Eternal Goodbye.

part 20

A Fragile Safety

As Divine stumbled through the darkened hallways of the abandoned hospital, her breath came in sharp gasps. Her heart raced, pounding loudly in her ears, drowning out any other sounds. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread that hung heavy in the air. Rhea, Tom, Bill, Gustav, Georg, and Jennifer followed closely behind, their faces pale with fear.

“Keep moving!” Tom urged, glancing over his shoulder as they rounded a corner. The shadows seemed to dance ominously, making every creak and groan of the old building sound like a threat. “We have to find somewhere safe!”

“Where?” Jennifer shot back, panic lacing her voice. “This place is a maze! We’ll never find our way out!”

Divine gritted her teeth, forcing her mind to focus. “We need to stick together,” she said, her voice trembling but resolute. “Let’s find a room with a door we can barricade.”

They turned into what appeared to be an old nurse’s station. The room was filled with dusty medical supplies and scattered papers, the atmosphere thick with neglect. A large metal desk sat in the center, flanked by several tall cabinets. Divine felt a flicker of hope.

“This could work,” she said, motioning for the others to help. “We can block the door with this desk.”

The group sprang into action, moving the heavy desk against the door while keeping an eye on the windows, their breaths quickening with every sound that echoed through the hospital.

“Georg, help me with this!” Rhea said, struggling to push a cabinet toward the door.

“On it!” Georg replied, grunting as he helped slide the cabinet into place. “We have to make sure nothing can get in.”

Once they secured the door, the group took a moment to catch their breath. Divine leaned against the desk, her heart still racing. “Do you think they followed us?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I hope not,” Bill replied, trying to sound confident. “We need to keep quiet and let the adrenaline wear off. They can’t know where we are.”

As they gathered in a circle, the weight of their situation pressed down heavily upon them. The dim light from the flickering fluorescent bulb above cast eerie shadows across their faces, each of them wearing expressions of fear and uncertainty.

“Why did we come here?” Jennifer murmured, staring at the floor. “We should have just gone camping like we planned. This was a terrible idea! It's all your fault!” Jennifer points at Divine..

Divine felt a wave of frustration wash over her. “We didn’t know it would turn into this,” she said defensively. “We thought it would be an adventure. Just… just try to stay calm. We’ll figure this out.”

Rhea, ever the voice of reason, spoke up. “Let’s think. We need a plan. We can’t stay in here forever.”

“Agreed,” Tom said, running a hand through his hair, his expression serious. “We need to find a way to signal for help or figure out how to get out of here.”

“What if we look for another exit?” Gustav suggested, his voice steady. “There might be a back door or a basement that leads out.”

“Or we could find something to defend ourselves with,” Georg added, his eyes scanning the room. “