Keith nodded. “Right, Mercy Hospital. We were told that it was black mold, too. We had to take a bunch of their patients.”
“You think it was some kind of conspiracy?” Jack asked, half testing the newcomer’s state of mind.
“Not a conspiracy,” Snake answered, “more of a cover up. When more and more of these things started turning up and the crap really hit the fan, I called my brother, who’s a cop here in Lansing. He spilled the beans. The CDC and FBI have known about this for a while. It hit Colombia and Central America pretty hard. It had been quietly festering down there in some little villages for some time, maybe months. Remember the riots they reported on TV several weeks back, in Nicaragua and Guatemala? They weren’t riots. That was an outbreak. They kept it hushed pretty well. The CDC told my brother and the rest of the LPD that it was a mutated strain of the bird flu. They said the reason it spreads so quickly is because it moves to the adrenal glands and then moves to the rest of the body, so a panic could cause it to spread out of control. Don’t know if that’s true or if they were just trying to find an excuse to keep the public in the dark, but I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“The adrenal glands?” Keith asked, skeptically. “Sounds like a story to me. We had the FBI here today, too, and they wouldn’t tell us anything. I’m thinking this is way bigger than a strain of bird flu.”
“It sounds like we’re going to be stuck here for a while,” Jack sighed.
“It’s a decent place to hole up,” Snake said. He hit the walls with his fist. “Solid masonry. Ain’t no zombie going to bust this down, but like I say, they’ll find their way into the first floor just by sheer numbers. We had a couple hundred people holed up at the shelter. We thought we’d be safe, since it was a metal structure, but they kept piling up outside. I guess the building was old and not as sturdy as we thought, because the weight of thousands of these goons pressing against it folded it like a taco. Some of us were able to escape over a wall that had fallen on top of the mob and get to our bikes. I think it was a miracle. Thank God they’re slow. Some of the people that were pinned under the building we just couldn’t help. There were just too many of those maniacs.”
“Any chance the military can wipe them out?” Jack asked.
“Dude,” Snake said in a manner that masked his intelligence, “not any time soon. The number of walking dead is growing exponentially. When they leave a place, there’s more than when they started. They have no other drive than hunger, and they won’t give up. If you last a week in here, you could be the only thing on the menu for about a million zombies, and they’ll all be right outside, and, let me repeat, they won’t give up.”
“It sounds like a city is not the best place to be, in that case,” Keith said, “but I can’t run out on my patients and I don’t see how we could evacuate them.”
“I’m staying,” Jack added. “This wasn’t in the brochure, but I can’t leave these people, either.”
“I’ll be staying as long as I can,” Keith said, “though I understand if anybody else wants to leave.
“No, it’s right there in the employee handbook,” Ernie said as he passed them with the broom. “Section 1523. In case of an attack by the undead, all employees are required to stay at their stations until either the matter is resolved or they are eaten.”
“He’s kidding,” Keith said to the second biker who was staring at the old man with his mouth hanging open. “That’s for other emergencies and it says nothing about being eaten, does it Ernie?”
Ernie was already halfway down the hall and he just shrugged.
“I don’t remember ever reading that part,” Marla said, staring at Ernie’s back as he disappeared into one of the rooms.
“This could end up being suicide,” Keith said. “For those of us that do stay, I think we need to consider ways to secure the hospital. What about using brick or something to close off the windows and doors? Any ideas?”
“I like your orderly’s idea,” Snake said to Jack, causing Keith to raise his eyebrows, though he didn’t bother correcting the man. “There’s a home improvement store about two miles down the road. Maybe we could commandeer a truck and grab some block and mortar bags. One of my guys does that stuff. We could have him block out the windows and any glass doors, while we keep the goons away from him. That should keep the first floor pretty secure, at least for a while.”
Jack knew he was taking a risk in trusting the strangers but his gut told him that they meant no harm and his instinct was usually right.
“I’m not sure that this is the best place to be, but if you and your men are willing to stick around and give us a hand, we’d sure be happy to have you,” he said. “We can use all the help we can get at this point.”
Snake grinned and said, “It’s a deal, Jack.”
He looked at his partner. “Wolf, go see if you can find a truck. We’re going shopping.”
Turning back to Jack and Keith, he smiled, showing a couple of missing teeth in the front.
“You know, we hang around long enough, we could give you guys a cool nickname too.”
Keith laughed, able to relax a little now that they had a plan. He’d feel even better once the bottom floor was secured. “Will they completely block the entrances off down there? I guess we could use the fire escape to get in and out if we have to.”
“The side doors should be okay because they’re metal and swing out for fire code,” Jack noted. Only the glass ones need to be reinforced.”
Keith nodded, “Yeah, nothing should get through those metal doors.”
Jack turned to Snake. “I’ll get Eric to help you with the reinforcing. He’s not real bright, but he’s obnoxious enough that your guys will have the motivation to get done quickly.”
Snake got a confused look on his face. “Uh, Dude, didn’t he tell you that he was leaving?”
“Let me guess. He went to find another snack?” Keith asked, rolling his eyes. “I don’t think he can go two hours without some sort of fast-food fix.”
“You kidding?” Snake replied. “That dude smelled like he just got battered by Col. Sanders. He left half a bucket on his shirt. He found something open.”
“Why am I not surprised? Of course, he could have been dumpster diving. Either way, if he has food, then that can’t be where he went,” Keith said.
~*~
The journey back to the freeway was nerve-wracking for Eric as the roads were filled with deserted vehicles. The number of undead seemed to be increasing. When he reached the on-ramp, he had to nudge several cars out of the way with his bumper so that he could continue. More than once, he was sure that he wasn’t going to get through and with the large number of infected around the car it would have been the end of him. Slowly pushing his way through, he moved down the freeway at a crawl. It took him an hour to make it the first mile through the abandoned cars then the traffic became a little easier to navigate after that point.
The city gave way to forests, and Eric let out a breath of relief when he started moving at a decent speed. Something caught his eye off to the right. A small group of survivors had spotted him from their hiding place in the trees and were running toward him. Their frantic movements attracted the attention of a few undead, which were staggering slowly behind them. Eric slammed on the brakes and jumped out, hurrying to the back of the car. Opening the trunk, he frantically searched its contents.
“There’s got to be something here!” he said.
He kept looking over to see the survivors closing in on him and the zombies not far behind them, growing in numbers.
“Ah-ha!” he cried. He triumphantly grabbed a can of florescent paint from the trunk and held it to the side of the car. He looked nervously at the small crowd approaching him as he painted. When he finished, he quickly jumped back into the front seat. The exhausted survivors came close enough to the vehicle to see ‘Not in Service’ painted in bold letters on the side door as the car took off.
Eric watched from his side view mirror
as the group stopped in the middle of the road, demoralized.
At least they know now, Eric thought as he continued on his journey.
~*^*~
~13~
Marla walked over and reminded Keith that their patients were hungry.
“As soon as the first floor is cleared out, we’ll go see what we can find. I have the feeling that it won’t be a home cooked meal, though,” Keith told her.
“Well, if you don’t need me here right now, I’ll check on the cleanup on the first floor,” Snake said, turning to re-enter the elevator.
“Wait!” Marla stopped him. “When were you going to tell us why they call you Snake?”
The biker studied her expression to see if she was joking. It was obvious that she wasn’t.
“Well,” he started, “it wasn’t long ago that I used to let my, uhh, one-eyed python roam just about anywhere it pleased.”
“Wasn’t that dangerous?” Marla asked, putting her hand to her mouth.
“Sure it was,” Snake replied, “but at the time, I didn’t care. I couldn’t care less who I hurt, and whether or not I got hurt. When I found God, I learned that it was better to keep it in my pants.”
“Is it there now?” Marla gasped.
“I sure hope so!” Snake answered with a sideways glance.
Jack had heard the exchange and was in a corner with his hand over his mouth, appearing to be experiencing some sort of spasms.
“Listen,” Marla said sternly, “I’ve seen all those wildlife shows. I’d see it if it were still in your pants. If I find that thing, I swear I’ll smash it.”
She made a stomping movement which made Snake step back and cringe at the mental image. Marla turned to Jack.
“I love animals just as much as anyone else, but he’s not allowed to bring that thing in the hospital, is he?”
Jack tried to speak, but quickly turned back to his corner and buried his head in his hands.
Keith just shook his head. Marla would never cease to amaze him. Just when he thought she had finally hit the bottom of the stupidity pit, he would find out there was yet another level.
“It’ll be fine, Marla,” Keith said. “I’m sure that Snake knows he needs to control his, uh, pet, while in a public building.”
Lindsey and Autumn had returned from checking the south corridor. They both looked surprised to see the bikers and Keith could only imagine what they thought about Marla’s tirade. “I swear, if that snake gets out of his pants, I’m going to scream!”
Lindsey quickly covered Autumn’s ears and guided her back through the corridor.
“I want to see the snake!” Autumn pleaded.
“No, you don’t,” Lindsey insisted. “Believe me, you don’t.”
Snake glanced at Keith and said, “You know, at least it won’t be boring. Stuck in a hospital full of semi-comatose and bedridden patients for days could have been pretty miserable, but I have the feeling that we won’t have a dull moment around here.”
Snake gladly got back in the elevator, still confused as to whether Marla had an exceptionally dry sense of humor or if she was extremely stupid. He rode to the first floor, and when the doors opened, his men were dragging the last of the undead dead outside.
“All cleaned up?” Snake asked.
“Yeah, man,” one of the men said through his mask. “No bites either.”
Snake was glad to hear that. He had lost two men when he had liberated a shopping mall earlier, and he’d lost over half of his men at the shelter.
“What about securing those windows?” Snake continued.
“The guys should be picking up some materials from DIY Depot right now. We’ve got a couple of shooters on the roof picking off the zombies before they can gather back at the parking lot.”
“Cool,” Snake smiled. “Tell Mouse and Gunner to meet me at the cafeteria. We’re going to make some grub.”
~*~
Eric pulled off the freeway to the gravel road. It was a relief to be in the country after the harrowing experience in town. The freeway had been a nightmare as the survivors had jammed it up in a desperate attempt to leave the city. Even the dirt roads were beginning to clog as more people were seeking an alternate route and the first priority was to get out. Now the rural communities were becoming overcrowded and with the exodus from the cities came the plague. Many of the refugees had brought family members that were infected in the hopes that they could save them, or at least control them. This, more often than not, ended badly. Fortunately, Gratiot County was crisscrossed with country roads and had no large population centers. Ithaca was small enough and far enough from Cheri’s farm that Eric didn’t think they’d have much trouble with the infected. The problem, he thought, would be the living. There would be thousands of people with no place to go. They would soon need food, water, and shelter. A farm like Cheri’s would be coveted, and not everyone would be polite about it.
~*~
“But Keith, I just don’t think you’re taking this seriously,” Marla sputtered. “Remember when that man snuck a cat in here, and one of the other patients threatened to sue us because he was allergic or something? Just think what a python could do! It could swallow one of the patients whole and then they’d sue for sure.”
“Well, they couldn’t sue us because they’d be dead, right?” Keith pointed out. “Do you think that with zombies having eaten most of the people on the first two floors, patients and staff alike, that anybody is going to sue us over a snake? With any luck, they’ve already gotten most of the lawyers.” He rubbed his temples and said, “Besides, it’s not a snake. He just meant . . .”
“I heard him say it was a snake,” Autumn said, sticking her head back around the corner. “I’m sure about that part.”
Giving up, Keith said, “Okay, you win. Why don’t you guys all go look for the snake in the empty rooms? I’ll see about changing bed pans and colostomy bags since most of our CNAs have apparently been eaten.”
~*~
Eric stopped a few yards short of the farm house. He had never been this close before, at least not in person. Several questions haunted him. How would she react? Would she even recognize him? Would the restraining order still be in effect? The previous time, he had lost his courage as well as his stamina. This time was different. This was a crisis. She could be in trouble . . . and he had a patrol car. The thought made him smile. She hadn’t seen him for years. She had no idea what he did for a living and probably didn’t care. Now she would. He was a cop, for all she knew. He would be her knight in shining armor. He thought about the people at the chicken place, how they had waited all day for a cop and how they had cheered him on when he had cleared out the dead. He was in demand and now she would finally appreciate him. He pulled in front of the house and turned off the car, wondering if she might be looking outside now, desperate for someone to come to her aid.
There was no sign of any infected around, but that didn’t mean anything. She had to know what was going on by now, and she was probably terrified. As he stared at the house, he could already see in his mind how the events were going to unfold.
In his fantasy, he saw Cheri peeking out the window, watching as a small horde of the infected converged upon Eric from all directions. He would be smiling, of course, and he’d throw her a wink just to let her know how confident he was. Then, the smile would disappear as he put on his game face and grabbed the sword with both hands, yelling an attack cry as he jumped into action, slicing, chopping, whipping around to get yet another of his foes before using a hard kick on one coming up on the side. He would move like lightning, dropping one after the other and in a matter of minutes, he would stand alone, bodies littering the yard around him as he surveyed the devastation. That’s when Cheri would run out and throw her arms around him, thanking him for saving her. He’d tell her that it was nothing, that he was a killing machine, and it was what he had been made to do. Still smiling at the thought, he rang the bell.
Nobody answered.
&nbs
p; ~*~
Snake arrived at the cafeteria and found it in decent shape, considering the circumstances. He knew that most hospitals had backup generators that would kick on at any loss of grid power, and with all of the mounting chaos, loss of power was inevitable. This hospital would soon be one of the only places in town capable of storing frozen food or microwaving a meal. It would be a virtual island in a sea of death.
Mouse and Gunner arrived and were awed by the size of the kitchen.
“Not like the mess hall, huh guys?”
“This is awesome, man!” Gunner was mesmerized by the row of ovens and stoves lining the wall while Mouse was trying to figure out the purpose of some of the utensils.
“Boys, we’re not cooking for a bunch of GIs now. We’ve got to tweak our menu for some old, sick folks. Use your imagination,” Snake suggested. “I’m going to get a head count.”
~*~
Walking around the side of the house, Eric saw a car in the driveway. Avoiding the mud, he continued around back and peered into a window. He looked for signs of life but saw no one. He thought about giving up, but a thought occurred to him. What if she was trapped inside, scared and alone?
He could almost see her, huddled beneath a table as several of the infected searched for her in the house. She would be terrified, shaking with fear. They would sense her fear and slowly turn toward the table as they zeroed in on their prey. That’s when Eric would come leaping through the window in a cascade of broken glass, sword in hand. He would make short work of the infected in the room without even breaking a sweat. Cheri would rush to him, and he would crush his mouth to hers in a searing kiss.
Anxious to rescue her, he tried several windows, but they were all locked. He had gone this far and he wasn’t about to quit now. He grabbed his sword and thrust it through the bedroom window and cleared most of the jagged glass from the frame. He eyed it for a moment, contemplating how he’d leap through it. He tried jumping in place once, just to see how high he could get. He was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be enough, but maybe once he got his momentum going, it would work. He made a run for it, but stopped when he saw that there was still some glass. Sighing, he brushed away the remaining glass then heaved his bulk up onto the window frame. It took him a couple of minutes to maneuver his body so that he could get his legs inside, but finally he dropped to his feet inside the bedroom. As he stood upright, he felt a terrible pain as a baseball bat crashed across his head. He fell to the floor, barely conscious. Looking up, he could see Cheri wielding a bat, ready for another strike.
Dead, but Not for Long Page 11