Defeated and at the end of his rope, Ford slumped against the bottom chassis of a blackened Jeep that was lying sideways next to the river. He slid to the ground and watched numbly as the ten-foot-long re-entry vehicle was loaded aboard the larger of the helicopters. Once that was completed, the airmen took turns being hoisted back up into the smaller escort chopper. Just before he departed, the final man took one last look around. His eyes widened as he spotted Ford sagging upon the ground, next to the trashed Jeep.

“Hold it!” the airmen yelled. “We have a man down!”

* * *

The entire ward had become a triage unit. Doctors and nurses, just like Sam’s mom, were super-busy trying to take care of all the hurt people who kept pouring into the hospital, some of them from as far as Nevada. All the blood and confusion scared Sam, who wanted his mommy, but he stayed at the nurse’s desk like he had been told. A new coloring book rested on his lap, ignored and forgotten, while he stared in horrified fascination at the TV set on the wall.

“Military personnel are assisting in the evacuations,” a government lady said on the TV. “We’re urging civilians who have not already left to stay off the roads and make their way immediately to shelter.”

A group of soldiers marched through the ward. Their helmets and uniforms looked a lot like the ones his dad wore. Sam looked away from the TV hopefully.

“Daddy?”

He hopped off his seat and tottered after them.

* * *

Elle was at her wit’s end. Just when she thought they couldn’t possibly cope with one more patient, another batch of casualties arrived from the disaster zone, all requiring immediate attention. She’d been running herself ragged for nearly twenty-four hours now, with only short breaks for food and naps. She hadn’t even had a chance to go home yet. Poor Sam had practically been living at the nurse’s station. The only good thing about the ongoing crisis was that she wasn’t worrying every second about Ford and whatever danger he might be in at this very moment.

She glanced anxiously at her wristwatch. Ford had said he’d be here by now and yet there was no sign of him. And no word either.

“Ford, where are you?”

More National Guardsmen invaded the ward. To her dismay, they started rounding up children and critical patients and herding them toward the exits. She hurried toward them.

“Wait, wait!” she protested. “These patients are my responsibility. Where are you taking them?”

A Guardsman took a moment to a moment to answer her. “Across the bridges,” he said gruffly. “Critical and children only.”

Elle was caught off-guard. They were evacuating the hospital now? Did that mean the monsters were that close already?