Shattered World (Broken World Book 2) (22 page)

“Which way?” Hadley whispers.

I know she’s trying to be quiet, but her voice is so shaky that the words come out louder than she probably intended them too. They echo off the walls. The moans that follow sound almost tortured.

My heart skips a beat. I frantically move my flashlight around, looking for the source. It isn’t here though, at least not yet.

“Victor?” I ask, trying to cover up the panic in my voice. It doesn’t work.

“Surgery would be a good place to find what we need.” His voice sounds perfectly calm. Level.

I glance over my shoulder. He’s standing straight. Totally relaxed. He moves his flashlight around, lighting up the walls so he can read the signs. He isn’t even holding a weapon. Did he even bring it, or did he leave it in the car?

“This way,” he says, walking forward without looking to make sure we’re following him.

I trade nervous looks with Axl before heading off after Victor. He seems to be on a suicide mission. It’s his choice. I can’t stop him if that’s what he wants, but I do want to make sure he at least waits until we have all the supplies we need.

“The stairs should be back by the elevators,” he calls over his shoulder.  He doesn’t even bother lowering his voice.

“Talk quieter,” Hadley hisses.

He shrugs and keeps walking.

Angus clenches his machete. “Is this bastard insane?”

I pick up the pace, trying to keep up with Victor. “Depressed.”

“Fuckin’ nuts is what he is.”

The moans get louder as we move. Axl keeps level with Victor, and the distance between us feels bigger than the Grand Canyon. As much as I’d like to be closer to him, I stick with Hadley. She seems to be holding up okay right now. Who knows how she’ll react if we run into a horde, though.

The hospital air is thick and humid. My whole body feels sticky with perspiration. I ignore the beads of sweat on my upper lip and forehead, but it’s impossible not to notice the moisture dripping down my back.

The scent of decay grows stronger with each step we take. I pull my shirt up over my nose and do my best to breathe as little as possible. My palms are sweaty, making it difficult to grip my knife. It’s only partly from the heat.

My whole body jerks when a horrifying scream breaks through the air right in front of us. No human has ever made a sound like that. A zombie screeches down the hall. His horrifying face illuminated by Victor’s flashlight. He rushes toward us like a banshee, moving faster than any I’ve seen. His arms are raised and his mouth is open. He lets out a horrifying shriek that makes every hair on my arms stand up. Even in the erratic light, I can see how decayed he is. His flesh hangs from his face in flaps, and in some places, it’s missing entirely. He’s fast, but not fast enough. Angus swings the machete and takes him out with one powerful blow to the head.

24

THE BODY SLAMS INTO THE FLOOR, and Angus kicks him with the toe of his boot. “You see that? He ran at us like a goddamn bat outta hell.”

I aim my flashlight at the zombie so we can get a closer look. He’s nothing but a rotten mess of gray flesh and bones, but he ran like he was alive.

“The stairs are over here,” Victor calls.

We don’t have any more time to look the zombie over. Victor is already on his way, and we have to jog to keep up. He rips the door to the stairwell open and steps inside without even pausing to make sure it’s clear.

“Son of a bitch,” Axl says as he hurries to get in front of Victor. “What floor, doc?”

“Three.”

Moans come from behind us. I glance back as I hurry up the stairs, only to see that a mass of zombies has entered the stairwell at our backs. They’re climbing the stairs, and fast.

“Shit!” Hadley cries, taking the stairs two at a time.

We race up, but the zombies keep pace with us. When we get to the third floor, Victor once again jerks the door open without waiting. It’s like he’s trying to get us all killed. Axl swears and shoves the doctor aside so he can goes first.

“They’re right behind us!” I call as I run through the door after him.

The zombies behind us aren’t the only problem, though. Axl is surrounded, and there are way too many to be cautious. I shove my knife in its sheath and pull out my gun. Holding it in my right hand, I balance my flashlight next to it with my left hand as I take aim. I squeeze the trigger, firing off three quick shots. The three zombies closest to Axl fall.

Someone behind me shoots. I glance over my shoulder to find Angus and Hadley shooting into the stairwell. The zombies just keep coming. Where the hell did they all come from? It’s like the asshole that charged us downstairs rang the dinner bell or something when he screamed.

I leave the ones at our back for Angus and Hadley and focus on helping Axl. Gunshots and screams and cursing echo through the hall. Victor stands off to the side while the rest of us fire at the dead. I try not to focus on how useless—and reckless—he’s being.

My gun clicks, and I swear. “Tell me you have a plan!” I yell as I replace my clip.

“Hell no,” Axl calls over the gunfire.

Angus is suddenly next to me, firing as the zombies lumber forward. He and Hadley must have cleared out the stairwell. I glance over my shoulder and find Hadley talking to Victor, but I can’t hear what they’re saying over the gunfire.

“We’re going to make a run for it!” Hadley calls.

She points to the hallway to my left. Since most of the zombies are coming from the right, I nod in agreement. That way seems to be clear at the moment, and standing here is only going to get us killed.

Victor takes off with Hadley at his side, and I follow, grabbing Axl’s shirt as I pass him. “Let’s go!”

Axl fires one more shot before taking off after me. He yells over his shoulder at his brother as he runs, “Come on, Angus!”

I follow Hadley and Victor as closely as possible while keeping Axl in my field of vision. He keeps slowing down to check on Angus. The moron is coming, but he keeps pausing to shoot the zombies following us. He’s grinning. Hopefully he runs out of ammo soon so he’ll stop his insane firing and run.

The beams from our flashlights bob around in front of us, illuminating the hall as we go. Victor keeps his aimed at the walls so we can see the signs. I keep mine straight ahead. We can’t afford to be taken by surprise.

A zombie rushes out in front of us. Hadley lets out a little shriek and slows. Victor charges ahead, not caring that he doesn’t have a weapon and the monster in front of him would like nothing better than to rip him to shreds. I pick up speed, leaving Axl behind as I hurry toward the zombie with my gun raised. It’s a woman, or used to be anyway. She’s completely nude. Her former breasts are saggy, and they sway as she rushes toward me. She grasps at the air in front of us like she’s trying to dig her nails into my face from seven feet away. I squeeze the trigger, and a bullet hits her between the eyes. She goes down right in front of me, and I have to hop over her body so I don’t trip.

Victor turns to the left without warning and bursts through a set of closed double doors. Hadley follows him. I skid to a halt and look back and forth between the doors and Axl. What do I do? Check to make sure the room is clear or wait on Axl and Angus? They’re still so far back.

“Axl!” I scream.

He waves me forward and yells at Angus. Again. Angus is still firing. How many clips did he bring with him? If I were closer, I’d punch him in his smiling face. How the hell is he enjoying this?

They finally catch up, and we rush through the double doors, slamming them behind us. I can breathe easy once we’re inside. Both because we’re out of the hall and because the smell of death is faint in here.

“It’s clear,” Hadley says.

I shine my flashlight her way. Victor is in the background, clearing out a few cabinets. She puts her hands up to shield her eyes from the beam of my flashlight, and I flick it toward the ground.

“Sorry.”

“Watch out, Vivian,” Axl says.

He and Angus push a metal cabinet across the room and shove it against the door. I’m not worried, though. They’d pretty much taken out all the zombies in the hall. I doubt any will stumble in just to check the place out.

I head over to Hadley and Victor and put my hand on her back. She jumps and spins around, wincing when she sees it’s just me. “Sorry. I’m a little on edge, I guess.”

“It’s okay. How are you holding up?”

She shakes her head and stares at the gun in her hands like it’s a snake ready to bite her. “This doesn’t feel real. Or maybe it feels too real, and that’s the problem. I keep running around expecting someone to yell ‘cut.’ But it never happens.”

I never thought of it that way. Maybe that’s why she’s having a harder time adjusting than the rest of us. It isn’t because she’s not tough or brave. She definitely is. I remember how surreal this all felt for me the first time I went out. What if I’d been an actress and scenarios like this were just part of my day-to-day life? Maybe it wouldn’t have been so easy to focus.

“It’ll be okay,” I tell her. “You’re just having a harder time adjusting because of your background. That’s all.”

She nods, but her eyes are full of self-doubt.

“How we doin’?” Axl asks as he walks up behind us.

“I got most of the stuff on the list,” Victor says, climbing to his feet.

There’s a pile of medical supplies on the floor, but the bags are draped over my shoulder. I drop them and start piling stuff inside. The sooner these are filled, the sooner we can get out of here.

Hadley kneels down to help me and whispers, “Thanks.”

She gives me a shaky smile, and like a dozen times before, I have the sensation of being at a movie. I remember going to see one of her films and telling a girl friend of mine how annoying Hadley Lucas was. Now here she is at my side. And what’s more, I actually like her. It makes me laugh, and I have to cover my mouth.

Hadley arches her brow, and her green eyes narrow on my face. “What?”

“I feel bad saying this, but I always hated you. Not as an actress, I thought you were good. But I thought you seemed like you’d be such a bitch in real life.” She grins. Good thing she has a sense of humor. I bump her with my shoulder and return the smile. “I was wrong.”

“I’m glad to disappoint you,” she says with a laugh.

“Me too.”

Angus stomps over. He grins down at us, then turns his head and spits right on the floor. Hadley cringes. I guess he couldn’t carry a Coke can and a gun. “You two gonna make out? ‘Cause I ain’t gonna lie, I think we could make time for that.”

I roll my eyes and stand up to face him, deliberately shining my flashlight in his eyes. “Oh, sorry,” I say, giving him a smile as I lower the light.

Angus glares at me.

“Everybody ready?” Axl snaps.

I tear my eyes away from Angus and focus on Axl. He’s looking my way, and even in the limited light, his body looks tense.

I sling the bag over my shoulder and walk across the room. “You doing okay?” I whisper, wrapping my arms around him.

He pulls me close and kisses my neck. He doesn’t smell like Axl. He smells like sweat and death. When will this nightmare end? Who knows if there will ever be a time when we can just relax and be together? Without having to worry about zombies or starving.

“I’m okay. I just wanna get outta here so you’re safe.”

Warmth floods my body and I stand on my tiptoes so I can look him in his eyes. “We’re almost done.” I pull him close, and his lips brush mine. It’s brief and not enough. I’ll never have enough of Axl.

“Let’s get to the pharmacy,” he says as he steps away. He gives Victor a hard stare. “You know what floor it’s on?”

“First floor. I saw a sign for it on our way up but thought it would be better to save it for on the way out.”

Victor is so relaxed. So casual about the whole thing. He walks to the door and stands off to the side as Angus and Axl pull the metal cabinet back. They open the door. Victor stares straight ahead without blinking while they check the hall. The brothers motion for us to move out, and Victor doesn’t even hesitate. It’s like he’s accepted the end is near. And he’s ready.

“Keep close to Victor,” I tell Hadley as we follow the men down the hall.

“He wants to die,” she says flatly.

“Did he tell you that?”

She shakes her head and looks around as we walk. She seems more put together since our talk. I hope it helped to have her feelings validated.

“He just keeps talking about his wife and how much he misses her. How he can’t wait to be with her.”

I bite my lip. Should I tell her what Axl and I found? It could freak her out.

“What?” she asks, raising her an eyebrow the way she always does.

“He had her in his condo. Axl and I found her tied to a chair. She was a zombie.”

Hadley glances toward Victor, and when she turns back her eyes are filled with tears. “That’s so sad.”

Sad isn’t exactly the word I’d use for it. More like insane.

We round a corner and come face to face with six zombies. Angus and Axl are already hacking away at them with knives already, and I hurry forward to help them. Hadley follows, and in a matter of minutes, the zombies are on the ground at our feet. Victor is already hurrying toward the stairs.

It’s the same stairwell we came up just a few minutes ago. When we left there were several zombies staggering around the hall, but it’s empty now. Thankfully. We jump over the zombies we killed earlier and rush into the stairwell behind Victor. He hasn’t slowed. Axl hurries after the doctor, and I have to run to keep up.

The first floor looks as empty as it did when we left it. Too bad the moaning of the dead is still there. They have to be around, but no matter where I shine my flashlight as I follow Victor down the hall, I don’t see them. It’s putting me on edge. I keep waiting for them to jump out at us whenever we turn a corner.

But we reach the pharmacy with no problem. Victor rushes forward, and we all hurry in, shutting the door behind us. The doctor gets busy searching for meds while the rest of us stand around, impatient and tense. The zombies are out there. We all know it. The scary part is waiting for them to attack.

Victor works fast, loading his bag with medicine, syringes, and anything else he can find that might be useful. By the time he’s done, Axl, Hadley, Angus, and I are all carrying a bag. Victor’s hands are oddly empty.

“I think I got everything on Joshua’s list and then some. You should be set for a while.”

I don’t miss the fact that he says
you
rather than
we
. I doubt anyone else does either. He seems almost euphoric now. There’s a big smile on his face.

“So we’re ready to leave?” Hadley asks.

He nods, and I let out a sigh of relief. We aren’t far from the door we came in, and the hall was almost empty. We should be good to go.