The Virus by Lee, Damien (summer books txt) 📕

the pressure on the door but didn’t vacate it completely. For all he knew, the woman was still close by, waiting for him to leave. He fought the urge to collapse in a heap as touched the scathed flesh on the back of his neck. He needed medical attention and fast.

He put an ear up against the cold steel of the door and listened for any sign of movement outside. There was none. Or at least nothing he could hear over the rapid beating of his heart. He closed his eyes and tried to picture his escape route. It proved difficult as he was still unsure which room he had fled to. Replaying the scene in his head, it slowly dawned on Joe which part of the morgue he was in. The realisation hit him. He screamed as a sea of hands grabbed him, pulling him further into the darkness. Joe had not found sanctuary at all. He had fled into the lion’s den. As a dozen eager mouths began to feed, the door to the chapel of rest opened. A silhouette of the young, dead woman appeared before she joined in the feast.

***

Amy’s world gradually came back into focus as her eyes flickered open. For a moment she was unable to determine where she was. The crushed steel to her side seemed alien, and the lack of sound made her fear she had gone deaf. She moved her arms and flexed her legs. There was no immediate pain. She reached down and tried to open the ruined door of the car. It remained shut, hindered by the bulk of the tree. Amy groaned as the throbbing pressure in her head intensified. She clambered over to the passenger side and swung the door open.

The road remained empty as she stepped out of the wreckage. There were no signs of vehicles, people, or any life at all. Even the fields were void of animals. She looked back at her car and felt her heart sink. The entire right side had caved in. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she ran a hand over her hair. Her breath became ragged as she tried to compose herself.

She knew she had two options; either call a breakdown service, or try to drive it to work. She glanced back up the road and saw that she was close to Sunnymoor. As the hospital was on the border of the town, the drive would only take another two minutes. She reached into her pocket and found nothing. She had left her phone at home.

“Oh, great,” she muttered.

With the decision made for her, she flexed her arms as she approached the car. The only pain was the relentless throbbing in her head. She leaned over the passenger seat and turned the key. The engine roared to life. With a sigh of relief, she slid behind the wheel. The scrape of metal and patter of glass caused her to wince as she veered back onto the road. There was still no sign of any vehicles; something which wasn’t irregular, but still unsettling. She put the car into first gear and trundled forward.

After a few minutes, Amy pulled into the car park beneath the hospital. She let out a long sigh as she shut off the engine. The prospect of venturing back to work so soon was daunting. She closed her eyes tight and tried to concentrate on something other than the wild eyes of the cleaner. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, but a distant shriek countered her efforts. Keeping her eyes shut, she took another breath, trying to rationalise the sound.

Another scream sounded and her eyes snapped open. This one was closer, almost as if it came from within the hospital. Her footsteps echoed around the enclosed space as she left the car, serving only to increase her trepidation. She strode over to the elevator, a sense of unease creeping up her spine. She heard movement behind her. Jabbing the button to call the carriage down, she turned and scanned the gloomy confines of the car park. Nobody was there, at least not within the limited glare of the overhead lights.

Seconds passed with no sign of the elevator. She turned and jabbed it again. Movement within the shadows caught her eye. She stared at the far end of the car park, certain that the darkness had changed shape. She strained her eyes, trying to permeate the blackness, looking for a figure, a silhouette, anything. The concealing darkness remained in place, but she did hear a sound. It started low, almost like a drawn out exhalation. She listened as the sound increased, slipping into an echo that surrounded her. It sounded like somebody groaning. But there was a longing to the sound, a hunger.

Amy flinched as the elevator announced its arrival. She watched the metal doors slide open, revealing an unoccupied carriage. She cast a glance back at the shadow as she stepped inside. It moved again, but this time it wasn’t subtle. With an almighty roar, a figure leapt out of the darkness. Amy gasped, jabbing another button, willing the doors to close. The man sprinted towards her from the other side of the car park, his staccato footfalls echoing around the enclosed space. He drew closer. Close enough for Amy to see the ruby foam spilling from his mouth. He bounded over the parked cars, eager to reach her.

“Come on!” she cried, punching the button again and again.

He let out a yearning cry as he cleared the last of the parked cars. He rounded toward the elevator, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the terrified nurse.

Finally, the doors began to slide shut. The crazed man reached out as he neared. Amy stepped back, unsure if the painfully slow doors would actually grant her refuge from the lunatic. The gap was barely an inch wide