“You know,” Monica said while panting. “I’m starting to like her. If you don’t make a move on her, I just might.”
Hill frowned his disapproval to her comment. Monica grinned, although, it was hard to tell if she was serious or just trying to get him going. She climbed into the dumbwaiter shaft. Hill shook his head, muttered a curse, and followed after them.
Chapter Thirty-three
The morgue appeared empty with no signs of life. A faint, repetitive banging was heard from within one of the freezers. It was quickly followed with a series of muffled curses.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” Rolan’s faint voice was heard from within freezer six. “I’m going to get my hands on that prick and take his head off!”
There was a moment of silence and possible defeat from the man trapped inside. The freezer door suddenly popped open an inch on its own. Rolan laughed excitedly from his freezer drawer. He kicked open the door and pulled himself out feet first, nearly falling to the floor. He frantically opened several freezer doors while searching for the coroner.
“Doc? Doc?”
Rolan opened one of the doors to reveal Nathan’s head. Nathan groaned as Rolan pulled out the slab. He stared up at Rolan with wide, traumatized eyes.
“I never want to do that again,” Nathan muttered under his breath. He slowly moved off the slab and shivered more from the creepiness than the cold. “Any other time that freezer opens after two minutes. I was worried the damned latch was actually going to hold for once.”
“Thank God for faulty equipment.”
Rolan hurried to the counter and slipped into his shoulder holster with his makeshift sling blade. He pulled the sling blade from the holster and wore a look of mayhem on his face.
“We have to help Carson,” Rolan announced firmly. “That bastard is armed, so we’ll have to get the slip on him. Maybe lure him out somehow.”
“I think I know how to lure him out,” Nathan announced. “We’ll make a little zombie noise. Dr. Sharp will send him out to investigate, and that’s when we’ll take him out.”
“Okay, you’ve got my vote,” Rolan replied.
Nathan routed through one of the drawers, held up a large bone saw, and grinned with all the appeal of a psychopath. “I’m right behind you.”
Rolan eyed the bone saw and then the frightening grin on Nathan’s face. “No, I’m right behind you, psycho coroner from hell.”
†
Lexx, Hill, and Monica hurried across the massive laundry room past the industrial sized washers and toward the main entrance. They had an interesting discussion on their journey down the dumbwaiter shaft. After having filled Monica in on what caused the outbreak, she was suddenly a raging bull--or just a slightly angrier version of her usual self.
“So all these people are infected and Evan and Alpert are dead because of Dr. Sharp?” Monica demanded. The look on her face was frightening.
“The evidence points to him,” Hill replied.
“Then you’d better arrest him before I get my hands on him, because I’m going to kill that fucker,” Monica snarled as she hurried toward the open laundry room door.
“I know you’re upset about your partner and friend, but there won’t be any vigilante justice on my watch,” Hill informed her sternly.
Monica spun to face Hill with rage, causing him to jump back with surprise. She pointed an accusing finger at him. “Alpert wasn’t just a friend!”
There was an awkward silence. Hill frowned and appeared sympathetic toward his sister for the first time. “I’m sorry, Monica,” he said gently.
“You’re sorry?” she launched back and let a nervous laugh escape. “I had to watch my boyfriend rip out a nurse’s throat and then come after me with every intention of tearing me to pieces. Then my partner tried to eat me, and I had to stab him through the eye with a scalpel.” She sneered and appeared wildly unpredictable. “It’s been a very fucked up day. With the amount of blood on his hands, I don’t think anyone’s going to shed a tear if I kill the fucker responsible.”
“Don’t you think I’d like to see him dead for what he’s done?” Hill suddenly demanded. “I’m the sheriff, Monica. I have to uphold the law.”
“Then you can either take a walk or arrest me after he’s dead,” she lashed out.
Monica stormed out of the laundry room like a woman with a mission. Lexx walked alongside Hill as they followed her into the corridor.
“Do you think she’s serious?” Lexx asked gently while eyeing him.
Hill snorted a laugh. “Yeah, she’s serious.”
“If anything happens to Carson or Rolan, she may have to stand in line to kill Dr. Sharp,” Lexx informed him and hurried to catch up to Monica.
Hill stared after her with surprise. “Great,” he muttered, “they finally found something they have in common.”
Chapter Thirty-four
While sitting on the whirlpool tub bench within the dimly lit physical therapy room, Carson attempted to control the bleeding wound on Warren’s neck. Luckily, there was a first aid kit readily available at the staff desk, but that’s where their luck ran out. Carson couldn’t stop the wound from bleeding, and the thick, reddish substance was almost caramelized. It was unlike any wound Carson had ever encountered before, although, he wasn’t exactly used to dressing wounds on living people. Warren appeared to be in severe discomfort while clinging to his gun like a security blanket. The gun was stained with blood from his hands. He painfully removed the empty clip and inserted a full one. As he cocked the gun, Carson twitched in response. This was, after all, the man who intended to hand Carson over to Dr. Sharp as a test subject. His life clearly didn’t matter to Warren. Warren looked at Carson as he finished taping a thick gauze pad to his neck wound. Carson didn’t look at him in fear of what was going through the hired killer’s mind. In Warren’s last fleeting moments, he could potentially end both their lives without a second thought and even rationalize it as the humane thing to do.
“After all I’ve done to you, you risked your life to help me,” Warren gasped softly and shifted with agony. He appeared curious. “Why?”
“Instinct, I suppose,” Carson replied without looking at him. “You weren’t exactly concerned with my life two minutes earlier. If I would have stopped to think about it, I probably would have let her eat you.”
Warren chuckled softly then cringed and handed Carson the gun. “I don’t know how long I’ve got,” he informed him. “Make sure you do me before I do you, okay?”
Carson uncertainly took the gun, studied it a moment, and then frowned. He looked back at Warren. “Are we sure it’ll come to that?”
“Dr. Sharp couldn’t find a cure for the virus, but he was positive saliva to blood was 100% infectious,” Warren replied. He grimaced and shifted painfully. “My entire body aches and the wound feels like it’s on fire.” There was a moment of silence. Warren stared into Carson’s eyes with a serious look. “There’s no need to wait until I show symptoms, Carson. I’m not a nice person. I don’t deserve your mercy.”
Carson placed the gun down the back of his pants then studied Warren. “If it’s all the same, I’d rather wait until we’re sure there’s no hope.”
“Don’t regret that decision,” he said while grinning.
“I’ll see if the coast is clear,” Carson informed him. “I need to get Rolan and Nathan out of those freezers. Once I get them out, I’ll come back for you.”
Warren managed a slight nod. Carson quickly stood and headed for the door.
“Carson--”
Carson stopped and looked back at Warren sitting on the bench near the whirlpool tub.
“Everything the sheriff needs to know about Dr. Sharp’s experiments is in the secretary in his office,” Warren informed him. “Including what he gave your uncle.”
Carson suddenly appeared alarmed while staring at the dying man several feet away. “Are you saying my uncle could turn into one of those things?”
“I don’t know, but
I’m surprised he’s still alive,” Warren replied. “If the treatment he’d received had been successful, he should have woken by now. Just another one of Dr. Gunther Sharp’s failures. It’s probably best if your uncle passed on. There’s no telling what he’ll become if he actually wakes.”
Carson stared at the man on the bench a long moment. He was obviously disturbed by what he was told. He managed a nod then hurried from the room.
†
There was a large amount of blood streaked down the hallway leading to the lab. Monica, Hill, and Lexx were alarmed to see blood in the otherwise infection free basement. They followed the blood with shared concern. Something bad had obviously occurred and, judging by the amount of blood, whomever it happened to didn’t survive. Lexx was just hoping whatever happened didn’t have anything to do with Warren dragging Carson off by gunpoint. There was a thump coming from the lab down the hall. Hill and Lexx clutched their weapons as they approached the lab. Monica showed little hesitation while reaching for the door and slowly opened it. Rolan suddenly lunged out the door at her with his sling blade prepared to strike. Monica blocked the weapon, jabbed Rolan in the abdomen, and flipped him over her and onto his back. Rolan groaned loudly. Lexx let out a startled scream, dropped her weapon, and leaped to Rolan’s side. Nathan stood in the lab doorway and stared at them with a look of surprise on his face.
“Oh, Rolan,” Lexx gasped. “Are you okay?”
“Hey, Lexx,” he managed a soft groan then smiled. “Who’s your friend? She’s cute.”
It was only a few minutes later when they had assembled in the lab. Monica looked from the bloodstained laboratory to Nathan at the counter peering into the microscope. Rolan continued to rub his sore back and glared at Monica. She caught his stare and showed little remorse for her ‘shock and awe’ on him.
“I said I was sorry,” Monica snorted.
“I believe you called me an idiot for startling you,” Rolan remarked with annoyance, “but I’m pretty sure you never said you were sorry.”
Monica rolled her eyes, folded her arms across her chest, and walked away. “Whatever--”
“We need to find Carson,” Lexx informed them demandingly. “After that scene in the hallway, there’s no telling what happened to him.”
“If that was his blood in the hallway, trust me, you don’t want to find him,” Monica remarked lowly.
“Monica,” Hill scolded.
“Oh, give it up, Hill,” Monica snapped at her brother and indicated Lexx with a wave of her hand. “She’s obviously not interested in you, so stop kissing her ass and focus on doing your job.”
All eyes were suddenly on Hill. Lexx was curious as to why Monica had made that assumption. Did she sense something in her brother’s actions? Lexx usually knew what Carson was thinking just by observing his actions. Of course, Carson wasn’t exactly difficult to read. Hill appeared embarrassed, turned, and took a few steps away from them while passing his sister.
He leaned closer to her and muttered, “If we get out of this, I’m kicking your ass.”
Monica challenged him with a look. Lexx watched the exchange between brother and sister, instantly being reminded of her and Carson. They were no different. Lexx paced the room while waiting for confirmation of Nathan’s findings on the blood he was examining. She leaned against the far wall and watched the men talk quietly over the counter. For once, she wasn’t interested in their conversation. She felt they should be out looking for Carson, in case he was still alive. Monica approached Lexx and casually leaned against the wall near her. The woman pretended to be disinterested, but Lexx suspected she had an agenda the moment she walked over.
“He likes you, you know that,” Monica gently informed her without taking her eyes off the men at the counter.
“Who?” Lexx asked.
Monica glared at her. “Who do you think?” she snapped. “Hill.” She frowned and looked away. “I can see it by the way he looks at you. He’s a good guy.” She hesitated. “It’s none of my business, but if you’re not interested, you need to shoot him down right away. He’s a bit of a hopeless romantic and tends to get ahead of himself.”
“You think he’s interested in me?” Lexx suddenly asked and appeared curious. “I wouldn’t think I’m his type.”
Monica suddenly glared at her with surprise. “You’re absolutely his type.” She snorted a humored laugh. “Do you think he’s interested in girly girls like Dr. Kirby?”
Lexx shifted uncomfortably. “It had crossed my mind. What man wouldn’t want someone like her?”
“My brother,” she replied simply. “He’s not into high-maintenance women. Besides, Dr. Kirby used to date his best friend. She broke his heart, and he moved away to forget about her. Hill never forgave her for chasing away his best friend like that.” Monica studied Lexx and gave her a serious look. “You like him, don’t you?”
Lexx considered and held back her smile. “I really hadn’t given it much thought.”
Monica stared at her a moment then grinned. “Uh, huh,” she remarked. “Next time you want to tell a convincing lie, try saying it with a straight face, okay?”
Lexx looked at Monica. They exchanged smiles for the first time. Nathan continued to stare into the microscope then straightened and looked back at the others.
“It wasn’t Carson’s blood,” Nathan informed them. “Whoever was attacked had already been infected long before the hallway incident.”
“It couldn’t have been Dr. Kirby,” Lexx boldly announced and hurried across the room toward him and the counter. “Even if that blood was infected, I could tell it was from a living person not a dead one.”
“So Carson could still be alive?” Rolan asked.
“There’s nothing to indicate otherwise,” Nathan informed them with renewed hope.
Rolan and Lexx appeared relieved.
“We need to find him,” Lexx announced and looked at the sheriff.
Hill stared back at Lexx then caught his sister’s glare as she approached them. Monica folded her arms across her chest and raised her brows in silent question. He obviously knew exactly what she was expressing with that look. Hill ignored his sister and focused his attention on Lexx and their current dilemma.
“We’ll do a sweep of the basement,” Hill announced firmly then looked at the others.
Monica groaned and looked away.
“If the blood in the corridor contains infection,” Nathan announced, “then that means it’s not just Dr. Kirby we need to worry about. Someone else has been infected.”
“There’s also the hired goon,” Hill remarked. “If he wasn’t the one who bled out, that means he’s still a potential threat. Carson could be hiding from him, so we can’t go out there announcing ourselves.”
They all nodded in agreement. Hill looked back at Monica and appeared curious.
“Do you intend to help us?” he demanded impatiently.
“How crazy do you think I am?” she blurted out and appeared annoyed by the question. “Mom will kill me if I let anything happen to your lazy ass.”
“I’ll take that in the spirit it was intended,” Hill muttered while rolling his eyes.
Chapter Thirty-five
Carson stood within the empty morgue and opened several freezer doors. He looked more frustrated with each freezer that didn’t contain his friends. The phone rang, startling him. Carson lunged for the phone and didn’t even wait to hear the person’s voice on the other end.
“Lexx?” he gasped then immediately appeared disappointed. “Oh, I was expecting a call from someone else.” He hesitated then seemed enthusiastic. “Really? That’s great.” There was another pause. He suddenly looked concerned. “What? You’re kidding, right? No, that’s not so great.” There was another pause. “Thanks for the update. I have to go.”
Carson hung up the phone with the concern evident on his face and hurried for the door. He opened the door to see Warren with a glazed over look in his eyes. Carson screamed and fumbled with the g
un down the back of his pants. Warren bared his teeth and tackled him across the room and into the exam table. The gun flew from his hand as he attempted to keep Warren from biting him. Warren’s bared teeth came close to his face, and Carson was losing the battle. Hill and Nathan suddenly appeared in the morgue and pulled Warren off him. They cast Warren across the room, disorientating him only momentarily. He lunged for Rolan. Rolan swung his makeshift sling blade and sliced through the dead man’s neck with ease, decapitating Warren. As Warren’s head was thrown across the room, Lexx grabbed Hill and cried out. The head rolled across the floor and stopped near Monica’s booted feet. She stared at the severed head then casually looked at Rolan.
“Nicely done,” Monica announced a little too proudly.
Carson grabbed the discarded gun and looked at them with concern. Although happy to see them, he seemed preoccupied. “The nurse on Brandon’s floor just called,” he announced in rushed speech. “One of your deputies leaked word that CDC was going to do a clean sweep of the entire first floor. They’re calling the emergency room a total loss.”
“Clean sweep?” Lexx gasped and looked at Hill. “Does that mean--?”
“Yeah, they’re going to kill anything that moves,” Hill replied and appeared deep in thought.
“They can’t do that,” Monica suddenly proclaimed with hostility. “There are survivors in the doctor’s lounge. They’re not infected. I made sure of that.”
“Trust me, they won’t stop to ask,” Carson muttered under his breath.
“No, they’re my responsibility. I kept them safe,” she lashed out. “I told them to stay there until help arrived. I left them there to be slaughtered!”
“How much time?” Hill asked Carson.
“Fifteen minutes at most.”
“You can’t seriously be thinking about going back up there,” Nathan suddenly announced. “That badge isn’t going to mean squat to those guys. They’re playing for keeps.”
“And if they discover the blood and one single infected body down here, they’re going to do the same to us,” Lexx informed the others.
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