{ON HOLD} Where My Loyalties Lie (Vanoss Crew Fanfic)

Chapter 25

Evan's POV

The brief ride to the medical center was thick with tension, the silence seeming to swirl around in the still, hot air and choking everyone in the car. I sat up front in the passenger seat with Jonathan while Marcel and Brian remained in the back seat, none of us speaking to each other. I spent the short trip staring out the window, sparing occasional glances to take small peeks at Jonathan as he drove. Noticing that Jonathan appeared completely relaxed, I took a look back at Marcel and Brian in the back. Marcel was picking at something on the grip of his carbine rifle while Brian was watching the world outside, but nevertheless, the two of them looked relaxed as well.

I can't say the same for me however.

I lowered my gaze down to the AK47 between my legs, and saw that the knuckles of my hand that was gripping the barrel of the assault rifle were bone white. Without even realizing it, I had been tightly squeezing the barrel of the AK47, and as I released my grip I felt some tension in my hand being relieved. I flexed my fingers and decided to just stick them in my pockets in order to prevent myself from gripping the AK47 again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the edge of Jonathan's hockey mask tip downward and I felt his gaze focus on my hand before he turned his attention back to the road.

Finally, just as I thought that we would never reach it, Jonathan pulled up in front of the Pillbox Hill Medical Center. As Jonathan pulled the car to a stop, I rested my gaze on the entrance of the medical center, a chill running down my spine. It felt as if some invisible boot was pressing down on my chest and driving all the air out of my body. All of a sudden, I was regretting my impulsive decision to go along with Jonathan and the others on the scavenging trip. Now that I was sitting in front of the building itself, I wasn't sure if I would be able to continue on with the expedition.

Jonathan's voice was what pulled me out of my gloomy thoughts, and I reluctantly listened to his orders. "Alright, we're gonna do the usual." He said, turning back to face Brian and Marcel, "Brian stays and watches the car while Marcel and I – and Evan," Jonathan added and shot me a glance, "- head inside and look for any supplies. Understood?" Marcel and Brian nodded and after a moment's hesitation, I dipped my own head as well. "Good. Let's get going." The three of them opened their doors and stepped out while I remained sitting in the car for a few seconds. Come on Evan, stop being such a pussy. Let's go! Taking a deep breath, I opened up my own car door and stepped out onto the hot asphalt.

As soon as I exited the car, Jonathan tossed the keys to Brain and told him to park the car in an inconspicuous and hidden place. A moment later, Brian and the car were gone, leaving Jonathan, Marcel and I standing out in the middle of the street in front of the medical center. I nervously scanned the street, looking for any sign of another group of people hiding nearby; I didn't like being in the open, and the fact that the only place of shelter was the place where I had let Bobby get shot made the whole thing ten times worse. Jonathan gestured with a tilt of his head for us to enter the building. "Let's go, we're losing sunlight," he ordered. Marcel went in first, taking point, but Jonathan slowed down to walk beside me for a moment. "Hey man, are you okay?"

I remained silent before saying, "I'm honestly not sure Jonathan." I wiped away a bead of sweat that was trailing down the side of my face. "I'm feeling nervous though, that I can tell you."

He gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and replied, "I'm sure that you'll be fine Evan. Come on, we don't want to leave Marcel in there all alone." He gave my shoulder one last squeeze before following Marcel into the medical center. With a deep breath, I too followed Marcel and Jonathan into the Pillbox Hill Medical Center.

The lobby appeared pretty much identical to the way it had looked the day Bobby and I had gone to the medical center. The turned over chairs, ransacked drawers, and the dead receptionist were all still in the same place. Marcel stepped through the broken glass littering the floor to the corpse, a look of pure disgust crossing his features. "Jesus," he murmured, tapping the end of his barrel on the top of the corpse's rotting skull.