"Amen to that," Lisa echoed. She then chuckled. "Man, oh man. This is an experience I definitely don't want to repeat any time soon."
It was then that the lock on the security office door behind them clicked from being unlocked. Both turned in time to see the door open. Framed in the open doorway was an adult woman with Asian features in early middle age wearing a rumpled blouse and slacks with matching flats, and with a bloodstained short white lab coat over her blouse. She had disheveled black hair pulled back into a bun, and her blue eyes were full of fear. Nevertheless there was open relief on her face as she greeted them. "I'm Mercy Parks. Thank God you made it! Hurry, before more come!"
Lisa and Cy didn't argue. They quickly followed Mercy through the doorway and into the security office beyond, sidestepping a bloody pile of bones and other human remains just outside the door as they did. Behind them, they heard the sound of the door being slammed shut and locked again behind them. They were safe once more ... for now.
The hospital's security office was fairly typical for the type. Lisa and Cy saw several workstations to their left running the length of the wall, on which were mounted multiple CCTV video monitors and with camera control boards beneath them. In the left corner was an open storage shelving unit which housed chargers for two-way radios on its upper shelves and various boxes and binders on its lower ones. All of the radios were missing, presumably still being carried or dropped somewhere else in the hospital by their now undead users. Along the back wall were two large metal storage cabinets, one of which had a padlock on it, along with several smaller unlocked ones and a couple of medium-height three-drawer filing cabinets. Above the filing cabinets was a large wall-mounted first aid cabinet, and sitting on one of the file cabinets below and to one side of it were a bottle of rubbing alcohol and bottle of hydrogen peroxide, along with a sealed box of large gauze pads. Along the wall to their right were a bookcase full of books and more binders, and two desks with office chairs, with various official and personal effects on top of the desks. Some of the desk drawers were opened in such a way to suggest they had been recently rifled, and the haphazard arrangement of the items on their top suggested that they had been hurriedly searched as well.
Cy went at once to the locked storage cabinet. He pulled on the padlock, and as expected nothing happened. "I've already tried that," Mercy said. "I also tried to find the key, but couldn't."
"Weapons store?" Lisa asked.
"Probably," Cy said, "and we aren't going to get this lock off without the key. This is a Yale® lock, one of the best made."
"Hang on," Lisa said. She went over to one of the desks, fished around in its middle drawer for a bit, then pulled out a large paperclip. She came back, unbending it as she walked. "Maybe I can pick it," she said.
Cy raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you could pick locks."
"You didn't ask," Lisa said with a smile, as she knelt down in front of the cabinet and began to work the lock with the unbent paperclip. "This may take a bit. One of my Cherokee uncles living in the Nation had an old tool shed with a lock that he had to pick half the time because the key was so old and worn out, and he wouldn't get a new one. He taught me how to pick it during the time I spent with him, and ... well ..." and with that she gave a little laugh, "... I further developed the skill on my own."
Cy laughed softly and shook his head. "You're incredible, Lisa."
"Thanks," Lisa said with a grin, as she continued to work the lock.
Cy turned away from Lisa to face Mercy. "While she's doing that, Ms. Parks, let me introduce us. I'm Corporal Cyrus Rappalo, U.S. Army, but you can call me Cy."
Cy was about to continue when Mercy cut him off. "And she's Lisa Stanridge," she said, finishing for him. "I recognize her."
"You do?" Cy said, looking surprised.
Mercy nodded. A sad expression flashed over her face when she spoke. "John, my late fiancé, was a NASCAR fan. He used to watch all kinds of car races, and went to some of the local ones as his work permitted. He even took me a few times, although I'm not a big a fan as he was. I was there at the track with him when Ms. Stanridge won the Bellville Cup. I remember seeing her at the awards ceremony." She then turned to Lisa and addressed her. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Stanridge. You're good."
"Thank you," Lisa said in reply, although she remained focused on picking the padlock, "and you can call me Lisa."
"You're welcome," Mercy said. There were tears in her eyes as she spoke. She quickly walked over to one of the desks, pulled a tissue from a box on it, and used it to dab at her eyes. "Forgive me," she said. "I've probably shouldn't have mentioned John."
"You said he was dead?" Cy asked.
Mercy nodded, still dabbing at her eyes. "We were both on the staff here, and we were the last two left alive. At the end, he shoved me in here and shut the door behind me. It opens out, as you noticed, and the zombies couldn't get in with him in front of it. That gave me just enough time to lock it, and ... and ...." She then choked out a sob. "I ... I heard him die. Th-the zombies ... they .... John ... he gave .. .he gave his life ... to save mine ..." With that she couldn't say any more. She began to go for the tissue box again, but by this time Cy had already snagged it and held it up before her. She gave him a look of gratitude as her tears flowed freely. "Thanks," she managed to get out, as she pulled another tissue and used it on her eyes..
"Not a problem," Cy said softly. He remembered the human remains just outside the security door, and then realized that was probably what was left of John. He shook his head sadly, but otherwise remained silent.
Just then there was a loud klik! from the cabinet in front of Lisa. "Got it," she said triumphantly, as she removed the open padlock from the door.
Mercy handed the box of tissues back to Cy, who took them and set them back down, and then he walked over to Lisa. "That's amazing," he said to her with admiration.
"It's nothing," Lisa said. She opened the cabinet. "Sweet Jesus," she exclaimed, looking at the various weapons and boxes of ammo inside. "Looks like we hit the jackpot."
"Yeah," Cy said, reaching for and picking up the weapon in the cabinet's lone center long gun storage slot. He eyed it appreciatively. "Police riot shotgun," he noted. "Probably something they had for emergencies."
"Ithaca M37," Lisa commented. She pointed to the lowest shelf in the cabinet, where several large and long metal shell boxes were arranged. "And there's the ammo for it."
"How do you know it's an Ithaca?" Cy asked. "I thought it was a Remington or Mossberg."
"Ambidextrous grip and its slam-fire underside shell feed," Lisa promptly responded. "Ithacas are made so they can be fired with either hand. Most shotgun makers don't do that, including Remington and Mossberg. You have to order theirs custom most of the time if you want a left-handed shotgun."
"The lady knows her weapons," Cy said with a smile. "I guess that comes from that gun nut Uncle Ray of yours."
"Uh-huh," Lisa said, while she removed an oversized weapons case from under two smaller ones inside the cabinet. She propped it up on one edge of the middle cabinet shelf and opened it. Her eyebrows went up and Cy whistled at what they saw inside. "Now that one I know," Cy said. "Ingram MAC autopistol."
"MAC-11, to be specific," Lisa said. "The .38 ACP version, not the original MAC-10 .45 ACP one. Still, it's got both the suppressor kit and plenty of .38 ACP ammo to go with it, and that's not a bad thing given our current fix." She closed the case and set it on the floor, then pulled out one of the smaller pistol cases, opened it, and examined its contents. She then turned the case so Cy could see as well. Inside was a compact automatic pistol and spare clip. "Walther PPK," Lisa explained. "American-made version by Ranger, rechambered for .38 ACP rounds instead of .32 ACP like regular Walthers."
"That's good," Cy said. "We're running low on .45 ACP ammo anyway."
"And both it and the MAC fire the same size and kind of round," Lisa said. ".38 ACP. Plenty of it here."
"Hey," Mercy said from behind them. Both tu
rned to see her pull a compact revolver from one of her lab coat pockets and presented it to them. "Will that stuff work with this gun?"
"Where'd you get this?" Cy asked as he took the gun, looked it over, and then showed it to Lisa. She looked over, then back at him with a bemused smile.
"From John," Mercy answered, and a note of sadness again crept into her voice. "It was his personal gun. He gave it to me when things started getting bad. It helped get me in here, but I've only got half-a-box of shells left for it."
Lisa maintained her bemused smile as she spoke to Mercy. "I'm afraid not. That's a Smith and Wesson Model 36, better known as a Chief's Special. It's chambered for .38 Special rounds, not .38 ACP. Those have a rim on the end, and .38 ACP doesn't. Chances are these bullets would just fall out of the gun, since they're rimless."
"Oh," Mercy said, as Cy handed the pistol back to her and she returned it to her pocket.
"I'd hang onto it all the same, as long as you have ammo for it," Lisa said encouragingly. "You never know in situations like this."
"Now might be a good time to divvy all of this up, and maybe redistribute our weapons as well," Cy said, "since we've got such a mix now. It's not a good idea for any one of us to get too loaded down, you know."
Lisa set the pistol case down by the MAC-11 case on the floor, stood up, and turned so that she was facing both Cy and Mercy. "Before we do that," she said, "what about my transfusion?"
"Then you still want it?" Mercy said.
"Yes," Lisa answered. "I've been in constant exposure to infected people since this whole thing started. I don't know why I haven't turned yet and I'm glad I haven't, but like I said earlier I may already be infected and the virus is just taking its sweet time with me. Cy here got immunized by the government before he came in with that convoy," she said, thumbing in his direction. "That's why I want that transfusion. I know he's immune."
"Speaking of which," Cy said, "why aren't you infected, Mercy?"
The nurse smiled faintly. "It's because I've been immunized too."
"Whoa," Lisa said, lifting a hand up to one of the weapon cabinet's open doors and gripping it. "You mean to say that the hospital's had the antidote all this time?!" Anger now began to lace her words. "And you didn't use it?!"
"We didn't have enough," Mercy said weakly. "As soon as we realized what was happening, everyone on the lab staff with whom I worked promptly immunized ourselves, so we wouldn't turn and could still help others. We started using what little we had left, but we ran out fast. After that we then tried to get more from Pandora, but they refused every request for more." Her own voice became agitated. "We were begging and pleading with them by the end, because we knew what was going to happen, but they wouldn't answer." She now looked sick. "After that, what happened was inevitable." She cast her eyes to the floor. "A lot of good it did them. They're all dead now, including John, and I'm the only one left."
Now Lisa looked really angry. "Pandora. I should have known," she muttered. She looked at Cy and spoke more clearly. "Word on the street had it that the infection originated at the Pandora complex north of town."
"That's what the Army was told too," Cy replied. He then looked sternly at Mercy. "We'll deal with that issue later. Right now we need to deal with the matter of Lisa's transfusion."
Mercy looked back and forth between her two new companions, both of whom were visibly angry. She gulped and nodded. "I'm still willing to do it," she said. "I couldn't save those other people, but I can certainly save you."
"I'm properly grateful," Lisa growled. "As I understand it, we need to go to the third floor for the transfusion gear."
"No we won't," Mercy interjected. "There's transfusion equipment on this floor in the lab where I worked. We can get it there and bring it back here where it's safe, provided we can get there. Also Lisa, if you don't mind, I'd like to take some samples and test your blood first."
"Why?" Lisa asked.
"Because I want to know why you haven't yet turned," Mercy replied. "Like you said, you've remained clear all this time despite all of the infected around you. That's not only remarkable but incredible, given how contagious the virus is. I'd like to know why."
"As long as I get that transfusion," Lisa said evenly.
"Agreed," Mercy said. She then spoke to Cy again. "Corporal, the lab where I worked is on the far end of the east wing on this floor. The equipment I need is portable, so like I said all we have to do is go get it and bring it back here. After that, I can work in safety while you do whatever else you need to do in here with that weapons locker."
Cy looked at Lisa, who gruffly nodded, then back at Mercy. "Okay. We'll help you go get it. However, after that and while you're helping Lisa, you need to level with us. You obviously know more about what's going on with this Outbreak than we do."
Mercy nodded. "Agreed. You saved my life, so it's a deal." She pulled her pistol and brandished it. "I'm not very good with this thing, but I'll do what I can. I owe you that much."
Lisa and Cy looked at each other, and then back again at Mercy. "It's a deal," Lisa said.
Getting to Mercy's lab and back to the security office again with both the equipment and supplies she needed proved surprisingly easy, given the fierce firefight Lisa and Cy had to go through to get to her. There were still a dozen or so zombies roaming the halls on the way, but there were never more than two at a time and these were easily dispatched with pistol shots. Once there, Cy grabbed a convenient gurney and the three of them put everything Mercy needed on it, then he and Lisa provided cover while Mercy wheeled it back with them. Once all three were back in the relative safety of the security office again, Lisa removed her gear and weapons and left them with Cy before going over to one of the nearby desks with Mercy, so the nurse could begin her blood work. Cy remained at the weapons locker with all of their gear old and new, as he began the job of sorting everything out and dividing it up among them as evenly as he could. At the same time Mercy drew three samples of Lisa's blood, then started testing the first one as soon as she was done. "This won't take long," she explained. "I know what I'm trying to find."
"That's good," Lisa said. "I wouldn't know where to begin."
Mercy gave a soft laugh as she adjusted the settings on the blood analyzer. "The virus has a very specific chemical and genetic signature. It's very easy to spot, if you know what you're ...." Her words trailed off as a chime sounded and she looked at the readout display, and then a look of amazement began to fill her face.
"What is it?" Lisa asked. Cy too looked up from what he was doing, having taken note of Mercy's unexpected reaction.
"Just a minute," Mercy said. She pulled out the blood sample that was currently in the machine, reset it, and then took another one of the samples she had taken from Lisa and inserted it. She set the machine and waited for it to return its results. When it did, her look of amazement grew. "This is impossible," she said in wonder. She then pulled the second sample, replaced it with her third and final one, and tested it too. She got the same results as with the first two. "Incredible," she said, and this time her voice was filled with awe. "Absolutely incredible."
"What's going on?" Cy asked from his spot at the weapons locker.
"Yeah," Lisa said. "What does it read? Am I infected or what?"
"No," Mercy said, and now a tone of reverence touched her voice. "You're clear, Lisa. Absolutely clear. Furthermore, you're going to stay clear. You don't need a transfusion and never will."
"Why?" Lisa asked.
"You're naturally immune to the untotenvirus."
"What?" Lisa said in surprise. "I am?"
"Yes," Mercy said. "You are."
"Untotenvirus." Cy said, loud enough to draw their attention and causing both of the women to turn towards him. "That sounds German."
"It is," Mercy said. She gave both him and Lisa a look. "Lisa, you might want to take a seat. You also might want to get more comfortable over there, Corporal. How the virus got that name is a long story. It's going
to take me a while to tell what parts of it you need to know, and how it ultimately connects to the Outbreak in Metro City in the here and now."
Chapter 4
Regenschirm's Legacy
Lisa had moved away from the desks and was currently sitting in the swivel chair in front of the closest security monitor workstation. That way she could be close to Cy if he needed her help with their gear, but also to give Mercy plenty of room to clean up her gear as she told her tale. Cy continued to work but listened intently, for the story Mercy was telling was as fascinating to him as it obviously was to Lisa. Mercy's revelation that whatever had happened with the Outbreak in Metro City in modern times had something to do with the Nazis back in World War II was both shocking and troubling. Cy had long been an avid fan of World War II inspired media and had several older relatives who had fought with various black units in the war. It had been over for forty years, and yet its aftershocks still sent out ripples that could be felt in modern times. This was apparently one of the most severe yet.
"All of this started with Himmler and his goofy SS science teams before the war," Mercy was saying as she stowed her medical gear. "They were into some really weird stuff. Most of it was nonsense, of course, tied into supporting the Nazi's wacky theories on race and eugenics and all that. They sent science teams on expeditions all over the world before the war in search of anything that would support their cause. You know, like those stories about secret Nazi bases in Antarctica and those Raiders of the Lost Ark movies about the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail and all that? Those stories themselves aren't true, but they're based on things the Nazis did that actually happened before and during the war. They actually did send out official expeditions in search of holy relics, and ancient artifacts, and forbidden knowledge and all that."
Escape From Metro City Page 6