I grabbed the flashlight, leaving them there in the dark, and started looking for a way to get upstairs, above where the water line had been just a few days before. The elevators were obviously out of order, so I searched around for a staircase. After looking for a bit, I found one. I hesitated before opening the door. What would come out if I did in this dark, creepshow place? A serial killer? A wave of blood like in the movies? I took a deep breath and pulled the door open. Nothing. Just an empty, dark staircase.

I climbed up to the third floor. I paused again before opening the door back into the hospital. What if there was no one there? What if I was going to have to watch my best friend bleed to death while no one helped her?

After a minute I realized that the possibility of help was better than doing nothing, and pushed the door open. I found myself in the middle of chaos.

On this floor, there were beds full of people all along the hallways. There were more flashlights and a few camping lanterns sending their eerie glow into the darkness. I heard the electronic sounds, beeps that sounded in crescendos, like the chirps of crickets on a dark night in the country. There were people moaning and begging. Machines were blinking, probably on battery power. Between the beds, nurses in pastel colored scrubs ran around. They were obviously doing their best to help who they could, but it was also obvious that there was only so much they could do.

“Where is the fucking helicopter?” I heard one of women in a stained white coat yell. “We need to get more people out of here!”

I ran up to her.

“I have an emergency!” I yelled, grabbing her arm.

She whirled on me, her near-hysterical eyes flashing above the deep bags underneath them. It was obvious she hadn’t slept in days.

“Get in line,” she snapped.

“My friend got stabbed,” I insisted.

She pointed. “Well, there’s another stabbing. And three shootings. Not to mention the people who were here before the storm. So get your friend up here and we’ll get to them when we can.”

“She’s fucking dying!” I shouted. “You can’t let her die! You have to do something. Please.”

The doctor didn’t seem to have any sympathy. “Do you think these batteries in these machines are going to last much longer? Half the hospital is going to die if these helicopters don’t get back here again and again until everyone’s out. And it’s been hours since the last one was here. So, like I said, bring your friend up, and we’ll get to her as soon as we can.”