AM13 Outbreak Shorts

One Year On - Thirty Nine (Oliver)

Oliver

"I will kill you!"

Those words spark something. It's like a flame has been flickering, just waiting to explode, and those words are the ignition needed to make it all erupt, to burn the world down around us.

The screaming and yelling, the fighting that has been brewing ever since Rachael was found dead, breaks loose and within seconds, I lose all control of the sanctuary surrounding me.

I don't think the young guy charging towards Benji, wanting him dead as well, wanted chaos to be the cause of his actions, but that's what's happened anyway. An unintended consequence.

"Stop!" No one can hear me. It's too loud now. "Stop!" But I have to keep trying. Hell lies outside of our camp walls and if we aren't careful, we'll invite it in. "Stop, everyone. Stop. We can't fight among ourselves. Think about what's out there!"

But humans don't seem to surround me anymore. It's primal, animalistic, scary. Worse than hell. I don't feel like I have any choice. I grab my gun and fire a warning shot in the air, glad that at least this will stop people...not that it does. The sound of the shot dissipates into nothingness as the endless battle that's come from a place of serious unrest rages on.

"Oliver, run." I feel the warm fingers belonging to Katie wrapped around my arm. "Get away from this. It's getting out of control. There isn't anything you can do."

My heart thunders against my chest, I know that I need to be here, I'm needed.

"No, I can't. I have to stop this, Katie. But get yourself safe, please. You can't get hurt."

"I don't want to leave you..."

I cup her face in my cheeks and crash my lips to hers hard. I have to capture her attention, to make her really hear me, because I don't want to be worried about her as well.

"You're the medical help here, Katie. We are going to need you in a moment. People are hurt." I don't even want to think about the blood already shed. "You need to be safe and I have to stop this." I smile in a way that I hope reassures her. "I need to stop the fight."

"Don't get hurt," she pleads with a whimper. "I need you, Oliver, we all do."

Her reaction shows me just how serious this is. This mess is the worst that we've ever had to face, in this camp anyway, perhaps a long time ago we had dangers like this regularly, but that only shows how well we can do, how much of a sanctuary this can be if we let it, which is why it's even more important to calm everyone down.

"Go, Katie." She starts to slip away from me, her fingers letting go. "I love you."

"I love you too," she yells, although I can barely hear her. "Come back to me soon, okay?"

Soon might be an issue, because this only appears to be getting worse, but I will get back to her no matter what...