Don't Forget You're a Badass

5.

It was getting dark by the time they made landfall. Buck and Eddie got everyone out of the boat and started herding them inland. Luckily no one was too injured and they could all walk alright.

"We are on dry land Cap, headed to the VA on foot now." Eddie called over the radio.

"Glad to hear it, We'll be about half an hour behind you, we just fished some stragglers from the water." Bobby's voice responded through the radio, "stay together you two."

"Affirmative." Eddie replied, and that was it.

It was a mile and a half to the VA hospital from where they were, and the group began the long trek ahead of them. They passed through streets searching for signs of life, or more specifically signs of Christopher.

"LAFD, if anyone can hear us call out or make some noise!" Buck yelled, they'd been taking turns calling out as both they're voices were starting to get a bit too rough and scratchy to be comfortable.

Some people joined the group, and none of them had any serious injuries so far. It seemed like this area had already been cleared of anyone who needed serious medical attention or immediate transport. That or they were dead.

Eddie spotted something orange behind a pile of rubble and he took off towards it.

"Christopher!" He called out, and he could feel Buck right on his heels, but when he came around the other end of the pile it wasn't Christopher.

"Everyone stay back there!" He ordered.

The kids from Chris's school didn't need to see one of their classmates dead. Laying against part of the rubble was a little girl, who's name Eddie thought might've been Shelby, run through with a large chunk of wood.

Buck knelt down and felt for a pulse, even though it was clear she was dead. It was protocol after all.

"C'mon Eds," he said after letting out a long sigh, "nothing we can do."

They kept moving.

........................................................................

They'd been walking for what felt like forever, Chris thought. They'd taken a few breaks, and they'd stopped to help some people along the way, but their first aid kit was becoming dangerously empty.

Chris wasn't sure how much longer they could keep going. Eva was stumbling every other step and he wasn't doing much better. Hassan's pace had slowed more and he looked like it was taking everything he had to even put one foot in front of the other.

Eva stumbled and fell for what must've been the third time in the last twenty minutes and promptly burst into tears.

"Hey, sweetie, it's ok, we can take a break here." Miss Lena said placatingly then moved to take a look at her scraped knee, "her let me see."

She fished out some of the Neosporin and their last bandaid. "You'll be alright, just a little scrape."

"How much farther is it?" Hassan asked collapsing next to Chris.

"Only about another mile," Miss Lena promised, "we are more than halfway."

Eva's tears intensified at that, "I-I don't th-think I'll m-make it." She sniffed.

"Nonsense kiddo," Miss Lena said, "we are all gonna make it, and we'll find you're parents and get you checked out by the doctors so they can bandage you up properly, and then I'm going to go find my team."

"You'll find them." Chris said trying to reassure her, he couldn't imagine if he'd been out here all alone, "they survived, I know it. They're firefighters, they can survive anything."