"How many are already there?"

Asked Henry as the four of them entered the prison. Helena fidgeted next to him, her eyes wide, her fingers trembling slightly as she picked at a loose thread in the cuff of her shirt.

Zoe stood tightly next to Max, his arm low about her waist, his fingers resting just on the blunt bone of her hip.

"Four ambulances, and one other trauma group..."

The ward sister lowered her voice as she spoke so as not to alarm any passing patients or staff.

"Numerous casualties...possibly more than one fatality..."

Henry nodded and Max leaned against Zoe, placing a gentle pressure on her hip.

"I don't want you to go."

He said quietly, Zoe glancing from Henry up to him, her smile forced.

"This is what I'm training for Max..."

She placed a hand over his own where it rested against her and squeezed his fingers reassuringly.

"Zoe, ready?"

Henry asked, slipping off his jacket as he spoke and passing it to Helena.

"Car keys are in the pocket."

He said as Helena received the jacket without barely noticing she had taken it.

"Zoe..."

Max tightened his grip as she made to follow Henry.

"If you get hurt..."

Zoe placed a finger against his lips, letting it slip gently to his chin.

"I'll be fine."

She whispered with a wink, squeezing his hand one last time before leaving to follow Henry to get changed and leave with the next ambulance.

Max watched her, her small frame walking briskly off down the corridor and finally out of sight. He clenched his fist at his side, drawing in a long breath.

"Are you ok?"

Helena's voice caught his attention, the soft American drawl with a faint hint of worry.

He shrugged and looked again to the end of the corridor where Zoe had disappeared.

"Aren't you worried?"

He asked faintly, not really caring for an answer.

He saw her follow his gaze from the corner of his eye.

"Not for him, no..."

"What can I tell you? A few ground rules - no bombing, no running, no petting, no diving and no inflatables. In fact, probably best to leave all swimming related activities until later - this is, after all, an ambulance and not a swimming pool."

Claude, the paramedic they were travelling with spoke quickly, an oddly jovial manner to adopt under the circumstances. He smiled warmly at Zoe, his arm gesturing for them to step into the back of the ambulance. He followed, and as the doors slammed shut they began to move off, their speed increasing, the back of the ambulance filled with the flare of the lights and the deafening wail of the sirens.

They made the journey in silence, the sirens too loud for polite conversation and for that Zoe was glad. She sat, hunched forward, hands clasped in her lap, a helmet attached to the wall behind her occasionally knocking against her back. Henry sat next to her, she could feel the warmth of his leg against hers through the green overalls. She shifted uncomfortably, they'd been instructed to wear protective vests underneath their clothes, something that Zoe had never come across before, and as well as being restrictive and uncomfortable, the thought and knowledge of it worried her.

She'd promised Max she would be fine...

She felt the soft pressure of something on her back and leaned forwards slightly, assuming it to be the helmet slipping again, instead the pressure followed her and she felt the gentle stroking of her back. She glanced up to find Henry looking at her, false concern and the hint of a smile at his lips.

"Are you ok?"

He asked, still rubbing her back, despite her attempts to lean away.

"Mmm."

She nodded and murmured her response, looking over at Claude who sat opposite. He was flicking through something on his kindle.

"I'll look after you."

Henry leant in towards her, whispering the words, she could feel his spit against her cheek as she spoke. She pretended not to hear and turned her face from him, staring instead at the long bed she sat next to.

Eventually the cry of the sirens stopped and they halted, pausing whilst they were allowed entry through the prison gates, they drove slowly to the next gate, a middle aged woman with the build of a rugby player opened the back of the ambulance to check everyone's ID before allowing them entrance into the grounds where they parked. She followed them in, waiting for them as they exited.

"If y'all follow me I'll show you were it's happening."

Her voice was husky from years of smoking. Zoe tried but failed to read her name badge in the dark before she moved away, taking large strides so that Zoe struggled to keep up with the small group.

They were led through the side door into the officers quarters, a large staff room attached to a small kitchen. As they passed through into the narrow corridor beyond the wall of sound hit them, things smashing, the dull thumping of furniture being moved, thrown, the shouting, the screaming. The volume rose continuously until they arrived in an hexagonal space, barred on all sides but the one they had entered through.

Armed police flanked the rails, twenty, maybe thirty of them, their backs to Zoe, Henry and Claude, clear plastic shields held fast against the chipped paint of the rails, blue helmets with marked visors firmly down over their faces. They stood like statues, seemingly no deterrent to the women beyond.

"Where are the casualties?"

Henry asked, shouting above the noise to the prison officer who had accompanied them. She leaned closer, cupping her mouth to help them hear.

"The cops are trying to cool them down so that we can get in there. We're missing an officer and two of your paramedics. We believe it to be a hostage situation."

She turned to look back at the women behind the bars. Furniture from various cells had been thrown over the railings above them onto the wire mesh that separated the three floors from one another. Toilet paper decorated the stairs like stained streamers and the women themselves were wild eyed and manic, some bare chested, others continuously screaming insults, throwing whatever came to hand, others fighting violently between themselves.

Zoe took it all in, a cool shiver slipping down from her neck to the base of her spine making her shudder, her teeth chattering despite the heat of the building, of all these women.

"Any minute now..."

The prison officer shouted again, watching as the police who were in with the girls somehow managed to contain the pulsating mass of women. The prison guard moved quickly despite her size, unlocking the barred door and holding it open.

"They're all yours..."

She shouted.

More to come x I hope you're all still enjoying it, I will hopefully update again tonight! Reviews welcomed! :) xxx