“This idea is insane!” Walter said to Steve as they watch the ambulance come their way.
Jay stepped on the gas. When he was in the middle of the road, he opened the door and jumped off the ambulance. Walter and Steve went out of the convenience store and ran back to the emergency door. Jay rolled over the road and immediately followed. The ambulance was approaching the vending machine when the other two armed men went out running. The car hit the vending machine, and it exploded.
Joseph fired on the two men, but he missed. Walter, Steve, and Jay successfully entered the emergency room, and Joseph shut the door quickly. The other two armed men fired gunshots on the door, but Joseph, Steve, Jay, and Walter hid behind the beds.
They got lucky escaping the culprits, but they were still shouting outside. The criminals attempted to break the emergency door, while Joseph and his group waited and aimed their guns. The intruders failed to open the door after several tries.
"We're not yet over!" One of the intruders shouted.
Walter checked the window and saw the intruders are walking away.
"They're gone for now." Everyone sat on the floor while breathing hard.
Joseph, Steve, Walter, and Jay hurried back to the cafeteria after a few minutes of rest. Everyone was worried, and Joseph immediately puts first aid on Jay's arm. He has wounds after jumping off the ambulance, while Nurse Janette cleaned the small pieces of broken crystals on Steve's arm when the Armed man fired gunshots on the refrigerators.
"Thank God you're all safe." Mrs. Daniels said in relief.
"Dr. Brave, please drink this." Denise offered a glass of water to Joseph soon as he finished cleaning Jay's wounds.
"Thank you, Denise," Joseph said as he smiled at her.
Joseph looked at Denise and felt pity. She'd lost her parents, and now she's witnessing all these dilemmas. No kid deserves to be in this position. They are supposed to be in school fulfilling their dreams. The moment Denise lost her parents at the emergency room, Joseph felt connected to Denise. From then on, Joseph treated her like a real daughter. He decided that he'll take Denise to their farm. He's sure that Maxine and his sons would love the idea of having Denise as part of their family, but Joseph was just unsure of when and how.
"We have to make other plans. I'm sure they'll come back for us." Walter said. The men looked exhausted, but they agreed on Walter.
“And we have other survivors in this hospital, but we are unsure of their intentions. We never know they’re already planning to kill us.” Steve added.
"We have to move out of this place," Joseph said aloud.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"We need a car that'll take us away from the hospital," Walter said.
"But the ambulance just exploded." Jay White replied trying to give some humor.
"My car is too small for us," Joseph added in disgust.
"We'll all fit in with my car, and it's near the entrance. The problem is I left the keys in my clinic," Steve replied.
"Then we get it," Walter said with determination.
"But it's also dangerous even in the hospital. Other medical staff survivors are now killing other survivors." Nurse Janette said in horror as she looked at Steve.
"We've just risked our lives to get those supplies. Is there anything else to be afraid? It's either we die, or we fight. " Walter replied.
Joseph, Walter, Steve, and Jay picked their guns, knives, flashlights, and walkie-talkies. Steve handed a Glock Model 22 to Nurse Janette.
"I don't know how to use a gun." Nurse Janette stated.
"Aim and shoot. That simple." Steve answered.
"I'm going with you." Nurse Janette said to Steve with a concerned tone.
"Please stay here. Let's stick to the plan." Steve replied.
"But..."
"I'll be fine. We've just taken down five men, and killed..."
Nurse Janette pulled Steve, tiptoed and kissed Steve before he could finish his sentence.
"Please, take care." Nurse Janette whispered and hugged Steve who was in shock.
"I will," Steve said as he hugged her, too.
"I want you to stay close, with Nurse Janette. Okay?" Joseph said to Denise.
"Please come back, Doctor. You're my only family left." Denise said innocently.
"I will, Denise. I'll come back, and you'll meet my sons soon." Joseph smiled at her.
Mrs. Daniels packed their supplies as Jay White bid goodbye to his wife while Walter was preparing his weapons. The guys were about to leave the cafeteria when someone knocked on the door.
"Help!" Someone behind the door shouted. Everyone stepped back and was in fear. Walter walked towards the door unconsciously.
"Walter!" Jay tried to stop him.
"I think I know that voice," Walter whispered on his breath.
Walter removed the lock of the cafeteria and Joseph followed him immediately. Walter opened the door, and he was surprised to see his wife.
"Victoria!" Walter said in surprise and hugged her.
"I followed you here because there are criminals surrounding our area. I tried to save our son, but they killed him. They took him away from me, and shoot him in the head." Victoria cried.
"Hush." Walter comforted his wife, but he was unable to say anything. Tears fell on his eyes, but he quickly swept it away.
"It's not your fault. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry." Walter and Victoria cried as Joseph, and other survivors were watching them in pain.
After a few moments, Joseph said that they have to go. Time is not on their side, and that rioters might take revenge anytime soon.
"Walter, you can stay here," Steve said.
"Your wife needs you," Joseph added. Walter looked at his wife.
"I am fine. You can go, and let's get out of here." Victoria assured Walter, but he was hesitant.
"I think I'd have to stay this time," Walter said.
"Don't worry. Joseph, Jay and I got this." Steve assured Walter.
"Let's stick to the plan. We'll get Steve's car keys then we'll meet you at the front door." Joseph reminded the group.
"See you outside," Jay said, and they said goodbyes.
Joseph, Steve, and Jay went out of the cafeteria and hurried immediately to Dr. Steve's clinic. It's on the 5th floor of the hospital, so they had to go up three levels.
"Hey, you wanna play a game?" Jay announced trying to lift the mood.
"What?" Steve replied.
"Racing. Whoever wins, gets those chocolate bars we have from the store." Everyone laughed.
"Game!" Joseph suddenly answered.
They all ran up to the stairs, and Jay was in first place. But as soon as he reached the hallway of the third floor, there were gunshots.
"Shit!" Steve muttered as they hid behind the wall of the staircase.
"You're shot!" Joseph said to Jay as he tried to look behind the wall.
"Other survivors, but too many of them. Go upstairs, while I'll cover you." Jay ordered.
"What? No more another insane idea! You're bleeding." Joseph scolded him.
"We've gotta divert their attention, Joseph. I'll run straight then you'll go upstairs." Jay slightly raised his voice.
"Let's all go to my clinic and finish..." Steve replied.
"Then we'll all die. You have to save others. They saw just me." Jay demanded before Steve could finish his sentence.
"It's a suicide," Steve replied in disgust.
"Hey, I was leading the race. Give it to me as my prize." Jay smiled as he tried to convince them.
"Get out of your cocoon!" One of the survivors shouted.
"Now!" Jay fired at the other survivors' direction and ran as the intruders followed him. Joseph and Steve looked at one another and ran upstairs.
Steve searched for his car keys, as they heard gunshots. They hurried back to help Jay, but he was already lying on the stairs, bathing his blood.
"Jay!" Joseph cried in surprise.
"You have to go now!" Jay replied in a dying voic
e.
"No! We'll get you out of here!" Steve answered.
"We don't have time. I can't make it. Please take care of my wife. They're coming again. Please go!" Jay responded was weak, and he slowly closed his eyes.
"We need to move." Steve pulled Joseph.
"Janette?" Steve spoke through the walkie-talkies.
"Steve!" Nurse Janette responded.
"We've got the keys. We'll meet you at the front door." Steve said gasping.
Steve and Joseph went running, but other three more survivors followed after them. They were approaching near the front door, but they saw the criminals.
"Son of a bitch! The criminals!" Joseph shouted, then they hide at the front desk.
"Did they see us?" Steve asked.
"No idea," Joseph replied. There were gunshots between the other survivors and the criminals, as they set the front door on fire.
"Fire! Hospital is on fire!" One of the survivors shouted, and they went back to the hospital.
Nurse Janette and others were ready to go out of the cafeteria when they heard from walkie-talkie again.
"Janette! Are you there?"
"Steve! We're about to leave." Walter get the walkie-talkie from Nurse Janette.
"Abort mission. The front door is on fire!" Steve answered.
"What?" Where do we go?" Walter was frustrated.
"Go back door! We'll meet you there." Steve replied.
The fire quickly spread in the hospital while Joseph, Steve, and their friends run for their lives. The criminals went into the hospital to search for them. As Walter and his group ran the hallway, the intruders were already there. They fired gunshots, and Mrs. Daniels got hit two times on the back. Walter wanted to return, but his wife stopped her as they will all die if he does so. They continued running on the other side of the hallway.
At the corner, an intruder grabbed Nurse August and cut his throat. Leanna White, on the other hand, tried to follow the group, but the fire was already approaching her. She didn't have the strength to push, so she closed her eyes and waited to burn her body alive.
It was just Walter, Victoria, Nurse Janette and Denise. They were able to misdirect the criminals, but Denise had difficulty breathing because of the fire smoke. The fire scattered the hospital, and the intruders were still chasing their group.
"I can see the back door!" Walter yelled to his group. All of a sudden another gunshot came behind them.
"Walter!" Walter looked at Victoria who had a bleeding thigh. He immediately wrapped a handkerchief on Victoria's legs to put in some pressure.
"Carry the kid! Continue running!" Walter said to Nurse Janette and Denise, then handed her the walkie-talkie.
"Contact Steve and Joseph. We'll follow." Walter added.
Walter hid in the corner of the hallway because the intruders are coming.
"We need to move. I'll carry you." Walter said to Victoria.
"You'll slow down. You have to go." Victoria cried.
"No! I am not going anywhere without you! We'll get the hell out of here, and Joseph can operate you!" Walter was frustrated, but there was an explosion in the area, and the fire was critical. The criminals changed their route.
“Please. Don’t give up. Come on, get on my back.” Walter pleaded with his wife.
Nurse Janette and Denise reached the back door exit. She pressed the walkie-talkie the moment they stepped out of the hospital.
"Steve?"
"Janette! Are you all at the back door? We're going around to get the car. We'll fetch you there."
"It's just Denise and I. The group got separated because of the fire and the criminals." Janette cried as she remembered what happened.
"Please don't cry, everything will be alright." Steve tried to calm her. Suddenly, an intruder pointed a gun at Nurse Janette back head.
Janette turned around and saw a hairless man with tattoos on his shoulders. He put his index finger on his lips to silence Nurse Janette. Tears fell on her eyes.
"Janette? Are you still there?" Steve said on the other line.
"I love you," Janette muttered and turned off the walkie-talkie. Nurse Janette hid Denise behind her.
“Hi beautiful, going anywhere?” The intruder smirked at Nurse Janette.
"Please. Let us go." Denise begged, but the intruder just laughed.
"Not after what your friends did with my troop." The intruder said and aimed the gun at Nurse Janette. She kicked the intruder’s groin and tried to ran, but there was another gunshot. Nurse Janette fell on the ground as blood flowed on the ground. Denise shouted and cried aloud.
"You're next little girl." The intruder pointed the gun at Denise. Then there were other gunshots.
Walter carried Victoria and ran to the back door exit with all his strength. He was exhausted and panting. Then he saw a man standing in front of the door, pointing a gun at someone he can't see. He immediately fired gunshots while running as fast as he could. Walter and Victoria was shocked to see Nurse Janette on the ground full of blood on her hip, while Denise was crying.
"Hush. Come on, Denise. We have to keep moving." Walter said to the young girl. However, Denise wasn't moving, won't stop crying and there were more intruders running behind them. Walter grabbed the walkie-talkie and carried Denise as he carried Victoria on his back. They ran in the opposite direction and head towards the nearby parking area.
Joseph and Steve exchanged fire shots with the intruders in front of the front entrance. Fortunately, they were able to beat them down, but they're almost out of ammo.
"Steve! Joseph! Where are you? We have to get out of here. The other part of the building will explode soon." Walter said through the walkie-talkie.
"We're at the north parking. Be ready anytime. Who's with you?" Joseph said.
"It's just Victoria and Denise. Janette's dead." Walter said with a heavy heart. Steve heard the news that almost made him stop walking.
"She's dead?" Steve muttered.
"We gotta keep moving, Steve." Steve was about to lose his senses, but there were other gunshots. They hid behind the posts.
"Joseph, take the keys," Steve stated.
"What? No, we'll get to the car." Joseph replied.
"We won't be able to make it if we take these men down. Our friends need the car." Steve replied.
"Give me your gun. We need a diversion." He added.
"Steve..."
"Come on, brother. People are still waiting. I've got no family left, and Janette...is dead. You have yours to protect. Please say hi to Max and your two boys." Steve wiped his tears, smiled and ran out of the post as he fired shots.
Joseph ran to Steve's Black Cruiser, started the engine and stepped on the gas. He drove as fast as he could, but Steve was already lying on the ground. Joseph shouted angrily inside the car as he hit the intruders through the bumpers and turned the car around the hospital to pick the others.
The east portion of the building was slowly exploding with fire, so the criminals thought that all survivors are dead. To their surprise, a car went out of the fire and Walter was taking shots. Some of them jump off the road, while others died. Joseph drove at full speed towards to their subdivision. All of them were full of blood, dust, sweat, and tears. Their heart filled with mourning, anger, and pain with good friends that they've lost. However, they knew that they have to keep on moving to live and survive.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
At the farm, the Carmichael family still has their usual life somehow. The spring was in full bloom, and everyone is busy with their daily chores. Grandpa Carmichael and Tony were feeding the animals while the ladies were busy preparing their lunch in the kitchen. Bobby and his brother are playing. They still don't get along with Ross and Vicky although they've been reaching out sometimes as Maxine's request to be pleasant to their cousins.
Bobby hates Ross and Vicky because of their attitude. They're spoiled brats, and they only want what's beneficial for them. There was a time when Bobby and Ross almost hit one another. Ross
shouted at Grandma Carmichael because she kept on telling stories to her Grandchildren that bored him. Bobby was so furious that he pushed Bobby, but Grandma Carmichael stopped him immediately.
"Don't you ever shout at Grandma!" Bobby scolded Ross.
"Enough, Bobby." Grandma Carmichael said calmly.
Bobby and Ross were furious at each other, and they never spoke since then.
The Smiths, the black family that they met, decided to leave the farm because they were shy to stay for too long.
"Are you sure you're leaving?" Grandpa Carmichael asked Mr. Smith.
"Yes, Mr. Carmichael. Thank you so much for the warm welcome. " Mr. Smith replied and smiled genuinely.
"Where will you go after?" Grandma Carmichael inserted herself into the conversation.
"We'll go to my Aunt's house in New Orleans. We called her, and found out that my Uncle just died of heart attack." Mrs. Smith said.
"Sorry to hear that. If you need anything, you're free to come back here." Grandpa Carmichael assured the Smiths.
"Here's a few supplies that you can use while you travel. We've prepared some foods, water, and medicine for you." Maxine handed a bag of supplies to the Smiths who were shocked.
"Thank you so much. It's a big help." Mrs. Smith was very grateful and bid their goodbyes.
"Please have a safe trip." Grandma Carmichael reminded the Smiths.
Tony didn't like the idea of sharing their supplies because it means less for them. He confronted his parents after the Smiths left the farm.
"Did we have to share our supplies? I mean, we have no idea until when this crisis would last." Tony bawled.
"For God's sake, Tony. They have to travel for hours, yet they have nothing. Don't have a heart?" Grandpa Carmichael shouted.
"I lost my heart the moment you pushed me to join the Army!" Tony answered.
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