In one area of Washington DC, the Coalition members had gathered together and burnt the flag of the United States of America. They also carried handmade signs that read, “Stop the Racial Discrimination!”, “Stop the Social Hatred!”,“Equal Rights for Everyone!” and “F*ck the Government!”.
They wielded the signs and chanted in chorus. A few of their members held some innocent passersby as hostage. Others were either mauled or robbed. They said it was to avenge their fellow brothers and sisters that were denied of justice in the country.
In his home’s living room, Senator Peters watched news of the violence while sipping on his gin. He tightened his grip on the gin glass. I knew this would happen - I knew it. He thought out loud.
From her home, Vice President Christie spoke to the military general. They had already sent out armored military vehicles to guard the city and ward protesters off the street, but the extent of damage to the city’s public properties is extensive. Traffic signs and light posts were down. Several items were burnt and scattered on the streets, too. Washington, DC looked like an abandoned ghost town.
***
Chapter 10 – Mobilization
It has been three days since the Vice President declared Martial Law. The commanders at the army bases have taken temporary ruling when the executive order was put into action. The first few days of implementation did not go quite as planned.
The members of The Coalition went to the streets as soon as they heard of the declaration. They have temporarily taken over the rule of the streets with acts of revolution. The promise of having their demands addressed somewhat diluted that surge of revolution; but when they were denied of it, all their fury had been unleashed.
No one dared step out of their houses as it would guarantee being mauled by the Coalition members. In fact, some houses were broken into by rioters. They extorted money or taken supplies from these homes. There was nowhere to hide for these people.
The army had trouble dispatching their men to guard the streets during the first few days of Martial Law. The communication lines were down. In some parts of the US, it was completely dead. The transportation system was also impaired. The streets going in and out of the city were blocked with burnt US emblems. Rioters also created a human block to scare off anyone who attempted to escape.
When the military lockdown was finally put into place, the military put high priority on major US cities like the Washington DC and Los Angeles. Hundreds of The Coalition members were arrested by the army. A few managed to escape. But most of them had been warded off the streets. The streets were also cleared of from the piles of litter that the rioters had left behind. Peace and order was slowly being restored.
A few miles off from Washington DC, however, Memphis continues to look like an abandoned ghost town. Except that rioters would show up from time to time to loot houses and establishments;or to burn down public properties on the street. They knew that military forces were coming to Memphis soon. The marauders intended on leaving as much destruction as they can before the army can get to the citizens’ aid.
Mary went out to pick some vegetables off of Grandma’s garden for dinner. From afar, she spotted a man with some kids and a woman. They carried what appears from where she was as luggage.
At first, she was curious. But then she realized that it might be too dangerous to talk to strangers following the declaration of Martial Law. She knew that a lot of people had been held hostage and robbed. She, too, was well aware that the violence is not isolated in the city.
As soon as she finished picking some vegetables and herbs, she quickly headed back into the farm house. As she did so, she heard someone calling from afar.
“Excuse me, madam,” said a man’s voice. “We need help! Help!” he pleaded.
Mary was stopped in her tracks. She turned around. She was right! It was the same man she spotted from afar who was trying to get her attention.
She debated internally, but ended up responding, “How can I help you?”
“This is my family,” the black man explained, as he pointed to a woman who held a kid in her arm and two other small kids. “We came all the way from Memphis,” he added.
“All the way?” Mary asked, quite surprised.
“Yes,” he promptly replied.
“What brought you here?” she continued to probe.
“We have nothing left there. The rioters invaded our home and took most of our belongings. We actually consider ourselves lucky. Some of our neighbors…” he paused, “they were killed,” added the black man with a sigh. “They were shot or stabbed in front of their families!”
He started to cry hysterically.
The woman who was with him did not speak a word. But when Mary looked at her, she had tears running down her cheeks.
“We had to leave the city. I was too scared for my family. As you can see, my kids are still too young to go through all of that,” he lamented.
Mary’s heart sunk. She could not have imagined going through that with her family. He’s right, they were still quite lucky.
***
Chapter 11 – In the Darkness of Night
On Thursday, the hospital and its staff were feeling the threat of violence following the Martial Law declaration. The military intervention had resulted in a wave of destructive activities in and around the town of Southcrest. It quickly escalated from the major cities to the smaller cities. The hospital was literally cut off from the rest of the city, and the world.
Dr. Benjamin Perry tried to keep everyone calm. The only other doctor with him at the hospital was Dr. Frank Xavier from the ER. All of the other doctors won’t be back for good, apparently. Meanwhile, Walter was also with his wife Victoria and nurse Jessica from the ICU. A few other nurses from the other floors were also stuck in the hospital – with no way out. They all knew they would be much safer inside the hospital with the situation outside.
Benjamin was with Walter and a few other nurses at the ground floor nurse’s station. The power is out and they were in complete darkness. Their only source of light was the emergency light. However, they need to find other means to get a light source. They knew that the emergency light will only last as long as its battery life.
“What do we do now?” Walter confronted Benjamin. He looked restless and weary. Walter paced back and forth several times.
“The first thing we need to do is relax and calm down,” he said as he stopped Walter from pacing about. Then, grabbing his shoulders firmly, he reminded him, “we can’t think logically and come up with a plan until we do.”
Walter nodded in agreement. Then, he heaved a deep sigh.
Benjamin had called on the rest of the group to come over. They slowly approached Benjamin and Walter as they are about to discuss their plans. For now, they had agreed to stay the night at the hospital. But as soon as the sun is back up, they will try to salvage basic supplies and survival items. They knew they do not have enough supplies to provide for all of them. At this rate, their supplies could only last for a day or two, depending on how well they appropriate it.
Their main concern is the water source. The faucet is not running. And the water dispenser only had about three to four liters of water left in it. They were not yet aware that the marauders had destroyed the water pipes in the city. Walter volunteered to get water for the group. But Benjamin decided to put it off until the next morning. “It’s too dangerous to go out there at night,” he said.
As they were about to finish discussing their plans, Benjamin gave them a final word of warning, “just please be vigilant at all times.”
He added, “Remember, these marauders will break into anything to find supplies or means of survival. We cannot let our guards down. They have no regard for human life at this point.”
They all turned to him with a stunned look. Then, they gave a light nod, seemingly in unison.
“And get some good rest,” he said as parting words.
Walter assisted his wife Victoria as they approa
ched Benjamin and told him, “You get some rest, too. You haven’t had one in days.”
Benjamin acknowledged it by giving him a light tap on the shoulder.
The following day, Walter woke up early to start looking for a water source. He went to the topmost floor of the hospital to get a good vantage point of the streets. This enabled him to identify his possible route so he would know where he was supposed to go. Walter also created an escape route, just in case he was spotted. His years of serving in the Army taught him well. He was glad that he was able to put those skills to use in this instance.
Benjamin wanted to go with him. However, he refused.
“It will be easier if I go there alone. That way, I can be stealthy,” he said. “Not to offend you but going out there in pairs can slow us down. I did this for years in Afghanistan so I know what I need to do,” he said in an effort to reassure his friend.
Benjamin just smiled. He knew Walter too well. He is young, agile, and highly skilled. He trusted his skills way too much. He wanted to insist on going but he knew that his mind was made up. Benjamin also knew it was important that he stay to look after the women that would be left behind at the hospital.
Walter stepped out of the hospital very slowly and vigilantly. He carried two containers that they took from the hospital’s utility department.
Walter walked along the sides of the hospital gate. This kept him from being easily seen from the outside. Also, he used to small bushes lining the gates as cover. He crouched most of the time so his progress was a bit slow.
A few minutes after, he finally made his way through the gate. But before stepping out, he took one last survey of the street and the surrounding blocks. He spotted no one. According to his own route map, he was supposed to go two blocks to his right. He saw a water pipe at the corner of the street when he surveyed it from the hospital building.
He took one final check. Then, he made a dash towards the right. As he turned into a corner, which he did not see before he exited the gate, he saw a couple of armed men. He paused and tried to hide behind a bush. But one of the men saw him.
They started to fire at him. Walter could feel his adrenaline rushing. His heartbeat raced. He could feel his face getting hot. He knew he had to get out of there. If the men spotted him, there is no way they would leave him alive.
He crouched behind the bush and ran as fast as he could back to the hospital gate. “There he is!” yelled one of the men. They trailed him. But since he ran towards the corner, he lost them temporarily. As they made their way to the corner of the street where the hospital was, they looked around in an effort to find him.
“Where did that sucker go?” one of them asked, pissed that he had escaped their sight.
Walter was hiding in a bush along the hospital gate. He covered his mouth to keep them from hearing his shallow, heavy breathing.
They saw the two water containers he dropped as he ran away from them. One of the men picked it up and smashed it hard against the pavement.
“Hide all you want! We will come back to get you!” warned one of them.
One of the men motioned towards the hospital. “Maybe this is where that sucker is hiding from,” he said with a curious look in his eye.
“Come on,” said one of the men. “Let us finish this job next time.” He added as they left.
Walter stayed in the bush to hide from their view. He waited a few more minutes before coming out to make sure they had left the area.
He quickly ran back to the hospital. “Ben! Ben” he said, as some of his companions met him by the door.
Victoria welcomed him in, “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Where’s Benjamin?” he asked his wife.
“He just went upstairs, Jessica went to get him,” she said. “What was that all about? We heard some men yelling outside. And a gunshot! I was so worried!” she said, her hands shaking in fright.
“It’s… it’s…” Walter said, also shaking frantically.
Benjamin was now making his way down the stairs. He met Walter by the nurse’s station at the ground floor.
“What’s going on, Walter?” he asked.
Walter pulled Benjamin aside so they could talk in private. He did not want to let the others hear about what happened to him down the street.
The women gathered around. They were curious what information the two were withholding from them.
Benjamin looked stunned. His eyebrows curled slightly. Victoria could not tell if it was out of anger or fear. She knew that it was not good news, though.
“Listen up, everyone,” proclaimed Benjamin. “This hospital might no longer be safe for us. We need to make a plan,” he said.
The women stood still. It is as if their bodies were suddenly frozen. Victoria’s suspicion was right – color started to drain from her face. Her jaw dropped slightly.
“Wwwait… what’s happening?” she asked in a raspy, barely audible voice.
“I was attacked by two armed men on the street when I went to get water,” Walter explained for her. Victoria went all wide eyed. She shook her head as if trying to shake off the news, too.
“I escaped but they followed me. They wanted to kill me. But they vowed to come back,” he added. “They might have figured out this is where I was hiding from.”
“It’s important that we formulate a plan immediately… before they return,” interrupted Benjamin.
Victoria turned to Jessica, who then returned with a consoling hug. She started to weep on her shoulders as fear had overcome her.
***
Chapter 12 – The Burning
Walter and Benjamin led the group to the cafeteria. They wanted to discuss a definite plan to get out of the hospital before the thugs return for them. However, they were clueless on where to go and how to get there, especially with such a large group of people.
“The first thing we need to figure out is how to move,” Benjamin pointed out. “It would be difficult to get on the road without being noticed. And I am pretty sure that those thugs had been eyeing the hospital already. So, any kind of movement from here will surely be noticed by them,” he went on to add.
“My car is still in the parking lot. We can use that,” Anthony volunteered.
“Thanks, Anthony,” responded Walter. “But I don’t think that would be enough for all of us,” he added. “Plus, we cannot afford to make return trips. Those who will be left behind here might be in huge trouble.”
A short stream of silence followed. They seemed to be at a loss for idea. Benjamin looked around the walls of the cafeteria. It is the same set of walls he looked at for the past few years of his life. This is where he would take his lunch or breaks. But never had he looked at the cafeteria walls this way. It now served as barrier for his life from the violence outside its wall.
“Before we continue on with our plan, it is important that I still get that water,” Walter interrupted.
“No, that’s way too dangerous,” Anthony protested.
“I understand. But we have to,” he insisted. “Or else, we might as well sit here and wait to die.”
Anthony retracted his protest. They knew how important it is to get water. They have drained half of their remaining water supply.
Walter excused himself from the group. He was to set out and pick up the water containers off the street. But he had only taken a few steps from the cafeteria when there was a huge explosion from the outside. The blast was so loud that they felt the ground shake.
This caused Walter to stumble as he lost his balance. Within only a few seconds, he heard another huge explosion. It was as loud as the first one. It stopped but a different kind of rampaging noise replaced the initial explosion.
Pssh! Pssh! Pssh!
Ching! Ching! Ching!
Walter felt around while staying low on the ground. The blast slowed down his sensory response, like he went into a shock. But he clearly heard the noise coming from the outside,a sound that he is all too familiar with – a se
ries of gun shots. He kept his head low as debris was flinging all over the place.
He looked behind him. He saw that the group had already stepped out from the cafeteria. He could see Benjamin motioning for them to stay down. The scene was frantic – everyone looked distraught.
The hospital staffs huddled close together as they sat on the floor. They were weeping, fearing for their lives. Another woman, Darla, was praying silently with eyes closed on the other end.
“Are you okay?” Benjamin finally approached him; he too was crouched on the floor.
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