CODE Z: An Undead Hospital Anthology

by Brown, Eric S. ; Besser, Rebecca; Wraight, Anastasia; Rosamilia, Armand; Ibarra, Bowie V. ; Christie, Peggy; Mahan, Jeremy L. ; Sinclair, Pembroke; Snow, Rebecca

  “Yeah,” Brett said, “They never should have traded him to Chicago. Marte sucked.”

  “Well, stop watching that crap. I just went on break. There’s supposed to be clear enough skies tonight and I want to see that meteor shower.”

  Brett knew exactly what Diane wanted, but decided to play dumb. “Go outside and see it. You can’t watch it from in here.”

  It was inevitable that he would be shoved outside to witness this glorious cosmic event at some point. When Diane gave him the look, Brett figured he might be back in time to see the last few innings of the game.

  “Alright. You got me. I’ll come out and play.” Brett got up from his chair extra slow, milking the moment just to irk Diane. “Let’s go to this shower thing.”

  Diane was the head nurse at Memorial Grove. She was tough as nails if someone slacked off, but in reality, she was one of the most easygoing employees at the hospital. As long as the work got done, on time, without any screw-ups, she was a cool boss. If anyone got on her bad side, Diane could be anyone’s worst enemy. It was this balance that piqued Brett’s interest. They were work friends, but secretly, Brett wanted a relationship with her.

  As head of security, Brett could do what he pleased. He slacked off when a ballgame was on, but if there was anything even remotely out of the ordinary, he was ready to spring into action, even if it meant missing out on a great play.

  Brett didn’t become head of security without climbing the ranks and impressing his superiors. Since he came to work at Memorial Grove, no one had successfully stolen any supplies or equipment. Even the cafeteria had been crime free, without even a sandwich subjected to a five finger discount.

  Diane and Brett walked out of the break room and down the hallway towards the admitting desk. They walked side by side and to someone at the right angle, it would appear that they were holding hands, but this was only an illusion, no matter how much Brett wanted that to happen.

  “Jesus. She got you away from a ballgame?” Kelly, the admitting clerk, looked on in amazement, not believing what she had just said. “Who will protect us, now?”

  Without breaking his stride, Brett replied, “It’s slow and Matt’s around.”

  “That makes me feel so safe,” Kelly sarcastically remarked.

  “It should. He’s your last line of defense from the crazies out there.” Kelly shook her head and watched Diane and Brett walk out the emergency room entrance.

  Matt was a jumpy little man, who was still learning. He had a bout of Napoleon Syndrome, causing a lot of overcompensation and a few embarrassing situations. Matt tried to act tough, even when it wasn’t necessarily required. Half of the staff laughed at him behind his back. The other half were fearful that he would accidentally shoot a patient. Everyone was relieved that Brett had Matt keep his bullets in his buttoned shirt pocket, where they could be obtained only in emergency.

  Diane and Brett cut through the parking lot and headed to a field on the hospital grounds. It was where families sometimes had picnics. There were a few groves of trees surrounding the clearing, three benches and a small pond. It was so peaceful, that no one would ever suspect that this serene place was only twenty miles outside of Pittsburgh.

  The clearing was far enough from the hospital that the illumination from the building wouldn’t greatly affect the show. As they were casually walking, Diane looked up at the sky. The shower was starting and Diane took Brett’s hand and started running toward the benches.

  They reached the benches and sat down. “It’s amazing,” Diane whispered. Brett hadn’t looked up at the sky yet. He was still fixated on Diane’s hand. It was still holding his. The celestial light show could have been aliens attacking for all he cared. The only thing that mattered was that Diane wasn’t letting go of his hand.

  “It looks so close.” Brett finally looked up and noticed that the meteor shower did seem a bit close. It was probably an optical illusion, he figured. The more Brett thought about it, the more he began to realize that these were objects in the sky and logically, if they aren’t completely burned up entering the atmosphere, the remnants of these objects would have to land somewhere. Why not near here?

  All these thoughts ran through his mind, but all Brett could force out of his mouth was, “Yeah.” He didn’t want to ruin the perfect moment with her by babbling on about how gravity works or how friction protects the planet. If he played this moment right, it might increase his chances with her in the future. At least that’s how it played out in his mind.

  “You’re quite the conversationalist, Brett.”

  Suddenly, Brett was brought back to reality and realized that he was still staring at Diane’s hand holding his. “Well, you know, I’m just trying to concentrate on the shower.”

  “By studying my waist?” Diane pulled her hand away and set it on her lap.

  “No. I, uh, thought I saw a mosquito and didn’t want it to bite you.” Brett knew his response was lame, but it was the only thing he could think to quickly say.

  “Bullshit. I’ll have you know I ain’t no corner lady.” Diane smiled, inched closer to Brett and put her arm around him. “Now look up and watch the pretty lights.”

  They sat and watched the meteor shower as it lit up the sky. Just as quickly as it began, the event was over. The clearing fell back into slight darkness, with only the lights from the parking lot intruding into the black of the night.

  Brett’s mind was racing while they took the shortcut across the parking lot again. What just happened? Did this mean that Diane wanted to pursue a relationship or was she just teasing? Maybe she got caught up in the excitement of the meteor shower. There was only one person he could get the answer from.

  “Hey, Brett. How was the shower?”

  “It was fine, Kelly.” Brett didn’t have time to exchange pleasantries with Kelly. He had to hurry to the autopsy room.

  Kelly turned to Diane and asked, “What’s he in a hurry for?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Diane said coyly and grinned. “Maybe he wants to check the score of the game.”

  Brett walked briskly down the corridor, anxious to see Perkins. Dr. Perkins was the chief medical examiner at Memorial Grove. He and Brett shared a love of baseball and horror movies. When Brett wasn’t in the break room watching sports, his next usual haunt was the autopsy room.

  Dr. Perkins had just made the Y incision and was about to do a routine check inside the body, when Brett rushed in. “Hey, doc! What are ya workin’ on?”

  “Nice to see you too. What’s your hurry?”

  “I just got back from the benches.”

  “Watching the meteor shower?”

  “Yeah, doc. With Diane!”

  Perkins raised his head just enough just meet Brett’s eyes. “Oh yeah? I take it, by your excited nature, that something happened.”

  “She held my hand and then put her arm around me!”

  “Well, that’s certainly progress. By retirement age, you might even get a kiss. You’re pushing forty.”

  Brett’s excitement vanished and he started to mope. Perkins stopped working and walked over to console his friend. “Look, Brett. I don’t mean to bring you down, but you’re not getting any younger. This is a giant leap for you with Diane. I’m happy for you. I really am. I just wish that you wouldn’t wait for her to make all the moves.”

  “Yeah, I know you’re right. It just my nature to go slow though.”

  “Well this development should have you hurtling through the starting gate.”

  Brett nodded in agreement. “So, what are you working on?”

  “Another car wreck. She was pinned in the middle of her car. It’s a miracle that she survived as long as she did. She just died in the ER.”

  “That’s a shame. She was quite the looker.”

  “Only the good die young, my friend.”

  “Hey, doc. Where’s your team?”

  “It’s been a slow night and they wanted to see the shower. I can handle it by myself. Besides, if I run
into any trouble I can count on you to lend a hand. Right?”

  “I suppose I can hand you stuff, if that’s what you mean.”

  Perkins chuckled, “Legally, I can’t let you do anything to the body while the autopsy is being performed. But, yeah, you can still hand me stuff.”

  While Dr. Perkins resumed his work inside the chest cavity of the woman, Brett watched carefully. Maybe it was the saturation of all the medical shows on television, but Brett found he was desensitized and fascinated by an autopsy. He loved to watch Perkins work. The speed and precision at which he worked was a sight of beauty.

  Brett watched as Perkins removed the organs of the victim’s body. Of all the steps of an autopsy, this always interested Brett the most. It may have to do with the bizarre spectacle of seeing a person cut open only to have objects removed like sinister prizes. The procedure was old hat to him, but it hadn’t lost any of its allure over the years.

  As Perkins was removing the heart, Brett glanced up at the woman’s face. “Uh, doc?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Didn’t she have her eyes closed before?”

  Perkins glanced over at his patient’s face. “They do that sometimes. That’s why people started putting pennies over a corpse’s eyes, to prevent that from happening.”

  Brett found reassurance in Perkins’ explanation, until he glanced at the woman’s face again. “And what do people do to prevent the eyes from moving?”

  “The what?” As those words fell out of Perkins’ mouth, his eyes met the gaze of the woman he was working on. The eyes were milky, but were indeed moving around, as if she was trying to survey her surroundings.

  Perkins stepped back slowly, his eyes still staring at the corpse on the table. The same corpse that had half of its organs lying unattached outside the body. Brett followed the doctor’s lead and slowly moved away from the table.

  Perkins and Brett backed into a corner, near the door, never breaking the stare they both had on the corpse. The woman’s head started to move side to side.

  “What the fuck is happening?” Perkins couldn’t answer Brett’s question. He was too busy transfixed on the moving head of the body that was currently halfway through its autopsy. Brett asked the question again. “What the fuck is happening here, Perkins?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you.”

  Brett and Perkins stood in the corner watching the reanimated woman. She was still moving her head and her eyes. The men figured that it would only be a matter of time before the rest of her started moving.

  “The top priority is to contain her until we figure out exactly what is going on,” Brett said. “The last thing we need is a hospital full of panicking people because we couldn’t assess the situation fast enough.”

  “Agreed. How do we contain her before the rest of her starts moving around?”

  “We need to strap her down. I’ll search the cabinets for restraining straps. You keep your eye on her.”

  “No problem, Brett.”

  Brett searched the cabinets and found three belted straps. They were usually used on unruly patients in the psyche ward. Luckily, there were a few left down here in an emergency kit. The autopsy room was usually pretty quiet, but when dead bodies are involved, you never know what might happen. It was thought that a distraught living person would be the biggest threat ever to happen in this room. Sadly, a living threat would be a welcome change.

  “OK, doc. Help me strap her down.” Brett threw a strap at Perkins and they did quick work restraining her on the table. They were just in time. After they locked the belts down, the corpse started moving her fingers.

  “Aright, she’ll be secure for awhile. We need to figure out exactly what is going on, before it gets a whole lot worse.”

  Perkins racked his brain trying to come up with a plausible explanation. Any plausible explanation. “OK. We have one corpse, tied to the table, moving around. That’s what we’re dealing with. What could possibly make this dead person, alive again? What are the ways that the dead come to life in the movies?”

  “Well, let’s see. Usually there’s some kind of military experimental gas leak or some doctor injects dead tissue with a serum. Oh yeah, and of course the old Mary Shelley method of electricity.”

  “We can rule out lightning and electricity. She wasn’t zapped. I’m almost positive that nobody injected her with anything, so I think we can say that no serum was involved. That leaves us with some type of gas or… unknown.”

  Brett agreed with Perkins’ assessment. There wasn’t enough known about the situation, but there were definitely things that could be ruled out. Brett had been working in this hospital for nearly twenty years. He knew all of the personnel and it seemed highly unlikely that anyone invented a serum to resurrect the dead. Unknown was the greatest worry.

  A series of loud bangs disrupted the think tank. Brett and Perkins immediately focused their attention on the table. The woman was moving, but she wasn’t the cause of the noises. They quickly determined that the bangs were coming from the wall of cooler drawers where the bodies were kept.

  “Uh, doc, I think we can effectively rule out serum.”

  Perkins studied the wall of drawers carefully. “That’s very interesting,” he muttered. “The bangs are only coming from the drawers on the right.”

  These drawers were furthest from the door. There were bodies stored across the entire wall, but only a few drawers contained things that wanted out of their confined spaces.

  “Any ideas as to why only those are banging?”

  “I do have a theory.”

  “Let’s hear it, doc.”

  “The bodies on the right are the newest arrivals. My guess is that whatever is causing this is airborne.” Brett nodded. “Those drawers aren’t a hundred percent airtight. Probably only ninety-nine point nine. It took a little extra time for the air to seep in and whatever is in the air went in with it.”

  Brett pondered the theory for a moment. “Suppose that’s true. Why are only those bodies stored on the right affected?”

  “My guess is that the bodies on the left are too old.”

  “Too old?”

  “You can’t believe everything you see in the movies, Brett. Tissue breaks down fast after death. Whatever’s happening here, it seems to be only affecting what’s died in the past twenty-four hours.”

  “That makes sense. But is everything that dies going to come back to life?”

  “I guess it depends on how far this thing has spread. If it is gas, it doesn’t seem to do anything to the living. At least not with immediate exposure.”

  Brett decided this was a good time to check in with Matt. If there was anything strange going on outside of this room, he would know, Brett hoped.

  “Matt, what’s your ten-twenty?”

  The walkie-talkie chirped back with Matt’s unmistakable enthusiastic voice. “Admissions desk.”

  “Anything going on over there?”

  “Quiet as the dead over here.”

  Brett cringed a little at Matt’s ironic choice of words. It was clear that nothing else was happening, for the moment. “Do a walk through and report back.”

  “Ten-four, boss.”

  Brett noticed the woman secured to the table. Her whole body was gyrating with motion trying to break free from her restraints. She appeared to be going on nothing but instinct. If there was intelligence behind those milky eyes, she hadn’t yet revealed it.

  The pounding continued from behind the metal drawers. The noise sounded off. There was no sense of rhythm in the drumming, which every human possesses and will unconsciously slip into. This was complete randomness. There was no frenzied urgency. There was no pattern. It was reflex noise.

  If Perkins was right, they only had to worry about the recently deceased. That still posed a problem, but it came as a relief that everything that once breathed life wasn’t springing forth to wreak havoc. Only time will tell if the tissue continues to break down after reanimation. One wou
ld hope so, but in this air of uncertainty, nothing was guaranteed.

  The corpse woman continued to struggle. She didn’t moan. She didn’t even make a sound. She was rocking back and forth, trying desperately to free herself. For what purpose was anyone’s guess, but Brett didn’t want to find out.

  “Boss,” the two-way cackled.

  “Go ahead, Matt.”

  “Damnedest thing I ever saw. I found a few patients wandering the hallways. I rounded them up and brought them to the nursing station.”

  Brett and Perkins looked at each other. The situation had just gotten worse.

  “Matt, was there anything odd about them?”

  “Now that you mention it, they all looked really drugged up.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “It looked like they had a little trouble with their balance and not one of ‘em said a word. Not even gibberish.”

  Brett lowered the two-way and stared at the floor. “It’s spread,” he said to Perkins. Brett’s mind was racing, contemplating the next move. The lady on the table was still wriggling and the pounding continued from the right side of the wall of drawers. If it was this bad in the autopsy room, how bad was it in the rest of the hospital?

  Brett took a deep breath and sighed. He raised the two-way back up. “Matt, tell Diane to inform the ambulances that we won’t be accepting any more drop offs and lock the hospital down.”

  “You want me to do what, boss?”

  “You heard me, Matt. Lock it down.”

  “OK.”

  “When you’re done with that, come to the autopsy room.”

  “Ten-four, boss.”

  If the hospital had any chance of surviving, a lockdown would give everyone the best chance. The dead needed to be contained. There was no chance of elimination, since every living creature dies. Containment was the only option.

  Brett and Perkins discussed what the best way of containing the deceased would be. They didn’t seem to be violent… yet. The dead were wandering around in what appeared to be a confused state of mind, without a direction. That could be dangerous. The dead relied on reflex and basic motor skills.