by N. C. Reed
We both stopped eating as the camera view bobbed and weaved a bit. You could still hear Amberly babbling as the camera man tried to put some distance between himself and the crowd while still getting at least some footage.
There was the sound of clamoring in the background and a good bit of thumping and bumping. After about three minutes the camera righted and it was obvious that the crew was at a much higher angle now.
“We're on top of the Channel 5 News van now, Tom,” Amberly sounded shaky. “We're safe here, I think, and you can get a better idea of what's happening in the crowd. George have you got the camera rolling?” Muttered reply. “Well you don't have to be rude about it!” Amberly snapped. “Anyway, Tom it's apparent that those who had fled the scene may have returned and started a brawl with peaceful protesters. I apologize for my outburst earlier but I could have sworn I saw. . .well, never mind about that now. As we. . .George, what is it? Why are. . .where are you going? Get your ass back here, we're on live!”
We both leaned in to the screen as the situation went from bad to very bad for Amberly the snappy reporter person. George the rude camera man had obviously had enough and fled the scene as the camera was now aimed down at the street beside the van.
So that we could see what had motivated George the Rude to head for the hills. A man and two women were standing near the van covered in blood, gnawing on what looked suspiciously like human flesh, some of it still covered in blue material. Kinda like the blue a police officer might wear.
“Oh my God,” Amberly's voice was strangely calm. “Tom I hope you all can see this because I can't get to the camera. George, that prick, has run away and left me here alone and now I'm stuck on top of the van. There are three people below me that appear to be. . .what are you looking at?” Amberly demanded as the three zombies looked up at her, attracted by the sound of her voice. Even as she repeated the demand the man moved to the edge of the van and reached up toward the reporter whose leg was visible in the edge of the picture.
“Stay back!” Amberly was finally getting it I could tell, but it was too late for her now. “I mean it, if you don't stay back. . .I'm a reporter! You can't touch me, I have a right to be here!”
I didn't figure that threat would do much good and I was right. The male zombie jumped slightly and just missed grabbing Amberly's leg as she jumped back off camera to avoid it's grasp.
This was our first real good look at what Connie and I had both feared to see. The man had been taller than average it looked like, wearing a shirt and tie that were both splattered with blood. His face was also bloody and his right shoulder looked as if a chunk had been bitten out of it. His eyes were slightly glazed looking as he looked right into the camera for an instant, following Amberly I guess since we could hear her moving along the roof in the background.
“Stay back!” she screamed again. “Tom, my God, Tom, I need. . .I need help! Someone help me!” There was gunfire now in the background but with George the camera man gone there was no one to pan the camera so we could see what was happening. We could hear Kelly Amberly screaming until. . .
Suddenly the picture cut back to the studio where 'Tom' was trying to compose himself.
“Well, looks like we lost the live feed from Kelly Amberly,” he managed not to stammer too bad. “We'll try and get that back as soon as possible, but in the meantime let's review the emergency precautions the Health Department has recently released to try and help stop the spre-” I cut the feed off, looking at Connie over the table.
“Well, that'll stir something up I'd imagine.”
*****
I had been right. The 'incident' at Overtown had definitely stirred something up.
We had loaded up and secured the house, then headed into town to the hospital. Connie was no longer protesting my being there, either. Both of us had just experienced a serious wake-up call of our own.
It was one thing to think you knew what was coming. It was another to be confronted with it, knowing that it was literally in your own backyard this time. Videos and stories from Europe, rumors from far away places in other states, these things had caused concern, sure. But they were distant. Distance that made the threat seem a little less real, somehow.
That illusion had been well and truly shattered this morning with an apparent zombie attack just miles from us. Those three we had seen on the camera would not have been the only ones, either. The mere fact that they were standing there unmolested while they munched on what might well have been parts and pieces of a police officer was proof that the other officers had been busy. What could have prevented them from shooting those three? Well, trying not to get eaten themselves was my first guess.
And where the hell was the National Guard? I knew that they had been activated to help with crowd and riot control, but where had they been when the problem at Overtown had flared up?
“Drake,” Connie's voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked at her and found her pointing ahead to. . . .
“Well, that answers that,” I murmured to myself as I saw a collection if Humvee trucks at a roadblock just ahead. Several soldiers were manning that roadblock, checking vehicles as they passed each way.
“What?” Connie asked.
“I was just wondering where the Guard was,” I told her, slowing. As we approached the roadblock I rolled the window down. At the last second I locked my door and ordered Connie to do the same.
“Why?” she asked as she did so.
“Just a precaution,” I shrugged. As I stopped a soldier gave Big Baby an appreciative eye walking to the door.
“State your business,” he said flatly. I didn't miss the way he handled his rifle as he spoke.
“I'm doctor Constance Kane,” Connie said, leaning over me slightly. Constance, huh? I hadn't realized that. Kinda liked it.
“We're on the way to the hospital. It's my shift in the ER,” Connie continued. The soldier behind the questioner consulted a clipboard and then nodded.
“We'll take her from here,” the soldier stated.
“No, you won't,” I said evenly, moving Connie back slightly. This was not going to happen.
“We're supposed to gather all medical professionals at the hospital, sir,” the soldier's hand tightened on his rifle. “Governor's orders.”
“Couldn't care less,” I informed him. “I'm taking her to the ER, and when the shit gets too deep I'm taking her home, solider. That's not open for negotiation, either. She's here as a volunteer, not a hospital employee. And while I'm sure you guys are doing your best, you'll be concerned with more than her safety. I won't be.”
“Sir, that's not how this works,” he started but I cut him off.
“It is today,” I said simply. “Or we go home. Your call, soldier. I'm good with going home, to be honest.”
“I can't allow-”
“You going to shoot me, solider?” I asked calmly, far more calmly than I felt. “Cause that's just what you're going to have to do to separate this woman from me. And you probably won't survive the experience. That's not a threat, it's just the way it is. She's willing to help, even though she's under no obligation to do so. Volunteer, like I said. There is no way I'm leaving her here, in your care or anyone else's. Not. Going. To happen.”
Connie was quiet during all this and I worried that she was getting angry at me for the whole 'me Tarzan' act, but this whole thing felt wrong and I wasn't going for it.
“You'll have to proceed at your own risk,” the soldier said finally. “We don't have the manpower to escort you.”
“I'm her escort,” I told him. “Let me worry about her, you worry about whatever it is you guys have to do. Fair enough?”
“Be careful,” he nodded. “It's crazy. Not just here but everywhere.”
“We saw,” I nodded. “I'll mind it. You guys be safe,” I offered, then rolled up the window as another soldier moved the barricade from across the road. Soon we were rolling, on our way to the hospital. I drove a bit slower than normal. The stree
ts were crazy, cars sitting everywhere and people roaming the street looking a bit worse for wear.
“Thank you,” I heard Connie say softly.
“What?” I asked, glancing her way for a second. She looked smaller for some reason, like she'd sank into the seat.
“I said thank you,” she spoke a little louder. “I would have gone with them if you'd wanted me to.”
“You're delusional if you think I'm letting you out of my sight after what we saw this morning,” I snorted. “And while I'm sure those kids are great guys, there's no way I trust them with your safety.”
“I know,” she nodded. “That's why . . . thank you,” she settled for saying again. I reached out and patted her leg gently.
“You don't have to thank me,” I told her sincerely. “There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Constance Kane,” I smiled. “And that included shooting soldier-boy back there. I didn't really think it would come to that, but I was prepared to do it.”
“I. . .I don't want you to get hurt for me,” she said after a minute.
“I wasn't planning on getting hurt, but if I did get hurt, protecting you, that's fine. I can live with it. And if I can, you can too,” I winked. She grinned sheepishly but nodded.
“Now enough about that,” I told her. “When we get to the hospital I'm going in with you. I'll stay out of the way but I'm going to be nearby. I had originally planned to just be around close but after this morning, I'll be within earshot. All you have to do is sing out and I'll be there.”
By way of answer she leaned across the cab and kissed me gently on the cheek. I glanced at her and found her looking at me a little. . .well, not strange, but different.
“Are you okay?” I asked, maybe a little suspiciously.
“I'm fine,” she nodded, leaving her hand on my arm as I drove. We made the rest of the trip in silence, her hand never leaving my arm.
I had expected it to be difficult to find parking but that wasn't the case. There was an notable absence of vehicles in the parking lot behind the building where employees parked. Connie removed a placard that said 'Physician' from her bag and hung it on the rear-view mirror. I grabbed my own bag and hit the kill switch before we dismounted.
Connie led the way to the rear entrance and slid a card from her ring down a reader to let us inside. There was a man inside wearing what looked like a janitorial uniform sitting near the door. He jumped to his feet as we entered.
“Doctor Kane,” the man smiled. A name-tag on his shirt said 'Ralph'.
“Hello, Ralph,” Connie smiled. “How are things?”
“Crazy, Doctor Kane,” Ralph admitted. “We're over-run with people this morning and have been for several hours. Days I guess would be more accurate. At least since Monday. I've heard rumors that we're running short of some supplies but of course I don't have any official word of that.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“They've assigned non-medical folks to each entrance, I guess to 'guard' the doors,” Ralph shrugged. “And to allow employees entrance of course,” he added. “My orders are to allow only hospital employees entrance.” He looked at me.
“Well, you didn't allow me inside,” Connie said firmly. “I have my own key and let myself in, so that's not a problem. And he's with me. Stays with me,” she added. I said nothing, keeping my face impassive. This was her world, not mine. She was in charge.
“Works for me,” Ralph nodded at once. “You need someone to look after you, ma'am. People are crazy, Doctor Kane. I mean crazy. We've had several incidents in the ER especially with people demanding drugs and 'the vaccine'. I don't know what vaccine it is, exactly, but some people are certain we have it.”
“There's no vaccine for this madness,” Connie snorted.
“That's what Doctor Smith said, too,” Ralph nodded. “There's a cop at the ER entrance, but they've had to pull him twice for emergencies so I don't know if he's there at the moment or not.”
“Well, we'll see I guess,” Connie nodded and started walking. “You take care, Ralph.”
“You too, Doctor Kane.”
I followed Connie around a dizzying array of turns and twists, wondering how anyone found their way anywhere here. I pulled a small crayon from my bag and started making small marks along the wall at each turn. Connie caught me and asked what I was doing.
“Fluorescent marker,” I told her, holding the small marker up. “If the lights are out it will reflect light from a flashlight. Help me find my way out if I need it.”
“Smart,” she nodded, eyebrows raised. “You think you'll need it?”
“Better to have and not need,” I shrugged.
“Smarter,” she smiled as she pushed a button that opened two mechanical doors. Inside sat the back of the Emergency Room. I'd never seen it from here before.
“Here we are,” she sighed. “I'll check in and see what's happening. You can hang out anywhere just be careful not to get in the way of the staff.”
“No one will know I'm here,” I promised. She smiled at me, kissed my cheek again, and then headed for the desk. I saw a chair and pulled it into a small alcove, out of the way, settling in for the duration.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The duration was longer than I had figured. Well, that's not accurate. I knew how long we'd be there, I just hadn't anticipated how long it would take for the hours to go by. That sounds stupid, doesn't it? What I mean is, the day seemed to just drag by. Sound better?
It wasn't that the ER wasn't busy because it was a madhouse. People everywhere, whining about this and that and something else. Don't get me wrong, there were some serious injuries and sickness as well. Three car wrecks with injuries and I saw at least two kids and one adult with obviously broken bones. I felt bad for all of them. This was not a good time to be laid up or dependent on others for care. Not a good time at all.
Connie was one of only two doctors in the ER that day. The other, an older man named Smith, seemed like an okay guy. He did his share, too. One of the things I had been afraid of was that whoever else was working would shuck a bunch of crap off onto Connie, but Smith didn't.
I couldn't honestly say if the amount of staff was normal because I didn't know what normal would look like. There were several nurses and orderlies (or whatever they call them) running around, and I saw at least three people doing housekeeping duties. You know, changing sheets, mopping, sweeping, that kind of stuff. None of them looked happy to be there, but then it was work, so that in itself made it suck, right?
I had my small tablet with me and opened my reader, settling in to my out-of-the-way spot, looking up from my book every few seconds it seemed to keep an eye out. I made it a point to always know what room Connie was in while not hovering or being in the way. That's not as easy as it sounds, either. The ER was pretty big and busy as hell. But, you do what you have to, right?
One thing that probably made the day pass so slow for me was there was a clock right across from my chair. Every time I looked up I could see what time it was whether I really wanted to or not. Usually I didn't, at least not when I realized that maybe two minutes had passed in the last half-hour. Yes, that's sarcasm.
Other than being busy, and loud, things didn't seem to bad for a while. I watched the others and while they looked tired and maybe a bit rushed they didn't look alarmed. That all changed right about lunch time. I was just getting into The Murders in the Rue Morgue when I heard someone yelling around the corner from the nurse's station. It was a man's voice. I frowned but stayed put for another few seconds, thinking that it wasn't my place to just run around and see what was happening. Then I heard a woman's scream. It wasn't Connie but it was a scream. I set Mister Poe aside (actually I put my tablet back in my EDC) and walked as casually as I could manage around the station to see what the fuss was. I was careful to stay out of the way since I wasn't supposed to be there and I was going to be exactly no help in a medical emergency.
As soon as I got into the opposite hallway I knew there
was a problem, and probably what it was. A woman was sitting in a chair with what looked like a bloody towel wrapped around her lower left leg. There was a fairly large man hovering over the nurse attempting to look at the wound.
“I said she needs the vaccine!” he shouted at the nurse. “Now get it!”
“Sir, I don't even know what's wrong with her,” the nurse tried to remain calm. “And what vaccine?”
“Don't give me that shit!” he yelled back. “I saw it on the internet! There's a vaccine for this shit and you're holding for yourselves! Now give it to her!”
“Sir,” Connie came out of the room next to where all this was taking place, closing the curtain behind her, “there is no vaccine. None of us have it, this hospital doesn't have it, and so far as I'm aware there isn't one available anywhere. If you'll let us triage your wife, we can see what's wrong and what we can do to help.”
“That's a lie!” the woman screeched. “It's all over the internet that the vaccine is being held by the elite! They're just waiting for enough of us to die that it will depopulate the planet!”
Oh boy. Nut cases. I'd read about these for years and even read some blog and forum entries by some of them. I'd never seen any in real life though. Until now.
“Well, if the elite has it, that should tell you that we don't,” Connie replied calmly. “None of us rank that high, I'm afraid. As for the internet, that's not really a reliable source of information sometimes. We don't have a vaccine of any kind, but we can treat your injury if you'll let us examine it.”
