The 0714 Files: File #1 Inferno (Remake 2)

Chapter 10

September 26th, 7:00 P.M

I hold my hand to my mouth in horror as John pushes away from the shutter as fast as he can. Bodies bang against it, snarling and people screaming alike as survivors beg for us to open it over and over until they begin to die down.

Then the main doors are barged open. More zombies pile through it, heading straight for those in sight. "We have to close that door right now," I grit, standing and pulling out my gun. "Everyone out of the way!" I warn the survivors frantically escaping the crowd. "John, help me close these doors!" I fire into the crowd of undead, making sure each one I hit in the head, because there's no option for missing and wasting bullets with so many in front of us.

Edith is in the crowd of survivors herself; she too grabs her gun and starts firing at bodies. We clear them, the three of us run for the entrance, forcing the doors closed against the new wave of dead trying to get through, shutting them and quickly threading the locks at the top of both doors. "We should put something through those handles," I tell the others, scanning behind us quickly noticing an I.V. pole past Edith to the right.

I dart for the pole, jerking it apart, "Move!" I order. They back out of the way as I push the pole through the handles, adding more security to the door.

It's then our attention returns to the shutter, something's banging against it now. But what we don't know as growling and screaming both reverberate through the metal. John takes a couple steps for the switch—

I follow him, shoving him into the side railing beside us. "What're you doing?" I yell hysterically.

"We can't leave those people! I'm opening it—"

Shaking my head and gripping his collar, "No you're not! The second you do we all die," I try to make him see clearly, see how stupid his idea is. How stupid and traitorous it is to the people who ran to us for safety and are now dying on the other side. Their blood leaking under the door now as the bloodcurdling screams reemerge on the other side from more innocent people a result.

Trembling, his collar still in my fist. The whole situation slams into me, of what I just went through, of the people dying on the other side of this shutter. The fact we too nearly met their fate because somebody closed the fucking exit on us. I don't know who it could be though with so many officers in the room...

I back away from John, eyes darting among the faces in the crowd. I recognize them all, despite some in their street clothes, these are all officers. With a plummeting heart, did none of those survivors we took in make it out alive? Tears come to my eyes then as I realize, none of those people ran into the main hall, like I'd originally thought. Not that just, but also the fact it's not just adults, but children are dying in there too.

My hands go into my hair as I sit, ducking my head to hide the tears running down my cheeks. All I feel is guilt and shame at the willpower I have to muster to not open the shutter to help like we are supposed to. "We can't save them," I whisper, voice hoarse.

Murderers. Cowards. Monsters. My internal voice chastises destructively.

"Patricia!" I look and see Marvin coming down the stairs. "What the fuck is happening right now?"

I weakly stand, "Zombies broke into the east wing, the shutters... somebody started to shut them, we barely made it out ourselves before it closed."

Marvin stops on the last step, and from here I can see him eyeing the shutters himself. The screams on the other side echo loudly into the hall. He snaps from his stupor, it's like nobody wants to even suggest an idea of how to help the situation on the other side of the shutter. Marvin even shocks me, because he doesn't spur into action and tell us to open the shutter. Doesn't spew some plan forming in his head right this second that we'll charge the wing with guns ablazing to save the survivors. No, the words, "Somebody! Go to the microphone and call any survivors to the operation's room now!" thunders in the hall from his order.

It's Edith who reports to the building's announcement system. "This is Edith McIntyre! There is an emergency in the east wing. If any of you can hears this, all survivors in the R.P.D. are to report to the operations room in the west wing on the first floor! There is an emergency staircase to the second floor that will lead you into the main hall. I repeat, come to the operations room now!" she shouts the last order.

John grabs me by my arm, hauling me with him for the door. I stop long enough to grab my bag from under the desk, shadowing him and the others into the west office.

I look up at the "Welcome Leon" banner and drown out the chaos of Marvin shouting orders. One or two officers bust in behind us now. It seems so unreal as now Marvin grabs my arm and drags me along with him when he sees me just standing there. I just left behind an entire wing of live people to die; I feel a twisting in my stomach as we make it to the operations room.

It's then my belief is affirmed that we won't make it out of this town. Nobody in this station. All of those faces in the main hall, but none of them were survivors.

I sit on the smallstage, head between my legs. Trying to reel in my verging panic attack becauseI know. The station and itsforce are too far gone after this. This... this is the beginning to our end.