by Amy Cross
She can't have been.
I guess this isn't my business, anyway.
Suddenly I hear a pained groan coming from nearby, and I turn to see that Doctor Cole seems to be trying – albeit without much success – to get to her feet.
“Hey, slow down there,” I stammer, hauling myself up and hurrying over. “You don't wanna -”
Before I can finish, she slips on a patch of ice and slumps back down. As she does so, her right arm bends back more than ninety degrees, and I can see what looks like an end of broken bone pressing against the pale skin, almost slicing through.
“You really need to just stay still and calm,” I tell her, as I turn and look back up toward the dark road. “My buddy will be back real soon and then we can think about -”
Suddenly she gasps again. I look down and see that she's used her shoulder to swing her broken arm toward me, bumping my shoe with her ruined, dangling hand. I instinctively take a step back, before looking at her face and seeing that for the first time she's actually looking straight at me.
Well, almost.
I tilt my head slightly and see that she's actually just looking in my direction. Her eyes don't seem to be focused on me, and a moment later I realize that her pupils are very large and very white, almost as if they're frosty inside. At the same time, her mouth is hanging wide open, as if her broken jaw is dangling from the muscle and flesh that connects it to the rest of her skull.
“That doesn't look very good,” I whisper, taking another step back. I know I should stay calm, but deep down I'm starting to feel really worried about this situation. Given the state of Doctor Cole's injuries, I'm kinda not sure how she's even alive, let alone moving.
If I didn't know better, I'd be starting to get some real crazy notions right about now.
She lets out another gasp, still looking in my general direction, and now I see that her nose is twitching, as if she's sniffing the air. She tilts her head back, crunching several broken bones in her neck in the process, and it's almost like she's trying to use her sense of smell to locate me. I watch with horrified fascination as she tilts her shoulder again, shifting her broken arm as if she's trying once again to reach my boot.
I step back, but a moment later she starts reaching toward me with her left arm, which seems more maneuverable.
“Do you want something?” I ask, forcing a smile as I step away. I know I'm probably overreacting, but somehow I really don't want to let her touch me too much. In fact, I'm starting to wonder whether she might be a little ill. Somehow, I doubt all her injuries and behavior are necessarily the result of the car crash. Maybe she wasn't in great shape before the wreck happened.
She lets out another faint gurgle as she digs her fingers into the dirt. After a moment she starts trying to drag herself toward me, and I hear a faint rattling sound coming from her broken legs.
“I'm not a doctor,” I tell her, “but I really think you should listen to me just a little, okay? You're not in a fit state to be moving about here, and I reckon you're only gonna cause yourself more damage. You don't want that, do you? Maybe -”
Suddenly she lunges at me, letting out a pained gasp in the process. I skip out of the way and back toward the car, and then I watch as she slowly turns her head and looks toward me again. Her neck doesn't look right at all, as if several of the bones are broken, and a moment later I see that her left eye appears to have ruptured slightly. Pale, red-tinged liquid is dribbling down her cheek and running down onto the snow. I also can't help noticing that with her head tilted, she's letting her broken jaw hang down at a slight angle.
All things considered, she really doesn't look too healthy.
“Oh heck,” I mutter under my breath, grabbing my radio and trying once again to get in touch with Pickles. It's been a couple of hours since he headed off, and I'm starting to wonder what's taking him so long.
The radio produces nothing but static. Still, I figure there's a chance that maybe he can hear me.
“Um, it's me,” I stammer, before remembering the proper code. “Ranger Four calling Ranger One, um... I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm gonna give it a shot. Things are getting kinda weird here and -”
I pause as Doctor Cole starts dragging her body around, as if she's trying to turn and come over to me again.
“I could use some assistance,” I continue. “I don't wanna alarm you in any way, but Doctor Cole seems to be alive and... Well, I guess maybe she's not quite herself. Not that I know what she was like before the crash, but I doubt she was quite like this. In fact, the whole thing is a little outside my comfort range, so I really think we need someone here who's got more experience.”
I hit the button on the side of the radio, but all I hear is a swirling mess of static.
Lowering the radio, I figure there's not much chance that Pickles heard me. Then again, even a tiny chance is better than none.
Doctor Cole is still dragging herself slowly across the snow. She's not exactly Barry Allen, but I still don't like the way she seems to be coming for me, so I wait until she gets a little closer and then I hurry around her, keeping clear as I head all the way over to the car. Doctor Cole immediately stops and starts turning, to follow me again, although even this maneuver takes her a couple of minutes. She's sure in a bad way.
“This ain't right,” I whisper under my breath, as she starts crawling toward me once again. “This is like some kinda...”
I catch myself just in time.
Zombie.
I was gonna say it's like facing some kinda zombie, but zombie's aren't real.
“Stay calm, Lucy,” I continue, hoping to give myself a little pep talk. “You just stay focused and don't let your mind wander onto crazy ideas. You're too level-headed for that stuff.”
I wince as Doctor Cole lets out another rasping groan, and she's already getting closer again. Despite her shattered body, she sure seems persistent.
Finally, realizing that I need to get a little further away, I hurry around the side of the car and over to the incline, and then I scramble partway up before turning and seeing that the doctor is already starting to crawl after me again. If anything, she actually seems to be getting a little faster. I feel bad for running away from her like this, but something about her is seriously freaking me out, and I can't get the z-word out of my head. I know they're not real, but at the same time, I also know what I'm seeing as Doctor Cole starts trying to climb up the incline after me. Fortunately, as I'd hoped, she quickly starts slipping back down, which at least gives me a breather.
And then I think back to the photos in the blue folder.
That little girl was tied down and screaming, and she looked to be in a similar state to Doctor Cole. For a moment, the pieces start coming together in my head and I can't help wondering whether something really really bad happened at that Meltringham Institute for Advanced Research place, something that caused Doctor Cole to run away. She had a lot of canned goods in her car, almost as if she was stockpiling food, and I'm starting to consider the possibility that she was scared of something.
Something to do with the girl in those photos.
I watch as she tries again and again to climb up the incline, but each time she quickly slithers back down. At least for now, I think I'm pretty safe up here. Still, the sight of Doctor Cole relentlessly trying to climb up after me is pretty haunting, and I can't help feeling desperately sorry for her.
“We're gonna figure this out!” I shout down to her. “Just stay put, and we're gonna figure all of this out! We'll even -”
Suddenly I hear the sound of a car approaching. Looking up, I'm relieved to see lights coming to a halt at the top of the incline, and a moment later there's the thud of a door being slammed shut.
“Pickles?” I whisper, just before he steps into view and starts clambering down to me. I've honestly never been so relieved to see someone in all my life. “Pickles, thank God!”
I start hurrying up to him, but I can already see the shock in his ey
es. He stops and stares down at Doctor Cole, and then he turns to me.
“Lucy,” he says cautiously, “what the hell's going on here?”
“She's alive!” I stammer, turning and watching as the doctor slips once more down the incline. “She just woke up after you left, but she doesn't seem very aware of her surroundings. So far, she's just been trying to drag her battered body after me.”
“This isn't possible,” he replies, his eyes widening as he continues to watch her. “She was dead!”
“That's what I thought, but -”
“No, Lucy, that woman was dead!” he continues, interrupting me. “I saw it with my own eyes! She was dead!”
“Well...”
My voice trails off as we both watch her climbing and then slipping.
“Tell that to her,” I add finally. “She hasn't said anything. Not really. She's just been groaning and grumbling a lot.”
“I couldn't get in touch with anyone,” he says with a hint of fear in his voice, as he continues to watch Doctor Cole's hopeless attempts to climb up after us. “I tried calling all the stations in the area, and the phones just rang and rang.”
“Is that normal?” I ask.
“At this time of year, sometimes the phone isn't manned all the time.”
“I found out where she works,” I continue. “Some place called the Meltringham -”
“The Meltringham Institute for Advanced Research?” he replies, finishing the sentence for me.
“Have you heard of it?”
“I never liked that place,” he mutters. “They bought a patch of land a few years ago. Good land, unspoiled land, land that was supposed to have been marked off so developers couldn't get their filthy hands on it. Unfortunately they had federal backing, so the whole deal was forced through. Since then I've heard stories about the kind of work they do at that place, but I never really got to the bottom of it. There have been plenty of rumors, though.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“I've heard that they...”
He hesitates for a moment, as if he can't quite bring himself to say the words.
“I found a folder,” I tell him. “I'm sure it's nothing too bad, but I found some photos in a folder in her car. It's like they showed...”
My voice trails off.
“People?” he asks.
I pause, before nodding.
“That's the kind of thing I heard goes on there,” he continues. “Experiments involving people. Living people.”
“No way,” I reply, forcing a nervous smile. “I mean, that kind of thing isn't legal, is it?”
He seems hesitant to say anything, and then suddenly he turns and starts clambering up toward the road.
“Pickles?” I call after him. “What's wrong?”
“The emergency broadcast channel!” he shouts. “Metringham uses it! I never thought to check, 'cause it's not part of our system! But if something's happening there, maybe we can hear what they're broadcasting!”
“Broadcasting?” I ask, before looking down at Doctor Cole again. She's snarling as she tries once more to climb up, but she quickly slithers back down. Figuring that she doesn't seem like she's going anywhere, I turn and hurry after Pickles, reaching the side of the road just in time to see that he's leaning into the truck.
As I get closer, I hear static coming from the radio.
“What are you searching for?” I ask.
“Just a hunch.”
“But what -”
“Quiet!”
I open my mouth to ask why he wants me to be quiet, but suddenly I realize I can hear a monotone voice starting to break through the static.
“Status 119, 118, 125,” the voice states. “All units to convergence point. Repeat. Status 119, 118, 125. Code red. Repeat. Status 119, 118, 125.”
The voice continues as Pickles turns to me.
“What does it mean?” I ask.
“It's an emergency code,” he explains, and now there's a definite hint of fear in his voice. “I don't know what the numbers are for, but something's gone wrong at their facility. It sounds like they've had to evacuate.”
“What kind of work were they doing there?”
“She didn't look too good, did she?” he whispers.
“That's the understatement of the -”
“This might be bad,” he continues, cutting the radio and then heading around to the rear of the truck. Snow is falling faster and harder than ever as he pulls the back door open and starts rooting through the various kits he's got stowed away.
“What kinda bad?” I ask, trying to stay calm. “Do you think we should call someone?”
I wait, but he's just muttering to himself, and after a moment I see him take a pistol from one of the boxes.
“Pickles?”
He slams the door shut and comes back to join me at the front of the vehicle.
“I only have this one,” he explains. “Have you got your gun?”
“Sure, but -”
“Don't waste any bullets, okay?”
“Why would I -”
I hesitate again, seeing the panic in his eyes. Pickles is always so firm and calm, so it's kinda unsettling to have him all riled up like this.
“What exactly do you think is going on here?” I ask cautiously.
“I want you to wait here by the truck.”
“Why?”
“Just do it!”
“Sure, but -”
“I don't want you to see this.”
“See what?”
He hesitates. “I have to go take a look at that woman,” he says after a moment, “and then maybe I have to make it so she doesn't pose a threat to anybody else. And maybe I have to put her out of her misery. After all, there's no dignity in what's become of her.”
“Huh?”
“Just stay by the truck,” he continues, turning and heading back toward the side of the road. He adds something else, but I can't make out any of the words as a gust of wind rushes between us.
“What's going on here?” I shout. “Pickles?”
I watch as he stops, and for a moment he seems to be looking down toward the spot where we left Doctor Cole. He raises the pistol and checks that it's loaded, and then he takes aim.
“Pickles?” I whisper, feeling a sudden rush of fear in my chest as I take a step closer. “What are you doing?”
Snow is falling between us as he continues to aim, but after a moment he lowers the pistol again.
“You wouldn't actually hurt her, would you?” I ask. “Pickles, come on...”
“I don't see her!” he yells.
“What do you mean?”
He raises a hand, gesturing for me to not go any closer.
“Stay back, Lucy!”
“What are you doing?”
“Stay back!”
“But what -”
“Stay back!” he shouts angrily, turning to me. “I swear to God, you will stay near the truck, okay?”
I hesitate for a moment, before nodding. My heart is pounding but I still don't quite understand why he's suddenly so worried.
“I think something really bad has happened here, Lucy,” he continues. “I think we should head to the next station and -”
Suddenly Doctor Cole lunges from the darkness and slams into his side. He tries to push her away, but she seems to be biting his shoulder and he lets out a pained cry as they both tumble down against the snow. Too shocked to know what to do, I stare in horror as Pickles rolls over, but Doctor Cole has her teeth firmly embedded in his neck and after a moment they both topple over the edge of the road and down the incline. At the last moment Pickles lets go of his pistol, leaving it in the snow, and then I hear him scream.
Three
I stand in complete silence for a moment, too shocked to move. Snow is falling all around me, but I can't stop staring at the spot where – just a moment ago – Pickles and Doctor Cole went tumbling out of view.
“Pickles?” I whisper, hoping against hope that h
e'll suddenly climb back up.
The only reply is the howl of the wind all around me.
I have to do something.
Stepping forward, I pick up the pistol. My hands are shaking, really shaking now like nothing I ever experienced before, but I know I have to be brave. I take a couple more steps, until I reach the edge of the road.
Looking down the incline, I see that they've come to a halt at the bottom, with Doctor Cole on top of Pickles. He's fighting back, but there's blood in the snow and a moment later I realize he's trying to call out.
“Pickles!” I shout, hesitating for a moment before starting to make my way carefully down the incline. I almost slip a couple of times, but finally I manage to get about halfway to the bottom and then I stop again.
I raise the pistol, aiming at Doctor Cole, but suddenly I see that Pickles is no longer fighting back. Instead, his arms are simply twitching, while the doctor seems to be chewing on the side of his neck.
“No no no no no,” I whisper, aiming the pistol with trembling hands. “No, please...”
I've never really fired one of these things before, but I aim at Doctor Cole's head. I hesitate, trying to think of a better option, but finally I squeeze the trigger. The blast knocks me off my feet and I slump down, barely managing to keep from slithering the rest of the way to the bottom of the incline. The shot, meanwhile, blasts a hole in a chunk of snow several feet from where Pickles is being attacked, but suddenly Doctor Cole turns to me and I see glistening red blood all over her mouth, dribbling down onto her bare chest.
“Heck, no,” I stammer, raising the pistol again as I get back up. I take aim and then I fire, this time managing to stay on my feet even though the pistol slams hard against my shoulder.
I miss again, hitting the ground several feet to Doctor Cole's left.
She stares at me for a moment longer, before leaning down and pressing her face against Pickles' neck. He's no longer struggling, he's not even twitching, and I watch in horror until suddenly I realize I can hear a faint slurping, tearing sound.
I raise the pistol again, taking extra care to aim properly, and then I pull the trigger.
And again, I miss.
“Come on!” I mutter, realizing that I seem to keep missing to the left of her each time. Figuring that I need to take this into account, I aim to the right of her shoulders, hoping that maybe I can correct for my bias. I hesitate, trying to calm my hands, and then I pull the trigger.