2: Last To Leave

Each step feels as haunting as the last. Faith Harper makes her way down the long hallway. She passes soldier after soldier, getting closer to the mystery that lies behind that front door. More correctly…it is the doorway to hell. Will she see piles of dead bodies? Will anyone be waiting for her? Will someone try to kill her on sight? What is lurking in the darkness? Faith stops in her tracks. Her hand can't stop shaking. She tightens her grip on her supplied military pack. Tears of anger roll down her face. If she was more of a fighter she would have stupidly attacked one of the guards, but she didn't. She just stood there.

One of the guards pushes her, snapping her out of her emotions. "Keep moving" one of the guards bellowed.

Faith makes her way down the hall some more. Prolonging what's out that door is one of Faith's objectives. How can Mrs. Paine do this to us? Images of how Mrs. Paine used to be flash though her head, the way she always encouraged all her students, that smile she always had. How Mrs. Paine always stayed after school and challenged Faith with logic problems and riddles for fun. But the encouragement was gone, the smiles are gone, and the ties of friendship are gone.

It felt like an eternity walking down this hallway, which only spanned a five room length. Faith stares at the door. She takes one look back at the soldiers. That's when she noticed Mrs. Paine walking out of the room Faith just came out of. It was only a second's glimpse but Faith noticed that Mrs. Paine was now crying.

There is no more time to stall. Faith had to face what was behind the door. She slowly raises her hands onto the handle and pushes on the metal bar. The metal pushes inward unlocking the door. A gust of wind swings the door open.

There were no bodies. There were no friends. All Faith saw was the darkness. A grasshopper echoed through the wind, as if being carried by the night's breeze. The door closed behind her. She walks down a couple of steps. The dirt was very dry. Tall trees covered the eastern part of the hospital, accompanied by a row of dense bushes. What to do now? Faith takes a couple more steps looking around intently for any movement. Of coarse it would be Faith to be the last to leave, always the last to do everything. At least no one is attacking each other. Maybe nobody will kill each other. Maybe we can all find a way out of this mess together. I just need to find a friend.

The bushes start to rustle near by. Faith spoke to soon. The killer was probably waiting for the perfect chance to strike. To Faith's relief, Claire Ritter (Female Student #13) emerges from the bushes.

A friend! She waited for me.

Claire's beautiful face shined through the moonlight. Her soft, blonde hair blows with the wind. They were friends since the second they met each other. Claire makes her way forward but Faith now notices that she is holding a shotgun, a Tanaka M870 Shotgun to be exact. Faith takes a couple steps back. No, not her. She wouldn't kill…would she? She prepares herself to run away if her friend decided to attack.

"Faith, don't!" Claire cries out. Another rustling of bushes is heard behind Claire. Tami Walters (Female Student #17) and Travis Strawson (Male Student #17) step out of the bushes. Tami holds her supplied weapon, a Tower Guard Crossbow, and Travis holds his, a Czechoslovakian CZ75. Travis keeps his arm wrapped around Tami.

Did they form a little group? Faith walks closer to them her eyes fixated on their weapons. She looked at the gun Travis was holding, then her eyes darted to Tami's crossbow, "W-What are you guys doing?"

"Were gonna attack the soldiers." Tami's high pitched voice arises from her small body.

"What?" Faith responds, "Didn't they say they will shoot anyone who lingers at the hospital."

Travis starts to talk in his low, quiet voice, "We know but…" He stops. He was shy in normal situations but now it is even worse. Travis struggles to talk.

Tami jumps right in, "We don't care." Whenever Travis is a lack of words Tami always knows what to say.

"We're not gonna play their game." Claire spoke again, her voice softer than before. Her face now flushed with determination. Claire looks at her watch it read 3:24AM. Fifteen more minutes to continue with their plan.

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