The Departed

Ch. 11

I pull on the doors to the hospital but they were locked shut. I let out a breath and look around, an ambulance was parked crookedly a few feet away from the entrance. A stretcher laying on it's side was on the pavement just behind the ambulance. Ambulances carried supplies right? Last time I checked ambulances were pretty much hospitals on wheels. I jog towards the ambulance and grab the door handle. Please be unlocked. I think as I pull the door handle. I sigh in relief as the door opens, I step inside and quickly close the door behind me. I didn't want anyone or anything sneaking up on me.

I hold my breath as I look around, the floor was covered in blood and so were the the seats. I take a breath through my mouth, I refused to breath through my nose. Although the blood had dried, I couldn't help but imagine how disgusting the smell probably was. I reach down and pull open one of the silver cabinets. I nearly jump in happiness, the cabinet was completely stocked. I yank open my backpack and begin chucking things into it. I grab a small medic kit and open it, inside were two rolls of gauze, medical tape, thread, a needle, bandages of various sizes, and small packets of alcohol wipes. I close the kit and put it inside the backpack. I grab a box full of gloves and dump them all out into the backpack. I throw the box to the side and continue to rummage through the cabinet.

I stuff a book sized bag of alcohol wipes into the bag, I couldn't find a bottle of alcohol so this would have to do. The cabinet was full of strange medical instruments and I can't help but cringe as I think of using them on someone. I pick up what appeared to be a plastic cuff, attached to it was small tube and something that looked like a small balloon. I remember seeing doctors using one of those things every time someone was sick. Blood pressure cuff. I hear Laurie say in my mind. I roll my eyes and put the 'cuff' in my backpack, I wasn't exactly sure if she needed it but it could come in handy.

I rummage through the cabinet quickly before moving onto the next one. I open it and I'm immediately rewarded. The cabinet held three shelves and each one was chalk' full of medical supplies. On the bottom shelf I find a small roll of tubing, next to it was a bag full of needles. Grabbing both, I stuff them onto the backpack. Needles, check. Tubing, check. Alcohol...sort of check. What else did she need? Painkillers. My mind whispers.

I grab the small glass bottles on the top shelf and begin to read the labels.  Aceclofenac, Proglumetacin, Tiaprofenic acid, Oxyphenbutazone...

"What the hell is this stuff?" I whisper angrily. Not only were these labels unhelpful, but I couldn't even read half of them. I throw one of the glass bottles back into the cabinet in frustration, and several bottles fall onto the floor. I pick up two of the bottles and place them back on the shelf. As I pick up the last bottle my eyes focus on the word stamped on the bottle's label. Morphine. I may not know much about the different types of painkillers or what they were called, but I definitely knew what Morphine was.

I place the morphine on the ground and begin to search through the maze of bottles. I find three bottles of morphine, I had four total, looking around I open a cabinet above my head and I find what I was looking for. I grab two towels and wrap the morphine bottles in one of them before wrapping a towel around that. I gently place the bottles on top of the other supplies then decide against it. I still had a few more things I needed. I open the final cabinet and find several bags of clear liquid hanging from hooks. Saline. 

I didn't know how much Laurie would need so I grab two bags. I stare at the clear pouches in my hand and before thinking about it my hand reaches for a third. I wrap the saline in towels, although I wasn't sure if the towels would completely help protect them but it was better than nothing. I'm placing the saline in my backpack when a thud hits the side of the ambulance.

"Shit." I whisper as I drop the towels. The saline bags hit the floor with a silent thud. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I hear movement outside. Silently I edge towards the doors, my hand moves to one of the door handles but I jump back as several pops fill the air. Gunshots. I notice black paper, about the twice the size of a computer screen was taped to the door. The windows, the paper was covering the windows. I reach forward and using my thumb, I gently pull away a piece of tape on the corner of the window. I flip the paper up and look out. 

The stretcher was still on it's side, but papers now littered the ground. The wind had picked up which would make it much more difficult to get back to the group. How long had I been gone? I fall backwards as a Geek presses itself against the window. I cover my mouth with my hand as it begins pounding against the door. Thuds begin coming from all sides of the ambulance. As much as I tell myself that I didn't want to know, I find myself edging forward once more. I pull up the flap of paper as little as possible and I peer out, I suddenly wish I hadn't. The Geek that had pounded on the door wasn't alone, he had brought his friends, I was completely surrounded.