Page 238 of American Hellhound
“Dad’s still in the OR.” And he wasn’t the target anyway. “We’ve got to get out of the hospital for a little bit.” A thought occurred, one she didn’t like, but voiced anyway. “Well, I do. You could stay here. They’re not–”
“They’re after me,” Kris said, squeezing her eyes shut, taking a deep, gasping breath. “Oh God. I’m sorry. They’re after me, they need me to control Reese, and–”
“Stop,” Roman said, stepping up beside her, hand landing on her shoulder. “This is not your fault.” It was said with such feeling that Maggie wished – in a part of her brain that wasn’t in full emergency mode – that the two of them could take a moment to reassure one another, address the way they each cared so much about the other.
But she said, “Not important right now. Everybody, time to move. Stay close.” With her free hand, she reached for Kris. “Harry, lead the way.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He stepped out in the hall and did a scan, waved for them to follow.
The din was louder outside the waiting room, a tangle of crashes, shouts, and screams. Coming closer every second.
“Move,” Harry said, setting off at a jog in the opposite direction.
“Come on.” Maggie urged the other women, towing them along.Please, she prayed, unspecified begging. Justplease.
Roman fell in behind them and theymoved, Harry setting a fast pace.
Denise panted and gasped, shuffling along as fast as she could in her patent mules.
Kris chanted “Oh God, oh God” under her breath.
They passed a nurse’s station, and the nurse’s call of, “Excuse me, you can’t–” turned into a shocked yelp.
Maggie heard the slap of footsteps closing in behind them. “Take the stairs,” she called to Harry.
Behind them: the crashing of carts and gurneys overturning, angry guttural shouts of the attackers, more panicked yelling of hospital staff and patients.
A chunk of wall exploded above their heads.
“Shit!”
Denise screamed.
Kristin clutched Maggie’s arm hard enough to bruise it.
Maggie shook her off and glanced back over her shoulder, her vision unsteady as she ran. The man coming around the corner, who’d just shot at them, was wearing a ski mask…and a Lean Dogs cut. It was a crudely done counterfeit, obvious to her from a stolen glance, but the civilians around them wouldn’t know that. To them, it would appear like a bunch of Lean Dogs had come in and started shooting up the place.
Jesus.
It was the perfect plan to ruin their standing in the city…and maybe commit a murder in the process.
Roman raised his gun to return fire. Nurses shrieked.
“Not in here!” Maggie grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged, just as another shot tore out a fresh chunk of sheetrock. “Come on!”
They barreled into the stairwell and started down at a dead run.
Denise stumbled, gasping, crying.
“It’s okay,” Maggie lied, holding her around the waist, helping her along. “Just keep going. It’ll be fine.”
They rushed down one flight, two, three, were headed for the exit when she heard someone thundering down after them two flights up.
Shit, shit, shit, shit.
Harry punched through the door and they staggered into the blinding sunlight of the parking lot.
Maggie had the absurd out of place thought that it was a truly gorgeous day.
