Save Us!

Chapter Seven (Bain)

[BAIN]

November 3rd, 2059

"A man may fall many times, but he won't be a failure until he says that someone pushed him."

Elmer G. Letterman

It was 8:58, and I felt like I was about to throw up.

I wasn’t sick, I was just overly nervous. That’s what I kept telling myself. Just nervous.

I had been curled up in a ball on my bed for the past three hours, staring at the clock. Waiting for 9:00. Waiting for Gale. Waiting for freedom.

Now, mere seconds separated me and my old life, and I could barely walk. I groaned and rolled over, clenching my roiling stomach, knowing I’d have to get up and run and run and not stop till I was in the basement of our house, safe and secure. Then I’d have to stay there for a day or so, just in case the Agents searched all the houses.

Which was always a possibility when we had a corrupt, insane –

BOOM. The building rocked, my ears screamed, I almost fell off of the bed, I heard screams, the clock struck nine.

My stomachache vanished as I jumped up from the bed and looked through the crack in the door. There was no one there. I went back to my bed and watched the clock.

Wait two minutes, then leave the hospital and stand in the hallway.

I could do that.

I heard running and commotion outside.

“Bern? Bern, what the hell was that?” “I have no idea, let’s go report.”

More running. I took a deep breath. Only seconds to go.

9:02.

I opened the door to my room and with a quick look around, I confirmed my suspicion that no one was there. There were no windows, which was helpful. I made my way over to the main door and listened.

Nothing.

I eased it open and stood there, half in the doorway, half out, clutching the handle. I was on my toes, ready to the bolt and the sound of a footfall.

The hospital door opened into the main lobby, so I’d be able to see anyone entering the building before they entered. The main door was a foggy glass. You couldn’t see definite things through it, only shapes, but that was enough. It was the hallway around the corner I was worried about.

A minute passed.

It wasn’t the sounds that alerted me something had changed. It was a shadow. There was a shadow behind the front door.

It must be Gale. Or Ben. Or someone.

No one else would creep around like that. I looked around, then sprinted over to the door and opened it.

Maybe it was too risky, but at that moment, I didn’t care. I flung the door open and came face to face with Gale.

“Bain,” he breathed, looking at me with an expression of mingled horror and joy.

I stared at him, my heart flying with joy. A smile flew to my lips. He was exactly as I remembered him. Short hair, thin eyebrows, and the ever reddish-tint to his skin. I tried to open my mouth – to tell him how grateful I was to see him, to –  

“There’ll be time for catching up later,” he said, reading my face.

I pushed that out of my head and followed him, careful to keep my eyes open for trouble.