The Last Alive

Chapter Nine - Finding Safety and Making Promises

Chapter Nine

Finding Safety and Making Promises

"Emma, it's not possible. We're trapped." Nathan sighed heavily.

"Nathan, stop. I'm not giving up, but if you keep up this attitude I'm leaving you here. So, help or go back," I snapped.

He looked at me taken back. It was obvious he wasn't used to having people disagree with him. I heard a crash from somewhere down a hall and watched as the undead went toward it.

"Sound attracts them?" I muttered to myself.

The nurse's station cleared out as they headed for whatever the loud noise was. That was going to be my only opportunity. I pulled the tile completely off and scanned the other two halls. They were empty, except for the deadish bodies that were half chewed on. I took a deep breath and prepared to lower myself down into the pit of hell.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting us out of here," I whispered.

"By killing yourself?"

"No, Nathan, I'm making an escape route to those tunnels."

"I can't let you go down there."

"Listen, I'm more qualified to go down there than you are. You save lives. I'm used to crazy and killers."

"They aren't just killers. They're not even alive."

"Watch my six," I told him.

He furrowed his brow and stared quizzically. "Huh?"

"My back. Just watch my back. If you see something coming, make noise in another area. Throw something or yell, just keep them away long enough for me to get to the elevator. Then come down with me."

"Do you think it will work?" he asked.

"I have no idea but trying something is better than giving up while sitting in a fucking ceiling."

I held onto the steel beam and lowered myself to the floor. I landed with a loud, echoing thud. I held my breath and waited.

Maybe it was just loud in my mind.

The body I landed next to was wrecked. The throat had been ripped out. The stomach ripped open and what was left of the internal organs were not in the body. I quickly turned my head and dry heaved a bit. Through all of my years as a cop and a detective, I had never seen such carnage.

"You're making too much noise!" Nathan whispered, loudly.

I waved him off.

"Seriously. Be quiet."

"Are they coming?"

"A few are."

"Then make noise in some other area. Throw something," I whispered up to him.

"Like what?"

"I left the pipe up there. Throw it. Bang on something away from me."

"Alright." He disappeared into the ceiling and I heard him banging around.

I dropped to my knees and crawled down the hall hiding behind an overturned stretcher. I could hear them moving around. There were some moving down the hall toward the sounds. I peered around my mini-blockade and crept around a few more bodies. I tried not to look at them. I pressed my back against the wall across from where I was ready to run to the elevator, until something grabbed my ankle. I looked down at the pasty hand and let out the most blood curdling scream that had ever escaped my mouth.

My cover was blown, and I was going to die right there. I should have listened to Nathan and stayed in the ceiling. The undead was only half of an undead. The bottom was missing. I couldn't help it; I started sobbing as its other hand reached up and grabbed my calf. I pulled at my leg and tried to get away. I could see zombies coming from every room down all three halls.

So, this is where it ends? Here? Being some monster's dinner?

I covered my head, nowhere near prepared to die.

"I don't think so!" I heard Nathan shout while driving the pipe down into the zombie's skull.

The sickening crack and then squish made me queasy. It was by far the most disgusting sound I had ever heard, and if I survived through this I knew it wouldn't be the last time I heard it. I looked up into Nathan's eyes. He suddenly looked so sure of himself. He reached down and grabbed my hand, pulling me up to him.

"Get to that elevator," he shouted, swinging the pipe at what was once a nurse.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't. You're the strong one out of the two of us. Don't go gloom and doom on me." He winked.

I nodded and ran to the elevator. I yanked the dead body out and hit the button searching frantically for another weapon. An undead in scrubs pinned me against the desk of the nurse's station, his snarling and snapping mouth mere inches from my face. I reached one hand behind me trying to grab anything to protect myself while using the other to prevent my head from becoming lunch. My fingers managed to find something long, skinny, and pointy. I grasped it and plunged it into his eye socket. Blood trickled down his cheek as his body slid down mine and he face planted on the linoleum. The dinging elevator was a relief.

"Nathan!" I shouted for the man who was pulling the pipe out of a head.

That one must have been a patient. It had on a gown and had been dragging an I.V. pole behind it. A catheter bag was still inserted and lay next to the pole. It wasn't filled with urine though. There was a black liquid sloshing around in it.

"What's in that bag?" I asked before the door slid closed.

"I don't know. It's supposed to be urine."

"That's not pee," I said as we headed down.

"No, it wasn't."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I need to thank you. You were right, we couldn't stay there." He watched the numbers tick down to one. "You saved us."

"No, but my plan almost got us killed."

"We're fine."

"Nathan?"

"What?"

"Promise me something."

"What, Emma?"

"If I ever turn into one of those things, put me out of my misery."

He looked at me briefly and nodded. "Only if you do the same."

"Are you sure you want me to?"

"Yes."

"Okay." A tear slid down my cheek. I didn't want to think about that wonderful man dying.

"We're going to be okay. Now let's get the fuck out of here." He smiled at me.

His smile quickly faded as the doors opened and a hallway of undead stopped to stare at us.