It was the third of long nights standing vigil, and the young nurse feared she was reaching her limit. With the closing of the hospital days prior, she'd had little to occupy her time, other than seeing to the doctor's comfort in his final hours. The way things looked, she wouldn't have too much longer in his service.
"Doctor, is there anything I can get you?"
The man in question lay in a fevered sprawl on one of the few clean beds. His head lolled toward the nurse's voice, but no words escaped. He no longer had the energy for even simple words.
Though saddened by his deteriorating condition, the brunette showed no outward sign other than mild fatigue. The doctor was only a few years older than she, but he had been her mentor, and friend, for a long time. He would never see anything but a smiling face from her, especially now. She respected him too much to let his final moments be burdened by the ache in her chest.
Not much later, the nurse was free to shed her tears. Closing the doctor's lifeless eyes, she said her farewells before covering his face respectfully.
"Goodbye, Dr. Tofu."
---
The nurse gathered what supplies she would be taking, and made one final round of the three story clinic. The place was still in decent shape, considering the damage that the surrouding buildings had incurred. It had power and water, and the structure was sound.
While the area was mostly uninhabited now, thanks to the destruction, there were a few families around. As well as the few stragglers that passed through the area, but even those occurences were lessening. While there were bound to be those in need of medical attention, anything serious would likely be beyond the capabilities of the lone nurse. She might have decided to stay under other circumstances, but without the doctor around, it felt like a lost cause.
Besides, the clinic had been closed several days prior to the doctor's injury. It was a simple matter really. They'd almost run out of food, and any nearby convenience stores had long since been ransacked. Even if she wanted to stay in the relative comfort of the clinic, the situation required that she make a trip downtown.
Once she finished making sure the medicine and other medical supplies were safely locked away, the nurse went to the front to lock up.
She was just about to unbolt the doors, when several voices caught her attention from outside. Whoever they were, they were right out front. She strained, trying to make out what they were saying. Before Tofu's passing, she might have opened the door right away, but experience was a harsh teacher. Not all that came calling were in need of healing.
"This the place," a gruff voiced asked beyond the wooden door.
"Yeah, think so. I swear I saw lights inside last night." A second voice, much more subdued, answered."
"Good. If that sign's right, we got ourselves a place to hole up. Course, we'll have to clear out the trash first."
"Think it's squatters?"
"Probably. You saw those homes back there. There's no way folks are still around here. Some unlucky bastard found himself a nice place to crash. We're just gonna thank 'em for housesittin'."
Behind the door, Kasumi's eyes widened. She needed to get out, before she was found. There was no telling what they'd do to her if they caught her.
(Posted Sun, 31 Dec 2006 06:56)
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