Amanda stared up at the sun. She didn’t have a watch and she’d lost her cell phone with her purse. She was guessing it was about noon. She then wondered if she’d make it home with the infected roaming the streets. The thought brought goose bumps to her skin and caused her to shiver. Pushing the negative thoughts from her mind, she focused on her goal. Getting home.
***
The old orange and beige truck bumped and banged as Mike drove at high speeds down a dirt road. A thick cloud of dust followed in their wake. Even with her seatbelt on, Ellie had to brace herself. She had one hand on the dash. Her back was slightly turned so that she could face Mike. Her other hand was gripping the seat. With all the potholes they’d hit at full speed, she’d been surprised the old truck hadn’t conked out on them yet.
“They don’t make trucks like they used to,” Mike said, smacking the steering wheel with his hand.
Ellie tried to grin, but was having difficulty pulling it off. She looked out the window at the miles of desert surrounding them. Mike had said he knew back roads to bypass the traffic jam on the freeway. When he’d said back roads, Ellie just thought less traveled paved roads. She hadn’t known he’d meant rarely traveled dirt roads. She worried that the old beat up truck would eventually break down due to the rough terrain, and they’d be left stranded in the middle of nowhere. She wanted to voice her fears to him, but felt it was better not to. She tried to put some faith in the fact that Mike was a sheriff. He probably knew the Nevada desert like the back of his hand. Or at least she hoped that he did. Regardless, if it weren’t for him, she’d have been raped and murdered by that man in her motel room last night. Or even worse, she could have become one of the infected.
“Up there!” Mike yelled over the roar of the engine. “You see it?”
Ellie squinted. She didn’t see anything but sand, cactus, tumbleweeds, rocks, and boulders. And lots of them.
“There’s a road. It’ll take us to the left.”
Ellie followed Mike’s gaze to the left. She could see buildings in the distance. “I see it!” This time she smiled without having to try. Once she was at the sheriff’s station, she knew everything would be okay. She’d be able to call her family and also her neighbor whose daughter was dog sitting for her. She hadn’t worried about Max because she knew Francesca, and her daughter, Chloe, would take good care of him. However, a thought just occurred to her. What if they were infected? Or even if they weren’t, would they continue to take care of Max with the current turn of events? He’d starve to death if left locked up in her condo.
Mike smiled back. “I could tell you were getting nervous.”
“I wasn’t nervous.”
“Yeah, okay…” Mike slowed down to take a sharp turn onto a very sandy trail. The truck’s tires seemed to be having a difficult time gripping the loose grains. The previous dirt road they’d traveled, the sand had been packed down hard, almost like clay. This one was loose and powdery. Sand puffed up in giant brown clouds all around them, making it difficult to see out the windows.
When they emerged from the sand, pulling up onto a paved parking lot behind some beige stucco buildings, Ellie’s nervousness decreased. Mike parked alongside several other vehicles and hopped out of the truck. Ellie undid her seatbelt. When she slid out of the passenger seat, hot and soaked with sweat, her legs felt unsteady. She wasn’t used to the Nevada heat and was feeling lightheaded. Mike, unaffected by the climate, was already walking towards the front of the building. Ellie closed the passenger side door, leaned against the truck to steady herself, and then hurried to catch up. Mike was standing in front of the building staring at the destruction. Ellie didn’t say anything. She stood next to him in silence. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. There were dead sheriff officers and civilians in the street, on the sidewalks, and locked in cars. Everything was quiet. No sounds of the living.
Without saying a word, Ellie followed Mike to the local sheriff’s station. When they entered, Ellie winced at the familiar scent of death.
“Stay here!” Mike pointed to some seats near the door. Ellie sat down. She watched as he glanced at the front desk while turning to walk down a hall. She could hear him opening and closing doors. Ellie eyed the desk and then decided to look for a phone. She picked up the receiver to an older model multiline telephone. As an administrative assistant, and a receptionist by trade, she was familiar with the outdated model. Her heart sank. No dial tone. She checked the connection. The line was intact and the phone plugged in. She then hit the number 9, knowing that in some companies, you needed to dial 9 in order to make an outgoing call. Nothing. Knowing that it was useless, but not wanting to believe it, she tried each of the lines. She was punching every button on the phone a second time when Mike reappeared.
“Let’s get out of here.” Not waiting for Ellie, he left the building with a black backpack slung over one shoulder. Ellie dropped the receiver back into the cradle and scurried after him.
***
Frustrated, Bill punched the wall, and immediately regretted it. His hand throbbed something fierce. The last thing he needed to do was break his hand. So far, there wasn’t a soul alive on the entire first floor. He stopped in front of the elevators and tried pushing the button numerous times. He should’ve known the elevators wouldn’t work. The generators probably didn’t cover elevators. They’d take too much energy. He’d have to find a staircase and drag his bum leg up the stairs.
Pulling himself down the hall, he noticed a sign suspended from the ceiling. There was an arrow pointing in the direction of the cafeteria. His stomach grumbled. He turned and headed in that direction. Maybe, just maybe, he’d find someone alive in there. He’d grab a bite to eat at the same time. Maybe find some juice or milk for Benjamin. If he could just get a little nutrients into him, he’d feel better. He worried about Benjamin being dehydrated and starving.
Bill pushed open the swinging doors. There was an overhead light on in the back of the room where the food was kept. He figured the generators were running that section of the cafeteria to keep the food from going bad. He worked his way over to a fridge with glass doors. There was a shelf with premade sandwiches, another with different colored Jell-O cups and yogurts, and below that one was a variety of fruit. He grabbed a couple ham and cheese sandwiches, and two Jell-O cups, one green and one red. He set them on an orange plastic tray that looked like it’d been around since the 1960s. His stomach rumbled.
Clutching his stomach with one hand, he decided he couldn’t wait. He was starving and his hands were beginning to tremble. His blood sugar was dropping and he needed to eat something before he passed out. He ripped open the plastic wrap over one of the sandwiches and took a huge bite. Nothing had ever tasted so good in his life. He then opened another glass door refrigerator and removed a bottle of water and a carton of chocolate milk.
Unscrewing the lid to the plastic bottle, he took a large gulp of water, when he felt it. A sharp stab in his upper arm. His vision blurred before he could see anything. The room began to spin and his legs collapsed. Someone caught him before he hit the ground.
Chapter 22
When Amanda arrived back at the hospital, the sour scent of rotting corpses had worsened and insects were collecting. Instead of walking past the front of the building, she decided to avoid the mass of dead and walk around to the back where the emergency entrance was located. She supposed, since she was there, she would try one more time to see if anyone was inside. If Jasper was still alive, she believed that he would be inside, being treated for the illness. She wasn’t about to give up hope. Not yet. Not until she’d seen him with her own eyes. Finding out that there were still people alive, such as Jenny and her family, gave her hope. Maybe not everyone would, or could, catch this thing. Maybe people could even fight it once infected. She told herself that, even though, deep in her heart, she didn’t believe it. She really believed it was only a matter of time before the handful of people still left alive would catch it and become infecte
d themselves. She knew she was one of the lucky few that hadn’t caught it yet. It was only a matter of time. And if it wasn’t that, it’d be dying from a disease brought on by the millions of rotting bodies.
Pushing that negative thoughts from her mind, Amanda wandered behind the building. She was under an overhang. She found herself over by where the ambulances would normally be kept except there weren’t any ambulances around. Apparently, they’d all been dispatched. None had returned. She noticed a black golf cart parked next to the wall with the word, Security, painted in white across the hood. The body, of who she believed was the security guard, was lying in a pool of congealed blood on the ground next to it. There was a dim overhead light flickering that caught Amanda’s eye. She frowned upon noticing a paramedic and one of the hospital staff lying on the ground, also in a pool of blood. She watched for a moment from a safe distance, when she was sure that none of them were moving she made her way to a door that’d hopefully lead her into the hospital.
Amanda’s heart leapt in her chest when the door pushed open. She carefully entered the building and covered her mouth. There was blood smeared on the walls of the long hallway. Careful not to make any noise, in case there were infected still roaming the building she crept down the hall to the emergency waiting room. No one was there. She worked her way down the maze of hallways and corridors trying to figure out where to go. To her dismay, there was no one around. Well, no one around that was still alive. Amanda continued her search. She was still optimistic that there’d be a wing or a section of the hospital where doctors were treating the infected. And that’d be where she’d find Jasper.
Grabbing hold of her long, blonde locks, Amanda tucked them behind her ears to try to keep them out of her face. Even though she’d cleaned up a bit at Jenny’s, she knew she looked like hell. The bottom of her foot began to throb reminding her of her injury. She needed to find somewhere to clean her wound before it got infected. The last thing she needed was to survive the fatal epidemic that was killing everyone off, and then die from something stupid like an infection caused by stepping on glass. She’d have to look for some antiseptic and also some antibiotics. A dose of Erythromycin should do the trick. That’s what her doctor always prescribed for her sinus infections since she was allergic to penicillin. A good doze of Erythromycin should kill off any bacteria that’d made its way into her body.
Noticing a sign pointing the way to the restrooms, Amanda decided she’d stop in and wash her wound in there. Afterwards, she’d go in search of a pharmacy. She bet she’d be able to find everything she needed. And hopefully, she’d also stumble across a doctor. Not that she hadn’t stumbled across a few already. But she was hoping to stumble across a doctor that was still alive. So far, the odds weren’t looking too good.
Amanda ripped off the blood soaked makeshift bandage she’d applied at Jenny’s with the few things they had in their first aid kit. Her foot stung like frickin’ hell and was now oozing, what she believed to be, puss. Biting her lower lip to keep from screaming, Amanda lifted her foot up into the sink. There was barely any light in the otherwise dark bathroom. A small ceiling light, that probably only came on when the electricity was out, buzzed. Amanda wondered how long before the generator stopped running and there was no light at all. She’d better hurry.
Switching on the tap, cold water washed over her foot. The injury was worse than she’d originally thought. The flesh around the cut was now extremely swollen from all the walking. She’d most definitely need to find clean dressing, antiseptic, antibiotics, and maybe even some painkillers. She still had a long walk ahead of her. If she had to, she could probably find an available room in the hospital to take refuge in. Though the thought of staying there for the night, or maybe two, creeped her out. She really wanted to be in the comfort of her own home. Nevertheless, it was an option if her foot was giving her too much trouble. She could easily hide in one of these rooms and probably never be found. So far, she hadn’t seen anyone alive to oppose of her stay.
Amanda shivered. The thought of all the dead surrounding her, and scattered around inside and outside the hospital, made her feel uneasy. Overall, the hospital staff had done an amazing job of disposing of the bodies inside the building. After the mass of people she’d seen outside, she’d expected to find it just as bad on the inside. However, the bodies she’d been coming in contact with were few and far between. She guessed they were the last to have died.
That doesn’t mean everyone is dead, she told herself. There could still be people alive in another wing of the hospital. She just needed to find them.
Amanda switched off the faucet and grabbed a wad of brown recycled paper towels from the wall dispenser. With her foot still propped up on the counter, while balancing on one leg, she carefully patted dry her wound when she heard it. A blood curdling cry for help. She held her breath and listened. The voice had belonged to a man. It was deep and raspy. There was a man, alive, somewhere in the building. He let out another bellowing scream. He sounded like he was being tortured. Her pulse raced. The sound of her heartbeat was throbbing in her ears. She’d been so hopeful to find someone, but not like this. A wave of terror shot up her spine as the man screamed out again.
***
Ellie sat quietly in the truck as Mike, tightlipped and angry, raced through deserted back streets. Sand flew in all directions, creating big puffs of brown clouds all around them. She wasn’t sure where he was taking her, and she was too terrified to ask. For now, she decided to keep quiet and just go with the flow. She had nowhere else to go. In a way, she felt her life depended on him. She wondered what she would do without him. Where would she go? She wasn’t sure. She wanted so badly to go home, but was unsure if that was even possible. Her hands were tied. Would they even be allowed to cross over the border back into California? Were all of the highways congested with abandoned cars?
Southern California freeways would more than likely be impossible to navigate. Highways might even be worse. Maybe she could find back roads that’d lead her back to Oceanside. There had to be other ways to get back home that would bypass the freeways. She’d need to get her hands on a map since GPS was no longer an option. Maybe later, once things settled down a bit, she’d ask Mike to take her to a gas station. Ellie frowned. She’d forgotten all about not having a vehicle. Her poor car had been left on the side of the road. She still had hefty payments to make on it too. Maybe her insurance would cover everything. Ellie shook her head. Insurance… car payments… they were hardly something to worry about when the entire world was crumbling apart. It was funny how the things that were once so important were now considered trivial. They didn’t fit into this new world that’d been thrust upon them overnight. Was it weird to feel nostalgic about possibly never making a car payment again?
Mike entered a residential area with beautiful, earth tone colored, stucco homes and gravel landscaped yards. The streets were barren. No one was about except for a few scattered bodies. There were a couple of abandoned cars in the street. Ellie kept silent, but wondered if there were people still alive hiding in their homes, or if they were all dead, or infected. She looked at Mike. He was visibly upset. His lips were pulled in a tight line, shoulders tense, and his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel with great force. Ellie wanted to talk to him about it, but felt it was best to keep her thoughts to herself for the time being.
Mike pulled up in front of a tan, adobe style house with a white quartz front yard, and parked in the street. A black SUV was parked in the short, sloped driveway. Without saying a word, he flung open the driver’s side door and jumped out. Ellie wondered if she was supposed to follow or stay put. Instead of heading into the house that he’d parked in front of, he sprinted in the direction of the two story house next door. That’s when Ellie noticed the body. Someone was lying on the front porch. She watched as Mike kneeled down next to it. She got out of the truck and began walking across the gravel yard; rocks were grinding and crunching beneath her feet.
&nb
sp; “My neighbor,” he said, not turning to look at Ellie. With his hand, he closed the golden yellow eyes of the old woman. Her skin was white and distorted with hives. “She was like a second mom to me. Always baking me cookies and casseroles.”
“I’m sorry,” Ellie said, her voice barely a whisper.
Mike stood up and tried the front door. It was locked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring. He unlocked the door, then scooped up the woman and carried her inside, gently lying her down on the couch. There was a green and yellow crocheted blanket folded across the top. Grabbing it, he covered the woman’s body.
“Does she live here alone?” Ellie asked, looking around the house. It seemed awfully large for one person since it was two stories. She glanced at the carpeted staircase leading upstairs. She guessed the house was maybe three or four bedrooms.
“Widowed. Husband died a couple years back. She has a son in Arkansas. Married with two kids. He didn’t visit much.”
Ellie nodded. She understood how distance made visiting family difficult. Between lack of time and money, she rarely got to see her family. And she was feeling guilty for not trying to make it more of a priority. She had always thought she had all the time in the world. And now, she realized just how wrong she was. In an instant, everything changed. What if she never got to see her family again? Ellie’s eyes clouded with tears. With what she’d been seeing in Nevada, the amount of people that’d been infected here, chances were pretty good that she would never see her family again. She swiped at her eyes. Now wasn’t the time to cry.
Fatal Reaction, The Beginning Page 17