by Mark Kramer
After receiving my money, I rented a small apartment in North Philadelphia, temporarily, until I figured out what I was going to do. Still in possession of Melvin’s driver’s license and keys, I visited his place, read over his notes and burned them. I couldn’t come forward with the notes because of the agreement I signed with the government. But it was then that I fully understood the history of the hospital, its long record of patient abuse, and the origin of the polio vaccine that was tested on March 21st.
Speaking of the polio vaccine, it would be only one year later, 1952, that successes were being reported with a vaccine developed by Jonas Salk. Ironically, it was the same year the country experienced its worst polio outbreak in history with 58,000 cases. By 1964, only 121 cases were reported.
Philadelphia State Hospital continued to operate, but its conditions never improved. Beginning in the 1960s, some of its buildings began shutting down. By 1990, the entire hospital was closed. Patients were either transferred to other mental hospitals or released. The patients who were released didn’t have homes or families to go to. Some of them wandered the streets of Philadelphia, adding to the city’s homeless population and others went back to the abandoned hospital, living there as squatters.
I remember, back in ’94 ’95, I was in Philadelphia for an Eagles game. I’d stopped at Pat’s for a cheesesteak and came across a homeless man who was telling others about when he was just a kid, he was at a hospital and the dead were returning to life. People blew him off, thought he was nuts and ignored him. I sat him at one of the outdoor tables and bought him a meal, then left.
As for me, I wanted to get as far away from the memory of Byberry as I could, so I bought a place in Toms River, found a job and did my best to live my life. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t find happiness. I married, thought I was happy, divorced, stayed single for a few years, married again and divorced soon afterwards. And that was it, I’ve been alone for over twenty years. I never got over the loss of Clara, or the guilt of leaving her with the professor. The pain is etched into my memory and the feeling is there every day. I never thought about taking my own life, I don’t know, maybe I was too scared, didn’t have the guts. But now, I’m ready to go…
Oh, before I forget. I have a gift for all of you. I failed to mention, when I grabbed the keys and license from Melvin’s pocket, I also grabbed something else; three vials of the polio vaccine that gave birth to that nightmare ― Melvin took them when we ran out of the testing room that night. I kept them in my pocket that entire night. I had thought about handing them over to the cops or the government, but decided against it. I kept them and still have them to this day. I want you all to experience the horrors that I went through that night, to know what it’s like to lose the only person that you truly love, so I’ll do what I can to bring this nightmare back from the dead. I’ll inject myself and let it spread, this time, across neighborhoods, destroying families and their futures. Why not? I mean, really, do you think scum like you deserve to enjoy your lives, being happy, successful and in love? I didn’t enjoy mine.
Don’t judge me. I’m not crazy…I’m heartbroken.
About the Author
Mark L. Kramer came up with the idea of this novel from his love of zombies and his interest in the infamous Philadelphia State Hospital. After a few years of hearing fans ask for a sequel, Mark has decided to finally begin work on a Book Two. He lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania, where he continues to work on the next entry.
You can drop him a line about the book at [email protected].
