Against All Odds: Endless Struggle

Part Seven

Months passed, and I grew closer to the team each day. We had each other's backs, and Thomas became like a best friend to me. I was getting ready for an early route, heading to a location about ten miles east of the nearest city—a place none of us had visited before. Marco gathered us for a briefing, and, as usual, I was late. As I ran through the corridor, I passed the doctor's office and couldn't help but stop and watch her gracefully cleaning her tools. There was something peaceful and calming about her, despite her cold demeanor towards me. I wasn't going to give up on her, on us. When she turned her head, I quickly hid behind the wall like a child. Before she could see me, I ran outside to join the other Seekers, who were waiting impatiently.

"Langdon, you're late again!" Marco yelled without even looking in my direction. "Sorry, boss. It won't happen again," I replied, knowing it probably would.

"Now that we're all here," Marco paused to give me a judgmental look, "We are headed to a location far east, we don't know what to expect there, so I want you all inseparable with your partners, glued like a gum in a school desk, I want you to be alert at all times if you see anything unusual report to me immediately. Everybody got that?"

"Yes, boss," The Seekers yelled in unison.

We got in the vehicles and headed to the designated location. An hour and a half later we were there, we were in what seemed to once be a bustling city, but now graveyard, the streets were silent, the wind whistling through broken windows and shattered doorways. We moved cautiously, each step crunching on broken glass and debris.

"Scatter around! Remember what I said earlier," Marco said in a quiet, but firm voice.

Each group took a different building to explore. Me and Thomas entered a building from which only the first floor survived, we looked around, moving back to back with each other, but all the rooms so far seemed empty. Soon we left the building and headed to the next one, bud suddenly Thomas stopped.

"Thomas, you see something?" I asked while preparing my gun for the worst. "Shh," He hushed me.

"Did you just.."

"Damn it, Liv, be quiet!" He turned his body to yell at me, and right this moment a large Corrupt stormed out of nowhere and jumped over Thomas.

"Tom," I yelled, raising my gun to shoot at the creature. I managed to shoot a few bullets, but it was moving too fast and it got away. I crouched next to Tom to help him stand. "Come on, buddy, it will be back, we have to tell the others."

We crouched behind a bus, our breaths held, eyes scanning for threats, looking for a way to get to the others. We spot a few of our guys, walking around unsuspecting anything. I tried to get their attention but without success. As I was to get up and run to them, a dark shadow passed right through them, and a second later they were gone. The other seemed to hear us earlier cause now they were running in our direction, I stepped from behind the bus so they could see me, and they did.

"What happened here?" Marco asked while trying to catch his breath.

"It came out of nowhere, we managed to escape, but Pete and Jonah are gone." I was still trying to assess the situation and what was happening.

"We're surely outnumbered," Marco muttered. "Fall back to the arrival point, get in the vehicles, and drive home, we are not losing anyone else today."We started to retreat, moving swiftly but, unfortunately for us, the Corrupt were faster. They sensed our movement and began to hunt us.

"Go! Go!" I shouted, firing a few rounds to cover our retreat. The bullets slowed them down, but not for long.

As we neared the arrival point, I felt a searing pain in my back. I stumbled, realizing too late that a Corrupt had slashed me. Blood poured from the wound, and I fell to the ground, my vision blurring.

"Liv," Thomas yelled, turning back for me. "We need to move!" "Go!" I shouted back, forcing myself to my feet. "I'll hold them off!" "No way," Thomas growled, grabbing my arm and picking me up.

We managed to get to the jeeps and took off before they got the chance to finish us all. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the pain in my back was becoming unbearable. Once we arrived at the shelter, Lisa rushed toward me, and as soon as I felt her calming presence I knew I was safe, soon after my vision began to blur from the pain I was in. The harsh, sterile scent of antiseptic was the first thing I noticed as I drifted back to consciousness. My eyelids felt heavy as if weighted down by invisible weights. As I slowly opened my eyes, the bright overhead lights blurred into focus. A dull ache throbbed in my lower back, a constant reminder of the injury that had landed me here. I took a deep breath, feeling the pull of the bandages wrapped around my torso.

"You are awake." A soft, reassuring voice said, pulling my attention to the side of the bed.

Dr. Lisa Crawley stood there, her kind eyes framed by a few loose strands of black hair that had escaped her bun.

"Hi," I croaked, my throat dry and voice hoarse. "How long have I been out?"

"Just a couple of hours," she replied. "I had to patch you up to repair the damages. Everything went well, and now we just need to focus on your recovery."

"Thank you, Dr. Crawley," I said, my gaze lingering on her a moment longer than necessary.

"You have been here enough times to call me Lisa," she replied, her smile widening.For a moment, we just looked at each other, I wanted to reach out, to touch her hand, to let her know how much her presence meant to me. But I couldn't. She made it very clear that the line between doctor and patient was one she didn't dare to cross.

"Rest is crucial right now," she said, breaking the silence. "Try to get some sleep."

As she turned to leave, a strange feeling shot through me. "Lisa?" I called out, my voice barely more than a whisper.She paused at the door, turning back to face me. "Yes, Olivia?"

"Do you think...could you stay for a little while longer?" I asked, feeling vulnerable and exposed.

"Just until I fall asleep?"

Her eyes softened, and she nodded. "Of course," pulling up a chair next to my bed. She sat down, her presence soothing me like a balm to my wounds.As I closed my eyes, the pain in my back faded into the background, replaced by the comforting knowledge that she was there.