Windsor Park: A City in Crisis Chapter 2

“You’re listening to MIX 102.5 and this is your MIX morning traffic. Looks like a foggy one this morning if you’re going downtown or crossing the river. On the I-30 Eastbound, expect backups well into Signal Hill from downtown. Avoid I-80 North at all costs, because construction and a major pileup have officially shut down the Pierland Bridge. Also, Main Street is going to look like a nightmare as well with a hit and run at Prospect…

Making top news this morning, the bizarre murder spree…”



“So explain to me why carpooling was a good idea?” asked the young brunette in the passenger’s seat, staring at the empty highway before their eyes.

“I swear Julie, if you threaten me one more time with the riding the Metro,” Justin quipped, “I’m going to drive my car off the bridge. And then who’s going to stop by Starbuck’s for you?”

“Ok. Jeez. No more caffeine for you in the morning,” Julie countered, a giggle in her voice, “and you know you’d miss you precious baby if you drove it into the river.”

Laughter spread over the young man and woman as they sat in the traffic jam, the quiet hush of traffic mixing with the soft sounds of the radio filling the cabin of the new car. Breaking the prolonged silence, the girl, Julie, turned to her friend Justin.

“SO…” Julie sighed, “Any idea on who’s the head this morning?”

“Um, I think its Dr. Franklin. Why do you ask?”

Julie began rubbing her forehead and sighed. “You know Dr. Montgomery? If I have to work with that woman one more time, I may stab her in the eye with that annoying penlight she carries around. Do you know the reason all the nurses call her the Red Death?”

“I’ve always wondered why…” Justin said, with a slight tone of interest in his voice, instantly regretting it as she quickly began to argue to herself.

“She’s horrible. Do you know what she had me do for her yesterday?” she ranted.

Justin knew what was going to start, and began to wish he hadn’t taken her bait. This was going to be a rant that would last until they got to work. Lucky she was so cute and was always so animated about her little tangents. He remained silent, staring at her as she continued.

“The monster of a woman had the audacity to stick me on bedpan duty last week; a flipping 24 hour shift of bedpans.” The rant continued, getting louder and drowning out the ambient sounds of traffic and radio. “This was all because I was five minutes late on getting her the lab results on some guy. Like I can control what the labs do? And her condescending tone, with her referring to me as ‘Little Miss Harding’… The woman is a…. Ughhhhh!”

“And you say I can’t have caffeine, Madame She-Beast?”

“Go play Hide and Go Die, Justin…” she blurted out, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks.



At that moment, a small annoying tone played over the muted car radio. Julie began look around the car, trying to figure out its source, and how to stop it.

“You really don’t listen to anything I say about my new car in the break room, do you?” Justin sighed, pressing the small green answer call button on the car’s steering wheel.

“Hello? Justin? Are you there??”

“Aaaaandddy!!!!!!” Julie squealed, tickled to hear their good friend’s voice after a week without it. “When did you get back from Tokyo??”

“Whaa? Justin, you put me on speakerphone again? You know I hate being on speakerphone.”

“Dude… we are driving you know,” Justin argued, “and we are in morning rush-hour.”

“And I feel the love here,” Julie whined, feeling left out of the conversation.

“Hey Jules. And no Dr. Maxwell, I don’t have my spies following you around, and the security cameras in your house and car are on the fritz.”



“Pervert!” Julie and Justin screeched out loud in unison.

“Yep, just me, the friendly neighborhood stalker! Anyways, what are you guys doing for lunch today?”

“Umm…” they both said in unison, as Justin pulled the car into the hospital’s parking garage and turned off the engine.

“I guess we just figured on the cafeteria,” Julie mused, “but I’m guessing you have something in mind for us?”

“Yeah, and I have great news too! I’ll meet you guys outside the hospital around two. See you guys then!”

“Wait! Did you get the…” Justin call out, as a steady dial tone filled the car’s speakers.

“He’s so absent minded, you know.” Julie muttered.

“Come on. Guess it will have to wait until lunch. Besides, we’re going to be late for shift change if we don’t hurry,” sighed Justin, gathering his messenger bag, as Julie pulled her purse to her shoulder, as the car was set to park and the ignition turned off.



The two walked to the doors of the employee entrance, hands entwined, oblivious to the shambling figures slowly moving around in the shadows of the parking structure. As they entered the hospital, little did they know just what kind of day it was going to be.
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It was good to be back in the States, Andy thought to himself, and he couldn’t wait for lunch with his friends to tell them about the news.



As he lugged his overfilled carry-on filled with Japanese goodies and electronics, he put his new phone back in his pocket and made his way through the crowd exiting the aluminum prison of a jumbo jet.

The first thing he noticed about the airport was how empty it was this morning. It struck him as odd, especially since it was a Monday morning, and usually that meant that business people would be arriving or leaving for various business trips.

Shrugging this observation off, he slowly made his way to the luggage concourse, stopping to look at the news story on the television, missing everything except the last scene of the report. It stuck in his mind as there was a body covered with a sheet. Staring intently, he could swear he had seen something twitch under the sheet.

He turned to the elderly woman also watching the television.

“Excuse me ma’am, did you catch that story?” he asked, trying to be as polite as possible.

The woman, sticking her nose in the air, walked off, ignoring him. Typical cranky old bat, he muttered to himself.



As he gathered his luggage and walked outside to flag a taxi, he noticed a fleet of large buses with the Simlympics logo on their sides pulling up to the curb. As dozens of athletes exit the buses, he noticed the large men in black suits and firearms to their sides. Serious security.

Entering the cab, Andy pointed at the buses asked the driver if they’d already finished the Simlympics.

“No… those go on for next week or two last I hear. Why you ask?” he inquired in a thick Jargeahian accent.

“Um… nothing really. Just curious I guess. I need to go to Downtown Metro Hospital at North Oak and 5th.”

Andy couldn’t help but shake the odd feeling in the back of his mind as the cab pulled away from the curb and merged on to the on-ramp for 61 Highway, and into the growing amount of traffic in the morning rush.