Autumn's Calling (Book 1): The Outbreak

by Michelle Weese

  He shoved the blunt end of the axe blade into the stomach of one biter, while I stepped up using the handle of mine, and hit the other in the face busting his nose open. We both succeeded in knocking them a few feet back, and in unison landed a blow on their skulls, burying our axe blades. They crumpled like rag dolls on the floor and twitched for a few seconds before finally laying still. It looked like Christmas leaking out from around our blades, red blood with green goo and white pus slowly oozing down their scalps. The sight of it made my stomach churn. I swallowed loudly and turned to see if there was any more immediate danger, only to find a horde of about ten biters staggering toward us from the end of the long corridor, where we needed to get to in order to save the others.

  “Well, shit,” I said in a weary voice, my injuries from last night still nagging at me. Shoving all that pain and exhaustion down deep inside of me so I could go on this rescue mission to save Jess, my body told me that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. It didn’t matter though, we were here and I was going to save her, no matter what it took. I looked over at the hot stud next to me and asked, “You ready for a fight, cowboy?”

  He chuckled and replied, “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this.”

  We knew the axes weren’t the practical choice for this many of them, so we readied our guns, my rifle and his revolver, since the shotgun would need reloading before we could get them all. Plus the shotgun would kill our hearing in an enclosed space like a hallway. I aimed through the scope for the leader of the pack, a petite Chinese woman that had half of her face ripped off, and killed her with two shots to the brain. Everything happened really fast. Aim, fire, aim, fire. One of them I recognized as Dr. Shelby from the Urology department. She was always so kind to us in the ER, with a soft voice and smile for everyone. I purposely let Leland be the one to shoot her because I found I couldn’t do it. After a few minutes, we finally put them all down, the bodies lying in several heaps with blood and other fluids sprayed all over the walls. It looked like the inside of a slaughterhouse from a horror film, which made my skin crawl. I lowered my gun and did a 360 to be sure none of them were right on top of us. We were safe for the moment but I knew that wouldn’t last long.

  “We have to hurry and get down this hall before more of them come,” I said, walking down the hallway, strategically stepping around all of the corpses piled up so I wouldn’t touch them. At the last three bodies, one of them grabbed my boot. I shrieked and before I could pull loose, they knocked me off balance and I went down hard on top of the body next to the grabber. The body underneath me rolled and I couldn’t get a grip on anything to help me stand up.

  It turned out Dr. Shelby grabbed my boot, and she started crawling her way up my legs, her face covered in blood and fleshy bits hanging off in chunks. Her usually bright blue eyes were now a dull, cloudy gray and strings of bloody meat from her last meal hung from her teeth. I could smell her rotten breath already as I stared at her in horror. I screamed and started kicking her away frantically. Then I heard a loud blast and felt something wet hit my face. My ears started ringing and it disoriented me for a minute.

  I finally realized Leland used the shotgun on her, the blowback from her head exploding rained down all around me. I looked at him in horror as I saw his lips moving but no sound coming out. My ears were roaring and I felt dizzy, but I got to my feet with the help of his hand under my arm, my knees a little wobbly. Shaking my head and pointing to my ears, I tried letting him know I was temporarily deaf. He grabbed my hand and pulled me past the last two corpses and around the corner. Luckily, there weren’t any more zombies waiting for us there. He lifted his t-shirt, exposing a perfectly sculpted abdomen, and started wiping at my face. He came away with blood and other fluids I so did not want to decipher. Ignorance really is bliss sometimes.

  I felt a vibration in my pocket. Still trying to get my head on straight, I finally realized it was my phone, but couldn’t hear it ringing though. I answered, “Hello?” All I could hear was a distant voice on the other end, like they were at the end of a tunnel. “I can’t hear you, temporarily lost my hearing to a shotgun blast. Hang on, I’ll let you talk to Leland.” I handed him the phone.

  He took it and said, “Hello?” Then a lot of “okay’s” and “uh huh’s”. I slowly regained my auditory perception by the end of his conversation. He said in a muffled voice, “Okay, we’ll take care of it. You guys stay inside and we should be there shortly.” He hung up and handed me back my phone, then motioned to his ears to ask me if I could hear yet, and I nodded. “Okay, good. That was Andrew, he said the power is off there also but the generator kicked in. He says they don’t have a whole lot of fuel though, so he asked if we could get some while we’re out. There should be a few gas cans in the bed of his truck under the brown tarp.”

  “Well, I just hope there’s fuel left at the stations. If everyone panicked when this virus hit then it’s going to be slim pickin’s on gas,” I told him while I wiped the rest of the disgusting chunks of brain and blood from my face and neck. “We need to get everyone from the pharmacy and get the hell out of here before it gets really bad. I can’t take much more blood and gore today.”

  I started down the hallway we’d turned into and gripped my axe tightly while I checked both sides for any movement. Leland covered our backs, walking sideways so he could see behind and in front of us. We make a good team, he and I. About twenty yards up on the right was the pharmacy, but there was a problem.

  A small child came out from behind the nurse’s desk that sat before the pharmacy door, and I came to a dead stop. She stood in the middle of the hallway, wearing a green hospital gown with blood dripping down the front of it, and fuzzy pink socks. She looked to be about seven or eight years old, and stared at us with that blank look all of the biter’s got after they turned. With milky eyes, she bared her teeth at us, foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog trying to protect its territory. She had long, stringy brown hair that fell about halfway down her little body. When I finally realized what I was looking at, my heart sank to my knees.

  “Oh no… I never stopped to think this virus would affect children too. I guess I kidded myself into thinking only grown-ups could be infected. This is heart breaking. I don’t think I can kill her. No, I know I can’t kill her,” I whispered, looking to Leland for answers.

  He gave me a pitiful look and said, “Autumn, she’s already dead, look at her. You know she will try to bite us once we get closer.”

  “I know, but can we just restrain her and put her in a room someplace secure so she can’t get out?” I asked in a hopeful voice.

  “We could but she’s still going to be what she is no matter what, and will bite the next person that comes across her. Plus, if we lock her up, she’s probably just going to starve to death and suffer for days, maybe weeks. If we put her down, then it’s a quick death. I know it’s hard because it’s a child, but you can’t think of her that way. She’s just another one of the monsters at this point,” he replied, in a completely reasonable voice. It made sense, and I hated it. The little girl groaned as she staggered towards us, making a gurgling sound, like she had blood from her last meal in the back of her throat. I nodded to him and turned away. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I didn’t have to watch.

  He walked past me with his revolver freshly reloaded and gripped tightly in his hands, then heard the crack of the gun going off and something hit the floor. I spun around to see him standing a few feet away from what was once a sweet, innocent child, but now a lifeless little body with a hole in her skull. That was the vision that would haunt me forever, the one that broke something inside me and knew I’d never get over it. Leland saw my face and came to me. He wrapped his warm muscular arms around me and I fell apart, because you can only see so much death before it takes its toll on you.

  Chapter 26

  I stood wrapped in his arms, for what seemed like a long time but only just a few moments. I cried until my eyes felt swollen and head ached. Lela
nd was great at being my shoulder to cry on, but I hope he doesn’t think that’s all he is to me, because I was becoming rather attached to him. We finally let go of one another and he wiped the tears from my cheeks and bent down to softly kiss my forehead.

  “Thank you, for always being there to comfort me when I’ve needed it during this whole disaster. I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I appreciate your kindness and understanding. You are such a sweetheart and I’m so grateful you came into my life, Leland,” I told him, raising up on tiptoe to gently kiss his pouty lips. He held my face between his hands and returned the kiss. It was one of those kisses that felt like my soul collided with his and we were lost in each other for a moment of total bliss. It wasn’t about sex and the need to touch each other’s bodies this time, but about our hearts and emotions being poured into one another. It was so overwhelming, I broke away completely breathless and lightheaded from the passion between us. He laughed, from the bottom of his belly, a full out manly chuckle, like he had never been happier.

  “Wow. I’ve never kissed someone like that. I didn’t want to stop, no matter how out of breath I was getting. You are so amazing, Autumn,” he claimed, his turquoise eyes glittering with satisfaction.

  “Tell me about it. I didn’t know a kiss could feel like that.” I laughed, still trying to get the oxygen back I lost and get my heart rate under control. He wrapped his hand around mine, smiling at me with that gorgeous face.

  “Let’s go save your friends,” he said and turned us in the right direction towards the pharmacy. Good thing, because I’m not sure which way is up, down, right or left at this point.

  We passed the little girl, and I purposely looked away but my eyes caught sight of her last meal before we came along. Behind the nurses desk, laid one of the pharmacy technicians, with half of her face eaten off. The eyeball on the uneaten side was frozen in a look of horror forever. I averted my eyes quickly before I tossed my cookies all over the floor and embarrassed myself in front of Leland. Bet he wouldn’t want to kiss me for a while if I did that.

  We finally came to the pharmacy door, and I knocked on it gently, telling them it was us. I heard a lock click and the door slowly opened. Jess came full blown running out of the small room and into my arms. She launched at me with such force that she almost knocked me over, my body tensing to the point of pain. I flinched but wrapped my arms around her while she clung to me for dear life. I softly laughed into her pink hair and told her, “Jess, it’s okay now, we’re here.”

  Tears streamed down her face, her mascara ran in black lines. “I know, I’m just so relieved to see you. I can’t believe you made it. I heard so many gunshots and didn’t know what was going on out here and it had me totally freaked out. I missed you so much, Autumn.” She kept hugging me and crying. I just patted her back and let her get it all out. Leland passed out waters and granola bars to the others, smiling at me with amusement.

  “Jess, let’s get you something to eat and drink. I know you must be thirsty. Plus, there’s someone I want you to meet,” I whispered to her, pulling away and unwrapping her from my body. She turned around and came face to face with Leland.

  “Whoa. Um… Hi, I’m Jess,” she said nervously, and started wiping her eyes and cheeks to try to hide the fact that she was crying all over me. Leland held out a water and granola bar to her and aimed that “melt your socks off smile” at her. She stuttered some more and grabbed the items clumsily he was trying to hand her. I giggled because it took me back to when we first met in the apple orchard. He made me forget myself and I acted like an imbecile at first. His stunning good looks really made you stumble at first sight.

  “I’m Leland, it’s nice to finally meet you Jess,” he told her and shook her hand. She stared at him and giggled like a schoolgirl. Oh my God, where is the bold and brazen Jess I know? He had that effect on everyone, I guess.

  The others, locked in the pharmacy with her, were fellow co-workers at the hospital. Two of them were nurses from the ER, both on opposite shifts from my usual but I chatted with them in passing. Tammy, an older lady around forty I think, was a few inches shorter than me and pleasantly plump with short pixie style blonde hair and brown eyes. Drema was even older than Tammy, probably in her sixties, and stood my height with gray hair cut into a bob and dark blue eyes, like the color of navy. She wore small glasses hooked to a chain that went around her neck and had permanent frown lines that made her look grumpy all the time. But she didn’t seem grumpy in the little time I talked to her in the past. They both worked at the hospital for years and were unlucky enough to be on shift the day of the outbreak.

  The third person was the day shift janitor, Larry. He was a sweet man and always did his job to perfection. He stood about five-nine, had skin the color of dark chocolate, with long legs and a lean body to go with it. In his late fifties and still spunky, he could talk about his grandkids for days on end. Those kids were his life. I bet they were missing him dearly right now. I walked over and gave him a pat on the back.

  “I’m glad to see you’re alright, Larry. Have you checked on those grandbabies of yours yet?” I asked him.

  He looked at me with his dark brown eyes and smiled. “Now you know I did, Miss Autumn. They are fine and waiting for me to come home. Thank you both so much for rescuing us, I was beginning to think I’d be stuck in that room forever.”

  “I’m glad we were able to make it. It’s been a mess getting to you guys, but I wasn’t giving up without a fight. Luckily, we won the fight so far,” I told him. “Now let’s get everyone out of here safely and get back to the hardware store. Who’s coming with us?”

  “I need to get home to my family, Autumn. My car should still be out back if it hasn’t been beat up or anything. If you all could help me get to it, I’ll get myself home,” Larry said, taking a long swig of his water and sighing like it was the best tasting thing on earth.

  “I live on the same side of town as Larry, so if he doesn’t mind to drop me off at my place, my husband is waiting for me there. We’re going to my sister’s in the country with hope that these things won’t find us out so far,” Tammy said. Larry gave her a nod to say she could ride with him. Tammy’s husband, a disabled vet from the Army, was unfortunate enough to lose his legs from the knee down in the war in Afghanistan. He must’ve felt angry and useless being stuck at home while his wife was trapped at work, but from what I heard he is a great man and loved his wife more than anything. Tammy is a good woman for sticking by him after his accident and taking care of him every day.

  “So that just leaves you, Drema. You want to come with us to my family’s hardware store? There’s plenty of room for you there. Unless you have someone waiting for you too…” I asked her with a gentle smile. She looked really worried and torn on her decision.

  “Actually, I don’t have anyone waiting for me. But my cats are at home and I miss them dearly. I’ve been so worried for them. I have lived on my own for years now, my husband passed away thirteen years ago, and I learned to take care of myself. He was very passionate about guns and has a rather remarkable collection. Luckily, he showed me how to shoot before he passed, so I think I’ll do just fine. Thank you for the offer. I’m very grateful for you guys getting us out of here. Like Larry’s, my car should still be out back, if you could just escort me to it safely, I’ll get myself home.”

  “Well, I guess that sorts everyone out then. Jess you’re coming with us, you can call your mom and dad to tell them you’ll be safe with me. We will get you to them when this whole mess clears up.” I gave Jess my axe, and Leland handed Larry his axe. We reloaded all of the guns, just in case, and we were all set. “Now let’s get everyone out of here safely, stay close and quiet, we should be fine.”

  Chapter 27

  Everyone needed a trip to the bathroom after being trapped in the pharmacy the past few days, which gave me a chance to wash the blood off. Then we stopped by the break room for their belongings. The storm was still raging outside, thunder cra
shing every few minutes and flashes of lightning illuminated the floor to ceiling windows in the hallway across from the break room. The lights still flickered, struggling to stay lit with the generator. That made me think of mom and everyone back at the hardware store, I prayed the generator there would stay running until we got back with more fuel. Wait a second…

  “Leland, if the power is off everywhere, how are we supposed to get gas from the pumps?” I asked him with concern.

  “Oh no… I didn’t even think of that. The only way to get it without power is a manual pump, which we don’t have of course,” he replied with disappointment. “But I bet there’s one at the hardware store.”

  “Okay, I’ll call Andrew and see. You keep an eye out,” I told him as I grabbed my phone and dialed Andrew’s number.

  “Hey, Autumn. you guys okay? Did you get everyone out safe?” he asked me as soon as he picked up.

  “We’re okay, Uncle Andrew, but we are still at the hospital. I just thought of something. If the power is out everywhere, then we have no way of getting gas from the pumps. Leland said the only way is with a manual pump. Do you have one at the store?” I asked, praying that he did.

  “Ah hell. I wasn’t even thinking about the pumps not working. But yes, we have a pump here. You guys just get back safely and I’ll run back out for the fuel. But hurry if you can, I’m not sure this generator is gonna run much longer, might get another hour out of her.”

  “Okay, we’re getting ready to head out now. Watch for us in the back so someone can open the liftgate.”