The Infected (Book 1): Jim's First Day (14 page)

“Me
too, but I don’t have a lot of choices here do I?” I swallow hard. My throat
still feels warm from the vodka. I don’t normally drink straight booze like
this. I am nervous and want to numb myself a little more so I take one last
swig before they start. 

“I
have some painkillers if you want them, but they will knock you out for the
rest of the day,” Calvin asks.

I
wish I could say yes and down the pills, but I do not have the time.

“No
thank you. We need to get moving as soon as we’re done.”

“Suit
yourself,” he turns a page in his book.

Sara
has found a kit from the black bag. It has needles, thread and some needle nose
pliers.

“Have
either of you ever stitched anything before?” I hope for a beneficial answer.

“No,
not really,” Sara looks to Devon.

“Yeah,
but it’s been a while,” he gathers up a smile for me. I guess it was to make me
feel better, but it didn’t.

Calvin
turns a page in his book, “After you clean the wound and thread the needle take
the two pliers there in the kit and use them to start stitching at the top of
the wound,” he says not ever looking up from his book. What a weird old guy. He
is going to sit there and read his book as a stranger preforms surgery on his
kitchen counter.

“You
heard the man,” I lay back down onto the granite.

Sara
gives into the fact that this has to be done and takes the lead, “Lets clean
this out,” she picks up the bottle of alcohol and a pack of gauze from the
medical kit. She pours a little alcohol onto the pad.

I
grab Devon by the wrist and pull him closer to me, “This is going to hurt. A
lot and I’ll need you to hold me still,” I wait for him to nod at me so I know
he understands.

“Okay,
Okay,” he looks over to Sara. She is ready with the gauze to clean my forehead.
I fold my hands across my stomach and Devon puts all of his weight down on my
arms.

“Sorry,”
she gives me a tense smile. Every muscle in my body is flexed.

“Let’s
get it over with,” I give her a wink. She puts the gauze to my forehead and I
scream out at the top of my lungs. I start sweating immediately. My body
convulses. I fight to keep myself on the table. All I want to do is punch
everyone in this room and we have not started on the stitches yet. This was a
really bad idea. I can’t keep my hands on my stomach anymore. I grab Devon.

“Dude,
you’re hurting me,” he struggles to free himself from my grip.

“Don’t
call me dude!” I yell in his face. It feels like Sara is peeling my forehead
off. My legs kick down onto the countertop.

“Stay
still!” she commands. I focus on one of the animals on the wall. It is a
squirrel, perched on a tree branch. It is amazing how life like it is. I think
to myself
at least I am not the stuffed squirrel
.

I
get into a zone and let go of Devon. She is done cleaning the cut and has the
thread strung onto the needle.

“Now
what?” she asks Calvin.

“Start
at the top and make the stitches even. You want the skin to meet up and not
overlap,” he turns another page of his book. The guy is a fast reader.
At
least I am not the stuffed squirrel.

“Are
you ready?”

“Yeah,”
the pain is so bad I can only speak monosyllabic. I look up at her and our eyes
meet. The alcohol still burns in my forehead. Her eyes are dark brown and she
is one of the prettiest girls I have ever seen this close up. Her hair is
beyond red and her skin is alabaster white and lightly freckled. She looks like
an Irish beauty queen.

I
put out my hand and Devon takes it. We hold each other’s grip like we are about
to arm wrestle. Sara moves in close with the pliers in each hand and the needle
is ready to go. I close my eyes. She pulls the needle through my skin.

“FFUUCCKK!”
I call out.
At least I am not the stuffed squirrel
. I can feel her work
quickly, but it is not fast enough. The needle pops in and out of my skin.
Suddenly Frank is by my side. He stands next to Devon. My eyes open as soon as
I feel his presence. I glance at Devon. Oh boy, the look on his face. I am
squeezing his hand so hard that he looks like he is the one with a needle going
in and out of him.

“Where
are we going?” Frank asks. It is like he has no concept of what is going on. I
can’t answer him. I feel my eyes blink wildly, but my mouth will not open. 

“Where
do you live? Where is your family?” he asks again. He leans close. His eyes are
blood shot. His breath smells of cheap coffee and expensive beer, “Think about
it. Tell me where is your family.”

My
mind flashes to my family and my street address. I am not saying I don’t feel
the string pulling through the hole in my head, but suddenly it does not hurt
as bad.

“We
live off Mill Plain and 136
^th
,” the words burst out of my mouth. I
see what he is doing.

“The
kids, how old?”  

“Valerie
is five and Robin is two.”

“That’s
a good age. Mill Plain and 136
^th
? That’s not too far, about four or
five miles. You’ll be home soon,”

“Done,”
Sara says. She snips the thread and goes to work wrapping a bandage around my
skull.

“Thank
you. Thank you. I need a few minutes before you start on my leg,” I loosen my
grip on Devon. She finishes taping up the bandage and I sit up. I feel the wrap
around my head and it seems secure. I look over at our host. He turns another
page in his book, “Have you heard anything about what’s happening in Vancouver?” 

“No,
I have not,” he readjusts his glasses.

“You
know there is an infection?”

“Yes,
but I do not have any current knowledge as to the state of our city,” he looks
up at me.  

“Don’t
you wanna get out of here?” Devon asks.

“Where
would I go? I am not able to protect myself from this plague. I would not dare
inconvenience your party with my care. So I will stay put. This is my home. My
wife died in this house and I will join her soon,” he says quite matter-of-factly.
He knows what he wants and has come to terms with it. I guess I can admire
that. It is his time and he is not going to fight it.

 “Okay,
I’m ready,” I pull up my pant leg and look at the damage done by the rock. My
tattoo is ruined. I will not cry any tears over that, but the wound is jagged
and longer than I thought it would be, “Shit!” I lay back down onto the
countertop.

Sara
gets a new bit of gauze and pours alcohol onto it.

“My
hand can’t take anymore. It really hurts,” Devon keeps his distance.

“It’s
okay. I’m sorry if I hurt you,” I give the kid a smile. Frank steps up and
offers me his hand and I take it, “Go ahead.” I tell Sara.

She
puts the gauze to my leg and oh mama it hurts. I squeeze Frank’s hand and he
squeezes right back. This guy has one hell of a grip. She gets it cleaned and
Devon hands her the threaded needle. Devon holds down my leg as Sara starts to
stitch. I bite at my lips.
At least I am not the stuffed squirrel
.

“What’s
our plan?” Frank questions help keep my mind off my leg.

“We
keep walking.”

“It
is five miles to your house. You want to walk all the way there?”

Tears
stream out of my eyes and down the side of my face. The cut on my leg is so
jagged that it is very difficult for her to sew up.
At least I am not the
stuffed squirrel
.

“I
do not believe you will be able to just walk out of here,” Calvin rejoins the
conversation.

“What
do you mean?” Frank questions.

“I
will show you when she is done,” he turns another page.

“Almost
there,” Sara snips the thread and starts wrapping my leg.

Everything
inch of my body hurts and I feel exhausted. I am drenched with sweat. Frank
helps me sit up and pats me on the shoulder. Devon is right there with a fresh
beer.

“Thank
you,” I sound like I am dead, but
at least I am not the stuffed squirrel
.
I slide down off the countertop. I take a long drag off the bottle of beer.

“Show
me what you’re talking about.” I limp away from the kitchen.

Calvin
puts his book down and he fights to get up out of his chair. I follow him to
the front of his house. He pulls back a curtain. I step up to the window to
look. The front yard is beautiful of course. There is a private driveway and at
the end of the driveway is a twelve-foot tall wrought iron fence. On the other
side of the fence is a horde. A hundred infected monsters claw and press
against the fence. My heart sinks. What am I going to do now? Is there a horde
this size outside the front door to my apartment?

“We’re
fucked!” Is the only thing I can muster.

“Yes,
you are.” He pats me on the shoulder.

The
monsters push and pull at the iron fence. The metal groans under the weight.

“Why
are they trying to get in here?” I whisper it to myself.

“That
is my fault,” Calvin refills his pipe.

“What?”
I turn away from the window and face him.

“I
saw one out there a few hours ago. The news said they are extremely deadly so I
thought it would be a good idea if I took care of it. I got my old rifle and I
shot at it from my bedroom window. Well, I missed,” he again holds up his shaky
hands, “I used all the ammo I had for the old rifle, but it only seemed to get
their attention. After about twenty minutes of shooting there were thirty of
them out there. Most of those poor souls are my neighbors. My apologies. I was
not expecting company. I do not want any of you to worry. Even if they get
through the fence the windows are safety glass. Every single window on the main
floor could take a bullet and hold up.” He lights up and puffs smoke
everywhere.

“If
they can push open that fence they can push open a window,” Frank joins us in
the foyer.

 “How
do we get out?” Sara steps up to the front window to get a better view. Calvin
thinks about it as he takes a deep drag off his pipe. From outside there is a
loud sound. I couldn’t make it out at first so I step closer to the window next
to Sara. The gate swings open. A chunk of brick has given way from the column
that holds the locking mechanism. The sound we heard was five or six bricks
falling to the concrete driveway.

“Damn
it!” I throw my hands up and walk away from the door. Calvin reaches out and
turns the bolt, locking it solid. The infected slowly push open the iron fence.
The bottom of the gate grinds across the stone. They fall over each other and
spill out onto the yard. In a minute they will have this place surrounded.

“What
do we do?!” Sara backs away from the window. Devon reaches out and holds her
shoulder.

“It’s
okay. Jim will think of something,” they look over at me. I face them.

“I
don’t…” I stammer. The infected stomp up the porch. I turn away from the group
and limp back into the living room.

“Hey!”
Frank shouts after me. I head for the kitchen and they follow. Fists pound at
the front door. I pick up my backpack and spear and I open up the back sliding
glass door that we entered though. I stick my head out the door and there is
already a group of them back here.

“Shit.”
I pull my head back in and slide the door shut. I barely get it closed when
their bloody hands and faces slam up against the glass. I re-lock the door and
turn back towards the group. It is too late, we are already surrounded. Calvin
shuffles back into his kitchen and opens his fridge. He grabs the last Indian
Pale Ale from the shelf, picks up the bottle opener and pops the cap.

“Where
did you meet your wife?” Calvin takes a long swig. 

“What?
What are you talking about?”

“Your
wife. Where did you meet her?” 

“We
don’t have…”

“We
have a few minutes,” he cuts me off. I have to clear my head for a second and
walk away from the monsters pounding at the window behind me.

“I
was eighteen. It was my first day of college. To be a full time student you
needed to take twelve credits. I had eleven and was looking for a one credit
class. I found a one day a week karate class and signed up for it last minute.
I got to the class and there she was, tall, thin and bright red hair. She wore
jean cut off shorts. Shortest shorts legally allowed, full on Daisy Dukes. She
had just moved from Arkansas and had a sweet little Southern accent. I was
hooked,” I look around the room at the group and they are all sporting smiles.
It feels good to talk about something positive after the day I have had. My
mind feels clear and able to think straight again. Calvin downs the last of his
beer.

“What
about you? How did you meet your wife?” I ask him. There is a very loud smash
at the door. We hear the wood crack under the pressure.

“We
do not have time for that,” he takes the last puff of his pipe. The banging at
the front door is louder and harder than before.

I
limp to the front of the house and on the other side of the door is a giant bear
of a human. Seven feet tall and four hundred pounds, crashing into the front
door over and over again.

“Frank!”
I call back into the living room. Frank already has his gun drawn. He aims at
the monster as Calvin reenters the foyer.

“Wait!”
Calvin cries.

“What’s
wrong?”

SMASH!

“Bullet
proof glass. I told you every plate of glass on the main floor is bullet proof.
You shoot that and it will bounce right back into this room.”

SMASH!

“He’s
gonna bust down the door!” Sara gets her machete up and ready for
battle.  

“Upstairs,”
Calvin is on the move and heads back into the living room. He picks up his book
from the shelf and tucks it under his arm.

We
follow him down the hall away from the living room.

SMASH!

Calvin
steps into a doorway. It is an elevator. An elevator in this house? Calvin must
have really done well for himself.

He
puts his hand up and stops us from entering.

“Weight
limit, stairs around the corner,” he hits the button and the doors close in our
faces.

SMASH!

We
race down the rest of the hall and up the flight of stairs. Calvin steps out of
the elevator as we crest the top of the stairs.

SMASH!
THUD!

The
door falls to the floor of the foyer and they are in. At the top of the stairs
is a large bookshelf that holds Calvin’s trophies and treasures.

“Devon,
help me!” I get on one side of the cabinet and Devon gets on the other. We push
hard and the bookshelf tips, Calvin’s trophies slip and crash to the floor. It
hits the stairs and tumbles down to the first landing, blocking the stairs. The
infected are in the living room. Blood falls off their bodies and onto the
hardwood floor. Black colored ooze drips from their open veins and splatters
over the light carpet. They knock over tables and chairs. Like their only goal
is to destroy everything. What a shame. This house was beautiful. They see us
at the top of the stairs. We follow Calvin down the second story walkway that
overlooks the great room below.

Calvin
opens a door and we file in behind him. It is the master bedroom. The room has
high vaulted ceilings. There is also a couch and loveseat set and some large,
heavy dressers in this room. Calvin locks the door behind us. Devon and I grab
a dresser and slide it over to the bedroom doors. Sara and Frank grab the loveseat
and push it next to the dresser. It will hold them for a while, but now what?
We can’t stay up here forever and there is no way to fight through them.

“How
do we get out of here?” Devon whispers. I shrug my shoulders at him and look to
Calvin. He gives me the same look. Frank is over by a window.

“Hey,”
he says faintly. I join him. The window is up high about four feet from the
carpet. There is a lower section of roof under us. It is a ten foot drop down and
at the far end of the roof are a couple of sun windows.

“Calvin,
what’s down there?”

“The
garage,” it hits him and he reaches into his front pocket. “Here, you can take
my car,” he hands the key to Sara.

“If
we get down onto the roof I bet we can get in through the windows,” Frank
holsters his gun. I pop the lock and slide the window open. Frank and I work to
get the screen out.

“Get
some sheets tied up,” I order Sara and Devon. Calvin shuffles over to the couch
and turns on a reading light. He opens up his book to the bookmark. Sara and
Devon find a closet and pull out a set of sheets. They work at tying the ends
together. I open a closet to pull down two wooden dowels. This must have been
Calvin’s wife’s closet. It is bursting full of lady clothes. I struggle to take
two dowels full of clothes down. Once I get them free I grab a stack of sheets.
I tie one of the sheets around the pieces of dowel.

“Make
another set for the window into the garage,” they move quickly and get to work
on it.

“What
about Calvin?” Sara pulls a knot tight.

“He
can’t climb out the window,” Devon tosses the next set of sheets to the floor.

“What
do you want us to do, Calvin?” I ask. He looks up from his book.

“I
want you to find your family. I am good here. I only have four more chapters to
go and I am done with this old book,” he gives us a smile. The monsters are
loudly tearing at the bookshelf on the stairs. They will be at the bedroom door
soon.

“They
will get in,” Frank says in despair.

“I
am not overly worried about it. Now go and be safe,” Calvin pulls out his
hearing aids and that is that. He can’t hear us beg to save him. He can’t hear
the monsters banging down the door to kill him. It is just him and his book. I
walk over and take a knee. I reach out to shake his hand. He grabs my hand, his
shakes uncontrollably. I can’t tell if that’s how bad it normally is or if he is
terrified.

“Thank
you,” I say loudly.

“You
are welcome,” he answers a little louder. I get back to my feet and help my
crew prop up the dowel as an anchor in the windowsill. We toss the sheets out
the window and help Sara up. She has a good grip on the sheet and slowly lowers
herself. She lands on the roof and stands one foot on either side of the apex.
The infected are milling about on all sides of the garage. They have not
noticed us yet. She steadies herself, and then steps away from the sheet. Devon
and I tuck our spears onto our packs. Frank and I help the kid up into the
window. They are at the bedroom door. They got passed the bookshelf. Sara is
halfway to the sun windows. Devon has hit the roof. We toss him the other dowel
and sheets. He catches it and turns to follow after Sara. There is a large BOOM
at the bedroom door. Both Frank and I jump from the sound. Calvin didn’t notice.
He must be very deaf to not hear that one. Our big friend is here and he hits
the door with everything he has.

I
give Frank a boost up into the window. He is off balance because of his heavy
bag and has a hard time getting a good grip on the sheet. I hold his hand as he
grips the window frame. Frank gets his feet planted against the side of the
house. He is about to let go of the window to grab the sheet when the big
monster punches through the door. My head snaps around to see what happened.
Calvin jumps up from the couch. My grip on Frank’s hand slips. He slides out
the window and down the sheet. He lands hard on the roof and slips to his butt.
Calvin shuffles off to lock himself in his bathroom. The big guy punches
another hole in the door. I look out the window and Frank holds onto the peak
of the roof with one hand and his bag with the other. He almost lost the bag of
guns and ammo.   

“DEVON!”
I shout down to him. He turns and sees that Frank is in trouble. The infected
notice that they are on the roof and they move toward the garage and claw at
the siding. I grab a chair and stick it in front of the window and climb onto
it. The big monster pushes the bedroom doors open. The dresser and love seat
only slow him down. I get both legs up and out the window and look back at the
monster. He is fully in the bedroom and trucks right for the window. I am not
ready to let go of the solid wood frame and grab this flimsy sheet, but I can’t
wait anymore. It charges like a bull for the window. I let go of the frame and
grab the sheet. I slide down quickly. The monster hits the window so hard he
breaks the dowel and I fall to the roof. It is a five foot drop. I was not
ready to free fall. The infected giant blasts out the window and shards of
glass rain down on us. He is so big that he can’t fit out the window. Only his
head and shoulders stick out. I stare at it the whole time I fall. My feet hit
the same sloped side of the roof and they slip out from under me and I land on
my ass. It kills my ankle and I yell out in pain as I quickly twist and catch
the peak of the roof with the tips of my fingers. I am on the other side of the
peak from Frank. I pull myself up. Devon gets to Frank and grabs his wrist. I
get the tip of the roof up under my armpits and reach out for Frank to pass me
the heavy bag. I get ahold of the bag and Frank grabs Devon’s other hand. We
fight to get ourselves upright. I straddle the roof and hand the bag back to
Frank.

“Do
me a favor. Take care of that tub of guts,” I point a thumb over my shoulder.
Frank catches his breath and re-slings the bag. He pulls out his revolver and
BOOM. He gets it right in the forehead. Bullseye. The monster slumps over and
blocks up the window so none of the other infected creatures can get out that
way. My ears ring from Frank’s gun. As the ringing trickles off we hear a
horrible sound coming from inside Calvin’s bedroom. Screams. Worse than any I
have heard today. I look at Frank and then Devon. Their faces have the same
look of disgust that I feel deep in my heart. That poor old man, he did not
deserve to die like that. He seemed like a good man and now...now he is being
shredded by the hands of those disgusting monsters. I nod in the direction of
the windows and we move.