***
James stepped in closer to the monitor. The green line continued to travel straight. He figured the machine must have become disabled. He traced the lines leading from the back of the device down to the floor and then back up to the patient’s bed. The bed sheet covered the lines. James wondered if he should move in for a closer look. The remaining equipment all seemed to be operating. He could hear the hum of the devices. James leaned in closer and reached out for the sheet stopping as he heard a scream from another part of the facility. He listened for a moment.
Sensing movement, James turned suddenly to prevent the old man from falling from his bed. He grabbed Mr. McAllister under the armpits. His body weighed no more than 120lbs. James handled the weight with ease as if he were a newborn. The old man’s eyes were wide open, glazed over, and didn’t blink. James stared into the grey eyes just as his head lurched forward. The rotting teeth left in Mr. McAllister’s mouth sunk into James’ shoulder catching most of his bulletproof vest. James pulled back and tried to push the old man off, but found his grip was too tight. James struggled to free himself. He could feel the old man’s teeth digging further into his vest and felt the pinch as one of the teeth finally found flesh. James twisted his torso and pulled the old man completely from the bed. He wedged his left arm in between his body and that of Mr. McAllister. With all his might he made a quick maneuver he had learned years ago in the police academy and threw the old man to the floor. James looked down at his shoulder and could see several rotted teeth protruding from his vest.
Mr. McAllister jumped to his feet and moved with a quickness James did not expect. Lines from the medical devices dragged behind Mr. McAllister along with his colostomy bag that had burst. The foul stench of fecal matter mixed with death filled the air. Most of the lines began to tear from his thin skin leaving small droplets of blood all over the floor. James reared back and threw a right punch. His fist landed squarely on the old man’s face, stopping his momentum and causing him to stumble back against the wall. James knew he had to get out of the room and down the hall to see what the scream was all about. Mr. McAllister, with his back against the wall, looked back up at James with his foggy eyes. His hospital gown slipped half way down his body revealing a sunken chest, pale grayish skin, and several scars from prior surgeries. James stared in wonderment at how strong the old man was for his condition then he noticed the old man’s chest was not moving. James reached up to his opposite shoulder and keyed the mic.
“Home, 11-2 Paul.” James said staring at the old man. Before Home could answer, Mr. McAllister was off the wall and charging James again. Mr. McAllister held his arms out straight and his jaw was wide. A loud gurgling scream emanated from the old man. James allowed the old man to close the distance and then caught him with an elbow to the head, driving him to the floor. Mr. McAllister twitched violently. James stood above him wondering if he would get back up. He could see the old man’s forehead had a slight indention. James reached back up to key his mic when he heard screams for help. He turned and exited the room, looking down the hall towards the empty Nurses Station.
***
Joan sat straddled over the young nurse. She held a large chunk of flesh in her hands and her face was covered in blood. Ruth and her remaining two staff members entered the room. The caregiver screamed, turned and ran as fast as she could from the room. She stopped near the staff locker room and vomited. Ruth and the remaining nurse stood in the doorway staring in shock as Joan continued to chew on a large piece of flesh from the young nurse’s neck. Joan’s eyes were grey and she didn’t blink. She continued to chew while her remaining co-workers looked on in revulsion. Ruth, normally a pillar of strength, now stood in the doorway of Hell staring in disbelief at the events unfolding before her.
The meat slid down her throat barely quenching the hunger. Driven by an intense desire to eat the living Joan straddled the body and continued to chew and gnaw at the flesh around the head and neck. She peeled most of the young nurses face, removed her eyes and was now attempting to crack open the skull by banging it as hard as she could against the floor. Her grip was slippery due to the blood. She leaned over to use her teeth to rip a final strand of flesh from the face. The gasps from the onlookers finally caught her attention and she looked up to see fresh eats staring at her. She sprang to her feet but found only the stale taste of pressed wood waiting for her.
Ruth slammed the door shut and braced her weight against it. The horrible screams from the other side sent a shiver down her spine. Ruth leaned against the door and felt the jolts as the creature slammed against the barrier. The creature tried with all its might to tear the door down. If freed, Ruth could only guess what it would do.
A baby-faced nurse looked at Ruth with tear filled eyes. “What is happening? Why is she doing that?”
James interrupted the nurse as he trotted down the hall to their location. “What the fuck is going on? Pardon my French ma’am.” James said as he slowed to a stop.
The younger nurse looked at him not noticing the small bloodstain forming on the collar of his bright white T-shirt. An animalistic scream rang out as the door Ruth leaned against with every bit of weight she had gained over the past thirty-seven years, bucked like a bull in the state rodeo. James immediately slammed his body into the door and braced his back against it. He could feel the forceful banging from the other side.
“Just so you know, I had to play ROCKY with the fellow in 402. I don’t think he knew what he was up against when he met me.” James said with a sly smile on his face.
Ruth Davies looked over at the well built police officer and smiled briefly. The door bucked hard and they both resumed grimacing under the circumstances. The young nurse stood there, crying. She was useless to the seasoned nurse and the police officer as they held the zombie at bay in the small room with only one exit. They placed their collective weight against the door and held their breaths.
Two
The first ten years of the new millennium had treated Thomas L. Smith kindly. He was a successful businessman, owned his own company, had a wife much younger than him and earned accolades from the city as well as peers. In 2010 he was successful and expected his good fortune to continue forever. By 2012, bad business dealings caught up with him. Thomas L. Smith did all he could to hold onto his small fortune. Now homeless he had $11.85 to his name and a shopping cart full of cans, glass bottles and anything else that could be recycled. He slept in a vacant lot on flattened cardboard with several other homeless, across the street from a stop and rob, also known as a Mini-Mart.
Thomas fell ill over the past weeks, developing a nasty upper respiratory infection. His lapse in health insurance kept him from going to the ER. Tonight the cough that accompanied his respiratory infection ceased along with his pulse. Something in the building across the vacant lot caught Thomas’s greying eyes. He slowly moved toward the light, struggling at first, but soon began to run and closed in on the movement before him.
***
Katie walked to the soft drink dispenser. She passed by the most recent tabloids knowing she had finished most of them during her last shift. She had a craving for root beer. She stood at the dispenser with her back to the large windows spanning the front of the Mini-Mart. The root beer streamed into Katie’s cup as she reached over to grab a straw when something heavy hit the window.
Startled, Katie dropped her giant root beer, spilling brown liquid all around her feet. She slipped and fell hard on her tailbone as she spun to see what had caused the loud noise. Her eyes darted, found, and never left the decaying figure clawing at the window, its grey eyes staring at her. Katie sat in a puddle of root beer, her tailbone throbbing. The creature outside her storefront continued to claw at the window slowly making its way to the entrance. Katie scrambled to her feet and slipped trying to get to the checkout counter in search of the keys. She now crawled as fast as she could. Her tailbone shot sharp pains up her back. She grabbed hold of the corner of the counter hoisting herself t
o her feet. With a quick glimpse to her left she could see the man regaining his feet and probing for the entrance with his bloated hands.
Katie kept the keys within reach at all times while working the cash register. The owner had been very specific with his instruction and mentioned that it was the safest place for the keys, especially for a young female working the night shift. Katie grabbed the keys just as the bell rang notifying her that the front door was opening. She glanced towards the front door, eyes widening in horror as the man began to enter the store. An ungodly stench filled the air. Though her tailbone throbbed from the fall, Katie hopped over the counter and took two quick steps, just as the man began to reach for her with its bloated left arm. The zombie was nearly in the Mini-Mart when Katie slammed against the door with all 110 lbs. forcing it back through the doorway and trapping it’s left hand between the door and the door jam.
Katie placed all her weight against the door. The zombie on the other side was now banging on the glass with its free hand trying to master the motor skills it once had as a living human being. Katie continued to brace her weight against the glass as she fumbled for the key. The zombie’s left hand grabbed at and found a handful of dark hair. Katie screamed and began crying uncontrollably when she finally found the key she needed. She turned and slammed all her weight into the door again and again.
“Get the fuck out of here!” she screamed as she repeatedly allowed the door to open a fraction and slam again. The zombie was quickly gaining the motor skills necessary to use its weight as leverage against the door. It placed its left shoulder against the door and wedged its feet against the cement walkway. Katie felt the sudden force being applied to the door. Adrenaline flooded her blood stream and with one last push she severed its left hand at the wrist.
The rotting hand of the zombie fell to the Mini-Mart floor with a putrid thud. It didn’t move. Katie placed the key into the cylinder and turned. The sound of the locking mechanism securing the door sent a rush of relief throughout her body. She sank to the floor. Her tailbone throbbed sitting on the hard surface. A flood of thoughts rushed into her head. The telephone. Katie looked past the counter to the wall where it hung. She had to get to it and call for help. Her cell phone was in her backpack sitting in the back of the store. She wasn’t allowed to have her personal cell at the counter while on shift.
The zombie on the other side didn’t seem to notice its missing hand. It continued to bang on the door with its right hand and the stump where its left hand once was. Between the bangs Katie could here sirens. Some were near while others sounded distant. She picked herself up off the floor, turned and looked the zombie in the face. Its lifeless eyes continued to stare at her without blinking. Bang, bang, bang, it slammed its putrid fist and stump against the door.
“Good luck you fuck, you’re not getting in here!” Katie said aloud.
She extended the middle finger in the face of the zombie as she wiped away the last of her tears. Katie felt almost defiant as she stood only a couple of feet from the deranged creature. Then something caught her eye. She tilted her head to one side and could see several more lumbering figures moving towards the Mini-Mart. Katie turned from the door and sprinted around the counter. She reached the telephone on the wall picking up the receiver and dialed 911.
“We’re sorry, all circuits are busy. Please try your call again later.”
“FUCK!” Katie slammed the receiver down, picked it up and dialed 911 once more. Again, the same message.
“DOUBLE FUCK!” Katie looked outside at the bodies moving towards the Mini-Mart. Some moved slow while others began to pick up speed. She looked over at her original attacker.
“Thanks a lot.” Katie’s mind was turning a mile a minute. She turned and ran for the back of the store. Her tailbone continued to throb.
Three
Ty lounged on his dark patio with his feet comfortably propped up on the railing and his .357 magnum resting in his lap. Sugar lay just below his feet flinching with every gunshot heard nearby. Ty remained calm knowing his apartment was safe. The front door was easily secured leaving just the bathroom window off the master bedroom as the only outside access that didn’t require climbing three stories. The window itself was too small for an adult human to fit through, but Ty had closed and locked it anyway.
Sipping a cold beer and rubbing Sugar behind the left ear, Ty thought about what could possibly be going on in the city. The emergency broadcast on the T.V. had ceased before he could read it. The local country western station he listened to most of the time was repeating the same message about staying indoors and adhering to a mandatory curfew. Ty tried the 24-hour news stations, CNN, Fox News but found no useful information. His cell phone wouldn’t call out or text because the system was overloaded. He tried to check the news on his phone but received only the spinning wheel of death as he called it. His home phone was just as worthless.
He noticed several of his neighbors had failed to come home. The annoying young couple directly next door that threw Twilight Parties was out of town. Thank god for that. Ty stood up and leaned over the railing trying to see if there were any lights on in the building. He considered briefly stepping outside and checking if any of his other neighbors were home but thought better of it. There was still too much activity in the streets. Though Ty couldn’t make much of what was happening in the dim light he knew it would be over soon. The National Guard would be called in and that would be that.
“Hell, if this gets us out of a few days of work it’s all worth it.” Ty said as he patted Sugar on the head. She continued to lie on the patio, her nose continuously studying the air.
Four
Ruth Davies had spent her entire adult life in the medical field. She had served in the Navy as a medic attached to a Marine Corp deployment during two tours in The Iraq War and had seen combat up close and personal. After the war she concentrated on her nursing career as well as raising her family. Her husband and two children, the pride of her life, were at home. They wouldn’t be up knowing she was working late. This was Ruth’s last week working the floor. Next week she would be working from her own office and managing a full nursing staff having been promoted to the Director of Nursing at Morning View. The promotion meant more money, but mostly it meant she could work normal hours and spend time with her family. She was eager to start her new position.
Tonight Ruth just wanted to go home to her family and hold them close and tell them everything was going to be all right. The door bucked violently behind Ruth. James looked over at her.
“So, what have we got behind door number two?” He asked trying to lighten the mood. The young nurse stood in shock. Her skin was pale and she was beginning to hyperventilate.
“For Christ sakes, you never saw a nurse eating another for lunch, my god?” Ruth said following James’ lead in trying to lighten the mood. The young nurse continued to hyperventilate.
“Help her, I’ve got this.” James said bracing himself. Ruth looked at him nodding.
Ruth moved quickly to attend to her co-worker guiding her away from the immediate area. James continued to brace himself against the door. He reached up to key his mic. He hesitated for a moment. The door had stopped bucking. James tilted his head and moved his ear closer to the door. He turned and braced the door with his left hand. With his right he removed his service weapon, a Sig-Sauer 9mm. With the service weapon at the ready, James grasped the handle turning it slowly.
***
Ruth sat with her co-worker, trying to calm her down. She wondered where Marissa, the caregiver made off to.
“Sweetheart, it’s going to be fine. Breathe into the bag.” The young nurse continued to breathe hard into the bag but was comforted by the fact her charge nurse was with her. She still couldn’t believe what she had witnessed. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
Shots rang out, three in all. Ruth stood up quickly.
“Wait here.” She said as she walked quickly to the corner of the Nurse’s station. S
he stopped at the corner and peered around observing James in the doorway with his weapon drawn and by his leg. He didn’t move. Ruth stepped from the corner and began walking towards him. She stopped suddenly when she heard the primal scream. She watched James raise his weapon and fire one final shot. She shuddered.
***
“HOME, 11-2 PAUL.” James said loudly over the portable radio. No response.
“HOME. Shots fired, suspect is down. I need medical at my 20 now.” Still there was no response.
Finally a voice broke over the air. “11-2 Paul. Copy your last. Medical is not available.”
“No medical, 10-9?”
“11-2 Paul, go to four.”
James reached down and switched the channel of his portable to four.
“11-2 Paul on four.”
“James, all hell is breaking loose in the city. We don’t know what is going on.” The dispatcher said with obvious stress in his voice.
“I shot a nurse that was eating another nurse and I was attacked by a hundred year old man. I really need medical and back up now.” James said just a notch below yelling.
“No can do James. We are stretched to the thinnest. The mayor has called a state of emergency. I heard it has spread throughout the state.”
Welcome to Necropolis Page 2
