Chapter Thirty

The Fifteen Survivors

The silence within the police station was stifling. It hung in the air like gas threatening to suffocate all fourteen occupants. Each were silent, brooding, thoughtful. Some were angry, some were sad, some were in pain and some didn't even know what to think. However, everyone had reason to think about themselves, about what they were feeling. What they had felt.

Immediately after the accident, they were all high on adrenaline. They were happy to be alive, happy to have escaped. Now, in their individual solitude they all had reason to think about 'why?'

Why...

What reason did they have to leave the comfort of the hospital? There was no evidence that the hospital would be demolished by that tornado, so what drove them to leave its confines?

For Jason and Dorothy, the answer was easy. They saw it. They knew what would happen. They could only try and get who they could out.

David, Jennifer and Lukas all followed those who they relied on. David easily trusted Dorothy, Jennifer knew Jason wasn't lying and Lukas could only follow Joshua, who knew what he was doing.

But the rest? Riley had heard Dorothy panicking, hyperventilating. A feeling had washed over him, a feeling of dread, of pure fear. He had gone straight out of the hospital and found Becca. Not knowing what else to do, they had followed Dorothy, David and Lukas. Joshua had gone further into the building for unknown reasons.

Alex, Josie and Jay followed feelings as well. Jason had run in, screamed at them and got out just as quickly. Images of the bridge were in their minds but even so a normal person would have stayed where they were. Instead, Jay and Josie hoisted Alex from his bed and all three managed to get outside.

It was the same for Chloe and Jeremy. Jason had run in, yelled at them with Jennifer hot on his heels. He told them to get out, to save themselves. They were going to die if they stayed. The two wanted to stay together. Their relationship was blooming so much and the hospital room was a space of relative privacy. Even so, Jeremy told Chloe he had a bad feeling and Chloe agreed. They walked out, Chloe helping Jeremy to walk.

Out of all fourteen survivors in the police station, Nick and Tyrone were thinking hard, thinking deeply, more than anyone else. Nick had Jason come to his room and he had reacted. Thoughts ran through his head at the time that Jason wanted to kill him because he was a witness. But instead Nick witnessed firsthand Jason panicking, screaming, yelling... wanting him to get out. Jason was gone soon after. Nick realised that this was what Jason had looked like at the bridge. Not a man of regret, a man of pure fear. It was at that moment, Nick realised that Jason wasn't any sort of culprit. He didn't cause the bridge collapse. There was no way he caused the tornado and he saw that. Someone else blew the bridge. But Nick still had questions so he had followed him, followed Jason and as a result survived. Survived when so many others had died.

As a police officer, one of the worst things that could happen was being unable to do his job. Nick was sensible. He may have been young, he may have been slightly inexperienced but he had a sense of honour and duty that even the most hardened veterans struggled to have. It was his duty to protect and serve, but he couldn't do either of those things. He could only stand outside, staring from the opposite building that Jason had told them to get into and watch as hundreds died. Citizens of Willingboro; citizens that he couldn't protect.

Even worse was the fact that he couldn't get out onto the field, to help those that may have survived or catalogue the bodies or do something. Instead, with a gunshot wound to the chest, he had to stay back. He had gone back with the other survivors with a pain in his chest more painful than a simple gunshot wound. A pain that he was breaking everything he had sworn to do. Breaking an oath.

On the other hand, Tyrone wasn't thinking about Jason. Or Dorothy. He wasn't thinking about anyone in the building currently. On his mind was the man in the faces of drama shirt. A man who identified himself as Joshua. He had run on the roof, out of breath and telling Tyrone simply that, "You're going to die." Tyrone had inexplicably listened for reasons that escaped him. Joshua was a stranger, but the look in his eyes, the way he had said those words, Tyrone knew it to be true. He knew that he was going to die. Then the lightning struck hard between Joshua and Tyrone; separating them in a bright blue flash and heat that seared his skin.

As Tyrone tried to focus he saw the blurry figure of Joshua leaping over a burning generator. With a gleeful shout, Joshua had said, "but not just yet." Tyrone's mind was blank as Joshua had tackled into him and in turn tackled him straight off the multi-story hospital. At that moment, Tyrone was all but certain that he would die. His back would smash under the weight of both Joshua and the floor. He would meet Jake very soon and very painfully. He expected that he would stay a bloody pulp on the floor still living as the blood leaked from his body. Instead, he hit water and was covered in a murky, rather smelly, liquid.

Joshua had tackled him down multiple floors into a dumpster full of water. Trash was floating and hitting Tyrone but he was alive. A small graze on his elbow, but this man, Joshua, had saved him. Joshua had dragged him out of the dumpster and across the road to meet with the rest of the survivors. All of them watched in awe as the epic sight of a tornado ripped the hospital to shreds. The tornado soon dissipated and everything was calm. Tyrone wanted to thank Joshua, greet him, ask him for more information but when he turned he saw nothing.

Joshua was gone.

So all the survivors sat, thinking their own thoughts, even for those who usually thought of others. David thought about himself, rather than Dorothy. Jeremy thought about himself, rather than Chloe. Josie thought about herself, rather than Jay. For a long time they all went deep into their own minds, thinking about themselves, thinking of their independence and learning what drove them.

It was late in the evening, hours after the event, that someone uttered the first sound since they had first come into the building. Lukas had let off and small, nervous and relieved laugh. Soon, Josie and Riley joined in. It wasn't long before it caught on and everyone was laughing, not of joy, but of pure relief. Some laughed low, some laughed loudly, but they all laughed. Then it shut off as if someone had put them on mute. Suddenly, they all felt a sense of comradeship.

All of them had survived the accident; all of them were the only people who had come out unscathed and alive. Somehow they knew that whatever would happen, they would stick together and be there when it happened. They may have been completely different. An alchoholic to a blind woman, a policeman to a person without a home, an orphan to a love struck couple. They were all completely and utterly different, but they were all similar. They were all survivors and that had a meaning. A profound meaning. They weren't sure what that meaning was but they knew it meant a hell of a lot.

Before anyone could say a word, the front door opened letting in the sound of heavy rain before it was shut again, allowing the faint pitter-patter to continue on the roof.

Joshua Valentine walked in, looking deadly serious, no trace of a grin on his face. His eyes were burning with determination. His hair was slicked across his skull from the rain, with only his headband keeping his fringe from falling over his eyes. A black leather jacket was zipped all the way up, covering his trademark shirt while his sneakers were covered in mud. There was no sign of his usual red and white attire. All was hidden by either the mud or his jacket. A briefcase hung from his wrist as he walked closer into the room. Completely dark, completely serious.

"All of you." Joshua said, his voice piercing the silence. Even Nick and Jason didn't react, despite being shot by the man. "All of you..." Joshua repeated, looking around, looking at each of them in turn. From Becca and Riley in the corner down to Alex sitting on a wooden chair. "You all need to know some important facts. I am here to give you the facts that will help you survive." Joshua walked forward, his sneakers making soft slaps against the police station floor. He stood in the middle of the room, all eyes on him. "I am going to explain everything to you. Why you survived." Joshua turned his eyes towards Dorothy and Jason who were sitting near each other. "Why you have visions." Once again Joshua turned his head, this time looking to Tyrone. "About what the list is and what it is about." Joshua scanned the room again. "And what we are going to do about it. I am not going to be a bystander. I am involved now. But I have the knowledge that will save each and every one of you. I will be the voice that all of you so desperately need." Joshua shut his eyes. "Listen to me well, for your lives will be changed forever. All of you are assigned to die." Joshua's eyes snapped open, green eyes vibrant. "Under my watch, I will make it my personal mission to make sure none of you do."

A/N: Thanks to Bookreader2010, Guest, Guest, Guest (Once again I assume 'tis LocalTalent53, Cenobia100 and Gabe's-Girl-Forever for your reviews!

Right, I feel much better after the last chapter since writing this chapter. Not only that, but this is a double chapter release. So, what are you waiting here for? Go read chapter Thirty-One!)