by Scott Lee
The pilot guided the helicopter to the buildings that Jamison indicated.
“What is that place?” he asked as the chopper approached.
“Pennsylvania Hospital,” replied Jamison. “I worked security there before I took the job at Chemcorp. They’re on the cutting edge of medicine, so if there’s a drug that you need, you’re almost guaranteed to find it there. Even experimental drugs you can’t find in your average pharmacy.”
Looking back at the fast approaching buildings, he smiled.
“That’s where they’re going. I’m sure of it.”
“Where should I set her down?” asked the pilot.
“See the tall building in the middle? The roof there is strong enough to hold this bird. Put us down there.”
Skillfully the pilot guided the helicopter in, setting it down quickly in an open space near the AC units. Once they landed, the pilot quickly cut the engine as the men prepared to disembark.
Reaching into a storage compartment in the back, one of the men pulled out multiple cans of ZOMBIE OFF and handed them out. When the rotors had stopped spinning, the men exited the helicopter and took off their jumpsuits. A minute later, they were covered with ZOMBIE OFF and waiting for orders.
Jamison walked in front of the crew and had them gather around. Counting Jamison, there were five men in the group, not including the pilot.
“There are four main entrances to the buildings here,” he started. “Those will be our main focus. However, there are numerous other employee entrances that they could also access. We’ll split up. Thompson, when we get inside, you head to that building,” he said, pointing to the tall building off 9th Street. “There’s an emergency entrance near the northwest corner. Morrison, you head for the old building there,” he said, pointing to the south and the oldest building of the group. “You’ll find an entrance on the east end of the building. There’s also an entrance around the corner of the building on the north side, so keep an eye on that too. Conway, you head for the west side of that building. There’s an employee entrance there that’s tucked between it and another smaller building. Between the two of you, watch that entire building.”
Next he pointed to the shorter building to the west that bordered 9th Street.
“Decker, you head for that wing. There’s an entrance off of 9th Street. I’ll take the two entrances in the Preston building, there,” he said, pointing to the easternmost structure.
“Synchronize your watches. It’s 9:40 now. We meet back here at 1:00. If you haven’t seen them by 11:30, start combing the halls.”
Looking at each of them, he had one final thing to say.
“Once inside, you’re likely to see a lot of Z’s. This place was always very busy when I worked here, so I’m guessing it’ll be crawling with undead. I don’t recommend using your firearms unless you absolutely have to. The boss wants the girl dead, but if we can take her alive, do so. I want to interrogate her before we take her out. If not, waste her. As for the others with her . . . kill them.”
Connor stood at the intersection pondering the situation. After a minute of silence, Doug finally turned to his friend. In hushed whispers they spoke.
“What do we do now, buddy?” Doug asked. “Can we go somewhere else?”
Connor shook his head side to side.
“No. We’ve taken up too much time just getting here. There’s no time to search the other hospitals. If they came up empty, then we’d have to leave without the medicine.”
“So it’s medicine that we’re after. I kinda figured.”
“It’s an experimental drug to treat infection. There’s a young child back at the complex who’s had a relapse of an infection they were treated for before all hell broke loose. The parents had to come here for the medicine. It’s the only place to get it.”
“Shit.”
“Yep, that about sums it up. We have one choice. We get the medicine or the child dies.”
“Now I understand why you came here. Why you risked it. I would have done the same.”
Doug laid a hand on his friends shoulder, then looked back at the slow moving zombies. This time Diana spoke up.
“So what’s the plan? We know they’re waiting for us. How are we gonna get in and get the medicine?”
“We?” Conner answered.
“Oh, don’t even go there,” she replied, as loud as she dared. “We’ve gone this far together, there’s no way we’re staying behind.”
“You got that right,” said Doug.
“Seriously, you two are a pain in the ass,” he replied, an annoyed look on his face.
Diana just smiled in return.
“Fine, we don’t have time to argue. We’re way behind schedule and these assholes in the helicopter have just made it that much worse. But they don’t know that we’re on to them, so that gives us an advantage. When we get to the building, stay close. I’m going to make a B-line for the lab with the medicine. The parents told me exactly where to go.”
“So that leaves the $20,000 question,” Doug said, his smile fading. “How are we going to get in?”
“Simple,” answered Connor. “We walk through the front door.”
Morrow’s men moved from the helicopter to the roof access door about thirty feet away. Pulling on the door, it was no surprise that it was locked. Walking back to the helicopter, Jamison climbed inside and emerged with a small pry bar. Walking back to the door, he wedged the pry bar in between the door and the frame and snapped the lock. He was about to toss the pry bar back near the helicopter when he gave it a shake in his hands and smiled.
“Might come in handy,” he said. “Let’s move.”
Opening the door, he peered into the darkened stairwell, listening for any signs of activity. Hearing nothing, he led the men forward. Pulling a small flashlight from his belt, he turned it on, revealing a flight of metal stairs leading to a closed door below.
As quietly as possible, the men descended the stairs, stopping in front of the door. Jamison put an ear to the door and listened. Straining, he could hear some slight sounds of movement on the other side, but couldn’t determine numbers. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue since they were wearing ZOMBIE OFF, but Jamison knew that the security system of the hospital had card reader electronic access for most doors of the building. He also knew that with the power out, the door in front of him would be locked solid. He’d have to break it open like the previous one.
Turning to the others, he motioned for them to fall back to the stairs and draw their knives. Next, he placed the flashlight near the wall, on it’s end pointing up. Taking the pry bar, he wedged it into the lock and began to push. Three good shoves and the door lock gave way with a loud crack. Pulling on the handle, Jamison moved backwards with the door as it opened, shielding himself from the view of the undead in the hall.
Within seconds, the first of the zombies crossed the threshold, drawn to the sound of the breaking door. Moments later, three more entered the small access room, searching for the source of the noise, and hopefully a meal.
All four were dressed in nurse scrubs that were caked with dried blood and gore. Their hollowed features gave them a ghastly appearance as they moved into the dimly lit room. Mouths agape, they stumbled forward, their soulless eyes searching for prey.
The men on the stairs remained motionless, knowing that they would be undetected if they simply didn’t move. Waiting patiently, the men watched as the creatures shambled forward, still searching for flesh. Knives in hand, they stood their ground until the end of the pry bar exploded the forehead of the left most zombie. In a flash, the men moved forward and drove their knives into the skulls of the other three. In a matter of seconds, the four zombies lay dead on the floor.
Stepping back from the door, the five men formed a semi-circle as they watched to see if any more zombies appeared. After fifteen seconds of waiting, Thompson and Morrison moved near the door to check the hallway while the other
s calmly cleaned their knives on the corpses.
Listening at the door, the hair on the back of their necks stood up as they began to hear the scraping sound of metal dragging on tile. Cautiously, they peered into the hallway. Through the dimly lit darkness, the men could see the outlines of a dozen more zombies moving down the corridor in their direction, their gaunt and grisly faces cast in shadow as they passed near open doorways.
As they looked at the macabre scene before them, once again the metallic scraping sound echoed forth from a nearby room. As the men watched in horror, two boney hands appeared in the low light of the doorway, pulling an unseen terror into their view. Hands clawed and metal screeched as the nightmarish vision of a zombie torso drug itself from the room. The two men watched with revulsion as the hideous creature moved into the hallway, its entrails leaving a trail of gore in its wake. Behind it, the creature was dragging the IV unit it had been hooked up to when the zombies attacked.
As the two men stood, transfixed, Jamison walked from the room and pushed his way past. Stopping, he turned to the two men.
“Move it,” he whispered.
As the two men snapped out of it, Conway and Decker joined them in the hallway. The five men stood together briefly before Jamison gave the signal. Quietly, they split up, heading to their assigned posts.
Using a series of side streets, Connor, Doug and Diana made their way to the front of the hospital. Their route kept them at least a half block away from the buildings at all times to avoid being seen by any of Morrow’s men.
The detour cost them time, but it was necessary. They couldn’t risk being seen by anyone as they moved to the front of the hospital. Connor’s logic for this entry point was simple. It’s the last thing they would expect them to do.
The parents of the child had given him a pretty decent description of the buildings, and had informed him that there were at least six or eight entrances among the various structures. According to the parents, only four or so were visitor entrances. The rest were for employees. They knew this because they had a hard time figuring out where to go when they visited for the first time, and ended up circling the building twice. The one thing they did say was that the front entrance was gated, and inaccessible to normal car or foot traffic. Although they described it as a wide-open area, it was still the perfect place to go in.
As the trio made their way around the hospital, they were able to see the buildings from a distance as they passed by a couple of streets. What they saw was a small swarm of zombies surrounding the hospital. As they made their way down Pine Street, their original observations were confirmed.
The front of the hospital was the original historic building, and it was surrounded by a tall, red brick wall for the entirety of the property to where it met with the newer buildings. Directly in front of the courtyard area, the wall became just a few feet high, with a wrought iron fence on top. A large wrought iron gate, located where the fence started, provided a vehicle entrance.
As they approached the hospital wall, they could see hundreds of zombies milling about in front of it, some pressed up against it, reaching for the top. Despite this, the numbers weren’t nearly the size of the swarm back near the bridge, but it was still a formidable amount. It appeared that the helicopter came in fast, and shut down quick, not allowing the more distant zombies to lock onto the sound.
Sticking to the street, the three were able to walk past the majority of the undead as they made their way to the gate. However, once they got there, they realized they had a problem. The gate, like the wall, was blocked by a mass of zombies. Attempting to jump the gate in front of the undead could go horribly wrong in many ways. A slip and fall while climbing and you were zombie fodder. Not only that, the gate had spikes. Even if you did make it over, only the first person could make it, because their movement would get the undead worked up, and that would be bad. Very bad.
Looking at the wall, they realized that it would be easier to climb than the gate, and it was also slightly shorter. But first, they had to somehow clear the zombies. As the three stood staring at the undead, Connor had an idea.
“Give me a minute. Stand by the cars. When they clear out, make for the wall and get over as quick as you can. I’ll be close behind you.”
With that, he turned and walked through a short car passage tunnel that led to an inner parking area for the apartments across the street. As he disappeared around the corner, Doug and Diana did as they were told and moved up against a car that was parked on the street. Moments later, they heard the repeated smashing of glass. Seconds after that, the zombies turned and flocked through the passage to investigate the noise. Once the area was clear, they walked quickly to the wall. Holding his hands in a locked position, Doug looked to Diana.
“You first,” he said.
Stepping into his hands, Doug heaved her up and she nimbly climbed onto the top of the wall. Reaching down, she held out her hand and helped Doug to the top. The two remained straddled atop the wall, searching for any sign of Connor. Nothing. As their worries escalated, they suddenly saw movement in the bottom apartment across the street. Seconds later, the window opened and Connor jumped out and into the shrubs below. Jumping a small fence, he raced across the street and literally ran up the wall to join them.
“Show off,” said Doug, a tad annoyed at the ease at which he scaled the wall.
“Sorry it took so long. I had to convince the tenants of that apartment to let me pass through,” he said, a wry smile crossing his face.
Looking at his watch, it now read 10:46.
“We’re gonna be cutting this close if we don’t hurry, so let’s get moving. Remember, stay close. Judging from the size of the helicopter, I’m guessing we have six or seven men at most to deal with in the hospital. It’s a big place, so there’s a chance we could get in and out without seeing them. It’s not likely, but keep your fingers crossed.”
Connor stopped for a second, his head bowed as if in thought. He turned to the two and spoke softly, a grave expression on his face.
“One more thing,” he said quietly. “The men in that building want us dead, plain and simple, but we need to survive at any cost. There’s too much riding on our survival.”
His final words were clearly directed at Diana.
“If you aren’t willing or capable of killing a human, then stay here.”
Without waiting for a response, Connor swung his legs over the hospital side of the wall and jumped to the ground. Both Diana and Doug following quickly without hesitation.
The three stuck close to the tree line that ran along the driveway. They didn’t have to worry about running because the walls and fences had worked well to keep the zombies out. The area was completely empty, so they took full advantage as they sprinted towards the building.
Trees, bushes and overgrowth lined the arched gravel driveway, making it easy to get close to the building unseen. As they crouched behind some bushes, a mere twenty-five feet from the building, they carefully watched the windows for any sign of movement. Seeing none, the trio sprinted the final distance to the large front door. Checking the handle, Connor wasn’t surprised to find it locked. This wasn’t a true entrance, so it made perfect sense to keep it locked.
To the left of the door was a vertical row of narrow windows. Taking a quick peek inside, he saw nothing.
“Hand me the M48,” he said to Diana.
Taking the weapon from its sheath, she handed it to Connor.
“After I do this, we get inside and find cover quickly. If Morrow’s men are near, the sound could alert them.”
Doug and Diana nodded in understanding and prepared themselves.
Taking the handle of the tomahawk, Connor quickly smashed out the lowest of the four thin windows. Clearing the shards around the framework, he quickly reached inside and, after a few seconds of fumbling around, released the lock. Pulling his arm free, the three rushed inside and immediately darted f
or a nearby office. As they ran in, the door slammed into a large female zombie, knocking it against the wall. The M48 still in hand, Connor wasted no time as he pinned the creature against the wall and drove the spike of the tomahawk into its brains. The creature slid to the floor in a heap as they spun around, checking for any more undead. The room was empty.
Looking out of the door, Connor listened for any sounds of movement, alive or dead, but the large entry area was quiet. Satisfied, he turned to the others.
“Let’s go.”
Moving quickly from the room, the three crossed into an amazing open area of incredible historic beauty. Twin staircases ascended from the beautiful tiled floor, and it was these stairs that the three raced to. Darting up the steps, they saw doors leading to a walkway that led to the newer section of the hospital. Inside the walkway they could see a host of zombies wandering aimlessly, waiting for a reason to attack. Slowly opening the door, the three calmly continued past them and into the next building. A sign on the wall next to the door read “Cathcart Building”.
“We need to get through Cathcart and into the Preston Building, which will be to the right,” Connor said.
As they passed through the doors, they entered a wide hall flanked by multiple doors, with directional signs overhead guiding visitors to the various laboratories and centers within the building. Looking to his right, Connor read the plaque that indicated the Preston building access was straight ahead.
The area where they were standing had reasonable light, but the hallway darkened as it moved deeper into the interior of the building. Down the long, wide corridor, the three could see the ghostly silhouettes of dozens of undead.
Not ten feet in front of them, a zombie in a long white doctor’s coat shambled forward, oblivious to the living people in front of it. The left half of the creatures face hung down by its shoulder like the unzipped flap of a suitcase, parts of its bone white skull visible in the soft light. Dark red stains covered the left side of the coat, which had been torn open, revealing a half eaten arm.
“Wait here,” said Connor, as he walked towards the zombie.
Pulling his knife, he walked slowly past the creature, then turned behind it and drove the knife into the back of its skull. Grabbing it around the chest, he lowered it slowly to the floor and removed the coat, placing it in his supply bag. Walking back, he was met with confused looks.
“Why did you do that?” whispered Doug.
“We may need to play zombie to get past Morrow’s men. I suggest you two grab coats also.”
Smiling, Doug just shook his head.
“Good idea,” he said.
As they proceeded down the hall, both Doug and Diana acquired doctor’s coats in the same fashion, without drawing attention to themselves.
Halfway down the corridor the hallway split off to the left. The sign up above read -
Radiology
Widener Building
Schiedt Building
Emergency Room
Another 50 feet further, the hall came to a T intersection. Looking down the side passage, Connor looked to the others.
“Wait here,” he whispered.
Moving slowly down the passage, he quietly disappeared around the corner. About a minute later, he reappeared and called the two to come close.
“I went to check out the emergency room entrance. Just as I thought, one of Morrow’s men has an eye on it. From his vantage point, he can also see that hallway up ahead. The one we need to go down.”
“So what’s the plan?” asked Doug.
“Grab your coats, it’s time to play zombie.“
Jamison checked his watch. It was now 11:15 and there was no sign of the girl or those who helped her. He was still convinced that they were heading here, and he figured that they should have arrived by now. It’s possible that they didn’t make it through the zombie-infested streets, but he wasn’t banking on it. His gut told him that they were coming here, and his gut was rarely wrong. There were more entrances to the buildings than he had men, so it was definitely possible that they chose an unguarded entrance to enter through, and it was a very real possibility they were already here.
Looking around, he made the decision to start walking the halls early. He had chosen the Preston Building because it housed the laboratories where the cutting edge research took place. In the back of his mind, he felt this might be a spot where they’d go looking for something. Most normal medicine could be acquired through a supply run closer to their home base. No, these guys came to the city for something much more special, and if he was right, they’d be in this building looking for it.
Turning, he headed for the stairwell of the nearby Cathcart building.
The three reached the end of the hall and stopped, waiting for Connor to give the signal. Nervously, Diana recalled what he had told her moments before . . .
“Once you put on the coat, the effects of the ZOMBIE OFF will be reduced, and that could mean our undead friends may want to get to know us better. If they start to follow us, just pick up the pace and head for the nearest stairwell. If things go bad, be ready to fight. As soon as we get through the door, remove the coat.”
As she remembered his words, he gave the signal and the three put on the coats. Moments later the trio shambled into the hallway, putting on their best zombie imitations. Slowly the three moved down the gloomy hallway, nervously passing among the undead, praying the ZOMBIE OFF would still have enough effect. After 30 feet, their worst fears came true. Passing between two zombies in nurses scrubs, the creatures suddenly stopped, their heads turning as they followed their movements. As they continued forward, increasing their pace, the situation got worse as the zombies began to moan. The moans meant one thing . . . they had found prey.
The noise echoed through the hallway, and as the moans were heard, the undead answered. Soon, every zombie in earshot had turned to investigate, adding their own moans to the horrific song of the dead.
In front of the trio, zombies turned and closed. Behind them, the zombies began to follow. Stopping, the three stood back to back as death descended upon them.
“I don’t have time for this shit,” muttered Connor angrily.
“To the stairs!” he said, as he shed his coat and unsheathed the Twins.
Thompson stood at his post, watching the ER entrance. It was 11:05, and for the last hour he’d seen no sign of the girl or her helpers. He had remained still as he waited, not drawing the attention of the many zombies roaming the halls. Often, they would pass mere inches away from him as they wandered by, never noticing the meal that was so close. Glancing to his right, he watched as three zombie doctors staggered down the hall.
“Off to zombie surgery,” he laughed to himself.
As he stood, watching the entrance, he suddenly heard the telltale moans of undead on the hunt. Moments later, the undead around him moaned in response and started heading down the hall towards the Preston building. Looking down the corridor, he could see activity in the distance, and as he watched, the zombies began to fall.
“Shit!” he muttered, as he watched the distant melee.
Pulling his gun and his knife, he headed for the activity.
“I got you now, you sneaky little bitch,” he whispered.
Connor raced forward, decapitating the closest two zombies as he cleared a path to the stairs. There was no reason to keep it slow at this point. Their cover was blown and they had to get to the stairs as quickly as possible. Behind him, Doug and Diana cut down any undead that came within range, staying close to Connor as they advanced to the stairs. Blood splattered the walls and floor as the three hacked and slashed their way down the hall, finally arriving at the door to the stairwell. By now, the corridor was littered with bodies, but they could still see more zombies coming from the corner where they started. The noise of the fight was drawing them from the distant hallways.
Reaching the door, Connor pushed it open and ushered Diana
through.
“Get to the 6th floor and wait for me there,” he said to Doug as he dashed through the door.
“Got it,” said Doug, without stopping.
As the two raced up the steps, Connor stood in the doorway, and surveyed the advancing horde. Watching closely, he spied what he was looking for. In the back, a shadowy figure moved with a steady, even stride, not the shambling or staggering gate of a zombie. It was Morrow’s henchman.
Waiting until the last moment, he let the zombies close to within five feet of the door before closing it, ensuring that a sizeable zombie wall was between the stairwell and Morrow’s man. Seconds later he was dashing up the stairs after his friends.
As Jamison moved toward the Cathcart building, he started to hear the distant moans of the undead. Something had them worked up and on the hunt. Pulling his knife, he headed down the hall, the moans increasing in volume with every step. Rounding the corner, he was met with the sight of at least a dozen zombies pounding on the stairwell door, just twenty feet ahead of him. Beyond them, he saw the bodies of another ten zombies lying in the hall.
“Son-of-a-bitch,” he muttered.
As he stood watching the zombies, a figure emerged from the opposite side of them and walked up to him. It was Thompson.
“What the hell happened here?” whispered Jamison, an angry look on his face.
“It was the girl. She and two other men were masquerading as zombies. They had on doctor’s coats, but the coats disrupted the ZOMBIE OFF they’re wearing and they got into trouble. They headed up the stairs. I couldn’t follow because the zombies are blocking my way.”
“Go get the others. When you get to the end of the hall, make some noise to get these goddamn zombies out of my way. When you’ve got the others, come back here and meet me on the 6th floor.”
“Yes sir,” said Thompson.
Turning slowly, he headed down the hall. Within moments, a loud whistle echoed down the corridor. Seconds later, the zombies were on the move again, chasing a new meal.
Connor and Diana reached the 6th floor landing of the stairwell in under a minute. Aiming the flashlight down the stairs, they could see Doug laboring on the final flight as he slowly made his way up. Ten seconds later, he was standing next to them, hands on his knees as he gasped for air.
“Seriously?” he gasped. “You two are freaks of nature.”
“Gotta get you on a jogging regiment when we get back home,” smiled Connor.
“Very funny, asswipe. So where to next?” he asked.
“We need to get to the lab. Head right out of this door, then down the hall on the left. We need to get in and out fast. Morrow’s henchman saw us head into the stairwell, so no doubt he’ll go for reinforcements. We need to be out of this building before they figure out where we are. Let’s move.”
Opening the door slowly, the three headed down the hall towards the lab. The zombie population on this floor was lower than the rest of the building, because it was mainly occupied by hospital employees and fewer patients.
The three quickly arrived at the lab door, stopping in front of it.
“There will be no light in the lab,” whispered Connor. “We’ll have to use the flashlights, so be ready. The zombies will be drawn to the light. Once we’re in there, follow me. I’m going to make a B-line for the medicine storage cabinet. We’ll grab the goods and then get the hell out of this place. Got it?”
Doug and Diana nodded.
Quietly opening the door, the three stepped inside and turned on their flashlights.
Jamison watched as the zombies cleared the doorway. Wasting no time, he carefully opened the door and turned on his flashlight, checking for signs of the three fugitives. The stairwell was empty, and he heard no sign of the three up above. But moments later, a broad smile crossed his face. Heading up the stairs, he followed three sets of bloody footprints to the 6th floor, where they abruptly stopped. Opening the stairwell door, he peeked out into the hallway, spying just a few zombies wandering about. On the floor, faint footprints could be seen heading to the right. Jamison slowly followed the footprints to the lab door where they again stopped.
“Gotcha,” he said. “You’re not getting away this time.”
As he pulled his gun, he suddenly paused, pushing the weapon back into its holster. Looking back to his left, a sick smile slowly appeared on his face.
Heading back toward the stairwell, he passed the door and stopped in front of a large glass case rimmed in red metal with the words “FIRE EMERGENCY” printed above it. Opening the door, he unreeled the emergency fire hose, turned the valve, moved down the hall, and waited.
Connor panned his flashlight around the room, as Doug and Diana did the same. The lights revealed a small room with a security counter and a few chairs flanking a couch. After a quick check behind the counter, they saw that the room was empty. Across from the door they entered was another door with a glass window. Walking to the door, Connor shined the light through the glass revealing a gray, distorted face staring back at them. Diana nearly screamed as she dropped her flashlight and staggered backwards, repulsed by the specter on the opposite side of the door. Picking up the flashlight, Doug handed it back and stepped forward, looking to see if there were others beyond the hideous gray face. As far as he could tell, there weren’t.
“Looks like a loner,” he said to Connor. “You wanna take it?”
“You know the drill,” he replied coldly as he drew his knife.
Doug ushered Diana behind him and grabbed the door handle as Connor took a few steps back from the door.
“Ready,” he said.
On Connors mark, Doug opened the door and stepped back, letting the zombie advance through the opening. Connor wasted no time as he stepped forward and drove his blade into the top of its head, dropping it instantly to the floor. Within seconds, Doug was next to Connor, shining his flashlight into the next room.
The adjoining room was large, and housed various equipment of all shapes and sizes, most of which the three had no clue what they did. On one side of the room were chairs and exam tables, and across the room they could see a large bank of glass medicine cabinets that stretched 25 feet along the far wall. Without hesitation, Connor headed for the glass cabinets, panning his light as he went, watching for any hidden threats.
Diana and Doug followed behind, and as they caught up to him, they saw he had removed a piece of paper from his pocket and was reading it carefully.
“We need this medicine,” he said, showing them the paper. “Help me find it.”
Doug and Diana read the name (which they couldn’t even pronounce) and immediately started searching the cabinets. A minute later, Diana called out.
“I found it!”
Opening the cabinet door, Connor quickly grabbed all the bottles with the drugs label on it and shoved them into his supply bag. Zipping it closed, he turned and headed for the door.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” replied Doug.
Moving quickly through the lab, the three passed the entry room and headed into the hallway. They had no sooner stepped into the hall when all three were suddenly hit with a powerful jet of water.
Jamison waited patiently outside of the lab. He had positioned himself fifteen feet from the door, hose nozzle in hand; ready to pull the release valve. Minutes passed as he watched the door, when finally he saw movement. Moments later, he saw three figures, each wearing minimal clothing, emerge from the doorway to the lab, unaware of the trap he had set.
Seconds after they were all in the hall, he pulled the release and fired a jet of water onto the unsuspecting trio. The force knocked them backwards and to the floor, leaving them soaked and confused. The water jet only lasted about ten seconds before the pressure fizzled out, but by then the damage was done.
“That’s for making me come to this god forsaken city, bitch,” he yelled.
Dropping the hose, Jamison turned and ran for the stairs. Racing down the steps, he arrived at the first floor just as the rest of his team was walking up the hall. Calmly he walked up to them.
“Follow me. We’re getting out of this hell hole,” he said.
Confused, they fell in behind him and headed for the roof. Minutes later, the men were boarding the helicopter as it fired up its rotor, still confused as to the sudden departure. As the helicopter took off, Jamison had them wait a few minutes before leaving. As they hovered over the building, they suddenly saw three figures emerge onto the roof of the building next to where they had landed. From his vantage point, Jamison could see the looks on their faces as the helicopter slowly gained altitude. Before setting off for home, he smiled as he watched more and more zombies swarm to the sound, surrounding the hospital in an impenetrable mass.
Finally, one of the men spoke up.
“Sir. The targets. They’re not dead,” he said confused.
Jamison looked back at the man and smiled.
“No, they’re not. But they’ll wish they were.”