Chapter 182: Chapter 182 - Fort Washington
After several more miles, Malcolm finally slowed the Land Rover.
He checked the mirror again.
Satisfied, he kept driving.
Marybeth leaned forward between the seats.
"You think we lost them?"
"For now," Malcolm said.
Iyisha reached into her bag and pulled out the folded map. The paper was worn along the creases. She spread it across her lap.
Marybeth leaned closer to look.
Her finger moved across the roads until it stopped near Philadelphia.
"It’s here," she said, tapping the spot.
Iyisha looked down.
Fort Washington.
Her heart jumped.
Fort.
She lifted her head.
"Are we going to a military base?"
Marybeth looked at Malcolm too.
Malcolm kept his eyes on the road.
"Relax," he said.
"It’s a town, not a military base. No one cares about ERF there."
Iyisha looked back at the map.
Malcolm drove several more miles before slowing.
Iyisha leaned back in her seat and released a breath she had been holding since the chase.
The road curved ahead.
Fort Washington came into view.
The town looked quiet. Rows of houses sat along narrow streets surrounded by trees that had begun to grow wild without maintenance. Storefront windows were boarded or broken.
A sign covered in spray paint appeared near the side of the road.
FORT WASHINGTON MEDICAL FACILITY
The entrance came into view soon after.
A wire fence surrounded the block.
A tall gate blocked the driveway. Guards stood on both sides of the barrier. Their posture straightened as the Land Rover approached.
Malcolm rolled the window down and stopped.
One guard stepped forward.
"What’s your business here?"
"Call Doctor Stevens," Malcolm said. "Tell him Malcolm is here."
The guard hesitated, then stepped aside and lifted a radio to his mouth.
Another guard walked around the Land Rover.
He looked inside through the windows. His eyes moved from Iyisha to Marybeth, then to the bags behind them.
Iyisha sat still while he circled the vehicle.
Her thoughts moved elsewhere.
Malcolm knew this place.
Is Lance working here?
The guard by the radio listened for a moment.
Then his voice changed.
"Yes, sir."
A pause.
"Yes. He’s here."
The guard lowered the radio slowly. Surprise crossed his face.
He looked at Malcolm.
The other guard stopped beside the Land Rover.
"He says let him in," the man with the radio said. "He’s Lance’s brother."
The guard beside them glanced at Malcolm again.
A moment later the barrier lifted.
Malcolm drove through the gate.
A few buildings showed signs of being reused with smoke rising from chimneys and small gardens planted beside them. A few people walked along the road, stopping to watch the Land Rover pass.
Iyisha looked out the window.
Rows of garden beds lined both sides of the driveway. Several people worked in them, kneeling in the soil or trimming plants.
Everything looked organized.
Iyisha turned slightly toward Malcolm.
"Is this a community?"
Malcolm nodded.
"Families of patients stay here."
Iyisha looked back outside.
The Land Rover passed through the second gate and the main building came into view.
Two guards approached the vehicle.
"The first gate already informed us," one of them said as he glanced inside the car.
"Go ahead and park in the back. Doctor Stevens will meet you in the front."
Malcolm nodded as he drove in.
The first structure was large, stretching across the block like a small campus. Red brick covered most of the walls while sections of pale concrete framed the upper floors. Rows of square windows lined the building, many of them lit from inside.
A wide entrance stood at the front beneath a covered drop-off supported by thick white columns. The driveway curved toward it, clearly built for ambulances and patient transport.
The building rose three stories high. Not a hospital tower, but large enough to house dozens of rooms.
The landscaping in front had been maintained. Low shrubs lined the walkway and small trees stood near the driveway.
Even after years of collapse, the place looked cared for.
Shrubs lined the next garden area. Early growth covered the branches, but flowers had not bloomed yet. Benches surrounded the paths.
Patients in hospital gowns sat there with IV poles beside them.
Dextrose bags hung from the metal hooks.
As the Land Rover drove past, many of them turned to look.
Some nurses in scrubs stood near the walkway.
A few patients watched from wheelchairs.
The entire garden seemed to pause as the vehicle passed through the facility.
Fort Washington.
She suddenly remembered hearing about it when she was still in Redridge.
The place had a reputation.
The last hospital that still admitted anyone.
American.
Wanderer.
Rogue.
It didn’t matter.
They called it the death hospital.
All the patients with terminal illness were sent here.
To die.
Or to heal.
Iyisha had never known which.
They followed the side road until Malcolm turned under a long metal awning attached to one of the larger buildings. The structure was made of heavy concrete and glass, part of the main medical complex.
He parked the Land Rover and turned off the engine.
Iyisha reached down for the rifle.
Malcolm stopped her.
He took the rifle from her and pulled a pistol from the console instead. He placed it in her hand.
"Keep it hidden," he said quietly.
Iyisha slipped the pistol inside her jacket and nodded.
They stepped out of the Land Rover.
Marybeth stretched beside the door, raising her arms and rolling her shoulders after the long drive.
Malcolm stayed where he was.
He stood facing the building.
Iyisha noticed it immediately.
His shoulders were tight. His face looked pale.
She had never seen Malcolm look like that before.
Iyisha glanced around the courtyard while she waited.
Guards walked along the edges of the area. A few people crossed the open space carrying boxes or pushing carts toward the entrance. Others moved between the buildings farther inside the compound.
Iyisha looked back at Malcolm.
He was still standing there.
"Come on," she said quietly.
Malcolm nodded and started walking.
They headed toward the entrance.
As they got closer, the smell reached her.
Antiseptic.
Cleaning alcohol.
Medicine.
Hospital.
The scent was familiar. It eased some of the tension in her chest.
Inside, the corridors were wide and bright. Signs pointed toward patient wards and treatment rooms. Hospital beds lined one side of the hallway while nurses moved between them checking IV lines and adjusting equipment.
Patients sat in wheelchairs along the walls. Others rested on beds with dextrose bags hanging beside them.
Iyisha slowed slightly as she looked around.
It looked so much like the hospitals before the collapse.
Not like the small medical rooms scattered through most communities now.
The closest comparison she knew was the clinic in Heart Community, but that place was more like a teaching hospital. Improvised. Temporary.
This felt different.
Organized.
Proper.
Her eyes moved across the hallway again.
Computers sat on the nurses’ stations, screens glowing while staff typed quietly and checked patient charts.
The lights above them were fully on.
And the air was cool.
Iyisha could feel the steady hum of the air conditioning against her skin.
For a moment she simply stood there, surprised.
After five years of collapse, she had almost forgotten what a real hospital felt like.
She turned toward Malcolm.
"Where’s Doctor Stevens?"
Malcolm didn’t answer.
He stood a few steps away, staring down one of the long hallways.
His expression looked distant, almost dazed.
Iyisha followed his gaze for a moment, then sighed softly.
She reached back and grabbed Marybeth’s sleeve before gently tugging Malcolm’s arm.
"Come on," she said.
She guided them both toward the front desk.
A nurse looked up from the computer as they approached.
"Excuse me," Iyisha said. "Do you know where Doctor Stevens is?"
"Malcolm."
A woman’s voice cut through the room.
Iyisha turned.
A woman in her late forties stepped out from behind the counter. She had dark auburn hair pulled back loosely and sharp hazel eyes that softened when they landed on Malcolm.
"Dr. Stevens," Malcolm said.
Before he could say anything else, she pulled him into a hug.
Iyisha looked away.
The hug lasted longer than she expected. Familiar. Close.
Her eyes moved to the wall beside her.
Really, Iyisha.
Jealous of an older woman?
She glanced back again despite herself.
The woman was still beautiful. Strong posture. Clear eyes.
"Who’s this?" the woman asked as she stepped back, looking at Iyisha and Marybeth.
She smiled.
"Don’t tell me you finally found someone. Or two women?"
Iyisha gave a small, awkward smile.
"Dr. Stevens," Malcolm said, his voice carrying a quiet warning.
The woman laughed.
"Oh sweetheart, I told you to call me Susan."
She looked at Iyisha and Marybeth again.
"I’m Iyisha," she said. "And this is Marybeth."
She paused.
"We’re Malcolm’s... friends."
The word came out with a tight smile.
Susan’s eyes crinkled.
"Of course," she said softly. "Call me Susan."
She glanced back at Malcolm and chuckled.
"I’ve known Malcolm since he was a child."
Her eyes returned to Iyisha and Marybeth.
"This is the first time he’s brought someone."
She smiled again, warmer this time.
"Lance would be ecstatic."
Then she looked back toward the hallway.
"We’ve been waiting for you," she said.
"Lance has been asking about you."
She glanced toward the hallway as if expecting someone to appear.
Malcolm nodded once.
Marybeth shifted beside Iyisha.
"I... uh... I’ll go check out the garden first," Marybeth said quickly.
Iyisha looked at her.
Marybeth had already understood the situation.
This was a family moment.
Iyisha opened her mouth.
"Maybe I should—"
Marybeth’s eyes widened at her.
A clear warning.
Don’t.
Iyisha paused.
She glanced at Malcolm. He was still standing beside Susan, his attention already turning toward the hallway where Lance would be.
Iyisha straightened slightly.
"I’ll go with Malcolm," she said instead.
Marybeth nodded once, relief clear on her face.
"Good," she muttered before turning toward the exit that led to the garden.
Iyisha watched her go, then turned back toward Malcolm and Susan, ready to follow them deeper into the hospital.
