THEY ARE EVERYWHERE

"Not taking a risk, is the greatest risk of all

“I know we’re going to survive this," Jane said, her voice laced with
determination. But the reality was dire. They had been trapped in the police facility for three days with limited supplies and no sign of help. They were all exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, their hopes dwindling with each passing hour. With only just one light bulb put on at a time, and they had to make a list of time, on when they can put on each of these light bulbs, so as to not alert the Infecteds, any flash could alert roaming infecteds their location, putting them in danger.

Maria and Lisa and her son, Kofi, with the two soldiers sent to rescue them, which one of them is a threat to all of them. Altogether at the police facility hoping help will come soon and as each day goes by, they’ve been exhausted and short of supplies, but yet help is not seen anywhere as they are not able to reach the outside world or Ray, neither could Jane get through, even with her years of service which really makes her hate the whole idea of being locked up in a place where your life is at stake by a single uncompromising step which they must now live by rules if they need to live and maybe survive.

Maria’s frustration boiled over “we really have to keep up with the rules, Rufus! We can’t afford to make mistakes.” Rufus, already a ticking time bomb due to his infected bite, glared at Maria. “Be careful how you talk to me, woman. I’m not your husband!” His voice was low and menacing, his eyes flashing with anger and had just returned from
the toilet when it wasn’t time for anyone to put on the bulb, rather the
toilet flushing noise he made.

“And you cannot be…because he wouldn’t stubbornly put people’s lives, God know where he is right now and my baby boy, just like you did when you f***king know the rules and we have to make sure we keep it that way if we want to have a chance of making it out of here alive or will wait till help comes and that’s if it will ever come! Well you’re not bothered about dying, probably because you have dying wish or…or because you’re dying anyways…”

“You don’t know sh*t about me, and you have no damn right to say that to my person! Rufus yelled back, also trying to keep voice clam so as to not attract the infected. “I’ve got families too that I really hope to get back to!
“Oh yeah! I really don’t need no biography about you or your background, I ain’t your God to judge you. I’m just saying the things I’ve
seen. Or am I lying?” Maria clapped back at Rufus, who wasn’t even trying to listen to anything anyone have got to say other than a siren help sound or something like a miracle before becomes one of things.

The tension between them was palpable, the air thick with unspoken fears and anxieties. Jane intervened, trying to calm them down. “You
two big babies need to stop whining and putting our lives in danger! Rufus, let her win sometimes. You’re wrong for going against the rules.”
Her voice was firm but gentle, a soothing balm to their frayed nerves.
“Everybody calm down, instead of lashing at each other, let’s channel
that energy to being maybe more resourceful like finding a way we can get to the bus, I saw packed at a house, few kilometers from here, we probably might have a chance of living!

Lisa, who had been quietly observing the exchange, spoke up. “But how are we going to get out of here? We can’t just run to a bus that might not even be working.” Her eyes were wide with uncertainty, her brow furrowed in concern. She had been trying to be brave with the whole situation and not giving up to the defeat of the sudden, that’s staring at her face. Her heart and mind wouldn’t stop thinking about her brother
and nephew. “What might have happened to them? It’s been three
days and Kwame is still yet to come to the facility and they are almost about out of food and water, Rufus’s wound need to be attended to, as he is a ticking bomb waiting to explode

Jane replied, “Baby girl, I know we are going to survive this, but we have to take risks. Not taking a risk, is the greatest risk of all.” Her words were laced with conviction, a sense of determination that inspired hope in the others.

Rufus raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. “Who said that?” Jane hesitated, “I… uh… I’m not sure, but it’s true. We need to monitor  those things and stick together, and make a move during the day when
they’re less active. All I’m trying to is that if we monitor them enough
and know their routine, we might have our chance. I know you’ve got a really bad arm right now but good thing, it’s not your leg, so you’re at
ninety-nine percent of getting to that bus faster than any of them. So instead of yelling, you should be helping!” Her voice trailed off, her
eyes darting to Rufus’s bandaged arm, a grim reminder of their precarious situation.

“Really? Rufus replied rhetorically, giving Jane a weird look Maria pressed Jane for answers, her voice laced with urgency. “How do we get to the bus? How far is it? What if we get there and it’s not working? We have to be careful by our choices of risk sometimes. Maria talked like she was expecting hopeful answers, when she clearly knows, Jane have no clue of the bus, just that she knew there was a bus packed in-front of a house. With the awkward situation, she was ready to take any risk at making sure she finds her husband and baby, and keeping everyone else safe. Jane admitted, “I don’t know, but we have to try. We can’t stay here and wait for help that might never come.” Her words hung in the air, a stark reality they couldn’t afford to ignore.

As the day wore on, they settled into an uneasy silence, each lost in their thoughts, but as night began to fall, they knew they had to find comfort in each other’s company. Jane and Maria huddled together sharing a moment of emotional vulnerability.

“I’m so scared, Maria,” Jane whispered, her voice trembling. “I don’t know if I can get us out of here.” Maria’s eyes welled up with tears. “I
know, Jane. Me too. But we have to be strong for each other. We have to believe we’ll make it through this.”

Rufus, sitting apart from the others, ate his ration for the day, his eyes fixed on the wall. Kofi sensing his mood, approached him. “Hey, Mr.,
you okay?” Rufus sighed, his face laced with longing. “I just want to go
home, Boy. I want to see my wife and my new born baby boy. I want to hold them in my arms and never let go.”

As they talked, Lisa couldn’t help but notice the pain in Rufus’s eyes. She walked over to him, a small smile on her face. “Hey, Rufus, I know it’s hard, but we’ll get through this together. And when we do, you’ll get to see your family again. You’ll get to hold your baby boy and watch him grow.”

Rufus’s expression softened, a small smile creeping onto his face. “Thanks, Lisa. That means a lot coming from you.”

As the night wore on, they shared moments of laughter, finding comfort in each other’s company. Maria told a joke and they all chuckled, the sound echoing off the walls. Jane started singing a soft melody, and the others joined in, their voices blending in harmony. For a brief moment, they forgot about the infected, the facility and their desperate situation. They forgot about the dangers that lurked outside and the uncertainty of their future. All they knew was that they had each other, and that was enough to keep them going.

As they settled in the night, they knew they had to face the unknown once again but they were ready, armed with determination, hope, and the knowledge that they were not alone.

Few days past, it’s the eight day, and they are now out of food and water, only left with two ration of a canned food. Which they are left with to share among themselves, ahead the next day. They planned to get out of the facility the next day. Having studied idea about the roaming infecteds around the facility, they plan to set out at noon when it’s very sunny. The infecteds try so much to stay away from the sunny weather, but they are always very at alert.