frustrated, his pulse would thump, heightening his horrible headache.
“Would you please sit down?” Jake asked. “Your constant moving around is driving me crazy.”
“I’m doing it to stay awake.”
“I get that but how can you possibly see to go through those bags anyway?”
Becky took a deep breath and sat a few feet away from him, leaning on a tree. “I think everyone is sleeping. I hope they are, anyway. We might not like what the sun will reveal in the morning.”
“What do you mean?” Jake asked, hoping his assumption of what she was implying was wrong.
“We’ll be lucky if everyone makes it through the night.”
“You haven’t found the stash of drinks and snacks that y’all hand out?”
“Some but not all. Everything is spread out. I ran out of daylight.”
Jake nodded and closed his eyes. “You’ve done enough for today. Get some rest.”
“I’m not letting you off that easy, Jake. If I go to sleep, so will you.”
He could barely see her through the darkness but spotted her wagging her finger at him. She was a mother hen and always had been since he knew her but it was probably what he needed. It’s what everyone needed to ensure their survival.
“What’s the harm in me sleeping? Enough time has passed, hasn’t it? The crash was hours ago.”
“I think you have to wait twenty-four hours,” Becky replied.
“You’re shitting me, right? You just pulled that outta your ass!”
“No, for some reason that’s what I’m remembering about concussions.”
Jake rested his head against the tree again, his eyes so heavy that he was getting to the point of ignoring her and giving in to the exhaustion. Grabbing a handful of dirt, he let the cool ground sift through his fingers, flowing back to the earth below. Like a lover waiting on an important text message, he checked his phone for the millionth time, hoping he’d get a different result.
“Your cell phone still not working?” he asked Becky, unwilling to give up on the chance to call for some help.
“It’s dead. Was the radio in the cockpit dead too?”
“Yeah. I tried to call out several times and nothing happened.”
Both of them fell silent again for the longest span since nightfall. Becky’s breathing grew steady and Jake tried to see if she had finally fallen asleep. Sitting forward, he squinted but her face was turned away. Her breathing would indicate that she had lost the battle with her body. Finally, he could get a few hours himself. Shifting his weight, he closed his eyes and tried to relax - it was impossible to get his thoughts to stop but he tried to think about anything else, like making it home to Alice and the kids.
“You better not be sleeping!” Becky’s voice echoed against the trees, pulling Jake from his daydream of Alice.
“Damn it, I was right at the point where I was about to be there. You know, when it feels perfect.”
“I dozed too, but we gotta stay awake, Jake.”
Grabbing another handful of dirt, he gripped it in his palm. “I’m thinking someone needs to go try and find help tomorrow.”
“We might have to,” Becky agreed. “But it’s not wise to leave the crash site.”
“I know. We’ll have to split up. Two of us can go looking while the rest stay here in case someone actually comes. But you know, I don’t think anyone is coming.”
“No? Why do you think that?”
Jake was trying hard not to get discouraged but in their current situation, it was impossible to keep a positive attitude. “Don’t you think they’d have been here by now? It’s not like we crashed in the ocean. I’d be a bit more understanding with the delayed rescue time if that had happened.”
“Patience, Jake. You were in the military - you should have the patience of a saint.”
“Should being the operative word. We’ll decide in the morning who will go get help.”
He thought it’d be best to omit that he had every intention of being one of them who went. Sitting around by the wreckage was driving him insane. Without getting any sleep, setting off on a hike was probably not the best for his health, but neither was sitting around waiting for help that wasn’t coming. He wasn’t going to allow anyone else to die on his watch. Finding help was the least he could do for those who remained.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Morning came after what felt like an eternity of sitting in the darkness, fighting his body to stay awake. He couldn’t be sure, but Jake guessed that both he and Becky had nodded off a few times throughout the night. There was still a thick haze in the air that allowed a few beams of light through, confirming that it was daybreak. Jake had a hard time pushing himself off of the tree - he had made it a point to move around so he wouldn’t get stiff from staying in the same position but his body ached, his shoulders were tense, and the damn throbbing headache was still there.
It took him longer than usual to get to a standing position, the
thought of his grandfather instantly coming to mind - as a kid, Jake never understood the complaints the old man had made about physical activity but now, he understood it all too well. Becky had gathered up some items and started a small fire in the middle of the circle where everyone was, throwing small twigs and dried up pine needles as a way to get it going well.
Kneeling beside Colin, Jake patted him on the shoulder. His eyes slowly opened, his irises red as he woke up.
“Morning, Colin.”
“Morning, Jake. How’d you sleep?”
“Warden Becky wouldn’t let me. How about you?”
“I feel pretty good today.” Colin tried to sit up, wincing from pain as he scooted up against a nearby tree.
“At some point today we should probably take the bandage off of your leg and let it get some air.” Jake pointed to the bandaged wound and looked toward the fire where the remaining survivors had gathered. “Don’t say anything but I think I’m gonna go get us some help.”
Colin’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “I don’t think you’re in the best shape for that. How’s your head? You probably need to rest more than I do after last night. When’s the last time you got any shut-eye? The night before last?”
Jake rubbed his palm across his forehead, his fingers outlining the edge of the surgical tape holding the gauze in place. “I’ll be fine. My adrenaline is keeping me going.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Jake. How’s your head today?”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“You telling me not to worry about you is like me telling you the same thing. How would you take it if this were reversed and I wanted to go gallivanting through the woods?”
Jake got off his knees and studied the group. Everyone was awake and moving around, and the kids seemed to be in better spirits than the day before. There were still some injuries that needed medical attention but they were not severe.