I will give them one.
69
Laney
It’s the power that goes first.
Not the whole town.
Just three blocks.
Including the clinic.
Including the assisted living home.
By the time we arrive, people are already shouting.
Generators are trying to kick on.
Nurses are running between rooms.
A man with an oxygen tank stumbles near the entrance.
Then collapses.
“Help!” someone screams.
Dr. Hayes is already shouting orders.
Saint moves before anyone else does.
We drop beside the man.
His breathing is shallow.
Too slow.
“Tank’s empty,” someone says.
Saint grabs the backup and snaps it into place.
“Come on,” he mutters. “Come on…”
The man gasps.
Air floods back into his lungs.
But he’s not the only one.
Inside the building, alarms are chirping.
Machines blinking.
People panicking.
Ambulances take too long.
Too far away.
