Zeno needs to help me out of his car.
I still hadn't been able to go back and get my truck from outside the diner from when Michelle and I had met for breakfast. I made a mental note to make sure to go back and get it. Although Zeno's car was fine, my truck would be better in any kind of fight or end of the world bullshit that might be popping up in the next couple days.
Zeno reaches into the car to help Michelle out, but she smacks his hand away with an angry glare, "Im fine." She snaps. He yanks his hand back as if she was going to bite him.
He still gives her a kind smile and says, "Okay."
I look out over the hospital lot. There were cars jammed into every space in the entire lot. We had passed many more parked on the side of the street on the ride over. Without a spot anywhere nearby the hospital, Zeno had parked on the grass of a nearby lawn.
On the walk over we see many people camped up by the roads. "There's a waiting list." One man calls out to us, sitting on a log next to a fire. "Go talk to Jerry or Kim, they can put you on the list. If you've got any kids, it can push you to the front of the line, though."
I flash him my badge, "Just passing through."
"DMHS? Oh, you must've come from one of the safe houses. Nice and safe there, eh?" He stands from his spot, "Here to take this place too? To take any hope we have of surviving?"
"Wait we-" Michelle tries to say. I step forward, stopping her and putting my good arm in front of her, shielding her from his anger and having him focus on me.
He grabs the front of my shirt angrily, "People have died!" He shouts, "You made a promise to protect us and you not only failed, you didn't even try! You threw u-!"
Zeno grabs the man, clamping his hand hard over the man's wrist, "Let go." He says, in the most natural, calm voice.
I turn to look at him, and my stomach twists. Not an ounce of anger or malice towards the man. It was as if he was asking the man to pass the peas at a dinner table. I bite my lip, how could a werewolf be so calm when my own heart is racing with anger. Not at the man, so much as the situation. I was angry with DMHS too. I was angry with how this had all happened too. And I was angry at myself for how weak and powerless I am against it all.
The man yanks his arm away, holding it as if Zeno had hurt it. He scoffs, "Yeah, run along, killers." He turns on his heels and walks away.
I groan, "Let's go. I would like to find out the situation and leave."
We get a lot of angry glares as we skip over lines and head right for the front entrance, "There are even more people than there were this morning." Zeno whispers, leaning over so he could whisper in my ear.
Michelle steps between us, "Distance!" She snaps.
"It's fine," I tell Michelle. "He's trying to help."
"Until he feasts on your entrails." She mumbles.
"I heard that." Zeno chimes in, a half smile on his face.
"Good, I hope-"
"Quinn!" I hear a voice yell from nearby. I turned around only to be yanked into a hug, "Quinn, I was so worried!" Isaiah practically sobs. "When you went to go after that blood sucker, I thought for sure you were going to end up dead. Then I hear you're in the hospital. Then I hear you walked out of the hospital. You shouldn't do that, you make people worry! And-"
"I'm fine," I say, pushing him away. "I'm somewhere safe." Michelle coughs on her laughter next to me and I shoot a glare her way, "I wanted to come and check on what was going on. I got a friend and his family that need a safe place and this is where I thought of. Then I heard you had kinda made a shelter of sorts here and I just wanted to check everything out."
He sighs, "We're about half full. I've been handing out rooms starting with families with kids, but…" he looks out over all the people, "Honestly, I dont think they're all going to fit." He whispers."
"What about the helicopter pad and roof?" Zeno suggests.
"How would that fix anything?" Isaiah snaps. Then pauses, looking at Zeno up and down. "Who the fuck are you?"
"They already brought camping supplies…" Zeno says, ignoring his question.
"Thats-" Isaiah pauses, looking over all the people already set up in tents, "Not a terribly awful idea. Who are you?"
"Do you have enough food to feed this many?" Zeno asks, again ignoring Isaiah's question.
"There's quite a bit in the kitchen and their freezers, but honestly I'm pretty worried about how I'm going to manage feeding so many people." He whispers, eyes glancing over all the people surrounding him.
Zeno quickly continues, "I know of a place that might have enough food for another couple days, but nothing long term."
"It's been slow progress getting everyone in, too." Isaiah says, "We gotta take the blood of about two dozen at a time and test it, but…" He shakes his head, "Waiting a whole day for the results is excruciating!"
Zeno hesitates, looking over at all the people camped out around us, "Have you guys been attacked?" his eyes stop on a nearby smudge of what looks like blood.
Isaiah clenches his teeth, his hands balling up into fists, "Almost every damn day!"
Zeno grabs my good arm and ushers me a couple steps away, "With my sense of smell, I could get all these people in here in a day or two."
I feel my stomach tightens and I look at Isaiah who was watching us with curiosity and confusion. Turning back to Zeno I whisper, "You mean telling him? What you are?"
"If it means helping these people, yes."
"What if it means him attacking you?"
He shrugs, "We should probably take him somewhere where innocent people wouldn't get caught up, just in case."
"I can't believe you!" I say, then realize I'm on the edge of yelling, and go back down to a whisper, "You want to isolate him and tell him you're a were-" I groan, then rub my temple.
"We could do it in the tunnels?" Michelle says, popping into our conversation.
I groan, "You can't be serious! Michelle, imagine how you would feel being brought to an isolated place and being told that kind of information!"
"Probably better than waking up, injured and alone surrounded by a bunch of monsters."
"Hurtful." Zeno says.
"I'm sorry!" I plead, "I didn't know where else to go. I didn't know what was corrupted by DMHS."
Michelle sighs, "I'm sorry too, I shouldn't still be upset. Without your help I probably would have died."
"So, are we actually doing this?" Zeno asks, putting us back on topic.
"A vote?" I ask.
"I don't care either way." Michelle says, "But I refuse to fight Isaiah if it comes down to it."
"That's fair, I would never ask that of you, Miss Michelle." Zeno says, "As for my vote, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep these people safe, even if it means telling your friend what I am."
"I also think we should do it." I say with a groan, "I'm not excited for it and honestly I would rather not have to do it, but lives are at stake."
"So, we're doing it." Michelle says, swallowing hard.
With a long sigh, I turn back to Isaiah, "There's a lot to talk about, is there any place we can talk in private?"
"Like the tunnels?" Michells quickly asks, sounding strained.
Isaiah quickly leads us through the hospital to a hidden tunnel behind a moving refrigerator filled with bottles of medications. "Close the door behind you." He says, plugging a plug into a wall. The tunnels ahead illuminate with hundreds of lights. Lines of what look like Christmas lights line the tunnels.
"Pretty…" Zeno notes.
We follow Isaiah for a bit until the tunnel opens up enough for it to be room sized. I glance at Zeno. If a fight breaks out, he would be at a disadvantage. His wolf form would be far too large to fight in a room of this size easily.
"We're pretty well isolated here." Isaiah says, "What have you found out?"
I feel my stomach tighten. Oh my god, I can't do it, I think to myself. How could I tell him? What would I say? "You're right." I choke out, "I've learned a lot of things these past couple days. It's truly been a lot. Like, A LOT."
"Quinn?" Isaiah asks, his voice filled with worry, "What happened? Are you okay?" He moves to my side, trying to help me, as if he was worried about me. It was different with Michelle. She was at a cafe, surrounded by people. Humans. Not isolated and alone with one of them right next to you.
I take a deep breath and explain how my first encounter with Fletcher went. Then I explain everything after. "That's when I met with Michelle and told her. But the cafe was attacked by-"
"And you believe this, Michelle?" Isaiah asks, stopping me. My words dry in my throat.
"I admit, I was skeptical. But, I trust Quinn more than anyone." She says, tears burn my eyes. "I've also been convinced. I've met with a handful already and I was able to walk away just fine. They even helped me after we were attacked by hellhounds."
"They want to help." I say firmly, "They also have a method to screen all those people outside and get them inside the hospital safely in about a day."
"And you want to just allow these monsters to be near innocent people!?" Isaiah snaps, "Women, children! You want to chance that!?"
"I've never hurt anyone before, I wouldn't start now." Zeno says, spilling the secret.
"Look that doesn't ha-" Isaiah chokes on his words, looking over Zeno again, "Wait-"
Zeno takes a deep breath, "The werewolf Zeno, at your service." He says with a strained smile.