Jamarcus was able to get the key into the ignition and he floored the truck. Antonio and the jogger were thrown from the rear bumper and were left behind as the battered paramedic maneuvered his way around the crash scene. After making his way through the crowd, driving over several unfortunate souls as he did, he drove in the direction of Fisherman’s Wharf. He saw that people were running down the sidewalks, away from whatever was happening at the intersection. He glanced over to the side mirror one more time and he could see a cloud of black smoke that was rising from the downtown district. Something was on fire.
Jamarcus began to feel the pain from the injuries to his face as he grabbed for the radio mic. The radio channel was clogged with terrified voices, not allowing him to transmit. A police car went racing past him; its lights flashing and its sirens blaring. It was headed in the direction of the accident scene. Knowing that the frequency was filled with chatter, the terrified medic still raised the mic to his mouth and he screamed, “What the hell is going on!” He then began to fumble with the base unit as he tried to switch channels.
Distracted with the radio, he didn’t see the car that was crossing in front of him at the Beach Street intersection. In a terrible and violent spectacle, the speeding ambulance plowed into the blue sedan on the driver’s side, igniting its fuel tank and engulfing both vehicles in a fiery bloom of bright orange and thick, dark smoke.
Chapter 4
Day 19
Cartersville, Georgia
Jerry walked in through the front door of his home and saw Michelle sitting on the couch, engrossed with what she was watching on the television. “Hey babe, watcha watching?”
“Uh, something is going on in Atlanta,” she said. She didn’t even bother to look at him as he walked past her.
“What do you mean, ‘something?’ ”
“They aren’t sure. Something happened at Grady Memorial. Some people got hurt, and now the police have it surrounded. It’s been on the news all afternoon. They’ve been covering it all morning. They’ve also been talking about some stuff going on out west…California I think.”
“Man, what’s happening?” he asked as he shook his head in disbelief. “Yeah, the news this morning said that there was an outbreak in California…of the same stuff that’s spreading over in Europe, but they said the rest of the country shouldn’t worry because the government said that they had it contained to just a few places. I can’t believe that it’s made its way over here. And at the store…we’ve been so busy. Can you believe that we ran out of all of the ammunition?”
Michelle turned to Jerry with a surprised look on her face. “You mean to tell me that the store sold out of all the ammunition in stock?”
“Yep, every last bullet. And the supplier in Atlanta doesn’t know when they will have any more shipments. To make matters worse, all the prices have gone up overnight on all the ammunition. Even if we could get a shipment, I don’t think that we could afford it. People are really starting to freak out. To be honest, I’m starting to get a little scared myself.”
“So what are you going to do?” Michelle asked as she turned back to the TV screen. “And you’re right about prices going up. Like overnight everything went up at the grocery store. I didn’t think that they could do that. Isn’t there some kind of law against raising prices without some kind of vote or something?”
“I don’t know, but anyway, I had to close up shop. I was by myself because Benjie is in Marietta with his girlfriend and Lane never came back from Savannah. I didn’t know what else to do. We’re pretty much sold out of just about everything else anyway, so I figured that I’d come home and be with you. Oh, but just to be on the safe side, I did set aside some ‘private stock’ of ammunition and a few things in case we need them.”
Jerry’s words brought concern to Michelle. There was something in them that frightened her. She stood up and walked over to him. “Do you really think that something might happen over here?”
Jerry sighed and reached out to her, taking her into his arms. He ran his fingers through her long blond hair. “I hope not, but I don’t know what’s really going on out there.” He began to replay the question the customer had asked him about the dead coming back to life. He shuddered and squeezed her a little tighter. “Yesterday, me and Benjie saw a convoy of army trucks rolling down Forty-One. They were headed towards Atlanta. I ain’t never seen army trucks roll through here before.”
Michelle closed her eyes and placed her forehead against Jerry’s chest. “Maybe we ought to think about going up to my folks’ cabin…you know, just in case something happens. They have a well and solar panels. You know my dad put a lot into that place before he died. I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind us going up there. Maybe I could get her to come with us?”
“Sure, that wouldn’t be a problem…about your mom I mean. Let’s just see what’s going on before we make any plans to run to the hills. I’m sure this will all pass over.”
As the two stood in silence and held onto each other, the phone on the kitchen wall began to ring. Jerry let it ring a couple of times before he answered it.
“Hey, what are you doing?” It was Benjie.
“Just here with Michelle. What’s up?”
“John Connolly just called me and said that there’s something crazy going on at the hospital.”
“Yeah, I know. Me and Michelle are watching it on the news. The Atlanta cops got Grady surrounded.”
“No, not in Atlanta. There in Cartersville. Cartersville General. John said that his sister-in-law called and told them that some guy had overdosed on meth, and when he got took to the hospital, they thought he was dead. Turns out the dumb bastard didn’t kill himself because he woke up in the hospital and started going after everyone around him. Said he was biting the people who were trying to hold him down.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. And you said that they thought he was dead at first? Did John’s sister-in-law get out?”
“Yeah,” Benjie said, a twinge of excitement in his voice. “She works in the pharmacy and they closed everything down until they can figure out what the hell is going on over there.”
“That’s just too weird,” Jerry said as he turned his worried face to his wife. “And now with what’s going on in Atlanta…something isn’t right.”
“Well, I need to run. Oh, are we gonna open up tomorrow?”
“Uh, maybe it’s better if we just stay at home tomorrow. We’re damn near sold out of everything anyway. Where are you at?”
“I’m still down in Marietta, but we’re thinking of heading back home in a little. Things just don’t seem right…like people are scared or something. I think when them Russians dropped that second bomb…well, it put a lot of fear in folks.”
“Yeah, maybe you ought to get back. The news on the T.V. seems to be getting worse and worse.”
“Let me tell, or shall I say, let me suggest to Corina that we should start heading back. Plus, it’s not good to have the kid out here in all of this. I’ll give you a call when we get back into Cartersville.”
“Kay. Talk to ya later.” Jerry hung up the phone and sat down at the kitchen table.
“What’s the matter?” Michelle asked, sensing the angst in her husband.
“Benjie said that there is something going on at the hospital here. Doesn’t know what it is, but said they had to close it down.”
“What the hell is going on around here?” Michelle moaned. “I need to call my mom and make sure she’s ok.” She rushed over to the phone. With trembling fingers, she frantically dialed the number, but the phone rang with no answer. After two more attempts, she hung up, and with tears in her eyes, she cried, “Momma isn’t answering the phone. Jerry, she only lives a few blocks from Cartersville General!”
Jerry stared down at his hands. They were shaking, so he made a determined effort to show composure in front of his terrified wife. As he watched her sob and cry, he was filled with regret and shame. How could he have been so cold to her, so mean and n
eglectful to her? He had put his business first, almost destroying their marriage, and he was ashamed of that. And to top things off, he’d even had an affair on her—well, at least one that she knew about, the other one was still a secret—and he was filled with guilt and remorse. He knew that he needed to be there for her, and from now on, everything else would now have to come second. And he knew that he needed to stay loyal to her, no matter how strong the temptation. At that moment, he vowed that nothing or no one would ever come before her again.
A loud, panicked voice emanating from the TV speaker caught the attention of the couple. They both sat down on the couch and watched in disbelief at what was playing out on the screen.
It was obvious from the camera view that the cameraman was backing away from something, yet still trying to film whatever was taking place just outside of the Grady Memorial Emergency Room entrance. Through the jerky, almost nauseating viewpoint of the camera, it looked like some sort of struggle was taking place just outside of the vestibule. The camera finally focused in on a police officer who was trying to force an elderly man to the ground. The frail looking old man was completely nude and was clawing and grabbing at the grunting cop.
The policeman was desperately trying to take the man to the ground by yanking on his arms, and as they struggled, the naked man screamed and howled. He struck out at the officer and tried to bite him, forcing him to draw back in confusion. Blood was streaking down from several large visible wounds on the elderly man’s arms and shoulders, and as the cop continued in his effort to subdue the combative man, a second person came charging into the camera shot.
A large, heavy set woman dressed in torn and tattered pink scrubs pounced on the back of the officer and immediately began to punch and rip at his face. She too was soaked in blood and her right arm was mangled and shredded. Under the weight of the woman, the bewildered cop turned his head to see his attacker, and as he tried to throw her off his back, he tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. The woman in pink scrubs came down on top of him and immediately began to chew on his face and neck. She was quickly joined by the naked man as they smothered the kicking and thrashing cop.
The reporter darted in front of the camera and pointed at the struggling officer, yelling, “I’m not sure if you are seeing this, but something terrible is taking place here at Grady Memorial!”
Two gunshots rang out and the startled reporter instinctively ducked as he spun out of the camera view. The camera swung to the right and focused in on two other police officers. They had their pistols drawn and were approaching their wounded friend and his two attackers. One of the officers stopped and fired off two more rounds, striking the woman in her thigh and upper right arm. As if on cue, the attackers jumped up from their battered victim and sprinted towards the two cops.
Both men opened fire, but the deranged couple continued their charge as several bullets tore into the woman’s large frame. The elderly man wasn’t as lucky. A well placed shot ended his rush by sending the top part of his skull and brain hurtling into the air. Although riddled with bullets, the woman was able to reach the officers, tackling one and knocking him to the ground. Screaming and cursing at her, the second officer began to beat and kick the woman about the head as he tried to help his comrade.
The barrage of kicks and punches seemed to have had some effect because she released the bloodied man. The standing officer could see that that his partner’s neck had been savagely chewed and he could hear him gurgling on his own blood. Angered and full of rage, the cop lowered his gun and pointed it at the woman’s head. In an instant, he had dispatched her with a single shot.
Looking down at his partner, and then looking over at the other cop who was sprawled out on the pavement, the confused policeman holstered his gun and pulled his radio. “I got two officers down…by the E.R. entrance! I need help over here!” He then ran over to the first injured officer, but as he neared him, the wounded cop sprang to his feet and charged at the startled officer. He was screaming and shouting something unintelligible as black vomit spewed from his mouth.
“Manny, what the fuck is wrong with you?” the frightened officer asked as he backed away from Manny.
Focusing on the attacking lawman, the backtracking cop didn’t see that his partner was also back on his feet and was behind him. Caught up in fear, the retreating police officer tugged at his gun as he struggled to pull it from its holster. Like a linebacker hitting a running back, Manny crashed into the cop, planting the crown of his head into the man’s chest. The force of the hit caused them to smash into the second now-infected police officer and in a tangle of arms and legs, all three officers tumbled to the ground.
“Holy shit, did you catch that!” the reporter yelled to the camera man.
“Look…the entrance!” the cameraman yelled. He pointed to the glass doors of the vestibule. There was a large group of people in the entry way, and from what the cameraman could capture, it looked like a large melee was taking place.
“My God, what’s going on in there!” the reporter shouted in fear. As he turned to run away, a mass of humanity came bursting out of the vestibule. The reporter and cameraman both stood dumbfounded as they tried to comprehend what was taking place. Unknowingly, the cameraman had let the camera dangle to one side. He was too caught up in the moment to focus on trying to film anything. Jerry and Michelle now had to watch a sideways view of bloodied and tattered people pouring out of the hospital.
“Get the fuck out of there!” yelled a deep, boisterous voice from off camera. The camera operator quickly adjusted his camera and the view turned towards the direction of the voice, focusing in on a group of black-clad police officers in full tactical gear. They were filing out from a large, dark colored armored police vehicle.
“Get the fuck out of there!” ordered the tall, brawny SWAT member. His voice was muffled by the gas mask he was wearing. Other officers were forming into a column behind him and they were all putting on their gas masks.
“Shit, that must be S.W.A.T.,” the cameraman said from behind his camera. “Let’s get out of here!”
“No, wait, let’s see what they’re going to do!” the reporter said excitedly.
It only took a few seconds to find out what the SWAT team’s response was. With a thunderous crack that echoed off of the concrete walls, the officers opened fire on the mass of people surging from the emergency room entrance. In a blinding instant, the crowd, including the initial officers who had been attacked, were all mowed down by a hailstorm of lead.
“What the fuck are you doing!” the reporter screamed. “You’re shooting innocent people! You’re killing your own men!”
“Get back to the parking lot!” yelled the team leader as he scanned the carnage in front of him. He was hurriedly changing out magazines to his carbine. “Stay away from those people. They’re all infected!”
“Sarge, some of them are still moving!” yelled one of the SWAT members. Some of the people who had been shot were indeed moving, and some of them were actually getting back to their feet. A few of the bodies remained motionless though—the ones who had suffered head shots.
The reporter jumped in front of the camera again, this time almost placing his face directly in front of the lens. He began to speak—almost yelling—to the camera. “You just witnessed the Atlanta Police murder over thirty innocent people. I hope everyone across the country—no—everyone across the world sees this! This is pure madness!”
“I told you to get the fuck out of there!” the deep voiced sergeant yelled. He lowered his carbine to his hip and aimed it at both the reporter and cameraman.
“You do know that we’re broadcasting live…right?” the cameraman yelled.
“I don’t give a fuck how you’re broadcasting, just get out of here! I’m not gonna tell you again!”
“Holly shit, Sarge!” screamed one of the other SWAT officers. “There’s more of ‘em!”
The cameraman hoisted his camera up to his shoulder and tried to f
ocus in on the devastated emergency room entrance. At least a hundred people were now cramming through the shattered vestibule and they were headed directly towards the SWAT unit. Some of the people were lumbering along while others were running at a full sprint. Without any orders given, the police officers began to fire wildly into the oncoming crowd, but within a matter of seconds, they were overwhelmed.
“Fuck this!” screamed the cameraman. “I’m out of here!” Spinning around to flee, the terrified man dropped the camera and began to run for his life. The camera continued to feed a sideways shot of the rampaging mob as Jerry’s TV screen was filled with close-up shots of legs and shoes rushing past the fallen camera.
The screen shot suddenly cut away to a news room with a startled looking newscaster sitting at the anchor desk. He was obviously listening to someone talking to him through the earpiece concealed within his ear. He nodded, not realizing that he was on-air. The person speaking through the earpiece informed the anchor that he was live, and with a clearing of his throat and with a grim expression across his face, the frazzled reporter looked at the main camera in astonishment.
“Uh, okay. We seem to be having some kind of technical difficulties, but as you can see, something incredible is going on at Grady Memorial Hospital. We’ve also been informed that this same type of occurrence is taking place in several different cities across the country. Now we’re not sure if all of this this is connected to the recent events in California, so we’re not going to speculate, but we hope to get our live coverage up and running again at Grady. Okay, wait a minute…we are now getting reports from Macon…stating that the city is experiencing some sort of mass civil unrest…”
Jerry turned from the TV and gently placed his hands on either side of Michelle’s head. He looked directly into her eyes. “Look, babe, I have to run back to our store. I’ll get the stuff that I told you about. I’ll run over to your mom’s first, grab her, and then get to the shop and get what we need. Then we’ll head up to your daddy’s cabin until this all blows over. Okay?”
A Glimpse Of Decay (Book 2): Staring into the Abyss Page 5
