by L A Taylor
“Did they say someone was murdered?” one of the crowd members asked another.
A few ups and downs of shoulders seemed proof enough that nobody really knew what’d been said.
“Listen to me very carefully, my wife’s in the house and she’s dead. Have you got that?” Vincent growled; reaching out to grip Wayne’s left arm. He cried a few heartache tears before composing himself for the next instalment of bad news. “I never told this to the woman on the phone but my dead mother isn’t dead anymore. She’s in the house and she killed my Mary.”
Nash’s first thought to all this was a comical one. He imagined this to be a twisted set up, a game concocted by Wayne to scare him on his first week as a qualified officer of the law, but his view soon changed when the sergeant placed a comforting hand on Vincent’s shoulder. He was now left gobsmacked after Wayne took the story seriously. Nash was left in the dark so the only way he was going to find out the truth would be by entering the house.
“Do you think you can show us exactly where the bodies are?” he asked.
Vincent knew that he would have to go back inside, as he needed to be certain that the figure on the floor was his dead mother and not an illusion. He stepped into the patch of sick upon moving away from his car, but didn’t even notice. He then led Wayne and Nash to the front door before opening it. “My wife’s body is in the living room and the killer’s in there as well.”
“Okay, I don’t want you to enter that room unless I say so,” Wayne said.
Vincent nodded back to him. They moved into the hallway. Vincent shut the front door to stop the nosey bystanders from peeking in.
Wayne double-checked with the constable that he was able to maintain concentration before entering the danger zone. “Nash, are you ready for this? It could get dangerous, so release your Taser gun.” Orders were thrown, but to be honest, all Nash wanted to do was get stuck in. “Keep calm and everything will be fine,” Wayne said.
Mike had no need to arm his officers before today, before now, before all of this, but the chief wasn’t taking any chances after the recent reports of dead people, so had ordered every officer to have a firearm or Taser on their purpose until further notice. Mike knew it was his call. If the Police Commissioner found out then he was in deep shit, but he wasn’t willing to risk his men becoming victims of whatever was going on in this town.
The living room door opened. The officers entered the newly decorated area before shutting the wooden obstacle. Two sets of eyes stalked the contents in search for any movement. There was no strange looking character in this room, but there was a dead body lying on the carpet. Wayne breathed in the stale atmosphere, collecting a fetid smell that lingered underneath his nostrils.
It wasn’t coming from the recently deceased corpse, so where was it coming from? he wondered. Was there something else in the room with us?
Vincent remained in the hallway. His patience was low and concentration on what he was doing, even lower. He stepped backwards. He stuck his left ear against the wall to try and listen in, but was unaware that a hideous figure was standing and slobbering behind him. He slowly became alert of a foul smell in the air, and as soon as this strange aroma penetrated his nostrils, his instincts warned him that he was in grave danger. He had no chance of escaping the clutches of this newcomer to his household. A forward movement was needed to get away from the zombie’s reach, but the monster snapped decayed hands around his head. Vincent yelled in terror. The officers rushed out of the recently used door to observe the commotion, staring at this grotesque monster with its filthy hands all over Vincent’s face. Both sets of figures eyeballed each other for a few seconds. There was no time for a roaring approach to the situation, the bank manager was panic stricken and these officers had a job to do. “Get this thing off me, now,” cried Vincent.
Wayne needed to act fast before everything spiralled out of control. “Listen mate, just relax. You don’t want to piss it off.”
The zombie stared into nothingness, made no noise or produced angry, facial expressions, but it did drool. Wayne and the new recruit whispered between themselves before the latter pointed the Taser gun at the beast. It was a lot smaller than the person it held captive so was able to hide behind the human, stopping Nash from getting a clear view of it. Wayne tried communicating with the disfigured being, because in his eyes this was a human and not an ex-dead person.
“Okay, let’s just calm down.” He focused on Vincent before saying. “Can’t you talk to it? I mean, you did say it was your dead mother. It may listen to you?”
“Are you fucking having a laugh? She never listened to me when she was alive so there’s no way she’ll listen to me now she’s dead.”
The zombie produced a scowl in disgust at what the ex-son just said and viciously eyed up the two strangers. Wayne began to speak to the intruder. “I’ll give you to the count of five to release Mr Smythe. If you don’t, then I’ll give the order for my colleague to shoot you with a blast of electricity. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
There was no response, just an evil glare. Nash nudged Wayne. “How am I going to shoot her when I can’t even see her?” he said.
Vincent overheard that speech and wasn’t impressed.
“Act like you can. It’s the only way. If she thinks you can shoot her then she’ll let Vincent go,” Wayne whispered back.
Wayne knew this wasn’t going to be easy. The story Frank told him about the strange looking people became more believable. He wasn’t waiting any longer as the counting began. “One, two, three.” There was still no sign of a reaction. The creature continued to glare at them from behind the petrified figure. “Okay, have it your way, four,” shouted Wayne at the beast.
As soon as the word ‘four’ echoed off the hallway walls the zombie growled.
Vincent’s patience faded. He made the fatal mistake of trying to sneak away from the beast’s clutches, but the infected palms squeezed even tighter around his face. The middle fingers pressed down hard over his eyes, pushing bony digits deep into his sockets until the eyeballs sunk to the back of his head. He collapsed to the floor, blood oozing from the recently created holes in his face. He died instantly from the shock of being attacked in such a barbaric way.
The path was now clear for Nash to fire the Taser gun at the creature. Before the zombie had chance to react to what it’d just done, the gun was fired, forcing electrifying volts crashing into its body. The officers watched the monster do a crazy dance, while what was left of its hair stood up on end, but it remained upright. “Is that on full power?” Wayne asked.
“I think so, but I’ve never used these new models before.”
Wayne checked the gun and noticed it wasn’t. He looked up at the zombie again, spotting that it was overcoming the recent blast. “Press that button, it will increase the voltage,” he said, pointing to the switch.
Nash did what was told and the beast started smoking. The power was so strong that the zombie was thrown into the kitchen, smacking against the kitchen cupboards before dropping to the floor with a bang. Nash turned the Taser off.
It took a few more seconds before the police officers soaked up what just occurred.
“I’m going to check to see if the fucker’s dead this time.”
“Okay, but be careful. Let’s assume that it came to life once today. I really hope it doesn’t do it again,” Wayne cautiously replied.
“Are you trying to scare me? If you are then you’d better try harder. This mother isn’t going to come back from the dead again...”
Nash approached the ghastly figure and kicked it. There was no indication of movement and this sign made the new recruit feel much more at ease. He spread his legs over the body of the muddy creature before bending over to check that the intruder’s heart wasn’t beating anymore.
“It’s definitely snuffed it this time,” Nash said, while turning to face Wayne.
The zombie’s eyes re-opened. The evilness had been boiling up inside and i
t now retaliated. Strange, colourless eyes looked up at Nash. A mangled hand gripped onto his private parts, squeezing very, very hard, until a crunching sound caused him to yell from the stinging, numbness attack. The creature tugged until his face neared it. “Shoot it, Wayne, I’m begging you, please shoot it before it attacks my face as well,” he pleaded.
Wayne carried a different kind of weapon to Nash. He was equipped with a handgun. It was released from the holster. He couldn’t find a clear view shot because the zombie was using the other man’s body to shield itself from a bullet.
“Use your spray. Spray the fucker in the face.”
Nash tried to reach for the CS spray but the grip tightened even more. Wayne knew that the other man was now struggling. “You have to do something to get out of the way, as I can’t see it.” Wayne shouted.
Nash shook vigorously in an attempt to loosen the grip on his cock, but it didn’t work, it never had time to work. The zombie pounced, biting his throat. The penetration tore deep into the jugular vein. Nash was then swiftly thrown across the room as thick, red blood sprayed long lines across the walls and ceiling. His shocked body landed on the ground, eyes transfixed and staring upwards. He remained breathing as the redness pumped out, but it now landed on his face, covering the hazelnut colouring of his eyes. As the blood slowed down to a trickle, then stopping, all breathing sounds ceased. The crimson splashes gave the constable a face painting that Wayne was never going to forget.
The monster lifted off the ground, staggering over to Wayne, but after witnessing two people become victims of this thing he wasn’t going to fall for any tactics. His gun aimed and he waited for the right opportunity to fire. Nervously, he fired the weapon. A bullet blasted into the zombie’s left knee, but the creature remained on course to attack. Its left leg now close to snapping off as it hopped toward him.
“Where’d you think you’re going? I think it’s time you went back to hell where you belong.”
Another shot was fired. This time the bullet drilled into the zombie’s forehead before crashing out the back of the skull and into the wall behind it. Decayed blood trickled down the monster’s face as its eyes slowly closed again. Seconds later it crumbled back to the floor.
Wayne had found a way to destroy this strange, crazy character.
He made his way to the front door, entering the outside again. He blocked the images of what’d happened, but if he’d dwelled on what he’d seen then wouldn’t have been able to reach the door to escape this nightmare. He would’ve collapsed after witnessing the murder of Nash.
In the life of Wayne Strong, this day would be remembered as the beginning of his worst days on this earth. Whatever happened in his life after this would never push these memories to one side.
ELEVEN
Hazel Knutts, the chief nurse at the local hospital, was worried about her latest patient. Respected by the hospital staff for her experience and loyalty she was like a textbook when it came to patching up the injured, but this latest visitor had her baffled. Frank seemed extremely weak. His legs were unable to take his weight. Hazel removed the emergency wrapping and stared deeply at the wounded area. “This doesn’t appear to be very pleasant. It looks to me like you’ve been bitten...”
She placed two fingers over the bite mark, feeling the area of discomfort, then, squeezed them together until a poisonous liquid seeped out of the infection. Hazel then reached for a test-tube, placing a sample of the substance into it. “This bite isn’t from an animal. I’m pretty certain it was caused by another human being but I’ve never seen humans bite so deep into other humans before.” Her head shook as if she disagreed with what she said. “This can’t be right. No human has bitten another human quite like this, it’s not normal.”
Frank noticed the woman’s baffled expression, so, in a rasping, hard to understand voice, tried to explain what’d happened on the road. Hazel remained confused, but smiled at her patient. It was a sad smile, but it made Frank feel more relaxed. “Hold on. I’ll be right back.” she said.
She grabbed the cubicle curtain, sliding it enough to slip past. Once out, replaced it and walked over to where Mike sat. “Nurse, is there a problem?” he asked, while jumping up from his seat.
“Yes, you could say that. The patient was bitten by another human.” The worried stare was back again. “I’ve taken a sample of the infection to find out if it’s some form of rabies. Its released puss very quickly, so I’m also going to test it for other viruses.”
“He told me he was bitten by a person, but I couldn’t tell from his state of mind if he was lying or not.”
“Whoever did this to him was either completely insane or could’ve contracted the rabies virus from another source. Frank will have to remain here for further tests. Let’s hope he hasn’t got it. If he has, then he’ll have to be isolated and you’ll have your hands full trying to sort this problem out.”
Hazel re-entered the cubicle to see to her patient, but Frank’s face and hands now dripped from an increased supply of slippery sweat, and he shook vigorously from convulsion symptoms. Hazel stared deeply into his focused eyes so the chance of this being a fit wasn’t as conclusive as she’d first thought.
What’s making his body do this? she wondered.
Those extra tests were urgently required. She rushed out of the cubicle to find some assistance, spotting two staff members. “Gary, Julie, I need your help.”A very tall, thin, experienced male nurse and a petite, dark- haired, eighteen year old new recruit to nursing, moved toward her. “I want you both to take Frank to the isolation/testing room. Be gentle. He’s extremely poorly.”
Gary and Julie nodded. They knew Hazel cared about all her patients. She would always urge her staff to treat them in a considerate manner and not like a racing driver at a Grand Prix. Gently, they removed the still shaking man.
Mike watched them leave and moved toward Hazel.
“Nurse, what’s happening to the driver?”
She rushed around in search for the answer. Mike was an obstacle slowing her down, but she knew the chief also cared about people; he’d proved that with his concerns about the patient, so, for that reason alone, was willing to spend time explaining the situation to him. “He desperately needs those tests doing. He’s weakening with every minute that goes by and it’s worrying me. If he hasn’t contracted the rabies virus then we need to know what other infections he may have caught from that bite. I’ll need all those who’ve been in close contact with him to take a blood test, and that includes you.”
Loud screams interrupted their conversation. They looked up to see Julie running over to them. “Come quickly, we need some help with the patient. He’s in a lot of pain.”
“All right, calm down. I’m on my way.”
Both nurses disappeared back down the corridor, leaving the chief abandoned again.
Gary tried restraining the injured man as the nurses entered the testing room. Frank consistently twitched with violent shaking, the agony too much to hide his tears as he struggled to fight the pain. He needed some form of sedative to help get through this awful moment.
Julie placed a wet sponge over his brow. Hazel rushed to the medical trolley, but Frank let out his last scream before she’d time to inject him. He grimaced as Hazel saw the final tears slide down his face. She wasn’t given time to find the answer to why he was hurting so badly. A race was on to restart Frank’s heart but it’d shut down for good, and all traces of breathing had left him forever. A slight moment of weakness caused Hazel to release a tiny tear of her own. She knew she should be used to this kind of trauma happening, but sorrow sometimes crept back up, affecting you like it was your first victim of the casualty department all over again.
Young Julie sobbed into her palms as Hazel consoled her. “Hey love, these things happen in hospitals.”
“I’ve never witnessed anyone die before. It’s shocking. It was very sudden and freaked me out,” Julie said, after removing the wet hands from her face.
; “I know, but you have to be ready for the unexplainable in this business.” Hazel waited for Julie to dry her eyes. “Julie, I’m going to need you and Gary to take Frank to the morgue. Do you feel okay to do this?”
The young nurse acknowledged she was fit to continue, as Gary placed a sheet over the dead man.
Hazel walked sluggishly back to Mike. He sensed from her facial expression that something wasn’t right. “What’s happened?”
“He didn’t make it. We never stood a chance to save him. His heart just caved in.” Hazel gulped, as she managed to prevent another tear from falling. “We’ll need to examine the body to hopefully solve this, so he’s on his way to the morgue.” “I’m sure you did your best for him.”
Mike was close to holding the drained looking nurse, but Hazel snapped out angry words before he tried it.
“My best, my best wasn’t good enough.”
This woman wasn’t looking for a shoulder to cry on so the chief took back the intended gesture. “Calm down. You’re not to blame for this.” Hazel apologized for her outburst then Mike spoke again. “I need to track down the man’s family. Could someone check his clothing for any pictures, addresses, or phone numbers I could use?”
“I’ll do it for you,” Hazel replied.
She headed for the elevator that would lead her down to the destination point. She chose to fetch the required information because it would give her the opportunity to speak to the morgue staff about the mark on the dead man’s arm, and, to sort some tests out.
The time was now approaching 2.30pm. This day was going to be remembered for many years to come and may never be forgotten. The morgue filled up with bodies now.
Mike still waited for Hazel to get back to him with the driver’s personal details, but was now speaking to Wayne. The sergeant looked close to collapsing after the pressure of the day. He’d been in the hospital for about half an hour and had stayed after the corpses from the Smythes house had been brought in. He was giving Mike an update on the day’s events, but the details were so disturbing that he took extended breath intervals every few seconds.