The Dead War Series (Book 1): Good Intentions

by D N Simmons

  “That would explain why—” Felicia was cut off by someone screaming in the background. “What’s going on? Talk to me, what’s going on?!” She was yelling at someone through a two-way receiver.

  All three of them could hear the static over the screams through the telephone line.

  “Get out of there, pull back. Get back to the truck,” Felicia said, giving her best instructions.

  There were more screams and crying over the static, then the unmistakable sound of the walkie-talkie hitting the floor. Felicia knew that the doctor from the IDPH who’d been trying to give her updates had dropped the radio. Over the telephone both men could hear the shrill, panicked screams from what sounded like hundreds of people in the background. They waited impatiently for Felicia to return to their conversation and update them.

  “Dr. Anderson, what's going on?” Dr. Washington asked, his tone concerned and urgent.

  “I... I don't know. A team of doctors from IDPH went into the hospital to help control the situation, but I've lost contact with them. One minute.” Felicia tried to contact the doctor again. “Dr. Bloomberg, are you there? Are you all right?”

  There was no response. Both Vincent and Dr. Washington listened very carefully, hoping to gain some understanding about her current predicament.

  “Listen, if you can hear me, just get the hell out of there,” Felicia urged.

  Vincent listened to the background chaos. There was no mistaking the sounds of people screaming in fear and confusion and running for their lives. Whatever was happening was going to be heading his way and soon. He needed to get back to his condo. He needed to get to his fiancée. More importantly, he needed to get the hell out of Chicago.

  Several painfully terror-driven moments passed before the two men on the telephone heard Felicia scream Dr. Bloomberg's name.

  “Felicia, I think you need to worry about yourself and your team, get the hell out of that area, it doesn't sound safe,” Dr. Washington stated.

  “One minute, someone's coming out...” she paused. “Oh my God! Let’s get out of here!”

  Vincent jumped when he heard the urgency in her terror-stricken voice. He could only imagine what she was seeing. If it was anything like what he'd witnessed at SciTech, then he knew that the situation was not under control—far from it actually.

  Both men on opposite sides of the phone could hear the unmistakable sounds of gunshots blasting away and people running, and they suspected she was on foot.

  “Get in and drive! Drive!” Felicia yelled at her companions as they fled.

  The two men could hear the automobile's door closing and the engine start. Next they heard the screeching of tires.

  “Felicia! Felicia, are you alright?!” Dr. Washington yelled through the phone which caused Vincent to have to remove the headset from his ear.

  “Yes. Sam and William are with me, we made it out of there. Thank God Dr. Bloomberg suggested William stay behind or else we wouldn't have made it,” Felicia said.

  “What happened?” Dr. Washington asked.

  “You were right, Dr. Masterson. Those things aren't people any more. They're monsters. They came pouring out of the hospital and started attacking the police right away. Dr. Bloomberg was one of them. The way he looked ... all mangled ... oh God. I didn't see much after that, we just ran as fast as we could back to Dr. Bloomberg's truck,” Felicia was still panting heavily as she spoke. “Doctor Masterson, where are you? I need to meet you.”

  Vincent could hear tires squealing in the background and that made him even more afraid. Apparently, they were hauling ass.

  “Take the sidewalk! I want to get as far away from that place as possible!” Felicia instructed whoever was driving the truck.

  Vincent couldn't blame her. “Right now, I’m at the Regency Hotel on Michigan Avenue. I’m in the lobby, but I'm not staying here. I can't risk it. Meet me at my apartment.” He gave them the address.

  “We’re on our way now,” Felicia told him before hanging up.

  “Dr. Masterson, when my team gets to you, gather everything you can get your hands on that can help us. I'm sending a helicopter within the hour to get you all out of there,” Dr. Washington informed.

  “Oh don't worry, I will. Thank you.” Vincent ended the call, not bothering to tell him that he wasn't going anywhere without Sarah. He looked at the clock on the wall, it wasn't even noon. He hoped that she was still at home instead of taking her usual morning jog. He had to try to contact her. He had to reach her. If she wasn't at home, then she was caught up in whatever the hell was going on out there. He had to know if she was safe.

  Vincent turned around when he felt two pairs of eyes burning figurative holes through the back of his skull. He looked at the two hotel receptionists who were now staring back at him with worried expressions having overheard at least his side of the conversation. During the intensity of his phone conversation he had forgotten all about them. He was surprised that they were still standing there.

  “I'm surprised you're still here, you all need to leave,” Vincent said, putting his thoughts into words.

  The taller receptionist between the two, whose name tag said “Aaron”, looked at his co-worker apprehensively before returning his gaze to Vincent. “Um, I’m not sure what I just heard, but it doesn’t sound good. Is there something we should know?

  “Yeah, is what you were talking about true?” asked the shorter one, whose name tag said “Reginald”.

  “Shit, I wish it wasn't. Trust me, this isn't a hoax and soon it's going to be on the news if it's not already,” Vincent said. He pointed to the telephone again. “May I make one more phone call?”

  “Should I get the hotel manager?” Reginald asked.

  Vincent thought about what he should tell them. He didn’t want to spread panic, but he didn’t want to minimize the ever increasing threat. Getting the hotel customers and employees to safety would save lives. Especially since the hotel was only three miles away from SciTech labs. But what did that say for the other businesses and residences in the outbreak's wake? He couldn’t warn everyone and the news… was the news already alerting people? If it was, maybe people were evacuating.

  Vincent looked at the man. “Reginald, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, Reginald, get the manager and is there a television around here?”

  Reginald nodded and pointed to a tavern and grill across the hotel lobby. “The television's located over the bar.”

  “Thank you,” Vincent said. He proceeded to make another phone call. He called the condo first and when she didn't answer, he called her cell. After several rings and a silent prayer, his call went to her voicemail, which frustrated him to no end. Today of all days was not the time to have missed calls. To his utter disappointment, he was forced to leave a message for her and pray again that she'd check her phone in the next 5 seconds.

  “Damn it, Sarah! When you get this message call me, but get home right away. That’s where I’m going. We have to leave the city immediately until the outbreak is under control. Something went horribly wrong at the lab today and I can’t explain everything now. I just need you to trust me and do as I say. Get home, I’m on my way.”

  “Fuck!” he cursed, slamming the handset back onto the base. “Where the hell are you, Sarah?”

  He struggled to think of any other numbers he could call to contact her. Just then, the manager walked up to him accompanied by Reginald.

  “Hello my name is Mr. Wellington, Regency Hotel Manager. I’m told that you have an important matter to speak to me about?”

  Vincent nodded. “Listen very carefully. My name is Dr. Vincent Masterson. I’m the lead scientist of the biological research division at SciTech laboratory and there’s been an outbreak. I don’t know how many guests you have in this hotel, but you have to evacuate immediately. Please try to do this as efficiently as possible without spreading panic, but it is of the utmost importance that you clear out the hotel.”

  The manager to
ssed him a skeptical look. “Sir, you must understand my position. I have no idea who you are, I can’t evacuate the hotel because you, a complete stranger claiming to be a doctor, orders me too.” He eyed Vincent's bio-suit and the splatters of blood covering it again and was pleased that he instructed one of the receptionists to contact the police department. If it was a terrible hoax or if something more horrible had happened, he wanted the law to be involved either way.

  “Sir, I think the threat is real,” Aaron said. “He’s already called the Center for Disease Control.” It was his best attempt to convince his boss to take the matter as seriously as he was.

  The manager looked at him, eyebrows raised in shock. He turned back to Vincent. “Do you have any credentials? Any paperwork to confirm anything you’re saying?” He had no idea how he was going to evacuate an entire hotel on the premise that they needed to leave the city immediately. Again, that was providing this wasn't some elaborate hoax.

  “I’m sure it’s on the news, turn on a damn TV!” Vincent blurted out without really meaning to.

  The manager huffed. “I do not fully understand what you’re talking about. What kind of outbreak? And wouldn’t it be best to lock down the hotel in order to protect the guests if there is an outbreak? We can even offer room comps for our guests if this is an emergency.”

  “Look, I have to get out of here. Doctors from the Center for Disease Control are on their way to meet up with me,” Vincent said. “I'm not fucking around here. There may not be enough time if you wait; this outbreak is spreading faster than we can contain it. Please, sir, I’m begging you, evacuate.” He didn't bother to wait around any longer to see if the hotel manager took his advice. He ran out of the hotel and immediately bumped into a woman dressed in a business suit. He fell back against the hotel door from the impact and she landed on her side, skinning her thigh.

  “I'm sorry,” Vincent said, bending down to help her up.

  She quickly scrambled to her feet with his help. “You need to run!” she warned him and then did just that, leaving her purse on the ground at his feet.

  Vincent picked up her purse.

  “Wait, you dropped your purse,” he yelled, but she never turned around. Taking the purse with him, he continued running down the street towards his Michigan Avenue condominium.

  Chapter Four

  Aaron watched as Vincent crashed into a woman right outside the hotel. The lady ran off, leaving her purse and Vincent ran off in the same direction. He couldn't help but notice even more people running past the hotel's glass doors and having heard a lot of the conversation Vincent had, he knew something big was going down.

  The first thing he wanted to do was warn Cassian, but damn it, he didn't have his phone number! He knew where he lived, they all did but getting there was going to be difficult if what that doctor said was true. And from the look of Vincent bloody clothes, it was.

  “Do you believe him?” Mr. Wellington asked Aaron, bringing him out of his contemplation.

  “I think we should either evacuate the hotel, or lock it up,” Aaron suggested.

  “I'm inclined to agree, but there's no way we can evacuate this entire hotel. That just isn't feasible. I need to make some calls before I can make that decision,” Mr. Wellington said, then he turned heading back into his office.

  Reginald looked at Aaron. “I don't know about you, but I'm started to get pretty fucking freaked out.”

  “Yeah, you ain't alone,” Aaron said as he looked around. “I don't care what he said. We need to lock those fucking doors.” He came from behind the desk and walked straight to the doors, locking them up.

  “Are you crazy, he's going to be pissed at you,” Reginald chastised.

  “Right now, I couldn’t give a rat's ass. You see that shit out there?” Aaron pointed towards the people running by the doors. “That shit's real. Those people are scared out of their fucking mind and I'm not taking any chances waiting around for that stupid bastard to make the right move.” He walked back behind the desk.

  “Excuse me, what do you know? What's going on?” One of their hotel guests asked. As if on cue, other guests began to approach the desk. They watched people running by the entrance doors and Aaron could see the panic starting to rise among the crowd.

  “Please, people calm down. I have secured the doors and no one is getting inside. There's been a reported outbreak and we're doing whatever is in our power to keep all of our guests safe,” Aaron said.

  “Yes, the CDC has told us to lock the entrances to keep those infected from getting in. It's not safe right now for you to be on the streets,” Reginald lied, but with good cause. The last thing either man wanted to deal with was dozens if not hundreds of people rushing them.

  Mr. Wellington entered the lobby. He wasn't surprised by what he was seeing. He knew it was only a matter of time before the hotel's guests would want answers.

  “Did you lock the doors?” he asked the two men.

  Aaron nodded. “Yes, just like the CDC instructed.” He decided to go along with the original lie.

  “Good.” Mr. Wellington addressed the growing crowd that had gathered in the lobby. “Please people, remain calm. It would be best if you all returned to your rooms and keep your door locked. We have to clear the lobby right away. Please return to your rooms and don't worry, we are waving the room fee until this situation is resolved.”

  There were murmurs among the guest, some wanted to leave, but were too frightened. If the Center for Disease Control had instructed they stay inside, maybe that's what they should do. Good news was, the rooms were free... food, too, probably.

  “What about the food, is that free?” one of the guest decided to ask.

  “Yes, of course. Please return to your rooms and remain calm. You will be well taken care—what the hell?” Mr. Wellington cut off his own sentence when he saw what was outside.

  Aaron turned just in time to see a horde of black eyed bloody humans running down the street. Many were dressed in bloody, torn business suits, sundresses and several were still wearing their backpacks.

  “What the fuck?” he gasped. He stared at the crowd, unable to take his eyes away from the sight.

  Their piercing wild gaze told him they were no longer the people they used to be. Whatever their plans were for that day, none of it mattered. Suddenly, dozens of them stopped chasing the people running down the street. They began to take notice of the people standing in the lobby in clear view. The first one came running, flinging himself against the thick glass window. The window shuddered under the force, cracking in the process. Others quickly followed, throwing their bodies against the doors and windows in a desperate attempt to get inside. The hotel guests began to scream and run towards the elevators and stairs. Some were either too scared or too curious to move, and stood watching. Aaron jumped over the counter and began shoving the nosy guests towards the elevators.

  “Get out of here, go!” he pushed them in the direction away from the doors.

  His efforts didn't help. The rabid humans broke through the glass and charged forward. The guests who had refused to run were the first to get attacked, followed by those still waiting for the elevators. Aaron watched in horror as the infected humans chased hotel guests through the stairwell. They were faster and stronger than he had expected and they caught him off guard. He sensed one approaching and he managed to snatch up the letter opener from the desk. When the crazed human rushed him, he plunged the opener deep into its chest, piercing its heart. There was very little blood from the wound which would have shocked Aaron had he had enough time to reflect on it. The thing that used to be a human, still wearing his blood-splattered, Armani business suit, didn't flinch or scream; instead it snapped at Aaron's face and neck as they struggled. The scent of the decaying flesh from its victims clinging to its teeth pounded Aaron's senses, repulsing him. He managed to fling the thing from him, but then he was attacked by four more. He couldn't hold them off and when one of them bit him, everything went black... the
n red.

  ***

  Vincent shoved his way past people running in the opposite direction while others were standing by, probably looking for the reason why others were so afraid. What was the saying? He thought. Oh yeah, 'curiosity killed the cat'. Unfortunately, the counter being; 'satisfaction brought it back', was a little too close to home as far as he was concerned.

  In this case, that kind of curiosity was going to kill everyone, and most likely bring them back. He could tell by the loud, ominous chorus of screams, the twisted sound of metal colliding as cars smashed into each other and shattered glass that he didn't have much time left to get to a safe place—if his high-rise condo could even be called that. He didn't know much, if anything, about these new creatures. He did know that his thick oak door wouldn't be a strong enough reinforcement to keep those damn things out. That much he was sure of.

  People ran in every direction, bumping into each other as they fought over cabs and struggled to get onto buses to get away from the downtown area. Vincent dashed across the street, narrowly missing a speeding cab whose driver slammed on the breaks in the nick of time. Vincent didn't waste time bitching, he continued on toward the entrance of his sky-rise condo. He hastily pushed his way through the revolving glass door into the lobby. Instantly, he noticed the security detail was nowhere to be seen. Pretty smart on their part, Vincent thought as he walked past the residents who were now evacuating. Soon, he'd be joining them. He hoped. He made his way onto the elevator, pressing the button for his floor.

  As soon as the elevator doors opened, several residents shoved past him, forcing their way onto the lift. He had to push his way through the panicked crowd or be stuck having to ride the elevator back down. He managed to jump out just as the doors started to close. Other residences rushed toward the elevator, but not fast enough to catch the ride.