“But if you really want to know, I was thinking about my husband.”
I felt a twinge of jealousy, another ghost of a past that I thought would never come back. “Why?” I asked.
“He liked to fish with my son. I wondered if the two of them would have liked to try casting here. Did your wife like to fish?”
I shook my head. I said, “In case you missed it that was a definite no. My wife was more of a hotel-type. The outdoors was something to be seen from a distance not actually enjoyed in person.”
“You seem to know your way around the woods.”
“Not really. I mean I don’t hunt. I just had an old-fashioned Tom Sawyer childhood, spending my time playing around in the woods with my friends. But as I got older I didn’t have much time for that kind of thing. I became more civilized.”
She pointed vaguely toward the shore. “It’s never going to be the same again, is it? I mean civilization isn’t going to spring back from the dead.”
I gave her a small shrug. “I don’t really know. I doubt it. The only thing we can do is try to make a new life for ourselves. Of course these vampires are the first concern but I think they’re a threat that we can deal with. Right now I’m more concerned about the soldiers. They’re the ones with the guns. I would like to know what they are up to and why they attacked us.”
“It’s obvious to me,” Allison said.
“Is it?” I asked in surprise. I let the oars dip into the water and stay there.
She explained: “The soldiers that you dealt with at the store – they could have killed you right away but they didn’t. And the ones that attacked Desmond, they could have massacred everyone. Instead they only killed anyone holding a gun.”
I continued her train of thought, “Those soldiers wanted to take me back to their camp. And the gunner on the helicopter could have lit up the entire boat but didn’t.” I had a revelation. “They were trying to capture us. But why?”
“I think it is because we’re immune and those soldiers are not. They would have facilities for testing us survivors and trying to find a cure for themselves. We’re the supply of guinea pigs.”
“If you’re right I would like to know where everyone is being taken.”
“It’s probably not a very nice place. I think we’re better off not knowing.”
“We may have to find out anyway. As long as a cure isn’t found those soldiers are a threat to us.”
Allison was about to say something in return but she saw that made her stare past me. I turned to look. There was a white house ahead, nestled in the trees and high on a hill. It looked as if civilization – or what remained of it - was just around the corner. We drifted past the home. From the distance it still looked beautiful: tall columns, wide wood siding, a broad deck, and black shutters. One would never guess that it was just a few years from beginning to rot away, and then crumbling into the ground.
I steered us around a wide bend. Breaking through the mass of trees was the town of Leland. The sun was low in the sky now. From my perch I could see a few tall buildings, rows of houses, overgrown grass, and cars parked along the streets. It looked quiet. I saw a length of docks along with a handful of small boats. I rowed toward them.
“Keep a watch out,” I suggested to Allison, who had a better view as I worked the oars.
No one jumped out to surprise us but I still felt uneasy as I tied the boat to the dock. I got out first. After Allison handed the canvas bag over, I helped her out. We went quickly from the wooden planks of the dock to a restaurant named The Wharf. The windows had all been smashed out and the door was ajar. I went in, dropping the bag on the dusty floor. Fishing out the shotgun for myself, I handed the rifle over to my companion.
I looked over the large room. There were a number of covered tables with chairs stacked on top. The ceiling was gilded with fake gold while the walls were cluttered with photographs and nautical paintings. If the dust wasn’t present, it would look as if the restaurant has closed for the day. A pair of swinging doors led to the kitchen. There was a faint smell of rotting food; any of the refrigerated or fresh food had long gone bad. But there was still a chance that some dry goods and cans still existed. This would be a good place to search once the paddleboat reached us.
“Care to take a seat, my dear?” I asked Allison with a broad sweep of an arm. “I’ve been assured that the food here is absolutely fabulous.”
“Only the best people come here,” she added with a sarcastic, snobby voice.
After I pulled a pair of chairs down, I went over to the front counter and found a telephone book that was several years old. Inside I found a page that had a map of the city. The hospital was marked as a point of interest. It was five blocks away from the address of this restaurant. I tore out the map and brought it over to Allison. We sat down to study it.
Tracing the outline of a route, I said, “We can take this street for two blocks and then we turn right. If this map is correct, then it’s only a quarter mile or so to the hospital.”
“It sounds simple enough.”
“It should be.”
“Then why do you look so worried?” she asked, resting a hand over mine.
I gave her a wan smile. “It seems that every time I come to a town there is trouble. I’m not expecting anything different here. If we run into any live ones, follow my lead. With Joel’s injury I’m not about to take the time to explain it to any strangers that we run across. But if there is a big group of them, we run back here to regroup. If we get separated, we also meet here. The rowboat isn’t exactly a quick getaway so, if possible, try not to be seen boarding it if it comes to that.”
She nodded.
“Let’s get going.” I looked out through the empty space where the windows once were. “We only have another half an hour or so before the sun goes down. I prefer not to be here when that happens.”
“Then we had better stop talking and start walking,” Allison said.
We left the restaurant and headed down the street, keeping close to walls of the buildings. I still had an uneasy feeling that we were being watched. The empty windows stared at us like vacant eyes. A pair of mannequins wearing dresses startled me for a moment. I laughed at my own paranoia. Allison only rolled her eyes at me. I checked the map. We had to turn at this intersection.
The road here was crowded with cars and pickup trucks. Doors hung open and human remains, plus ragged clothing and shoes, rested on the ground. A few bullet holes had punctured the sheet metal. An old battle had taken place here, but who had been the victor?
“Come on,” Allison said, grabbing my arm.
The next stretch of street was clear. The downtown shops soon gave away to houses and strip malls. In the distance I could see a three story building made of brown brick and tall glass windows. That had to be the hospital. We quickened our pace.
The front of the hospital was crowded with vehicles. A pickup truck had crashed through the front doors. High up on the tangled grass an ambulance was tipped over on its side. Several windows on the ground floor had been broken. I could imagine the desperation as people panicked, trying to find any chance of a cure. They would have done anything to get inside, looting whatever drugs were available. I could only hope that something useful was left. It didn’t look very likely.
“Come on,” I said to Allison as we brushed past the truck and entered the hospital.
There was a faint odor in the air: excrement, urine, and sweat. The lobby was a mess of overturned chairs and loose papers. A pair of doors with glass insets led off to a dark corridor. Motioning Allison to get behind me, I pulled the shotgun off of my shoulder and approached the doors. I peered through the glass. There was nothing inside but more chaos. I pushed one of the doors open, letting my companion slide through first.
I dug a flashlight out of the bag and handed it to her. “Search the rooms on the right. I’ll take the left. Look for bandages, and any medicine on that list that Elizabeth gave us. Just scream if you run into
any trouble.”
“And if you scream?”
I took out my own flashlight and flicked the light on, pointing the beam at her face. “Then you will know that we’re really in trouble.”
She pushed the flashlight away so the beam fell away from her eyes. “Just get to work,” she said in exasperation.
Fifteen minutes later and I had gone through a half-dozen examination rooms without much luck. I found a box of surgical gloves and a roll of gauze bandages. I took both of them. I met Allison at the end of the corridor near an elevator shaft. A sign indicated a flight of stairs.
“I didn’t find a thing but this fresh syringe,” she said. She held it up. The needle still had a plastic cap.
“Put it in the bag. Let’s head up another floor and see what’s there.”
The stairs were lit by windows. Outside I could see that the sun was beginning to set. We only had a few minutes of daylight left.
The next floor had several corridors, rows of doors, and, closest to us, a nurse station. The floor had a number of footprints. The fading light beaming in from the single window by the stairs added an eerie element to the view.
“Same routine as before,” I suggested. “And be careful. It looks as if someone else has been here.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied with a sneer.
“And hurry. We have to get back to the boat soon.”
She gave me a salute and then took the first door to the right. I took the left.
There was an unpleasant smell here. The beam of the flashlight played on the bed. There was a corpse, covered up with a sheet so only a desiccated head could be seen. The empty eye sockets seemed to be staring at me. Ignoring this horrific sight, I began to search the room. There wasn’t anything work keeping but a fresh IV bag of saline including tubing and needle. I put this prize in the canvas bag.
I went back out into the hallway. Allison came out of a door at the same time.
“We’re getting nowhere,” she said, displaying empty hands.
“We have to find the pharmacy. It has to be somewhere on this floor. The nurses would need quick access to the medicine.”
We ignored the remaining doors and ventured further down the hallway. An intersection was ahead. A sign above indicated that the pharmacy was down this other corridor. It was darker here. There was a queer smell – the same one that was down in the lobby but now even stronger. With the beam of my flashlight I saw that all of the doors here were closed tight. I thought this was odd. I motioned for Allison to hold still. I tied the nearest door handle. It opened easily enough. The odor hit my face with a wave that almost made me wretch. Inside I could see vampires massed together in a heap, sleeping like primitive beasts.
October 26th – Evening
A scream tried to fight its way out of my throat. Instead I turned the flashlight off and took a step back. Allison let out a little yelp and grabbed my hand, giving it a tight squeeze.
“Shit,” I said in a hoarse whisper.
“They’re using the hospital to hide away,” Allison said as if reading my mind. “They could be all around us.”
“We only have another minute of light left,” I warned as I tugged her along the corridor.
There was the pharmacy. There was a closed heavy metal gate over the wooden door. A heavy padlock hung on a thick clasp. The area around the lock had been battered by some past looter, but they had been unsuccessful. But what could we do in the short time left to us?
“We need to find the key,” Allison hissed.
“There isn’t time to look for a damn key,” I whispered back. “We have to get out of here before those creatures wake up. We’ve got to go now!”
“We can’t let Joel die!” she exclaimed, perhaps a little louder than she intended. She covered her mouth.
“We’ll look for just one more minute. If we don’t find anything, we leave. Okay?”
Allison nodded. She quickly turned and headed for a nurse station behind us. I began to look along the littered floor, finally turning on my flashlight so I could see. A few doors down there was a dark clump. I shone the beam on it. There was a pile of clothes – or I should say a collection of bones wrapped inside a ripped shirt. And then there was another set of remains. And another. The end of the hall here was packed with death. The vampires had captured some prey, and, after consuming the flesh, had left the inedible scraps behind.
“Over here!” Allison called out, barely able to contain her excitement.
I rushed over. In her hand was a large ring heavy with keys
“It was hidden away in the bottom drawer,” she said. “I guess the nurses would want them on hand for quick access to the drugs.”
I didn’t tell her about the remains just a few feet away from us. Instead I grabbed the ring and rushed over to the pharmacy door. With the flashlight tucked in my armpit, I began to fumble through the keys, trying one at time and hoping I could find a fit. The seconds seemed to fly by. The keys jangled together, sounding loud to my ears. I wondered how much longer the vampires would stay asleep. I was about to give up when one of the keys slid all the way into the lock. There was a satisfying click when I turned the key. I swung open the gate. It screeched with a metal on metal grinding noise. I tried the door handle. It opened easily enough.
I rushed inside the dark room. On the shelves were collections of bottles containing liquids and pills. It looked as if the stocks were low but at least there was something here. Without even looking at the labels, I began to stuff the canvas bag with whatever I could get my hands on. Allison stayed at the door, shining her flashlight down the corridor in the direction we had come.
“Hurry,” she breathed out. “I think I can hear something moving.”
I plucked one last bottle off of the shelf and crammed it into the bag. There was no more room. It was time to go. I zipped up the bag and put my left arm through the straps, leveraging the weight over my back. With the shotgun in my other hand, I clumsily held the flashlight with the other. I pushed Allison ahead and we began to run down the hallway, heading toward the stairway. I took the lead, feeling the weight of the bag slowing me down.
We didn’t get very far.
A door opened right in front of us and out popped one of those creatures. It wasn’t expecting us, so I used the butt of the shotgun and struck the vampire in the head with all the force I could muster. There was a bone crushing crack and it went down. It was only a short respite. Behind us came a strange noise – a high pitched screech that reminded me of a bat on the hunt. Turning my head, I saw a half-dozen vampires coming down the hallway, giving chase. They were moving fast. Too fast. They would be on us before we could get to the stairs.
I pivoted on the ball of my foot, letting Allison run past. I brought the shotgun up to my shoulder and fired at the lead creature. In the confined space the blast was deafening. The buckshot tore through the target’s chest, spraying the walls with black blood. I pumped another shell into the chamber and fired again, hitting two more of the vampires. If the creatures weren’t awake before they certainly would be now. With my ears ringing, I turned and fled.
Allison was ahead. She turned at the intersection, and disappeared down the hallway in the direction of the stairs. I was only a few feet away from taking the same corner. I heard the crack of the rifle that she was carrying. When I made the turn, I saw her standing still, aiming down the barrel. At the head of the staircase was a dead vampire. I soon caught up to her. Grabbing a hand I pulled her along and took the lead once again. When we got to the staircase my worst fear was realized: the sound of many scuffling feet was coming from below. That bat-like call was coming from behind and from down the stairs. We couldn’t go down and we couldn’t go back. That meant we would have to go up into the unknown.
“This way” I shouted, louder than I meant because of the ringing in my ears. I could barely hear myself.
We ran up the stairs. My heart was beating relentless in my head. The third floor was a large office, the
glass windows wrapping all around the open floor space. It was no wonder that the vampires had looked elsewhere in the hospital to stay away from the rays of the sun. There were a multitude of desks and chairs, computers, and phones. Pinned on the cubicle walls were family reminders - pictures of the wife, husband, or kids – or favorite hobbies. The floor was covered with low-pile carpet installed in easy to replace squares.
“What do we do now?” Allison asked, her eyes busy roaming the space for some escape.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “The stairs stop here. There has to be another way to the rooftop; maintenance would want to get up there to work on the air-conditioning.”
The sound of running footsteps grew louder by the second. I realized that the extra ammunition I had brought with was still in the canvas bag with the medicine. I didn’t have time to dig it out. The three remaining shotgun shells would have to do.
“Over there,” I suggested, pointing with the beam of the flashlight to a large office in a far corner. It had a separate door and was enclosed in windows with closed blinds. At worst it would be a brief respite until we were killed; at best a place of hiding.
We ran. My lungs felt as if they were going to explode. Ducking and weaving through the cubicles, I reached for the door handle to the enclosed office. I caught a glimpse of a plaque on the door: vice president of human resources. After turning off our flashlights, we ducked inside just as I saw a vampire at the stairway. I gently closed the door, hoping that infernal creature didn’t see the movement. From the dim twilight coming through the windows I could make out some small detail. The room was a dozen feet wide and equally as long. There was a wide desk, a big office chair, a coffee table, and a black leather sofa. Allison ran to the nearest window.
I stayed by the door, peering through the blinds. I could make out more and more vampires coming up the stairs. Their clothes were rags and their skin ghostly white. They seemed to shine with an unnatural light, the faint glimmers of the moon outside unnaturally amplified. There were a lot of them, fanning out to find us. It wouldn’t take them long to figure out where we had gone.
The Dead Are Sleeping Page 15