You've got 4 new texts messages from Blaine A.:

Message 1, sent at 01:34 am

Kurt, what happened to your family? Is your dad alright?

Message 2, sent at 06:48 am

Please answer me. I'm getting worried. I love you.

Message 3, sent at 08:15 am

My phone is going to die soon, if you need anything send me a text message or leave a voice mail.

Message 4, sent at 01:04 pm

Everyone is going back to their homes. I'll go to Marion and see if my family is alright. I love you.

Part XVII

Hiram and Leroy were fast on their feet cleaning wounds and bandaging ankles, while Puck made sure that everyone had some painkillers. Kurt realized that he didn't feel as bad as he did before about robbing that pharmacy, not if the things they took were going to be used so soon and in such quantity. Britt had assigned herself as Santana's nurse as soon as the girl walked into the house, tying the scarf that Puck gave her as a sling and making sure she had everything she'd ever possibly need in her life. It was silly and embarrassingly cute.

Kurt decided to cook for his friends because everyone else was busy and soon everyone was feed and as happy as they could be given all this crazy going on around them.

They filled each other on their stories, on their worries and their plans for the hospitals. The groups had been easily made, Puck, Kurt, Hiram, and Tina in one car, Finn, Rachel, Leroy and Mike in the other. Lauren was staying home taking care of the wounded and defenseless, she had said when asked. Sam was still sleeping but everyone had agreed to to let him sleep for as long as he needed, Santana's shoulder was still too sensitive and fragile to be really useful in a fight (if it got to that) and Britt decided that she would be the nurse and nurses don't fight.

"So, you guys are going to St Rita" Finn said, pointing Kurt and his group, "and we go to Lima memorial. And whenever we finish there we go help you with St Rita?"

"I think that would be a good idea, St Rita it's at least two times the size of Lima Memorial" Hiram said, looking a bit worried. "We could park near the entrance and honk when we get there, so you can tell us what you've found or where to look at"

"I think we should only be there as long as there is day light. Things are scary enough without it; those halls will be horrible without a continuous source of light" Rachel said, looking at the wrist watch. "We should set a time. Its 1 pm now, maybe we should meet at St Rita around 4 and keep looking there until the sun sets"

They got into the cars quickly, only stopping to get guns and flashlights for everyone, with Kurt and Puck giving everyone a fast lesson on how to recharge them and how to aim. For a minute Kurt actually wondered where it was the Puck had learnt all he knew about weapons, but ended filling that doubt under the list of 'Thing Puck does and knows because he is a 'badass''.

They got into the car with Hiram and Tina in the back seats, and Puck riding shotgun, with a real shotgun in his arms.

The streets were as empty as ever, with snow covering tracks, driveways and sometimes hiding the holes and bumps on the streets. Maybe it was because Kurt was driving and because of that he had to be more careful in watching the roads, but he was the first to realize that there was something different around the streets near the river.

"Did you guys notice? There's less blood around these streets" he said, pointing to the road that traveled along the Ottawa River.

"Was it like that everywhere?" Hiram asked, as he was one of the few that had stayed home most of that day.

"I don't really know, Finn crossed the river near Industry Park, so I don't think there was enough people to actually bleed around" Tina said, looking a bit pale.

"It was the same near Lauren's house, and we crossed through Central Ave when we went to get Quinn, it was more or less the same" Kurt said, turning left on Market St. and wondering in his mind where could have all the people gone to.

"Maybe the creepers don't like water" Puck suggested, looking out the window and keeping an eye on the roads.

"That would be useful" Kurt commented. He couldn't help but feel that maybe the boy was right because, as closer to Lima's downtown they got, the more blood and bits they could see on the streets.

They drove in silence the rest of the way, at least until Puck suggested they entered the building from the ER rather than the main entrance because it was the most logical thing for someone injured to do.

Kurt didn't even bother parking on a designed spot and simply killed the engine with the car across them, the easiest way to get out of there if they actually had something on their tails later on.

The Access Hall in the ER had a lot of glass. Correction, used to have a lot of glass, because now most of it lay smashed at their feet.

They walked inside in silence, trying to listen everywhere for at least sound of life in the interior of the building. At least knowing that someone else was alive was an achievement by then, it gave them hope that maybe their families could be alive somewhere else.

They went to the right, past the waiting rooms and the patient registration stalls. Until then the sunlight from the outside was a big help, they didn't even notice that the building didn't have electric power when the windows were so big that they could light up the room with daylight, but as closer they got to the actual ER, as farther inside the building they got, the light outside started to become a memory more than a fact.

Kurt turned on his flashlight with a sigh.

"I guess you were right about coming during the day, but it doesn't seem like it will help here" he said to Puck, looking frustrated.