Sam dove behind the reception desk and turned to speak to Ailsa but she was gone. Fuck! He looked around as bullets tore into the thick desk sending splinters everywhere. He spotted her curled up inside a small gift shop as bullets bounced off of the empty metal shelves. Mark and his men continued to unleash a cascade of bullets upon them both, not allowing them any time for a defence. Sam looked to Ailsa who was still crouched behind the metal shelving in the shop. Her hands were over her ears and she looked terrified. Splintered wood rained down on top of him making him curse the men. The reception desk would not last much longer.

Frustrated, Sam looked around for any inspiration for a plan then suddenly he remembered the grenade he had taken from the young guard. He dug into his pocket and produced the grenade quickly pulling the pin and counted. He hoped the movies were right.

One, two, three and he lobbed the grenade over the desk in the direction of the men. He heard one scream "GRENADE" as the shooting stop followed by a contained BOOM! The floor underneath Sam shook and he could hear debris and shrapnel fly around the room. He jumped to his feet, quickly aiming and searching for any movement. The men were separated now. Two lay dead from the explosion. One was stirring on the floor. Sam aimed at him, fired and the man stopped moving. A gun fired to his right. He spun round bringing the gun up to retaliate but stopped himself from pulling the trigger.

"Ailsa?" He sighed with relief.

That one was still alive." She pointed to a nearby body.

Sam recognised him from the alley. His name was Steven.

"You're hurt." Sam reached for her head. A flow of blood was running down her face from her hairline.

"So are you." She reached for his shoulder.

He brushed her off. "I'm fine."

It was true. The pain had disappeared completely from his shoulder.

"Come on, we have to get out of here. There could still be more alive." He told her.

"LIKE ME." They heard a voice shout before it opened fire.

Sam dragged Ailsa to the floor as the bullets whistled overhead. Click, out of ammo. Sam quickly jumped up to fire but they were already disappearing down the corridor. It was Mark.

"Let's get out of here." Sam said as he helped Ailsa to her feet and pointing to the exit.

"They have children here Sam. We can't leave them." She said before heading down the same corridor as Mark.

Sam agreed and followed her after Mark.

* * * * *

Ailsa ran down the corridor hoping she was going the right way. Sam's footsteps sounded behind her. There were blood marks on the floor which she hoped were Mark's

"Take a left up here." Sam called behind her. "That's the way to the kids."

She did and spotted Mark up ahead looking straight at her with a newly required rifle pointed into the nursery.

"One more step and I kill them all." He sounded serious and looked crazy.

"Okay." Ailsa agreed and lowered her gun without hesitation "You don't have to do this. Please just let the kids go."

She could hear the children crying and whimpering from inside the room.

"SHUT UP!" Mark barked at them.

"And why would I do that?" He asked turning his attention to Ailsa. "You have killed all of my men. These kids are all that I have left. If I can't have them then no one can."

"I'm begging you." Tears started to fall down her face.

She was scared, again. Would she ever stop being scared? She didn't know what to say or do. Her next words could get those kids killed. One step or slightest movement and he would open fire.

"Where's your boyfriend?" He ordered. "Tell him to show himself now or I open fire."

She looked around.

"I don't know." She admitted. She had just realised that he never entered the corridor with her.

* * * * *

Sam followed behind Ailsa, his gun at the ready in case someone jumped out on them. Blood drops guided them further into the hospital. It was fresh so it had to be Mark's. Sam recalled coming this way earlier. Was Mark heading for the kids? The trail of blood was so far leading them that way.

"Take a left up here." He shouted to Ailsa.

She turned the corner and Sam heard a voice greet her.

"One more step and I kill them all." It was Mark's.

Sam stopped just short of the corner, staying out of sight and listened.

"Okay." He heard Ailsa say. Her voice was shaking with fear. "You don't have to do this. Please just let the kids go." The desperation in her voice was clear.

Think Sam, think!

The kids were crying in the background.

"SHUT UP." He heard Mark order at the kids.

"And why would I do that?" Mark asked. "You have killed all my men. These kids are all I have left. If I can't have them then no one can."

At least there is no more back up coming, Sam thought.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Mark asked. "Tell him to show himself now or I open fire."

Shit!

"I don't know." Ailsa admitted.

"I'm here." Sam called as he stepped into sight with his hands in the air. Rifle still in hand "I'm here." He repeated as he walked past Ailsa and stepped protectively in front of her. "No one else needs to get hurt."

"Drop the gun, both of you." He ordered. "NOW!" He shouted when they did not immediately comply.

Sam chucked the gun to the floor and he heard Ailsa drop hers behind him.

"What do you want?" Sam asked.

"To watch you both die." Mark spun his gun towards him.

I walked right into that one.

"And then what?" Sam quickly asked. "Are you going to take care of those kids by yourself?" He scowled at Mark. "You just had a gun pointed at their heads. You're a monster and they all know it. They will never trust you. They will never love you and they will always fear you. Just let them come with us. We can protect them." Sam changed his toned to an almost plea. "Please."

Mark and Sam locked eyes for what felt like forever and for a second Sam thought he might have gotten through to him but...

"No." Mark whispered. He spun back around to face the room with the kids inside and opened fire.

Ailsa screamed directly behind him but it somehow felt distant. The children's screams could be heard over the gunfire. The worst sound imaginable. Sam ran towards Mark with a rage inside of him that he never knew he could possess. A rage so intense he could feel his body burning. He reached him in a few long strides and tackled him to the floor with such sheer brute strength that he felt Marks ribs crack on impact and his gun was knocked from his grip landing away from them, out of reach. Sam was on top of Mark staring into his eyes. They showed no emotion, no regret, nothing. Sam saw red and it was then he blacked out.

What he did to that man he did not know. When he came back to his senses he was lying on the floor beside Mark's body. His hands were caked in blood. His knuckles were burst, bruised and swollen. He turned to look at Mark's face but it was unrecognisable, if it was not for the body attached to the head it would be impossible to tell that pile of red mush was once a man's face. Sam's head was spinning and the back of his head ached. Those kids, he thought, those poor kids. His eyes stung as the screams echoed in his mind.

"AILSA!" He called out.

She was nowhere to be seen. He got to his feet, his head spun and his vision was blurred.

"AILSA!" He shouted again this time in panic but still no answer.

Sam ran down the corridor, stumbling against walls. The stench of blood was sickening. He ran past the kid's room without even a sideways glance, the sight of what that room held would be too much to bear. He needed help. He needed a friend. He needed Ailsa.

"AILSA!" He continued to shout out as he made his way through and out of the hospital.

She had left him, he knew it and before he could stop it, the tears started to fall.

* * * * *

Ailsa screamed as she fell to her knees. She struggled to breathe. That monster, she thought. She looked up and saw Sam on top of Mark. Sam had his back to her. She watched as he rained punch after punch down on Mark's face, each one letting off a sickening crunch. She could hear Mark choking on his own blood. She stood up and rushed over.

"Sam!" She said and tried to pull him off. "That's enough Sam. He's dead"

Sam did not answer. Instead, he turned to face her. His eyes were not his own. They had faded into the blood stained pearly nothingness of those monsters. He was no longer himself. He stared at her with no sign at all of recognition. No trace of the man remained in those eyes that she had grown attached to this last week. He cocked his head, studying her then he grabbed her and shoved her back. She fell over Marks fallen rifle and watched as Sam returned to smashing Mark's face to pulp. She picked up the rifle and rushed over to Sam smashing the butt of it straight to the back of Sam's head with all the strength she could muster. He rolled off of Mark and lay beside him, out cold.

Ailsa stood over Sam. His eyes were open but nothing was there. I could end this now, she thought. She had the rifle in her hands aimed right between his eyes. She could end Sam's life. He was changing into something. One of those suckers but a new kind. She almost did it. Her finger hovering over the trigger but in the end, she could not do it. Not to him.

Instead she whispered, "Goodbye Sam." And she left the hospital.

Alone once again.

Searching for Hope willcontinue...