It starts with a beginning

Chapter three

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My eyes flash open as I feel my body jerk forward against my seat belt. Wide eyed I look over at Cole who wore the same expression.

We must have been driving for a while now as I see the hospital towering over all the other neighboring buildings in downtown. We had came to a halt as thousands of cars had flooded the street and a recent wreck burned in the middle of the road. We sat there and just look at the broken scenery. It was only a few hours in to the newly found apocalypse and it seems the world is already falling apart.

"What do we do now?" I question with worry turning to look back at Veronica. She took shallow breaths as she slept away her exhaustion. I could only pray that she wakes up when we get there.

"We may have to take a detour, or at least find a route that gives us more of a chance of crossing through." he says as he turned the wheel taking the car in an opposite direction. I hesitate before turning back again to look at Veronica. Our memories flashing in my head like LED lights as I felt tears burn my eyes.  I turn away and brush the stray tears from my eyes taking hollow breaths. So many tears and yet it changes nothing.

I look up and see us pulling up at the back entrance of the hospital. I watched as nurses and doctors rushed back and forth as they tried to help as many people they could. My eyes trained on a woman. Her face was puffy and eyes blood shot. I couldn't help, but notice she wailed grasping her arm. It was as if it was dangling from a thread and any second it would break. The nurse with her seemed nervous as he tried to help. He must have been in is late 20's with the way he acted, fumbling around with gauze and disinfectant. My stomach felt queasy just staring at her almost detached limb. How is it still even moving? I turn and glance at Cole, his eyes analyzing our situation.

"Should we find someone to help?" I ask and he stays silent for a moment, running his hands through his hair. The stress was on his face like a picture and was unchanging. I cautiously reached over and began to comfortably rub the center of his back. He flinched for a moment under my touch, but then relaxed. We sat there for a moment and I couldn't help but get lost. Lost in this; forgetting the zombies, forgetting that my best friend was dying in the back seat, and forgetting that what we once had may now be gone for good. I didn't want to think of my mom being one of those things. I just can't. Maybe we can find her in this mess. There still has to be hope... Right? it seems like I'm not just comforting Cole, but myself too.

"We have to get in there, but I highly doubt anyone will even take a look at her." Cole snorted and I pull myself back.

"If we can find my mom she will definitely be able to help, but there is one problem." I suggest, but I couldn't help but feel nauseous.

"And the problem is?" He says impatiently and I just squirm uncomfortably.

"It's on the seventh floor?" I whisper looking at my feet and Cole stares at me with a blank face and then sighs into the palm of his hands. "Look I know it sounds bad, but that's why there are elevators right?" I attempt to ease the tense silence.

"I honesty don't know what to say. Did you not think about the crazy amount of people and zombies in there? I can already tell that this is a ticking freak bomb waiting to happen." He sneers and I glare at him.

"So what do you want to do? Let Veronica die? Let my mom die?" I get out the car and open the back door. If I had to go alone so be it. I won't let people die because a stranger doesn't have the guts. I shake Veronica gently and she begins to stir awake.

"Come on, stand up, you have to try." I grunt as I pull her weight onto me. She was heavier than usual and my legs shake beneath me. My body was begging me to stop, but I knew we had to keep going; to keep moving forward.