This Would Be Paradise (Book 1)-A Zombie Novel

Chapter 36

I got into the car and tossed my bag on the seat beside me, along with my trusty axe. With one last look, I made sure the area around the house was clear. Nothing moved so I hit reverse and left the neighborhood behind me. The street that connected to the cul-de-sac was void of infected. Most of them must have been congregating in the alley behind the house we were squatting in.

There were a few wanderers on the road; I made a point to hit them. Pushing down on the gas petal, the Taurus lurched forward with infected in the cross-hairs. A feminine shaped one hit the right corner and spun like a top down to the tarmac. The next one hit the grill and bounced up, cracking the windshield on the passenger's side. I watched in the rearview mirror as he landed in a crumpled mass on the hard ground.

A strange face peered back at me through my reflection. Her smirk was cruel and hollow. It scared me. I tore my face from the mirror back to the road; there would be no more of that. This car was disposable to me, but I still needed it to get back. And encouraging crazy behavior could only lead to something worse. I was fully aware that it looked like I was coming unhinged. I wonder if most people who go crazy know they're insane? A question for the ages I guess.

So I swerved to avoid the others in my way. There didn't seem to be that many out on the road this time. I took my last left and found myself on the road that ran behind the main street. Houses lined the boulevard and I counted until I hit the fourth one in. That should be the medical center. There was a sign posted above the door that said Westwego Medical Center. All are welcome. No cars were parked outside, which was a good thing. Last thing I needed was to fight someone for the supplies inside. I parked and got out, with my backpack and weapons in tow.

An infected shuffled towards me from the front lawn, his face was... well missing a part. A baseball sized chunk of the left side of its face was gone. I could see through the cheek and into the mouth. Also the left eye was almost torn out of the socket. I had no idea if his face had been eaten or blown off with a gun. I used my axe to take it out of its misery. Again, I found myself dragging a body, this time disposing of it behind one of the neighboring white picket fences. You know, there's a joke in there somewhere.

Maybe that thing was here for some treatment or at least had tried to get some before he turned. This made me wary of what I would find in the medical center. I cautiously walked up to the front steps. Whoever owned this building had renovated it completely. The front door was one of those push open glass ones that you found in all the shops. There was also a metal gate pulled out on the inside for added security. Looks like the front door was a bust.

I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The gate created a diamond pattern with the light, coating the front lobby in shadows. It had a reception desk and waiting room chairs all over. There was a hallway that I couldn't see very far down towards the back. I started walking down the side of the building, hoping to find another point of entry.

The backyard was like an extension of the waiting room. Instead of grass, the yard was covered in cement and had a bunch of tables and chairs. One of the canary yellow seats was occupied. A rather fat infected man was sitting in one. I tip-toed over to the unmoving mass and poked it with the end of my axe. Its bloodshot eyes snapped open and he lunged for me, moving faster than I thought possible. I scrambled back and tripped over an uneven slat of cement. The thing landed on top of me and I struggled to push his heavy form off.

He snapped his teeth and gurgled, all while trying to claw at me. I pushed the handle of axe along the things neck, keeping his teeth away from me. My elbow protested the whole way, but I was able to muster enough strength to keep pushing the axe away. Slowly, the infected was moved off of me and with a final shove, I bucked it to the side. I rolled as soon as I was clear and yanked out my hunting knife.

Had this been another time, I would have probably laughed at the fat infected as he struggled to get himself up, his bloated stomach creating an obstacle. I brought the knife down on the top of its head and it sunk down to ground. I wrenched the knife out of the infected skull and wiped it off of his ripped dress shirt. It always seemed so insulting in movies when the killer would clean their weapon on the victims' clothes. Now it seemed more practical than cold.

I sheathed my knife and stretched out my elbow, trying to get rid of the stiffness that was setting in along with the pain. Another door blocked my entry. There was a heavy set padlock on the outside. I raised my axe and brought it down on the hasp staple. One side of metal piece detached from the wooden door frame and hung loosely. I tried the door knob, but I already knew that would be locked too.

I wedged the axe blade in between the door and frame as much as I could and started to pry it open. I was grunting from the exertion, the creaking sound of the frame spurring me on. After a few seconds the door slid open as the piece in the door frame came loose. I grabbed the door and yanked it all the way open. The smell hit me first. The place had been locked up tight and it looked like I was the first one to try to break in, so why would it smell like rotting bodies in here?

The light from the front didn't reach back here so I pulled out my flashlight. The beam of light illuminated the dust motes flying in the air. It looks like I was the first one in here in a while. I closed the door behind me as much as I could. The long hallway was surrounded with doors, some open, some closed. I peered in the opened ones. They were the standard examination room with a chair and patient table in them. I tried the door labelled lab, but it was locked. My elbow was begging me to stop using force, so I went in search of the keys.

Various medical posters lined the walls, stressing the importance of safe sex and getting your prostate checked. I made it all the way back to the front waiting room, which was still empty. The old floor creaked in one spot, the wood rotting I'm sure. I heard a bang come from below. I froze and swallowed. There was that cloying smell of rot, yet everything up here seemed clear. Snooping through the receptionist desk, I found various labelled keys in the desk drawer. I scooped up the one that was for the lab and grabbed the basement one as well. The lab door opened with a click and I shone my flashlight in before entering. It was clear of bodies. Shelves lined the room and a locked cabinet at the back caught my attention. It was made of glass and I could see the pill bottles just sitting in there.

Using the end of my axe, I broke the glass doors, looking away as I smashed the glass. I read through all the labels and grabbed the ones that ended in the suffixes mycin or cillin. I knew enough that those were antibiotics. After throwing my stash into the backpack, I looked around for more supplies to scavenge. Sterile, stainless steel tools littered the place and gave me the urge to shiver. They always reminded me of horror movies.

A louder bang caught my attention. I shouldered my backpack again, the pills rattling like a child's toy. The noise had come from downstairs and I headed back to the door labelled stairs. It opened without a key and I was faced with a looming set of stairs leading further down. I beamed my light in and saw another door at the bottom of the landing. The smell was tenfold down here.

Morbid curiosity was getting the better of me. I knew I should just leave now that I got what I came for, but part of me wanted to know what the hell was down there. I knew it would be nothing good, just like what we found in the hardware store. Using my axe, I propped open the door at the top of the stairs then started down. The banging sound was getting louder now as my footfalls echoed in the confined space.

I stilled my breathing and put my ear up against the door. The banging sound was coming from inside somewhere. The key fit in the lock like a glove, but my hand froze. Did I really want to see what was down here?

"Well, isn't this a coincidence?"

My heart stopped in my chest.