The Consequence

From the perspective of Chase Cringle.

Back on the highway, heading toward Mt Vernon, Illinois, I witnessed the wailing of sirens and the flashing of blinding red lights. Fire truck crews were on the scene of a brutal fire at Jefferson County Regional Hospital in the middle of the night as patients, doctors, nurses and staff all stampeded out of the building in a panic.

I was troubled. It was possible my friends could be inside the hospital. I had to check.

I rode the Road King up to the curb, shut the bike off, then I flipped the kickstand and climbed off the bike, my silver hair flickering in the breeze.

Glaring into the chaos I overheard the captain of the fire squad call for a medic, and I couldn't help but to investigate. "Somebody! Anyone! We need a doctor!"

I rushed over to the fire captain. "What can I do?" I asked. "I'm a vampire. I can recover from being burned in a few hours, you humans can't. Tell me what to do, I'll do it."

"You're no doctor, kid. But I can sure use you. I need you to go into that hospital and retrieve as many people as you can. Go!"

"I'm on it!" I assured the fire chief as I ran toward the entrance of the hospital.

I had no time to make any observations. I checked every room for patients that could have been left behind. It seemed as if I was the only responder inside the hospital, until I saw another fireman running for safety with a distraught, soot-covered, bawling toddler in his arms. I didn't stop for a second. I went further into the hospital and climbed the stairs to the second floor while also blindly navigating through the dense smoke.

On the second floor, I heard a female voice calling for help from above, so I dragged myself onward, the flames licking my skin and smoldering my clothes and shoes. I didn't feel the burning pain at first, the sensation was more like a tickle, but soon the pain suddenly evolved and my conscience told me to run for safety, but I disobeyed and I powered onward, my lungs brimming with volatile smoke.

I was struggling to see ahead of me, struggling to stay awake, and coughing up a storm. The third floor ceiling began to sink and crumble, the tile floor as hot as a sizzling frying pan. The soles of my tennis shoes were beginning to melt. Most of the room doors were wide open, except for one: room 307, blocked off by a portable hospital bed.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" I heard the woman shout from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, don't worry! I'll get you out!" I responded.

I hastily rolled the portable hospital bed out of the way, and I attempted to open the door whose door handle was scalding hot to the touch. "Ow! Fuck!" I shouted.

"Please, get me out!" The woman began to cough violently.

"Stay calm! I'm going to bust the door down! Step away from the door!" I assured the terrified woman. Then, all of a sudden, the entire building began to shake and wobble, but I was determined to not leave that woman for dead.

The woman rebutted. "How are you going to do that? You're not strong enough!"

"Trust me," I said. "Step back."

I didn't know if I could really bust the door down. I never exactly tested my strength since I became a vampire. But I couldn't just stand by and let the woman die. So I mustered all my strength, energy, and focus, then I stepped back, and I raised my right leg, then I slammed it full-force against the heavy door, busting the door's top hinge. I kicked the door again, and again, and again, until, finally, the door fell back with a thundering crash. The woman was mesmerized and amazed and grabbed my hand.

"Like I said, I'm stronger than I look. C'mon, let's ditch this hospital!"

"Please! Get me out of here!" the woman shouted, covered in black soot, frantic and weak.

I swept the woman off her feet and carried her in my arms out of room 304, down the stairs, through the lobby, and out of the hospital, right before the entire hospital collapsed in a pile of rubble and ash.

Outside, I fell to my knees and gasped for air while the woman ran free without a single thank you. I didn't blame her.

BOOM!! Ringing in my ears. I landed on my back. I couldn't see much, just a hazy panic, until my eyes adjusted. There were multiple explosions from all around that rattled me to my core. A panic started among the fire fighters, fire responders, the police, and the patients. There were screams, and gunfire… so much gunfire. I was shaking when a silhouette emerged from the midst of the ash cloud above the hospital.

The figure was revealed to be Micah. He was floating fifty feet above the ground, to my astonishment.

When the cloud of ash had faded, Micah produced his scoped rifle. His moto jacket and white ripped skinny jeans and black laced combat boots were all coated in fine ash and debris, as well as his long pearly white hair. He raised the scope of his bolt-action rifle to his one eye and aimed the barrel toward my chest and immediately fired.

I had no time to react. The bullet ripped through me like a hot knife slicing through warm butter, entering through my torso and exiting through my back. I fell back onto the asphalt in more pain than I could have ever imagined. The shot was incredibly loud and deafening. I was unable to move. I thought I would pass out. I felt paralyzed from the neck down. I wanted to scream and curse at Micah, but I knew it wouldn't help.

Micah floated down to greet me. "What's up, fledgling?"

I nearly barked at Micah, but instead I replied, "Just get it over with."

Micah grinned wide. "Sure thing. Sweet dreams."

Micah raised the blunt end of his rifle and striked my forehead.

Everything went black.