Quinn watched until they were halfway across the parking lot to the hospital before slowly closing the door and flipping the deadbolts closed again. He was so glad he took Alex’s advice and talked to them instead of just opening fire. He was also really sad at what this world had turned once good people into.
Alex must have heard him close the front door because when he turned around, the bedroom door inched open and he could see one of her eyes through the crack. As soon as she saw he was alone, she swung the door open and stepped into the hall closing it behind her. A look of admiration crossed her features.
“Quinn, that was awesome! And that morphine thing was brilliant. What made you think of that?”
He frowned at the reminder. “It was Leslie’s story about the first day of lights out. When she told us about the parents, whose kids had died, using the morphine pumps to overdose.” He shook his head to clear those thoughts from it. “Who knows? Maybe there even is some left in those pumps. Alex, I’m really glad that it worked but I don’t think we can count on it working a second time. We need to get the Ranger ready to go and figure out how we’re going to put nine people into one vehicle. For starters, we should probably gather up blankets for padding and warmth – get them in the vehicle so they’re ready to go. And let’s get what supplies we are taking strapped in. Get everything ready for a quick getaway.”
Alex looked at her watch and shook her head. “It’s not even eleven yet. We said noon! We have to give them time to get here,” she said desperately.
Quinn reached out to put a comforting hand on her arm. “I didn’t say we were going to leave right away, Alex. I said we need to get ready in case we have to. I don’t like the idea of leaving here without our friends either but if those people over there decide to come back it’s not just going to be two of them. We need to be prepared to roar out of here at a moment’s notice or some of these kids might get hurt.”
Alex looked down at her watch one more time with a deep frown but then nodded her agreement. When she looked back up at him her eyes were filled with fire.
“We will be ready to go if we have to but we won’t be going far. I’m not leaving this city without our friends!”
Chapter Fifteen
Josh, Emily, and Dara heaved with all the strength they had left to move the car a few more feet and open enough space for their sleds to fit through. When it finally rolled over far enough the three of them collapsed, down into the snow, out of breath. It was the last obstacle they could see in their way down the hill that led to the road that would take them to the hospital where their friends were waiting. It had been a long, exhausting hour and a half of backtracking through blocked streets. Every direction they went, something blocked their way and they had to turn around and find a new route. They were all tired, hungry, and frustrated but the end was in sight, at least for this leg of the trip. Josh didn’t even want to think about the next part where they would leave the city and make their way home through the countryside.
The only good part of the whole trip through the city from the zoo was that they took the opportunity to siphon gas to fill up their tanks and the jerry cans they had with them. All they had to do now was pick up Alex, Quinn, and the kids at the hospital and they could finally leave this hellhole of a city.
Dara was the first to move as she rolled over onto her hands and knees to push herself to her feet. She reached a hand down and helped pull Emily up and then stared down at Josh with her hands on her hips.
“You going to have a nap down there or are we going to go get our friends?”
He laid back into the snow and crossed his arms over his chest, muttering, “I’m dead. Leave me, save yourselves!”
Dara laughed silently while reaching down to grab one of his arms and pulled him up.
“Come on, hero, we’ve got hours to go before we get to sleep.”
The three of them trudged back to their sleds, readying for the final push to the hospital. Josh could see the distinctive building from the top of the hill they were on. They still had to travel down this hill and then back up another to where the hospital was and all he could think was that thankfully, he didn’t have to walk it.
As they drove along, Josh looked around him at the stillness of the city that used to thrive. He just couldn’t believe that the population of Calgary was over a million people before lights out. The number of people they had seen since entering the city would barely fill the hall of a large community center or high school gymnasium. Even on the trip through Bridgeland and up to 16th avenue, he was amazed that they had only seen a person four times on the whole route. As much as he wondered where all the people had gone, he was glad that none of the four people they had spotted were interested in contacting them. The three lone men and one lone woman had all ran and disappeared from sight as they passed by on their sleds.
When they reached the bottom of the hill that would take them up to the hospital, Josh slowed his sled and waved Emily to stop. He pulled the helmet off of his sweaty head and immediately felt the coldness in the air. He could see that, without a helmet, Emily had been feeling that coldness for awhile by the bright red of her cheeks. With a frown, he waved her over.
“Before we head up there, I think we should try and check in with them on the walkie-talkie. Should be close enough now that range won’t be an issue. I just want to make sure that we’re not going to be riding into a war zone if more people came back to invade the hospital.”
Emily’s eyes grew wide and she turned and looked up towards the hospital. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I forgot about that! I’ll grab the radio from the trailer.”
When she handed it over, he turned the power button on and raised it to his mouth before lowering it again. He looked at the girls and explained.
“Almost forgot. I told Quinn I would do two clicks in case they’re trying to be quiet. If he can talk, he’ll reply. If he can’t, he’ll go two clicks back.”
At their worried looks, he held the walkie-talkie in front of them and hit the transmit button twice. They all held their breath waiting for a reply. To the worried teens, thirty seconds seemed like an hour until Quinn’s voice came through the speaker.
“Josh, is that you? Over.”
All three of them let out relieved breaths when they heard his voice. Josh held the radio up to his mouth to reply.
“Hey buddy, so good to hear your voice! We’re just down at the bottom of the hill from the hospital. We wanted to check in before we roared up in case you had some unexpected company. Over.”
The radio came back to life quicker this time with Quinn’s reply.
“Actually, we do have an infestation problem at the hospital. So far, they’ve left the house alone. I think if you guys drove up here, we’d end up with a swarm of them coming out into the parking lot so I think it’s best if you all just wait down there. Alex and I will cram all the kids into the Ranger, even if it means they have to sit on top of each other, for the quick drive down the hill. Once we’re further away from the hospital we can rearrange the seating to make everyone more comfortable for the trip home. Over.”
Josh, Emily, and Dara exchanged worried glances before looking up the hill towards the hospital again. Josh hit the transmit button.
“Are you sure you don’t want us up there for backup? Do you really think that you guys can get out of there without making contact? Over.”
Quinn’s reply through the radio reassured them all. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem. They’re all inside the hospital somewhere and the parking lot is empty. We’ll just load up the Ranger, throw open the doors, and race out of there before they even have a chance to look out a window. We should be across the parking lot and onto the street before anyone even thinks of leaving the hospital. Honestly, it’s what we were going to be doing shortly anyway if you hadn’t of shown up. Give us fifteen minutes but if you hear gunfire be prepared to get up here fast. Over.”
“Ten-four, Quinn. We’ll be standing by. Goo
d luck. Over and out.”
The three teens sat on their sleds waiting and listening for any sign that they needed to fire them up and race up the hill to their friend’s aid. Josh prayed that this one thing could go smoothly so that they could put the city at their backs as soon as possible. The chill in the air told him the chinook was coming to an end.
***
Quinn lowered the walkie-talkie from his mouth and shared a relieved look with Alex before turning to the seven little faces looking at him expectantly.
“Okay everyone, it’s time to get packed up so we can go to your new homes. Things are going to be really squished inside the Ranger for the first little bit of the drive until we can meet up with our other friends. You’re going to have to squeeze together to all fit for the short trip down the hill. I promise once we meet up with our other friends, we will rearrange all the supplies so that you’ll be more comfortable.” He glanced at Alex to see if she wanted to add anything and was relieved when she turned toward the children and clapped her hands.
“Let’s get moving everyone! Zip up your winter jackets and put on your hats and mittens. Make sure you have everything you want to take with you ready to go.” She turned to Anna and asked, “Will you make sure the other kids are getting ready while Quinn and finish arranging things in the Ranger?”
Anna nodded her head eagerly happy to help out her new friends. She missed Leslie and the other kids but she was so excited to be going to a new home where there would be plenty to eat and they would be warm every day.
Quinn and Alex moved out of the bedroom to the Ranger. He opened the driver’s side passenger door and stood to stare at the space that was made to accommodate three people. He turned to Alex.
“How do you want to do this? I mean, some of them are small but that’s still a lot of bodies crammed into here.”
She leaned past to take another look at the back seat and then glanced into the front seat. “Well, there’s nine of us and six seats so we’re going to have to manage five in the back and four in the front. The front isn’t so bad because I can just take one of the smaller kids on my lap. Putting five in the backseat is going to be tight though. Anna is the biggest and oldest of the kids so she’s just going to have to have the smallest on her lap. Besides, it’s going to be for less than twenty minutes, right? A little bit of discomfort isn’t going to be that much of a hardship to get us out of here safely. Can you move some of this gear into the cargo bed or under the seats in the storage areas, please? I’d help you but bending over right now sends my head into dizzy-land every time I do it.”
Quinn’s face creased in concern. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay having a kid on your lap? Every time they wiggle or move it’s going to send your arm injury into overdrive.”
She shrugged her good shoulder. “It is what it is. Let’s get moving. I can’t wait to see Josh, Emily, and Dara.”
Quinn set to work and rearranged their gear to make room for all the passengers. Alex went back into the bedroom to start rounding the children up. She looked the four girls and three boys over and decided the two smallest were Bella and Grace, two five-year-old blond-haired cuties. One would have to sit on Anna’s lap and the other would sit in front on hers. She picked the biggest boy, Tanner, to ride in the front seat in between her and Quinn. The other two boys and one six-year-old girl would have to squeeze into the backseat with Anna and Grace.
Anna had done a good job of getting the smaller kids ready to go and they all stood near the door with their winter outfits on. It made Alex sad that all the belongings they owned combined would fit into one small shopping bag. She vowed that once they made it home and got settled, she would raid some of Mrs. Moore’s precious supplies to give them a few things of their own. She smiled down at all of them and nodded her head.
“Who is ready to go for a ride?” she asked with an excited tone.
Only half of the children bounced up and down saying “me, me, me.” The others had conflicting expressions ranging from sad to scared. She smiled at those four reassuringly.
“It’s okay to be scared but I promise Quinn and I are going to do everything possible to keep you safe and once we get home, you’re going to have a much better life. Okay?” When she received four tiny nods she smiled and turned to Anna, who stood nearest the door.
“All right, Anna, let’s get them into the other room and loaded up. I’m so grateful I’ve got you as my helper!”
Anna beamed back at her before pushing the bedroom door all the way open and waving her little friends through.
Quinn was ready for them and stood back as Alex instructed the children where they would be sitting. Anna had no problem having the littlest right on her lap but Alex had to convince Bella that it was okay for her to sit in the front seat on her lap.
Once all the kids were where they needed to be Quinn helped Alex into the front seat and then lifted Bella onto her lap. He crouched down and looked at the little girl seriously.
“Sweetie, I need you to be extra careful sitting on Alex’s lap okay? Alex has a really big owie so if you move around too much it’s going to cause her lots of pain. Try and sit as still as possible, please.”
The little girl turned her head towards Alex with big beautiful blue eyes and gave her a sweet smile. “I had an owie too but the doctors in the hospital fixed me. Are you going to go to the hospital to be fixed too?”
Alex couldn’t help but smile back at her sweetness. “I already went to the hospital remember? Miss Leslie fixed me up. It’s just going to take a little while before it stops hurting.”
The little girl relaxed back against Alex’s chest and nodded. “Miss Leslie is the bestest. I miss her.”
Quinn gently shut the passenger side door and moved around the front of the Ranger to the front doors. It took some heaving to get the heavy chest away from the doors and out of the entryway so the Ranger would have clearance to get through them but he managed it on his own. Before unlocking and opening the double doors he jogged into the living area that faced toward the hospital to scan the parking lot and make sure it was still empty. No one was waiting for them out there but he did notice that there were flames coming from one section of the hospital.
He couldn’t believe those idiots had set the place on fire and he knew that it would only be moments before they started emptying out into the parking lot so he raced back to the doors and flipped the deadbolt before opening both doors wide open. He knocked down the door stops on both doors to make sure they didn’t swing closed, not caring that the house would be wide open to the elements and the junkies after they left. They could have the place as far as he was concerned. He dashed back to the Ranger and jumped into the driver’s seat. The little boy, Tanner, gave a small grunt when Quinn accidentally elbowed him, but the tough kid didn’t complain. This was definitely going to be a squished ride down the hill.
Quinn gave it some gas to slowly move the Ranger across the tile floor, through the doors, and onto the snow-covered ramp before giving it more gas and steering it towards the exit of the parking lot. As soon as they hit the street, he breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t even bother looking back at the hospital in the rear-view mirror. Anyone who was alerted by the noise of their engine wouldn’t be able to catch up to them on foot so he dismissed them from his mind and just focused on getting them down the hill without jostling his passengers too much. He moved his attention from the road for long enough to take a quick glance at Alex and could already see that she was in pain from the ride. As soon as they stopped, he was going to try and convince her to take some pain medication to ease the rest of the ride for her.
Chapter Sixteen
Coming around a bend in the road that would take them to the downslope Quinn felt a huge grin spread across his face when he saw the two sleds waiting for him at the bottom. Minutes later he pulled to a stop beside the sled that Josh and Dara were waiting on and jumped out of the Ranger.
With a child on her lap and her injury t
o contend with, Alex stayed put as Dara and Emily rushed around the Ranger and open the door for their reunion. Alex smiled through the pain she was feeling but the smile faded when she saw Emily’s pain filled eyes and the fat lip she was sporting. Alex reached out and grabbed Emily’s hand and pulled her closer.
“What is it? Something happened.”
Emily glanced down at Bella who was looking up at her in curiosity and gave a tiny shake of her head.
“It’s nothing. We just ran into a little bit of trouble after getting the medicine but it all worked out. The important thing is we now have enough medication to take care of the whole town with some leftover.”
Alex glanced at Dara who sent her a very loaded look telling her that whatever happened was a lot more than a little bit of trouble. With one child on her lap, one beside her, five behind her, and cold weather on the way - now was not the time to go into any ugly details of what Emily had gone through. Instead, she just squeezed her friend’s hand and smiled again.
“I’m just glad you’re okay and that you guys got what we needed. Once we get home, we can put this whole trip behind us and hopefully we won’t have to play action hero again for a really long time.”
Emily returned her smile but it wasn’t much more than a quick lifting of her lips. Before Alex could say anything else, Josh and Quinn came around the Ranger to join them. Josh looked between Emily and Alex with a concerned expression before he took in all the children staring back at him from inside the Ranger. He slapped on a smile and greeted Alex.
“Hey there, Red. I gotta say, you look much better than the last time I saw you. How are you feeling?”
Alex returned his smile with one of her own. “I’m good and getting better, but I’ll definitely be much better once we get home. What’s the plan from here?”
Josh’s face turned serious. “Not sure if you noticed, being all tucked up and cozy in there, but the weather has shifted and the temperature is dropping. We need to get home as soon as possible or those of us driving the sleds are going to pay a hefty price for being out in the open.” He stepped back from leaning into the Ranger so he could talk to everyone at once. “Okay, so I plotted out the route I think we should take home and it pretty much mimics the route we took last time we came through here from the States. We’ll use the river to get out of the city and avoid having to deal with any more traffic blockages and then get off it near the town of Cochrane. From there we take highway twenty-two all the way up north until we cut west to head through Abbottsville where we stopped last time and maybe take a break and warm up before driving the rest of the way home. I expect it’s going to take us four to five hours depending on what we run into on the way so we should get sorted out and get going.”
Stranded Box Set Page 107
