The ambulance sped along the street, the cars clearing ahead. The siren rang at full volume, as they raced against time to reach the hospital. Inside, the three humans looked on with fear, as a man missing his leg lay strapped on a gurney.
The ambulance took a sharp turn, and the empty vials of morphine rolled across the floor. Six ampules had been broken and injected, yet the man kept thrashing in his bonds. They had tied his hands to run the IV channel, but his head still snapped like an insect. They couldn't even put a neck brace on him.
This was Neel's first accident on the job.
He had just joined the police ranks, as a fresh recruit under Officer Sen. He wiped his hands as much as he could, but traces of the blood remained. As the ambulance slowed down, he looked through the partition, and asked, "Have we reached the hospital?"
The injured paramedic, with his arm in a sling, replied, "No, it's just a traffic jam. There are still about 10 minutes left to reach the hospital."
With a sigh, Neel sat back down. He faced the man, strapped down securely on his stomach by three sets of belts. An IV channel ran into his arm, and the saline bag was nearly empty. He had got used to the blaring siren by now. The strapped down man had stopped squirming and stared at him. Disheveled hair matted with blood and dirt hung over his face. Despite his pitiable state, he didn't look like an ordinary drug addict. Not just his well-fed frame, but also his dress seemed to indicate that he was from at least a middle-class background.
"Let me check for some ID", Neel thought, as he leaned forward to check the man's back pocket. With a lurch the ambulance restarted. He lost his balance and grabbed the head end of the gurney.
The man chomped down on Neel's right hand.
White-hot pain shot through his hand, as he attempted to pull it away. But all he managed to do was pull the entire gurney closer. Blood seeped from the sides, as the man bit down harder.
Shouting in pain, Neel hit the man on his head. But he wouldn't let go. Alerted, the paramedic in front looked back through the partition.
"Help me!", Neel cried out at him.
In the frenzy of shouts and one-sided blows, the other paramedic parked the ambulance to the curb. The blaring siren drowned out the shouts from the inside, and both paramedics rushed into the back. Despite the broken jaw, the man had bit and hung on for dear life. A chunk of Neel's hand was steadily being torn apart from the rest of him, and if it were not for the pain, he would have fainted at the sight.
The chunk would have been torn asunder if it weren't for the paramedics' presence of mind. Grabbing a splint, and inserting it between the jaws, he managed to pry them apart just enough for Neel to withdraw his fingers. A loose slice of flesh hung from the side of Neel's hands, as bits of him stained the snarling jaws.
Indicating the injured paramedic to tend to Neel, he went back to the driver's seat. The ambulance took off again. The man was quiet again.
The injured paramedic, whose nametag read Rahul, wasn't feeling so well after he had been attacked by that rabid man at the accident spot. As his partner drove the ambulance at breakneck speed, he managed to somewhat bandage Neel's wound as much as he could. The strapped man just stared at them.
Soon after, they arrived at the hospital.
The man became crazy while they were unloading the gurney. He thrashed and strained against his bonds. The crowd in front of the Emergency gave them a wide berth, as they wheeled it into the trauma bay. The man, missing an entire leg, snarled and groaned at anyone who got close. BIts and pieces dripped off the sides.
Grabbing the attending doctor, Neel said, "Be careful. I don't know what he is on, but he is hostile. He bites a lot", holding up his bandaged hand. Leaving the paramedics to give detailed history, he looked for someone for first aid. His job was over.
15 minutes later, he walked out of the Emergency with a tight but secure bandage and a course of antibiotics. Nurse Ritu had given him strict instructions on how to take care of the wound, and to report if there was any complication.
He checked his watch. 17:29 hrs. He was on shift for the next six and a half hours. Hailing a cab, he took off for the police station. He ignored the slight feverish feeling he had and ignored the small painless pustules emerging from under the bandage. He twisted his wedding ring, as he dialed Officer Sen. HIs fingers left pink prints on the screen.
Rahul and his partner were done for the day. Ever since he became a paramedic, this was his scariest experience. His partner took off for his home, as Rahul stayed back for his treatment. They cleaned his injury, dressed it, and gave him a course of antibiotics. He had a slight fever and pain, so a friendly nurse gave him some aspirin. Feeling slightly better, he wheeled the empty gurney back to the ambulance.
The back of it was like a scene out of a horror movie. Empty ampules and IV fluid bags littered the floor, spreading the splotches of blood further. With a deep sigh, he closed the door.
"I have to drop it by the disinfectants now. Can't let it dry up", he thought as he turned the ignition on. It was the last coherent thought Rahul had. The ambulance pulled out of the hospital.
He drove down the suburbs in a daze. His left arm still ached, and his mind felt heavy, his skin was burning. He felt a strange hunger; a craving for the meat sandwiches they sold near the disinfectants. He might just go for them. after dropping off the vehicle.
Lost in his thoughts, he failed to turn left with the road.
With a bump, the ambulance scaled the curb. It crashed headlong into a small slum dwelling. When the dust settled, and the angry inhabitants rushed to drag out Rahul, the thing they dragged out of the pulverized front seat wasn't Rahul.
The red line which the ambulance tracked from Rik's school to the hospital, broke into numerous fragments of lines. Some fragments traveled less and broke earlier. Some traveled far and broke into few. An intricate web started forming. By morning, the red lines had crisscrossed the entire city.
YOU ARE READING
Life After Undeath
Hành động*WORK IN PROGRESS* This time, when people die, they don't stay dead. As a deadly plague sweeps through India, a 17-year-old must decide between his humanity and his survival, as he journeys through the subcontinent looking for a safe shelter. "So...
