Dead and Forsaken (25 page)

Once
he was out of the picture it gave me time to deal with the others.
The next one lunged at me trying to bite down with its snapping
jaws. I elbowed him in the chest to put distance between us. The
hungry beast came back even more aggressive the second time. Luckily
I was able to wedge my hand under its chin and grab it by the
throat. This helped me to tilt his head back and keep it from biting
me.

As
soon as I pinned his head back against the corridor wall I struck
him with my gun. The gun made a horrifyingly loud crunch sound as
metal met with bone. Its brain tissue was exposed. The force of the
blow cracked its fragile skull but the creature was still alive. He
clung onto my arm with one hand and erratically clawed at me with
the other. The second blow from my gun was hard enough to kill him.
When I let his neck go his limp body slid down the wall smearing
blood and tissue as it descended to the floor. The fight slowed me
down enough for another group of forsaken to catch up. I kicked the
foot into the hall and the door slammed shut behind me. The undead
swarmed towards the door and tried to burst into the stairwell.

“
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!”

“
GRRRRRRR!”

I
quickly moved backwards up the stairs keeping my eyes on the shaking
door. This was definitely not the way out.
When
I got back up to the first floor landing I was breathing hard when I
told Carlos to get everyone upstairs. They had been talking amongst
themselves when my gunfire interrupted the conversation.

“
You heard him.”
demanded Carlos. “We need to leave. Get up the stairs now
dammit! Hurry!” Maria gathered up the kids and her and Blair
bolted up the steps behind him navigating the dark stairwell.

“
What happened to Randy?”
asked George. “We can't just leave him!”

“
You know what happened to
him!” I responded. “And the same thing is going to
happen to all of us if we don't move!”

He
and the rest of the group quickly turned around and followed Maria.
They instantly took off running even though they didn't see
anything. If our ordeal taught them anything it was that if someone
took off running then you better run too. Anne stayed in the back of
the group walking instead of running. She suddenly stopped in her
tracks and placed her hand against the wall to steady herself. It
seemed like she was giving up and she refused to move. The Pastor
didn't know what was wrong but he assisted her anyway. She was
holding onto the railing tightly and needed some extra
encouragement climbing the stairs. He affectionately placed his arm
around her shoulders and supported her as they walked. The whole
time she was in a state of shock and denial. Anne did not feel sick
or have a fever yet but she knew it was coming. Dr. Green was right
behind her and the pastor. He started to get suspicious of the way
Anne was behaving. My flashlight had picked up what looked like
fresh blood droplets trailing on the steps behind her. The wound was
still seeping. Upstairs near the second floor Carlos found the body
of another man on the stairs.

He
was dressed in a tattered tee shirt and shorts. His shirt was
stained maroon from dried blood. Several gaping holes had been torn
into his neck and chest. The wound in his neck was so big that his
head only hung on by a thin layer of skin and cartilage. A large
hole was also gashed into the crotch of his shorts. His groin and
upper thighs were chewed up badly down to the pelvic bone. Dry blood
splatter stained the stairs. Maria and Blair covered the eyes of the
children as they ran past. The climb had all of them sweating and
panting when they reached the second floor landing. Everyone
nervously stared over the railing as the banging grew louder.

“
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!”

Even
from almost the top of the stairs I could still hear them moaning
and growling behind me.

“
GROOOWWWL!”

The
noise was so loud it could be heard on the other floors. I remained
posted at the landing until I was sure everyone else had a good head
start. When I got upstairs the whole group was standing there with
their weapons ready. All of our faces were only partially visible in
the rotating beams of light from the flashlights. Between me and
Carlos we only had a few bullets left in our magazines. Staying on
the landing longer than necessary would have been stupid. The
banging on the lower level door vibrated up and down the stairwell
as it started to weaken.

“
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!”

“
Woo wee!” sighed
Joe. “There are a lot more steps in this building than I
remember!”

“
I don’t mean to be
the bearer of bad news but whatever you got planned we need to do it
now!” said Kahleem.

Him
and some of the others wanted to turn back and return to the first
floor. Everyone else hesitated unsure of what to do.

“
Kevin what are going to
do?” asked Maria as she gingerly wrapped here hands around the
kids.

Their
cries and squeals had grown increasingly louder. Everyone else was
getting anxious.

“
Carlos take the keys!”
I yelled. “I'll cover the stairs.”

“
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!”

“
What key is it man?”
he asked while fumbling around with the lock.

His
fingers were clenched tight and his palms were sweaty.

“
What don’t tell me
that a bad ass like you is scared?” heckled Dr. Green.

Carlos
glared at him enraged but avoided answering his question.

“
Just try them all man!”
yelled Joe.

“
It's not safe here!”
whispered Blair. “They’re going to get in!”

“
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!”

“
Hurry up with the key you
idiot!” screamed Dr. Green with his shoulders hunched back in
fear.

“
You’re going to get
us all killed.

He
continued to scrutinize other people's actions but didn't step up
and lift a finger to help out.

“
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!”

“
Maybe would could pry the
door open!” suggested George. “Everyone look for
something we can use!”

It
was no use though because the floor was empty.

“
Calm the fuck down!”
I yelled. “You’re scaring everybody!”

It was easy to misinterpret my
tone as anger but I was simply winded. The Pastor leaned Anne
against the wall besides the door before he spoke. “Oh
heavenly father I ask that you watch over us and Sheppard you flock
to safety!” proclaimed the pastor. For a few minutes we were
left wondering if this was the end. The beam from my flash light
remained tilted towards the landing below us. After a few more
seconds Carlos finally found the right one and the opened the second
floor fire door.

Everyone
followed me without hesitation. The door clanged shut making enough
noise to raise the dead but at least we were all inside. Some of the
other people fell to their knees or lay out on their backs too
exhausted to stand. Fear was the only thing that made us gather our
last bit of strength and move away from the door. Rays of light from
the late afternoon sun filtered through the windows next to the
stairwell. We followed the small corridor until it opened up onto
the rest of the floor. The second floor was used for Maternity and
Pediatrics. The thick smell of death saturated the entire floor. The
kids began to feel a little queasy after they inhaled the musky air.

“
Woo Wee!” said Joe.
“That smells worse than two skunks fighting in a bag of cow
manure!”

“
Stay alert!” I
warned. “We might have company.”

All the monitors were dark and
equipment silent so everyone listened for any sound that indicated
we were not alone. Thankfully the only thing we could hear was our
footsteps and the buzzing of flies. We moved north east towards the
service elevator. Hopefully it would still be operational. The
regular elevators were off line. They had a fire service kill switch
that returned them to the lobby during a fire or power outage. The
service elevator was installed to help alleviate wait times due to
our high volume of visitor traffic. The staff found it useful to
help move freight and supplies to the upper floors and to transport
bodies and trash to the lower level.

As
we looked inside the opened doors to patient rooms we saw dozens of
corpses. Most of them belonged to people who had been eaten while
still in their beds. Their blood stained mattresses were littered
with chunks of flesh. Carlos cautiously walked parallel to the wall
as he took the lead. I turned around frequently to scan behind us.
The silence was unusual. Even at night the hospital was alive with
the anxious movement of staff and beeping monitors. We searched and
searched but didn't find anyone else alive. Someone in the group
bumped into an empty oxygen tank in the corridor and sent it
clanging to the floor.

“
KLAAAAANG!”

Realizing
how bad that was all of us stopped dead in our tracks.

“
If any of those things
heard that noise we are going to be in trouble!” Maria
whispered while grabbing my arm.

“
If they are anywhere
close by they are going to converge on this position!” I
whispered back.

“
We need to find shelter!”

Somewhere
in the front of us we heard something else fall hard against the
floor.

“
THUMP!”

“
Hold on!” Carlos
demanded. “No noise! No talking! Just listen!”

We
all heard something so all talking and movement ceased. Several
seconds later we heard moaning coming from the other end of the
corridor.

“
GRRRRRRR!”

A pair of hands reached around the
baseboards of the wall belonging to a room on the left side. The
crippled forsaken was crawling on its hands as it came into view. It
was a woman with mangled legs dragging herself along the ground with
her arms. She was legless but still hungry.

“
GRRRRRRR!”

Seconds
later the ghoul had pulled itself further into the hall. The beast’s
leg stumps and organs followed her as she slid on her exposed
ribcage. The crippled monster grunted and moaned as we got closer.

“
GROOOWWWL!”

She
tried to grab us with her bony hands and the creature tilted it's
head back exposing a rotting smile.

“
GROOOWWWL!”

We
stepped around her outreached arms and kept going. As he passed by
George took his hammer and silence its moaning with a well place
blow to the top of the head. She was still a victim so it was hard
putting her out her misery.

“
I'm
sorry about this!” he mumbled. “It's the humane thing to
do!”

“
BLAM!”

The
powerful blow crushed shards of bone into her head and splashed
brain matter up onto the wall. He checked behind us and then walked
off to catch up to the rest of the group.

“
I guess you sissy boys
can be gangsters too!” joked Joe.

“
Trust me I'm no bad ass!”
said George. “That was all adrenaline!”

As
we walked by a row of rooms another creature stumbled out in between
Maria and the kids.

“
GRRRRRRR!”

The
decrepit forsaken snarled at Latia showing its teeth as slobber fell
from its open mouth. She tried to dodge him but was not fast enough.
Suddenly it lurched forward grabbing the young girl’s shirt.

“
GRRRRRRR!”

“
Help!” Latia
yelled. “Get it off me!”

The
poor girl didn't know what hit her but she still tugged in the other
direction. In one movement he flung her to the side.

“
Uuuggghhh!”

She
was thrown backwards and her momentum knocked her brother down.

“
GROOOWWWL!”

Alex
tried to remain still and closed his eyes tightly. Then he
instinctively curled up in a ball and started kicking.

“
Aaaiiihhheee!”

Both
of them started screaming and crying for help. Maria heard their
screams and began beating the monster in the head with the baton.

“
BLAM!
BLAM!”

She
was as fearless as a mother bear protecting her cubs. It was almost
able to kill Alex but Blair pulled him to safety.

“
Get away from them
dammit!” screamed Maria.

“
BLAM!
BLAM!”

The four blows crushed the back of
the ghoul’s skull. It slumped to the floor and died. Maria
rushed over to the kids and started checking them for bite marks.

“
Please
tell me you’re okay!” she begged. “Please don't be
hurt!”

Thankfully they were only scared.
She put them in front of her and we continued on. After a few more
hallways we finally stopped again. Anne was relieved every time she
took a step a wave of pain shot up her leg. What started as a bite
was now a full blown infection. Carlos and I would scout the final
distance to service elevator alone. The others would wait in an
empty break room across from the nurses’ station for us to
return. I sat the group down inside before we moved forward. Maria
made sure the door was closed and locked behind us.

******

Carlos
and I cleared the rest of the rooms in that hall to make sure they
didn't have any more surprises. We made it most of the way to the
other side of the building but ran into a problem. The staff had
used beds and some medical equipment to block off the hallway doors.
As we approached them they slid open slightly as a pale mangled hand
reached out toward us.

“
GRRRRRRR!”

The
finger nails were black and cracked from rubbing against the door.

“
That is definitely not
the way out!” said Carlos.

“
Yeah!” I said.
“Lord knows how many more are on the other side.”

After
further inspection we discovered that the feeble attempt to
barricade the doors failed. Somehow the forsaken got in. A large
maroon spot of dried blood was in the next hall. We followed the
blood trails in the other direction. The other patients and staff
tried to protect the children in pediatric ward. That was where they
made their last stand. The undead creatures cut through them in a
brutal and savage attack. Not a single person survived. One minute
the room was full of people and the next they were gone. The adults
were torn and hacked to pieces. We found the corpses of the entire
staff dead outside along with several other unrecognizable organs
and tissue mass. We had to wade through their guts.

Our
shoes stuck to the dried blood on the floor like it was a sheet of
fly paper. It created a crackling and ripping sound as the bottom of
our shoes pealed loose from the grimy floor. Splatter and cast off
was everywhere. Inside the room we found dozens of children who
were murdered in their cribs and beds. Most of them were only
dressed in bloody hospital gowns and a pair of diapers. Their
severed limbs were entwined with each other. It was hard for us to
look at their bloody faces and chewed up little bodies. Just a few
glimpses of the gruesome carnage were enough for a lifetime. Carlos
crept up to a bed in the corner with its curtain still drawn. I
aimed my weapon and followed him.

When
he snatched back the curtain we breathed a sigh of relief while
looking at the empty bed. I witnessed a lot of things during the war
and Carlos saw a lot on the street but the sight of those kids got
to both of us. The only thing stopping me from crying was the anger
growing in my heart. Carlos also struggled to choke back his own
tears

“
Let's go man!” I
told him. “There’s nothing we can do here!”

My
voice was strong but my eyes were glistening. He followed me as we
backed up slowly out the room. We had to Maneuver down a long dark
hallway with a lot of doors and a few windows. I listened closely
for activity as he watched the area up ahead. Neither one of us was
taking any chances. We carefully navigated the dark areas left
between the few patches of light coming from the doors and windows
before tracing our steps back the other direction.

******

While we were gone Dr. Green
decided it was a good time to confront Anne.

“
What's wrong with your
leg?” Dr. Green asked.

“
Nothing is wrong!”
Anne replied. “It's just a scratch!”

“
I am a doctor.” he
demanded. “Let me see it!”

“
I'll be okay!” Anne
told him.

“
Don't fuck with me!”
demanded the doctor. “Show me your leg!”

Everyone’s
eyes immediately looked at Anne. She stood up and started to back
away.

Then
Anne started mumbling to herself and acting mentally traumatized.
She was uncomfortable with Dr. Green’s questions and witch
hunt interrogation.

“
Are you fucking bit?”
yelled Dr. Green. “Answer the damn question!”

Anne
started to cry while holding herself. Sweating and panting it is
clear to everyone that she was having a serious panic attack. She
was starting to come to grips with the knowledge that she would soon
be transformed and doomed to walk the earth as a flesh eater.

“
You need to calm down my
son!” said the Pastor. “What is the problem?”

“
Yeah bro!” said
Joe. “I think you need to turn it down a notch!”

“
You turn it down!”
yelled the doctor. “This bitch got bit and didn't say
anything!”

“
What is he talking
about?” asked Blair. “You said that she didn't get you!”

“
Anne is he telling the
truth?” asked Kahleem.

Maria
didn't say anything but she could see all the signs of infection.
She knew that even if you survived an attack but were bitten the
victim became a carrier and perpetuated the spread of the disease.
Anne’s eyes were glossy and she was sweating profusely. Her
skin had become pale and she looked weak. These were clear signs
that she didn't have that long to live.
She
was starring off into space she was clearly disorientated. Anne
pulled up her pants leg to reveal the nasty bite wound. A large
teeth mark indentation could be seen under a thick layer of blood
and yellow pus. Her DNA had been altered and the skin cells were
starting to decay. The area around the wound was black and swollen.
Her bodies immune system will be unable to stop the spread of the
infection.

“
Damn that's rancid!”
said Joe. “I knew I smelled something!”

“
This bitch is infected!”
said Dr. Green. “I can't believe this bitch is infected!”

“
Shut the hell up!”
said Kahleem. “We have to think this through!”

“
What is there to think
about?” said George. “Let's kill her now before it's too
late!”

“
Hold your horses!”
said Maria. “Let’s wait for the guys to get back!”

“
It doesn't matter what
your boyfriend says!” demanded Dr. Green. “We all know
what needs to be done!”

Dr. Green started to fear that
Anne might become dangerously unstable. He was infuriated at Anne's
betrayal of the rest of the groups trust. A couple of the men
started to move towards her gripping their weapons. The pastor
stepped in between them and Anne to prevent them from killing her
during the confrontation. Holding out his cross in front of him the
Pastor broke out into an impromptu sermon.