III - Mama Bear
Gunshots erupted loudly through the Master Bedroom before Neville closed the door. Though the gunshots were softened, they were still audible. He wiped the sweat off his large neck and stroked his hair back below his ears. His big body frame cast a shadow in the direction of the flashlights. His footsteps creaked against the marble floor as he held his Vepr-12, the barrel pointed upwards. He walked over to a cannibal standing by the Lincoln Bedroom.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Someone's in there," said the cannibal. "I heard them."
Neville chuckled.
"A funny story 'bout this room. The Lincoln Bedroom. You know Lincoln never slept here? Nah, this was a room dedicated to his memory. But you know what some people say? Some people say this room is where the ghost of Abe himself can be seen."
"You think I'm hearing things? Dude, I clearly heard someone."
"Lots of people heard things in this room. They even… saw things."
"You think there's a fucking ghost? Go on! Check!"
"Wait. I heard something," whispered Neville.
"What? What'd you hear?"
Neville placed his ear against the door.
"Listen closely… sounds like a…"
Neville remained still. The cannibal moved closer to the door, staring intensely at Neville, who then looked away, before he suddenly turned around.
"BOO!"
The cannibal shrieked. Neville laughed as he leaned against the door.
"That wasn't fucking funny, you dicksucker!"
"Alright, chill. I'm just messing with you."
"No, go to fucking hell! I hate it when you pull that shit!"
"Relax, woman. It's just a joke. Just something to get your blood pumping."
"Yeah? Fuck you."
Neville smirked before the cannibal stormed off. He turned around and slammed the door open.
"Fine, I'm sorry, alright?" exclaimed Neville. "Yo! Sharon! I believe you!"
Sharon gave Neville the finger while looking away. Neville groaned and rolled his eyes as he looked back into the room. He aimed his shotgun at the bed and fired multiple rounds. He moved the shotgun and continued firing semi shots as fast as he could. The pellets destroyed the mirror, deflated the mattress, sent comic books flying into the air, and caused furniture to break down. Then, the shooting stopped.
"There, damn."
Sharon smirked. She walked inside the room and fired her silenced submachine gun around the room, putting holes in the destroyed mess that was left. She then released her finger from the trigger and sighed before turning around, lifting her gun at Neville and pressing the trigger.
"Shit!" he yelled.
Sharon then broke down in laughter.
"Jesus," smiled Neville. "You're batshit insane. Making me feel all sorry for you then pulling that crap…"
"I'm not gonna apologize."
Neville walked away.
"Good. Just keep looking for the ghost. Come back to me when you see something, hoe."
Sharon cackled.
"He's so salty…!" she said as her laughter trailed off.
Neville walked inside the East Bedroom and closed the door, breathing a sigh of relief as he walked toward the bed. He sat and lay down, letting himself sink into the mattress' comfort.
Lana and Lily felt the mattress press against their backs as they opened their mouths. Lily rolled over to the side, while Lana remained in the center under the bed, the mattress crushing her. She groaned as she struggled to move. The mattress then raised as she gasped for air.
"What the fuck?" Neville whispered as he pointed his flashlight down under the bed.
Lana felt her heart pound against her chest as sweat now drenched her face. Neville's footsteps circled around the bed before a creak was heard. Lily's eyes then grew wide as she felt something touch her leg before she shrieked.
"Lily!" yelled Lana. "Hold on!"
Neville held onto Lily's legs and pulled while Lana struggled to keep her grip on her sister's hands. Neville then pulled harder, causing Lana's grip to break as Lily was dragged out from under the bed. He flipped Lily over, who was flailing around, trying to set herself free before he held her arms together and tightened them against each other.
"Stop squirming."
Neville grabbed his shotgun and aimed it at Lily, who was whimpering.
"Come on out," he said. "I know you're there. I have a gun pointed at your si—!"
He took a deep breath and moved the barrel of the gun away from Lily and towards the bed instead.
"I have a gun pointed at the bed! If you don't come out in three seconds, I swear to God, I'm gonna fucking shoot! Three!"
"Okay!" yelled Lana. "I'm coming out!"
Lana pulled herself out from under the bed and crawled towards Lily.
"Please let her go," she begged, her voice shuddering. "Take me instead!"
"Jesus fucking Christ."
Neville stood up, releasing Lily. She was breathing shakily as tears streamed down her face. The cannibal rubbed his forehead as he paced around.
"You two. Get up."
Lana eyed the flashlight pointed at her and glanced at the barrel of the Vepr-12 next to it. She grabbed Lily's hands and picked her up as she gulped. Neville walked towards the end of the room.
"Is this the bathroom?" he asked.
Lana nodded.
"Get in."
Lana and Lily walked inside the bathroom, glancing at the closet, before entering. Neville shoved them further in as he turned around and closed the door, locking it.
"This is gonna go much faster if you close your eyes," said Neville, turning on the sink water. "No one needs to hear this."
Lana shook as Neville unzipped his pants. She looked at an outer body part she had never seen before, with her eyes widening from a terrified curiosity and a dreadfilled fear. Neville grabbed it and moaned as Lana remained frozen. The sound of urine hitting the sides of the toilet bowl was louder than the water splashing against the sink. Neville shook his head.
"You're looking aren't you?" he said. "This— This is embarrassing for me, you know? Come on, look the hell away!"
Lana and Lily turned around as the urine continued to splash against the toilet seat, some of it dripping onto the floor.
Clyde got out of the closet and scanned the room lit by the moonlight outside the windows. He grabbed the scissors that sat on the drawers near the bathroom and stood outside, shaking in fear as he waited for the door to open.
Jeffrey knocked on the steel door as he looked around the dark hallways. He knocked again and felt his heartbeats getting stronger by the second. He knocked once more.
"Sister Lisa! If you're in there, you need to let me in! I already made it this far! Please, let me in!"
Jeffrey quickly turned around as he heard footsteps approaching. He backed up against the steel door and aimed his flashlight towards the hallway, watching a figure approach in the distance with a gun aimed at him.
"Please, sir. I'm not here to cause any trouble."
"I am," said a familiar voice.
The armored figure took off her helmet and shook her shoulder-length blonde hair, while lowering George's Mossberg shotgun.
"Lisa's safe," said Carol. "But you won't be if you stay here. Come on."
Carol placed her helmet back on and grabbed Jeffrey's hands as she walked away from the door.
Lisa heard more knocking on the steel door. She remained still as an indistinct voice talked outside.
"It's gonna take a while to melt the locks," said Calvin.
"We have all night, right?" asked Nora. "Haha, that rhymes."
"I didn't plan on spending the night trying to take this door down, but if it must come down to that—"
A shotgun blast boomed in one of the rooms. Another blast sounded from the end of the hallway. Calvin grabbed Beatrice's shoulders and lightly shoved her towards the hallway to the left.
"We all need to go."
"The fuck is that?" asked Timothy.
"Just go!"
Calvin and some of the other cannibals ran into the left hallway, as Carol approached from the end of the center hallway, aiming her shotgun at the cannibals in front of her. Her night-vision goggles made it easier to spot them amid the frenzy of flashlights flickering on and off. The cannibals scrambled in an attempt to escape, though they were met with a mouthful of pellets, some hitting their chest, others striking their abdomen, a couple blowing their brains all over the walls. Carol continued marching down the hallway, loading every shot before firing at a nearby cannibal. One of the unlucky cannibals ran to the door and looked to his left. Before he could run ahead, his kneecaps were obliterated by the shotgun pellets, causing him to cry out in pain as he dropped onto the floor. Carol walked past him as she looked around.
"It's clear," she said.
"Lord, help me," said Jeffrey as he looked at the bodies in fear.
"Close your eyes and cover your ears," said Carol.
Jeffrey looked as Carol walked back, stepping over the pile of bodies. She approached a man crawling towards Jeffrey with one arm, the end of his missing limb painting blood over the red carpet.
"You…" groaned the man. "Pray… pray for me! Pray for—!"
Carol unloaded another shell, shattering the man's spine to pieces before she walked over him, opening the chamber to the Mossberg and placing more ammunition.
"We're going outside," said Carol. "I told you to close your eyes."
Jeffrey was left aghast before Carol grabbed his hands and walked him away from the hallways outside the laboratory. The blood from the bodies continued pouring onto the floor as nearby smoke lingered around.
Urine continued to spew against the toilet seat as Lana and Lily held each other's hands. Lana's breath trembled as she looked at Neville, who started talking to them.
"You know where that short-haired blonde girl is? The one that looks like Lori? Hangs out with that redhead a lot?"
"C-Carol Pingrey?" said Lana.
"Yeah, her. You know where she is?"
"N-No. I-I was... hiding here the— the whole time."
"You know, I ain't really into kids. No offense, but kids make me sick. Hate being around 'em, and they ain't good on the stomach. Old people too. Might be obvious, but… maybe not. But people like Carol? Not too young and not too old. Just right."
"W-What do you mean?" asked Lana, almost immediately feeling regret.
"She looks delicious. The uterus on her better be tight. 'Cause I'm eating that."
"Y-you're gonna e-eat Carol?"
"Yeah. She killed three of my cousins. I'd enjoy cooking her flesh and eating it. Maybe I'd do it right in front of her."
"W-what about us?"
"I wish I hadn't found you girls. Maybe I'll trade you two with whoever finds Carol. Maybe."
A quick flush was heard from inside the bathroom, followed by the squeak of a faucet tap shutting off. Then, the door opened. Neville looked outside, finding Clyde standing in front of him with a pair of scissors in hand. Clyde screamed as he swung the scissors downward, aiming for the cannibal's knee. Neville, however, dodged the close-ranged attack and countered with a swing of his shotgun, smacking Clyde in the jaw and knocking him down onto the floor, causing Clyde to drop the scissors.
Clyde groaned as he rubbed his lips, and spotted what marked his fingers— blood.
"Jesus, kid. The fuck is wrong with you?"
Clyde glared at Neville and quickly got up, proceeding to bite the cannibal's left thigh. Neville screamed as Clyde bit harder and cannibal fell to his knees before wrapping his hands around Clyde's neck, forcing Clyde to cease his biting as he opened his mouth to gasp for air.
"That's what you get for bitin' me, you fucking ni—!"
Lana picked up the scissors and jammed them down Neville's right calf, causing him to yell in pain and release Clyde. Neville turned around and pulled the scissors out, causing him to yell in pain once more. He threw the scissors across the room and glared at Lana.
"YOU FUCKING BRAT!"
Neville lunged towards the panicked girl, who barely had time to take a step back before the cannibal had her in his grasp. He grabbed her neck with one hand and raised his other, with his palm open, and swung it down across Lana's face. The slap left a huge red mark across Lana's right cheek before she opened her eyes, wincing from the pain. Neville then back-slapped her with great force, causing Lana to groan loudly.
"Stop…" whispered Lana.
Neville continued to relentlessly slap her over again and over again, with a few hints of blood and tears flying off her face. Clyde got up and punched Neville in the jaw, though the cannibal quickly recovered and retaliated with a heavy blow to Clyde's gut. Clyde fell back, his earpiece dropping from his left ear. Lily then jumped forward and grabbed Neville's right hand, before sinking her small teeth inside the skin
"Fuck! The little one too?"
Neville shoved Lily away and grabbed her by her lavender sweater, with Lily shrieking and batting away at the cannibal's arms.
"Lana! Lana! Bad man! Bad man!"
Neville raised a hand, preparing to strike the littlest Loud- hard. Lily was shrieking in absolute terror as she frantically flailed around. The cannibal's hand was only inches away from making contact with Lily, before an arrow suddenly tore through Neville's shoulder.
"ARGGGH, THE FUCK?!"
Neville quickly turned and lifted his other arm to cover his face before an arrow pierced his hand. He stared at the blood-coated tip as Vonda nocked another arrow. Neville quickly removed the arrow from his damaged hand and crawled towards his shotgun. Another arrow flew across the room, sticking into Neville's right leg. He dropped onto the floor on his chest and groaned as blood squirted out of his leg.
"You have a problem with kids?" hissed Vonda.
"I do. But not you. You're grown."
"Fucking weirdo. You know how many men out there wouldn't dare harm their kids? There are people out there who wanna be dads! But you'd do this to anyone, right?"
"What happened to Sharon?"
"I'm about to show you."
Vonda drew her bow and nocked an arrow at Neville.
"Clyde. Take Lana and Lily outta here."
Clyde nodded. He grabbed Lana's hand— while she held Lily's hand— and picked up the Vepr-12 with his free hand. He walked out of the room, leaving Vonda alone with the dying cannibal.
"I'm nothin' compared to her. I'm an angel compared to the people 'round me. Sharon's a mama bear. You know what mama bears do when they're starvin' and there's nothing to eat? They—"
Vonda released the nock of her arrow. The projectile quickly impaled Neville's head, with the cannibal dropping dead to the floor.
Clyde slowly walked through the bodies his flashlight shone upon, as Lana covered Lily's eyes. Clyde heard the creak of a door and turned the flashlight around, finding Vonda outside of the East Room.
"Where are we going?" asked Lily.
"Clyde's takin' us to the Situation Room," said Vonda. "Now."
Clyde gulped as he stood frozen in place.
"Come on!" yelled Vonda.
"Sorry," said Clyde.
Clyde continued walking, taking a few steps around the bodies of the cannibals impaled with arrows. One belonged to Sharon, with an arrow stuck through the back of her neck, while her arms and legs were positioned atop each other as she lay sideways, like a dead bear..
A voice spoke out of the earpiece that lay on the floor of Lana and Lily's bedroom.
"Clyde? Clyde, can you hear me? Clyde! I guess not."
Lori slowly walked up the stairs with her rifle pointing upward. She then peeked the corner of the hallway with the silenced barrel pointed at the corpses of the cannibals.
"Where did they go?" asked Bobby.
"They're headed to the West Wing. I don't know why. I can barely see 'em, but they're safe."
"Vonda is out of control, man," said Lynn. "Look at the mess she made. I get that these cannibals are terrible people, but she ain't ever kill people like this. She's pissed."
"George was like a dad to her," said Luan. "I remember how you were after finding out what General Black did to Dad. You wanted to kill every rogue you could find."
"I'm still mad that you got to kill Black," said Lynn.
"Me too," sighed Luan. "I still get bad dreams time to time."
"Guys! Guys, Calvin's headed your way, East Terrace. Stay where you are and you can ambush them. Or, burst through those doors and take them by surprise. Personally, I say ambush the-"
Lori stormed towards the door and kicked it open.
"Lori!"
"He's not gonna be taken down that easily," she said.
The cannibals raised their weapons as Calvin climbed down the ladder of the East Terrace. Bobby ran forward and pulled Lori behind a metallic ammunition crate as the cannibals began firing at the group.
Benny peeked around a corner and aimed his suppressed M4A1 at the cannibals. A green dot emitting from the carbine's laser module danced about the moving targets before Benny pulled the trigger. Timothy and Moose jumped behind another ammo crate as Lynn fired her pistol. A cannibal flipped a wooden bench over and mounted her rifle on top of it. Luan struggled to hit the wooden bench with her small Norinco 64, before she ducked for cover. Preston noticed and proceeded to redirect his FAMAS towards the bench. The bullets tore through the wooden planks, causing the cannibal to drop dead.
"You really benched her, didn't ya?" said Luan.
"You crack jokes even in times like this?" exclaimed Preston.
"What? We need the help! My jokes are gonna knock 'em dead!"
"Oh my god," groaned Lori, pressing her earpiece. "Lincoln! Where did Calvin go?"
"I don't know. There aren't any cameras up there. You don't see him?"
"No, I'm—!"
"Look down," said Calvin through the earpiece.
Lori's eyes widened, her pupils shaking with fear, confusion, and anger. Bobby leaned his hands toward his ears, his face quickly turning towards his wife as his mouth was left half-open.
"Babe... don't—"
Lori mounted her rifle over the edge of the roof and looked down over it, before Bobby pulled her away.
"—look!"
A burst of bullets ricocheted off the edge of the roof, as Bobby fixed Lori's helmet upright. The cannibals backed away towards the door that led them inside the East Wing while some of them continued firing at the Residence building. Preston and Benny leaned their backs against the wall as Lynn and Luan hid behind the open doors.
"What's wrong, Lori? Surprise attack didn't work?"
Lori pressed her hand against her ear.
"Where'd you get the earpiece?"
"A man named Lyndon provided it to us. He used to be with the National Guard. He was stationed here during the invasion of D.C. It was really bad, so he got out with these nice things and went to assist some nearby survivors. Some of them being our own, like Nora and Moose. I'm sure you're familiar with them by now."
"Why don't you come out? Face me head on."
"Don't be stupid, Lori. I'm not gonna put my own life at risk just so you can spit on me and kick my ass. I'm sure you're capable of knocking me out. I was never a good fighter. Why— Why do you think I'm doing this?"
"I don't know. I'd like to know why… why you insist on playing these games. Do you get off from seeing my family in fear? Do you sleep well at night knowing you've slaughtered innocent people?"
"No one's innocent. I know you're not that naive. Anyone who made it this far is no angel. I know that and I'm confident you know that too."
Lori looked over the flames in the South Lawn. She saw David running inside the RV as Jace aimed his rifle at the X-Tribe members in the distance. She then looked away as the gunshots continued blasting against the air.
"Your own daughter would hate to see you like this. I know she would."
"Don't you think I know that? I know she would! And you know what? I never would have gotten this far if it weren't for what happened to her. The only reason why I'm doing this… is because she's not here. But I'm not the only one, right? Think about Lola. Lucy. Leni. You have a problem. A violence problem. Hot temper. You make no effort to spare those who wronged you. And neither will I."
Lori's eyes stared ahead at the flames, as Bobby continued holding her. She felt a deep sting pierce her heart as her throat dried up. Her voice started to break down, little by little.
"I hate you, Calvin. I hate you so much. You're sick in the head. The world can't hold monsters like you."
"On the contrary, Lori. What I do is human instinct. It is in our instinct to survive. Now, don't ever bring up Sierra again."
"Lori!" exclaimed Lincoln. "Calvin's inside! He's headed for the sub-basement!"
"Stop giving them callouts!" shouted Ronnie Anne in the background. "You're telling Calvin everything!"
"Well, what do you want me to do? I can't just go out there and fight them! Actually—"
"Don't get any bright ideas," said Calvin as he walked down the Grand Stairwell. "Leave the Situation Room, and I'll have Guillermo slice Becky's throat."
The Christmas lights faded to black before turning on again, revealing Calvin and the cannibals splitting up on the ground floor.
Bobby peeked from the corner of the ammunition crate and saw Timothy shooting a large red flare into the sky. Bobby raised his Glock and fired at him, causing Timothy to duck before he ran inside the East Wing, being the last cannibal to do so. Bobby groaned in disappointment before grabbing Lori's hands with the intention of running back to the Residence Building.
"Becky's still alive?" asked Lori.
"For a few hours."
Calvin fired Becky's ACE-23 at the cameras. The bullets turned the monitor screens in the Situation Room to static, causing Lincoln to flinch. Ronnie Anne uncrossed her arms and took a step closer to Lincoln, though the sight of the cannibals roaming the halls froze her in place. Her terrified eyes wandered from one monitor to the next, bodies and shadows moving along the darkness as the Christmas lights in the walls faded in and out. She turned her attention towards the monitor screens playing the live-footage being captured by the cameras from the second floor of the Residence Building, watching her brother and sister-in-law running inside the building as the red glow from the flare reflected off their black armor. Luan and Lynn slammed the doors shut as Lori demanded directions from Lincoln, to which he struggled to give as more cannibals shot the cameras down. Ronnie Anne then began paying special attention to a specific monitor, playing real-time footage of Vonda, Clyde, Lana, and Lily making their way across the second floor of the West Wing in slow and steady strides. Ronnie Anne grabbed her P220 pistol from her holster and made a few steps towards the door with a fierce and determined look before Lincoln tightly gripped her arm.
"Dude, let go."
"Where do you think you're going, Ron?"
"I'm saving your best friend and two sisters. Let go."
"Did you forget? They said they'll kill Becky if either of us leaves."
"No, they told you that. They don't know I'm here! I can sneak out, meet with Vonda, and bring everyone back before the cannibals notice!"
"I won't be able to give you callouts. You'll be on your own."
"Good. Calvin's all up our asses anyways. I don't need you shouting directions in his ear."
"What about the other cannibals? I've seen them placing traps. It's not safe."
"Which is exactly why I'm gonna go and make sure Vonda gets everyone here safely! I don't see why you've a problem with that!"
"Calvin will notice you're gone. And when he does, he'll kill Becky."
"Becky is already dead! What, are we actually taking his word? He's a liar!"
"But what if he's not? He hasn't lied yet," said Lincoln. "No way he would've brought Becky up if he was lying."
"It doesn't matter. She's gone. Even if she were still alive, those cannibals will eat her, whether I leave or not. But Clyde, Vonda, Lily and Lana— I can lead 'em here. They still got a chance. They're our family for God's sake!"
"Ron—"
"Let go of my arm."
"No! I'm not letting you go out there just so you can get yourself killed! I know that you're planning to go after Calvin, and it's stupid! I care about you, and I can't watch you die!"
Ronnie Anne stood there, speechless.
"Please, I-I don't want to lose you," said Lincoln. "I don't want to be alone. I want you— I need you, here."
Ronnie Anne took a deep breath.
"Let go of my arm."
Lincoln let out a defeated sigh, then released his grip on Ronnie Anne's arm. She pulled it back and fixed her sweater before walking to the monitors. Lincoln's eyes widened in surprise.
Then, the malicious voice in the earpiece returned.
"Lincoln. It's Lincoln, right?"
"What do you want, Calvin?"
"Where am I?"
Lincoln looked at the monitors, going from camera to camera before pausing. Calvin was standing by the library, while some cannibals dragged out a corpse from the bathroom. He stared at the cameras with deadpan eyes.
"Where… am… I?"
"Library," said Lincoln.
"Perfect. Let me hear the girl. Now."
Lincoln turned around, his terrified eyes into Ronnie Anne's.
"Tell him you're here," he said.
Ronnie Anne glared at Lincoln as her hands curled into fists. She gritted her teeth.
"Tell that pendejo I'm here."
"Very nice. You people are loyal to Becky after all. I'm sure she'll appreciate that."
The pitch-black monitor that hung in the center of the wall now displayed red numbers. Three, five, colon, zero, seven. They did not change. Not for a few seconds, at least.
"What did you do?" asked Lincoln as he pressed against his ear piece. "Calvin?"
"There'll be no place left to live."
"Calvin… what the hell did you do?"
"I limited your options."
"What are the red numbers for?"
"We need to speed this game up. We're reaching the final stages— the endgame."
"Lincoln, what's going on?" exclaimed Lori as she ran downstairs, the other group members rushing behind her.
"I don't know! Calvin did something! He hasn't told me what!"
"In thirty-five minutes and seven seconds, I'll win with a checkmate. Madam President Lori Loud will be impeached. Queen Lori will be dethroned."
Lincoln felt his chest beating up and down as the veins on his head began to pulse. The red numbers started counting down.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"When the KHAN Nationalists invaded the capital, the soldiers set up an evacuation plan for all the high-ranking officials. President, Vice President, Attorney General, people up there who couldn't give a damn about us. And the best way they showed that was by setting up F.A.E.s."
"F.A.E.s?" whispered Bobby.
"Fuel-air explosives. The entire building and everything inside it will be obliterated by the detonation of these explosives. The oxygen that you pitiful souls are breathing in right now will burn up in flames. Everything you see will be on fire. And if you don't get out in time, you'll be incinerated. Why were they set up? Who knows? Maybe there are files and documents that were just too important for the Nationalists to have. But I got control of the detonator. And once this building goes down, it'll be a free-for-all. Complete anarchy."
"You're… you're something else, you know that?" muttered Lori.
"It's a pretty smart plan, right? The way I see it, you only have three options. One, you can stay here and burn up in flames. Die for all I care. Two, you can escape and meet my people out there. Heh, you can even try fighting them. But you will be overwhelmed. With enough numbers, anyone can get overwhelmed."
"What's the third option?" asked Lincoln.
"Well… you can always stick a gun in your mouth and end it all. Though it's not as fun."
Lincoln gulped as his fists shook in anger. His eyes bled with fury as Ronnie Anne's face grew worried. She placed her hands behind him, only for Lincoln to walk away and start pacing back and forth.
"You should pick the first option," said Lori. "I think you deserve it."
"Ha! I'll be waiting for you outside."
"Well, that's a shame. You would've needed some practice before I send you to hell."
Calvin shook his head as he smiled, before looking back at his cannibals, whistling. Some of them followed him, while others moved up the Grand Stairwell.
"On fire? Everything?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Everything," said Lincoln. "I gotta warn Clyde and Vee."
Lincoln took off his earpiece and tossed it towards Ronnie Anne, who caught it.
"Wait, what? What happened to not wanting to be alone?"
"That was before I found out there's a bomb ready to blow us to hell. They need to know that from here on, every second counts.
"Wait, let me come with!"
"No! You stay here and tell everyone where to go! Show them the way out! I'll be back!"
"Wait! Stop!"
The door closed shut, leaving Ronnie Anne alone in the Situation Room.
"Damn it, Lincoln!"