A Stand Worth Taking

A Necessary Defeat

Hopkins exchanged a dark glance with Sanford. The doctor nodded before running to the infirmary. He needed to find a way to get his patients out of here before all hell broke loose. Sanford burst through the door of the infirmary, and Foster jolted awake.

"Doctor?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Can you walk?" Sanford demanded.

"Slow down. What's happening?"

"The siege is coming to an end. Can you walk?"

Foster flung off his blankets and planted his feet on the ground, but when he attempted to stand, he tipped back onto the bed. "Everything spins," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't think I can... I'm sorry."

By now, Sanford's other two patients had become aware of the situation, and fortunately, their illness did not hinder their ability to walk. Sanford wriggled beneath Foster's arm.

"Either one of you," Sanford said. "Help me carry him."

The taller of the two, Freeman, Sanford recalled, draped Foster's other arm over his shoulder, and together, he and Sanford ambled to the exit and out into the hall.

"Is there any other way out excluding the main gates?" Sanford asked.

"Yeah," Sanford's other patient, Jacobs, said. "Just past the Captain's office, there's a ladder leading up to the rampart. We can use it to get up and over the fort walls."

"Excellent, let's go."

The four men went as fast as they could, practically dragging Foster along; his weakened legs struggled to keep up with their hastened pace. Before they had reached the ladder, footfalls became increasingly louder behind them.

Jacobs spun around to confront their pursuers. "Captain?"

Sanford halted, then glanced over his shoulder. It was, in fact, Captain Hopkins. Then, a beat later, the rest of his troops filed into the hallway.

"We barricaded the gate as best we could," Hopkins said, "but they're scaling the wall." The fortress shook. "The enemy has invaded the bailey."

"Jacobs pointed out another way out of the fort," Sanford said. "It's just down this hall, and If we can-"

Troops in red appeared at the end of the hallway. "There they are!" They came sprinting down the hall as one force, like a charging bull.

"Go! Go!" Hopkins said.

To Foster's protest, Freeman scooped him up bridal style and followed the Captain's lead.

"Put me down, dammit," Foster said.

"Is now really the time to complain?" Freeman replied. "You can yell at me later when-"

Everyone skidded to a stop. More enemy soldiers stepped into the hallway, blocking both exits. They were trapped.

"The office," Hopkins said. He threw the door open and promptly shoved everyone into the room. After locking the door, Hopkins pushed the desk up against it. Other soldiers jumped in, moving shelves and chairs to sit in front of the door, barricading the entrance.

Meanwhile, Freeman had set Foster down in the corner. Foster's hair was slick with sweat and plastered to his head. His breathing, was labored and hard.

"How are you feeling?" Sanford asked.

"I've been better," Foster replied. A series of shivers wracked his body. "Truly, I'm fine."

Fox had wandered over and seeing Foster's condition, slipped out of his coat. "Here." Fox draped his uniform over his Ill friend. "This will do you better than it will me."