Twenty Seven

The cafeteria was in flames behind them as Angie and Park rushed down the hallway.  Kristen and Mr. Paulson followed.

"Shit," said Angie, stopping and turning back to look. "We really have to hurry now. No way we're putting that out."

Alarms went off all over the hospital. A splitting, piercing ringing.

"And this is when the sprinklers would be going off?" said Park, looking around.

"Yeah," said Angie. "Come on." She turned to look back at the others. Kristen was walking toward her.

"What?" said Angie just as Kristen balled up her fist and punched her.

"Don't you ever fucking treat my father that way!" she screamed.

Angie dropped the jugs of alcohol she was carrying. She flashed red and shoved Kristen away. "Back off, bitch! You want to beat my ass, wait 'til we get fucking outside!"

"Hey!" yelled Park. "As much as I love a good cat fight, we really really need to fucking get!"

Kristen glared at Angie. She rushed her, slamming her into the wall and grabbing her hair. Angie screamed and rammed her knee into Kristen's stomach.

* * *

"Come the fuck on!" said Park, yelling at Angie and Kristen. Mr. Paulson watched as his daughter and Angie fought in the hallway. He could feel the heat from the cafeteria behind them, even though it was a good twenty feet.

He said nothing, looking at Kristen's pale face. He knew the look. She was spent. It was the same look she had when she'd spent all day caring for him. The same look she had when Sam would go off by himself and do whatever the fuck it was he used to do.

He looked at Angie as she struggled with Kristen. The bitch had almost got him killed. Maybe he was asking for it. Maybe he wanted it. He should have died years ago. Did people think he liked being a tired old man who couldn't even fucking stand up anymore? Did people think he liked sucking away at his daughter's time? He could barely get to the toilet himself anymore. How long before he had to wear a goddamned diaper and lay on the bed while his daughter changed him?

He heard groaning come from the cafeteria. He wheeled himself around to look. Down the hallway corpses were approaching through the flames.

He turned back to the others. They were arguing with each other.

He started to say something, then shut his mouth. Fuck it.

Fuck this.

He looked one last time at Kristen. I'm sorry, he thought.

He wheeled the chair around to face back toward the cafeteria. He pushed the controller forward and moved toward the door. The corpses were just starting to emerge.

"Here I come, fuckers," he said. With his free hand, he reached behind himself and pulled the tube from his oxygen tank. He heard the slight hiss of the nozzle next to his ear.

The corpses saw him coming and groaned in welcome. Mr. Paulson reached over his head and twisted the regulator open as far as it would go. The oxygen blasted him in the back of the head, the hiss of it almost drowning out the groaning of the corpses.

"Dad?" came Kristen's voice far behind him.

I'm sorry.

The corpses closed in on him. He fished out his lighter, held it up to the oxygen nozzle, and lit it.

* * *

The explosion shook the hallway.

"Dad!" screamed Kristen, rushing toward the fireball.

"No!" Angie grabbed Kristen and pulled her back.

"Let me fucking go!" Kristen screeched, struggling with Angie.

Flames leapt across the ceiling and walls. Corpses groaned. Kristen fell to her knees, sobbing. "Dad!"

Angie looked up ahead and her eyes grew wide. "Everybody down!"

She and Park dropped to the floor. Angie pushed Kristen over to lay flat. "Let me go!" Kristen yelled.

Mr. Paulson's wheelchair flew over their heads, slamming into the wall to their right. Flames from it coated the wall and shot up over their heads.

"Come on!" yelled Park, climbing to his feet.

"No!" yelled Kristen, reaching toward the cafeteria. All Angie could see up there were flames and the outline of corpses. "Dad!"

Angie grabbed Kristen's shoulders and pulled her to her feet. "Come on!"

"Dad!"

Angie turned Kristen around and pushed her forward, down the hallway. She bent to get the jugs of alcohol. One was too close to the flames. She grabbed the one she could safely get and stood.

"Come on!" she yelled.

She and Park ran down the hallway, Angie dragging Kristen with them.