The Virus

Chapter 5

"Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic." – Laini Taylor

After I end the call a day ago with my niece, I struggle enough to find way to go out from the safe haven I've been staying for four years. 

My niece safety is laid deep down in my consciousness; bring me unsettling feeling of uncertainty of grief and fear.

I need to save her that was in my thought the whole time but how?

How?

That's the question I've always want to answered from that day.

Either by hook or by crook I must get her...

Without a lot of thinking, I sneak through the hospital storage and take out two protective suits with some medical supplies, loaded it inside my camping bag.

I'll need this through my journey out, from the city.

How to get out? It's an unfinished constructed plan in my mind.

I cross the bridge after loading these supplies first.

"Nurse joy?"  A voices shook me with surprise bringing all my supplies to fall and scatter through the floor.

I look up and ignore, continued stuffing my bags with the all the necessary supplies.

"Momma Celia..." I then answered without emotion, neither care of the consequence of my actions. "You can report me if you want but let me go out from here first."

She come closely and holds my hands. "Sweetie, I will not stop you, I will not report you but I will not close my eyes when the higher ups will ask me...you understand right?" she calmly explained.

"Just comeback safe..." she said and turns her back while leaving me a small Rosary bracelet at the palm of my hands.

"I will..." I whisper holding back my tears.

After a few minutes of packing, I sneaked out and crawled down through the waiting chair, hiding in the darkness of the night until the patrolling protector finish his third rounds.

When the lights pass through, slowly I make ways to the ground floor near the morgue. There is a small old tunnel hidden between the medicinal garbage that lead down to the water drain of the city.

I just need to go out through there and went to the protector basement where the protective van is park.

Passing the morgue, looking around once more and escaping the eyeing camera, I pass through the garbage elevator and crawled once more to a pack of piled garbage container until I can feel a cold rusted grate of metal.  Kneeling down, calmly with extra carefulness, I pulled it off, making a small shrieking sound in the darkness. Hurriedly, I climb down through the metal stairs and closed the tunnel door before a patrolling light passed through the area.

Looking at the dark alley of water drains bring shiver through my spines. Although safety measure is carefully plan from all part of the city, the little girl in me still screamed of fear.

This is my first time to go out from my shield and bravely explore the unknown changing world outside.

"No time for too much thinking...' I hurriedly said and walk through the alley with the flashlight searching for an indication for the protector drainage tunnel.

Each step brings echoes to the silent passageway.

It was like a long unfinished darkness with an eerie silence.

Suddenly, a sound of footsteps echoes behind me, rattling me with terror of being caught. Hurriedly, I turn my light off and after taking a few second getting used of the dark; I tried to speed of my pace while touching the hall trying to find something or someplace to hide.

But unluckily I trip and a loud crashing noise can be heard through the alley.

The footstep immediately turns following my crashing sound in full speed, without wasting more time I stand up and run, doesn't mind with how much noise I made.

I need to go to the protector basement.

It's my only hope.

My Niece hope.

But that hope shattered as a dead end wall plastered in front of me.

What should I do???

Tears start to flow heavily from my eyes as a strong sturdy hand pulls me through the darkness, closing my mouth from the impending scream that I tried to make.

In that darkness, I feel my hope flies away.