by S. Ganley
Shellie stopped several feet away from Garrett and turned to face back down the hallway with her pistol raised. Garrett could feel the vibrations in the floor and see the approaching shadows near the end of the hall that told him what was coming their way. It was time to stop playing coy with this frightened pilot, she needed to realize that her only chance of getting out of there alive was to get her ass moving right now.
Raising his voice Garrett dropped any pretense of trying to be friendly, "Look lady, we have less than ten seconds before a whole lot of hurt comes down the hall behind me. You are either coming with us right now, or we are out of here and you are on your own. We have lost too many people already to risk our lives for a stranger."
The vibrations in the floor under his feet were growing in intensity, he could now make out the moaning and growls of the herd of zombies rushing towards them. Whether it was the sounds of the gunfire or they finally picked up on the scent of humans being nearby didn't matter. They were coming for them and there was nothing they could do to stem the tide this time.
"Garrett!" Shellie called in alarm as he continued to stand his ground without making a move for the exit. He knew that even as terrified as Shellie was she would not run off on her own without him.
"Ok, that’s it. We're out of here!" Garrett said, making sure his voice was loud enough to be heard in the next room as well.
Turning towards the exit door, he hadn't take his first step when the remnants of the smashed door flew open. Garrett found himself staring into the scared eyes of a twenty something year old naval officer still wearing her flight suit and survival vest. Garrett recognized the rank insignia on the collar of her uniform and identified her as a junior grade Lieutenant. This told Garrett that she was very early in her flying career. Her relative youth and inexperience working together to increase the anxiety she was feeling as a result of her circumstances. Her hair was pinned back in a neat and regulation pony tail and her face was devoid of any makeup. Even under the poor lighting conditions and with a thin coating of grime concealing some of the details of her features, Garrett could tell that this woman was a knockout. She had probably clawed her way into the pilot’s seat of an advance fighter like the F-18 by fighting sexual harassment the whole way. Something in her eyes told him that it would not have been the alternative where she had used her looks to gain an advantage by sleeping her way through the ranks. Garrett also saw in her face the determination and drive of someone who was not ready to simply roll over and give up when faced with an impossible situation. She had clearly ran through her available options and decided that extending an olive branch of trust was a much better alternative than stubbornly dismissing the bravery of strangers coming to her aid. The pistol she held in her hand was raised in a defensive posture, not pointed directly at Garrett but not exactly pointed in a safe direction either.
"Garrett, Shellie." Garrett pointed to himself and to Shellie in a brief attempt at introductions, "if you're planning on shooting someone I suggest you wait here for another few seconds and you will have more than enough opportunities." Garrett said as he nodded towards her pistol.
"Lieutenant Olivia Frostburg, US Navy" She replied as she tentatively swung her pistol off to the side.
"Great. Now that we are all the best of friends can we get the hell out of here?" Shellie quipped still standing in the middle of the hall with her pistol aimed and ready for the first sign of the army of decaying flesh closing in on them.
Leading the way, Garrett took off down the hall and pressed against the handle of the exit door. Opening it just a couple inches he scanned the loading dock and surrounding parking lot. As soon as he was certain their path was clear he flung the door wide and allowed both ladies to step out onto the dock. Just as Garrett was about to swing the door closed behind them the leading edge of the horde of zombies rounded the far corner of the hallway. There were so many of them and they were moving so fast that when the first rank reached the corner, they were unable to turn fast enough and were simply mowed over by the ones coming up behind them. But even with that little stumble in their charge they continued on at full speed.
Garrett slammed the door shut and turned towards the parking lot. The door wouldn't stop them for a second. They would hit the door at a full sprint and their body weight would press the panic bar open in the first few seconds of impact sending them pouring out onto the loading dock. The locked metal chain hanging from the gate dissuaded Garrett from any attempt at trying to get out of the parking lot in that direction. As he ran his eyes over the rest of the fence he locked in on the side with the parachute still draped over the top of the fence. Tangled up in the barbed wire on top, the cloth had become bunched up into a thick ball along the top of the fence with the largest portion hanging along the outside to a point just inches above the ground.
Grabbing both girls by the arm he pulled them along beside him as he took the stairs of the loading dock two at a time and sprinted across the parking lot towards the parachute covered fence. Just as they left the pavement and stepped off into the grass near the fence they all heard the door behind them crash open as it was hit by a wall of zombies.
"Don't look back. Climb!" Garrett yelled as he pulled both girls forward urging them on towards the fence.
The three of them hit the chain link fence at the same time and began climbing side by side as fast as they could. Olivia quickly outpaced both Shellie and Garrett, reaching the top a full body length before them. Laying her body sideways across the parachute she was able to press it down firmly against the barbed wire underneath and lower the top by several inches giving Garrett and Shellie less distance to climb. As soon as they were all at the top they turned their bodies in unison and grabbed onto fistfuls of parachute materials using it to rappel rapidly down the other side. The first wave of zombies collided into the other side of the fence just as they reached the halfway point on their way down. The force of the impact bent the fence outward and knocked all three of them to the ground and sent them tumbling down a shallow incline.
Garrett came to a rest at the base of a small tree and immediately snapped his head back towards the fence. The crowd of undead were spread along three sections of fence and had hit it hard enough to bend it out several feet. One of the posts holding the fence in the ground was bent so far that the ball of concrete holding it into the ground was half exposed. The zombies were in a frenzied state and continued to push their combined mass against the fence. For the moment it appeared the fence would hold them back, but as more zombies appeared in the door at the top of the loading dock and rushed across the parking lot to join the building crowd already pressed up against it, it was only a matter of time before it was pushed over completely.
"Everyone ok? Can you both move?" Garrett asked as he jumped to his feet.
Both of women tentatively stood up on shaky legs and checked themselves for any obvious injuries. Satisfied they were able to walk without assistance, Garrett directed them to start running towards the back of the next office building. As they passed through the gap between the two buildings he glanced towards the road and saw that a large section of the crowd of zombies from further down the street was now swarming in front of the building they had just left. Their presence had evidently been made known. He considered themselves lucky that the mass of zombies were trying to work their way inside and come after them through the building. If even a small portion of that crowd had broken off and circled around the building they would have quickly cut them off and surrounded them with overwhelming numbers. As long as they could put a little more distance between themselves and that parking lot before the fence was finally knocked down, they would be able to slip away and make it back to the hospital.
Chapter 21
It was now going on three hours since Garrett and Shellie had left the hospital in search of the downed pilot. Doug was busy tending to his wife along with Kimberly inside the surgical suite. Miranda had busied herself investigating their secluded section o
f the hospital and had discovered a service stairwell tucked into a corner next to a storage room. The stairs were behind a set of heavy fire doors and after a quick check from top to bottom she found almost the entire stairwell to be secure and zombie free. The only exception was on the fourth floor landing where the door had been damaged and was leaning partially into the stairwell. While it was still an obstacle for anything trying to enter to the stairwell, it would only take a handful of zombies pressing against it to push it the rest of the way open. She stopped at each landing and tested the rest of the doors to ensure they were firmly closed and also took a peek through the thick glass windows at each floor. With only one exception she found that every floor above the surgical suite was infested with undead. From the hospital gowns, scrubs and uniforms she could see most of them wearing, it looked like the hospital had been packed full of patients and staff when the infection managed to get a firm foothold within the building. The only floor she didn't see obvious signs of zombies was the top floor just before the roof access doorway. She had taken a chance and made a quick search of that floor finding it to be an administrative wing with only offices and records rooms. It was a section that had not been open the general public and was free of any signs of infestation. She found one particular room to be of great interest and worth further investigation once Garrett returned. A small communications center was nestled in amongst the offices and records storage rooms. Seeing a multitude of glowing lights and readouts on several pieces of equipment it appeared that most of the equipment was hooked into the hospital’s emergency power supply.
Returning to the second floor surgical suite, Miranda detected a slight commotion at the far end of the hall as soon as she opened the door. Cautiously approaching the recovery room where she knew Kyle and Cameron had been when she left, she eased the door open with her pistol held up and at the ready. The first thing she noticed was a strange woman standing just inside the door wearing a flight suit, dripping wet and shaking hands with Cameron. As she turned her head a little more to the side her eyes grew wide as she spotted a smiling and equally soaked Garrett starting back at her. At the sight of him standing there in the recovery room she lost control of herself and darted into his arms almost knocking him over backwards in the process. After a prolonged and passionate kiss she stepped back from him and finally acknowledged that they were not alone in the room.
Garrett recovered from Miranda's sudden emotional outburst and introduced Olivia to Miranda and a semi-conscious Kyle.
"Where is everyone else?" Garrett asked.
Cameron pointed to the door separating the recovery room from the surgical suite and shrugged, indicating that he was not sure what they were doing in the next room.
Pushing the door open Garrett, Miranda and Olivia stepped into the surgical suite and then stopped short and took in the unexpected activity inside.
Two gurneys were pushed close together in the middle of the room. Kimberly was sitting up on one while Emily was on the other. In the space between the gurneys several pieces of equipment along with a string of tubing that was running into the equipment and through IV lines attached to both Kimberly and Emily. Doug was busying himself taking readings from one particular device that resembled a rubberized pump and was continually moving in a slow and rhythmic fashion up and down while giving off a whooshing sound following each iteration. Emily was stripped to the waist with her chest partially covered in a folded blanket leaving the side of her breast where she had been bitten exposed. The wound was covered in a carefully applied layer of gauze with a liberal coating of iodine visible on the surrounding skin. Both women were hooked up to monitors that displayed their vital signs on a side by side readout overhead and from what Garrett gathered by the readings on those monitors they both appeared healthy. Fluids were visible running from tubing attached to Kimberly's arm and into the pump between the two gurneys. Garrett studied this set up for several moments and then realized what Doug was doing. His initial reaction was one of rage closely followed by alarm.
"You are transfusing them?" He stammered.
Doug's head shot up from the equipment he had been monitoring and he finally noticed that the rest of them had entered the room. Detecting the anger in Garrett's voice and seeing his face growing red he quickly replied, "There is no danger. I assure you. It is set up as a simple one way transfusion."
Garrett moved over to stand besides Kimberly's bed and looked down into her face. "Kimberly. Are you ok with this?"
She looked up at him and offered a warm smile, "Of course. I wouldn't have volunteered if I thought there was even the slightest danger. Besides. Look at her." She said as she nodded towards Emily, "It’s working."
Studying Emily a little more closely, Garrett had to admit that her natural skin color seemed to have returned and according to the readings on the monitor over her head her vital signs showed her to be healthy. Leaning over closer he studied her eyes searching for the familiar telltale cloudiness that marked the onset of the infection beginning to take hold. Instead of the anticipated milky discoloration, Garrett actually saw a pair of brilliant green orbs staring back at him with a vibrancy he had not witnessed in Emily even before she was attacked.
"She's right. There is no sign of any lingering infection remaining. Kimberly's blood is the key." Doug stated with obvious pride and excitement in his voice.
Miranda was the first to pick up on the implications of this, "Do you mean that her blood is the cure?"
"Yes and no." Doug replied. "Emily has anemia." Seeing the confusion on several faces in front of him, Doug offered a quick explanation, "That is to say that her blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells. This is one of the reasons that she suffers from fatigue and shortness of breath so easily. It has an adverse effect on her blood circulation that is controlled by medications, which she refuses to take because it also adds to her weight gain." He cast a knowing look at his wife as he said this, "not that I am condoning her refusal to take her medications, in this case it probably saved her life. Her own body was destroying the cells carrying the virus faster than the virus could spread and take over. By flooding a massive dose of Kimberly's blood through her veins and doing it within such a short time after she was bit I was able to get ahead of the virus. Kimberly's blood may hold the cure; it is certainly an antigen against the spread of the virus. But if it had been anyone other than Emily with her anemia and her stubbornness about taking her meds, it wouldn't have made a difference."
"Wait a minute Doug. Are you saying that Kimberly's blood will only help someone who has anemia?" asked Shellie.
"Through a direct transfusion like this? Maybe, I'm not really sure. But under the right conditions her blood could be synthesized into something that would stop the spread of the infection in anyone. It would have to be injected directly into the blood stream and right after a bite. Once the virus spreads beyond a certain point it would overwhelm to many healthy blood cells for it to be of any use. Unfortunately, that is just not something I am able to do. I don't have the expertise or equipment to turn samples of her blood into an effective cure."
"You don't, but I know someone who does have the expertise and equipment to do just that." Offered Olivia from the back of the room where she had been following the entire exchange with great interest.
Garrett offered everyone a quick introduction to the newcomer and then encouraged the young pilot to continue with her explanation. She outlined in the most general terms the conditions with the remaining US forces and the quarantine zone that was established around Cuba. Doug expressed great interest in the information about the scientists at the Guantanamo Bay naval base charged with finding a cure. Olivia was quickly overwhelmed with his questions and had to admit that she only knew in the most general terms about their work. She went on to explain the mission of their flights over the Capital and surrounding areas to collect air samples in preparation for a follow up ground mission. When asked about the possibility of inevitable rescue, Olivi
a produced the emergency beacon and small radio from her flight suit.
"I almost forgot about these." She said as she switched both devices on. When everyone in the room started growing excited at the chance of being rescued she had to raise her hand and get their attention. Doing her best not to sound completely negative she explained that it could be a while before a rescue team was sent for her. "There is still a great deal of concern about the conditions on the ground and how active the virus may be. The air samples my wingman collected and brought back will have to be analyzed before a rescue is attempted."
This news quickly but a damper on the celebratory atmosphere in the room. Garrett felt that it was time to bring everyone back to reality and push the idea of rescue to the side for the time being.
Pointing to Emily and Kimberly he asked, "Doug. How much longer until we can safely move everyone?"
Doug referred back to the valve measuring the fluids running through the pumping instrument between the two beds. "Just a few more minutes and this will be done."
"We can’t go down to the lobby because of the herd still outside the rehab wing. Miranda found an empty administrative floor where we can hunker down until a better option comes along. Kyle won’t be able to travel for at least another day or two so we don't have many other options." Garrett said, explaining his plan to everyone.
Garrett was not crazy about the idea of purposefully trapping themselves on the top floor of a building they already knew to be infested with zombies. But they had come to the hospital with no real option for their next move. Looking around the room he also realized that it would be impossible to ask everyone to try and push any harder. The faces looking back at him were tired, haggard and worn out. Kyle, Kimberly and Emily were all in desperate need of rest and recovery. Anywhere they went from the hospital they would need to be helped every step of the way, reducing their remaining fighting strength even further than it already was. Even Miranda looked as though she was running out of steam. As the realization sank in that everyone was tired of running and fighting every minute of every day with no real end in sight, he could feel his own exhaustion finally starting to catch up with him. They had experienced so many close calls lately that a momentary lapse in judgment or loss of focus on his part would be all it took to get someone killed. The sudden sounds of fists pounding against the doors in the hallway made up his mind for him.
