He dropped the stick, grabbed Monica by the waist, and hoisted her up to the vent. She grabbed onto the vent and pulled herself through while Rolan pushed her from below with a tremendous thrust. She cried out in agony to her broken leg but continued into the vent with determination. More zombies began to push their way into the room. Rolan reclaimed his stick and lunged for the approaching zombie. He struck it in the chest with the sling blade and pushed it into the others, throwing them backwards. Rolan tossed his sling blade, ran for the chair, and leaped up to the vent while purposely toppling the chair behind him. He hoisted himself into the vent. A zombie grabbed his dangling leg and attempted to bite it. Rolan kicked the zombie in the face as he pulled his legs the rest of the way into the vent.
The vent grate closed just as soldiers crashed through the door. Without hesitation or even checking their targets, they sprayed the room with bullets. It wouldn’t have mattered if there had been any survivors. The soldiers weren’t looking for any.
Chapter Thirty-eight
Lexx grabbed onto the pipe on the ceiling above her while keeping her knees on the shelf and again looked at the two zombies below. They watched her and waited. She was concerned that they seemed convinced she would fall into their laps. It didn’t help boost her confidence any. Lexx wrapped her ankles around the pipe and shimmied slowly across it while hanging upside down. She inched her way toward the vent. The smooth metal made sliding her legs easy, but she constantly felt as if she was about to lose her grip with her arms. The zombies followed and reached for her despite several feet separating them. Lexx reached the vent and attempted to open the grate. It didn’t budge. She groaned with disgust. It just wasn’t her day. She clung to the pipe with one arm and her legs while carefully removing a screwdriver from her holster. She poked at the grate, hoping to jolt it loose. The pipe suddenly groaned beneath her weight. Lexx gasped and looked along the pipe behind her. The pipe was starting to bow and water leaked from a break along a carelessly soldered joint. She shut her eyes and groaned.
“Oh hell--”
The pipe suddenly broke. Lexx released her ankles and allowed herself to drop rather than fall. She managed to land on her feet then fell to the floor. The two zombies immediately pounced on her. Lexx screamed and attempted to hold the first zombie back and keep it from biting her. Unfortunately, the second zombie went for her legs. As she kicked at the second zombie while holding the first away from her face, she felt the morbid realization that she was about to be eaten alive. She often thought being eaten by an alligator had to be the worst way to die, but she somehow felt she was about to be proved wrong. A gunshot suddenly rang out, startling her. The zombie by her legs was thrown off and slowly recovered. Hill kicked the zombie on top of her in the head, sending it flying across the floor. Both zombies returned to their feet and lunged for them. Hill shot both in the head without hesitation. They both dropped to the floor and didn’t get back up. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He never looked as good to her as he did at that moment. And if it weren’t for the zombies from the back of the shop running for them, she almost certainly would have kissed him. Hill pushed her toward the main door.
“Time to go!” he shouted.
Lexx and Hill ran along the corridor with the eight remaining zombies close behind. They made it to the laundry room and darted inside. Hill slammed the door behind them and braced the door shut with his spade on a stick. He hurried her toward the dumbwaiter on the other end of the laundry room. They grabbed scrub uniforms from the nearby shelf and tossed them into the shaft. Hill pushed Lexx to the opening. She quickly climbed into the shaft. Gunther suddenly appeared and tackled Hill against the wall. Lexx looked out from the shaft opening and screamed as Gunther attempted to bite the sheriff. Hill held Gunther back while reaching for his holstered weapon. Lexx climbed out of the shaft in an effort to help and suddenly came face-to-face with Tracy.
The naked woman stood before her and snarled through bloodstained teeth. Lexx stared at Tracy with horror. Hill appeared to be losing the battle against Gunther, who attempted to bite his throat. Lexx kicked Tracy high and hard in the chest, sending the naked woman backwards into Gunther. All three, including Hill, were thrown to the floor. Hill scrambled out from under Gunther. Lexx grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Gunther grabbed his leg and attempted to bite it. Hill removed his gun, aimed it at Gunther’s head, and pulled the trigger. It clicked empty. Hill gasped with alarm then thrust his leg back and attempted to kick Gunther in order to free his leg, but he kept a tight grip on his pants leg. Lexx released Hill and kicked Gunther in the face, sending him backwards, and snapping his jaw. His lower jaw flopped inside his skin with nothing to hold it in place. Tracy was now on her feet and lunged for Lexx. She tackled her into a nearby linen cart, toppling the cart and covering both with dirty linen. Hill was alarmed by the large mass moving around beneath the linen. There was no telling who was where.
“Lexx!” he cried out while frantically pulling linen from the massive pile and tossing it aside.
The large mass of linen was suddenly propelled backwards and into him. Both crashed to the floor. Hill scrambled out from beneath the massive pile of sheets and sprang to his feet, uncertain if that was Lexx or not. Gunther suddenly jumped on Hill’s back and attempted to bite the side of his neck, despite his flopping lower jaw. Hill flipped the zombie doctor over his shoulder and onto the moving mass of linen. There was a loud crunch. He jumped back with surprise. The pile no longer moved beneath Gunther’s thrashing body. Lexx jumped up from the pile of linen near the cart and looked around while breathing heavily.
“Where is she?”
He appeared relieved to see her then indicated the mass beneath Gunther, who slowly moved to his feet. Both heard the sound of automatic weapons being fired just outside the room. Even more so than being attacked by ravenous undead, they feared the approaching CDC more.
“We need to go!” Hill cried out and indicated the dumbwaiter behind them.
“If Gunther tries to get into the shaft, they’ll know someone went in there,” she announced with panic in her voice.
Concern swept over Hill, because he knew she was right. Hill took a step back from the doctor, who was nearly to his feet. He snap kicked him under the chin with all his energy. Gunther flew upward and then backwards. He landed on his back near the linen rack. Hill removed a pen from his pocket and rammed it into Gunther’s eye. Lexx immediately cringed. Gunther still twitched. Hill promptly stomped on the remaining pen sticking out of his eye, driving the pen deep into his brain. Gunther finally stopped moving. The gunfire outside the laundry room door ceased. Panic filled Lexx as she grabbed Hill’s arm.
“Go! Go!” Lexx cried out with terror.
Lexx pushed Hill toward the dumbwaiter shaft. Both climbed inside and shut the door behind them. The door to the laundry room burst open with a loud crash. CDC with their automatic weapons filtered into the room and swept it for any infected. The mass moved from beneath the pile of dirty linen. One of the armed men sprayed a barrage of bullets into the pile of linen. The mass no longer moved. The CDC soldier then looked at Gunther’s dead body with a pen drilled deep into his eye. The soldier appeared curious and looked around the area.
Chapter Thirty-nine
The CDC, dressed in masks and sterile suits, stormed through the second floor hallway alongside soldiers. All were heavily armed with assault rifles. Their appearance was frightening to the survivors on the second floor. The nurses and visitors appeared horrified and watched silently as they entered each room, checking for any remaining infected people. Two CDC soldiers entered the room near the linen closet with their weapons raised. Rolan and Carson stood on either side of the occupied hospital bed, dressed in green scrub uniforms, and pretended to care for their patient, who looked a lot like Monica in a hospital gown. Rolan appeared alarmed to see the men with automatic weapons. Monica lie in the hospital bed beneath the covers with her eyes closed. Carson took Monica’s pulse with
his thumb to her inner wrist and ignored the men. The soldiers looked around then left the room. Both men groaned softly and allowed their bodies to sag in response. Monica opened her eyes and glared at Carson.
“Hey, idiot,” she snapped hotly. “You don’t take a person’s pulse with your thumb. You’re lucky they didn’t notice or are dumber than they look.”
Carson forced an embarrassed smile then collapsed into a nearby chair and groaned. Rolan sat on Monica’s bedside with the same look of exhaustion.
“I hope Lexx and Hill made it out,” Carson said softly while scratching his temple.
“If they get caught, CDC will probably destroy the entire hospital as a precaution,” Rolan informed him.
Carson stared at Rolan and appeared alarmed.
“I was joking,” Rolan announced with a grin. His joke wasn’t appreciated. He gently cleared his throat then looked at Monica, who struggled to sit up. “How’s your leg?”
“Fractured, I’m sure, but I’ll live,” she remarked then looked at him and held her breath. “Thanks for coming back for me. It was very stupid of you.”
“You’re welcome, you ungrateful bitch,” Rolan replied while hiding his smile.
“Don’t read too much into this--” Monica announced then grabbed his shirt, pulled him toward her, and kissed him quickly on the lips.
As she broke off the kiss, Rolan smiled with embarrassment. Carson rolled his eyes and looked away.
†
Two soldiers in sterile suits and masks burst into the linen closet with their weapons raised. Hill had Lexx pressed up against the linen rack with her leg up on his hip while they aggressively kissed and groped each other. Both wore their illegally obtained scrub uniforms and looked the part of hospital workers. Lexx saw the men, gasped with surprise, and attempted to pull away from Hill. He didn’t release her and kissed her neck and throat instead. Lexx nudged him harshly while nervously grinning at the soldiers with their weapons aimed. Hill pulled away from her, saw the intimidating weapons, and appeared alarmed.
“This isn’t how it looks,” Hill announced defensively while holding his hands in the air. “She had something in her eye. I was just trying to get it out for her.”
The soldiers shook their heads with disgust and left the linen closet. Lexx and Hill sighed with relief and clung to each other. Both laughed nervously. Lexx sank against Hill, rested her head on his shoulder, and groaned softly.
“That was close,” Lexx muttered.
“Too close,” he replied and nuzzled her head with his cheek while grinning. “Another couple of minutes and you wouldn’t have been able to pry me off you.”
Lexx pulled back, eyed him with surprise, and then laughed softly. “You’re absolutely terrible,” she announced firmly. A tiny smile crossed her face as she smoothed his scrub top. “At least let me shower first.”
Hill stared at her with surprise to the comment. He smiled lustfully and again pulled her against him. “I’ll reserve us a shower for two at my place.”
She laughed softly, clung to him, and stared into his ice blue eyes. There was no way she would refuse that offer. After the night they had, she wanted some quality time in the bedroom with this man.
“I may be looking forward to it more than you,” she said while smiling deviously.
Hill suddenly laughed while clinging to her. “Doubtful, but I appreciate the enthusiasm.”
He kissed her passionately and aggressively. She immediately returned the kiss and sank into his arms.
Chapter Forty
It was later that same afternoon by the time CDC had finished operation clean sweep and were aggressively working on bagging the massive number of infected bodies. They cleaned and sterilized a lot of the hospital, removing all body parts and any bloody clothing and furniture they came across. Their efficiency was concerning, almost as if they’d done this sort of thing many times in the past. The emergency room remained off limits as the cleanup continued. It would take them most of that following night to finish their work in the large area covered with infection. The basement was declared clean, since it contained less infection than the first floor, and essential hospital personnel were allowed to return to most areas. Voices were heard arguing within the corridor just outside the morgue door. Carson and Rolan pushed a stretcher into the morgue while Lexx shook her head with disgust and held the door open for them.
“I can’t believe you asked her out,” Lexx remarked with annoyance.
“Hey, just because you don’t get along--” Rolan snapped and decided against finishing the sentence.
“That’s an understatement,” Carson muttered. “Personally, I think that woman is scary.”
“Besides, she turned me down anyway,” Rolan pouted. His look immediately turned demanding. “And you should talk. I saw that kiss you gave Sheriff Burke when he dropped you off earlier. You can’t tell me you and the sheriff weren’t getting freaky at his place. You were gone all morning and half the afternoon.”
Lexx hid her lustful smile and avoided looking at them. “Can we argue about this later? I’d like to collect our client and get out of here. There’s no telling how long before CDC changes their mind and sanitizes the entire building with us in it.”
“I’m all for getting out of here,” Rolan announced. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled coming back here in the first place. All those burning bodies in the incinerator gives me the creeps. And I’m not easily creeped.”
“After all we’ve been through; I can’t believe you’re acting so nervous,” Carson remarked as he approached the freezers. “Me, I’m feeling invincible for the first time. Surviving last night toughened me. Nothing scares me anymore.”
Carson casually opened one of the freezer doors. Two hands suddenly appeared from the freezer, grabbed the edges by the opening, and thrust the metal slab from the freezer. Carson cried out and threw himself against the wall. Nathan sat up on the slab and shivered.
“Damn that’s cold!” Nathan cried out and slowly pulled himself to his feet.
Lexx was stunned to see him then turned enthusiastic. She laughed and hugged him. “You made it! I thought you were dead for sure!”
He chuckled softly and enjoyed her warm embrace while shivering. “I was a linebacker in high school, remember?” he informed her through chattering teeth and finally pulled away to meet her gaze. “I plowed right through those bastards. They never knew what hit them.”
Lexx found a blanket and placed it over his shoulders. She couldn’t believe his survived. It didn’t seem possible. “But I saw them piling up on someone, didn’t I?”
“I escaped through a storage cubby,” he announced. “I was able to make my way through the clutter and into physical therapy. By the time I got there, I heard gunshots, so I came back here and locked myself in that freezer. Even though I turned the freezer off, it still gets pretty cold in there, but I figured I’d rather take my chances not being found for a few days over being shot by my friends at CDC.”
“Yeah, we met a few of your friends from CDC,” Rolan casually informed Nathan. “I’d say we’re lucky to have survived the experience.”
†
Carson stood alongside the secretary within Dr. Sharp’s office early that evening while Hill removed the notebook from the metal case. Carson peered over his shoulder as Hill scanned through the notebook. He stopped his finger on Brandon’s name near the bottom of the page. They exchanged concerned looks. Hill took a deep breath, removed a pen from his pocket, and scratched out Brandon’s name. He wrote ‘deceased’ behind it then replaced the notebook and looked at Carson.
“Okay?”
Carson frowned and nodded. “Thanks, Hill.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell Lexx what Warren said on his deathbed?”
“No,” he replied gently. “I don’t want to upset her unnecessarily. She already knows Dr. Sharp injected one of his drugs into Brandon’s system. Nathan will continue to take blood samples and monitor his condition.” Car
son drew a deep breath and held it. “At least we know he wasn’t injected with the same toxin that reanimated Tracy. We’ll worry about side effects in the event he pulls out of the coma.”
Hill nodded. “Okay, that’s your call,” he announced. “As long as Nathan is monitoring the situation.”
“He’s willing to go along with it,” Carson replied. “For Lexx’s sake.”
†
It was two days later and things in their little town had finally returned to normal or something close enough to normal. CDC remained in town the entire two days but finally left that morning. The reminders of the undead invasion to their small town would remain with them a long time with countless people dead and burned in the incinerator. The hospital seemed to be back to business as usual, although security had been excessively tight in the days following the cleanup. Several specialists had closed their offices on the fifth floor and looked to open their practices elsewhere, preferably in another town. No one really blamed them for their decision to pull out.
Lexx was once again in Brandon’s room on the fourth floor ICU. She slept with her head on his shoulder while clinging to his arm. He still remained unresponsive in his comatose state. There was no telling if and when he’d ever come out of it or what his condition would be when he did. By her eye movement, Lexx was having another nightmare. She’d had them every night since their zombie invasion. Her body twitched slightly from whatever monster was chasing her this time. A soft groan was heard. Lexx again twitched but didn’t wake. Brandon’s hand slowly moved across her back. Lexx gasped and jumped away from him. Brandon looked at her and smiled gently.
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