“What about me?” George asked.
“You’re going to come with us, George,” Jim replied. He took a step closer to George and handed him a radio and headset. “We’ll look after you, George. Just stay behind whichever of us is the second person in line,” Jim said.
“No gun?” George asked.
“No. No gun. Stay close,” Jim replied.
After Chris confirmed the area was clear from his vantage point in the turret, they exited the MRAP and walked toward the hospital entrance. They heard Jim mumble something.
“What, Dad?” Chris and Jeremy asked simultaneously.
“Nothing. I’m just sick of damn hospitals,” their father answered.
About twenty-five feet from the entrance they stopped. Jim and his sons took a knee and George copied them. Jim stared at the intact double glass doors of the main entrance. Chris and Jeremy couldn’t tell if their dad saw something or not.
“Wait here,” Jim said quietly. He rose from his knee in crouched position and approached with his M4 aimed at the door. When he reached the entrance, Jim took up a position on its right. He tried to look beyond the closed thick glass door, but could see nothing but darkness beyond five or six feet.
“I’m going to try to open it,” Jim said quietly over the radio. He received two clicks back over his headset that indicated his sons heard. He didn’t like it, but he had to move to an exposed position in front of the doors. Jim held a flashlight against the glass to look further inside. He saw a human figure move out of view down a hall or maybe into a room.
Jim let his M4 hang by the sling on his chest. He pulled the Halligan tool from its holster on his back and pried a gap between the doors. When he thought the gap in the door was big enough, he replaced the tool and readied his M4. He looked further into the darkness through the gap and beyond the doorway, but saw nothing. He held his breath for a few seconds and listened, but heard nothing.
He slid open the door on the right. Jim crept a few feet inside the entrance. He saw two infected about ten feet away. They seemed to notice him at the same time and shambled toward him. Unlike other infected he’d become used to, these two made no sound other than the noise from their feet that were dragged along. No growling. No rabid expression. Just blank faces.
Jim took aim at the one that was slightly closer. Not taking chances, he fired two shots at the woman’s head. The first shot missed and pierced her right ear. The second round struck her in the right eye. She dropped to the floor.
Jim moved the muzzle slightly and fired two rounds at what looked to have been a teenage boy that had been slightly behind the woman. This time both rounds were well placed. He checked the lobby again, but the four suppressed rifle shots seemed not to draw any attention. Jim called, “Clear,” over the radio and waited for his sons and George to join him inside.
Chris moved toward the entrance, followed by George, then Jeremy. The four gathered in the lobby. Jim had Chris and Jeremy spread out to cover the nearest hallways. Jim’s attention stayed on the two furthest and largest hallways that connected with the lobby and the entrance they had come in.
As they stood guard, Jim had George search the information desk for a map or schematics.
“Got it,” George said. His voice was enthusiastic and loud. George held up a pamphlet proudly.
Chris and Jeremy, startled by the volume of his voice, turned and looked behind them and looked at George.
Jim cursed quietly. He shushed George and motioned for him to come to him.
As George grew near he apologized and handed Jim the glossy form.
Jim studied the pages as George looked over his shoulder. George pointed to the words and schematic on the first page, EMERGENCY ROOM. “We could get stuff there,” George whispered in Jim’s ear.
Jim leaned close to George's ear, “All the people that were sick when this shit started went there. We’re staying the fuck away from the ER unless we have no choice,” he whispered.
George’s eyes grew wide. He nodded his head and looked in the direction of the ER. George kept looking toward the hallway as Jim looked over the pamphlet.
Jim and George moved toward the center of the lobby. Jim called for Chris and Jeremy to join them. He pointed to the pharmacy on the map. “We’ll go there first and see if anything is left,” Jim said. After nods from his sons, they headed toward the hall that led to the pharmacy. Jim led, followed by Chris, then George, and Jeremy last. They made a left turn at an intersecting hall and followed the signs.
They neared elevators as they approached the last intersection before they would reach the pharmacy. As they approached elevators, they could smell the stench of rot. Jim at first thought it was perhaps rotten food from the nearby cafeteria. However, they were moving away from that area and the smell increased.
As they grew closer to the first elevator, the smell intensified. Jim signaled for the rest to halt. He noticed the closest elevator’s doors were open about two inches. The ambient light didn’t reach inside. Jim lowered his NVGs and looked. He angled his head left and right; he still didn’t get a complete view of the interior.
He felt he was wasting time and decided to move on. As Jim flipped up his goggles and switched them off a mangled hand reached from the opening close to touching his nose. As it squeezed through the gap in the elevator doors skin from the hand and forearm scraped off onto the edges of the doors. Reflexively, Jim jumped back and aimed his rifle at the outstretched extremity.
“I think that’s one of the dead ones,” George whispered.
“You think, George?” Jeremy asked sarcastically.
It was contained. No need to shoot and call attention to themselves. Jim disregarded the foul-smelling infected thing in the elevator. They moved on to the pharmacy that was just around the corner. The pharmacy was cleared without incident, and Jim and George began filling duffle bags full of medications.
Jeremy and Chris stood sentry just outside the pharmacy entrance. They each faced down one of the two halls.
Jeremy, Jim, and George heard two gunshots in quick secession, followed by three more. Suppressed shots, but still loud enough to startle them. Jim turned as he and George started to make their way out of pharmacy. They heard, “Contacts down. Clear,” radioed by Chris. “Clear,” Jeremy echoed over the radio. “We’re coming out,” Jim quietly notified Chris and Jeremy.
Chapter 15
The barn was best place they had for constructing the concrete walls using the molds Arzu had designed. It offered a roof to prevent interference from rain while they poured the concrete and while it cured. They first had to rearrange and remove items stored inside to make enough room.
Of the five trucks at the local concrete business, they had found one that didn’t have a load of concrete hardened inside the mixer drum. Kathy had again gone out with the scavenging team that morning. Their first task was to take the concrete truck back to the concrete plant, mix a batch of concrete according to Arzu’s specifications, and bring it back. Now, with a fully loaded mixer truck, they could make several of the concrete wall sections.
Retrieval of the concrete had taken longer than expected that morning. Since there was no power to the concrete supply company, Kathy and Brent explained that they not only had load the mixer by using a front-end loader, but they had several of the infected to contend with. Kathy and Brent hadn’t added water to the mixture; there hadn’t been a working source. Kathy and Brent wasted little time; they quickly checked over the pickups they were using for their next excursion so they could be on their way.
Royce operated the front-end loader with backhoe. He took a couple of scoops of dirt about every ten feet. The width of the holes he made were much wider than they needed them, but it was quickest way they had available.
Royce was followed by a large flatbed and two pickup trucks. The flatbed had been loaded with fence posts. Royce would scoop out the dirt; the flatbed followed behind and a couple of their group placed a post in the holes.
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bsp; The next pickup would follow and a crew would get out, pour ready-mix concrete and water around the post, and shovel the dirt back in while they kept the post as close to straight as they could. Residents providing security for the project occupied the third pickup.
The noise of the heavy equipment brought out more of the slow moving infected than normal. They had to take the risk. With a high chain link fence and the T-walls placed in the areas to block the view of movement that attracted the infected, the residence hoped to improve their security and expand the land that they had lost and desperately needed.
With the plywood, sheet metal, tarpaulin and other materials the scavenging teams had been collecting, they hoped to be able to block off most, if not all, view of the farm from outside the perimeter. Brent Cutler had been gathering cameras from abandoned buildings and cables wherever he could. He planned on setting up a video monitoring system to help with security.
Kathy, Brent, and Steve went back out and were focused on collecting more chain link fence and fence posts. With the home improvement stores depleted nearby, the teams had been gathering material from the larger town of Gainesville. Most of the places didn’t have the type and quantity of fence in stock that was needed to fence the entire twenty acres. Arzu had estimated they needed at least seventy-five fifty-foot rolls of chain link fencing.
Arzu and Linda began the work of mixing the first batch of concrete. Without electricity, a generator supplied power to the pump for the farm’s well. Arzu constantly checked the consistency of the mixture and, finally satisfied, they poured the first mold. Pleased with the first attempt, they poured the second.
To discourage the concrete from adhering to the mold, and possibly causing the mold to have to be broken once the concrete set, Arzu had lined the molds with Visqueen and wiped that down with baby oil. Once the two molds were poured, Arzu and Linda turned their attention to constructing more molds for the walls. Learning from the first two, the next ones would be quicker to build.
Berk and Kayra were happy to finally have the other children to play with again. The five children had completed their quarantine and were thrilled to be able to get out and have contact with others. Every adult had felt terrible about confining the children as they had. But no one could think of a better choice. If one had been infected, more could have fallen victim. It was a necessary evil, one of many that would be more commonplace.
Kathy and Brent were joined by Brent’s brother Steve for their next mission of collecting fencing material. Their latest search would be at a Home Depot on the southwest side of Gainesville. The group had been traveling this and other routes to Gainesville for a few weeks. Except for the increased numbers of infected walking during daylight near or on the roads, the route seemed to have no other activity.
Kathy, Brent, and Steve drove behind the store. They knew the items they were after were normally stored towards the back of the building. Brent and Steve stood watch while Kathy used an acetylene torch to cut through the large bay door. This was a nerve-wracking ordeal for the one cutting the hole, so they developed a procedure; a couple small holes were made and then Cyalume light sticks were dropped in. One person then kept an eye on the inside for infected while a larger hole was made or the lock was cut. No one wanted to push up the door and have infected attack.
“Get ready,” Kathy said as the lines she cut with the torch were almost joined. Once assured Brent and Steve were ready, she finished the cut into the door. Kathy backed away, shut off the acetylene and put the torch on the loading dock. She brought her rifle up and aimed it at the opening she’d just cut.
Steve snapped another light stick and with the larger opening was able to throw it further inside. They waited, watched and listened. Nothing came. “Going in,” Kathy said. She went through the opening and unlocked the large rolled metal door. Brent followed her inside, Steve remained on the outside, and they quickly set about the noisy task of raising the bay door.
With the bay door opened enough, Brent and Steve began looking for supplies. The brothers heard five gunshots and turned toward the noise.
“Two runners. They’re down now,” Kathy said.
Brent and Steve pushed rolls of chain-link fence and carried out posts and wire onto the loading dock. They rolled the fencing out and into the bed of the truck. Kathy, Brent, and Steve took turns standing sentry while the other two worked. Normally more would be in their party, but the pressing need to get the perimeter fence secured and Jim, Chris, and Jeremy being gone meant they had to make do with less.
Finished, tired, with their pickups loaded to capacity, they prepared to head back to the farm. “Let’s see if that thing works,” Kathy said.
Brent and Steve followed where she pointed, to a large Home Depot flatbed.
“The more we can carry at one time, the better,” Brent said.
A check of the cab found the keys in the ignition, and it started on the first try. The forklift mounted on the rear of the flatbed wouldn’t start. Kathy decided to take it anyway and left it in place; it would be useful if they could get it running again. After some extra time taken to offload the truck of the sheetrock that had been soaked by rain several times over, they were on their way back to the farm with another large flatbed truck.
Kathy decided to drive the large delivery truck herself. The Cutler brothers followed in the other two pickups. Their route would take them through the southwest part of Gainesville, past some smaller strip malls where Brent hoped to check a Radio Shack or similar store for cable and other components for the closed circuit TV system he had been trying to get operational. With only three of them, they thought the smaller businesses in the strip malls would be easier to secure and search.
“There on the left,” Steve said over the walkie-talkie.
“I see it,” Kathy said. She slowed and cut across the road, going westbound on the eastbound lanes.
Steve and Brent followed her into the parking lot of the strip mall and they stopped in front of a section called Ed’s CCTV World.
The Cutler brothers pulled up to the front and waited inside their idling trucks. Kathy drove around back to look for signs the shop was occupied by infected or someone that had decided to call it home.
They had learned that most of the time the infected in a building or close by would come out to investigate noise. If the sun was bright enough they would retreat back inside, unless they were the slow ones.
With no signs of entry in the back of the CCTV shop, Kathy rejoined Brent and Steve at the front. After a minute or two the three trucks were maneuvered with the front ends facing away from the building to facilitate a quicker retreat. Kathy, Brent, and Steve gathered at the front door of the shop and peered inside.
Chapter 16
“Infectious diseases,” Jim muttered.
“What?” Chris asked. “The Infectious Diseases department is where we need to go next,” Jim said a little louder and clearer. He looked down at the schematic they had gotten from the lobby and back up.
“For what?” George asked incredulously. “Because you’re a lab assistant that’s worked on this shit,” Jim said and pointed to the four corpses that Chris had shot moments earlier.
“I can’t cure this,” George whispered.
“Your experience may be some help,” Jim said.
That argument seemingly over, “The Infectious Disease section is two levels up,” Jim continued. He started to lead them toward the stairwell.
“What about the elevator shaft?” Chris asked. His father, brother and George all looked at him like he was insane.
“What about the stinker in there?” Jeremy asked, referring to the infected that was the owner of the rotted arm that had reached out for them as they passed.
“We’ll let it keep that one. I’m talking about seeing if there’s a ladder in the other shaft we can climb,” Chris said.
“Great idea,” Jim said and turned to lead them to the elevators.
They approached the elevators and,
as before, the slightest noise brought out the rotten arm and hand and it reached at air. The owner of the extremity made none of the growling they had become used to hearing from the infected. Jim pointed to the closed elevator to the left of the one whose occupant seemed desperately to want company.
He pocketed the map and removed the Halligan tool from his back. Jim wedged the duckbill tip between the doors and pried them open about three inches. Jim lowered and turned on his NVGs and cautiously peered in the gap from what he hoped was a safe distance away. “Empty,” Jim whispered. He shut off his NVGs and raised them.
While Chris and Jeremy stood guard Jim placed a leg on one door and grabbed the other, pushed and pulled until he increased the opening in the elevator doors.
“Wait here,” Jim quietly said to the others as he moved into the elevator. He poked his head back out the doors. “Shit. Come in here, Jeremy. You’re the tallest,” Jim said. He handed Jeremy the Halligan tool and told him to pry open the hatch in the elevator’s ceiling. Jim got on his hands and knees so Jeremy could step up on his back to get a better reach.
“Is that enough light for you?” Jim grunted as Jeremy stepped onto his back.
“It’ll work,” Jeremy replied and started to work on the hatch as quietly as he could. “Got it,” he said and stepped down off his father.
“Help me up there, Jeremy. George goes next and then you. George and I will pull Chris up after, while you cover the hall behind him,” Jim said.
They entered the elevator shaft and used the maintenance access ladder in the side of the shaft to ascend the two floors. When they reached the elevator doors, as before Jim pried a small gap. He used a mirror with extendable handle to check for infected in both directions of the hallway. He saw nothing and was pulling in the mirror when movement caught his eye.
Omega Pathogen: Despair Page 11
