“I’ve never told anyone this, but I loved it.” She shook her head. “Not pulling people over, but the thrill of…I don’t know how to say it…thrill of death I guess.”
“The adrenaline?”
“That’s some of it, but there is more to it. Maybe almost dying makes me feel more alive. Don’t take this wrong…I don’t mean it cold hearted toward those that have died.” After Tom nodded she went on. “The most alive I have ever felt is after the infection hit.”
“Nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I just…just don’t want to make it seem like I revel in all the deaths. Like I enjoy their suffering.”
“The people that see what you do for others know better.”
She wiped her eyes with her sleeves, not wanting Tom to see her tears. “Thanks.”
“I think it’s time we get out of here.”
******
Hank was at the tower’s corner when he saw movement between a pair of buildings near the far hillside. There were two forms crouched low, moving quickly. April’s small form was easy to recognize. Why did they leave their room? Where are they going? Hank stood in place trying to decide if he should get their attention or quietly wish them good riddance. He would be more than happy to never see Axel again, but he worried for April. She deserved better than him.
They both disappeared behind the next building. Hank decided this was decision enough. He made his way around the corner, leaving them to their own fate.
In front of him rose a short set of steps that led to a pair of wide open doors. Hank could see movement in the darkness beyond. He had no idea what happened to Tom and Hannah. Not wanting to stay out in the open any longer Hank decided to get to a different building. He only had a pistol with maybe twenty rounds and a crossbow with two bolts. Not enough for a sustained fight. He ran in a low crouch across open space. In front of him stood the building he shot the man in. It had to be his best bet for an empty refuge.
At the corner still lay one of the two men he had shot. Hank holstered his pistol and searched the body for anything of use. He felt like a kid in a candy store when he was able to grab two grenades, a fully auto M4, and a couple spare magazines. With a flick of his finger he dropped the mag out of the M4 and hefted it, feeling its weight. He guessed it to be at least half full. Things were looking better.
With a hard slap, Hank seated the mag back in the well. He checked the chamber to make sure a round was already loaded, and then moved around the corner toward the back of the building. Halfway down the wall he found the door that the other man had likely entered through. Not certain the interior would be empty, Hank slung the rifle over his shoulder and unclipped his crossbow and loaded a bolt.
As quietly as possible he twisted the door handle and slowly swung it outward while keeping his crossbow trained on the opening. A narrow hallway lined with dusty boxes extended into the darkness. Seeing no movement, Hank eased inside and closed the door behind him. He waited several seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim light and then started down the hall, stepping between boxes.
He reached the intersection at the main hall when gunfire erupted somewhere outside. The shots were sporadic. Hank knew this had to be Tom or Hannah. No longer taking his time, he turned down the main hall and ran for the front of the building. Just before reaching the entrance doors, he turned into the last room and found the dead military man lying on the floor at the base of a broken out window.
The gunfire became more erratic, almost panicked.
Hank rushed up to the window. The shots were loud and clearly coming from within the wide open double doors that led inside the main building. He unslung his rifle and peered through the scope. There was movement, but the interior was too dark to distinguish targets. “Ahhh, come on.” He cursed.
As the shots continued, he raced back into the hall and out the front door. He heard shouting as he sprinted across the span between buildings.
“Loading!” Hannah shouted.
“Jam, jam.” Tom shouted immediately after.
The shots stopped. An eerie silence followed, only broken by the growls of demented.
Hank flew up the front steps holding his rifle out at the ready. The sharp pops of pistol fire rang out.
“Too many.” Tom shouted.
The darkness was initially disorienting as Hank raced into the cafeteria. Just inside, he dropped to a knee and tried to focus on the shifting shadows. His eyes quickly adjusted and he could make out the demented that were racing across the cafeteria toward the kitchen on the side. Several were nearing the long stainless steel counter and more were continuing to pour in from the far entrance doors.
Not wanting to rip through ammo, Hank flicked the rifle to single shot. Sighting on those nearest the kitchen, he began squeezing the trigger, dropping one after another. Brass shell casings bounced off the side of the door and rolled up against his boots. Many of the demented were drawn to the new gunfire. Shrieks of rage echoed across the open space. Hank continued to unleash round after round. It didn’t take long and his weapon ran dry. A wall of demented were racing his way. He clicked the mag release and reached for a fresh mag in his vest pouch. It slipped out of his fingers and clattered to the ground. He tried to keep his mind off of how close the infected were.
The pistol fire had come to a stop, but was replaced by the loud crack of rifle fire. A couple demented came crashing to the floor directly in front of Hank. He finally slammed the fresh mag home and charged the M4. He flicked the weapon over to full auto and unleashed on the charging demented. They fell before his onslaught like wheat before a sickle. He ripped through the thirty round mag in a flash. Two demented still sprinted his way. Two loud cracks and both of them dropped to the floor.
Hank quickly loaded his last magazine and scanned the cafeteria. No movement. He stood and closed the entrance doors behind him, not wanting any surprises.
Tom and Hannah stepped out from behind the serving counter. “Boy is it good to see you.” Tom said.
“Our knight in shining armor.” Hannah added.
Hank chuckled. “I could say the same about you two.” He walked up to them. “Whoa, you two stink like maggot farts.”
Tom glanced back toward the kitchen. “Yeah, we spent some quality time in a dark freezer.”
Hank let out a low whistle. “Woot …honeymoon.” He said with a grin. With a look up at the ceiling Hank added, “It’s a freak show up there. I don’t know what they were doing here, but either they knew more than we think or they were a bunch of psychos.”
Tom nodded his head. “I’m leaning toward the former. Let’s go get what we came for.”
Chapter 14 - Talking Dead
“Quarantine? We can’t just put everyone in quarantine.” Ron said.
Miles shook his head. “It continues to spread. We are required to get this under control.” He looked over at the man sitting next to him. “Tell him Doc.”
Doctor Moraine sat fidgeting with a notepad and pen in front of him. He continued to stare down at the table while he spoke. “Uh…it is a proven method of controlling an outbreak situation.”
“Do we know how it’s spreading?” One of the council members asked.
They all looked at Doctor Moraine. “Fluids for sure…I don’t think airborne. Would be spreading much faster.” He remained staring at the notepad in front of him while nervously tapping it with his pen. “Droplets from coughing… sneezes…that sort of thing. We’re too lumped together. It’s an ideal situation for infection to spread.”
“Ideal! It is far from ideal.” Ron said while slapping his hand on the table.
Doctor Moraine jumped at the noise. “I guess for humans you are right.”
Miles sat back in his chair and held his hands up in front of him. “Enough…we start mandatory quarantines.”
“We haven’t voted.” Ron said angrily.
“We’re not going to vote.”
A young council member stood up. “We have to vote. It’s –“<
br />
“Blake!” Miles shouted.
The door burst open and several armed men streamed into the room with rifles directed at the council members. Ron’s face flushed red with anger. He started to stand up.
The nearest rifleman shouted. “Stay put!”
“Come on Blake, you—“
Miles stood, placed both hands on the table, and looked at the council members. “This conversation is concluded.” He stood and turned to Doctor Moraine. “Notify Brent to initiate the protocol. Stay quiet about it…a limited quantity at a time and evaluate temperatures for placement like we discussed.” He then turned to Blake. “You know what to do correct?” Miles said while stealing a glance at the council members. Blake nodded his head. With that Miles left the room and his former council members.
Miles climbed the stairs to the second floor of his home and made the short walk down the hall. He stood in front of the door at the end. He slowly took in a deep breath through his nose. He took a quick glance back down the hall and then pulled an old skeleton key from his pocket. Gripping the antique between his thumb and index finger he held it up in front of his face, admiring the simplicity. With slow movements he inserted it into the keyhole, gave it a turn, and took in another deep nasal breath.
After entering, he turned and locked the door behind him. He stared at the chipped paint for a bit and then spun around, a huge grin on his face. A few paces in front of him sat an old farm bed with Kelly gagged and tied in a sitting position at the headboard. Her eyes were white with fear as she stared back at him.
******
Tom entered the room first, followed by Hank and Hannah. They all tried to avoid looking at the dead man sitting at the desk, however the stench was unavoidable.
“Let’s look through this paperwork, see if the dead can talk.” Tom said.
They spread out around the room and started going through drawers and piled up papers, looking for anything. Most were dated from years ago and listed equipment transfers and supply orders. It was in one of the desk’s drawers that Hannah found something of note.
“Guys, take a look at this.”
“Whatcha got?” Hank said, stepping over next to her.
Once Tom joined them she pointed to a hand written spiral bound notebook. “Looks like a journal. Last entry was about a month ago.”
They all leaned in, reading the scribbled writing, “Doc needs supplies from Seattle. Lost contact with Echo One several days ago. Sending Markus and Rex. May be last chance at stopping this.”
That last statement hung in all of their minds. Somehow it was both hopeful and deflating.
“Either this Echo One has our solution or they’ve already tried it and failed.” Tom said.
“That doesn’t sound very hopeful.” Hannah said.
Hank looked back at the man sitting at the desk with his brains blown out. “I think he lost hope.”
Tom nodded. “I know it…not a good sign.” He tapped a finger on the journal. “This may have more. Hank, you stay put and look over this…see if you can find anything more.”
“Roger that.”
“What’s our plan?” Hannah asked.
“We’re going to find this Doctor’s office.”
Hannah nodded in agreement and the two of them headed out into the hall. Tom closed the door, not wanting Hank to get any unwelcome surprises. They were both about to head for the stairs that led back to the main level, when Hank shouted from inside. Tom cracked the door back open to see what was up.
“Take a right at the end of the hall. I saw some doors with name plates on them. Might be a good place to start.” He hesitated for a bit. “Just thought of it…maybe waste of time.”
“No, that’s good. We were headed downstairs to start.” Tom said before closing the door again. He looked at Hannah and shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “He just wants to be the leader.”
“I heard that.” Hank grumbled from behind the door.
Hannah couldn’t hold back a giggle.
Tom almost laughed. “Don’t you side with him.”
The two of them moved down the hall, working as a team to cover each other. The back to back formation allowed them to cover both ends of the hall. They figured there were no more immediate threats but it was better to be safe. It didn’t take long before they reached the intersection Hank spoke of. As they moved down the side hall Tom carefully examined the worn brass name plates mounted on each door. Strange noises issued from behind several of the doors.
“How are we going to know which one is the doctor?” Hannah asked while squinting at one of the name plates.
“Good question. I’ve been hoping it would be obvious, but— “Tom stopped mid-sentence. “Ha, check this out.”
Hannah came over and giggled when she saw, “Edward Schaffer, M.D.” With a glance over to Tom she said, “Obvious enough?”
Tom leaned in close to the door and rested an ear on the paneling. After listening for nearly a minute he turned to Hannah and nodded his head. “I think it’s clear.” He reached down and slowly turned the door knob until it issued a soft click. Crossbow out and ready he began to crack the door open. The smell of putrefying flesh spilled out, washing over them like dirty pond water.
“This is going to be ugly.” Hannah whispered.
Not hesitating, Tom shoved the door the rest of the way open. “Whoa.” Was all Tom could say.
“What happened?”
The scene was out of a Saw movie. Dark blood splattered the walls and floor. Chunks of pink flesh clung to the ceiling like stalactites in a cave. On the floor, at the corner of the desk, a black shoe could just be seen. As they side stepped across the room, Tom’s eyes followed the leg until it ended in a ragged stump. Tom put a hand over his mouth and nose, trying to block out the stench. He looked over at Hannah and she seemed oblivious.
With the efficiency of a police officer, she worked her way around the room and then moved in toward the back of the desk. A large leather chair lay on its side with various body parts scattered around it. The floor was stained crimson with dried blood. Hannah stood frozen in place, staring down at the gruesome scene.
“You okay?” Tom asked.
“Missing.”
“What?”
“Parts are missing. There is no way this makes a whole body.”
Tom looked back at the door with desperate longing to get out of this room. The urge to vomit was nearly overwhelming. “Great…that’s just great. Think it’s the doc?” He asked while still eyeing the door.
“No way to tell from this mess.” She said as she stepped up close to the desk and began looking over the items lying on it. Most were so drenched in blood it was difficult to make out what they were. She began pulling out drawers and thumbing through their contents.
Tom moved around to the other side of the desk and began looking as well. He found the drawers were neatly organized, folders labeled with color coded tabs and supplies carefully compartmentalized. Reading through the alphabetized tabs, Tom found a few that sounded promising so he removed them from the drawer. He was about to lay them flat on the desk, but stopped when he looked at the blood and gore. It was after spinning a full circle that he decided there was nowhere clean in this room. With a sigh he slapped the folders down on the desk. He opened the first one labeled “Supplies” and glanced at Hannah. “Any luck over there?”
“Nothing so far.”
Tom found the supplies folder filled with inventory statements, purchase orders, and invoices for old orders. All the items were typical of a medical facility and none were dated post infection. With a flip Tom tossed the folder to the side and gave the next one a try. The two of them continued searching until they had gone through all of the drawers.
With an angry growl Tom threw the last folder up against the wall. “Stupid! Why is there nothing here?”
“Something has to be here.”
Tom shook his head. “Maybe there is another doctor.”
“I don’t think
so…the journal only said Doc. It would have said which one if there was more than one.”
“Good point.” Tom looked down at the gore covered desk. He slid out the top drawer and pulled a pencil from a small plastic tray. Using the tip he began shoving through the clutter. A stapler, a tape dispenser, some blood soaked papers, and a variety of unidentifiable objects were slowly pushed to the side as Tom dug deeper. After clearing away enough stuff, his pencil hit on the thin metal of a spiral bound notebook. The edges were soaked in blood, but luckily it was deep enough in the pile to not be completely ruined.
Using the tip of his pencil, Tom flipped the front cover open. The page was filled with crisp writing. “Here we go…check this out.”
Hannah took one look at the first page and said, “That’s it, let’s get out of here.”
“Good plan…back to Hank?”
“Anywhere but here.” She said while crinkling her nose.
Tom poked his head into the room and found Hank leaning up against the wall looking through the officer’s journal. “We found the Doc’s journal. Let’s check ‘em out somewhere less…less—“
“Not here, got it. I’m in.” Hank said without hesitation while heading for the door. “Creepin’ me out anyway.” He said with a glance to the dead officer.
The three of them made their way back down to the entrance room where there was a comfy couch. Hank handed his journal to Hannah and headed for one of the broken out windows.
“I’ll keep an eye out while you two do your book dweeb stuff.”
“Did you find anything?” Tom asked.
“Just skimmed through. “Day to day stuff. Sounds like the guys were starting to lose it toward the end. Once the contagion started everything began falling apart.”
Hannah and Tom plopped down next to each other on the couch and started reading through the journals. They agreed it was best to start at the beginning and get the full picture. Hank patrolled the windows and hall, pacing like a worried mom outside their child’s surgery.
Within a few minutes Hannah said, “They knew.”
The Demented Z (Book 3): Contagion Page 10