The Demented Z (Book 2): Desolation

by Derek J. Thomas

  “You know a lot about the hospital. You know the layout?” Tom whispered.

  “Oh yeah. My girlfriend...” He hesitated for a bit and then said, “I used to have a girlfriend that worked here.”

  Tom suddenly remembered Zeus. He turned to look down in the tunnel, but saw his furry form disappearing around the back corner of the generator. Tom should have known better, the dog was already up and doing recon on the room. I always did like German Shepherds.

  “What can we expect when we walk out that door?” Tom whispered to Eddie while pointing the flashlight at a large metal door.

  “Short hallway...housekeeping one way...stairs and another hall the other.”

  “Does housekeeping have an office area?”

  Eddie shrugged his shoulders. “Not sure...never been back there.”

  “First thing's first.” Tom said as he watched Zeus finish his perimeter check around the end of the generator. “Let’s see what the status is.”

  Tom drew his revolver and headed for the door. Zeus stood, looking at him expectantly. “You get the door.” He whispered to Eddie. Tom clicked off his flashlight when Eddie reached the door. He then whispered, “Ease it open.” A sliver of light sliced into the room and grew in size as the door continued to swing inwards.

  “What is that noise, sounds like a jet engine?” Tom asked.

  “Generator.”

  The hall split to the left and right. Tom saw nothing but bare white wall. Relieved that the lights were one, Tom slid the flashlight into his utility belt, holstered his revolver, and unslung his rifle. Listening intently, he tried to pick up on any sounds of the infected, but with the roar of the generator he was unable to hear much of anything.

  Zeus stalked into the open doorway, head jutting forward, sniffing at the air. His body was tense, tail tucked low, and his ears perked up like a pair of radar domes.

  Rifle at the ready, Tom eased through the opening, following Zeus into the hall. Just like Eddie said, to his right the hall opened up into a large room filled with racks of cleaning supplies and surrounded by vacuums, mops, and robot like machines. To his left stood a metal door with a long rectangular window.

  A dark shape flashed past the glass.

  Tom kept his rifle trained on the door and began shuffling toward it.

  Zeus let out a low growl.

  Tom whispered, “Watch behind.” Stepping up to the door, he peered out through the narrow window. Debris littered the floor. It looked as if several offices had been torn to pieces and flung into the hallway. Tom shifted to the other side of the door so that he could look down the hall in the other direction. He caught a glimpse of someone walking about, but they disappeared behind the corner before Tom could make out who they were. Directly across from the door were the stairs that led to the main floor.

  Hunching down below the window, Tom looked at Eddie and said, “It’s a mess out there. I think they’re inside.”

  Eddie knew exactly who “they” were. “Now what? We don’t even know if anyone’s alive...or even here.”

  Tom looked back toward housekeeping and said, “I have an idea. We need a phone.” He stood up, raised his rifle, and began working in between the supply shelves. Turning the corner at the far end of the shelving, he saw a small break room with a phone mounted on the wall, and a window facing outside. Through the glass there were dozens of infected milling about. The phone sat all the way across the room in plain sight of the infected.

  He slowly eased back behind the protective cover of the shelving. “There’s a phone in there, but there’s also a window with uglies on the other side.”

  “What do you need a phone for...will they even work?”

  “Phones may not work to the outside world, but internal calling should be functional as long as the phone system runs off the generator. A hospital would need the phone system up and running at all times, so it would be one of the critical systems that they would have to keep on generator. I’m thinking we use one to start calling extensions...see if someone will pick up.”

  Tom knew it wasn’t a great plan, but if they could find survivors without having to stumble around the hospital, it would be a huge advantage. Pushing some bottles of bleach out of the way, Tom spied through the shelving. There was an office door midway along one wall of the small lunchroom. It had a rectangular window on it and a name plate next to that. If he could sneak inside there would be a phone.

  “Wait here, I’m going for an office back there. If I’m spotted and all hell breaks loose do what you have to do.” Tom stood for a moment and then added, “Just remember there may be survivors still in here somewhere...women and children.” The thought of Sam and Kelly trapped in here tore him up inside. Before his emotions got to him, Tom slung his rifle behind his back and drew his revolver.

  “Good luck man.” Eddie said.

  Tom nodded and dropped to his hands and knees. Quickly crawling across a few feet of open space, he hugged up against the building’s exterior wall. The hospital was built on a slight incline and this portion of the basement sat only a couple feet below ground, so the windows looked out at the legs of the infected. Hopefully this would make it difficult for them to see inside. Staying low on his knees, Tom crawled along the cinder block wall. Zeus tucked up next to the wall and followed after him, unwilling to remain behind.

  Reaching the corner that marked the entryway to the lunchroom, Tom checked the room’s layout and found that he only needed to crawl another ten feet along a counter to reach the office wall.

  He could hear the groans of the infected through the thin glass. Their feet shuffled and dragged across the rocky ground. Zeus, angry at their presence, let out a low growl.

  “Shhh.” Tom said quietly, hoping the dog would stay calm. Not wanting to take any more time, he crawled around the corner and stayed tight to the counter. Once he reached the far wall, he had to go out into the open for about five feet and then get through the door without being noticed.

  Rather than waste any more time, Tom quickly made his way across the short distance in a half-crouch. He could almost feel the eyes of the undead and demented piercing into his back. Out in the open they would surely see him. Tom fumbled with the door handle briefly before it gave way and the door swung inward. A pair of metal desks sat in the middle of a small office space. They were shoved up against each other so that the occupants faced one another. A second door with a small window led out of the far side of the room, to where, Tom had no idea. He was momentarily relieved to see two phones sitting on top of the desks, but his sense of good fortune quickly faded when he noticed the glass window that sat across from the desks. Like a macabre fish tank, a sea of infected legs and arms swirled on the other side of the glass. The faces of those further back could be seen occasionally through the mass of bodies.

  Hesitating for a moment, Tom decided he did not want to have gone this far for nothing. Both he and Zeus could have been noticed at any time, but maybe the lighting made it difficult for the infected to see inside. Maybe the sound of the car horns distracted them enough to not notice movement inside the hospital. Or maybe Tom was really lucky. Or maybe Zeus. Or maybe infected were about to break through the glass and consume them both. He quickly raced over to the nearest desk, grabbed the phone, and yanked off a colorful phone extension sheet that was taped to the wall. With both items in hand he squished himself under the desk out of view. Since the space was designed only for a pair of legs it was a bit cramped, but he was okay with cramped.

  Zeus stood just outside the desk’s hideout. He looked from Tom, to the window, then the door, and finally back at Tom. He had the look of “what the hell am I supposed to do?” Finally, unable to decide, he just laid down next to Tom.

  Tom looked over the extension cheat sheet and decided there was really no way of knowing where to call. Figuring that calling random numbers would only cause him to eventually start re-dialing numbers, he would just start at the top and methodically work his way through the ent
ire sheet if needed.

  He realized he had not yet checked the phone to see if it even functioned. There was a name and extension on the display, which seemed like a good sign. Lifting the receiver, he was glad to hear the familiar buzz of dial tone. One number at a time he began dialing through the extensions. After three rings it would go to voicemail on most all of the numbers. When this happened he would dial a second time to make sure anyone that heard the initial rings would be given a second chance. Others never went to voicemail and he would let those ring seven or eight times before giving up.

  With each number Tom’s stomach squeezed a little tighter, making him want to throw up. He was nearing the end of the list when he dialed a number simply marked “Surgery Two,” and after the second ring the call was answered.

  “Hello.” A voice hesitantly said on the other end.

  “Hey...hey, it’s me, it’s Tom. Who is this?” Tom stammered in a whispered rush.

  “Tom! We weren’t...we thought...oh praise God. This is Jenny.” She poured out in a jumbled hurry.

  Relief flooded over Tom. “Is everyone with you?”

  “Uh...were together.” A long hesitation and then she added, “Eddie?”

  Tom was unsure why Jenny was not very forthcoming with information. “Yeah, he’s with me.”

  “Oh good! When we heard that Smoke didn’t make it we were worried.”

  Zeus let out a low growl, looking toward the window. “Easy boy.” Tom whispered. Back on the phone he said, “What the hell happened here?”

  “Let me put Hank on.”

  Tom could hear rustling and jumbled voices through the receiver. Looking down at Zeus, he saw the dog staring intently toward the window, the hairs on his back bristled up. Tom rested a calming hand on the dog’s side.

  “You must be a cat with all your lives.” Hank’s voice sounded through the receiver.

  “I think I’m on my last.” Tom paused briefly and added, “Good to hear your voice man. What happened here?”

  Hank hesitated for a bit. “Ah man...it all went to hell. Do you want the short or long version?”

  “Give me quick.”

  “You’re not going to like it but here goes. Lincoln and a bunch of his men showed up and took over the hospital. Locked all of us up in one of the operating rooms and then hit the horns to draw all the infected.”

  “Wow...everybody okay?” The line sat in dead silence for quite a while. “Talk to me.” Tom said. Thoughts of Kelly and Sam flashed through his mind. His heart raced.

  “They took Sam.” Hank said.

  It felt like someone had sucker punched him. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to curl up in hole somewhere. How can things just keep getting worse? Why me? Can’t I get a break? He held the receiver to his chest, contracted his whole body, and let out a nearly silent, agonizing scream of frustration. Working to keep his emotions in check, Tom said, “What do you mean they took him?”

  “I’m so sorry man, there was nothing we could do. Lincoln and his men took him.”

  “Where?”

  “I don’t know. They didn’t say anything. Once they found out he was your boy they took off with him and barricaded us in the O.R.”

  “Where is the O.R.?”

  “Up on the top floor”

  “Infected up there?”

  “Not that we can hear.”

  “I’m going to...” The rest of Tom’s statement was cut short when Zeus stood and began frantically barking. Tom began twisting to the side to see what was going on. Suddenly something pounded up against the window. He just got turned in time to see a large, bloody man wearing a shredded business suit slam his fists into the glass, shattering the window. Sparkling shards of glass exploded inward. Suit fell through the void, crashing to the floor with a loud grunt.

  Zeus let out a ferocious growl. With amazing speed he lunged across the room, jumping on top of Suit before the man could regain his feet. The dog stood over top of him and began using his jagged teeth to rip into the infected’s exposed flesh.

  Infected outside began rushing the window. Several let out loud huffs, calling to those around them. There was a loud smack as all the bodies slammed into one another trying to enter through the window. Several infected spilled through the opening and crashed down on top of Zeus and Suit. The dog let out a loud yelp and began trying to backpedal out from under the pile.

  Tom dropped the phone handset and began to climb out from under the desk. His rifle barrel caught on the edge of the desk. Dropping a bit lower, he got free. He quickly drew his revolver and stood.

  Infected continued to spill through the opening. Some had gotten caught up in the jagged glass, ripping open their flesh. Dark blood spilled from wicked wounds. Zeus’s black and brown rear end still protruded from the growing mound of bodies.

  Hesitating briefly, Tom debated whether he should leave the dog and make a break for it. Not only did he feel close to the dog, like they shared a long friendship, but a dog could also be a very useful tool. Rather than fire a shot and draw more attention, Tom rushed over to Zeus and grabbed him by the tail. With a hefty tug he was able to pull the dog out from under the infected.

  Once freed, Zeus immediately snapped at the nearest infected, biting into a woman’s exposed leg.

  “No! Zeus Come!” Tom shouted as he turned for the office door. Racing through the doorway, Tom was glad to feel Zeus brush past his legs. Tom tried to slam the door closed, but one of the demented had already covered the short distance and had part of his body blocking the door. Using his shoulder and legs, Tom desperately tried to get the door to closed. A hideous, filth covered arm reached through the opening, trying to grab Tom. There was a thud and the door rocked back toward Tom several inches.

  Zeus came back and began barking loudly.

  Tom was not sure if the dog was barking at the demented or at him in an attempt to get him to run for it. The door continued to shake as the demented shoved and banged at it from the other side. Tom’s boots began sliding across the tile floor. With one final shove, Tom broke away from the door and made for the housekeeping utility room. Zeus turned and rushed ahead of him.

  The door burst open behind Tom and slammed against the wall with a loud crash. Infected spilled through the opening. With the door no longer propping them up, the first ones scattered to the floor. Their brethren showed no sympathy, climbing over their bodies in a rush. Angry growls filled the small space.

  Racing around the shelving, Tom was startled to see Eddie waiting there, weapon drawn. Tom would have bet everything he had, which wasn’t much anymore, that Eddie would have split the very second things went bad. “Help me push this.” Tom shouted as he rounded the corner.

  Both men shoved against the steel shelving. It was surprisingly heavy loaded with cleaning supplies, but with dogged determination it began to teeter. A final grunt of exertion from Tom, and the entire unit toppled over on top of the initial wave of demented. The blockade would only slow the onslaught. More demented were already beginning to climb over the shelving. Scattered supplies, shelving rails, and the reaching arms of the demented trapped beneath made for difficult climbing.

  “We gotta jet.” Eddie shouted.

  Racing away from the shelving and its chaos, Tom said, “Everyone’s alive, but trapped up in O.R.”

  “O.R. That’s up on top.”

  Tom continued sprinting down the hall, never slowing to go back into the mechanical room for a retreat. “How do we get there?”

  Eddie surged ahead of Tom and Zeus. “This way.” He said before flinging the door open and racing out into the hallway. Nearly falling over a tipped over office chair, he skidded to a stop when he saw a couple of demented rushing down the stairwell. Raising his pistol, he fired of several rapid shots.

  Pop. Pop. Pop.

  Tom skidded to a stop directly behind Eddie. His ears rang from the blasts. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention just enough for him to turn and see a beast of a m
an barreling his way from around the corner of the hall. His .357 roared in the narrow hallway, making Eddie’s 9mm sound like a cap gun. Tom’s first shot obliterated the side of the man’s face, spinning him sideways, crashing into the wall.

  Before the body even slid all the way to the floor a completely naked woman rushed around the corner. Her large breasts bounced awkwardly as she rounded the corner. Her broken jaw hung slack below a pair of red, hate filled eyes. Trying to growl in anger, her face contorted but only a flat moan escaped.

  Tom swung the revolver over and pulled the trigger. With a roar, the muzzle flared and kicked, sending the round slamming into her shoulder. She twisted sideways but barely slowed. The sharp crack of Eddie’s pistol sounded from next to Tom.

  “There are too many.” Eddie shouted.

  In addition to the demented that continued to charge down the stairs, Tom could hear feet pounding on tile from the hall that led to housekeeping. Some of them must have traversed the fallen shelving and were now barreling their way. They were staying in one place way too long. All the gunfire would just keep drawing more infected. Even if they had unlimited ammo they would eventually be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. With the limited ammo they had it would on be a matter of minutes at best.

  The naked woman continued to rush their way. More demented were beginning to rush around the corner in her wake. Tom took quick aim and fired another round. The bullet caught her just above the left eye, sending her sprawling to the floor. Her bare skin made an unusual chirping sound as the body skidded to a halt on the hard floor. “We gotta get moving.” Tom shouted.

  Eddie continued to fire toward a group of infected in the stairway.

  “Screw the stairs, let’s take this.” Tom shouted as he ran toward what looked like a service elevator.

  A couple more pops from Eddie’s pistol and then it ran dry. He was going for another magazine when there was an incredible boom from someone slamming into the housekeeping door. The dark clothing covering an arm and shoulder could be seen through the rectangular window. Eddie was horrified to see the door handle begin shaking. He turned and ran after Tom.