The rain kept beating strongly against the car’s front window. There was a strong gush of wind, too. The heavy rains made it difficult to see the streets, forcing Anthony to drive slowly. The sky has turned dark as well. They predicted that the rain will be on for a long time.
As they neared the entrance gate of the subdivision of Benjamin’s house, Anthony had to put on the brakes. Everyone inside the vehicle was startled at how abruptly this made the vehicle stop.
“Anything wrong?” Benjamin asked.
Anthony did not say anything. He lifted his index finger and pointed at the group of armed civilians guarding the gate.
“Oh no, what is it this time?” Jessica said, biting her nails in anxiety.
Benjamin told Anthony to keep driving close to the subdivision gate. But he warned him to keep it slow. “We don’t want to make them feel threatened,” he said.
The armed civilians got close together upon the sight of the vehicle nearing them. Benjamin examined them closely from the front window to see if he could recognize any faces. As they draw nearer, the crowd also went closer to the vehicle. Their stance indicated that they will do anything to stop the vehicle.
“Hold on,” said Benjamin to Anthony. The latter looked like he was ready to raise the speed and run them over.
“I knew some of these people. They’re my neighbors,” he added while pulling down the window on his side of the seat.
“Doc, are you serious? Don’t do that!” Anthony tried to warn him.
“Hey!” yelled Benjamin from the passenger seat on the front. He stuck his head out the window. “It’s Benjamin! Benjamin Perry,” he made himself known.
“Benjamin?” Anthony could hear one of the armed civilians say, as if surprised. They started to put down their guns.
Jessica kept herself hidden at the backseat, still shivering in fright.
As Anthony drove closer, slowly, the group of armed civilians also walked in closer. “Oh, it’s Dr. Perry!” said one of the men.
“Yes, yes! It’s me!” confirmed Benjamin. Anthony heaved a sigh of relief.
“What happened to you, Doc? We thought you have long left Southcrest with your family,” said one of the armed civilians.
Benjamin paused. Guilt had struck him for the first time in a few days. He felt that he had forsaken his family. It has been nearly a week since he last spoke with Mary. He suddenly felt extremely concerned for them. Where are they now? Are they still safe? How are the kids coping? These questions overwhelmed his already exhausted mind.
“Dr. Perry?” he was startled out of his daydreams. He found retired Colonel Theodore Cesar, one of his neighbors, talking to him through the window.
“Sorry,” was all Benjamin could say.
“As I was saying, we thought you’ve left a long time ago with your family. Your house had been quiet for days,” he added.
“It’s a long story. Can we get settled first into my house? We have a wounded companion here,” he said.
The retired colonel motioned to his companions to step out of the vehicle’s way. “It’s okay now, Doc. I’ll meet you in your house,” he said upon returning to dock on the car’s passenger seat window.
“Thanks a lot,” he said.
Anthony continued driving towards Benjamin’s house by following his directions.
Once there, they quickly helped together in lifting Victoria off the vehicle. They settled her into the living room of Benjamin’s house. He examined the interior of his home. Nothing had been touched or moved. He hadn’t seen the space in almost a week.
They settled down Victoria in one of the couches. She was still grimacing in pain. Walter was by her side. Anthony and Jessica sat beside another couch in the opposite side of the living room. They both looked exhausted.
Benjamin looked on helpless. He knew that Victoria must get immediate treatment or else she could die from the gunshot wound.
“What do we do?” asked Walter.
The retired colonel interrupted their conversation saying, “she’s not looking too good, Doc. What about doing your operation here?”
“In the house? No we can’t,” he insisted. “That’d be too dangerous. Besides, we don’t have the equipment here.”
“But Benjamin, I can’t just sit here and wait for my wife to die. We have to do something!” Walter argued.
“I understand, Walter. But without the right equipment, we could put her in greater danger,” Benjamin responded.
Walter paused. He was trying his best to devise another plan.
“Wait, I believe there is a surgery center near the hospital. We could bring her there. I’m sure it has the equipment we need to perform the operation,” said Walter.
Anthony overheard the conversation. He knew it would be far too dangerous to drive out to the road again. He knew they got lucky the armed group who blocked them on the way personally recognized Dr. Perry. He did not want to go out on the road again, at least not yet.
“That’s silly!” exclaimed the retired colonel. “You know how dangerous it is on the road. You’re already safe in here, at least for a while. Why risk exposing yourself to threats again?” he said, pausing for a while.
“Besides, Dr. Perry is a huge asset to the group. We need him in case someone is hurt or injured,” he went on to add.
This infuriated Walter. A fight almost broke between them but Benjamin managed to temporarily pacify Walter.
“Walter, calm down. The colonel raised some valid arguments. It’s too dangerous to go out again,” he said. “Let’s just think of a better plan to handle this. You know I will do anything to help out Victoria,” he reassured his friend.
Walter did not respond. He was hissing under his breath. He went back to Victoria’s side to comfort her.
“I’ve got an idea,” Benjamin said after a few minutes of reflecting. Everyone listened on intently.
“It might be better if we go out there and get the supplies and equipment. Then, we bring the supplies here so we can do the operation in the house. We might be able to do it quicker as compared to bringing her there,” he said. The retired colonel shook his head in disbelief. However, everyone agreed to the plan. Anthony secretly protested it.
“I’ll be one of those to go and get the supplies,” Walter volunteered.
“Anthony, would you be okay to drive for us?” Benjamin asked him.
Anthony hesitated for a while, but agreed anyway.
“Doctor, are you sure you are going with them to the surgery center?” the retired colonel tried to talk him out of his decision.
“I have to go. I am the one who knows what supplies we need for the surgery,” he reasoned out. The retired colonel gave out a smirk and lightly tapped the doctor on his shoulder.
The three men braved the rain. It is still pouring but not as strongly as it did when they arrived. The winds, however, had sustained its strength.
As they were about to get into the vehicle, the colonel called out to them.
“I’ll go with you,” he volunteered.
“There’s no need for that, thanks for the offer,” Benjamin turned down his offer.
“We’ve been guarding this place for a few days now since Martial Law was declared. The riots had not reached this part of the city yet. It is more dangerous out there,” he added. “You’re bringing back a lot of supplies, too. You might need the extra hand.”
Walter and Benjamin looked at each other. They made eye contact and agreed to let him come with them.
He also handed Benjamin and Walter each a handgun, a .44 magnum revolver and a 9x19 mm semi-automatic pistol.
“Those are fully loaded. Use it for your own defense, you’ll never know…” he instructed.
“Thank you,” said Benjamin.
Jessica looked on feeling a bit more worried. “You guys, be careful,” she said.
“Make sure all doors are locked. Never open for anyone until we get back,” Walter gave out last minute instructions. Jessica nodded like a helple
ss child.
They got inside the vehicle and Anthony drove off.
The vehicle turned the corner and she lost sight of them. The rain continued to beat down. Jessica quickly locked all doors and stayed beside Victoria.
Jessica paced back and forth. She kept looking at the wall clock in the living room, counting the minutes as they passed by. She would temporarily stop to check on Victoria when she made pained noises. Then, Jessica would go back to pacing again. Sometimes, she would stop to look at the window if she heard noises from outside.
“Sit still,” said Darla.
“Sorry,” Jessica said. They had been out for an hour and a half. With every passing minute, Jessica’s fear heightened.
“It’s hard enough to drive in the rain. Plus, they had to be extra careful on the road,” she explained.
“I’m sure there is nothing to worry about. They should be back soon.” She continued on but Jessica looked disinterested.
A few minutes later, a sound of an oncoming vehicle made them both get up. Jessica looked out the window. It was Anthony’s car. She quickly headed over to Victoria, who was resting on the couch. She whispered, “Victoria, they’re here.”
Victoria smiled. But it was slow and very light, like it took too much energy off her to attempt a smile.
Benjamin and Walter stepped out carrying the medical supplies they need. Walter rushed to Victoria’s side.
“How is she?” he asked Jessica who met them by the door.
“She’s fine. But she needs help fast. She was grimacing in pain earlier,” reported Jessica.
Benjamin quickly organized the medical supplies. The retired colonel ushered in a man inside the house.
“Who’s he?” Jessica asked, curious about the stranger.
“It’s a long story,” said the retired colonel.
“Let us save the questions for later. We have something more urgent here,” Benjamin added.
Everything was set to perform the surgery on Victoria. She was conscious but looked unwell. Darla, who took a nap, also awoke to the noise. Benjamin promised to give her treatment as they got some supplies from the surgery center.
“But first we need to get Victoria treated. The longer we wait, the more critical her condition becomes,” Benjamin pointed out. Anthony and Walter assisted Dr. Perry as he performed the operation on Victoria.
The operation took a little less than two hours. Dr. Perry had declared Victoria’s condition stable.
“But she still needs to get plenty of rest. We can settle here for a few more days,” he said. Walter took Victoria to Benjamin’s sons’ room so she can rest more comfortably.
Meanwhile, Benjamin also prescribed antibiotics for Darla. He gave her a bronchodilator in case she is having difficulty with breathing.
With the medical issues aside, the group finally got to discuss on their food source. Benjamin checked on the supplies in the kitchen. However, there were only a few food supplies left. Mary brought most of them on their trip to the farm. They planned to pick up some supplies the next day.
The water faucet in Benjamin’s house was also affected by the damage in the city’s water pipes. Anthony suggested they gather water from the rain. They set up several containers to catch rain water to drink.
As they were resting inside the house, they were disturbed by a loud knocking on the door. Walter promptly picked up his gun. When nobody responded on the knocking on the door a male voice spoke out from outside.
“Benjamin, it’s me, the colonel,” said the retired colonel.
Benjamin opened the front door. “What’s the hurry?”
“I went back to my house and one of our neighbors approached me for help. She said that her son had been shot and badly injured. Can you have a look at him?”
“Of course”, Benjamin replied.
“Great. I will speak to the mother now,” said the colonel.
He paused.
“Would you be willing to perform the surgical treatment here?” the colonel pressed.
“Yes, please. Bring him here and I will have a look,” Benjamin answered.
“Thanks,” was the grateful response from the colonel.
The retired colonel quickly ran across the street to a house on the other end of the block.
***
Chapter 15 – Team Effort
Before the men had returned to Benjamin’s house, they went all the way through the city and back to where the hospital was. The surgery center was located a few blocks away from the hospital. As they drove pass the hospital, retired colonel Theodore Caesar was in awe. The hospital was nearly completely burned down.
“Is that where you used to stay in, you said?” he asked the group.
Benjamin responded with a nod through the rear view mirror.
“Good thing you made it out alive,” he exclaimed.
“Yes, we got quite lucky,” Walter said as if talking to himself.
The hospital was not the only evidence of violence in the city. A lot of buildings were burned down, too. The debris was scattered all over the road. The water pipes were also destroyed. One, in particular, was leaking and it caused minor flooding on the road.
When they arrived at the surgery center, Anthony parked the vehicle along the road. The colonel instructed them to run as swiftly as they could from the vehicle and into the building. The streets, however, were empty and abandoned.
Once inside the surgery center, they started looking around. Benjamin and Anthony headed straight towards the medical supplies department to find what they need. As they were approaching a dark spot inside the building, Anthony was startled. Someone stepped out of the dark corner and grabbed hold of his right leg.
Walter, who saw this from behind, quickly pulled out his gun. “Heeelp!” said the man.
The colonel stopped him in time before he could pull the trigger. “Wait, he’s not a threat,” said the colonel.
“Help me,” said the man,his voice curled and barely audible.
“Try not to use the gun unless you have to. Shooting a gun will attract unwanted attention,” the retired colonel reminded Walter.
Benjamin and Anthony quickly came over to the man’s aid. They helped him up. He looked tired and beaten up.
“What happened?” Benjamin started interrogating. “Why are you here?”
“I… I… was trapped here,” he said.
“And?” Walter sought more information.
“I got trapped here… when the violence broke out. There were armed men… they raided the building. I hid under a cabinet there,” he said, while pointing to a room behind them.
“When I got out of hiding… I found no one... I was alone. It’s been three days,” he narrated.
“Why are you here?” asked Anthony.
“I used to work here,” he said.
“What are you?”
“I’m an anesthetist,” he said, slowly.
“Whoa,” said Walter. It perked him up.
“You said you’re an anesthetist, correct?”
The man nodded.
Walter pulled Benjamin and Anthony to the side. “Guys, we need him. Do you think it’d be smart to take him with us?”
“I don’t see any problem with that,” Benjamin agreed. Anthony nodded along.
“Would you like to come with us? We have a safe place to hide, a few miles from here,” he told the man.
“My wife is hurt and a few of our friends are hurt, too. We need you. In exchange, we can offer you safety and a refuge. And maybe some food, if we’re lucky,” he added.
“I’d do anything to get out of here,” said the man.
“Alright then,” said the retired colonel. “We better start packing the equipment and a supply before someone notices we’re here.”
***
Chapter 16 – The Sick and Shut In
Benjamin sat alone in the kitchen. He went to check on his patients before calling it a day. Both were in stable condition, at least at the moment. He decided it w
as time to get some rest of his own.
However, his mind made it impossible to get some much needed shuteye. He reflected on the events that happened earlier that day. The explosion and attack at the hospital nearly left them all dead. He could not fathom how they managed to survive that. I will always be indebted to Walter for my second life, he thought to himself. And yet, it has not escaped his mind how some of his colleagues were killed in that rampage.
The Second Amendment: A Novel On Surviving The Coming Collapse Page 9