by Clark, W. E.
Chris grabbed Mitch by his shirt collar and drew him close. “They are all crazy! We have to get out of here!” As Chris spoke frantically, he kept one eye on the hallway. “I am not kidding. We need to get out of here! There is so much blood!”
“Yeah, right, old man. I must say that I am impressed that you would sprint and risk the possibility of breaking your hip at your old age. What fell in the hallway?” Mitch asked as he released himself from Chris’ grip and headed towards the hallway.
Chris grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. “I am not kidding! Do not go out there. They are all…Christ…it is just insane!”
Michael spoke up, “He seems pretty serious, man.”
Cassandra was less than impressed. “You just broke all those samples. Do you know what kind of shit we test for here?”
Chris stopped and gave her a quizzical look. “How long have you worked here, Cassandra? You do know that I actually do most of the testing, right?” Cassandra opened her mouth to speak but Chris continued, speaking excitedly and pointing towards the main lab. “So of course I know what we test for. Trust me, whatever is happening out there is not something we test for!”
“Mitch, you should listen to him,” Michael added.
Cassandra nonchalantly maneuvered so that she was standing behind Michael and placed her hand in his.
“Don’t be such a pussy, Goldie.” Mitch headed towards the main hallway. He stopped in the doorway and gave Chris a perplexing look. “What in the hell?”
“I told you, idiot. They are all trying to kill each other. It is chaos out there. We really have to go.” Chris, visibly nervous, took a step back as did Mitch.
“Are they eating each other?” Mitch asked aloud as he surveyed the adjoining room.
“We need to get the out of here. NOW!” Cassandra whispered into Michael’s ear.
Michael opened his mouth to reassure her as Mitch spoke up. “Umm…hi, Donna.” Mitch spoke with an edge to his voice as he looked down the hallway. He slowly began backing up. “Whoa there, lady. Let’s all relax.”
“This is not going to end well!” Chris whispered loud enough for everyone to hear as he glanced back at Michael and Cassandra.
Mitch continued to back up as he spoke. “Donna wants to talk to you, Chris. She seems really upset.”
“I think she is looking for you, brother,” Chris said backing up just as slowly.
Michael squeezed Cassandra’s hand and slowly began making his way over to Mitch and Chris. Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. “Back off, Donna! I’m calling 9-1-1.”
He hastily dialed and got an automated recording that all circuits were busy. Michael pulled the phone away from his face and glanced at the screen, double checking that he had dialed 911. He saw that he had a text from his Dad and quickly opened it up. It read simply:
House is surrounded. Stay safe. We love you.
He took a second to re-read the text message.
What does that even mean? What is the house surrounded by?
Michael sat there for a moment trapped in his own little world. A loud moan from deep in the hallway brought his attention back to the loading dock. Michael shoved the phone back in his pocket and pulled out his SOG Trident Knife. He casually flipped the blade open as he heard the first moan from the hallway. There was another louder moan from the hallway as Mitch, trying to walk faster, tripped over his feet and slipped on the blood. He fell down hard on his back with a loud thud. He gasped for breath as glass began to tear at his back. Their co-worker, Donna, emerged from the hallway and pounced on his chest. She let out a roar that was closer to an animal than any sound a human could make as Mitch tried to push back against her attack.
From the first moment that he met Donna, Michael knew that she was what people referred to as a proper Southern Belle. Her beauty was stunning, and she had the manners of someone who came from the upper-class. She was so beautiful that she made Michael nervous. Now she made him nervous for a different reason. Girls missing a chunk of their neck and left eye tended to do that to him.
Michael stopped in his tracks as he looked at Donna. Mitch was on his back and holding Donna’s attack at bay with a fully left extended arm and his hand was wrapped around her throat. She let out another tremendous moan and blood, saliva and tiny pieces of flesh fell from her mouth onto Mitch.
Mitch was still struggling with her as Michael, with a surge of adrenalin and anger, ripped her off of him and threw her across the room.
“Settle down, Donna! What the fuck?” Michael yelled at her. He bent down to check on Mitch and saw that he was vomiting onto the floor.
Mitch wiped the excess vomit and spit off of his face as Michael extended his hand to help him up. Mitch wiped his hand on his shirt and then took Michael’s hand. Donna rose back to her feet and let out another moan as she tackled Michael and knocked the knife out of his hand. The full force of her body hammered him to the floor as he gasped for air. As Michael coughed trying to catch his breath, he was shocked at her strength. He had a hand pushing her chest away as she chomped at the air in between them. He struggled to try and keep her from burying her teeth into his face.
Was she trying to bite him? What the hell did she even want?
He began punching her in the ribs with his free arm and it only seemed to get her more riled up. His arm was quickly becoming jelly, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out. He heard a sickening crunch and then a sucking sound as the attack stopped and blood poured from Donna’s mouth. She slumped over and he flipped his hips and managed to slip her off to his side and on the floor with a thud. Cassandra was standing over him offering him a hand up. He looked over at Donna and saw his knife sticking out the back of her skull.
“What? How?” Michael asked still in shock and confused.
“You’re welcome. A simple thank you will do.” Cassandra smiled as she helped Michael up.
“Shit! We have to go NOW!” Mitch said as he started backing up from the hallway. “We are about to have a lot of company. What is happening?”
“I have no idea, but yes, we have to go now!” Chris spoke as he peered over Mitch’s shoulder. “Those things are everywhere.”
“Those things? You mean Donna?” Michael interjected.
Chris stiffened up and pointed his finger in Michael’s face. “Listen. That THING over there is not Donna.” He moved his finger away from Michael and pointed towards Donna’s now limp body. Blood continued to flow from her mouth onto the floor.
“It may have been her at one time, but that ain’t her now. That thing is an animal.”
“Can we talk about this later? You know, somewhere else?” Cassandra tried to break into the conversation and grabbed Michael’s hand as she pointed towards Mitch and the hallway.
Michael and Chris turned towards Mitch and saw the immediate danger. The hallway was filling up with more of their co-workers. Misty, who worked in accounting, was leading the way down the hallway. She attempted to moan, but a slight hissing sound barely escaped her mouth as her throat and voice box had been savagely ripped out.
Chris gave himself the Catholic sign of the cross. “Fuck me,” he stammered.
“Are you even Catholic?” Michael asked.
“Hedging my bets,” Chris shot back with a quick grin.
They all took a step back as their co-workers slowly advanced. Very slowly. Their former co-workers all let out a collective moan that caused Michael’s heart to skip a beat.
“We REALLY need to go,” Michael spoke with renewed urgency.
Chris rushed over to Donna’s dead body and tried to remove the blade still stuck in her head. He placed a foot at the base of her shoulder and groaned, face turning red as he pulled back violently. The knife came free with a sickening thud.
Mitch turned to the side window and his shoulders slumped. “Those things are all over the parking lot.”
“Upstairs. To the roof?” Michael offered again, knowing that all other avenues of
escape were being cut off.
“Let’s go if we are going,” Cassandra said, having the same thought as Michael.
Chris sunk the knife deep into Misty’s left eye socket, causing her to let out a hiss of air as she crumpled to the ground, taking the knife with her.
“If no one has any better ideas…the roof it is.” Michael started towards the back hallway and the stairwell the led to the roof.
As they turned the last corner before the stairwell to the roof the floor was soaked with thick and sticky blood that stuck to the bottom of Michael’s shoes. Bright red arterial blood had been recently sprayed across the hallway’s walls. Bits of flesh and black mucus were mixed in, adding to the growing horror.
At the end of the short hallway the former Client Services Liaison, William Gibson, was slumped over a body ripping out organs and greedily shoving them into his mouth. He turned his head and looked up from his meal as he heard the approaching footsteps. Muscle and blood hung from his mouth as he continued to chew. Michael felt the bile burning his throat as William grabbed a finger lying next to him and shoved it in his mouth. It made a nauseating crunching noise as the bones snapped and joints exploded in his mouth. He slowly rose to his feet and let out a low moan, starting towards the group with his eyes locked on his next meal.
“Is that Brianna?” Cassandra spoke as the body that William had been gorging himself on shuddered and then attempted to sit up.
Chris sprinted towards a fire axe twenty feet in front of the group. In one swift motion, he removed the axe from the cabinet and sunk it deep into William’s head. Black pus mixed with blood and brain matter splattered the walls behind William as he slumped to the ground. Brianna tried to sit up behind Chris and stared at the group with hollow, grayish eyes. .
“Brianna,” Michael yelled as Chris turned towards Brianna. “Seen better days haven’t you! Look at you now. You can’t even sit up. William just ate your finger for Chrissakes. Self-righteous asshole.”
The rage that Chris exuded was palpable and caught Michael off guard. Chris, using his foot as leverage on William’s neck and with a groan inducing tug, removed the axe from William’s head.
“What, no snappy comeback?” Chris asked.
Brianna, still attempting to sit up, just stared at Chris with blank eyes and let out a low moan. She reached for him with mangled hands as he drew closer.
With a sigh and a grunt, Chris brought the full weight of the axe down into Brianna’s forehead. She let out a slow moan as he dug the axe out and sunk it again into her forehead, this time with a thick cracking thud. Brianna slumped to the floor as blood poured out from her cracked skull. Chris turned to face the group, covered in brain matter and blood, and revealed a toothy grin. If Michael didn’t know any better, he would assume that Chris had come unhinged.
“The road has been cleared. To the roof?”
“Hey, Chris, did you and Brianna get along? I can’t remember,” Mitch joked as he opened the door to the stairwell.
A dark figure leapt from the doorway and tackled Mitch, sinking teeth deep into the side of his face. Mitch shrieked in pain as the attacker tugged at the piece of meat in his mouth. With another tug, it finally separated from Mitch’s face. The attacker chewed the flesh in its mouth while still clawing at Mitch. Blood and drool fell down the man’s face onto Mitch. Charles, the nighttime security guard, ripped open Mitch’s chest as ribs snapped and broke off with a sickening sound. Mitch stopped screaming as Charles fully opened up his ribcage with a loud pop, exposing his internal organs. Cassandra threw her shoulder into Charles knocking him off balance and eventually off of Mitch.
Charles barreled into Chris and bit down on his left calf. Chris gave Michael a panicked look and fell to the ground, the ax shooting down the hallway from the impact of the fall. Charles pounced and took a meaty bite out of Chris’ neck. Chris was trying to free himself as the axe sunk deep into Charles’ skull. Blood and part of his own flesh fell onto Chris’ face, followed by Charles’ limp body. Chris shoved the dead body to the side and Michael extended his hand to help him up.
“Have you fallen and you can’t get up, old man?”
“Real funny, asshole. Charles just ate my fucking leg and you are cracking—” Chris rolled over and vomited blood onto the hallway floor as blood poured from his neck. “Fuck me,” he whispered to himself in between heaves.
Michael fell to his knees next to Chris, placed his shirt firmly on the neck wound and tried to console him. “It’s alright, dude. We’ll get you some help and get out of here.”
Chris vomited more blood.
“It’s over for me. Fucking Charles. What a prick huh?” Chris tried to laugh and more blood came up. “Whatever that fucker had, he gave to me.”
Chris pulled Michael in close and the words struggled to come from his dying lips. “You have to promise me two things.”
“Anything, man,” Michael agreed.
There was a loud thud and Michael turned his head to see Cassandra smashing what was left of Mitch’s head with a fire extinguisher. He watched as she drove the extinguisher down one final time, his skull collapsing into a gooey mess of brain matter and blackish blood on the floor.
Chris grabbed Michael by the shoulder. “Promise me two things, Michael.” Chris tried to laugh again and more blood came up. “You know you always reminded me of my son. He did dumb shit just like you always did.”
“Thanks…I think,” Michael smiled as he spoke, realizing he was seeing his friend’s final moments.
“Tell Leslie, my daughter, that I love her.”
“Uh sure, man, but we can get help, and you can tell her yourself when we get out of here. What else?” Michael asked.
Cassandra came over and bent down on the other side of Chris, taking his hand into hers.
“This is the harder one. You can’t let me turn into one of those fucking assholes. You have to promise me, Michael.” He squeezed Michael’s shoulder. “Promise me!”
Michael looked at Cassandra. “I don’t think…” Michael began to stammer.
“Whatever you want. We won’t let you down.” Cassandra squeezed Chris’ hand and smiled. “You already are an asshole, just not the kind of asshole that tries to eat all of his friends.”
Chris laughed and coughed up more blood. “Don’t make me laugh. Can you guys stay with me? I don’t want to die alone.”
“How long have we known each other, Chris?” Michael asked.
“Seven or eight years,” Chris responded with a faraway look and a frail voice with quick breaths. Michael could tell he was fading fast and gave Cassandra a quick glance.
“That is one question that I never thought you would ask me. Of course we will.”
Chris’ body went limp and he stopped breathing.
“Chris?” Michael placed his fingers on Chris’ neck and couldn’t feel a pulse. Tears started streaming down his face as he looked up to Cassandra and shook his head. “Everyone is dead. Everyone is fucking dead,” Michael shouted.
Cassandra took Michael’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Not everyone.”
Michael smiled. “Not everyone,” he agreed.
***
Within minutes Chris sat up and with glazed over eyes began to moan. Michael swung the ax forcefully onto his skull, nearly splitting his head into two pieces.
Chris slumped to the floor.
“Sorry, buddy,” Michael offered as he laid Chris on the floor and Cassandra placed a coat from a nearby cubicle over his nearly separated head.
“To the roof?” Cassandra asked after Michael finished.
“To the roof,” Michael answered and then paused. “Wait, I need one thing.” He went over to Charles’ body and pulled the Glock out of the holster on his hip. He glanced over to Cassandra. “You never know.”
Cassandra nodded her head in agreement. She took Michael’s hand as they started up the two flights of stairs to the roof access entrance. As they exited the short hallway, and onto the roof of the buildi
ng, the smell of smoke permeated through the air. The air was hazy and thick with smoke. Off in the distance the small town’s air raid siren blared.
“At least we get to spend the end of the world together,” Michael offered.
“That’s something. No one I would rather spend it with.” Cassandra smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Michael, I am sorry.” A small tear ran down Cassandra’s face.
“Sorry? For what?” Michael turned to Cassandra and saw the almost perfect bite mark on her wrist.
“No! When? How?”
Michael felt sick to his stomach.
“It’s okay, Charles got me when I tackled him off of Mitch.” Cassandra smiled as she wiped the tear from her cheek.
Michael began spinning scenarios in his head. “We have to get you help. There has to be some sort of antibiotic or cure or…”
Cassandra pressed her lips to Michael’s. After a long, soft kiss, Cassandra whispered into Michael’s ear, “I wouldn’t want to spend the end of the world with anyone else.”
Michael grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him.
“I won’t let you die alone. You can’t become one of those things. We can—”
Cassandra placed her fingers over his lips. “Shh, let’s just enjoy—”
The conversation was broken up by multiple loud explosions coming from inside the building. The roof shook and nearly knocked Michael over.
“Must be from the gas lines,” Cassandra offered as she regained her balance. Michael thought that she looked like she was riding some sort of apocalyptic surfboard with her knees flexed and her arms bent at the elbows. “We can’t stay here much longer,” she said.
Michael took Cassandra’s hand and brought her close. He held her close and led her over to the edge of the roof. They both sat on the half wall with their feet dangling over and looked down at the chaos below.
“We both know what happens when you get a bite from one of those things. Those things are everywhere. Christ, the world is on fire. We are fucked no matter what. No one is making it out of here alive.”