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

Chapter 37

I turned around slowly, dread like a lead ball in my stomach. At the top of the stairs stood Riley. He had a look on his face that I couldn't quite classify as a smile. How had he found me?

"Well, I can't say this isn't a surprise, running into you like this. I thought we had seen the last of you." The pink tip of his tongue ran over the bottom of his teeth.

"Are you following us?" I croaked out.

"Well, well I thought you were a mute," he smirked. "You didn't say a word last time."

"Forced imprisonment does that to a person," I glared back. His grin spread further across his face.

"You left me with quite the souvenir you know." His hand came to rest on the spot where my knife had sunk in. "I can't say I have ever let someone get the better of me before. Took ten stitches and a bottle of Captain Morgan to set me right."

What do I do? What do I do? Should I shoot at him? I was trapped at the bottom of the stairs with the unknown on the other side of the door. He'd more than likely return fire and I was a sitting duck down here. Well, I hoped that whatever was on the other side was an improvement. I turned the knob and dashed inside as I pulled out the keys. I fumbled with the lock on the inside, making sure they couldn't get it. Heavy footfalls sounded down the stairs.

"You're only going to make this harder on yourself. I just want to talk."

I'm sure all killers say that to their victims. It was pitch black down here and foul, damp air clawed at my nostrils. I dragged the flashlight from my backpack and clicked it on. I heard the chains rattle before I saw the bodies. A skeletal infected reared towards me and I stumbled back until I hit the wall. It was yanked to a stop, a few feet from me. With its arms outstretched, it clawed at the air between us.

I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting to the sight and my heart rate started to return to normal. A metal collar was fastened around the infected's neck, a chain running from it to the wall. Two other infected were chained up, but they didn't seem to have as long chain. One was not moving, lying still in a pool of filth.

Ok, so this wasn't an improvement. I needed to get out of here. I shone my flashlight around, trying to spot an escape route. Muffled voices were on the other side of the door. Riley must not have been alone. Then the banging started. They were ramming the door trying to get in. The two mobile infected now had all their attention focused on the smashing sound.

Using the wall as my guide, I shuffled along getting further out of their reach. The beam of light landed on a small, boarded up window. It was one of those tiny basement windows that basically served no purpose other than to make it feel less like a dungeon. Good thing I had lost weight in the last few months, I could probably squeeze through it now. I shuffled over, the infected still rapt upon the banging. It reminded me of when my brother used to taunt our neighbor's Rottweiler by banging on the fence. I ran into something hard at waste level and shone the light down. A rolling hospital bed laid in my way. The sheets were stained in blood and a pair of handcuffs dangled from the bars.

I gulped audibly as I maneuvered around it, careful not to step into the infected's chain radius. They still weren't paying attention to me. I mean I was being extremely cautious with not making noise or sudden movements, but fresh meat had to be calling to them. I had never be so close to an infected and been so slow. Usually I was running from them. It was like I no longer held their interest once I wasn't making noise or making noticeable movements in their sight range.

Now was not the time to question it. I stuck the end of the flashlight into my mouth and tried to pry away the boards. They weren't nailed on, just placed against the glass. Daylight spilt through the small opening, providing a little bit of vision. I could see the basement more clearly now. There was a heavy, industrial door towards the back that looked like it headed into a small room. It seemed very out of place for a doctor's clinic. The walls were covered in smooth tiles, making it look more like a shower room than a basement. Hospital beds were scattered all over the room, tables with trays of tools beside them.