The blasts from the guns were what Pax heard first, echoing down the hall. Screams followed after. There were no soulless on this floor, the only danger here from Guthrie. Pax ran down the hall and around the corner. He stood next to the nurses’ station at the connecting hall and waited, gun in hand. He could hear cries from children, their mothers yelling something unintelligible back at Guthrie. Another gunshot and the cries stopped. Pax couldn't wait any longer.
He turned the corner, raising his gun to Guthrie. Before Pax could continue, Guthrie was already holding his gun, pointed directly at Pax. "Put it down, Pax." Guthrie motioned with his gun for Pax to put it down. "I wasn't sure if you were alive or not anymore but…" a large smile spread across his face, "here you are."
Pax slowly set his gun on the floor, eyeing Mark who stood down the hall. He didn't seem to want to be there any more than Pax did. He turned his attention back to Guthrie. "What's going on, Guth?" Pax asked.
“Now kick it over.”
Pax kicked the gun, sending it skidding in Guthrie’s direction. ”Why the hostility here? I didn't know who it was and now that I know it's you-"
"Cut the bullshit, Pax. I've never been anything but straight up with you, so I think you owe me the same. You knew who it was. You flipped, didn't you?"
Pax thought for a moment. Guthrie had him cornered there. He thought about the time they had met and how it all led to this. Guthrie may have said he had been straight up with him, but that wasn't completely right, was it? "You lied, Guthrie. You misled me. You misled all of us."
Guthrie watched Pax, the gun never moving, but he didn't seem angry. He looked genuinely interested in what Pax was saying. "How's that? I told you, fuck, I told you all! The world had given up on you, on them, on all of us. I said, you've been stepped on, you've been beaten. I showed you the way that was better. You became the one with the boots, you became the one with the stick. How did I mislead anyone?" Guthrie lifted his arms out to the world, as if asking the universe for an answer.
Pax took the opportunity and ran across the hall to the visitor elevators. Guthrie fired his weapon, not directly at Pax, but close enough to scare him. Pax stopped running at the sound of the gun. "You told us we would become the beaters, the ones doing the stepping, that's true. But you said we'd be stepping on those who stepped on others. You said we would no longer be beaten and, instead, beat those who beat others. We'd be the ones to turn things around. Look around you, Guth. Do these women and children look like those people?" Billy stood behind Guthrie, his gun dangling in his hand at his waist. He no longer looked excited to be with Guthrie.
Guthrie chuckled. "Look at you, Pax. What happened to the man out in the street? What happened to the guy who had nothing left, the guy who didn't give two shits if he was killed because he was so damn lost? Where is he? Where is the person who killed out there without a second thought because he was so pissed at the world?" The veins in Guthrie's neck throbbed as he yelled at Pax. "You fucking changed, and I gotta say, it's pretty fucking disappointing." Guthrie narrowed his focus on Pax, holding the gun steady.
"Guth?" Billy's sheepish voice broke the moment. "I-I don't know, Guthrie."
Guthrie tilted his head back at Billy, still keeping his eyes on Pax. "Boy, I hope you have something fucking good to say right now, Billy, cause you're kind of breaking the moment here."
"It's just- I don't- I mean-"
"Spit it the fuck out."
"I think Pax may be right."
Guthrie smirked. "What are you talking about, Billy?"
"This ain't right, Guth." Billy seemed to have found his voice. "Believe me, I'm a total believer in you and everything you are, you have to know that about me, Guthrie. You saved me ten times over in this shit. But look around. This ain't some gang. This ain't anyone but families and kids. Kids, Guthrie. C'mon, you gotta know this shit just ain't right."
Guthrie licked his teeth, as if trying to pick something from between them as he listened to Billy. "You think?"
"You're my family now Guthrie, but before, I never had a chance to have a good family. These people, the ones who are scared in here, hiding and holding each other for protection, they are the family I always wished I had when I was growin' up. They don't look like they're hurting anyone. I'm sorry, Guth." Billy stopped talking, his arms down at his sides. His body shook, probably from fright, and he breathed heavy.
Guthrie paused a moment and lowered his gun a little. His face showed the slightest hesitation, thinking over what he was doing. "I'm not sure what to say, now. Maybe what you said has some truth to it, Billy."
Billy's face lit up a little at the recognition. "Thanks, Guthrie. I was hoping-"
Guthrie turned around quickly and raised his pistol. He pulled the trigger, firing a bullet right into Billy's gut. Billy fell to the floor, his back against the wall. "And maybe you're just one big fuckin' pussy I should have killed a long time ago. Hell, you and Pax were out in the street together, both of you trying to kill the other. I should have gunned you both down right then and there."
"Guth, please. Why?" Tears fell from Billy's eyes and blood trickled from his mouth when he spoke.
"Because I can, Billy. That's why I do anything. And because you're less than me. You always have been." Guthrie held the gun up again, ready to fire.
"No!" Pax yelled as he lunged at Guthrie. The bullet went wide and Guthrie turned around. He and Pax struggled for power over the pistol that still remained in Guthrie's hand. Pax tried to slam it against the wall, but Guthrie was a lot bigger than Pax was. He shifted his weight into Pax and gave him a shove, sending Pax flying across the hall, back to the stairwell. Guthrie held the pistol up and fired, hitting Pax in the gut. Pax leaned against the door, slightly pushing it open.
"You're a real piece of shit Pax. You got into Billy's head over there, which is quite the effort, I do have to say. I thought for sure one of you would have killed each other, but life is full of surprises, ain't it?"
Mark rushed to Billy to help him. Guthrie looked over his shoulder and yelled. "Let him bleed out or get eaten. I don't give a shit, but he's not worth another bullet. Unless you think otherwise, Mark?"
Mark hesitated and shook his head, standing up and stepping back from Billy. "No, Guthrie," Mark said like a beaten dog.
Guthrie smiled and faced Pax. Pax gripped at the side of his stomach where the bullet was. He could barely stand from the pain and leaned against the open doorway to the stairs. "But this is the end for you, Pax." He fired another bullet into Pax's chest.
Pax fell back, into the stairwell. The blood exploded out of his body, and Pax tumbled down the stairs, leaving a deep red trail. Guthrie ran to the stairs, looking down at Pax. He laughed and closed the door behind him, leaving Pax in a puddle of his own blood.
15
Pax opened his eyes. The pain he felt in his gut was worse than any of the bullet or knife wounds he had felt before. It was as if he could feel the blood leaving his body. He pulled himself to a sitting position and examined his wound. His gown was soaked in blood. It looked like the bullet went to his left side. He moved to look around his stomach, feeling the pain tear at him. It looked like the bullet did not stay in him. The blood coming from the exit wound confirmed that. That is good, he thought. Although, he really didn't know anything about being shot in the gut except for what he had seen in the movies.
Pax grabbed the railing and pulled himself to his feet. As soon as he did, he felt more pain tug at his chest and shoulder. He looked at his wound from earlier that had been taken care of when he came into the hospital. It was bleeding slightly through his bandages. Below it, however, was a fresh bullet hole. Guthrie was aiming for his heart but had missed. The bullet went into his lower shoulder, right above where he figured his heart was. Lucky him.
It all hurt, but he knew he had to keep moving. He would probably die if he didn't get help, but there was no help for him right now. With Guthrie and his goons still shooting up the place, there may not be
any help for him at all. There was nobody else to stand up to Guthrie. Pax had seen most of the hospital guards downstairs, shot up or eaten. Gunshots were still firing off upstairs, alerting Pax to the fact that Guthrie wasn't going to be stopped.
“Hello? Who’s there?” Pax heard the voice moan out from below him. He quickly turned around and looked down the stairs. One of the men from the hospital had crawled into the stairwell. He was covered in blood. Pax ran, as much as he could, down the stairs and knelt beside him.
"We're gonna get you help, alright?" Pax looked the man over, seeing tons of blood, but couldn't find the wound. He was sure he was lying to the man, but until he could figure out how bad the damage was, he wasn't going to let him think it was bad.
"No, you can't help me. It's too late," the man said, coughing out blood. He pulled his hand from his stomach, showing the gunshot.
"That's not so bad, look, I've got one, too," Pax said, showing his stomach off, ignoring the pain. "Plus this, so I think I've got you beat." Pax tried keeping it light as he showed his shoulder wound. Pax smiled, even though nothing about either one of them looked good.
"But you don't have one of these," the man said, pulling his shirt down over his shoulder, revealing a bite mark behind his neck. "I think I've got you beat, pendejo."
Pax's smile shifted to a grimace. The man was going to die, but he didn't seem to mind. "I'm so sorry."
"I don't need your sympathy, man."
"What do you want me to do?" Pax asked, not sure where this conversation was headed.
"You brought this on us. We helped you, anyway." The man pulled a gun from behind his leg and raised it up. "So, do something about it." The man grabbed Pax's hand and shoved the gun into it.
"I'm not sure I can anymore."
"You're still standing. So go." The man kicked at the door that had yet to latch closed. The soulless piled into the room faster than Pax could have imagined. There were so many of them. Pax jumped back from the man as they overcame him. The man screamed out as hey consumed his flesh. "Go! Go!" was the last thing he said before the sounds of wet smacking and chomping drowned him out. Pax turned and headed up the stairs as some of the soulless tried to follow. It was slow going for Pax to make his way up but, luckily, they were slower than he was.
Pax could feel more and more blood exiting his body. He didn't care and just pushed on. He just kept thinking one at a time, Pax, one at a time. Each step was its own victory. He was tired but wouldn't give up. He was headed for the top. He was going to get Diego. In his mind, he thought if he could save Diego, then it wouldn't be a loss. It would be like saving everyone.
Pax finally made it to the top of the stairs. He leaned his head against the door, breathing heavily. Now was not the time to pass out. He looked behind him and saw the trail of blood. It wasn't a long stream, but it was a few drops of blood on every other step it seemed. It wasn't as bad as Pax had originally thought.
He pushed the door open and walked down the hall. He was headed for the large office doors at the end. There was no guarantee Diego was even in there anymore. He had said he was going to get his people to safety but had no idea what that meant. Pax couldn't hear anything in the hallway. That is a good sign, he thought, until he saw the blood come into view. The dark red puddled from underneath the door. Pax raised the pistol and grabbed the handle. His hand was sweaty, and his grip slipped a little, but he managed to turn the handle.
The door opened halfway and stopped when it hit resistance. Pax couldn't see anyone in the room. He stepped inside, over the blood, and saw the body behind the door. The guard Pax had choked out earlier was dead. He had been shot in the chest three times and laid on his back. His face was pushed up against the wall. Pax turned to leave, but a noise caught his attention.
He walked behind the large desk in the center of the room and saw him. Diego was face down on the floor. Pax quickly went down to him and rolled him over. He was met with a gun in the face. Diego was pale, but he was still alive. "Diego, it's me. It's Pax."
"How'd the talk go?" Diego joked.
"I thought you were getting out of here with your people."
"They came too fast. They took most of the exits. I came back here, hoping to ambush them, but they were stronger."
"Guthrie is really good at killing people," Pax said, reflecting on his last month with the man. "We all are."
Diego rested the gun down and held his head up slightly. "That doesn't have to be who you are, Pax. You don't have to lose yourself completely. You can still be who you are." Diego patted his own chest. "Inside is the real thing."
"I think it's too late for that."
"It's never too late. You've done bad things. That doesn't mean you're a bad person. I know you're good."
"I don't want to be who I was," Pax said.
"You don't have to be. You will adapt. You will have to kill. You can hang onto a part of who you were but do the tough things you are forced to do. You are made for this world, pendejo."
"Is that all you people say here?" Pax smiled.
Diego laughed, blood coming from his mouth as he winced in pain. "We only speak the truth here. Now you'll have to do the same." Diego coughed some more and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
"If I get out of this alive, I will try," Pax said, making a deal with a dead man. Pax grabbed his gun and pulled Diego's eyelids closed. Diego's chest never rose again.
16
Pax left his dead friend on the floor. There was nothing more to do there. He spotted a white lab coat on the back of the office chair. He quickly grabbed it and tore a few strips off. If he didn’t try and stop the bleeding, he wouldn’t be any good to anyone. He wrapped it around his abdomen and tightened, gritting his teeth from the pain. He took another strip and wrapped it around his shoulder as best as he could, tightening it with one hand and his teeth.
He stood in the doorway, not sure of where to begin. Gunshots still rang out through the hospital. Guthrie had taken out most of the men fighting back when they blew the hole in the wall and came in. But he hadn't killed everyone in the hospital yet. He could be anywhere, and it was hard to pinpoint where the shots were coming from. He would have to take it floor by floor.
Pax picked up his pace to a light jog, as much as his body would let him do without becoming too lightheaded. He pushed the button to the elevators at the end of the hall, hating the idea of taking the stairs again. He waited a moment, then heard a noise from behind him. It wasn't loud, and it wasn't threatening. He turned, trying to hear it again. It sounded like a muffled cry along with some whispering. Pax walked down the hall, trying to find the source.
He put his head against every door he passed until he stopped at one in the middle of the hallway. He had passed by it twice and never heard anything before. Maybe it wasn't there before, or maybe he just hadn't been paying enough attention. He heard what sounded like a struggle behind the door along with more muffled cries. Pax pushed the handle open with his wrist, still holding both guns.
He was quiet enough and looked around the door. His eyes opened wide at what he saw. It was Sean. His back was facing him, and he stood in front of Vanessa who was sitting in an office chair, her back against the wall. He looked at her face and tears rolled down her cheeks. She had tape around her mouth. "You little bitch, open up. I won't hurt you, much, I promise," Sean said. His pants were still up, but he was struggling with his belt to get them off. Vanessa was trying to keep her legs closed but was losing the fight.
"Hey!" Pax shouted, not having a plan other than get him to stop before he could do anything worse. He stepped into the room fully and squared his shoulders to Sean.
His once traveling companion turned around, still holding his belt. He smiled when he saw Pax. "Holy shit, man! You're still alive. I thought for sure these spics in here would have killed you. Nice gown, by the way. I've got first dibs here, but you can get in line after." He winked at Pax.
Pax didn't even know why he listened to any of w
hat he just said, but it only solidified what he was about to do to Sean. Pax raised the gun he had gotten from Diego, keeping his other gun by his side, and fired one shot into Sean. After the bullet launched out, the slide of his gun locked back. It was empty. He tossed it to the side, holding his other pistol up. He wanted to unload it into the man, but he couldn't risk hitting Vanessa. He had to show restraint until she was out of the way at least. Sean stumbled back, grabbing his gun from the table next to where he stood.
"What the fuck?" Sean yelled, raising his gun. The bullet had hardly done any damage to his arm.
Pax ran as fast as he could and shoved into Sean. The two of them went down together. Pax swatted Sean's gun to the side and got on top of him. He pushed his own gun into Sean's face, but Sean swatted it to the side. Pax brought his head down hard onto Sean's face. Blood exploded out of Sean's nose, and Pax did it again. He kept head butting him over and over again, grabbing his neck as he did. Pax got up, looking down at the mess that was Sean's face. "You lowlife piece of shit," Pax said, spitting on Sean.
Sean moaned through his broken teeth and blood. Pax watched as Sean's hands tried to search for any sort of weapon but couldn't find any. Pax grabbed his gun from the floor and shoved it against his eye. He pulled the trigger without another thought. He pulled it over and over again until there was nothing left. Sean's head exploded against the carpet. Pax got up, exhausted and a little out of it from so many head to head blows.
Patriarch: Soulless Wanderers Book 2 (A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Thriller) Page 8