Chapter 294 Brave the Fire Line

Sarah's POV:

It was pitch black outside the hospital. Inside, the lighting was almost nonexistent.

Dr. Hassan and I stood in the darkness, silent.

Finally, I rasped, "I need a handgun and a small cooler. If you can get some ice, that'd be better."

I ran back to the dorm room, quickly changed into dark clothes, and as I left, I grabbed Stefano's black baseball cap hanging behind the door and put it on.

When I returned to the hospital lobby, I saw Dr. Hassan standing in the distance, holding a white cooler.

I took the cooler from him, and he pulled a silver handgun and a set of car keys from his pocket. "The car's out front. It's about five miles to the Teaching Hospital. Please be careful. You know, Stefano is young; he might be part of the 50% who survive. But if he wakes up to find out you died…"

I nodded. "This feels like a scene from Romeo and Juliet," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Dr. Hassan forced a crooked smile. "Allah bless you both."

I gave him a gentle hug and glanced upstairs, knowing Stefano was lying in some room I couldn't find. Then I dashed into the night.

Driving through the winding streets, I relied on my memory of the map. I took the smaller, less conspicuous roads, heading northeast. 

After about three miles, I was forced to stop. There was a roadblock ahead, guarded by armed soldiers.

I parked in a dark alley and crouched as I moved, trying to bypass the roadblock. But at the next intersection, I encountered another roadblock.

My heart raced, and fear and frustration gripped me. Sweat covered my forehead.

I was running out of time. I had to get through the blockade and into the combat zone to reach the SAF camp. 

However, where could I find a gap? If the area was sealed off, where could I find an opening?

I hid behind a dirt mound in the dark alley, nervously watching for any movement. 

Suddenly, a wall of a nearby dilapidated house collapsed with a dull roar, scaring me into a cold sweat. Soldiers nearby seemed to be alerted, shouting loudly.

I didn't have time to think. Seeing the soldiers' shadows approaching my hiding spot, I darted behind the collapsed wall like a cat, turned, and slipped into a dark room, hiding behind a cabinet.

Finally, there was no more noise outside. I only heard intermittent gunfire in the distance.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I realized I was in a bedroom. Large portrait photos on the walls looked eerie in the dark. 

I sighed silently. This was once a happy home, now just a war-torn ruin.

Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the ground. Debris fell from the ceiling, and I instinctively covered my head, pressing against the corner.

After the explosion, I heard the sound of engines starting, people shouting, and more intense and closer gunfire.

A thought flashed through my mind: if I couldn't find a gap in space, maybe I could find one in time!

I crawled out from the broken wall and quietly moved to the end of the alley.

To my delight, the previously blocked intersection was now shrouded in thick smoke, and several large craters had appeared on the ground nearby. Soldiers were running around, shouting.

I clenched my fists, eyes wide, waiting for more explosions!

A loud explosion came from directly ahead, and I instinctively ducked behind the dirt mound. Debris pelted my back like hail, and the noise was deafening.

But I knew this was my chance.

I struggled to my feet, brushed the dirt off my face, squinted, and ran towards the thick smoke.

I couldn't see the road, like being in a dense fog. I tripped several times but got up immediately, running in what I believed was the right direction.

Finally, the smoke around me thinned, and I realized I had run out of the bombarded area. 

I shook my head, rubbed my eyes, and saw I was in a broken-down residential area.

I checked the cooler in my hand; it was still intact. Relieved, I looked up and saw a tall building emitting faint light not far away. 

That must be the hospital, where the gunfire was coming from. I looked at the sky, thankful for the stars, and roughly judged the direction, running again in the dark.

I encountered another blockade and fully armed soldiers. Instinctively, I wanted to flee, but they saw the red cross on the cooler and waved me through.

I finally realized these soldiers' uniforms were slightly different. They were SAF. I had successfully crossed the front line.

Honestly, I had no idea how I found the Khartoum Teaching Hospital.

When I saw a tall building with faint lights, my instinct told me it had to be a hospital. This building stood out in the surrounding darkness, glowing brightly.

I couldn't believe I had safely reached my destination.

And it seemed the hospital still had power. As long as there was electricity, even basic power, the medical refrigerators should be working.

I prayed to God, please let me find EB3. 'Please, don't let me down, God. I don't want Stefano to die!'

There were still a few people running around in panic inside the building, but no one noticed me.

I quickly climbed the stairs and started searching from the second floor. Luckily, there was a storage room for medicines on the second floor!

I pushed open the heavy iron door, and several large refrigerators with flashing red lights appeared before me.

Sure enough, there was still power. I happily set down the cooler and immediately found a fridge set to 2-8°C. I opened the door and began searching through the disorganized rows of white bottles.

There was no light in the room, so I had to rely on the dim light inside the fridge to identify each bottle.

I had never used EB3 and didn't know what its packaging looked like.

I searched the entire fridge but couldn't find a bottle labeled REGN-EB3.

Sweat started to form on my back, but I felt cold.

No, it couldn't be. There had to be this medicine. God, please help me.

I heard a dull explosion, like distant thunder, and the hospital floor seemed to shake.

I closed the fridge in disappointment and began checking the other fridges in the room. Finally, there was a small fridge! 

With trembling hands, I opened the door and immediately saw a bottle labeled REGN-EB3 on the outermost shelf. 

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest, and I let out a small, excited scream. I gently moved the bottle and found several more with the same label behind it.

Stefano could be saved!

As I opened the cooler to put all the bottles inside, suddenly, a hand rested on my shoulder. My heart nearly stopped!