The Orphans Series Vol. 1: The Orphans (31 page)

              Frank pulled up to the emergency department parking lot. Looking around, everything appeared normal, he locked his truck and ran for the hospital entrance, hoping he was not too late, praying what she'd been given was not X-74.

              Frank walked across the parking lot. It was crazy busy with people running for their cars. He was almost in a trance thinking everything he could through down to the last detail. He was all too aware that Pat, who was no fool himself, would eventually see the digital recording and call the police, if he hadn’t already when the alarm went off. He would have no idea that the unarmed man was crazed out of his mind and would still be wandering the halls to kill if he hadn't taken him out. 

             
It would make no difference at all and he knew very well that no matter how justified his actions were they would need to be answered for one way or another. He knew it was only a matter of time before police would be looking for him and he would be put behind bars.

             
He knew even better there would be a limited number of places they would think about looking for him. On the drive to the hospital he had already figured there was a good chance someone had stopped at the house to speak with Shaun, knowing he would have no insight as to why they were asking about him and probably scaring the poor kid to death. Shaun was certainly not needing additional stress in his life, nor the ungodly thought that maybe he had lost another parent.

             
He had tried calling to explain to Shaun that he was okay and he would not be taking him or Ellie to the hospital with him, unsure how he would have eluded questions about why. He was sure Shaun was fuming being let down again by the one person in his life who never should. He knew it would sound ridiculous to try and explain that the hospital, of all places, was potentially too dangerous to bring them to.

             
Frank bypassed walking through the entrance on the east side for the emergency department lobby knowing it would save him no time on his way to the cancer ward. He looked suspiciously at the hallways, finally coming out of his daze and wondering why so many staff were rushing to get out of the building. If there was somewhere better to be it had to be anywhere but there. It wasn't anything which was going to affect him and he did not need additional problems to complicate this already stressful day. He was already paranoid there could be someone here on the lookout who would happily report him to the police. He walked quickly through the main entrance and down the hallway taking an elevator up to the cancer ward.

             
When Frank stepped out onto Karen's floor, he walked quickly to her room, making sure not to make eye contact with or look at anyone for too long. He checked to make sure nobody was watching the door. Satisfied it was clear, he pushed his way into the room shutting the door quickly behind.

             
He sucked in a large, deep breath when he saw the love of his life restrained to the bed and looking like she herself had been through a war zone. She was sitting in an almost up right position. There were cuts and bruises lining her forehead and cheeks, and her fingers were blood soaked. Taking in the room, he could only speculate at what transpired here. The blinds were torn and hanging off of their rods. There was blood on the floor still drying. The heart rate monitor was overturned and smashed to pieces leaving broken shards of glass lying all around.

             
He knew he was too late. The medicine she'd received was not the one he meant to give her.

             
He looked at her eyes and gasped as he saw the light trail of blood trickling from each. Tears ran down his face as he picked up a discarded stethoscope and started to examine her. "I couldn't be sorrier, Karen." He kept muttering under his breath, "I'm sorry, Karen. I am
so
sorry, Karen. I never meant for anything like this to happen. That bastard Rogers! I never should have brought him on board this project!"

             
Frank took his time examining Karen ... he had to be sure. He checked her vitals, realizing they matched almost perfectly to Rogers'--The bleeding eyes, the heavy breathing, the light, clammy sweating, and a very steady fast and unhealthy heart rate like he had never heard before.

             
He finished his examination and sat next to her bedside crying, holding her restrained, bloodied fingers delicately, and whimpering like a small child. A second woman lost not to cancer, but to something evil and much worse. He was faced with trying to decide what to do. Unsure if it would be better to let her live on like this or to destroy her rather than having to endure this curse. The thought of what she could do to someone if she was loose was almost unimaginable, and he hated that he even had to debate the actions to follow. Rogers had put to rest any chance there was that this was his miracle drug. 

             
Frank looked around the room and, in a daze, stood up and walked over to the heart monitor. He bent down to pick up a large piece of sharp, broken glass. He was still unsure if, once Turned, they could be killed ... maybe Rogers was dumb luck. He decided it best to at least try though. The only words that could be understood from his light sobbing were the words of regret and apologies telling her he loved her that he would never allow her to hurt anyone because of what he had done.

             
He brushed the hair from her face, asking God to forgive him for what he was about to do. He looked down at her deathly face.

             
Karen opened her eyes. Frank stared down at her in pure shock. "Karen? Baby? Honey, are you okay? Is it still you? Please, please, for the love of God, speak to me Karen! Speak to me!"             

             
Her response was quick and vicious. She reached up quickly biting for his wrist to tear a chunk of skin from it. Frank pulled back hard and fast, only narrowly avoiding the lunge. He grabbed his wrist, protecting it, then examined it to verify she didn't get it.

****

              Detective Lennon screeched his unmarked police sedan into the hospital parking like a man on a mission. He had been cursing the horrible traffic and the accident that had caused it, unsure how a pileup fifteen miles away could be so bad on an early Sunday afternoon. He had been glad for his siren and the shoulder of the road to drive on.

             
He stared at the many different signs and hospital entrances debating where to go. He thought, if the suspect's fiancé had been brought in during the middle of the night, he should start by asking the emergency department where they had taken her.

             
He was very annoyed he was unable to reach dispatch for additional information about the case and its developments. Sergeant Thompson at headquarters was the only reason he knew to come here, but for some reason he wasn't able to get a hold of Thompson via his cell phone, so, for all he knew, he could already be back at the office with Dr. Fox in handcuffs. He'd radioed dispatch to contact Thompson, but they still hadn't gotten back to him.

             
Thompson was the only other guy available besides Martin who was already busy cleaning up the mess at E&T. He did not want to give the suspect a bit of leeway, even if his fiancé was sick. When it came time to arrest him he had no qualms about putting two slugs in the man's chest if he did anything stupid. The crazy bastard had taken out at least one person with a freaking axe and that was all he needed about the guy to classify him as being completely mental.

             
He parked in a handicapped spot, knowing no one would tow a police officer's car away if they had any sense at all. He checked his pistol and got out of the car, locking it, and walking quickly across the lot.

             
Lennon was hoping that whatever his suspect had done at E&T had not continued here at the hospital. The doctor had a twenty minute head start, and the thought was not pleasing. Lennon prayed Fox was not on a rampage and out for blood--possibly distraught about his fiancé being here sick would be too much for him to handle.

             
He entered the emergency department expecting a quiet Sunday, but was greeted with hell on Earth.

             
There were bodies ... blood ... guts ... screaming and crying--he could hardly bear the smell of it. The stench of death was thick in the air.

             
He had barely made it five steps inside when he saw a large black man kneeling over and attacking a small oriental woman who appeared to be completely unresponsive. She was not crying or yelling or screaming for help. There was a strong chance she was already gone but he would be damned if he would allow what he was witnessing to continue.

             
The man was the first of many that he saw lining the crowded hallway, bent over their prey, ripping, tearing, licking, and making horrible growling noises as they did the unspeakable to their fellow humans. He ran up behind the large man, kicked him off of the woman and made him lose his balance.

             
The eyes that stared back at detective Lennon from the floor were enough to scare the hell out of him and turn his face ten different shades of ghostly white. By this point Lennon had pulled his firearm from his side and was aiming at the man's chest, screaming for him to lie down and put his hands behind his head or he would shoot.

             
The large man did not seem to understand anything the detective said. With unnatural quickness, he pushed up to his feet and charged at the confused and frightened detective.

             
Lennon squeezed the trigger. Pop! Pop! Pop! Loud echoing shots punched holes through the man's dark chest. Blood exploded from behind him. His name badge skipped across the tiles to Lennon's feet. Apparently, the man's name was Ronnie.

             
Ronnie looked in confusion as he had stopped in his tracks. Briefly, he looked down at the three large holes in his chest. Then he looked again at Lennon, an insatiable hunger in his eyes.

             
He slammed into the cop knocking him off of his feet. The detective landed, cracking his head on the cold stone concrete. He rolled to his side, dodging Ronnie's charge. He pushed himself up, holstered the pistol, and ran down the hallway. Looking behind him, the much slower man pursuing him was gaining other followers with the same ravenous look. A mob full of monsters was running after him, growling with blood soaked clothes and faces, reaching for him at every moment--closer and closer. As he ran, the victims on the floor started reaching for him as well.

             
He screamed, running scared like he had never before in his life. He pulled the pistol from its holster again, forgetting everything he'd ever learned about firearm safety, and held it behind him as he ran, firing rounds until it clicked on empty. Each piercing round created a new hole in the pursuers, but none of them dropped.

             
He sprinted, gaining distance as he headed for a bank of elevators. Dropping his spent clip, he slammed another one in.

             
One of the creatures, faster than the rest, was gaining quickly on him. Lennon's first shot missed but then another found its skull, exploding the back of it and dropping the man to the ground. Lennon neared the elevator and dove into one which was thankfully open. He slapped the close button repeatedly. Collapsing against the back wall of the elevator, he took a deep breath to hold his gun up steady, waiting as the doors closed.

             
He grabbed the elevator's phone, but no response came ... no way to warn others. He looked down at his hands and saw they were covered with blood from the hallway floor. He shook his head trying to think of how chasing a doctor from Adel could lead to such chaos. Looking at the buttons, he hit number nine which was labeled, among other things, as the cancer ward. Another label denoted this as the special quarantine zone, set near the East entrance.

             
He was breathing heavily and forced himself to take a steady stream of long deep breaths. He heard the soft music coming over the elevator. Though the sounds and tone were soothing, the tune was entirely inappropriate.

             
He arrived at his floor and ran out. The staff were screaming at each other and running about in a panic. He finally caught a woman by her shirt sleeve. "Ma'am, I am not whatever ... well, whatever the hell those things are! Look, I'm here to help!" He pulled a badge from his wallet and held it up to her. "At least I'll do whatever I can. What the hell is happening?"

             
The plump, older career nurse shook her head, shrugging. "How the hell should I know!? All I've heard the last twenty-five minutes is to try and evacuate, but there's no way out of this wing without going through the front or out the cancer ward. I heard it started in the cancer ward so I'll be damned if I'm going to try and get out through there, the only thing left is jumping out windows and I'm not dumb enough to do throw myself out the ninth floor!"

             
He nodded thinking he'd be a hell of an easy meal if he screwed that up. "I'm trying to find someone who might have some answers. Do you think you could tell me where to find a patient?"

             
"Well, the computers are all still up. I can find whoever you need, but will you call in some back up, please?"

             
He gave Karen's name to her, and got the room number and directions to the cancer ward. He told her to find a room with a lock, and not to come out unless a soldier or police officer came for her ... and maybe to take as many people with her as she could.

             
She didn't have any issues with obeying those orders. The moment he went to the cancer wing, she bolted, running for a linen closet.

             
Lennon ran for everything he was worth, unsure if he was going the right way, but figured he had a better chance than most by having a pistol. He was sure he could kill those things--just unsure how many times he'd be able to hit each in the head.

              He ran for the cancer ward. He looked around as he entered the wing seeing everything was in chaos. Emergency lights were going off ... patients, orderlies, and nurses were freaking out all trying to do what they could to get out of the hospital, but the escape stairs had been sealed at this end.

             
He looked down at himself, at his blood soaked shirt and pants, and realized he wasn't a mess--he was a God damned train wreck. People saw him and instantly their eyes grew wide. Some people were instantly in tears, believing he was one of the creatures ... here to kill. He put his hands up in a non-threatening manner which did little to ease their pain. He ran into the room for Karen, trying to not freak anyone else out.

             
He pushed through the door, ignored the destroyed room, and instantly saw the suspect hovering by Karen's bedside with the glass shard in his hand. He brought his pistol up, aiming at Frank's head rather than his chest. "Back up from her,
now
! Drop the weapon!"

             
Frank turned around slowly and stared. "Who are you, what are you talking about?"

             
Lennon laughed like a lunatic. "This is turning into one shitty day! What do you know about those ... things? Everywhere you've been today somebody has died, so don't play stupid! Didn't you come up through the emergency department entrance? That was pure carnage in there! I've never seen people behave like that--like nothing I've ever seen before!"             

             
Frank, in pure honesty, looked him in the eyes. "What are you talking about? I came up through the main entrance."

             
"There had to have been at least fifty of those ... of
those
." He pointed around Frank. Hearing the chains and the bed rattling, they both looked at Karen lying there with blood coming from her eyes. Her gown was soaked and her fingers stained red. She was now bucking and thrashing in her hospital bed.

             
Frank sat down. "It's spreading, damn it! I was hoping Rogers and Karen would be the only two ... that maybe it could be contained."             

             
"Is that why you and Rogers were going at it? Pat called the office saying that he'd watched you going insane with rage using an axe on Rogers' chest."             

             
Frank nodded. "I know they didn't get the drug," he thought aloud. "and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be airborne.... What did you see exactly?"             

             
Lennon thought back to the horrific scene in the emergency department lobby. "Well, they all seemed to have blood coming from their eyes, I think, and flesh ripped from their skin."             

             
Frank nodded looking around and thought about the specific blood stains everywhere on the floor, he looked at Lennon and Karen's blood soaked lips and mouth. "It's from the bites. It must be something to do with the bites!"             

             
Lennon wasn't paying much attention. This was the first chance he had to actually look at one of them. He couldn't believe this was really happening. He couldn't help but focus on Karen, trying to figure out what was wrong with her and barely hearing Frank in the background

             
He was leaning over her when she reached up with her restrained hand and yanked down on his tie. Her inhuman strength caught him off balance as he immediately pulled back against the force. Slipping on blood, he landed with his shoulder to her mouth. She bent up like she'd never eaten before and took a large bite of his deltoid, tearing the jacket and ripping into his skin.

             
Lennon screamed. "God damn it! Let go you bitch!"

             
Frank grabbed a steel rod to pry in between her clenching teeth and he pushed it further and further back into her mouth until she finally released him. Frank, with his free hand, pulled hard on Lennon moving him to safety.

             
Looking at the wound, Frank quickly used some bandages from the cabinet figuring it wasn't worth wasting his time to sew up the cut. Lennon, extremely agitated, rubbed his hands in his hair. "So ... what's the deal!? Am I going to turn into one of those damn things!?"

             
Frank shook his head. "I haven't a clue. It could be hours.. it could be minutes. I left here less than three hours ago, and now from what you say there's a hungry mob of flesh eating ... things out there. They're not even human anymore--they're ... turned."

             
Lennon sighed. "Well, in case this isn't from bites, can I stick with you? I just want to get out of this God damned hospital! I wish these things would just
die
! When we get back to E&T, we can get the cure, right!?"

             
Frank looked at him blankly, knowing he couldn't help the officer. "This
was
the cure. This was meant to be the cure for
everything
. That bastard Rogers screwed me over! Hell, he screwed the whole damned world over if we don't try and contain this thing! This could be a global killer! No one would be safe from it short of being in a damn bunker for the rest of their lives!"

             
Lennon's face went white. "So ... if it spreads by blood or saliva, I'm ... I'm screwed?"

             
Frank said nothing and turned away. "I'm sorry, but this wasn't my intention. We had been trying for months to come up with a cure based off an original design. I never had the chance to test this when I was in the Army, but I thought there was a hope if we attempted it." He turned back to Karen. "She was diagnosed with terminal cancer and didn't have a chance. We just didn't have enough time. When Rogers called and told me it was working--that we were going to cure her--I thought I could save her. I poured over the research and then got the call saying she was in the hospital. I rushed here and gave it to her, then went to E&T for the other doses. I found the test rats and Rogers, but by then it was already too late."

             
Lennon tried to smile knowing the man who was truly responsible for this probably died a painful death. He looked down at his gun. "I shot a full clip when I was escaping from the emergency wing and those things just snarled and kept on coming. Nothing seemed to stop them until I put one in its head."             

             
Frank looked at the pistol and pointed to his head. "Yeah, you need to put one in their head.... Nothing like a small target, right? We have to get out of here. I guarantee, if those things are loose, they'll either be up here soon or will flood the Des Moines area. I've got to get back to Adel. I need to get back to my son and Karen's daughter. I'm all that the two of them have left."

             
Lennon nodded. "When I walked in, you looked like you had bad intentions written all over you. That piece of glass wasn't going to do anything to her, though--did you think that you could put her out of her misery with that?"              Frank shook his head. "You know, when I came into the hospital, I thought maybe I'd be saving her and be able to finally cure her. Instead, I'm coming in to kill her. I don't know what I could have done with the glass shard, but I already apologized for the horrible things I did. While I can't say I've made my peace, I think if I had the means I'd've ended it for her. I couldn't see letting her go out as one of those things, or hurting someone because of what I created. It wouldn't seem just."

             
"Saying goodbyes are important." Saving Frank the trouble, he leveled the gun at Karen who had been growling and drooling Lennon's own blood down her chin. He squeezed off one well-placed round. The immediate result led to her brain exploding, painting the back of her bedside. Her head fell forward and Frank fell to the ground sobbing, knowing it needed to be done but in no way did it make what had just transpired any easier. He knew in his heart it was probably better this way.

             
Lennon put a hand on his shoulder. "Do me a favor ... if I turn into that, please, please put one of those into my head. I can't imagine a more evil existence. God won't punish you for the things you take care of today."

             
Frank shook his head. "No, he won't for taking them. Though he might for having created them."

             
"Let's get out of here." He handed Frank a backup pistol he carried. "You know how to use one of these things?"              

             
Frank stood wiping at his eyes with his shirt sleeve. He took the pistol, pulling back the slide to chamber a round, and peered down the sights to get his aim with it. "I've learned a thing or two about guns. Do you have any extra magazines?"

             
Reaching behind his back, Lennon unclipped a belt holster which held two extra clips for the pistol, each of which held nineteen bullets. Frank did the quick math and figured he'd be capable of fifty-seven shots, but in all reality, once things got crazy, maybe he'd get forty or fifty of the things.

             
Frank took one last look at Karen. He walked up to her and shut her eyes, whispering an apology only he would ever know. He unclipped a blood soaked necklace from around her neck, placing the pearl in his palm, and delicately wound the gold chain around it. He then dropped this into his pocket. He would have to give it and the horrible news to Ellie later today ... something that he had no illusions would be easy to do.