“Not long. Just since yesterday afternoon. We have two new refugees. We pulled them in from outside the front doors last night. Unfortunately we’re under all out assault by the infected now.” She heard the forced calmness in his voice and saw the strain in his face.
“What happened?”
“The guy came down the street with his dog in the back of his pickup. The pickup was loud and the dog wouldn’t stop barking. We got them inside but the infected surrounded the building. We shot several during the rescue when they got too close. The ones still moving are climbing on the piled up bodies. It was dark and we couldn’t see what was happening. They’re almost at window level now.”
“Window level? I hope Daniel can’t see them. Can you bring me my shirt? I want to get dressed.”
He nodded and left the room, came back in with her sweater, then left again. She heard shots fired as she dressed. She went to the bathroom and rinsed her mouth with water, then drank her fill. Her side ached dully then with a sudden sharp pain when she put her foot up on the sink to make sure her grandfather’s knife was still tucked into her boot. She looked in the mirror and was surprised that she didn’t look any worse
Voices came from the reading room. She walked in and handed the jacket to Charles.
“Come and meet Mrs. Alvarez and the new guy.”
She shook hands with Mrs. Alvarez, who was surprisingly young and pretty. To her dismay, she didn’t need an introduction to the new guy.
“Larry. How did you get out?”
“Same as you, through the golf course.”
“Did you manage to get anyone else out with you?”
“Believe me, the last people I saw there, we don’t want here.”
Running footsteps came down the flight of stairs from the roof. Her erstwhile client Carson came in holding a police issue shotgun and breathing hard.
“Charles, I’m out of shells. I don’t think shootin’ em is doing much good anyway. It’s corpse mountain out there and they just keep stackin’ up. And the smell! It’ll choke you. Hey Virginia! You made it! Have you seen it out there?”
She shook her head and walked toward the oak stairs leading to the landing. The stench of decay grew stronger as she approached the window. Outside was a stack of corpses the top of which the infected had managed to claw their way onto. They were less than five feet below the base of the window. Charles joined her.
“So you gave a prisoner a shotgun?” Charles smiled grimly when he answered.
“Different world out there. If he could snag a six pack from the Grab n Go and share it, I’d just say thank you.”
“I’d say the same for a sub sandwich. Carson used to hunt, you know, with his Granddad. He’s probably a decent shot.”
“He is but we’re not going to be able to shoot our way out of here. There are too many of them. We’re low on supplies and we need to try to get out now. If we wait till we’re weak from hunger we’ll stand less of a chance.”
“So do we all want to put our heads together and come up with something?”
“Actually, I have a plan. This building may have exactly what we need to get out of here. Let’s get everyone together and we’ll discuss it.”
Carson rounded everyone up and they gathered in the reading room. There were eight of them altogether. Mrs. Alvarez looked tense and murmured worriedly about checking back on her daughter. Daniel climbed into Virginia’s lap and she wrapped her arms around him as fear and worry flared again at the thought of her children, so small and so far away. Charles brought a wooden chair into the room, turned it around and sat, facing them. The tension she had seen in him earlier was still there but she now saw a reassuring air of easy command and leadership. Only Larry failed to respond to him and stood at the edge of the group, clearly wary and unsure of his place here.
“Everyone ok? Good. I don’t have to tell you we’re in a bad way right now. We’re surrounded and outnumbered. The doors and windows are completely mobbed by the infected but we may have another option to get out. Now, a brief history lesson. Some of you know that during the War Between the States this part of the state was not in favor of secession. We were mostly left alone, in part because this was not a strategic area to either side and it was so mountainous nobody wanted the aggravation. What most people don’t know is that before and during the war, our town was a stop on the Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves.”
At this point Mrs. Alvarez slipped away, ducking her head apologetically. Charles nodded and continued.
“Of course “Underground Railroad” is a metaphor for a hidden route. Most of the route didn’t have extensive underground passageways. But Tunbridge Wells is supposed to have tunnels underneath this old part of town. If we can find an entrance in the basement, we may get out of here alive.”
“Then what? Where are we supposed to go once we’re out of here? It’s cold out there.” Larry asked.
Charles agreed. “Cold, you bet. But there are places that will have food and that hopefully won’t be overrun by the infected. Any of you can elect to stay here, you know that. But I’m leaving once we find a way out. Anyone who wants to come with me is welcome. Meeting adjourned.”
Virginia stood up, arms locked around Daniel, and went in search of Mrs. Alvarez. She found her in one of the back offices, kneeling beside a bench from the lobby that, with mail sacks, had been made into a makeshift bed. Virginia spoke from the doorway.
“I don’t want to intrude but is there anything I can do to help?”
Mrs. Alvarez turned her head and Virginia saw tears hastily wiped away.
“No, no. Mari is not well and is only getting worse.”
“What is it? May I take a look?”
“Yes but without medicine I fear this is little anyone can do.”
Virginia walked over, still holding Daniel. Placing him on his feet, she held his hand as she leaned over the sick child and saw Mari for the first time. She looked to be about 7 years old with soft light brown hair and dark eyes that were open but unfocused and her forehead was covered in perspiration. Her trembling hands searched and clutched until her mother enclosed them with her own. She seemed calmer then and closed her eyes.
“How long has she been like this?”
“Virginia, that is your name, no? I am Gabriella. Marisol has been without her insulin for almost two days now. We are trapped in here the first afternoon of the outbreak at the hospital. I came in to complete some paperwork after I pick her up from school when those things begin to attack the crowd in the hospital parking lot. We watch everything from the window on the landing at first then I take Mari downstairs when I saw the eating begin. We both have nightmares now. Maybe we all will for a long time now, yes? The putrefied; they are now in charge.”
“If I can help you with anything, please let me know.”
Gabriella nodded and Virginia walked away as she pondered her choice of words. Putrefied, putrefaction. They decay, why don’t they die? She felt small fingers brush against hers and she took Daniel’s hand. Together they entered the library lobby where Kincaid and Charles, equipped with flashlights, were heading for the basement stairs.
“Daniel, do you want to help look for a secret tunnel?” He looked up at her and nodded. “Come with me, we’re going to explore downstairs.”
Chapter 12
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night…
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness.
-Psalm 91
Old stone steps led to the basement. A moist smell of age mixed with mold closed around them as they entered the main room. Daniel spotted a table covered with Lego’s and ran over to play. Several doors led off to unknown spaces and Virginia picked a door to the right and went in. This must have been the original coal cellar. A chute that allowed coal to be shoveled in from street level was still in place but the access door was chained shut. She heard footsteps crunching in the snow on the sidewalk outside as well as that low pitched keening. There was nothing i
n the room other than a water heater so she turned to leave, but only after giving the lock on the chain a good tug to be sure it was securely fastened. The chain clanged on the coal chute door and the moaning outside paused. Suddenly there was a loud thud on the door, followed seconds later by another. The banging became continuous. She backed away from the chute, horrified by what she had done, just as Charles and Carson ran into the room.
“You done it now Virginia! There’s live food in here and they know it.” Carson seemed more excited than frightened.
The fierce assault on the chute door continued. The door shook with each hit but held. The noise would only attract others. How long would it hold? They left the room, shutting the door firmly behind them.
“That’s all we can do for now. Let’s finish what we came down here for.” Charles strode down to the last door at the end of the room, struggling with the doorknob, finally kicking the door in. After a moment a muffled shout floated out of the doorway. Carson and Virginia followed him inside. A couple of old pews took up most of the space. Charles had climbed over them and crouched in a corner, shining a flashlight on a small door.
“Help me move this pew out of the way, there’s not enough room to open this door.”
Carson picked up the closest end of the nearest pew, lifted it and backed out of the room, Charles following with the other end. The space now cleared, Virginia knelt by the door and listened but heard nothing inside. The door was about 3 feet high, made of joined planks and looked old. The knob was an irregular oval with a tiny key plate below it. She tried the knob but it didn’t turn.
“Locked?” Charles was at her shoulder. She nodded. “Ok, move aside.”
Carson took a screwdriver from his pocket and jammed it forcefully into the lock, prying the plate completely off the door. Cold air smelling of earth poured out through the hole created. Virginia trained her gun on the door as Charles pulled it open, shining his flashlight into a small room with a dirt floor. He ducked down into the room and came out a minute later. He held two glass jars.
“Blackberry jam. I think we found an old root cellar.” The contents of the jars looked completely dried up. “Can’t tell how old these are. The dates on the lids have faded. There are more on the shelves in there but I‘d say they‘re just as old. Somebody just forgot about them.”
Daniel pushed his way through the forest of adult legs and crouched by the aperture. He looked delighted by the small size of the doorway and duck-walked inside.
Charles slumped against the wall. “That’s it. That was the last place we hadn’t looked. Maybe this building was never connected to any tunnels or the entrance could have been walled up. I just don’t know. Dear God, I am so tired. I want a shower, a toothbrush, a bed.”
Virginia laughed. “I want a monster truck with those giant wheels and a full tank of gas, idling just beneath one of the windows upstairs. We can climb down to it, drive out over those things and get out of here.” And I want my children back in my arms, she added silently to herself.
Everyone was silent, thinking of their own most wanted list. In the quiet, the sound of the infected slamming into the coal chute door intruded into their thoughts. What they wanted if they got in was not hard to guess.
Charles and Kincaid left and went back upstairs. Virginia tucked her gun into her waistband and called for Daniel to come out. He didn’t appear. She crouched down and peered into the doorway. He was over by the shelves of preserves. “Daniel? Come on sweetheart, let’s go find something to eat then we’ll read a story before bed.” She wasn’t sure where they would sleep but anything would do. Just then she heard a crash as the wooden shelves and assorted glass jars hit the dirt floor. Daniel ran over to her. ”I didn’t mean to! They bumped my head when I stood up.”
Virginia shushed him and checked his head for injury.
“Daniel, it’s fine, we couldn’t eat those anyway. You’ve a little knot on your head though. Let’s go up and find-” She stopped speaking. In the space where the shelves had been was a small rectangular opening, outlining a deeper darkness behind it. She bent down and, entering the room, shined the flashlight into the space. She saw little but piled up rubble, (bricks maybe?), and a dirt floor. She backed out, picked Daniel up and climbed the stairs back up to the main level.
Carson and Larry stood by a window, looking down into the street. It was now fully dark but the street lamps were on, providing pools of light in the otherwise dark streets. They laughed and exclaimed while watching something on the sidewalk. Virginia set Daniel down and walked over to see what was going on.
To the side of the library was the graveyard of the former church. Considered historic and picturesque, it boasted mournful angel statues and stone crosses guarding the occupants of tombs and plots buried in a time when the dead stayed dead. The action was not taking place there, however. On the sidewalk next to the library, under a street lamp and right about where she guessed the coal chute door should be, the new dead congregated. An infected man wearing sweatpants and a “Don‘t taze me bro!” t-shirt slammed repeatedly into the chute door, using his shoulder and head. His skull cracked and grayish black matter sloshed as he threw himself at the door. As his cranium disintegrated and his brain fell out, he slumped to the ground. Within seconds, another of the dead took his place, ramming the door, while others clawed at the wall.
“Did you see that? Outstanding!” Carson and Larry fist bumped.
“Heaven help us.” Virginia walked past them and found Charles next to the candy machine, eating from a bag of M&Ms. He held the bag out. Virginia took one and let the chocolate ecstasy melt on her tongue. She wondered briefly if they would ever make M&Ms again. She would miss them.
“Daniel and I found something. Come back downstairs and I’ll show you.” She led him down the stairs.
“In here. When the shelves fell down this is what we found. What do you think?”
Charles shined the flashlight into the opening in the wall. ‘This could be a tunnel. Can’t see much so it’s hard to say for sure.” He looked up and smiled. “Maybe you did it Virginia.”
“Thank Daniel, not me. He found it. And got a bump on his head for his trouble.”
He backed out of the room and shut the door. “I think we’ve explored all we can today. Let’s go up and tell everyone what you- sorry- Daniel found. If we decide to get out through here, we should all get a good night’s sleep and tackle it tomorrow. After you, gorgeous.”
Virginia found Daniel back in the apse, entranced by a Clifford book. She sat next to him and together they finished the story. He wanted to sleep on the blue patch of the colorful carpet and she got him settled in. No blankets but the heat was still on in the building. For now.
The adults had a quick meeting on the landing and briefly discussed the recent find.
“I still don’t see why we need to leave here. We have a little food, water, and power. I’m in no hurry to go. We‘re bound to be rescued.” Larry stated his opinion.
“Again, no one has to go. We’re all free agents here. But we have very little food and I don’t think anyone is coming to our rescue.” Charles looked annoyed that someone failed to grasp something he found so obvious.
“I’m going to find someplace to sleep and we’ll take it up tomorrow.” Kincaid stalked off, also looking slightly annoyed, either at Charles or Larry, Virginia couldn’t tell. She too, left and found a spot on the floor near Daniel. She was almost asleep when she heard voices raised in argument.
She scrambled to her feet and grabbed her gun. She looked down but Daniel still slept. She heard footsteps on the landing and a woman’s voice imploring someone. At the circulation desk, she found Gabriella in a furious argument with Charles. Virginia moved closer.
“…now! It has to be tonight. She gets worse and you have no right to stop me. The hospital is right there! There is more than enough there to save her. You can’t stop me!”
It wasn‘t hard to figure out what was going on. Gabriella, wearin
g her coat and carrying a flashlight was heading to the hospital for insulin. Virginia moved past them toward the back office where Marisol still struggled to hang on to life. Larry’s dog appeared to be guarding the child and sat patiently by the cot. Mari’s hand slipped from under the mail sack covering her and the dog gave it a gentle, wet lick. Virginia walked back to the desk.
“Ok then, let’s do this. Tomorrow, assuming we have actually found an entrance to the tunnels, we get out, come back around and enter the hospital from the Broad street side. Most of the infected are in the front parking lot near the ER. We just might have a chance coming in from that direction.”
“I cannot wait. These infected are slow and stupid yes? I can get around them and be in and out and back here before they can catch me.”
“I‘m asking you, don’t go-” Charles entreated. “There are so few of us- the living- we can’t lose you. We can’t lose anyone else to them. Just wait until tomorrow. Yes, they’re slow but there are too many. Once we explore the tunnels-”
“I will not lose my daughter when the medicine she needs is down the street.” Gabriella cinched her coat belt tighter and walked to the door. Virginia walked back to the apse and grabbed her boots.
“We don’t have a view of the area outside the front doors from any of the windows. We can’t see if those things have gathered out there.” Virginia leaned against the wall as she yanked her boots on and slid her knife inside. “Can anyone hear anything through the door?”
By this time, Carson had arrived to investigate all the noise. He volunteered to go up to the roof and scout the entrance. Charles left the room and returned with his coat, a shotgun, and a handgun.
“Obviously I‘ve been overruled. Here” He gave the handgun to Gabriella. “Know how to use it?”
“Point and shoot?”
“Be sure to take the safety off. Also, headshots are best.”
“I knew this.”
The sound of running footsteps announced Carson‘s return. “No way out the front. Most of ‘em are still over by the coal chute but plenty are scratchin’ at the front door. And that hospital is just boilin’ with ‘em. The inside lights are all on and it looks like a corpse shindig. You might want to have another think about this.”
The Living Dead (Book 1): Contagion Page 9
