It was a dark and dreary day at San Jose Bonaventure Hospital. The rain smelled of rust. The sky lightened and darkened again every so often- seemingly normal to the regular eye, but startling to him.
Shaun didn't care for the rain- let alone full on thunder storms such as this one. His sensories overloaded- his pupil moved rapidly back and forth, his nostrils flared and his eardrums burst.
As he strutted off the bus his umbrella suddenly popped open. Although he had been the one to open it, Shaun almost fell over in shock. He tumbled back to his feet, clutching the dark blue umbrella tightly in his pale hands.
To Shaun's surprise, there was barely any commotion in the hospital. This could only mean one thing- he was late, again.
No, he assured himself. You're not late, the bus was late.
Still, he knew he should hurry on to find his group. They already hated him enough, he didn't need anything else adding on to that.
Shaun, trembling in the cold of the locker room, frantically put his stuff away, put his lab coat on, and slowly and quietly- as if trying not to awake a sleeping baby- closed his locker door.
He passed the ER on his way to find his companions. He looked around, observing the room. Empty beds. A lot of empty beds. Too many empty hospital beds- usually laying tens of injured or sick people, and more, waiting impatiently for a bed to be available. There were some people. Nurses and a couple patients- but not as many as usual. Today is different, Shaun thought, swallowing hard on the confusion. Why is today different?
He stood there, his hands clasped together as his thumbs started to fidget nervously. He heard a noise, but he couldn't quite tell if it were actual people talking in the hallway close to him or just the occasional voices in his head making him paranoid.
He listened closer. Yep- they were definitely voices from the hallway. He could hear his somewhat friend, Claire. He nodded, even though there was no one to nod to. He strides on forward, until something stops him in his tracks. He heard shallow whimpers coming from behind him, and finally- a clicking sound. He would have heard that sound from miles away.
He stood there, afraid of what may happen if he moved, until he finally gave in and slowly turned around- making sure not to make any sudden moves. Just as he had expected- the second he heard the click- standing only but ten yards ahead of him was a tall man, his arm outstretched, and a gun shivering at the end of it.
Although reluctant, Shaun put his hands up in a surrendering motion. Surrendering for what? He did not know. He didn't know who this man was or why he'd ever want to shoot up a hospital. This was the place where people were supposed to feel safe- to be safe.
He tried his best to stay as stationary as his body would allow. There wasn't anything he could do. He'd simply have to wait until this man left, run out of the building, and call 911.
He repeated the plan in his head. He didn't know how long he had been standing there but he was brought back to reality with a loud bang. This gun went off. The man was starting to shoot. Shaun frantically looked at all the people around him. Some had a stern, solemn look on their faces, some looked to be on the brink of tears, and others were already sobbing. The loud screams coming from the ER plus the loud, sudden shots fired had sent a shock through Shaun's body. It was overwhelming, but he needed to move- to do something.
His foot stomped on the hard concrete floor- apparently a little too loud for the gunman's liking. His head turned sharply until he and Shaun locked eyes.
"Freeze!" The man screamed at him, spit flying from his mouth. Shaun twitched at the noises- the smell of blood. The man slowed towards him, as others behind him starred in what seemed to be a mix of wonder and terror. Before he knew it Shaun was on the run. He ran at the speed of light, weaving through the medical equipment and people. He jumped, dodging bullets as if he were in an action movie.
He heard the hard, frantic thumps of the other man's feet as he ran several yards behind him. Shaun ran until he spotted Claire and the others, Everyone in that hallway seemed completely normal, until they say Shaun and- several seconds later- the man with the gun.
"Shaun?" Claire turned around at the sound of stomping and distant screams.
"Run!" Shaun yelled as he grabbed her hand- almost involuntarily. Before he yanked her along Claire got a slight glance at the man. Her face lit up, but not in glee. She gasped as Shaun let go of her hand. They kept running- Dr. Melendez and Dr. Kalu only steps behind them.
Without even noticing, Shaun ran ahead of them. He ran like his life depended on it- well, actually it did.
"Where are we going?" Claire managed to ask between breaths. Of course, Shaun didn't answer her. He heard her, but he didn't answer.