Dead and Forsaken (6 page)

The
first line of officers banged on their riot shields with long batons
before stepping forward in a show of force. Several other officers
were bitten while trying to handcuff the assailants. When the mob
still refused to disperse three canine officers let their dogs loose
on the crowd only to see them killed. They insane crowd bit and
clawed the animals to death. Sensing that something was wrong two
S.W.A.T. snipers began to pick the offenders off one by one but
there were too many for them to be effective. All the units took
evasive action and started firing their weapons. They tried to back
away but soon their uniforms were splashed with their own blood.
When the Police could not stop the violence martial Law was
declared. Officials have called for a full scale city wide
evacuation. Despite the warning only a relatively small amount of
people have left. National Guard rescue helicopters have made
hundreds of trips in and out of town. The pilots plucked stranded
residents off the roofs of buildings and parking lots. The police
and sheriff’s department are engaged in combat all over the
city. Heavy street by street fighting has cost them a lot of good
men. The defenders are shooting and killing their former friends and
family. They slaughtered hundreds of enraged people but more kept
coming.

Law
enforcement tried to make a stand but their efforts produced little
success. After a few close calls they realized all hope was lost.
There are so many crazy people that the defenders have been forced
to retreat. Some of the officers were so scared they threw down
their weapons and ran for their lives. With so many desertions the
fate of the city is sealed. Small arms and shotgun fire could be
herd for blocks in every direction. The police escaped to safety as
the rioters moved largely unabated. The officers were unprepared to
deal with their superior numbers. Chaos has run rampant. Criminals
took the opportunity to take over the rest of the city. Robbery,
rape, and murder are being committed by crazed thugs. The streets of
Tucson are littered with the remains of the innocent. Looters broke
into shops, convenience stores, and banks. This type of anarchy was
only supposed to happen in third world countries but this is
America. The politicians had a duty and moral obligation to keep
people safe but thousands of displaced people have been left waiting
for a rescue that isn’t coming. The residents of the poorer
neighborhoods in town could not afford to pay for rides. Most of the
people living there tried to barricade their windows and doors with
wood scraps and broken furniture. Survival became a matter of the
haves and have-nots.

Some
of the men refused to leave and formed a makeshift neighborhood
watch to protect their families. A lot of them took up arms to
defend each other. They raided pawn shops and sporting goods stores
for weapons but living in fear without a since of hope created
infighting and mistrust. Any one that looked sick or like they
didn’t belong was shot on site. The citizens kept on shooting
until the strangers stop moving. They took out the infected as well
as the living. Somehow they felt the killings were justified. The
vigilantes managed to rescue a lot of their friends and neighbors
from the ravaged city.
A lot of them
have headed North in a mass exodus using interstate highway # 10.
Anyone left alive crammed onto the crowded roads and joined the long
line of cars and hikers. They yelled at the passing cars trying to
get a ride. Hikers carried backpacks, babies, and supplies. Some of
them pushed shopping carts and wheeled trash cans filled with their
belongings.

Traffic
was backed up on the interstate from south to north as people fled
the violence. The scared people sitting in bumper to bumper traffic
were traumatized from losing so many friends. The state police drove
up and down the shoulder of the highway with their lights on and
sirens blasting. The highway was clogged with broken down or
abandoned cars. Most of them had been loaded to maximum capacity.
In order to prevent further harm to the public all valley police
agencies and highway patrol are asking everyone to stay off the
street. You should try to lock yourself inside your home or business
if possible. Valley hospitals around Phoenix have also started to
receive a lot of similar assault victims and cases. The vicious and
unprovoked attacks are taking place were large groups of people
congregate! The governor has been alerted but has dismissed initial
reports while waiting on more concrete evidence.”

We did not know it yet but many of
the people in the waiting room were here for treatment of bite
wounds or the sickness they caused. I looked around the room during
the broadcast to see fear and disbelief on everyone’s face.
Most of us were confused about what was really happening. The news
report created more questions than answers.

“
This is not happening.”
said a tall woman.

“
It has to be some kind
of joke.” barked one man.

“
Did he say what I
thought he said.” an elderly woman asked.

“
Jesus help us all.” a
mother said while hugging her kids.

“
Is this for real?”
asked a teenage girl.

******

Things were even worst in Tucson
and teetering on chaos. The airport was the first thing to be closed
down. Luckily several planes still got off the ground. The crowded
terminals were filled with people screaming into cellphones with
their eyes fixed on TV screens. The public announcement system
barked out the latest cancellations as panicked family members and
strangers looked at each other confused. All incoming planes were
diverted and flights scheduled to take off were canceled. Passengers
and staff had already been confined to the airport for several
hours. When they found out there were no more flights the stranded
passengers smashed check in counters and assaulted airline staff
members. Others were so angry they trashed computer equipment and
broke glass windows. It became a full blown riot. Dozens of airline
employees and ground crews left their post and ran. Desperation
prompted the remaining passengers to flock to smaller airports.
Other residents had the same ideal. They tried to bribe private
plane pilots with money, jewelry, drugs and sex. The people carried
tens and thousands of dollars hoping to be saved.

“
Name
your price!” said a man in a suit. “I have friends in
high places!”

“
What do you need dog! I
got ecstasy, weed and heroine.” said a white skater guy with
Dread’s.

“
I even got some meth!”

“
I'll
give you anything sir!” yelled a woman with two kids. “Just
don't let my babies die!”

“
I
need to get out of here!” said bleach blonde. “You can
do anything you want to me!”

The pilots didn't care about any
of that. They had their own people to think about. All the sex and
drugs you can handle won’t insure your safety. The small
planes only had so much room in them. The crowd pushed and pulled on
each other like crabs in a bucket. There was crazy talk about
rushing the tarmac but their efforts were thwarted by several pilots
armed with guns. The pilots and their friends pointed their guns at
the crowd and fired into the air a couple of times. Most of the
crowd tried to flee but tripped and fell. Many of them were
suffocated and crushed in the stampede that followed. The rest were
left stranded with no chance for survival.

******

Meanwhile back in the waiting
room it was just like a game of follow the leader. One person pulled
out the cell phone and everyone else did the same. Many of them
dialed one number and then another trying to get someone to answer.
“Hey where are you? I am leaving right now. Don’t open
the door for anyone.” a man said.
Everyone else began making calls too. The broadcast generated a
huge increase in traffic online as people began to search for news.
Search engine sites like Google and Bing received millions of hits.
The web provided updates but social media sites including Face book,
Instagram and Twitter gave people a minute by minute firsthand
account of the emerging crisis. Live streams and shaky videos of
attacks and fighting were broadcast on Skype and transmitted to
personal YouTube channels. Other people tuned in to left wing and
right wing talk radio stations that blamed everything on terrorists
or each other. The crisis made all of us think about the friends and
family members that were not with us.

People
just wanted to make sure their loved ones were safe. The majority of
them decided to leave but others chose to stay. They were already
sick and now they were scared out of their minds. I went to the
south entrance to talk to Lt. Arvayo. I wanted to update him on the
crisis. When I got to the front doors Darden was at the security
desk talking to a pediatric nurse. She told Darden her and a few
nurses along with some doctors were going home to be with their
families.

“
My kids are at home by their
self.” she explained. “I have to go to them.”

”
Don’t worry I am sure
their okay.” He replied.

”
I tried to call them but
they are not answering the house phone or their cell phones.”
said the nurse.

“
You know how teenagers
are!” he reminded her. “They are probably listening to
music or chatting on Face book.”

“
You are probably right
but I still have to go!” she said with a worried look on her
face.
Darden
hugged her goodbye and told her to be careful. They both started
working here at the same time. Over the years they had become close
friends. A convoy of people followed her but most of the hospital
staff decided not to leave. They wanted to stay and care for their
patients. When Lt. Arvayo showed up he told us to stay in sight to
let the patients and staff know that we had everything under
control. He was sure that it would deter anyone thinking about
causing any trouble.

“
We have to keep our emotions
in check because everyone else will take their cues from us!”
he stressed. “Remember even in the heat of the moment it's all
about doing our job!”

The
majority of the hospital was locked and secured after 8:00 pm so the
outer doors were already secured. The staff and visitor foot traffic
was sent through the south entrance. That way we could control who
came in and out. The building was an old army hospital whose inner
halls were fitted with steel security and fire doors. We also had
several cameras and doors with alarms. They were monitored from the
first floor communications room. Hernandez came over the radio with
an announcement. “Attention all officers we have an inbound
helicopter. The ETA is ten minutes.”

Darden and Lt. Arvayo went outside
to wait on the helicopter. I went back to my post in the ER. They
had moved the large Native American man to room # 10. I walked by
the room to check on his disposition. The last time I saw him he was
violent and defiant. From the doorway this time he looked like he
was not doing that well.

“
How are you doing sir?”

“
I don’t feel that
good cop.”

“
Don't worry these guys
will fix you up in no time.”

“
I hope you are right.”

“
Well just try to get
some sleep.”

“
It is hard to sleep when
you in pain.”

“
Let me see if I can find
your nurse.”
I closed the door and went
down the hall. The gravely ill patient in room # 6's condition was
also deteriorating. So far he had failed to respond to treatment. He
tried to sit up in bed but couldn't because he was so weak. The
nurse gave him a tetanus shot and ran a bunch of tests. All of
sudden he let out a large cry and then started convulsing. A few
seconds later his eyes rolled back into his head and he stopped
breathing. Dr. Black told Dr. Sanchez to call a code blue. They did
not know why his health took a turn for the worst. He had even
received some antibiotics and other medications through an IV. Now
it was all hands on deck as they tried to save his life. I saw his
fiancée praying quietly in the hall outside his room. It
ended up being too late. In the end they were unable to save his
life. Dr. Sanchez called out the time of death and everyone stopped
lifesaving procedures.

“
We’re sorry for
your loss and our thoughts and prayers are with you and his family.”
explained Dr. Sanchez. “Would you like us to call a family
member or grief counselor for you?”

“
What am I supposed to do
now?” she cried. “We had our whole lives together
planned out.” The fiancée was left there in tears
contemplating how to deal with her loss. Later she went to the
social worker's office so she could help with family notifications.
Dr. Sanchez was visibly upset as she watched a nurse cover his body
with a sheet.

“
Good job people.”
said Dr. Black. “We did all we could do.”
They were barely out the door when an overhead page
signaled that there was another code blue in room # 10. They rushed
down the hall and found Dr. Okonkwo giving the large patient chest
compressions. Dr. Black and Dr. Sanchez jumped right in and started
helping.

“
Damn!” screamed
Dr. Black. “Dr. Okonkwo what the hell happened?”

“
I don’t know sir!
He was sitting up talking five minutes ago.”