Adaptive Instinct (Survival Instinct) by Kristal Stittle

Some wanted to stay put and wait for the authorities, others wanted to go home, and another group knew that the injured man needed to get to the hospital.  They weren’t that far from Leighton General, just a few blocks.  A woman standing higher up on the stairs whistled loudly.  This directed everyone’s attention to her.  She told them they were all idiots.  If people wanted to stay put, they were welcome to do so.  If people wanted to go home, she wished them luck and told them to stick together as long as they could.  For those who wanted to go to the hospital, she would be going with them, and they would be leaving right now.  Every second for the injured man mattered.
    Lauren was part of a silent fourth group who had no idea what to do.  This woman exuded confidence and leadership, however, so Lauren decided to follow her.  Many of the undecided people came to the same decision.
    They left the conference centre and began heading down the streets.  Lauren tried her cell phone several times once she was out of the building.  A few times, she lost a signal, but most of the time her cell had full bars.  That didn’t seem to make a difference.  Every number she tried to call kept giving her a busy signal, even 911.  No one else had any better luck.
    As they travelled the streets, Lauren saw many things she wished she hadn’t.  One of the worst was a man pinned between two cars.  His hips were completely crushed between the front bumper of an Aztec SUV and the rear bumper of some sort of BMW.  One of their party stepped toward him to see if she could help in some way.  Once the woman was close enough, the pinned man grabbed her hair and pulled.  He nearly ripped her scalp off.  Another woman, the one who had become their leader, had a pocketknife and had to cut off the other woman’s hair to free her.  After that, nobody stopped for any other injured.
    They were only a block away from the hospital when they were attacked again.  A man rushed at their group, teeth snapping.  The men in the group, and some of the women, grappled with him.  They got him on the ground and started kicking him.  Lauren was ashamed to say she had joined in on the violence.  What else could she do?  That man had tried to attack them; they had to defend themselves.  After several kicks to the head, he finally stopped moving.  The group hurried to the hospital.
    ***
    In the emergency ward’s waiting room, it was chaos.  There were people crammed everywhere.  Most of the makeup artists dispersed among them, while those helping the injured man brought him to the triage nurse.  Some of their group just turned and left.
    Lauren looked around the space, taking in the frightened and injured faces all around her.  Everything she saw was telling her that whatever was happening was big.  Much bigger than just the conference and the area surrounding the conference centre.  So many people were crying and bleeding.  A doctor who looked too young to be a doctor was walking through the crowd, constantly assessing people.  Some of them were harassing him for information about what had happened or how long they would have to wait.  He couldn’t answer them, and a large security guard had to keep stepping in.
    Then, unexpectedly, Lauren saw a familiar face.  It took her nearly a minute to place it.  Sitting in the corner, with an older teenaged boy Lauren had never seen, was Claire, a neighbour of Lauren’s girlfriend, Abby.   Lauren threaded her way through the masses, moving toward her.
    “Claire!” she called out, as she got closer.  “Claire!”
    The girl looked up with frightened and hollow eyes.  Lauren wasn’t sure the girl would remember her.  They had met only twice, and Lauren remembered her name only because Abby would often mention her when talking about her day.
    Lauren managed to find some space to kneel in front of the girl.  “Claire, I’m not sure if you remember me.  I’m a friend of