American Revenant (Book 3): The Monster In Man (12 page)

“Dock’s clear,” Mike
said. 

Rick called everyone over
to the locked double doors leading out into the hospital.  Pointing to a fire
escape map that showed the basic floor plan of the hospital he said to the men,
“Looks like this hallway will take us to the laundry service area,
administrative offices, and cafeteria, as well as reception.  I’m thinking two
groups of three, search through these areas, make sure we can get around fairly
easily.”

“Obviously we are
bringing everything back here.  How are we going to move everything?”

“Good question, Dean,”
Rick said.  “Any ideas?”

“Laundry carts,” Mike
said.  “Wheel the carts with us, fill one up, bring it back here, shove it
straight onto the truck.”

“That can work,” Alex
told the group, “but we’ll have to be careful using those carts.  I don’t think
I’ve ever seen one that didn’t have a squeaky or rattling wheel.”

“Maintenance is most
likely in the basement.  One group can look in there for stuff that may be
useful as well as oil for the wheels.  The other group can check the administrative
offices, and reception areas where we aren’t likely to find what we’ve come
here for, until we get the carts oiled and ready.”

“Sounds good to me,
Mike.  You, Jimmy and Cal want to handle that?  Alex and Dean can come with me
to the basement.  I don’t have to remind you guys to be careful.  We may not
have much to worry about just yet, but once we get to the ER and the upper
floors where surgery and the wards are I’m guessing it’ll be a whole different
story.”

Each man took a moment to
look over the fire escape map, committing it to memory before stacking up at
the door.  Standing there, waiting, people dug under the leather guards on
necks, forearms and shins. They scratched at imaginary itches; mentally
preparing themselves for a difficult day.

Once the group was ready
Dean nodded, flicked the locked, pressed the lever handle down and flung the
door open, everyone piling out into the hallway quickly.  Dean stepped out and
closed the door softly behind him, listening for the latch to click into
place. 

The men bunched together
in front of the doors, looking left and right down the hallway.  To the right
they would find the laundry, to the left, fifteen feet from the doors the hall
made a right turn, leading around to the basement stairs and a connecting
hallway leading to offices and the ER.

“We’ll go right,” Mike
said, “check this way and come back around to the offices from the connecting
hall.”

Rick nodded, taking his
men to the left, quickly disappearing around the corner.  Jimmy lead to the
right, following the hall to an intersection, going left lead to the laundry
and further on, the offices; straight would take them out to the cafeteria.

He stepped around the
corner, Mike and Calvin following on his heels.  They were unable to retreat
around the corner before the first of a knot of zombies blocking the corridor
saw them. 

Chapter 19

Rick moved slowly,
placing his feet with care so his boots would not squeak on the tiled floor. 
He reached the maintenance stairwell within minutes, Dean and Alex staying
close, Alex occasionally glancing over his shoulder to be sure nothing came up
behind them.

The door stood ajar,
opening onto a dark stairway leading down to the basement level, it could have
been a portal directly to Hell for the nervous fear the sight caused in the
men. 

“Wish we could use that,
instead,” Dean said quietly, nodding at the nearby service elevator.  Alex and
Rick only nodded in agreement before moving into the blackness leading down,
narrow beams from their flashlights picking out the steps as they descended. 

Coming off the stair they
found themselves in a short hallway leading left and right.  A small placard on
the wall pointed them in the direction of maintenance. 

Standing in front of the
door to maintenance, Rick with his hand on the doorknob, Dean and Alex with
weapons up and ready, each took a deep breath before Rick opened the door. 

They moved into the room
quickly, Dean went left, Alex right, and Rick went in center, sweeping the room
with weapons and flashlights. 

Several workstations were
spread about, as well as various machines, older hospital beds, other items
that needed repairing.  The far right wall featured a fifteen by twenty foot
chain link cage, inside which was a large workstation as well as all the tools
and supplies a maintenance crew would need.  The caged work area was used to
prevent theft or accidents by unqualified personnel.

Passing their flashlights
over the cage caused the three zombies trapped inside to moan loudly and rattle
the chain link as they walked into it repeatedly, trying to reach the feast
outside the wire.

“Son of a bitch!” Dean
exclaimed.  “Let me guess, what we need is going to be in there.”

Rick laughed at Dean’s
remark.  “Yep, I’d say so.  Let’s take them out quickly, just in case there are
others close by.  Don’t want that moaning and rattling to draw in more of
them.”

Dean nodded, stepping
forward as he drew his large fixed blade from the scabbard on his left hip.  He
was close to the cage when he put his foot down on a slick spot on the tile
floor and slipped, his right foot going out from underneath him.  He reached
out, catching himself on the chain link, his gloved fingers hooked through the
mesh.

In the second it took for
him to realize where his hand was he felt something clamp down on his middle
finger.  His glove stayed behind as he jerked his hand back, falling backward
to land on his ass in front of Alex.  He held up his middle digit, as if giving
the caged gut-suckers the finger, examining it closely with his flashlight.  He
could see faint dents in his finger from the zombie’s teeth, but the skin was
not broken.

He looked up to see his
glove being pulled through the links, the pasty faced creature tossing its head
like a dog with a chew toy, the glove slapping its face.

“Well, fuck me.”

“You ok, man?  Did it…”

“It didn’t break skin,
Alex, thank God.”  Over the blood pounding in his ears Dean could hear his
friends let out a collective sigh of relief.  “Yeah, I know, right.” 

Alex gave him a hand up
from the floor, while Rick stepped up to the cage, quickly dispatching all
three zombies through the fencing.

Rick and Alex both
laughed when Dean told them, “I’m not sure which is bruised more, my ass or my
ego.”

“Don’t imagine anyone has
a key,” Rick said.

“Yeah, right here,” Alex
replied, pulling heavy wire snips from his day-kit. 

“Well, that’ll work. 
Let’s get it open, find that oil and get the hell out of this basement, too
fucking dark down here for me.”

Alex took several minutes
to snip an opening large enough for the men to easily fit through.  They spent
several minutes more searching the space before they found a few small plastic
bottles of all purpose oil.

With loot in hand they
made their way back upstairs.

Chapter 20

Calvin pushed through the
swinging door to the kitchen area of the cafeteria, M4 up and ready.  He
stopped just inside, scanning the room ahead of him, one foot bracing the door,
keeping it open so it wouldn’t slam back on Jimmy or Mike as they came through.

Behind him, he could hear
the heavy pop of the suppressed weapons as Jimmy and Mike tried to take down a
few of the pack advancing on them.

Jimmy came through the
door first, rifle up, covering Mike as he backed through.  Calvin let the door
swing closed, the flapping noise as the door settled seeming unnecessarily loud
in his ears.

“Here, help me with
this,” Jimmy called from behind a large stainless steel table.  Calvin ran
around the table while Mike covered the door, preferring to use the quieter
weapon as long as possible.  Calvin leaned into the table, muscles twitching as
both men shoved the heavy table toward the swinging doors.  The steel feet
grated along the smooth tile, cracking several, digging large divots in the
floor. 

Mike popped off two
rounds back to back, taking the head off a zombie through the small window. 
“Now damn it or they’re going to come through!”

The table slammed into
the doors seconds before the pack of zombies did, the heavy steel seeming to
bounce, scooting back several inches.  “This isn’t going to be enough!” We need
more weight, now!”  Calvin’s voice was tight, fear constricting his vocal
cords.

“No shit, Sherlock,”
Jimmy spat.  He looked around the huge kitchen, eyeing the appliances.  “Mike,
you think you and I can drop one of the big ass refrigerators in front of this
table?”

Mike eyed the massive
double-door fridge.  “If we can’t we get our asses eaten in a kitchen by a pack
of fucking zombies, so yes, I say we can.”

“Keep laying into it
until we tell you move, Cal.”  Calvin grunted in reply, fat drops of sweat
flinging from his hair as he nodded.

Together beside the
refrigerator, the two men rested their hands on the cool brushed steel.  “Tip
it on its side and we should be able to slide it over there pretty easy,” Jimmy
said.

“Gonna make one helluva
noise when we drop it, man.”  Mike pointed to the other pair of swinging doors
on the other side of the long room, “And we have to do the same over there, in
a hurry.”

“Damn it, ok well, the
threat is over there right now.  One damn thing at a time.  Let’s do this.” 

They began to push,
grunting with the effort.  The heavy appliance began to shift, tipping
slightly, but the weight was too much, they were unable to keep the momentum.

“You push high, I’ll lift
low,” Mike said, squatting to grip the bottom edge of the fridge.

“Hurry up guys, they’re
piling on out there, I can’t hold this much longer.”  Sweat ran freely down
Calvin’s face, dropping onto the clean stainless tabletop.  The legs ground
into the floor as the table slid another inch.

“Mike, when we drop this
on its side and push it over there we need to flip it on its back, otherwise
it’ll just slide.”

“Fine, let’s do it then.”

“Ready,” Jimmy said,
pushing high on the side, “Go.”

Mike grunted, lifting
with his thick arms, back and legs pushing hard.  “Go over you bitch,” he said
through clenched teeth.

The appliance lifted from
the floor, tilting on two legs.  Jimmy swore, biceps jumping as he shoved as
hard as he could.  Mike huffed breath after breath, breathing like a
powerlifter heaving giant stones.  Pushing with his legs, lifting with his
arms, he felt the refrigerator begin to tilt over.  He gave one final great
heave, getting the appliance past the tipping point, and felt something in his
back give a sharp stab of pain that went all the way down his leg.  “Fuck me!”
He swore, nausea instantly hitting him with the pain.  He fell backward as the
fridge slammed forward.  One of the doors banged open, the appliance
surprisingly empty of food. 

Jimmy began to shove it
forward toward the table Calvin was struggling to keep in front of the door. 
“Come on man, we get this done and you can rest.”

“Just fucked my back,
Jimbo,” Mike said, pushing himself up.  He hobbled over to the appliance,
favoring his right side, and began to push.  Lancing pain shot down his back
and leg, causing him stumble.  “Come on man, I don’t need your big ass making
this heavier.”

Mike clenched his teeth
and pushed, the pain like electricity firing through his nerves. 

“Move Cal,” Jimmy said,
“Get over here and help us flip this thing.”

Calvin came around the
fridge, the table scooting inches as soon as he stepped away.  Bloody, torn
fingers, some with the flesh entirely stripped away pushed through the crack
between the doors.

Together the men lifted,
heaving, grunting, wheezing; the refrigerator tilted, crashing onto its back,
digging into the broken tile.

Mike sat back on the
floor, head hanging.  “Calvin, help Jimmy get that other door blocked off, I
can’t move right this second.”

Mike listened as his
friends worked, the scraping and grunting, huffing and banging.  He stood up
slowly, working in incremental degrees to get from the floor to an upright
position.

Leaning against an island
table he watched as they dropped the second fridge in front of the door.  “I just
hope this shit holds,” Calvin said, dripping greasy sweat.

“You and me both man,”
Mike said, “or I just screwed my back up for no reason.” 

Jimmy watched his closest
friend for several minutes, “You really did do a number on it, I can see it in
your face, brother.”

“Hey guys, check it
out.”  Mike and Jimmy turned to Calvin, who was standing by the long serving
counter that faced out to the public area.  He was leaning down to peer under
the steel roll-up gate.  “It isn’t locked down.  We can watch through here,
maybe get out this way if we have to.”

“Getting out isn’t our
biggest concern at this point,” Jimmy said.  “We need to figure out what we’re
going to do with this pack of zombies.”

Mike stood, moving
carefully.  “There were twelve or fifteen out there, I think.”  He stood facing
the first set of blocked double doors.  A zombie face was pressed against the
glass, lips mashed and oozing against the window.  He shuddered at the sound of
teeth being drawn across glass.  One shot through the window dropped the
creature, only to be replaced with by another.  “Jimmy, take that side.  We can
pick them off through the windows.  Even if we don’t get them all we can at
least thin them out a bit.”

Each shot dropped another
zombie, another taking its place in view of the window within seconds.  Mike
sighted on another undead face, centering on the creature’s forehead when it
suddenly exploded outward, a gaping hole spilling dark brain tissue appearing
instantly.  “What the hell?  Jimmy, did you see that?”

“Yeah, I saw.” 

Mike hobbled forward,
peering through the bullet riddled portal.  “Three more out there, but they’re
turning away.”  Another fell as he was speaking, the right side of its head
disappearing as he watched, a faint pop marking the death.

Rick stepped into view,
advancing on the final two zombies, followed by Dean and Alex.  Two quick pops
and Rick waded through the pile of reeking corpses, nearly slipping in the
pooling mess on the floor.  Face up to the now glassless window, Rick asked,
“You guys ok in there?”