Sarah and Aidan

[Mr. Handy]

Sarah returns the gun to her pocket and whips out the key Leroy gave her. She unlocks the door to the roof and throws it open. "WAIT!!!" she yells, waving her arms over her head in desperation, hoping she's not too late.

[Laraqua]

The helicopter has risen a good two dozen feet off the hospital roof, its search lights on and pointed downwards onto the roof, searching along the rooftop as it moves sidelong away from the hospital.

[Mr. Handy]

Sarah rushes out onto the roof and deliberately steps into the light. She holds her knife pointed downwards so as not to appear threatening while waving with her free hand. "OI!" she yells as loud as she can. "DOWN HERE!"

[TheKingInYellow]

Aidan stummbles out on to the roof, being too out of shape to keep up right behind Sarah. He waves his arms furiously at the helicopter.

"Wait!" He yells with whatever might he can manage between gasps for air. "Wait! God damnit! We're still here!"

The thought of coming so close and losing them now feels like it will kill him... And if it didn't, something here certainly could.

[Laraqua]

"You took your time," said a chuckling male voice over the megaphone. "All right, let's take her back down."

[TheKingInYellow]

"Oh, sweet Jesus, thank you." Aidan remarks, ducking down to give the helicopter whatever clearance it requires.

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, thank God!" says Sarah, catching her breath, her chest heaving. Her reckless sprint had taken a lot out of her, but it had paid off. She rejoins Aidan back at the door leading back inside and waits for the chopper to set down on the helipad, and for the first time since all this started she feels genuine hope. She grins at him, though he can't see behind her surgical mask. "We did it!"

[Laraqua]

The helicopter comes in to land and as it does so, the darkness seems to lift somewhat, as the ash thins enough to allow a wan light over the hospital. It has gone from the darkest part of night to the sort of light one gets directly before the sun comes up. The devastation becomes much more obvious - the mashed cars in the car park, the broken windows of other buildings.

[TheKingInYellow]

Aidan tries not to look at the destruction; there's no time to dwell on it.

"We're not out yet... But I have to say, this is about the happiest I've been all day."

When the helicopter lands, he'll duckwalk over to the pilot door (or cargo door, depending on the model).

[Mr. Handy]

"Great Scott!" exclaims Sarah when she sees the widespread destruction. Once the helicopter has landed, she approaches and speaks to the crew, raising her voice to be heard over the sound of the rotors. "Thank God you're here! We've got a bunch of sick kids downstairs and we need to get them aboard and out of here stat. This place is crawling with horrible things. I'll be going with to look after them. We've got a cart of supplies to bring too." She tells the crew how many children there are and how big they are. "How many do you think we can fit in the first trip? There are several other survivors that need to be picked up, and we didn't have time to grab a lot of stuff so there's more that can be taken on later trips. There are also survivors across the street in the cinemaplex, but they're getting ready to make a run for the superstore next door. My father's with them; he's a doctor. Also, one of the children has a dicky appendix that'll need to come out sooner or later. I can do it if I have to, but it would be best if we can pick up my father first and then I can assist him. Can one of you come with us and help us bring the kids up to the roof?"

[TheKingInYellow]

Aidan surveys the inside of the helicopter, trying to estimate how many people they can fit inside. Two trips at least, he figures, which mean there's going to be some tough choices coming up. He stays silent, letting Sarah do the talking; he lets his thoughts catch up with him.

[Laraqua]

A police officer sits in the gap of the slid back sliding door, legs dangling out, as the helicopter slowly descends. "Hey, long time, no show. What took y'all so long?" he asked in a southern American accent. "We were about to go roast some marshmallows... Anywho, we could probably fit a good four adults back here, maybe eight kids? This is no troop carrier, after all. Not far to go, but. Should be easy."

[Mr. Handy]

"We ran into one of those...things...when we were gathering the children's medication," says Sarah. "Then when we called the lift I found out that all the buttons had been ripped out, and then another of those things showed up on the stairs. Aidan and I had to run up the ramp fast as we could. I think I set a new record." She brushes her hair out of her face. "I'm Nurse Sarah Carpenter, by the way. I'm so glad you hadn't left. Looks like we got here just in time. So, it'll be me, our cart of supplies, and six kids in the first trip, then. One of those kids will have to be the one awaiting an appendectomy. Some of the doctors in the hospital may have survived, but we can't be sure. There was also a paramedic, but he's disappeared and I don't know what's happened to him. Let's head back downstairs and bring the children and the supplies up the ramp, then. You coming with?"

[Laraqua]

"What do you mean, things?" asks the cop as he hops off the helicopter and signals to the two pilots. "And sure, let's get this party started..."

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, I guess you could call them zombies," says Sarah, leading the way to the open door that goes back inside. "The water's contaminated, and anyone who drinks it starts bleeding from the face, building stuff, and acting all crazy. Mostly they ignored us, but one of them attacked me. Maybe it ran out of building material and was trying to use me for it instead. Luckily someone was there to save me. He blew it away with a shotgun point blank, and it collapsed. There was no blood, and somehow it was still moving afterwards. There are other things out there that are even worse, but at least they can be killed...I hope.

Sarah takes a deep breath. "We've got over a dozen children down on the second floor. One of the doctors drugged them, so most of them are still asleep. Dianne Hammond, a senior nurse who works mainly in the Children's Ward, is watching over them with Jill, one of the volunteers. I gave out knives so people can protect themselves. Dianne and I both have guns, too." She draws her pistol in her left hand when she reaches the door and peers inside.

[Laraqua]

The stairwell is gloomy but not nearly so dark now that light can enter the hospital from the outside world.

[Mr. Handy]

Sarah takes another breath and then ventures inside, her weapons at the ready. "We should be quiet on our way down," she says softly. "Don't want anything bad to hear us. We ought to take the stairs down to the fifth floor, and then the ramp down to the second. These things use the stairwell, so I'd avoid it. If you've got any weapons, you should take them out now. If not, you can borrow my gun. You should put on a surgical mask too."

[OOC: Did Hammond take Sarah's second mask earlier, or was there one left for her to take in the cart? If Sarah still has two masks, she'll offer one to the cop.]

[Laraqua]

The cop takes a long, steady look at Sarah's gun and opens his mouth to say something about it. Then he shuts it again with a frown and gestures to it. "I should go first but I... You do know how to shoot that thing, right? I don't want it just going off..."

[Mr. Handy]

"To be honest, I've never fired a gun in my life," admits Sarah. "Someone else found it and gave it to me. I'll be careful with it, or you can borrow it if you like. I'd rather not be in front; I'd probably get attacked by something awful again. Or we can both go side by side if you prefer."

[TheKingInYellow]

Aidan follows behind, quietly but dutifully. He seems to only be half-listening to the conversation. He holds the spike with two hands and a firm grip.

"I don't... How many of them are there? How many of them are infected? Do we know?"

Standing at the entrance back into the hospital, he waits for an order.