Alive?

by Melissa Woods

  It had been several hours now, and the group had reached the furthest end of town. Violet saw something up ahead, something familiar.

  “The car,” she exclaimed, forgetting in that instant to keep her voice down. She clapped her hand over her own mouth, looking apologetically at the others. Together, the eight of them moved silently along the wall of the building they had been passing. Sam motioned for everyone to stay there while he went to investigate. He headed closer to a crashed car, and—of course—Joe, Matt, and Violet followed. They knelt beside the burned-out wreck in front of them, peering carefully around the sides. Violet could see their vehicle not too far away. It was parked, not crashed, in the middle of the road, and seemed to be in good condition. The doors were wide open.

  “Where are the people who stole it?” she whispered.

  Matt shook his head. “I don’t know. But it will make this journey a lot easier if we can use it.”

  Violet got to her feet before she was quickly pulled down again by Joe. He pointed to an area just off to the right-hand side of the car, slightly obscured by an overturned truck. She shifted a little to get a better view, then saw them. There were at least five biters feeding on someone. The wind blew, and there was a flash of yellow material.

  I guess we found them.

  “Stay behind me,” Sam whispered. He motioned for the rest of the group to follow before moving forward. They kept low, hidden by the vehicles along the road. Sam led them silently, and Violet knew that by heading in this direction, they should be able to avoid the biters, at least long enough to get into the car and get moving. Still, her heart was racing, and she felt as though she was just moments away from throwing up. She tried to focus instead on the sound of her feet, keeping her steps as light as possible. It seemed to be working. The dead continued to feed, undisturbed, and Violet and her friends were getting closer to the car.

  But of course, nothing ever went as planned. A loud, piercing screech rang out through the silent street. Tom had tripped and fallen heavily onto the ground behind them.

  “Ow,” he groaned, rubbing his knee. Violet could hear the biters approaching, heard the slap of their feet on the tarmac, their heavy breaths, their hungry cries. She felt her blood boil. For a moment, the group was frozen on the spot. All of them were watching Tom in disbelief.

  We’re going to get eaten because Tom tripped and grazed his knee?

  “Help me up!” Tom ordered.

  Leave him. Let them eat him. Let me eat him.

  But they didn’t. Well, Sam and Matt didn’t. Joe looked as though he may have been thinking the same thing as Violet. But the dead weren’t far now. There was no time to hold grudges.

  “Get to the car,” Matt shouted, forcing Violet out of her angry daze as he yanked Tom up. She grabbed Maggie’s hand, pulling her in the right direction. Toby was close behind. Violet could hear Ben barking, but he wasn’t with her. She glanced back over her shoulder, and saw Joe raise the table leg and knock over the first biter. Zack jammed his knife into its skull.

  “Violet!” Maggie pulled back on Violet’s hand, and she turned just in time to see the dead woman blocking their path. She snapped her bloodied jaws hungrily, moving toward them. Luckily, half her left foot was missing, so she wasn’t exactly speedy.

  “This way.” Violet veered off to the right, leading Maggie down a narrow street.

  “Keep going,” Toby cried from behind them, and Violet could hear more biters joining the chase. She headed down an alleyway, and then cut through several backyards. She had no idea where she was taking them, just concentrating on getting away from the dead. As they rounded the corner, she saw a convenience store not too far away.

  Please, she thought desperately. Please let it be unlocked.

  Finally, she caught a break. The door swung open easily, and the three of them ran inside. Just as she closed the door, Violet heard scraping on the glass.

  “Ben,” she hissed. She hadn’t even realized he’d been behind them.

  “There’s no time—” Toby began, but Violet had already opened the door. The dog ran in, but as she tried to slam it shut again, a single biter managed to get her arm inside.

  “Help me,” Violet ordered, and Toby and Maggie both threw their weight against the door. They all pushed, crying out in exertion. There was a horrible cracking sound, and then the door closed. Toby turned the lock. There was only the one biter out there. They’d managed to lose the rest of them somewhere along the way. Violet allowed herself to breathe.

  Maggie smiled, sweat glistening on her face. She glanced down and frowned. “Violet, you’ve got something on your foot.”

  Violet glanced down. The dead woman’s arm was on the floor, the hand resting neatly on her shoe. She kicked it away disgustedly. Toby snorted as he caught his breath, then surveyed the store. “We should get supplies.”

  “We need to find the others,” Violet replied, shaking her head.

  “Yeah, I know. I’ll be fast.” He hurriedly moved around the shelves, shoving things into his bag. Maggie glanced at Violet for approval, then headed off, too, filling her own bag. The biter outside continued to bang on the glass with her remaining arm, but she wasn’t much of a threat now the door was locked. Violet stepped away, picking up a few things as she moved toward the back of the store. Ben was over by the counter, sniffing the air furiously. He stopped, ears pricked and tail high, still as stone. He let out a single whine. Violet heard the other two stop what they were doing. All eyes were on the dog.

  There was an open door behind the counter, and now that they were silent, she was sure there was something moving back there. She held up her hand and dropped to her knees, motioning for Maggie and Toby to get down. She crawled toward the counter as quickly as she could, sitting with her back against it. Maggie and Toby were there seconds later. Violet could hear it now, coming through the doorway behind them. She slipped her bag off, leaving it beside her, and crawled toward the side of the counter, holding her knife tightly in her right hand. As she reached the gap, she could see the biter. It was a man, in good enough condition to suggest he’d succumbed recently. There was a large bloodstain on the shoulder of his shirt. She watched as his head panned the store. It didn’t look like he knew they were there. He didn’t seem to notice or care about the biter hammering on the door. She could hear his long, rasping breaths, and smell the rotting flesh of his skin. She took a moment to prepare herself, waiting for the opportunity.

  The creature turned, showing Violet his back for just a moment. It was her chance. She jumped up and slammed the knife into the back of his head. It was harder than she’d anticipated, but the thing went down all the same. He twitched on the floor for a moment, and then was still. Toby and Maggie got up, watching as Violet wrenched her blade out of the biter’s head. There wasn’t much blood.

  “Let’s go,” she muttered, nodding to the door from which the biter had come. Maggie and Toby hurried through, with Ben close behind. As Violet went to follow, there was a bang from the other side of the room, and she glanced over at the door. At least five biters were hammering on the glass, which was beginning to crack.

  “Hurry,” she hissed, breaking into a run as she followed the others.

  Violet hadn’t realized how lucky she’d been that Toby was with her when they’d fled the zombies. He had a fantastic sense of direction, and was able to lead them back to the car within ten minutes. Violet knew if it had been left up to her, they would’ve walked around in circles for hours, and then ended up living in the store.

  They managed to avoid any biters, and the car was soon in sight. Violet quickly opened the back doors for Toby and Maggie to get in. Ben jumped onto Maggie’s lap. The engine was still running. Violet didn’t get in yet, watching the street around her anxiously. Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for any sign of movement.

  Come on, come on. Where are you?

  She knew she wouldn’t leave without them, but she, Toby, and Maggie were exposed out in the open
. If the rest of the group didn’t arrive soon, they would have to take shelter in one of the nearby houses while they waited.

  What if they’re de—

  Lalalala… not listening!

  The street was silent except for a single breath of wind, which rustled the leaves of the oak tree nearby. The birds weren’t singing now.

  Finally, Violet saw movement up ahead.

  Please don’t be dead people.

  It wasn’t; it was the others. Sam was out in front, followed by Joe and Matt supporting Tom. Zack was behind. Tom had his arm clutched to his chest, and his shirt was drenched with blood. Violet’s heart was racing, and she ran toward the group.

  “What happened?” she called.

  “No time, get in the car,” Sam ordered. Violet looked over his shoulder; there were at least ten biters running at full speed toward them.

  “Later is good,” Violet gasped, helping Tom get into the car. She paused, not wanting to get in beside him. The smell of his blood would be too dangerous; her head was already starting to spin. Matt grabbed her hand, pulling her to the front of the car with him, while Joe and Zack got in the back. Sam slammed the driver’s door at the exact moment the dead arrived. They pounded their bloody hands on the glass, leaving red smears across the surface. One of them pulled the windshield wipers off, while another repeatedly smashed her face against the window.

  “Drive,” Violet and Matt shouted simultaneously.

  Sam slammed the car into reverse and backed away from the biters at full speed before flooring it past the angry group. Violet had her hand over her nose, vaguely aware that Matt was pouring water onto something beside her. Puzzled, she watched as he drenched a sock from his bag. “Put this over your nose,” he instructed, passing it to her.

  Violet did so. Immediately, the delicious smell of Tom’s blood was diluted. The world around her began to lose its soft edge.

  “She feels sick,” Matt explained, as though this weird solution made perfect sense. Luckily none of the others were paying much attention to Violet, all focused on Tom. Now that she couldn’t smell it so badly, Violet chanced a look. It wasn’t good. Three of his fingers had been completely ripped off. Maggie removed her sweater, using it to wrap the hand.

  “Did he get bitten?” Toby asked.

  “No,” Sam replied. “Caught his hand in a door when we were trying to get away from the dead. They were all piled up against it on the other side, and the pressure just ripped his fingers clean off.”

  Everyone in the car seemed to relax a little; at least he wasn’t going to turn.

  “We need to stop the bleeding,” Violet said through the sock, aware of how ridiculous she must have appeared.

  “She’s right. He could die,” Toby agreed.

  “We need to find somewhere safe to stop,” Sam said. “Then we can take a proper look. What’s the quickest way out of town?” he asked Joe. “Do you remember?”

  “Yes, which is good because I dropped my bag. The map was inside.” Joe pointed to the road ahead. “Go left here.”

  “He’s passed out,” Maggie said anxiously. Violet turned to see Tom had his head on Maggie’s lap. He was indeed unconscious. She immediately liked him more.

  That’s terrible. He could be really hurt.

  “He’ll be okay.” Sam took another left. This road was quiet, with no sign of biters.

  Matt reached back and touched Tom’s forehead. “No, he’s burning up. We need to get him some antibiotics or at least something for the pain.”

  “From where?” Joe asked.

  Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt, and the passengers were thrown forward.

  “What the hell, Sam?” Joe complained, rubbing his neck. Sam pointed to his left, and the group followed his gaze. Up ahead was a large sign that said—Hospital: 3M.

  “We could get some in there,” Sam said.

  “No way,” Violet replied, still holding the damp sock to her nose. “That place would’ve had thousands of people in it when the dead started walking. Chances are most of them are still in there.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Sam replied, glancing at Tom’s hand. He started driving in the direction the sign had pointed them in. “He needs medicine.”

  Violet started to protest, but she knew he was right. Tom needed help, and the hospital was their best bet for the things they wanted. Still, a huge building full of people, where more would’ve undoubtedly flocked when people started eating each other? It didn’t exactly scream ‘safe place’.

  It didn’t take long to get there. Sam drove into the parking lot and stopped right outside the front of the building, beside an ambulance with its back doors wide open. A trail of dried blood led from the ambulance into the front doors.

  “This is a good start,” Joe muttered as he climbed out of the car. Sam turned around to the rest of the passengers.

  “Tom needs to stay here, and someone should be with him.” He inclined his head at Maggie and Toby. “Stay here and keep him safe.”

  Violet and Matt got out of the car. As Zack joined them, Ben made to climb out, too.

  “No, stay,” Violet said, holding up her hand. She told Maggie and Toby, “Keep him with you. He can smell them before you see them.”

  Sam spoke to Maggie. “If anything happens, just drive. Do a couple of circles around the hospital, then come back. That should be enough to lose them.”

  Sam, Matt, Joe, Violet, and Zack made their way toward the doors.

  “We don’t have any guns,” Sam told Violet as they got closer. “Zack’s jammed, and he dropped it when we were fighting off the biters. Mine is out of bullets.”

  Violet nodded. They would have to make do without them. She tried to tell herself they’d coped well enough so far without guns, and then remembered they hadn’t exactly been doing great. Matt didn’t have the garden fork. It had been lost in the struggle, too, so he was also currently without a weapon.

  The large automatic doors were wide open, and the area inside was dark. Sam flicked on his flashlight, shining it around the large entrance to the emergency room. It was like a war zone inside—pills, syringes, and papers littered the floor. Gurneys lay sideways, computer equipment was smashed, and blood was smeared and splattered across the walls. There were bodies, too, picked clean to the bone.

  “At least they’re not coming back,” Joe said, then he shuddered. “Can you imagine skeleton zombies? Actually, that might be pretty—”

  “Shhh,” Sam hissed. He pointed them toward the nearest hallway, and they moved in that direction. As they got further into the hospital, it became darker. The smell of death and rot filled the air.

  “Anyone else think this is a really bad idea?” Joe whispered. “Watch any horror movie and you’ll see that something bad always happens in hospitals. Especially abandoned hospitals.”

  “This isn’t a movie,” Sam replied, pausing to look inside an empty patient room. “Maybe we should—”

  “Do not say, ‘We should split up to cover more ground,’” Joe interrupted. “I’m not getting ripped to pieces so you can live out your Scooby Doo fantasy.”

  Sam grinned. “Fair enough.”

  They continued to explore the hospital. It soon became clear they hadn’t been the first to get the idea. Any time they found a place where pills or medicines might be kept, it had been cleared out already by someone else. Violet was starting to get nervous. She didn’t like how long they had been gone or how far they were getting into this labyrinth of a hospital, and she definitely didn’t like the fact that she was sure she could hear movement around every corner.

  As they continued down another hallway, Sam suddenly held out his hand to block their path.

  “What?” Violet whispered. Sam raised a finger to his lips. She listened, and then heard it, too. It was a wet, lip smacking, slurping sound.

  This can’t be good.

  The group stood still for a moment. Sam gestured for them to follow him. The hallway continued ahead, but there w
as also a turn to the left, which led to another ward. As Violet and the others peered around the corner, they could see one of the dead. It was wearing a doctor’s coat and feeding on what appeared to be another doctor. It had its back to them; it hadn’t seen them yet. Matt pointed forward, motioning for the others to continue down the hallway. Violet nodded, slowly moving on. She kept her eyes on the creature, terrified it would notice them at any moment.

  That was probably why she didn’t see the broken glass until she’d already walked over it. The biter’s head snapped toward the sound, and it screamed when it saw them.

  “Go,” Matt shouted, and the group split in two. Joe, Zack, and Sam ran back in the direction they had come from, while Violet and Matt went the other way. Violet followed Matt through the maze of hallways, aware now of the other noises around her. There were more biters in the hospital. Matt was fast, but Violet worked hard to keep up, even though her eyes were streaming and her throat was burning. The two of them jumped over corpses and garbage. More than once, Violet saw movement in the rooms they passed.

  Just as she was starting to think she might’ve got the hang of running away without falling over, she fell over. The ground slipped out from beneath her, and Violet felt her knees crack against the hard floor. She raised her hands, finding them covered in blood. But it wasn’t hers; she’d slipped in a puddle of the congealed liquid surrounding a corpse beside her. Violet tried to get up, but her legs were shaking with exhaustion. She felt hands grab her shoulders roughly. Matt had come back to help. He pulled her up, keeping hold of her hand as he led her into a room to the left.

  It was empty, save for the skeleton on the bed. There was a large closet, and Matt hastily pulled Violet into it, closing the door behind them. She could hear sounds outside the room, feet pounding along the hallway, hungry cries. There had to be at least three out there. They were searching for them. More than once, the creatures screamed out. For one horrifying minute, she was sure they had come into the room. Then, slowly, the sounds began to fade.