The Virus

by Lee, Damien

  “Gus, you sick bastard,” Frank muttered, giving the body a wide berth as he drove past. He looked back in his side mirrors and was sure he saw the woman start to rise before he drove out of view. Shaking the unsettling image from of his head, he followed Razor round a bend and down another country lane. The trees on either side of the road blocked most of the sun’s rays, casting a shadow over the two vehicles as they drove on. The drive, although tedious, allowed Frank to consider the extent of the chaos. If the nearby towns were infected, what chance would he have of finding a safe refuge? He switched on the radio. The harsh sound of static hissed through the van’s speakers.

  “Shit!”

  The pitch of the noise intensified as he tried to tune to a station, but he was unable to pick up anything else. He pounded the dashboard in a rage and switched the radio off. He hoped it was the trees interfering with the signal. He looked ahead as Razor slowed to a halt. He veered around the van and pulled up alongside them.

  “What’re you doing?” he asked, eyeing the junction ahead of them.

  “This is where we part, Frankie,” Gus hollered. “We’re going right. The army base should be less than twenty miles from here.”

  Frank nodded, looking at the road sign ahead of them. Doxley was twenty miles to the right, and the town of Sunnymoor was fifteen miles left.

  “You can still come with us.”

  Frank shook his head.

  “So you’re heading for Sunnymoor then?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then where?”

  Frank fixed his gaze straight ahead towards the open fields bordered by a brick wall. He began to rev his engine. He could see Razor in the corner of his eye, regarding him curiously.

  “You’re not going cross-country?”

  “There won’t be any people on the moors,” Frank told him. “At least not as many as the towns.”

  He revved his engine louder.

  “That’s hardly a Land Rover you’re driving,” Razor yelled. “Where are you going to go? A couple of miles in and set up camp?”

  “The moors are filled with isolated farms, Gus. I figure it’s less likely they’ve been affected.”

  “You’re crazy. I bet you a score you don’t make it through that field.”

  “And I bet you the same you don’t make it through the night.”

  A smile slowly spread across Razor’s face.

  “You’re on.” He laughed, extending his arm out of the window. Frank slid onto the passenger seat and shook his outstretched hand.

  “We’ve got a deal then,” Gus said.

  “See you on the other side.”

  Frank revved the engine one last time before speeding forward. He smashed through the crumbling wall with ease, bouncing over the uneven field. He looked in his side mirrors and watched Gus pull away towards Doxley. Unsure who had made the right decision, Frank drove on. He was sure that he would eventually reach a farm or some other refuge. One thing he was certain of was that his route would steer clear of the infected.

  He drove on, unaware that the roar of his engine was attracting the gaze of a flock of nearby sheep. They looked up as the van drew near, blood oozing from their mouths, their eyes wide with hunger.

  15

  Amy looked around, trying to focus her vision on something other than darkness. White flashes danced in front of her eyes. Her head throbbed, aching with every beat of her heart. She tried to sit up, but doing so caused her world to spin. Suddenly everything came back to her; the blood, the panic, the zombies. She lurched upright when she realised where she was.

  “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Ben said.

  “I fell,” she gasped, quickly checking herself for any injuries. She flinched when her fingers roamed over the lump on the side of her head.

  “Yeah. You’re lucky the lift was already halfway up.”

  Amy glanced around the elevator shaft. “We’re on top of the lift?”

  “Yup. Between floors two and three.”

  “So how did you get down here?”

  “I dropped down,” Ben replied, moving aside and pointing to the ledge above them. “It wasn’t that far.”

  He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as Amy rose to her feet.

  “I’m fine.” She brushed herself down, noticing the long rip in her T-shirt.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay.”

  The swelling on her head throbbed, sending waves of pain down through her temples. Her entire body ached, the pain intensifying as she stretched her muscles. She let out a weak gasp.

  “C’mon, we need to get you into a chair or something,” Ben said, putting an arm around her back.

  “Where are we going to find a chair on top of a lift?” Amy eased out of his embrace and bent down next to the hatch at their feet. “Look, I’ll be fine. I don’t need to sit down. I need to get out of here.”

  She opened the hatch and peered inside the elevator carriage. The small compartment had been coated in arterial paint, all emanating from Terry’s maimed corpse in the wheelchair. She looked away from the grisly scene.

  “I know,” Ben said, closing the hatch as the smell of death crept up towards them. “But you were right, there was nothing we could’ve done.”

  “So, what are we going to do now?”

  “We go ahead with our original plan. We ride the elevator to the ground floor, see how many zombies we have to face and whether we can get out.”

  “And if we can’t?” Amy asked.

  “Then we move on to Plan B.”

  “Which is?”

  “We don’t have one yet.”

  “Oh, well that’s great,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

  “Hey, we’re taking this one step at a time, remember? With any luck, we won’t have to think of another plan.”

  “But what are the chances there’ll be no zombies down there?”

  “I have no idea. If we’re lucky, they’ve left to find more people.”

  “And if we’re unlucky?”

  “Then we resort to Plan B.”

  Amy groaned as Ben opened the elevator hatch once again.

  “What are you doing?” She hissed as he dropped through the gap. His boots hit the floor with a sickening squelch. He reached over Terry’s corpse and pressed the ground floor button. The motors whirred into action and Amy felt the carriage descend.

  “Get back up!”

  Ben leapt and grabbed the sides of the hatch as the elevator reached the ground floor. Amy felt her heart lurch as the prompt ding met her ears. The sliding doors spread wide as he heaved himself through the gap. She grabbed his shoulder, half expecting him to disappear under a wave of eager hands. She helped hoist him up, before looking back into the carriage. Nobody entered. They waited, watching for any signs of movement.

  Seconds passed.

  “You idiot,” Amy whispered, clapping Ben on the shoulder. “What if Terry came back as one of those things?”

  “Relax, he hasn’t been dead long enough.”

  “And how long does it take?”

  Ben didn’t answer. He stared into the carriage, watching Terry’s corpse.

  “Do you think there are any down there?” Amy whispered.

  “I don’t know. I can’t see from here.”

  He crouched down, leaning into the carriage head-first. Amy grabbed his waist as his shoulders slid through the gap.

  “It looks deserted. Help me back up.”

  “What do you think?” she asked, heaving him back through the hatch.

  “It looks like nobody’s there.”

  “Do you think we should go for it?”

  “I think whatever we decide, we have to do it quick. We don’t know how long it’s going to be empty.”

  “Okay, suppose we make a run for it, where do we go?”

  “Straight out the front doors.”

  “No, I mean after we get out of the building.”

  “Looks like someone isn’t taking little steps an
ymore.” Ben smiled. “Okay, we’ll see how we go. If we find a bunch of them outside, we run in the direction that looks clear.”

  “But what if they surround us when we get outside?”

  “Then we run for the ambulance that’s parked out front. If the doors are open, we climb in. If not, we climb on top.”

  “But they’ll surround the ambulance, then what?”

  “Then we think of another plan. Look, we’ll deal with it when we come to it. For now, we’ll just focus on getting out of here, okay?”

  Amy nodded. She felt adrenaline coursing through her body as the magnitude of their plan began to sink in.

  “Okay. But lower me down first,” she said. “If there’s anything down there, you can pull me up quicker.”

  “Fine.”

  With a deep exhalation, Amy slid towards the open hatch. She glanced down, determining that no eager mouths were waiting for her. With another deep breath, she dangled her legs over the side. That’s when a sense of vulnerability hit her. She could almost feel the phantom hands grabbing her feet.

  “Okay, lower me down.”

  She grabbed Ben’s hands and slid off the edge of the hatch. More of the elevator came into view as she was lowered. Her heart beat heard against her chest. She felt like a hooked worm, dangling in a sea of monstrosity. She held Ben’s hands tight as he guided her shoulders through the gap, closely followed by her head. At once, the reception area came into view. It was empty. She looked down at the elevator carriage. The floor was carpeted in entrails, organs and bone fragments.

  “Do you want me to let go?”

  Amy looked up at Ben through the gloom of the elevator shaft. She gave him a single nod and he released her. She dropped into the carriage, landing with a splat amongst Terry’s insides. The blood seeped into her trainers, drenching her socks. With a groan of disgust, she cast a glance towards his corpse. His head was bowed against his chest, his eyes stared blankly at the gaping hole in his abdomen. Amy looked away and turned her attention to the deserted hall.

  “Are we still clear?” Ben asked. Amy didn’t answer. She approached the open doors, peering further into the empty reception. There was nobody there. She turned as Ben dropped behind her.

  “I think it’s empty,” she whispered.

  “Good, let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Amy took a cautious step out, silently treading through the pool of blood, eyes fixed on the doors at the far end of the reception. She held her breath, desperate not to make a sound that would disturb the still atmosphere. She cleared the elevator carriage and stepped out into the open reception area. Her shoes squelched on the tiled floor, but it was the eager shriek from behind her that echoed around the hallway. Amy spun around as Terry’s corpse leapt from its seat, diving towards Ben. The ambush caught him off guard and he stumbled to the ground.

  “Ben!”

  Amy rushed to his aid as the creature tried to grab his legs. Ben kicked it in the face, sending it reeling. The corpse staggered to its knees, only to receive another kick to the head. The impact pushed it back into the elevator carriage. Amy watched as Ben rushed in after it. He kicked again, pushing the corpse into the corner. Before the creature could move, he pressed a button on the control panel and jumped out. Terry’s corpse screeched as it got to its knees. Its mouth frothed as it let out an anguished cry. The noise became muffled as the doors slid closed. The elevator began to rise.

  “Are you okay?” Amy asked.

  “Yeah, are you?”

  “I will be when we get the hell out of here,”

  She looked at the glass doors that led outside. The sun shone into the main foyer as they tip-toed towards the exit, all the time scanning the area for any signs of movement. Amy tried to peer out of the windows, desperate to know if they were heading towards certain death, but the harsh glare of the sun made her squint. She glanced back as they passed the reception desk. The computer monitor was still turned on, along with the table-top fan. It whirred silently, distributing its cold air to the absent recipient.

  With the reception desk out of the way, Amy looked ahead and felt her breath seize in her lungs. A mass of corpses lay strewn across the floor. Most were mutilated beyond recognition, but there were some she recognised. The porter she had spoken to earlier that day lay nearby. His empty gaze was directed towards the ceiling. Huge amounts of flesh were missing from his arms. His legs had been skinned to the bone. Lying next to him was one of the doctors she had seen trying to resuscitate a patient that morning.

  She was reluctant to approach the grisly carpet of bodies, but as Ben stepped forward, she realised she was even more reluctant to be left on her own. She followed, glancing at each of the faces as she drew near. She half-expected them to open their eyes and attack, but they remained still.

  “We’re almost there,” Ben whispered. Amy didn’t realise. She was more concerned with her foot positioning as they made their way through the dead. She trod on tiptoes, looking for gaps in the sea of corpses. It was as they drew close to the exit, the sea began to surge.

  Amy shrieked as the bodies rose, bumping into each other as they staggered to their feet.

  “Run!”

  She pushed Ben forward through the crowd, glancing at the wild, hungry stare of the undead creatures around her. Within seconds, she felt the warm caress of the sun as they emerged from the building.

  She followed Ben closely, fleeing towards the car park as the army of zombies ran out of the hospital in pursuit.

  “Where are we going?” She gasped as they sprinted past the few remaining vehicles.

  “My car’s up ahead,” he told her.

  Amy chanced a look behind them as they ran. Their pursuers were close.

  “They’re catching up!”

  She watched Ben dig into his pocket and produce a key fob. He pressed the button, unlocking a distant Vauxhall Vectra. The cheerful beep from the car attracted the attention of a nearby vagrant. Hearing the sound, he looked up from his bench. Blood dripped from his half-eaten face. Amy regarded the corpse with horror.

  “Ben.”

  She tugged on his shirt as the tramp darted towards them. She knew straight away that he would beat them to the car. Ben handed the keys to her and split off, running to intercept the zombie. Amy tried to object, but her lungs burned from exertion. She continued sprinting as the two collided. Ben held the tramp at bay with an outstretched hand. The shrieks from behind intensified as their pursuers closed in.

  Amy jumped into the driver’s seat of the Vectra. She started the engine, looking over at the grappling pair. She could see Ben had gained the upper hand and was atop the flailing corpse. Putting the car into gear, she spun the steering wheel and raced to help.

  “Move!”

  She blasted the horn. She saw Ben look back as she raced toward him. In an instant, he leapt aside as she ploughed over his attacker. She braked hard as the car bucked over the corpse.

  “Nice one,” Ben said as he jumped into the passenger seat. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Amy looked out at the swarm bounding towards them. She nodded in agreement and sped towards the road. She veered left onto the main junction and took off round the side leading to the rear of the hospital.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Seeing if the other car park is empty. If it is, I can get my car.”

  “Don’t you think we should stick together?”

  Amy turned to look at him. “Don’t you have any family you want to check on?”

  “My sister is all I have. I was certain she’d be here. I’m gonna have to think of something else.”

  “We’ll find her.”

  “What about you? You have any family?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got my mum and my grandparents. I need to make sure they’re okay.”

  She fell silent as they neared the rear entrance to the hospital. Her stomach knotted at the thought of losing her family. She had to know they were alive. She slowed as the entrance to the
underground car park drew near. Two men emerged from the gloomy confinement, eyeing the car with excitement.

  “Shit.”

  Amy looked on as more emerged into the daylight. She put the car into gear and drove away, watching the milling figures in the rear-view mirror. Some attempted to chase them, others lost interest and shambled back into the darkness.

  “Now what am I going to do?”

  “Let’s go check on your family.”

  She looked at Ben quizzically. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, you need to know they’re okay.”

  “But what about your sister?”

  “I’m out of options at the minute. I need to think of something else. Let’s just check on your family. We can come back here later.”

  “Deal.”

  Amy smiled, turning the car towards Cranston. Although unsettled at the prospect of returning to Sunnymoor, she knew she had to help Ben look.

  Yet, his sister was closer than Amy knew. Watching from the gloom beneath the hospital, she cried out longingly; her eyes wide with desire, her mouth dripping with crimson saliva.

  16

  The van bucked as it sped over the uneven ground. Frank kept his seat belt off, preferring a quick escape should anything happen to the vehicle. Yet, this meant his head hit the roof every time he drove over a large clump of soil. Before long, he’d had enough. Seeing a lengthy stretch of road to the side, he drove away from the moors and was back on the even surface.

  The juddering stopped, replaced by a smoother drive. Frank sat back in his seat. He massaged his temples as he sped towards his unknown destination. Although he had passed three farmhouses within the last fifteen minutes, he still wasn’t deep enough in the moors to garner a feeling of safety. He glanced around, trying to locate any threats. The fields were empty. He didn’t know whether to feel comforted or apprehensive. With no signs of life, it was unlikely he would have to face any of the undead. Yet, there had to be a reason there were no animals grazing amongst the lush grass. He had a feeling it was a sinister one.

  He looked ahead, just in time to see a cow walk into his path. He didn’t have time to react. Before he could touch the brake pedal, he had ploughed straight through it with an almighty crash. The impact caused him to lurch forward, striking the wheel hard. He slammed on the brakes, screeching to a halt further down the road. He sat gasping for air, winded by the collision. The exploding carcass had showered his windscreen in blood. Through sections of clear glass, he could see there were no vehicles approaching. Once he had filled his lungs, he staggered out of the vehicle.