Joy slowly clicked her seatbelt back on and picked up the basket. She reached into her pocket and clicked on Devyn's name, followed by a green phone. Each round of the ring tone made Joy clinch tighter onto her phone.

"Did she answer?" Emma whispered, pushing back a stray strand of red hair.

Joy shook her head as a robotic voice sounded over the phone—she hung up.

Emma licked her lips as the windshield wipers steadily sounded. "I'm sure she didn't go inside yet. You said she would wait for you, right? I'm sure she would have remembered the plan and waited."

Joy nodded as Emma continued to ramble. The speed of her speech increased with each sentence.

"I mean, she can't die now. Devyn is a symbol. She is the reason we—I mean, what will happen? We can't rely on Kevin. No one really likes Kevin," Emma babbled, making Joy smirk.

"Timothy is okay," Joy started.

Emma shook her head. "Timothy is so boring. He also looks like a bloated penguin when he gets angry, flapping his wings around."

Joy laughed, staring down at her phone. "Yeah, Devyn knows it. She can't—"

Her phone vibrated in her hand making Joy jump as the first sounds of her ring echoed in the car. Devyn flashed across the screen, making Emma cheer and Joy instantly smile.

"Hey," Joy answered the phone.

"Hi," Devyn's panting response made Joy sit straighter.

"You okay?" Joy asked.

"Uh-huh," Devyn replied. "Just running. What intersection are you at?"

"Basically at Braeswood and Main."

"Fuck me," Devyn gasped. "You have to be that far?"

"Tell her I know where we can go," Emma cut in.

"Emma says she knows—"

"I heard her," Devyn snapped. "Turn off your damn lights. I can see you. I will be there in a second."

Joy passed on the directive, and Emma turned off the car.

"This is so exciting," Emma whispered. "I just thought I would die becoming part of the Red Eyed Battalion. I didn't know I would make a difference."

Joy looked at Emma with raised and furrowed eyebrows. "You know, that isn't the thing to say after seeing a building catch fire in front of us, right?"

Emma shrugged. "I figure that they will be able to save most of it from burning down since the sprinkler systems still work."

A knock at the window made Joy scream before recognizing Devyn as the assailant. Emma unlocked the door, and she jumped inside.

"Well," Devyn sighed, putting on her seatbelt. "I guess they knew what we had planned."

Emma turned on the car and shrugged. "PoL has contingency plans on their contingency plans."

"That's why they knew the fire wouldn't burn down the whole building?" Joy asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, hospitals have ways to contain fires on a floor. I'm sure they made sure everything was in place before starting this one. They wanted to send a message, not tie their own noose."

Devyn sighed while ringing out the water from her shirt. "So, where should we go?"

"Memorial City," Emma replied. "I know some of the guys that run the Red Eye clinic there. They might be able to hook us up with the stuff we need."

Joy gasped. "I didn't know—"

Emma laughed. "Yeah, regs not know is the point. We don't want PoL to pull that same stunt."

"But, without the fire containment, of course," Devyn muttered.

"Of course," Emma and Joy agreed in unison.

It took them about twenty minutes to arrive at the hospital. Emma pulled up to a basement entrance. She plugged in a numbered key code to open the door.

Joy tightened her grip on the basket as they drove into the darkness. The lights on the car seemed minimal as they went through the cement maze. 

 Emma stopped the car and turned to her passengers.  "If you walk straight ahead, you will find the service elevator. Take that to the fifth floor. Someone will be able to help you from there," she directed them.

"What about you?" Joy asked.

Emma shrugged. "I set this car on fire and disappear. Mission complete."

"We will see you around," Devyn responded. "I will make sure of it."

Emma nodded and then used her hand to shoo them out of the car.

The two old friends got out. Joy picked up the basket with care, and Devyn turned on her phone flashlight. They found the service elevator easily and pressed the "up" button. In a few seconds, it dinged, and the doors opened.

"Wouldn't it be ironic if this is how we die?" Joy joked as they stepped into the elevator.

"Trapped in an elevator?" Devyn asked. "Seems kind of lame."

"I'm sure there have been worse deaths," Joy shrugged, watching the numbers tick upward above the elevator doors.

Devyn nodded. "Once this is over, we should start a list."

"Agreed. No need to jinx ourselves right now."

The elevator doors opened to reveal a bustling clinic with blacked-out windows. Devyn and Joy shared a surprised look before stepping out into the chaos. They walked to what seemed to be the front desk to meet the red-eyed gaze of a bald woman.

"Can I help you?" She bit out, assessing them.

"Uhm, yeah," Devyn responded. "Emma sent us here. We have some blood samples that need to be analyzed."

The bald woman pressed her lips together and stared at the basked. Joy sighed and removed the blanket to show her the contents. Satisfied, the bald woman picked up the phone and pressed a few numbers.

"You can go sit down," she said to them while waiting for someone to answer. "Hey, Hahn, yeah, I got two normal women here with a basket of blood for you."

Joy and Devyn walked away, not wanting to hear more descriptions of themselves. Neither ever considered herself normal.

They watched the bald woman fight with Hahn about coming to get them for a few minutes.  Once that show ended, they watched red-eyed individuals enter and leave. Some looked to be in the middle of a medical emergency. Others just seemed lost and scared.

"I just didn't know what to do," a woman whispered to someone. "I got bit while in the forest and then woke up with red eyes."

"Thank goodness you found this place in time," a male voice responded.

"I know," the woman whispered. "That one councilwoman seems nice, but I doubt they will change anything.  A friend of mine got taken last week."

When the bald man with a greying beard approached them, they were almost relieved.

"Hello, I'm Hahn. I hear you got some blood for me," he said gruffly.

They nodded, and Joy held up the basket.

"We need to get this processed quickly," Devyn said.

"How quick?" Hahn asked, eyeing them warily.

"Two days?" Devyn responded. "I'm happy to help."

Joy looked between the two. "But, who will figure out what is in this?"

The two stopped to look at Joy as she subtly showed them a vile of clear liquids in the basket. Hahn looked between the two women and nodded.

"Where did you get that?" Hahn asked, glancing around the room to verify no one had watched them.

"A man in the forest," Joy whispered, making Hahn snort.  "He said he got it from a P3."  She finished defensively.

"Sounds legit. Follow me," Hahn sighed. "I wouldn't want to start a frenzy if that is what I think.  I've been trying to break the code on my own vile for a month now.  Maybe we can finally get it done."

"I hope so," Devyn smiled, rising from her chair.

The two women followed him through a set of double doors, never looking back.

***

Taken from the RFUPD weekly bulletin:

Hello fellow P.U. and undead individuals, we know there has been a cry out for help in our community. These times are scary, but please know there is hope within the darkness. There are trained individuals who are willing to help you if sick or in need of help. Sometimes it is on the edges of our worlds that we find hope. Please do not fear.  Just look for the tallest light.

***

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