It was never meant to happen that way. Their plan had been settled perfectly, every step prepared, but alas, nothing was perfect in this world, not even herself. Their coup d’état exploded. Quite literally. Parts of the building were thrown against its neighbors, scattered in the streets above the screaming citizens.
She watched from afar, an old man whimpered at the display, and a woman squeezed his arm in sympathy.
“Why…?” A woman whispered, her large hat hiding her expression. Fire had started, the black fumes probably visible throughout the district.
Her phone vibrated, and she quickly answered to extinguish her ringtone.
“O. What the fuck happened?” She whispered-yelled as a greeting.
“I don’t know yet, but get out of there. Meet me at the HQ.”
She glanced once more at the sobbing and pleading old man. Not my wife, please.
“I can’t. I have to make this right. Frank, call Betty and tell her to bring me my doctor bag.”
“Octavia, you don’t have to-“
“Yes, I do. We fuck up, Frank, alright?” She dashed through the gathering crowd, approached the incident. “We fucked up good and now I’ll help the best way I can.”
“Fine. I’ll call Betty.”
“Thanks.”
“Be careful, Octavia.”
“The danger’s gone.” She hung up, came closer to the police who made quick work of setting up a perimeter.
“Hey, you need to stand back, it’s not safe,” a young officer approached when he saw she meant to duck under the yellow banner
“I’m a doctor at St-Mary’s Hospital, I saw what happened, I want to help. My nurse-assistant is on her way.”
The officer hesitated. “You have to see my chief first then.”
She followed him through the mess of screams and pleas, the burnt skin smell overwhelming. She saw many officers and nurses with a mask over their mouth and nose. She knew the smell would linger in her worst nightmares.
After the chief acknowledged her presence, she set herself to work. They had caused this, so she’d help however she could. There were a lot of injured civilians, the firemen were escorting them as fast as they could, but many others were already dead. Octavia saw some of them, cloth covering their unrecognizable bodies.
An area was cleared of fragments, the injured led over there and installed on makeshift beds, so when Betty arrived with her bag, she leaned over her first patient. Third-degree burns were the worst and often the person wouldn’t feel the pain before going into shock, so these patients had to be treated carefully. She didn’t have the devices required, but at least she could send them ready at the hospital.
“I feel so funny,” a man told her while was giving him a dose of morphine.
That was because his nerve endings had been fried, half of his facial features melted under white edges of raw flesh. She applied wet compresses against the burns, but there was nothing she could do for mutilated limbs until she received a saw. It was dangerous, to cut what was left of an arm or a leg in the open, but she had the necessary kit and Betty at her disposal. That way the mutilations were neater and treated so they would stop bleeding, securing the patients for transport.
Octavia acted rather than think, Betty bringing her coffee when she needed and taking as much care of the patients as Octavia. Once the doctor could finally breathe again, it was dark and lamps had been installed for them. The emergency nurses cheered when they noticed it was the last patient they were attending to. She removed her gloves and mask, huffing. She was starving, even as she gazed down at her white gown splattered with blood.
As if on cue, her cellphone rang.
“O.”
“Someone changed the calibration of the explosives, that’s why they exploded early.”
“Did you find the traitor?”
“I did. We’re waiting for you to proceed.”
“I’m coming over then, I’m done here.”
She looked at Betty who’d heard everything.
“Let’s go, we still have work to do.”
So there it is. I wanted something mafiaesque with a female leader. I was inspired a bit by Daredevil, the new Netflix serie. It’s really good, I (oh no) dare you to watch it!
Conatus 
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