Journal of the Undead (Book 1): Littleville Uprising

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Journal of the Undead (Book 1): Littleville Uprising Page 31

by Lee, S. G.


  Emma knew “protocol” meant that no one was leaving until daylight. Doc gathered the supplies, stuffed them in his pocket, and told the men to meet him in his office.

  “You have a patient to care for,” Doc reminded Emma. “And you’re quarantined, so stay out of sight.”

  The men disappeared, leaving Emma dumbfounded. Though she didn’t want Evan and Matt wandering around in the dark, she didn’t want Lucy left out there alone. She snatched a few items from the pharmacy before creeping to the storage room. Emma unearthed two emergency packs, warm coats, and some clean clothes for Major Stone. Frank looked up from his book as Emma tossed a backpack and a pile of clothes on his bed. Before he could utter a word, Emma was disconnecting his IV.

  “What’s going on?” Frank asked.

  “We’re going on a rescue mission; get dressed.”

  “Hmm, what happened to following protocol?” Frank replied sarcastically. “Two quarantined patients wandering around infecting people. Tsk-Tsk.”

  “Fine, don’t come … but I need you to show me the emergency exit.”

  “Why should I do that?”

  “Because Lucy’s missing. Now, are you gonna help me or not?”

  Frank sprang from the bed with a look of panic plastered on his face. Emma nodded grimly and tossed the major his clothes. While he dressed, Emma grabbed two rifles from their locker and a couple of boxes of ammunition. Motioning for the major to keep quiet, Emma unlocked the door. She handed him a loaded rifle and a backpack. Frank took the lead and they slipped down the hall.

  “Dead end,” Emma moaned, disheartened.

  Frank shook his head then pressed against the wall, forcing a panel to pop forward. He pulled the panel open to reveal a passageway. Just as Emma started to go through, he put his arm out to stop her.

  “Wait. I shouldn’t be taking you out there. What was I thinking? You’re just a kid; you belong in here. Safe and sound.”

  “First of all, I’m not ‘just a kid.’ You know as well as I do that no one should be out there alone especially with a wounded arm. I’ve been through and seen more in sixteen years than most people have in a lifetime, so spare me the ‘you’re just a kid’ bullshit!”

  No sooner had the words escaped her lips than Emma wished they hadn’t. Major Stone took a step forward and glowered at her. With her back pressed firmly against the wall, Emma swallowed hard and chewed nervously on her lip.

  “Young lady, if you ever mouth off to me like that again I will blister your backside! That is not a threat; it’s a promise. Profanity will not be tolerated. This is your one and only warning. Is that clear?”

  Emma nodded sheepishly. Frank turned on his heels and marched through the passage. Halfway through the narrow hallway, he realized he was alone. With a heavy sigh, he retreated to find Emma. As much as he hated to admit it, he was going to need her help. Still backed against the wall, Emma was deep in thought, chewing her lip.

  “Well, are you still coming?” Frank asked.

  Startled, Emma looked up. She noticed the major was waiting patiently for her to follow.

  “You made a good point. Especially with my injury, it would be a huge help if you came with me. That being said, I meant it when I told you I’d better not hear language like that from you again. Got it?”

  Emma smiled weakly and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Besides, you’ll be in plenty of trouble when we get back. Doc will be furious and I don’t think there’ll be much I can say to override it,” said Frank as he ducked back through into the passageway.

  Grimacing, Emma pushed the thought of what Doc would say from her mind. Getting Lucy back safely was all she cared about. Following the major’s lead, Emma cautiously stepped through the narrow hall. They paused only for a moment as Frank pulled what looked like two helmets from a storage bin and tossed one to Emma.

  “Those look like the hardhats coal miners wear,” Emma said with surprise.

  “That’s exactly what they are. We can’t have our hands tied up holding flashlights. These should help. We’ll turn them on once we get outside. Emma, are you sure you want to do this?”

  She nodded emphatically and Frank resolved not to ask again. The night air was frigid and the only sound was a distant moan echoing through the trees. Frank switched on Emma’s light, then his own, and waited for their eyes to adjust. His plan was to follow the scouting route then sweep out further as they looped around.

  “With all due respect, you’re thinking like a major and not a nine-year-old girl. Lucy wouldn’t have followed the scouting route because she would end up getting caught. My guess is she stopped at her favorite spot first to watch for deer, and then headed over to the pits.”

  Emma explained the pits as trenches lined with spikes to trap the zombies. ‘Tiger traps,’ as Ray had called them, made it easy to completely destroy the zombies. After shooting them, they could set them aflame in a controlled environment. One of Ray’s favorite punishments was making rule breakers dig the ditches. Chuckling, Frank asked how many Emma had dug.

  “R.J. has the most,” she insisted.

  “That’s not surprising.”

  Because Lucy had been begging to see the pits, Emma assumed she would go there. Frank conceded that her suggestion made sense so he let her take the lead. Emma easily found the stream where she and Lucy had watched wildlife on that first day—it felt like years, rather than months, had passed since then. There was no sign of Lucy and the dusting of snow made it hard to look for old tracks. It was a short hike to the closest pit but in the dark they had to move slower and more carefully.

  “Hmm, it’s around here somewhere. Just keep your eyes open and watch your step.”

  She proceeded to trip over a large branch. With a yelp, Emma toppled over and fell to the ground.

  “Like I said,” she giggled, while brushing the powdery snow from her backside, “keep your eyes open and watch your step.”

  Shaking his head, Frank doubled back to make sure zombies weren’t lurking in the brush while Emma pressed forward to look for the pit. She had only taken a few steps before tripping again. This time it was the straps from a backpack that had tangled around her shoe and tripped her. Emma knelt down and, clutching the bag to her chest, shouted Lucy’s name. Frank sprinted back to Emma and clapped his hand over her mouth.

  “Are you crazy? You’ll have every zombie in the state shuffling this way shouting like that. That backpack could belong to anyone. For all we know, it could have been out here for months.”

  “But it says Lucy in purple glitter.”

  Emma held out the pack for his inspection. For the first time, Frank felt hope and began shouting Lucy’s name as a chorus of moans drew closer.

  “Shh, did you hear that?” Emma asked.

  She was positive she’d heard a faint whimper along with the moans. Emma edged closer to the pit and looked down. The light from her helmet illuminated the pit and the rotting corpses that were skewered in grotesque positions on the spikes below. Their ravenous moaning reverberated off the walls as they groped the air for food. Huddled against the edge, a tiny body trembled from both fear and cold.

  It didn’t take much for them to piece together what had happened. When Lucy heard the zombies coming, she’d climbed the tree but the branch broke, and she fell into the pit.

  Emma asked the major for help as she riffled through her pack. She secured a length of rope around her waist and gave the other end to Frank.

  “Here, tie this around your waist and lower me down in the pit,” Emma’s voice wavered but she tried to act as if she wasn’t afraid. “Before you argue, this is the only way. I could never pull you out, let alone you and Lucy, so we don’t have any other choice. It has to be me. Otherwise, there was no point in coming out here.”

  Frank reluctantly agreed as he tied the rope around his waist. With white knuckles, Emma clutched the rope and held her breath as she inched lower into the pit. Once her feet were firmly on the ground, Emma inhaled dee
ply. She tugged her pistol from the waistband of her jeans and fired a shot into the heads of the nearest zombies before she knelt next to Lucy and hugged her.

  “It’s okay, Lucy. We’re gonna get you out of here,” Emma promised as she gingerly stroked Lucy’s head. “Can you wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight?”

  Tears spilled down Lucy’s scratched and bloodied cheeks as she nodded yes. Her icy fingers laced behind Emma’s neck and locked in place. Emma’s arm slid under Lucy’s legs and the frightened child shrieked in agony. Snarling, she shoved Emma away. Emma pulled back and evaluated the situation. For the first time, she noticed Lucy’s left leg was misshapen and twisted beneath her. She firmly cupped Lucy’s face and ordered her to stop trying to bite.

  “You’re not one of those monsters!”

  Lucy sobbed and held her injured leg while Emma rummaged through her bag and covertly stuffed something into her pocket.

  “Major, I think Lucy’s leg is broken. I’ll need to give her a pain killer if we want to get her out of here. Is that alright?”

  Getting the major to agree was the easy part. Lucy’s fear of needles was the real challenge. Emma shrugged off her jacket and bundled it around Lucy’s shivering body, knotting the sleeves to hold it in place. Lifting the end of one sleeve, Emma raised it to Lucy’s mouth and told her to bite down. Lucy did as she was told but eyed Emma suspiciously. When she caught a glimpse of the syringe, she tried to pull away. The wad of fabric muffled Lucy’s squeal of protest.

  “I’m sorry, Lucy, but we don’t have any other choice. You’re in too much pain for me to lift you. I have to give you a shot,” Emma explained, firmly but patiently.

  With wide eyes, Lucy frantically shook her head. Apologizing, Emma tugged the back of Lucy’s waistband down just enough to expose the flesh. With a quick pinch of the skin, Emma slipped the needle in and depressed the plunger. It took some time for the medication to kick in so Emma kept her distracted. Once Lucy’s rigid body went limp, Emma scooped her up. Frank hauled the girls up without difficulty and hugged them both once they were safely on the ground.

  “Is she unconscious? What did you give her, Emma?”

  “She’s fine. Toradol is relatively mild but for someone so small the effects are stronger. It should last for a few hours so we have plenty of time to get her back and fixed up before it wears off.”

  Frank insisted on carrying Lucy although Emma warned it could do more damage to his shoulder. Holding his little princess close, Frank kissed the top of her head and marched back to the compound with Emma jogging at his side.

  While Emma and Frank were away, chaos had broken loose inside the compound. The boys had searched every inch and found no trace of Lucy. Evan’s plans to defy protocol were overheard by his oldest cousin, Dave, who felt obliged to disclose their plans to Ray. Furious, Ray ambushed the boys on their way to Doc’s office. Ray’s threats grew harsher while Evan continued to hurl insults and taunts at his uncle. Fearing it may come to blows; Jimmy wedged himself between Evan and Ray and tried to make peace. Outraged by Dave’s betrayal, Michael decked his older brother. He jumped on top of him, unleashing his fury.

  “Mikey, stop it!” Rachael pleaded as she tried to separate her cousins.

  In the squabble, Rachael was accidentally knocked down. Charging through the crowd, Matt lifted Rachael from the floor and carried her to a safe corner.

  “Stay here, where you’ll be safe. I’ll try to break them up.”

  Matt smiled then turned to rejoin the melee, but Rachael caught his arm and pulled him back.

  “You didn’t give me a chance to say thank you,” she said coyly as she cupped Matt’s face and kissed him.

  “ENOUGH!” Doc bellowed and everyone froze. “You!” Doc shouted, pointing at Evan. “Get your ass down to my office now! Take Rocky Balboa and Romeo with you.” He pointed directly at Mike and Matt to designate their new nicknames. “Jimmy, Kate, would you please see that they find their way? David, stay where you are; I want to take a look at your nose; and Ray, I need you to give me a hand.”

  Evan, Matt, and Michael were escorted down the hallway while being reprimanded by Jimmy and Kate.

  “What’s that?” Kate asked, seeing the partition blocking the hall to the exam rooms.

  “That wasn’t up earlier,” Evan gasped. “Where’s Emma?”

  Matt pushed ahead and ran to the gate.

  “There’s a note,” Matt announced pulling a sheet of paper from the glass. “Oh, crap! Who the hell is Madge?”

  “There’s no one here named Madge.”

  “Emma’s note says, ‘Maj. and I went to find Lucy,’ so who the hell is Madge?” cried Matt.

  “Let me see that!” Evan demanded as he snatched the sheet of paper from Matt’s hand.

  Doc,

  Maj. & I went to look for Lucy. Don’t worry, we’ll find her!

  -Emma

  “That’s not Madge, you moron, it’s the abbreviation for major,” Evan snapped. “Weird. Maybe she meant Captain Giovanni? Where is he?”

  “Nah, he’s back in the common room,” Mike replied. “He’s the one who pulled me off of Dave.”

  “You kids need to stop trying to take matters into your own hands,” Jimmy lectured. “If you boys hadn’t been acting like fools, Emma never would have been able to slip out!”

  “Yeah well, if Uncle Ray wasn’t such a chicken-shit we would have already found Lucy and brought her back. Emma wouldn’t have had to go anywhere!”

  “Evan! Watch your mouth!” Frank barked, stopping all of them in their tracks. “Is that your influence, Emma?”

  “Frank?” Kate gasped. “Lucy?”

  “She’ll be fine, but I think she broke her leg,” Emma explained. “Jimmy, would you go get Doc for us? Evan, go fire up the x-ray machine, it takes a while to warm up. Kate, there are warming blankets in the supply closet. Would you bring one for Lucy? You’ll need to put on a mask, gown, and gloves before you can come in though. Matt, I’m starved, and Lucy will be too; would you and Mike go find us something to eat?”

  Frozen in place, they all stood there gaping at her.

  “Why are you all standing there? Didn’t you hear me?”

  “NOW!” bellowed Frank. They all scattered, except Kate.

  “Frank, is that really you?” Kate whispered, pressing her hand against the glass.

  “Yes, sweetheart, I’m finally home. I need you to be strong now for Lucy. Go get those blankets and the protective gear. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  Frank carried Lucy into the exam room and set her carefully on the bed. Emma filled a basin with warm, soapy water and cleaned Lucy’s wounds. She pulled Lucy’s wet clothes off and dumped them into a biohazard bag to be incinerated and then slipped a clean gown over the sleeping child’s head. She said nothing, but Emma was worried. The thick, viscous fluid that oozed from wounded zombies was splattered all over Lucy’s clothes and face. Could Lucy get infected that way? Emma wondered. She tied a tourniquet on Lucy’s arm and felt for a vein. An IV needed to be started. Pausing for a second, she took a deep breath.

  “If you don’t think you can do it, wait for Doc,” Frank urged.

  “I can do it. It’s just … Lucy really hates needles. She’s going to be so mad at me when she wakes up,” Emma sighed.

  The IV was started, blood drawn, and vitals taken by the time Doc entered the room. Kate, Evan, and Matt followed at a distance, trying to stay out of the way.

  “So, Jimmy tells me you two decided to take a little stroll.” Doc’s sarcasm was thicker than usual. Then, turning to Emma he added, “Do you really have so little regard for your condition?”

  “I’m fine, really, and now Lucy will be too!”

  “If Ray hadn’t stopped us earlier, Emma wouldn’t have had to go anywhere!” Evan ranted again. “Just because he’s afraid of the dark doesn’t mean the rest of us are.”

  “That’s Uncle Ray and don’t be an ass, Evan!” Doc snapped angrily. “If you punks wo
uld have done as you were told, Jimmy, Anthony and Ray would have left and been back long before Emma knew Lucy was missing. Did you really think we were going to stand by and leave little Lucy out there all alone? We were waiting to make sure you weren’t going to do anything stupid. Your poor mother has enough to worry about.”

  “Why didn’t he say so?” Evan asked.

  “Maybe because he knew you wouldn’t let it rest. You would have insisted on going too. Or maybe, because HE DOESN’T ANSWER TO YOU!” Doc yelled. “Either way you owe him an apology, mister.”

  Evan hung his head in shame so Emma quickly switched gears, giving Doc the rundown of their patient’s vitals. She told him her speculations about Lucy’s broken bones. Upon examination of her leg, Doc concurred.

  “The x-ray machine is on and ready. We’ll be back in a couple minutes,” Emma said, releasing the wheel lock on the bed.

  “Maybe you should let me take the x-ray,” Doc said with more than a hint of concern.

  “I can do it.”

  “Yes, but exposure to radiation can be harmful to children, and babies.”

  “I know. I’ll make sure Lucy’s body is covered with the lead apron,” Emma said confidently. “We’ve studied this a million times. I know all the precautions.”

  Annoyed that Emma wasn’t taking the hint, Doc decided to lay it out for her.

  “Pregnant women shouldn’t be exposed either,” Doc pressed.

  “Well, I don’t think we have to worry about that. I’m sure Lucy isn’t pregnant,” Emma joked as she gave the bed a shove.

  “I wasn’t talking about Lucy!” Doc hissed as he stepped in front of the bed.

  Emma stopped. Her head cocked to the side like a confused puppy and her eyebrows rose questioningly. Matt looked at Doc, then at Emma, before he hauled off and punched Evan squarely in the face.

  “You knocked up my sister?” Matt accused.

  Evan looked up from the floor at his assailant while blood gushed from his nose and leaked through his mask. Emma gasped and dropped to Evan’s side. She tipped his head forward and applied pressure to Evan’s nose.

 

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