Invisible Death

The Night of the Living Dead

Tumbling, falling, frantic with fear, Shalimar ran as fast as she could. With each step, Adam faltered, with each yard covered, he was more of a dead weight she had to carry. Shalimar could hear his breath thinning as his throat constricted, swelling inside with the increasing allergic reaction to the rat bites. After it stopped completely, Adam would have four minutes to start breathing again. After that deadline, oxygen deprivation would permanently damage his brain, turning him into a living corpse.

Down the hill, reaching the outskirts of the town, Shalimar tried to find her bearings. Where was the hospital located? Damn their cover, damn their assignment, damn everything but save Adam's life! She had to get him to the ER and fast, not a moment too late. How could she, for heaven's sake? They were on the other side of the hill, looking for an alternative way to get to a cave that was probably located in the very center of the mountain. That was the poorer part of the town, almost a settlement, far from the hospital and hotel. There, the earthquake had taken a heavier toll; the frailer dwellings had suffered more than the bigger beach houses and buildings near the sea.

As they got closer to the crumbling houses, Shalimar could see people running around, trying to salvage possessions from the wreckage. With all that damage, there would be people hurt. Rescue teams should be available, paramedics and ambulances should be rushing to help the wounded. If only Shalimar could find one...

The squeal of brakes being violently applied, tires sliding on the dirt road, made the feline and her burden turn, the lights hitting her eyes, dazzling her for a moment. A small car, a Beetle with a few years to its name came to a stop merely inches from her legs. The door opened all the way and a shadow jumped out of the vehicle.

"¿Qué pasa con él?¿Se ha lastimado en el temblor?"

The voice sounded young, female and honestly concerned. "No Spanish. Help us, please!"

"Lay him down on the ground! I'm a nurse, I can help!" The shadow dove into the car and jumped out a second later with a medium-sized duffel bag in her hand. The woman knelt next to Adam, touched two fingers to his neck, searching for a heartbeat. Found it! She turned his head to the car light. "His lips are bluish, he's not breathing. How long?"

"A couple of minutes tops!"

The woman looked at the wound on Adam's temple. "Did he hit his head?"

"No, he was bitten by a rat! He's a doctor. Before he passed out he said something about being allergic."

"Anaphylactic shock!" The woman searched her bag quickly, pulled out a phial and a disposable hypodermic needle. She filled the syringe with the transparent liquid, pumped the air out. She expertly found a vein in Adam's inner elbow and injected the medicine. "This is epinephrine. It is a strong antihistaminic. I hope it works, and fast, or I'll have to give him a tracheotomy."

"A what?"

"I'll have to open an air duct in his trachea so he could breath." She fished an instrument that looked like a curved metal tube from her bag. "Pull his head back as far as you can." Her left hand searched for the small, soft spot in Adam's throat and she positioned the tube over it.

A moment before she pushed it in, Shalimar held her wrist. "Wait!" The whizzing breath coming from the man lying on the ground was almost inaudible at first, but Shalimar's feral ears could pick it up clearly. It became stronger and louder as Adam fought for breath. A second later, he jerked back and pulled a lungful of air in with a gurgling sound. His breath, noisy at first, became increasingly steadier, his lips were returning to their normal color.

"Help me get him in the car," commanded the woman.

They sat a still unconscious Adam on the passenger seat, Shalimar hopped up in the back and the woman took the wheel. She put the Beetle in gear and drove ahead. "I was on my way to the hospital. We have to get him there fast."