But where were the employees? There were four unaccounted for and that worried Sandy.
Gretchen’s loud, “I got ahold of them!” caused Sandy to wince.
“Gretchen,” Sandy scolded in a whisper. “Shh. Go wait by the elevator. I have one more room.”
It was near the recreation room, but Sandy didn’t worry. The undead women at the tables were still trying to get up.
She knocked once on the door. “Lance.” She called out and then pushed it open. “Lance?”
Lance was in his wheelchair, facing a window.
“Lance, we have problems. We can use you.”
What she was was so unexpected. Lance with a snarl spun his chair around with one arm.
He had turned.
He held a foot near his mouth and dropped it to his lap.
It was a strange moment to think about, but Sandy found it completely ironic that Lance who lost a leg, was dining on one.
She backed up realizing zombie Lance could control that wheelchair.
Grabbing for the door, she then saw the aide on the floor. Grabbing on to Lance’s wheelchair, the aid stood slowly, but she quickly fell back down when she tried to balance on the missing foot.
Sandy pulled the door closed. “Gretchen. Help.”
She dropped the cane when she felt one of them pulling on the other side of the door.
“Gretchen!” Sandy turned her head, calling.
Gretchen ran from the elevator, toward her and stopped. “Watch out!” she screamed and pointed.
Sandy looked. Undead Marv with his walker, inched his way down the hall. “Oh for goodness sakes, help me out.”
Finally, Gretchen arrived to help.
“Hold the door.”
“Oh my God.”
“Gretchen, hold the damn door.” Once she saw Gretchen had the handle, Sandy let go. She grabbed the ace bandage, tied it quickly and tight to the door handle, then strung it across the hall to the door there and tied the other to that doorknob.
Checking on Marv still a good fifteen feet away, Sandy crouched under the extended ace bandage, “Let’s go.” She grabbed hold of Gretchen and they ran down the hall.
Sandy smacked her hand into the down button on the elevator.
And there, the seven of them waited.
Sandy kept looking back. Marv had made it to the ace bandage rope, he was stuck there, pressing against it, trying to move forward, but couldn’t.
The bandage moved violently.
Ding.
The elevator opened.
Hurriedly, Sandy reached inside and hit the hold button. Stepping out she saw the ace bandage fall. She knew Lance or the aid had opened the door.
“Hurry,” Sandy urged, moving the able bodied residents into the elevator first.
It was going too slow and Sandy knew it.
Cramming them like sardines into that elevator, knowing it took longer than it should when a slow moving undead in a walker, a footless aid and an amputee in a wheelchair were making it in better time to the elevator.
The ‘open elevator door’ alarm blared out. Gretchen spun Agnes’ wheelchair, backing it in, just as Lance, Marv and Tina the Aid were mere ten feet from them.
The doors slowly began to close, then six inches from shutting, they opened again.
Gretchen screamed.
Agnes said, “Ow.”
Marv, Lance and Tina were five feet way.
Sandy hurriedly pressed the button.
Again the doors started to close and again, six inches from shutting they opened.
Gretchen screamed again.
“Ow,” said Agnes.
They were two feet.
The doors slid closed and stopped, opening yet again. Something was stopping it.
This time Tina, the aid, reached in. Sandy was able to get the end of the cane through the door to hit her in the face to push her back as the doors started to close again.
“Oh! Wait.” Gretchen inched back Agnes and instead of stopping, the elevator doors finally closed. “My bad, her foot was …”
“Yeah, yeah.” Sandy caught her breath, leaning against the side of a wheelchair as the elevator lowered.
The carriage stopped with a double ding, announcing they had arrived.
The doors slid opened.
Gretchen screamed.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” Barry asked.
“Sorry, just habit.”
Barry glanced at Sandy.
“Don’t ask,” Sandy said. “Just … let’s get them out.”
<><><><>
There were twelve, that was all that remained of everybody they were able to get into the main dining room of Resting Meadows.
Five from the second floor, seven from the first. Some had turned, while others were victims.
The two unaccounted for aids pounded relentlessly at the dining room doors Barry had barricaded shut.
It was quiet and dark in the dining room and he hoped that would eventually cause the pursuing dead to leave.
The remaining residents began to fall asleep, not Barry.
He stood by the windows looking out in the courtyard. He could hear the distant sound of gun fire. Pop-pop-pop. Rat-tat-tat.
The sounds told him it was bad out there. He knew from experience, all that was needed was for one infected to bite another and within hours there would be dozens.
After taking the radio from Gretchen, Barry was finally able to get through to Liz and they switched to a private channel.
“I’ve been in the Starbucks,” she told him. “Since the crack of dawn.”
“Won’t be much longer,” Barry replied, “Before dawn cracks again. How are things there?”
“Well, you have fifteen people in a Starbucks. They’re all pretty hyper.”
“Scared?”
“No, hyper, everyone has been drinking espresso nonstop.”
Barry chuckled. “We’re calm here.”
“Won’t be long,” Liz told him. “They have to finish clearing the streets, then we all can be rescued. They won’t do it until the streets are clear.”
“What happened?” Barry asked.
“Breach on the bridge, and then well, you know how that goes. One bite …”
“How many are outside of Starbucks?”
“Couple dozen out front, four or five out back. We’ll get out eventually. Our alive manpower is outnumbered and they’re trying to clear without damage to the town. We’re going to have to do some serious rethinking of safety when this is done.”
“It just seems strange, Liz. You were safe for so long. It’s out of the blue. Something happened.”
“Unfortunately, we’ll never know. I’m going to go try to catch a nap. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
“Roger that.” Barry placed the radio on the table, then lowered to a chair, setting his crutches against the window.
It was pitch black in the courtyard. He couldn’t see if the dead lurked there or it was safe.
He hoped it was safe, because he needed a place to go with the residents should the doors to the dining room give. And the way it sounded, he honestly didn’t know how much longer they would hold.
SEVENTEEN – PENULTIMATE
April 23 – Day 369
Center city, WV
Rigs was exhausted and was glad he was able to get an hour or so sleep in the final leg of the drive.
Yates had downed a bunch of espresso and was hopped up and ready to drive.
Everyone slept.
Rigs had nightmares in the short span of time he had closed his eyes.
He didn’t remember what they were about, just they were bad.
The slowing of the steadily moving vehicle caused Rigs to wake. He had fallen asleep in the high back leather chair behind the driver’s seat.
He sat up, “What’s going on? Everything okay?”
Unlike himself, Yates replied solemnly, “I don’t think so.”
Rigs stood and moved up fron
t with Yates. The check point was ahead on the road and unlike every other time, no one was there. Not a vehicle, not a man or woman.
In the distance he could see Center City, and while not a lot, there was some smoke rising up.
“Shit.” Rigs said.
“I know.”
He looked over his shoulder. “Hit the lights, let’s get everyone up and pull over.”
“We’re not going in?”
“Oh, we’re going in. But I need to radio first. We’re close range now. We should be able to reach the personal radios now.”
“We have the EPEV, any problems they have, we can rectify them.”
“I know. Just pull over.”
Yates pulled the EPEV over and hit the lights.
Mumbles erupted from the back.
Yates reached forward and grabbed the microphone. He pressed on the side.
A beep rang out. “Attention sleeping Eliminators.”
Rigs gave him a quirky look. “Really, you’re using the PA?”
“I don’t feel like shouting.” He brought it to his mouth again. “We have a problem. Rise and shine.”
Rigs shook his head. “I’m headed to the back to try to reach them.”
He walked away through the body of the EPEV.
“Rigs?” Rachel called him groggily. “What’s wrong?”
“We don’t know. But I need to find out.” He made his way to the very back of the EPEV and sat down at the controls. He lifted the radio, hoping to get connected on a local frequency. After several attempts and different channels, Rigs got through.
“Channel twenty-twenty for General Morrows,” the radio man said.
“Roger that.” Rigs replied and switched. “Calling General Morrows, are you there, over?”
“This is General Morrows, over.”
“This is Commander Rigs of the Flaming Saffrons.”
“Rigs, it’s good to hear from you. We have a bit of trouble here; we need to wind this down and end this. We’re close, but could use the extra help.”
“Well, you’re in luck. We’re here. We have the EPEV,” Rigs said. “Just tell us where you want us to go.”
<><><><>
The only way was out.
Barry knew it wasn’t going to hold and knew it was time to take the residents outside into the courtyard. It was light enough to see the dead weren’t outside the fence, but that wasn’t to say they weren’t out there.
Running wasn’t an option, not for Barry or the others.
Arms reached through the dining room doors, pushing them more and more.
Barry had been an eliminator and around the dead long enough to know the masses that pushed their way in were more than just geriatrics in wheelchairs and walkers. They had been joined by other dead forces.
“Move everyone to the center,” Barry instructed. “Away from the windows.”
There was no protective wall, only windows.
Barry took the cane Sandy carried and used it as a brace on the sliding glass door.
When he finished doing that, he knew how close they cut it, when the interior dining room doors burst open and the barricade fell.
As he suspected, able bodied dead were mixed in with the wheelchair bound and others like Marv.
It was cold outside, an early morning spring chill was in the air.
Barry could hear the whimpering and worried chatter of the residents and he stood watching as the dead made their way to the dining room windows, staring out to the courtyard, hands beating against the glass.
Barry had to think of something.
Gretchen was young and healthy and if she was brave he would send her out to see if they could evacuate. He knew that wasn’t going to happen.
Frustrated and worried, he took a step back from the windows and turned to look at the residents huddled together.
Gretchen was with them, she was bent over.
Barry didn’t mean to nor did he want to look at her behind, but he couldn’t help but notice the rectangular object that protruded from her pocket.
Barry had the radio, what did she have?
“Gretchen?” Barry walked to her. “What do you have in your back pocket?”
“It’s the Assisted Living Satellite phone.”
“You had a phone this entire time?”
“Yes.”
“You said the phones didn’t work.”
“The phones in there don’t work. This does.”
Barry held out his hand.
“What?”
“Give me the phone.”
“It’s a satellite. Only a select few have them.” She handed it over. “Who are you calling?”
“Never you mind.” Barry walked off a little from the group. He knew who he wanted to call and didn’t know if it would be in vain, but he had to try. After looking at the hoard in the dining room, Barry dialed the phone.
<><><><>
“Madam President,” the soft female voice called to her, close to her ear.
It didn’t startle Liz awake, they were too gentle about it.
Liz had finally passed out on one of the chairs, sitting sideways, her head drooping forward. She felt able to rest especially since Morrows had told her the hoards were either under control or oddly leaving the city. Maybe they sensed the threat. It was odd, but it allowed Liz to relax.
“Madam President,” she repeated.
Liz opened her eyes to see the young female Starbucks barista.
“What is it?” Liz asked.
The young girl puckered her lips and pointed. “We need to find a way out.”
Liz peered beyond the girl to the window where the dozen or so dead pounded against the glass like they had all day and night. Only this time, two large cracks were in the glass. One on the door and one of the picture window.
“Okay,” Liz said, “There’s a storage room in the back. Everyone there. It’ll be tight, but it’ll be safe. Everyone, in the back.”
The people in the Starbucks rushed by her and Liz lifted the radio. Liz was horrifically mesmerized by them. The way they were relentless, and how Dr. Stevens hadn’t moved. He focused on Liz, his fist steadily hitting the glass.
“General,” Liz called out. “General, we’re making a last stand. Please tell me you’re close.”
A clip of static and the general replied. “Not us.”
Curious as to what that meant, Liz got her answer when a rod of some type impaled Dr. Stevens from behind, the end of the rod protruded through his forehead. That happened and the point of sword went through the head of another. Her eyes shifted back to Dr. Stevens, the pointed rod was withdrawn, his body was shoved forward, smacking into the glass. He slid cheek against the glass, leaving a bloody smear and dropping to the ground exposing Rachel.
Rachel smiled, waved brightly and excitedly, then in a snap, spun around and impaled another dead.
Liz released a ‘ha’ of emotions and smiled. “Everyone!” she shouted. “We’re gonna be alright! We’re saved.”
Zeus had an amazing way of overpowering the dead, it was something Rigs would never get tired of watching. Maybe because he was such a fan or the fact that Zeus was so big, he could get away with lifting the dead, impaling them, then tossing them like a sack of potatoes.
He did it with angry sounding grunts and professional wrestling theatrics.
He watched for a few seconds, then Rigs attention was drawn when he watched Yates walk up to an undead and point blank shoot her.
“Yates,” Rigs yelled. “Save your ammo.”
“For what?”
“You never know. Hand to hand please.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Rigs shook his head and just then he heard his satellite phone ring and felt it vibrate on his hip.
“Are you …” Yates asked, “Getting a call.”
Rigs lifted the phone. “Hello?” His eyes widened. “Barry?”
“Tell me you’re close.”
“We’re at the Starbucks,” Rigs said.
“Well, put down the latte, we need you here. We’re overrun and been fighting all night,” Barry said. “We’re cornered out back.”
“We’re almost done. We’ll be there in a minute.”
“Jeremiah, I’m not sure we have a minute.”
“On our way.” Rigs hung up and assessed the situation. There were around eight more and a few stragglers on the street. A few soldiers battled them out. “Zeus, Kasper!” Rigs shouted. “Can you finish here? Yates, Rach, come with me.”
Rachel yelled out as she withdrew her honing rod. “What’s going on?”
“Barry, Sandy, they’re overrun. They need help.”
“Dude, you mean they’re like Night of the Assisted Living Dead?” Kasper asked.
“Something like that. Yates, Rach, EPEV … now.” Rigs rushed to the vehicle.
Rachel backed out of the mob, pointing to Kasper. “Night of the Assisted Living Dead. That was good. Be careful.”
“You, too.”
“I’ll be fine. They’re all in wheelchairs.” Rachel ran to the EPEV.
“We’ll meet you there!” Kasper yelled.
Rachel gave a thumbs up as she loaded in the vehicle. She was barely inside and it started to roll.
<><><><>
Clank. Clank. Clank.
Barry jammed his crutch over and over into the padlock on the fence that kept them inside the courtyard. Every wheelchair and resident was near the fence, but there was no way out, nowhere to go.
“I see them.” Sandy pointed. “Coming on the property now. The EPEV.”
The vehicle moved like a bat out of hell rolling down the driveway.
“Hey everyone,” Gretchen said chipper. “Here comes the Flaming Saffrons. Yay!” she clapped her hands together.
“One more second Bar,” Sandy said. “They’ll be here in a second.”
“Will it matter?” Barry asked.
Crash!
The window of the dining room shattered.
Yates nearly fell off his chair when the EPEV swerved. Rigs drove fanatically.
“You got them?” Rigs asked using the inter-vehicle coms.
“Got them.” Yates’ fingers moved on the keyboard.
The Eliminators | Volume 3 Page 15
