The Riot
I hid myself behind the various dresses and jackets that hung from the hangers in the pitch black closet plugging my ears with my head in my knees trying to drown out the sound of my scared sobs and the yelling outside.
"Leave us!" I could hear her yelling, she was crying.
"Leave us alone!"
"Shut up!" I heard a deep male voice yell, I heard a loud slap and a thump on the ground. I cringed and put my head lower in my legs trying not to scream as I listened.
"Hey! There's nothing here!" I heard another male voice say.
"No! Please don't" She said, I looked up and feared the worst.
"Please-" A big bang made me flinch.
I woke breathing heavily, my heart was beating so hard that it seemed it would pop out of my chest. I sat up on the couch and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and attempted to catch my breath still thinking of that terrible sound of a gun that haunted me.
"Robin!" a voice came from my broken door. "Robin! Open the door."
"Ok ok!" I yelled. I took a deep breath, got up, and opened the door. As soon as the door opened a girl in a dark red hoodie shoved past me, it was Lauren.
"Whoa, hey." She set a dark green backpack on the dusty counter in my kitchen.
"Hey you know I just got this door right?" I closed the door and started toward the kitchen. "I don't need you banging on it and messing it up."
"Hey, at least you have a door." She said as she rummaged through my fridge. "Do you have any ice packs or something in here?"
"Yeah there should be some in there, why?" I said as she pulled out a pack of ice and put it on her head, she turned to me and I saw her face. She had dry blood coming from her nose and her eye had a dark circle around it.
"Whoa, what happened to you?"
"I was caught taking that." She pointed towards the bag. I walked over and peered inside it and saw various Tupperware's filled with different foods and boxes of bandages.
"What's all this?" I looked at her, she was cringing and holding the ice on her head.
"Where did you get all this?" She looked at me with one eye.
"I got it from Bob." She walked over and sat down on the dusty counter beside me.
"Wait, you took this from that hillbilly?"
"Yeah." I sighed and looked at her head.
"Lauren you shouldn't do that." She had a pretty nasty goose egg on her head.
"Do what?"
"Risk your life, you know what that guy is capable of. He's dangerous."
She rolled her eyes, "Yeah sure whatever, I can take that dumb ass with my eyes closed" She wiped blood that was coming from her cut on her cheek.
"I beg to differ." She started coughing and she covered her mouth with the inside of her elbow, blood showed up on her hoodie.
"You okay? How's your arm?"
"I'm okay, barely got any bumps and I feel much better."
"You sure? That splash of blood tells a different story."
"Yes I'm sure." She coughed again, this time very hard.
"Lauren, are you sure your okay?"
"Yes I'm fine I told you!" she got up and started towards the torn couch.
"Whoa okay relax." She looked at me from the side.
"I'm just worried about you."
"Yeah? Why?" She turned to me, "Why be worried about me? I'm not your girlfriend."
"I know! I'm just worried about you." She sat down on the couch and looked away still holding her head.
"Lauren." I sat down beside her.
"You're the closest person I have for a family." She looked at me still holding the ice pack on her head.
"I don't want to lose my family again."
She sighed and grabbed my hand. "Okay fine. You know you're the only thing I have to a family to."
I smiled.
He sat there holding each others hand for a while in silence, "Listen I'm going to make these deliveries." I said to break the silence. Silently I headed towards the door with the bag in hand.
"Be careful." She said behind me.
. . .
"Annie!" I heard the old man's voice croak from down the hall. "Can you come here for a moment?"
I finished up my drawing and started down the hall. I've got to say I'm surprised at how loud he can yell considering his age. I think he's close to 76 years old and in this terrible time we live in, well let's just say that's longer than anyone I know has lived.
"Yes doctor?" I said arriving at his lab. He was looking through a microscope when I arrived.
"Could you be a dear and go to cold storage and grab me another sample from one of our subjects? From infected number 42 if you will. I believe I may have found something astonishing about this sickness."
"Yes doctor, right away." I said and left the lab. I hope it's something good this time, at least something for these bumps and this terrible cough.
I came back to find him writing in his journal he kept for his experiments.
"Here you are doctor." I said handing him the little tube.
"Thank you." He said taking the tube, he looked at me from his book. "And please Annie, I told you to call me Ben." He set down his notebook picked up a syringe on the counter beside him.
"'Doctor' sounds a little too formal for me."
"Alright, uh Ben." That sounded so weird to me as it came out of my mouth, calling him doctor sounds better to me.
"So what have you found?" I glanced at his notebook on the counter.
"What this disease is." He placed the sample underneath the microscope. "I believe it's Smallpox."
I looked at him confused, didn't Smallpox die out a long time ago? "I'm sorry doc- er...Ben?" I said turning towards him.
"Smallpox?"
"Yes." He took his eyes off the microscope and picked up a pen.
"But the thing is this isn't the same strain of Smallpox we eradicated all those years ago." He rolled his chair to the parallel counter and started to write in his log.
"The cells contained in all the samples I've studied are a lot more bigger and a lot more...mutated. But as I said before I'm not entirely sure." He got up and walked over to another counter, he then rolled up his sleeves.
I coughed into my sleeve, I coughed up blood again. He saw me wiping off my sleeve.
"Annie, did you take your prescription this morning?" He asked me.
"No, I haven't, I'm out." I said adjusting my glasses and then looking at him.
He immediately reached into his pocket and took out a small key. "Here." He handed the key to me.
"Run on down to pharmacy and grab another bottle for yourself." I took the key from his wrinkly hand and put it in my lab coat pocket,
"I still need my assistant around with me Miss Moreau."
"Yes doctor Feros, of course." He turned his head and looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Sorry Doc-er Ben...Damnit" He chuckled and turned around, I left the lab. I really need to work on that.
. . .
In a matter of days Lauren's condition had gotten worse, the bumps on her arm spread to the rest of her body and the cough has gotten louder and harsher. Her temperature has also risen substantially and I'm starting to worry for her life. She's been bedridden for almost a week now, I guess it happened when I left that day to make some deliveries.
When I walked into the room one could immediately feel the heat and moisture that radiated from her. She looked very pale and her skin looked rough as she laid in the worn out bed reading a book.
"How are you feeling?" I asked her sitting down beside her on the bed.
"You know, is it me or is it hot in here?" She said setting the book down and looking at me.
I snorted a little "It's me, I'm so hot that I make every room I go into hot." She chuckled a little bit and started to let out a loud dry cough.
"Yeah you wish." She grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand and coughed on it and left a splatter of blood. She threw it in the trash then went right back to reading the book.
"You still haven't answered my question. How are you?"
"Ugh, could be better." She then grabbed my hand and placed it on her forehead. Her skin felt moist and clammy and she was burning up.
"Well I brought you some food, hopefully that helps."
"Anything good?"
"I think you're going to like this." I showed her the plate which had grounded up beef with vegetables and mashed potatoes.
"Whoa, where'd you get that?"
"One of my regulars gave it to me, said I should have it instead."
I set the plate on her lap and took the book from her not looking at what she was reading. "Did you eat?" She asked me.
"Yeah I ate already, I gave you easy to eat stuff." She looked down and smiled.
"Hey I also know a place that might have some Advil or something stored away, I can check there for you if you need something for this fever."
"Yeah, that'd be nice."
"Alright then, I'll be back soon then." I set down the book on the nightstand, then started to get up and she grabbed my arm.
"But wait." I sat down again.
"Before you go, who's David Furrows?" Memories instantly flooded my thoughts as I heard that.
"Furrows?" I said. She grabbed the book and flipped through the pages again.
"Feros, sorry."
"Why? Wait what book is that?" I stood up. She closed the book.
"It's some guys book, it reads 'To My David, Love Mo-" I snatched the book away from her.
"Where did you find this?" I pointed the book at her. She pointed towards the dresser with the broken mirror opposite from me.
"I found it in there." I walked towards the dresser to put the book back in the open drawer.
"Why do you have that?" She looked at me, I could see her reflection in the mirror.
"Why would you go in this dresser?" I was still looking at the book.
"Didn't I tell you no one is to go in this dresser but me?" I turned to her.
"Nobody but me, you understand?" I said in a raised voice.
"Nobody!" She looked at me with wide eyes, she looked shocked at my outburst.
"Whoa okay I'm sorry, I just thought-" I closed the drawer.
"Yeah, I know." I said interrupting her and then turned and leaned on the dresser.
"I'm sorry for doing that but-" I looked at her reflection.
"It's just a name I hoped to never hear again."
"Why, who is he?" She attempted to get up.
"Wait." I said walking towards her.
"Can you just forget it?" I set her back down. She looked at me and didn't say anything.
"Look, I'll go and get your medicine for you." I said walking away.
"But wait, Robin." She said as I walked away.
"Don't worry about it." I didn't look back. "I'll be back." and left the room.
She calls me Robin, that's funny.
. . .
The next day I went into the Old Man's lab and as always I found him looking into that microscope again, I swear he loves that thing.
"Good morning Doctor." I said to him. He took his glasses off and looked at me.
"Annie! It's Ben." He said with his eyebrows raised again.
"Sorry, it's just that I'm just so used of calling you Doctor." I leaned on the counter beside him.
"It's alright Annie, I'm not mad I'm just disappointed." He smiled and looked into his microscope again.
"You sound better today, I assume you've taken your prescription?"
"Yes Doc-" I stopped myself, "Yes I have." He chuckled a little bit still looking into his microscope.
"You know if it's that hard for you, you can still call me Doctor." I felt a great sense of relief when he said that.
"Alright, that would be great." I think there might be something wrong in my brain, I'm so compulsive on things like that and I don't like it.
"Anyway what can I do for you this morning? Anything need to be done?" I asked him.
"Yes as a matter of fact." He said rolling his chair to the opposite counter.
"I've finished my report from yesterday on that sample you brought me and I need it filed." He said handing me a stack of papers.
"Be a dear?"
"Yes of course." I took the papers. "Will that be all Doctor?"
"That will be all Miss Moreau." I then nodded and left to my desk.
As I took out the various folders in the cabinet I started to lose myself in thought, remembering the life I used to have before everything went to hell. I remembered this one time when I was with David out at this creek we always went to, I was about 12 or 13. We were sitting on a rock reading jokes out and old book.
"Okay I've got another one." I said turning towards him.
"What happens to a frogs car when it breaks down?"
He cracked a small smile and looked away thinking.
"It gets...toad away." We both laughed.
"That's clever." He said. Trying to contain my laughter I flipped through the pages.
"Ah I can't find anything else, these are all lame." I said setting the book down between us. I was watching the river looking at the salmon swimming up the stream.
"It's beautiful isn't it." He said.
"Yeah...it is...I'm sure going to miss it."
"We can always come back here you know, it ain't going no where."
"Yeah..." I sighed and leaned my head on my knees.
"What's wrong?"
"David I...I'm moving."
"Moving? Like...to the city?"
"No, more like to the coast."
"The coast..." he sighed.
"Yeah..."
"Well um...do you know when you're leaving?"
I looked away up stream. "Tomorrow..."
"Oh..." He said slowly. We sat in silence for a minute or so, I could still remember the sound of the water trickling down the creek and the gentle brush that the grass made in the wind from that short amount of time.
"Hey." I felt his hand touch my thigh.
"Look it's not the end of the world, we will see each other still."
"David no." I said getting up.
"My dad said we might not even live at the coast." Tears started to well up in my eyes.
"We might even leave the country, for his work."
He turned me around and wiped away the tears from my eyes.
"Hey, shh...we will see each other again." He hugged me. My head sunk into chest and I felt more tears coming.
"David...I'm going to miss you." As we stood there embracing each other I heard a car pull up on the road.
"Annie! Come on honey we need to go, it's getting late." I heard my mom call. David pulled away and looked at me, I'm pretty sure my face was all red and blood shot now.
"Umm...I'll miss you to."I could see him fighting back tears.
I wiped away my tears and started up the small hill, looking back at him he waved at me.
. . .
There is this myth that people tell in my district that this hospital is haunted or something like that, scavengers tell stories of mysterious noises inside the walls and voices echoing throughout the halls. I personally don't believe anything of the sort but just to be on the safe side, I've never went inside as it's a popular spot among the local bandits, luckily I always carry a small pistol with me.
I opened the rusty gate, it let out a long high pitched squeal. Making my way down the overgrown path I glanced at my watch, quarter past two. Curfew is in a couple of hours so hopefully I'll make it back by then, and hopefully Lauren doesn't leave me by then. I smacked my head trying to rid my brain of the thought, but it's like this disease that plagues us, it never goes away. When I got inside the stench of death immediately overcame me making me gag, but I still needed that medicine. While looking at the empty dirty rooms the sounds of the dying flooded my ears, the groans and the crying were one of the things I remember before everything went to hell.
While remembering old wounds I decided to pay a visit to my father's office, my father was always a health nut so I figured he might have some Aspirin or something in his office. I found his old office with half of the door was missing, I guess someone really wanted to get in there. Looking around I could still remember the smell in his office and how everything in there used to look.
"David, hey son you okay?" Said a voice behind me. I know he wasn't really there but his voice sounded so real to me.
I looked in his drawers only to find small broken pencils and dust. Scanning the room I saw a small book on the shelf. The Star of David the title on the spine said. Dad always talked about this 'Star of David' and how it was important to him but I never did listen to much when he spoke of this. Seeing that I might have some time to kill I decided to read it, but when I tried to take the book out it was stuck.
. . .
Stuffing the papers back into the cabinet I wiped away some of my tears, hell I didn't know I was crying when I was thinking of the creek. I looked around the room taking a deep breath trying to stop crying, just then I heard a loud rumbling coming from the entrance down the hall.
"Uhh...Doctor?" I called.
"Yes Annie?" He said walking around the corner eating a small yogurt.
"Oh." I looked at him, "Umm...did you happen to flick the door switch by any chance?" He looked at me funny.
"No I don't believe I did, Why?" He took another bite of the yogurt.
When I looked at him his face turned to concern, I guess he saw my red eyes.
"Annie, are you okay?" I looked away towards the dark hallway.
"I think someone-" I grabbed my pistol I keep under the desk and got up. "I think someone is at the door."
"Why would you think someone's at the door?" He set down his finished yogurt.
"I heard the door open." I peered around the corner.
"Annie, no one knows about this place okay? Would you relax?" He leaned on the desk. "We're fine."
I looked down the dimly lit hall but couldn't see anything. "Yeah I know but I'm going to check the entrance anyways, just to be on the safe side." I started my way down the hall.
"Alright then." he handed me a flashlight.
"Here don't forget this." I turned and started down the hall and he went into the file cabinet.
. . .
This place looked so clean compared to the rest of the hospital, it was pitch black inside so I couldn't see much. Luckily for me I always carried a flashlight just in case I was ever caught in the dark, but it was only a small one and I can't remember the last time I've changed the battery. Batteries are hard to come by these days. It lit the room barely, just enough for me to see where I was going. The hall looked so clean, like someone had been in this part of the hospital for a while and have been taking good care of it as compared to the rest of the building which was filled with rubble and dirt. At the end of the hall I could see a dim light shining on the walls, finally some light. Just as I was about to turn the corner someone came around the corner shining a light in my face, I couldn't make out who it was but I could see the shining metal of a pistol pointed at my face.
"Stop right there!" it was a woman's voice yelled at me. "Drop it!" I dropped my flashlight and put up my hands, the light glimmered off of my gun. "The gun too!"
"Okay, okay! Just take it easy, I'm not looking for any trouble alright?" I threw the gun away.
"Who are you?" The silhouette said to me.
"Just someone who needs medicine."
I could see the silhouette of her head move to the side to look behind me. "You alone?" She asked me, "Look just take it easy with that gun" She moved forward and yelled, "I asked are you alone?!"
"Yes! Yes I'm alone!" I stumbled back, "Listen I'm not going to hurt you or anything alright?" I lowered my hands a bit, "I just need medicine, something for a fever, figured there might be some in this place."
"Why? You don't look sick."
"It's not for me, it's for a friend."
She didn't say anything stood still for a while, I guess she was considering it. "I'm sorry about your friend. But I can't help you." She was still pointing the flashlight and gun at me. "Now, leave."
"Are you sure?" I took a step towards her, she shot near my foot as a warning shot. "I said leave!" I jumped. "Whoa! Okay, okay I'm going." I said to her walking backwards still holding up my hands.
Jeez people sure are uptight these days, all I wanted was an Advil or something. As I was walking out the hospital I kept thinking of that person, she sounded very familiar to me.