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

“But what if they surround us when we get outside?”

“Then we run for the ambulance that’s parked out front. If the doors are open, we climb in. If not, we climb on top.”

“But they’ll surround the ambulance, then what?”

“Then we think of another plan. Look, we’ll deal with it when we come to it. For now, we’ll just focus on getting out of here, okay?”

Amy nodded. She felt adrenaline coursing through her body as the magnitude of their plan began to sink in.

“Okay. But lower me down first,” she said. “If there’s anything down there, you can pull me up quicker.”

“Fine.”

With a deep exhalation, Amy slid towards the open hatch. She glanced down, determining that no eager mouths were waiting for her. With another deep breath, she dangled her legs over the side. That’s when a sense of vulnerability hit her. She could almost feel the phantom hands grabbing her feet.

“Okay, lower me down.”

She grabbed Ben’s hands and slid off the edge of the hatch. More of the elevator came into view as she was lowered. Her heart beat heard against her chest. She felt like a hooked worm, dangling in a sea of monstrosity. She held Ben’s hands tight as he guided her shoulders through the gap, closely followed by her head. At once, the reception area came into view. It was empty. She looked down at the elevator carriage. The floor was carpeted in entrails, organs and bone fragments.

“Do you want me to let go?”

Amy looked up at Ben through the gloom of the elevator shaft. She gave him a single nod and he released her. She dropped into the carriage, landing with a splat amongst Terry’s insides. The blood seeped into her trainers, drenching her socks. With a groan of disgust, she cast a glance towards his corpse. His head was bowed against his chest, his eyes stared blankly at the gaping hole in his abdomen. Amy looked away and turned her attention to the deserted hall.

“Are we still clear?” Ben asked. Amy didn’t answer. She approached the open doors, peering further into the empty reception. There was nobody there. She turned as Ben dropped behind her.

“I think it’s empty,” she whispered.

“Good, let’s get the hell out of here.”

Amy took a cautious step out, silently treading through the pool of blood, eyes fixed on the doors at the far end of the reception. She held her breath, desperate not to make a sound that would disturb the still atmosphere. She cleared the elevator carriage and stepped out into the open reception area. Her shoes squelched on the tiled floor, but it was the eager shriek from behind her that echoed around the hallway. Amy spun around as Terry’s corpse leapt from its seat, diving towards Ben. The ambush caught him off guard and he stumbled to the ground.

“Ben!”

Amy rushed to his aid as the creature tried to grab his legs. Ben kicked it in the face, sending it reeling. The corpse staggered to its knees, only to receive another kick to the head. The impact pushed it back into the elevator carriage. Amy watched as Ben rushed in after it. He kicked again, pushing the corpse into the corner. Before the creature could move, he pressed a button on the control panel and jumped out. Terry’s corpse screeched as it got to its knees. Its mouth frothed as it let out an anguished cry. The noise became muffled as the doors slid closed. The elevator began to rise.

“Are you okay?” Amy asked.

“Yeah, are you?”

“I will be when we get the hell out of here,”

She looked at the glass doors that led outside. The sun shone into the main foyer as they tip-toed towards the exit, all the time scanning the area for any signs of movement. Amy tried to peer out of the windows, desperate to know if they were heading towards certain death, but the harsh glare of the sun made her squint. She glanced back as they passed the reception desk. The computer monitor was still turned on, along with the table-top fan. It whirred silently, distributing its cold air to the absent recipient.

With the reception desk out of the way, Amy looked ahead and felt her breath seize in her lungs. A mass of corpses lay strewn across the floor. Most were mutilated beyond recognition, but there were some she recognised. The porter she had spoken to earlier that day lay nearby. His empty gaze was directed towards the ceiling. Huge amounts of flesh were missing from his arms. His legs had been skinned to the bone. Lying next to him was one of the doctors she had seen trying to resuscitate a patient that morning.

She was reluctant to approach the grisly carpet of bodies, but as Ben stepped forward, she realised she was even more reluctant to be left on her own. She followed, glancing at each of the faces as she drew near. She half-expected them to open their eyes and attack, but they remained still.

“We’re almost there,” Ben whispered. Amy didn’t realise. She was more concerned with her foot positioning as they made their way through the dead. She trod on tiptoes, looking for gaps in the sea of corpses. It was as they drew close to the exit, the sea began to surge.

Amy shrieked as the bodies rose, bumping into each other as they staggered to their feet.

“Run!”

She pushed Ben forward through the crowd, glancing at the wild, hungry stare of the undead creatures around her. Within seconds, she felt the warm caress of the sun as they emerged from the building.

She followed Ben closely, fleeing towards the car park as the army of zombies ran out of the hospital in pursuit.

“Where are we going?” She gasped as they sprinted past the few remaining