Before Safe Haven_Lucy

by Christopher Artinian

  A ZOMBIE NOVELLA

  before safe haven: Lucy

  Christopher Artinian

  Published by Headless RAM Publishing

  COPYRIGHT © 2018

  CHRISTOPHER ARTINIAN

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  DEDICATION

  To the friends who never ask for anything, but give you everything.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “That’s not the story mommy,” said Charlie. Her golden brown locks trembled on her forehead as she began to giggle.

  “No? You sure? ‘Cause I’m pretty certain that’s how I remember it,” replied Lucy, as a contented smile, the kind derived from love at its purest, washed over her face like a wave onto fresh sand.

  “No,” said Charlie, laughing now. “Go get the book,” she said, pushing at her mother’s leg.

  “Really? But I’m so comfy,” replied Lucy, gently squeezing her daughter closer towards her on the bed. It was a grey wintry day outside, and school had been cancelled. Lucy had worked twelve days in a row and wild horses couldn’t have dragged her into the hospital today. Not because of her fatigue, not because of the cold, miserable, drizzly day, but because she was with her sunshine. Charlie was one of those special souls. Sure, most kids were cute, but once in a while, you came across one that lit up the world with a smile. That was Charlie. She could light a thousand worlds, and still have some smile left over.

  “Pleeeaaase!” said Charlie.

  “Ughhh!” said Lucy. “Okay. But if I’m getting out of bed, I’m going to make it worth my while. You fancy some hot chocolate?” she asked, looking down at her daughter. Charlie’s eyes shone, and she nodded.

  “And how ‘bout some ice cream to go with it?”

  “Cookie dough! Cookie dough! Cookie dough!” cried Charlie.

  “Oreo, did you say?”

  “Nooo! Cookie dough, mommy!”

  “Okay! Okay!” said Lucy, climbing out of the comfortable warmth of the bed. “Raspberry it is,” she said, beginning to chuckle to herself.

  “Mommy! Nooo! I said cookie dough!” protested Charlie, laughing.

  “Let me see what I can find,” said Lucy, heading out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She switched on the kettle, pulled two mugs from the tree, opened the fridge door, and picked out a can of squirty cream; then she opened the freezer and opened two drawers before finding a three quarter full tub of cookie dough ice cream. She put it on the countertop and got two spoons from draining board. “You want marshmallows, sweetie?” she shouted.

  “Duhhh!” came the shout back.

  Lucy laughed to herself. She was raising a ‘mini-me’. The kettle finally boiled and she heaped three spoonfuls of hot chocolate powder into each mug, before stirring vigorously, adding mini marshmallows for her mini-me, and squirting on a healthy dollop of cream. She picked up the mugs and walked through to the bookcase in the lounge. She didn’t need to search, she could pick the book out if she was blindfolded. Fourth shelf up, still low enough for Charlie to reach. First book—Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. She placed the tub of ice cream under her arm, put the shafts of the two spoons between her teeth, and levered out the book, placing it in her back pocket, before retrieving the ice cream and continuing her journey.

  When she got back to the bedroom, there was no sign of her daughter. She placed one mug on one bedside cabinet, and one on the other, before placing the spoon and ice cream down and shuffling under the covers.

  It was then that she remembered she’d put the book in her back pocket. She reached round and pulled it out, placing it down beside her mug. “Gee it’s too bad Charlie isn’t here. I’ve got hot chocolate, ice cream, and her favourite book. Looks like I’m just going to have to enjoy it all myself. Suddenly, she heard a scratchy shuffling from underneath the bed, and from the corner of her eye she saw a small arm reaching up towards the mug. Like lightning, Lucy grabbed hold of the arm and shifted the weight of her body so she could look underneath the bed. “Arrgghhh!” she said in her best monster voice.

  Charlie looked at her mum and screamed with laughter. “How did you see me?” asked Charlie.

  “I see all, little girl,” she replied in her best witch’s voice. Charlie giggled again. “C’mon, sweetie,” she said, returning to her own voice, “let’s have some ice cream and hot chocolate.

  In a flash, the two of them were cuddled next to each other in bed, sharing a tub of ice cream and taking an occasional drink of hot chocolate. When they had finished the ice cream and were several sips in to the smooth rich chocolate drink, Lucy opened the pages of the book and began to read. Charlie pulled Lucy’s left arm up and tucked it around herself, resting her head on Lucy’s tummy.

  “Your belly’s gurgling,” said the young girl, and they both laughed.

  A few more minutes passed, and Charlie’s head began to feel heavy against Lucy’s stomach. “Charlie? Charlie?” she whispered again, but there was no response. Lucy put the paperback down on the bedside cabinet, leant in to kiss her little cherub on the head, and flopped back against the luxurious, cushioned headboard.

  When Lucy woke, she looked in her arms, but there was no sign of Charlie. “Sweetie?” she called to no reply. She looked across at the bedside clock. Three fifteen pm. They really had been lazy this afternoon. “Charlie?” she called again, a smile appearing on her face. She really did have a mischievous streak.

  Once again, there was no response. Where was she? “Charlie?” she called again. Suddenly, she saw a large bump under the quilt, it was moving slightly. How had her field of vision not picked up on that before? She grabbed hold of the corner of the quilt and flung it back. “Got you,” she laughed.

  A creature that loosely resembled her daughter stared back. Blood and sinew dripped from its mouth and its fingers gripped Lucy’s leg with unnatural strength. When Lucy looked into its eyes, she realised it was no longer her daughter, it was anything but. Lucy’s thigh was bleeding uncontrollably, and a large chunk of flesh was missing just a few inches up from the knee. “Arrrggghhh!”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Lucy’s eyes sprang open. “Jesus!” she said. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead and were running down to her brow. Her breathing was erratic and she laid there for a moment just staring at the ceiling, trying to calm down. “Jesus,” she said again before turning her head to see no sign of Charlie.

  She jerked back the covers, and Charlie stared back, her eyes grey, but for a black shattered pupil, blood and flesh falling from her pallid lips as an inhuman growl bled from her throat.

  “Arrrggghhh!” screamed Lucy.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Lucy opened her eyes. Tears were rolling down the sides of her face and into her hair. Her subconscious was so cruel. If it had something to say, why not come the hell out and say it? Why torture her with these horrific dreams?

  Charlie had died in a car crash three years earlier. Her sweet little soul was laid to rest long before the outbreak, so why did her mind keep insisting on portraying her as a ghoul?

  The tears began to flow faster as Lucy started to sob. “I miss you Charlie,” she said, turning onto her side and letting the steady stream drip onto her pillow. She looked through blurry eyes to the photo on the bedside table. “I miss my little girl,” she said again before clenching her eyes tight, making the tears pool. She wallowed for a moment, but then came a knock on the door.

  “Lucy?” It was Samantha, the nurse who had been assigned to help her. “We’ve had a call. Cessation,” she said, pausing for a response.

  Lucy dabbed her eyes on her quilt. “Give me five, sweetie,” she said, her voice a little shaky.

  “Okay, came the reply.”

  Lucy opened the top drawer of her beds
ide cabinet and put the photo inside, before removing a bottle of oxycodone. She flicked off the safety cap and shook one of the pills into her hand before jerking her head back and swallowing it. These pills were just a stopgap until she started to feel better. She could control it.

  She went to the bathroom, turned on the shower and brushed her teeth while it warmed up. Warm was the operative word. This hospital camp had been set up hastily. She supposed she was lucky to have a shower at all, but she’d kill for something hot and powerful, not lukewarm like this. The soap and water washed away the tear stains, and within a minute, she was out of the shower and towelling herself dry. A cessation. “Shit,” she whispered. It was rare that these ever had happy endings.

  She threw on her clothes, picked up her medical bag, placed the strap of the laptop bag over her shoulder, and headed out of her room. The camp had been erected around a half finished motel/motorway services, on the outskirts of Leeds. Parts of it looked like a nice hotel, parts of it looked like a building site, but it served its purpose.

  “I brought you coffee,” said Samantha, handing her a ribbed paper cup with a lid.

  “You’re the best,” replied Lucy, grabbing it, ignoring warnings about the coffee’s temperature, and taking a needy caffeine hit. “Oh yeah! That hits the spot,” she said in her soft New England accent. “So, where are we heading?”

  “It’s about a mile and a half from Headingley,” replied Samantha.

  “Headingley? Erm, is that where that croquet stadium is?” replied Lucy.

  Samantha laughed. “It’s where the cricket ground is,” she replied.

  “I keep getting those two mixed up,” said Lucy winking.

  “Y’know, the thing is, I might actually know who this is,” said Samantha.

  “Really? You want to sit this one out?” asked Lucy.

  “Not for a second. It it’s the guy I think it is...not for a second,” she said, beginning to blush.

  “Uh-huh, I see,” said Lucy.

  “If it’s him, he used to go out with my sister,” she said as the pair began to walk down the hall.

  “And you had the hots for him too?” asked Lucy.

  “It wasn’t like that,” replied Samantha. “He was good looking, but, he was very, very intense, and a bit...unpredictable.”

  “A good looking bad boy?” said Lucy teasing.

  “I can’t explain. He was a really good guy, really good, but…”

  “Dr. Blair?” asked a young soldier as he approached Lucy.

  “Yeah,” she replied before taking another sip of coffee.

  “I’m driving you today. Please follow me,” he said before turning back around and leading them out of the motel.

  “Not much on small talk, is he?” said Lucy. Samantha just smiled.

  The two women saw another armed soldier in the passenger seat of a waiting ambulance, and they went around to the back doors, while their escort climbed into the driving seat. As they got inside, they were greeted by two men in hazmat suits, holding what looked like gas masks in front of them. The engine started, and the military ambulance pulled away.

  “Been to many of these?” asked one of the men in the hazmat suits.

  “A few,” replied Lucy.

  “Me and my mate here don’t take risks. If something looks dodgy, we shoot first and ask questions later,” he said in a cockney accent. “So, don’t you worry.” He tapped his sidearm and winked, “You’re safe with us.”

  Lucy’s heart sank. The last thing she needed to deal with was a couple of gun toting conscripts. “I feel safer already,” she said.

  The man smiled and nodded proudly, the sarcasm evading him completely.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The ambulance came to a halt, and the driver turned to look at Lucy, Samantha and the two hazmat agents. “Right, this is the place,” he said, before turning around again.

  “Erm, okay,” said Lucy. “I guess that’s our cue to exit,” she said.

  Samantha and Lucy climbed out of the ambulance first, closely followed by the two hazmat operatives.

  “Remember,” said the hazmat man who had spoken to them earlier, “don’t worry about a thing, you’re well protected,” he said winking again.

  The four of them walked up to the front door and Lucy rang the doorbell. A young man answered, his eyes were red, it was clear that he’d been crying, but there were no telltale trails on his face. “Mr. Michael Fletcher?” asked Lucy.

  “Mike,” he replied, opening the door wider and ushering the four of them into the hall.

  “My family’s through here,” he said, opening the living room door and waving Lucy and Samantha in. Lucy walked through first, and as Samantha passed Mike, their eyes met. His narrowed a little. He knew her from somewhere, but where? He closed the living room door behind the two women; then went back to the front door and looked outside to see if there was anybody else before shutting it and leading the hazmat men up the stairs.

  Lucy and Samantha made their introductions to the young woman and two children. The whole family was in a state of shock. She hated this, this new age of perpetual suffering. When kids were involved, it always made it a thousand times worse. She saw her Charlie in the reflection of every child’s tear.

  “Samantha and I are here to give you a little check-up to make sure you’re all okay. You’ve probably heard that some people are getting quite ill at the moment, and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.” Lucy looked towards Emma. “Where’s the best place to do this? Ideally somewhere with a little privacy.”

  Emma suggested the dining room. Lucy picked up her bags and asked for a moment to prepare before they began the examinations. She closed the door behind her and leant against it closing her eyes tightly. “Oh God,” she whispered, and reached into her pocket for a small plastic bottle. She had taken her last oxycodone tablet about an hour ago, but these were special circumstances. She needed another, just to get her through this. She placed one of the small pills on her tongue and cocked her head back to swallow. She winced a little as the bitter oxycodone tablet caught and dissolved on the back of her tongue on the way down. Okay, now she was ready. She set up the laptop and her equipment and headed back to the door. “Okay, Emma, would you like to come in?” she said smiling. Just another day at the surgery.

  “Thank you,” said Emma as she helped her little brother, Jake, put his top back on.

  Lucy sat watching them with a smile on her face, and she suddenly realised she had no recollection of the last few moments. The examinations were completed. The kids were putting their clothes back on. ‘Shit!’ what just happened? She checked the laptop. Her notes didn’t make much sense. She looked at the blood. Okay, she had collected and labelled the blood, that’s good. What else? She must have checked them over, they were putting their clothes back on. This had never happened to her before. She had never lost time. “Shit!” she whispered.

  “Sorry, did you say something?” asked Emma.

  “Erm, no, sorry, just having a disagreement with my laptop,” she said and went back to focussing on the screen. Okay, she thought to herself, this wasn’t a big deal. It was stress, overwork, lack of sleep, a combination of factors. Her mind had just engaged autopilot, that’s all, it was nothing to worry about, this happened to everyone. She would just tidy up her records, and get her head back into the game. While Emma helped the children, Lucy quickly deleted the garbled notes she had input and rewrote them, before placing the collected blood into a small protective case she had removed from her bag.

  “Thank you again,” said Emma as Lucy got up from the table and walked to the door. She opened it for them and Emma led Jake out while Sammy, Mike and Emma’s younger sister, followed, struggling to put her top back on.

  Lucy stood in the doorway, beckoning Mike into the room.

  He entered and sat across from her, unaware of the drill. She typed some information into the laptop, broke off for a second to smile and apologised for the brief delay, and
then quickly finished off her typing.

  “Emma’s been telling me you’ve had quite a time,” she announced, then tilted her head sideways as if weighing up her patient.

  “You could say that.”

  “Well, this is going to be very brief, you’ll be glad to hear. I’m going to take a little blood from you and then give you a physical examination. The whole thing will probably take less than five minutes.” She noticed dark circles under Mike’s eyes. “When was the last time you slept?”

  Mike exhaled deeply and screwed up his face in an attempt to jog his memory. “Two days ago. I think.”

  “Whoa, you’re going to have to get some proper sleep! Do you want me to give you a mild sedative before I leave?”

  “No thanks, doctor. As soon as I hit the pillow I’ll be out like a light. Plus, I’m not a big fan of taking drugs if I can avoid it.”

  For a second, Lucy shivered with paranoia. “What do you mean?” she asked, with the start of a frown on her face. She instinctively reached to her pocket to make sure the plastic bottle was still there and she hadn’t dropped it somewhere. Paranoia worked in strange ways she realised, as she felt the hard plastic tub still safe.

  “I just don’t like taking drugs. I prefer to let my body sort itself out if it can.”

  “Shall we ask the black circles under your eyes how they feel about that?” she said sarcastically.

  A look of surprised confusion came over Mike’s face and Lucy realised that her insecurity was unfounded, that he had just made an innocent off-the-cuff remark. She smiled disarmingly and stood up, placing her stethoscope in her ears and onto Mike’s chest in one fluid action. She then checked his ears and his pupillary response, and took a swab from the inside of his mouth. Mike offered his arm instinctively, and she doused a little alcohol onto a small patch of skin.

  “Okay, you’re going to feel a little nip.”