“…Julie, grab a wheelchair. Gary, you help me with Frank.”
Julie shook as she darted off to find one as Gary quickly bear-hugged Frank to stop him from falling out of his chair.
“…I need you to take him to the isolation testing room, but be gentle. He’s extremely poorly,” Hazel said, feeling Frank’s sweat on her.
Gary nodded as Julie returned with a wheelchair.
She helped him escort Frank into it, shaking her head because she had no idea what was happening. Hazel watched them wheel Frank out of the cubicle, but his sad face made her heart feel like it was being ripped apart to bring tears to her eyes. She mostly got this way because she cared for the patients. She’d always urge her staff to treat them in a considerate manner when wheeling them around, so hoped Gary would be considerate enough not to race Frank through the hospital like a driver at a Grand Prix.
She wiped her eyes as Mike closed in.
“What’s happening to him?”
Hazel’s head spun as she attempted to speak, but all she could vision was poor Frank becoming weaker-and-weaker. She heard Mike ask again so knew he cared just as much.
“He desperately needs those tests done. I’m worried about him.” Hazel gathered herself before adding, “If he hasn’t contracted the rabies virus then I need to know what he has contracted from that bite…In the meantime, anyone who has been in close contact with him needs to take a blood test. And that includes both of us.”
She shuddered after screams echoed down the corridor to frighten patients inside other cubicles before shrugging to see a frantic Julie race in her direction shouting words that made no sense.
“Come quickly! We need help with the patient. He’s in a lot of pain.”
“All right, calm down. I will give him some pain relief.”
Hazel nodded towards Mike as she disappeared down the corridor with Julie, leaving him lost as another scream penetrated his eardrums.
***
Gary tried restraining Frank as the nurses entered the testing room, but Frank was consistently twitching violently, his hands swinging, slapping Gary in the face. He jumped back, holding his mouth to see Frank break down in tears; the pain now too much for him. He needed some form of sedative and he needed it now.
Julie raced over to him holding a wet sponge. She placed it on his brow in an attempt to cool him down, but Frank was yelling angrily, scaring her. Hazel rushed to a medical trolley to reach for a needle, but Frank let out a final scream before she had time to inject him. He grimaced as a tear slid down his face before keeling over to flump on the floor; his breathing gone to leave the others in shock. Hazel kneeled next to him in a frantic attempt to restart his heart. But it wasn’t to be, it’d shut down for good. She puffed out her cheeks, breathing fast after feeling emotional, slowly returning to her feet to stare at Frank’s body. She was normally used to this kind of trauma but sometimes sorrow crept up on her, affecting her as it did the first time she saw death.
She turned to comfort Julie after hearing her sob into her palms whilst Gary stood over the body.
“Hey love, these things happen in hospitals.”
“I’ve never witnessed anyone die before,” Julie sadly replied, sniffing. “It’s shocking…It was very sudden and it freaked me out.”
“I know, but you have to be ready for the unexplainable in this job.” Hazel watched Julie dry her eyes. “I need you and Gary to take Frank to the morgue. Do you feel okay to do this?...”
Julie nodded.
“…Good…I need to talk to the officer now so please stay strong.”
***
Hazel sluggishly walked back to Mike, leaving him sensing something wasn’t right.
“What’s happened?”
“He didn’t make it,” she raced out of her mouth. “We never stood a chance to save him…His heart just caved in.” Hazel gulped as she fought back tears. “His body will need to be examined. Hopefully, we will find an answer.”
“Where’s the body now?”
“On its way to the morgue.”
“I’m sure you did your best for him,” Mike softly said, reaching out to hold her.
But she backed off swiftly before shouting, “My best! My best wasn’t good enough!”
Mike realised she wasn’t looking for a shoulder to cry on. She was just letting off some steam.
“You’re not to blame for this. You do know that?”
Hazel glanced at him and calmed down. She apologized for her outburst but Mike just smiled at her.
“Hey, it’s okay. I would’ve probably done the same thing, lashed out at someone.”
“But it’s not very professional.”
“What’s professional after seeing someone die?”
Hazel smiled.
“…I need to track down Frank’s next of kin,” Mike said, hoping his words didn’t upset her. “Someone needs to check his clothing for anything useful, like pictures, addresses, phone numbers.”
“I’ll do it for you.”
Hazel was off again before Mike could reply; her head back in the game to find an answer as to why Frank died.
FOURTEEN
Mike walked around the hospital as he waited for Hazel to return with Frank’s details, checking the time on his watch to see it was now 2:30 pm. He entered the public cafeteria to see a drained in appearance Wayne sitting at a table with his hands wrapped around a hot drink, wondering why he never said he was on his way to the hospital.
“Hey,” Mike said, approaching him. “You look like shit…What happened at the house?”
Wayne took a sip from the cup and shook his head, shivering as he attempted to speak.
“Sorry for not letting you know what was going on.”
“It’s okay.” Mike sat next to him. “But something did happen. I can tell…What was it?...”
Wayne gulped as he looked around him.
“…Where’s Nash?” Mike asked, feeling his heart beat faster.
“He’s here.”
“Thank fuck for that.” Mike’s breathing slowed down again. “He’s not chatting up the nurses is he?”
Wayne gulped again as a tear dripped down his face.
“He’s dead, Mike,” he whispered, shivering more constantly as he held back more tears.
“How? Why? And how come you didn’t call it in?”
“I wanted to, really I did, but I just couldn’t do it.” Wayne puffed out his cheeks and took another sip. “It all happened so fast…There was something in that house. It looked partly human but had the strength of ten men…It killed Nash and the Smythes.”
Mike cringed as a sick feeling grew inside of him.
“When did this happen?”
“About thirty minutes ago. I’ve been here ever since the bodies were brought in…I feel ashamed for letting it happen.”
“Don’t blame yourself.”
“I was in charge!” Wayne yelled. “Everything that went on in that house was down to me, but I fucked up big time…I had a gun. I should’ve put that thing down sooner but I wasn’t courageous enough…I am responsible for two deaths.”
Mike’s heart melted from the words. He wasn’t prepared for it, to hear such a terrible account, but he needed his second-in-command to stop torturing himself and to re-focus.
“Take a break to get yourself together,” Mike said, glancing at an employee inside the cafeteria. “I know you need one.”
But Wayne was losing his nerve and the employee noticed.
“I’ve taken a break but the horror from that house is still inside my head, eating at my brain.” Wayne stared into emptiness as though he could see something only he knew was there. “I keep seeing the beast with the evil eye. It was like some sort of Cyclops…It slaughtered them both and then tried to kill me.”
“You need to calm down before someone passes by and hears you. I can’t have news getting out that the people of this town are coming under attack by something we don’t know about…There’ll be chaos everywhere.”
“But chief…If we don’t warn the people about the danger then we may have a massacre on our hands. We just can’t risk keeping it quiet.”
Mike rose from his seat. He smiled at the employee before placing a hand on Wayne’s shoulder, leaning over to whisper, “I know you’re upset but we don’t know for sure if any more of those weird people or whatever you call them are still around. You may have killed the last one.”
“I’m not too sure about that,” Wayne replied, feeling angry inside. “You’ve seen the truck driver. Something freaked him out and it wasn’t what was inside that house.”
“Just trust me on this…We don’t need a full-scale riot of frightened people on our hands when we don’t know for sure what’s causing this, so please, let’s keep this hush-hush until we’re certain that this town is in critical danger.”
“You’re in charge,” Wayne replied, still feeling reluctant to agree. “Let’s hope for everyone’s sake that you’re right.”
Mike knew he was alone on the recent choice he’d made but knew Wayne would keep his mouth shut. He moved away from the table, ushering Wayne to follow him as he slowly left the cafeteria.
“Come with me. I need to speak to the head nurse who treated Frank.”
“And how’s he doing?”
“He’s also dead,” Mike bluntly replied, picking up speed along a corridor. “I think he was poisoned.”
“How?”
“The bite…Whoever bit him may have had it in their saliva.”
“That’s a little far-fetched don’t you think.” Wayne caught him up as they turned a corner. “The person who bit him was some type of snake?”
“I don’t know, but today is throwing us some fucked up curveballs, that’s for sure.”
They arrived at an elevator and went inside before Mike pressed a button with the word ‘morgue’ written on it.
“Oh, before I forget,” he said, watching the door close before buttons lit up on the wall. “You’re gonna need a blood test.”
“Why? ...I hate those things.”
“I know, but the nurse wants to be sure that the people who came into contact with Frank haven’t caught anything from him.”
“Makes sense.” Wayne breathed deeply as the elevator came to a stop. “I’ll get one done.”
“And Susan needs to get one. She was with me when Frank came into the station.”
Wayne raised his eyebrows as he stepped out of the lift.
FIFTEEN
Karen stood inside Vincent’s office as a police officer exited, feeling shocked as she wiped her teary eyes with a tissue. She couldn’t believe the news about Vincent, that he was dead. She gathered herself and reached for her phone, scrolling down to find Blake’s number as another tear fell; shaking after hearing him say – “Hello.”
He knew something was wrong as soon as she spoke because her words raced out of her mouth faster than a machine gun firing bullets. She always spoke fast when upset over something but Blake struggled to make head or tail of what she said.
“Calm down and say that again,” he said shaking his head. “What’s happened to the Smythes?”
“Something awful has happened,” Karen replied, blowing her nose. “I’ve just had a policeman here telling me they’re dead…But that can’t be true. Can it?”
Blake scratched his head before waving to Todd as he was about to leave his office.
“Tell me again what the officer told you.”
“He said they were dead and I was down as a contact in case of an emergency.”
“Dead…How?”
“I don’t know, Blake, I’m too shaken up to think about it…But he mentioned an accident at their home.”
“An accident? Those two? Doesn’t make sense.”
“ I keep telling myself that. They were so precise. They never did anything dangerous…I can’t get my head around it.”
“It’s okay, babe,” Blake softly said, glancing at a pile of paperwork on his desk. “So, did the officer tell you to identify the bodies?”
“Yes,” Karen replied, sniffing down the phone. “But I don’t think I’m ready to do it.”
“I’ll come now and pick you up…We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Karen shivered again as she ended the call.
She left the office to be hugged by staff members, feeling thankful that the officer had spoken loud enough for them to hear.
***
Blake knew Karen would be staring out of a window, eagerly waiting for him to arrive, so parked up and honked the car horn, checking his watch to see ten minutes had passed since the phone call. He saw her rush out of the bank, approaching the car to sadly whine as the passenger side door opened. But, as she sat in the seat her whining stopped to be replaced by a sudden urge to check out the car’s interior.
“This isn’t your car,” she said, holding a set of furry dice attached to the windscreen. “Who’s is it?”
“I’ve borrowed it from Todd.” Blake sensed she was distracting herself so as not to think about the hospital. “He took my advice and bought a car just like mine.”
“I forgot you didn’t like to drive to work.” Karen let go of the dice and attached the seatbelt. “I could’ve picked you up.”
“You sounded very low when you called me so I didn’t think you’d be up for it,” Blake said, frowning as he started the engine. “Are you ready to do this?”
Karen shrugged.
***
They entered the hospital to see it had just turned 3: 00 pm, feeling on edge as they neared the reception desk. The receptionist smiled at them, looking to Blake, then to Karen as she waited for one of them to speak, but neither could do it. It was as if they’d forgotten why they were there.
“Excuse me. Can I help you?”
Blake and Karen sadly glanced at each other, shrugging their shoulders like one was expecting the other to talk, but, as the receptionist spoke again, Karen quickly turned to her.
“Yes, sorry,” she said, placing hands onto the desk. “I was told to come here to identify the bodies of my boss and his wife.”
“Okay,” the receptionist calmly replied, glancing over at Blake. “Can you tell me their names? And I’ll find out if someone can speak to you.”
Karen trembled as she gave out the information. She felt unsure about going through with it until Blake placed an arm around her shoulders.
“You’ve got this,” he said, looking deep into her eyes. “I’m here for you.”
He kept Karen close as the receptionist checked the names on the computer, but her face glowed red within seconds. She checked the names, again and again, feeling uneasy as Blake watched her. But, after the fourth attempt, she stopped.
“The computer says ‘no’,” she said, chuckling nervously.
But Blake didn’t find it funny.
“My wife is traumatised,” he said, slamming a fist onto the desk. “So why are you performing a gag from a comedy sketch?”
The receptionist gulped and looked to the floor, feeling stupid for her childish humour.
“I’m so sorry,” she pleaded. “I’ve had a long shift…It’s been hectic here.”
“It’s okay,” Karen said, smiling. “We just want to know if we can see them.”
“Are you sure they were taken to this hospital?” the receptionist asked, checking the computer again. “I can’t find them on the system.”
Blake stood back as anger brewed inside him.
“Look! My wife was told they were in an accident and the nearest hospital is here, so maybe your computer is wrong?…”
The receptionist wasn’t coping as Blake glared at her. She looked from left to right, hoping to see someone of authority, feeling shell-shocked by Blake’s sudden outburst.
“…Can you get someone for us?” he asked, cooling down. “Preferably someone who knows what the fuck is goin’ on.”
“Come on Blake,” Karen said, shaking her head at him. “There’s no need to swear. She’s only doing
her job.”
“A blind monkey can do it better,” Blake replied, glaring again.
The receptionist breathed a sigh of relief after spotting Wayne close in but she grimaced when he headed for the main door.
“Hello!” she shouted, hoping to grab his attention. “Are you free?”
Wayne stopped after hearing her shout again, turning to see her wave at him like a crazy fan before sighing at being so close to reaching the outside.
“What seems to be the problem?” he asked her, slowly walking towards the reception desk. “I was just popping outside for some fresh air.”
He noticed the circles of crimson on her cheeks so guessed she’d been put on the spot over something. He smiled at the married couple, even though he didn’t have a clue why he was there.
“Do you know anything about a Mr and Mrs Smythe? They were brought in earlier.”
“Why? Who wants to know?” Wayne asked, figuring it to be the couple standing beside him.
The receptionist pointed at them.
“Is there a private room we can use?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said, feeling confused. “You can use the one to the left of you.”
Wayne nodded and walked off, leaving Blake and Karen to awkwardly follow.
“What’s goin’ on?” Blake asked, catching him up. “We need answers.”
“I’ll answer all your questions but let’s move away from prying eyes first.”
Blake turned, seeing the receptionist closely watching on before the sound of a door opening grabbed his attention. He saw Wayne enter the room to usher him inside but, as he did, noticed Karen had stopped in the doorway. She was shivering again.
“It’s okay, love. We need to do this,” Blake said, knowing she was worried at the thought of being told the awful news.
She breathed deeply and entered the room before shutting the door to stare at Wayne, noticing beads of sweat form on his brow.
“You were there, weren’t you,” she softly said, reaching out for Blake to hold her. “Inside their house.”
Wayne shuddered after the words took him back to the nightmare; his mind exploding as images resurfaced.
Clifton Falls: A Zombie Story [Part 1] Page 10
