When the Future Ended

by David Spell

The doctor stared at them for a minute and then nodded. Those sounded like reasonable precautions. Of course, the hospital administration would have to make the decision on whether or not they wanted to have armed security in the hospital around the clock. He would issue his orders to the nurses and to the orderlies to restrain those who appeared to be infected as soon as he finished treating the two wounded officers.

  Smith’s shoulder wound would be thoroughly cleansed and sewn up. It would leave a scar, but it was just one more of many that the doctor saw looking at the big man’s torso. The cuts on his face would also be cleaned and patched up with some butterfly bandages.

  The doctor left them to check the rest of the patients in the ER. He said he would return soon to finish treating them so they could get discharged.

  “I think she liked me,” said Scotty.

  “I think she thought you were crazy,” said Andy.

  “She gave me her phone number. I must not be too crazy.”

  “She probably just made up a number and gave it to you so you'd leave her alone.”

  “You're killing me, man. Now you have me worried. I'll call her when we get done and see if it's a good number or not.”

  An hour later, the doctor pulled a small, disfigured piece of metal out of Andy’s side. He carefully checked the hole to make sure that he had gotten everything. A nurse cleaned the wound and bandaged it up. Doctor Schuler had numbed the area around the bullet hole and Fleming hadn't felt a thing.

  The doctor and nurse then turned their attention to Smith. Schuler was touching the wound on Scotty's shoulder and pulling it together, trying to decide if he should sew it up or just bandage it up tightly.

  “Just pack it up, Doc. Put some antibiotic cream on it and bandage me up good. I’ll be fine.”

  "I don't know, that bullet graze created a nasty gouge right there. It'll probably heal up without any problem, but it's going to leave a very noticeable scar.”

  A loud crash came from the next examination room over and they heard what sounded like an animal growling.

  “What are you doing, son?” a man yelled in the next room. “Stop biting me.”

  “Nurse, can you go check on that?” the doctor asked.

  “Patch me up quick, Doc,” said Scotty. “That sounds like one of the zombies. They like to growl right before they eat. Nurse, I wouldn't go in there.”

  She was already out the door and didn't hear him. A moment later, she screamed. “Stop! Stop that! Security, help!”

  Andy was quickly off the hospital gurney and on his feet. He drew his pistol. The doctor hurriedly finished putting a big bandage on Scotty’s shoulder and taping it down.

  “Thanks, Doc. I wish I had a shirt.”

  Both men were naked from the waist up. Their shirts, body armor, and kevlar-lined jackets had been left behind. Their badges hung from chains around their necks.

  Andy laughed and led the way out of their room to where the nurse was screaming. “Who are you trying to fool? This is your best life, fighting and flexing at the same time.”

  They swung out wide into the hallway to get a good view into the hospital room. Other nurses came running down the hall. Two obese, unarmed security guards were lumbering towards them from the opposite direction.

  “Federal Police Officers. Everybody stop and wait! Let us check this first,” Smith bellowed.

  The sight of the two shirtless, armed men slowed everyone down. Scotty’s size alone was usually enough to get people’s attention. Blood was running out of the room into the hallway. As they continued to "cut the pie," tactically moving to get a look into the room, the picture came into focus. A man’s legs on the floor. A woman’s legs. It had to be the nurse on the floor next to him. They could see her white stockings.

  More growling came from the room and then a teenage boy, maybe sixteen years old, lunged out of the door towards the officers. In an instant, Fleming and Smith saw the blood on his face and on his white Atlanta Braves jersey. They both fired one time, striking him in the head and dropping him to the floor.

  Scotty stepped around him and looked into the room. The man on the floor had defensive bite marks on his right arm and a large wound on the side of his neck where his jugular had been ripped open. The nurse’s throat was still intact but she had been bitten several times on her arm and on her face. She must've fallen and hit her head, Smith thought. He saw a box of rubber gloves next to the sink in the room. He quickly put some on and felt for a pulse on the nurse. She was still alive.

  He stepped into the hallway and motioned in the other nurses. “Grab a gurney,” he commanded. “She’s still alive.”

  As the nurses and techs wheeled the injured nurse out of the room, Fleming and Smith stepped out into the hallway. One of the big security guards walked up with body bags for the dead men.

  "Just leave them for the moment," Scotty said. "We'll need to call and see how our department wants to process the scene. Maybe shut this hallway down for now? And could you cover the boy in the hallway with a sheet?"

  "Let's go find a cup of coffee and I'll call Chuck," Fleming told Scotty.

  The two barechested men went wandering down the hall. A loud slamming sound from the room they had just left caught their attention and they turned and ran back that way. There were sounds of a struggle and then the distinctive crack of a metal flashlight connecting with a skull.

  Pistols out, they cautiously reentered the room. One of the security officers was breathing hard and standing over the man, holding his flashlight.

  "He turned into one of those things," he said, "and tried to grab me. That's why I always carry my Maglite with me. They won't let us have weapons in here. He tried to take a bite out of my leg."

  "Make sure you disinfect that flashlight really good," Andy told him.

  Scotty smiled at the man. "I think you get credit for the first zombie killed with a flashlight."

  The security guards let Fleming and Smith borrow their jackets so they would have something covering their torsos. Both of the guards were big, hefty men. The borrowed jackets hung off of Andy and fit snugly on Scotty's six foot five inch frame.

  Fleming, sipping coffee from a styrofoam cup, stepped outside by the Emergency Room Entrance and called McCain. He told him about their shooting in the hospital and got a quick update on the rest of the teams. One of the security guards had let him know that the police were on their way.

  Chuck told him to cooperate fully with the local police and to just wait at the hospital. He didn't think the FBI had an available agent to send with the two large incidents at the mall and at Six Flags. McCain also let him know that all the CDC officers were tied up and that they only had one undamaged Suburban. It was going to be a long night.

  While they were talking, another ambulance pulled up to the ER. The driver jumped out and ran to the rear. He saw Andy in the security jacket and assumed that he was part of the hospital’s security staff.

  “Man, I need some help. The patients became combative in the back of the ambulance and were fighting with the other paramedic.”

  “Hey, Chuck, I have to go. It looks like another load of zombies just showed up at the hospital.”

  As the ambulance driver started to open the rear door of the ambulance, Andy put a hand on him. “Hang on just a minute. Where'd you pick these patients up at?”

  The paramedic shoved his hand away and said, “Get your hands off me. Mike needs help back there.”

  Fleming grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. He slammed him into the ambulance and then pinned him there with his forearm.

  “Calm down and tell me where you picked them up and tell me what their injuries are,” Andy said evenly.

  The paramedic’s eyes got big. He took a deep breath.

  “These three came from the Braves Stadium. One of them has a gunshot wound to the abdomen, the other has a gunshot wound to the arm, and the other one said that someone assaulted him. He has some really nasty bites all over him.”

&n
bsp; “We can’t open the ambulance," Andy told him. "Mike and the other two patients are probably dead. The one that got bit has turned into a zombie. The attack at the stadium was a terrorist attack and they weren't just shooting people. They were trying to infect as many people as they could with the zombie virus.”

  The paramedic relaxed and said, “Sorry, man. I didn’t know.”

  Andy released him and said, “Let’s take a peek in the windows.”

  The side door of the ambulance had a window low enough that they could see into the back. Or they could have if it wasn't smeared with blood. There was no noise coming from the inside the vehicle.

  “Back here,” the paramedic motioned.

  The ambulance had a small step about six inches wide on the back of the vehicle. Both men climbed up and peered into the window on the back door. Andy was right. Both of the gunshot victims had been ripped apart. Mike, the other paramedic, was leaning over one of the victims and chewing on her neck. Another man was doing the same to the other gunshot victim.

  “Oh, my God! Mike has turned into one of those things.”

  “Keep your voice down,” Andy whispered.

  Mike’s head snapped to the left looking at the rear door. He and the other zombie charged the back of the ambulance, slamming into the door. The driver was startled and lost his balance. He reached out to grab something to keep from falling the three feet to the pavement. His hand grabbed the door handle to keep his balance.

  The two new zombies hit the door just as the driver paramedic pulled on it. It swung open and the two zombies fell out the door on top of the driver. Andy was beside the opening and was now standing over the three struggling figures on the ground. He drew his pistol and dropped to the pavement. He quickly shot both zombies in the head, covering the paramedic with gore.

  Scotty, hearing the shots, came running outside. Fleming helped the paramedic get disentangled from the two bodies.

  “Did you get bit?” Andy asked him.

  “I don’t think so. I hit my head pretty hard, though,” he said, rubbing the back of his skull.

  “Get into the ER and wash all that gore off of you and check yourself for injuries.”

  Six Flags Over Georgia, Saturday, 0155 hours

  Chuck’s team met up with one of the other four-man teams that was clearing the large amusement park near the rear entrance. He had started with two teams. A third team of officers had joined him a couple of hours into the search. A radio call verified that the third team had also finished clearing their search area.

  Terrence Matthews had impressed both McCain and Luis. He was the epitome of the quiet professional. He took out several people turned zombies with perfect head shots. What Chuck liked especially was his attitude. He did what he needed to do and kept moving forward.

  McCain spoke to the other officers. “I think we're done. Of course, as soon as I say that, some of the bodies from earlier have probably turned into zombies by now.”

  The three teams had found a total of thirty-seven people who were unharmed. They only found a few injured people. The paramedics had already come in under police escort and gotten most of the injured out. The three teams shot a total of fifty-two zombies. They found another seventy-three bodies.

  The most tragic thing that Chuck saw were the two Cobb police officers and the two paramedics who had gotten bit and had turned. McCain had almost tripped over one of the zombie officers. He was on his knees chewing on a dead victim. Chuck put a bullet into his head.

  A little while later, the second zombie officer came towards them growling and snapping his mouth open and shut. Luis had dropped him. One of the other teams had encountered the infected paramedics and had shot them.

  McCain asked Jason Wood, the Cobb Police officer on his team, to give the all clear signal over the radio. The teams were told to make their way out of the park and to meet at the command post. There were concession wagons and food vendors throughout the park. The men helped themselves to water, Powerade, and whatever snacks they could find. They were all thirsty and hungry.

  The Cobb County LT was waiting for them in the CP along with several FBI agents. Chuck and the other police team leaders briefed them on what they had seen and done as they had cleared the park. Luis and Chuck did video walk throughs with the Clean Up Team. Every officer involved gave a recorded statement of their actions during the incident. The scene was photographed and videotaped. The CDC had other representatives there to assist the FBI, the local police, and the EMS personnel.

  The Clean Up Team would be working with the local Medical Examiner in loading up the bodies. It was going to take several trips to the morgue. The Clean Up Team also took custody of the six dead terrorists and their weapons. They would be searched thoroughly and CDC personnel would conduct autopsies. The serial numbers of the guns would be checked to see where they had come from.

  Chuck and Luis were finally ready to leave. McCain stuck out his hand to Terrence Matthews.

  “Terrence, you were awesome. I really appreciate your help. And if you're ever looking for a job, here's my card. I think you'd enjoy working with us.”

  “Thanks Chuck, Luis. It was really good working with you guys. And I'll definitely think about that job offer.”

  “Remember, if your department tries to give you a hard time about anything, just give me a call. I'll help you sort it out.”

  McCain and García left Six Flags and started for the office. They were driving the Suburban that García had arrived in. It was technically still part of the crime scene. It had taken a few AK rounds to the right side but nothing vital had been hit. The Clean Up Team had photographed the vehicle where it had been shot. Chuck and Luis got in the SUV and left.

  “Que día, amigo,” said Luis.

  “You got that right. We were lucky, Luis. Very lucky. Scotty and Andy got shot up a little but it could've been so much worse. My fear now is how many infected people went home? There was no way to control people leaving before the police got here in force. And, man, you did a great job, you and your buddy, Phil.”

  García laughed. He had a mental picture of Officer Phil Bryant hiding behind his police car as they were being shot at and asking, “What do we do now?”

  “Yeah, he was special. Better than no help at all but not much. That guy you had, Terrence, he seemed pretty sharp.”

  “I thought so too. Most SWAT guys are. I told him to call us if he wants a job.”

  McCain had a voice mail from his daughter from two hours earlier. He had seen it but hadn't had time to check it. In the voice mail, she sounded scared.

  “Daddy, what's happening? Are you alright? Please call me. I saw you on the news on the interstate.”

  Chuck wasn’t sure whether he should call her or not. It was after two in the morning. Then again, she was a college student. Of course she was awake. Melanie answered on the second ring.

  “Daddy, are you ok? You didn’t call me back and I was so scared. I saw you and those other officers on the news shooting those things on I-20.”

  “It’s ok, baby, I'm fine. What did you see on the news?”

  “I've seen everything. All those attacks in different cities. People turning into, I don’t know. Monsters. Some of the reporters are calling them zombies. Where are you now? Are you still out there?”

  "I can't really talk about it but I'm ok. Don't worry. You saw the news so you have a pretty good idea of what's going on. And you should be fine out there in Athens. It looks like all these attacks were on the west side of Atlanta."

  "I'm sorry you're having to deal with all of this but I'm so glad you're alright,” she said. “I watched that video from the news helicopter over and over. Is that blonde lady your boss? I saw her shoot one of the zombies. Are those two officers going to be alright? There was cellphone video of them shooting those terrorists, but the news chopper showed them leaving in an ambulance.”

  “They both got wounded but they're going to be ok. They're just minor wounds. And, yes, that w
as the boss. She was right in the middle of everything."

  “Thank God everybody's ok. It looked awful. That terrorist crawled out the window of the van and went after that girl in the car. If those officers weren’t there, he would've gotten her.”

  “We were very fortunate. But what I want you to do now is start carrying your pistol with you all the time. Everywhere. I want you to have it with you at all times. Screw the rules. This is a very dangerous virus.”

  “Do you think it may spread to out here?”

  “I don’t know. But if any UGA students were at the Braves game or at Six Flags and got infected and then made it back to campus, well, that's serious. They could spread it and a lot more people could get hurt.

  “Get your Glock out. Load all three magazines and carry it with you all the time. If you see anybody that is acting crazy and they start growling and biting people, try and get away. If they're coming after you, shoot them in the head. That's the only thing that'll stop them.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that, daddy.”

  “Honey, I know this is hard. But as of right now, there's no known cure for this virus. A bite is a death sentence. It's that serious.”

  “Ok. I'll do that but I'm really scared. Can’t you guys stop this thing from spreading?”

  “We're working on it, sweetheart. We're working on it.”

  Arbor Place Mall, Saturday, 0200 hours

  It was after 0200 hours when Rebecca called Eddie and Jimmy over and told them that they were leaving. Their Suburban had been shot up by AK fire and sustained a lot of damage. It had been taken by wrecker to a government body shop. Johnson had left the Chief and the captain her card and told them that if they needed any more information to call her. In reality, though, the FBI and the CDC were now in charge of the scene.

  She threw Jimmy the keys to her SUV and called Chuck to check his status. He said that Luis’ Suburban had taken some hits but it was drivable. Since she was closer, Rebecca said they would go pick up Andy and Scotty at the hospital. The plan was for them to all meet at the office for a quick debrief before heading home.