First Date- a Novella (3 page)

“Hey, Daniel, did you hear?” Ken said, stepping up to the table, and Joe and Don moved to either side of him.

Letting out a sigh as he closed his eyes, Daniel asked, “Hear what?”

“Like a dozen people downstairs had seizures after they got their flu shot. Several were taken to the hospital by ambulance,” Ken said, looking from Daniel to Ginger. “You two dating?”

Ginger just smiled and started pulling food out of the bags as Daniel opened his eyes, wanting the stooges to go away. “Our first date is tonight, so not really,” Daniel said. “And no, I hadn’t heard about the people downstairs.”

“I thought I saw you at the dojo where Ginger teaches,” Don said as he looked at Ginger, who was chuckling silently.

“Yes, I’m taking Krav Maga under her,” Daniel said.

“You said you knew martial arts,” Joe butted in.

Removing the top from his tea, Daniel took a deep breath. Ripping open several packs, he dumped them in. “If you must know, I’ve studied four different forms and have black belted in each one. I’ve always wanted to learn Krav Maga, so I’m taking it, and it just so happens where I’m taking it, Ginger teaches it. Now how this is any business of yours, I don’t know.”

As one, all three took a step back. “Dude, you need to chill,” Ken said, shaking his head, then looked at Ginger. “I’ve asked you out like a hundred times since we went out last year. I can take you out.”

“Sorry, Ken,” Ginger smiled. “You’re a good friend.”

Groaning, Ken looked back at Daniel. “So did you hear all three doctors’ offices on this floor are filled to capacity?”

“Nope, but I saw one, and it was standing room only in the waiting room,” Daniel huffed, looking at the door as Teresa walked in. Glancing around, she saw the stooges talking and came over then pulled out a chair and set her purse down.

“Teresa, if you offer Daniel money for the food, you and I will have to visit the girls’ restroom,” Ginger said, passing over a paper plate and utensils.

Shocked by the statement, Teresa stared at Ginger. “Um, okay,” she finally said.

“You’re dating both of them!” Ken cried out, making the other people in the break room look over.

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m getting a goddamn headache.”

“Ken,” Ginger snapped, throwing down her fork. “No, he’s not. Daniel is being a gentleman to Teresa by buying her lunch so she could eat with us. Now go away.”

Clearly confused, Ken turned to look at Don then turned to look at Joe. They both just shrugged at him. “Well, I was just clarifying what it looked like,” Ken mumbled as he turned around with Joe and Don falling in behind him. They walked to the front of the break room, grabbed their lunch boxes off a table, and sat down.

Teresa looked over at Daniel, who was still pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut tight. “Daniel, you okay?” she asked then glanced over at Ginger, who reached out, brushing Daniel’s cheek with her fingers.

“Yes, and you know I like the three stooges, but my God, they can worry the horns off a buffalo,” Daniel said, opening his eyes and dropping his hand to the table.

“Three stooges,” Ginger snorted, still brushing his cheek. “That is the best description I’ve ever heard of them.”

“Let’s eat before they come back,” Daniel said, smiling at Ginger.

Teresa took the top off her tea and dumped sugar in. “You think they are coming back?”

“I know they are,” Daniel said, and Ginger nodded as she shoved rice in her mouth with chopsticks.

The door to the break room opened, and Glenda looked around, spotted Daniel, and trotted over quickly for an older woman. As she neared, they noticed she looked at little pale. “Daniel, Malik needs you in the hallway outside of reception,” Glenda said, wiping sweat off her brow.

“What’s going on?” he asked, standing up.

“A woman collapsed, having a seizure,” Glenda panted. “And there’s reports of a big fight downstairs in the main lobby.”

“My job isn’t physical security of personnel. In fact, my contract strictly forbids it, as does Malik’s. And besides the first aid I learned in the Army, what the hell can I do about a seizure?” Daniel asked, buttoning his coat.

“Can you just come and see the woman? She doesn’t look good,” Glenda pleaded.

Daniel stepped away from the table and nodded. “Okay, but Glenda, you look a little queasy yourself.”

“Just feel hot,” she said, following him to the door.

When they were gone, Teresa looked over at Ginger. “You got a keeper with that one,” Teresa said breaking apart her chopsticks. “I hope it works out for you.”

“Thank you,” Ginger said grinning with a mouthful. Swallowing and grabbing her tea, Ginger noticed Teresa looked a little dejected. “I hope you’re not mad at me.”

Looking up with a smile, Teresa shook her head. “No, I see what someone explained to me. You’re his type.”

Ginger smiled back. “Thank you,” she said and continued shoving food in her mouth.

Daniel walked through the reception area as Glenda got behind the desk. Walking out the door, he saw a stocky black man kneeling beside a woman on the floor with several others standing around them. As Daniel walked up, the black man turned around. “What’s up, Malik?” he asked, stopping behind him.

“Not sure. She’s sweating bullets, but her skin is cold as ice,” Malik said as a nurse ran down the hall toward them. Shifting his gaze to the woman on the floor, Daniel stepped back. She was so pale she looked gray with frothy foam around her mouth.

When he looked up at those gathered around the scene, most didn’t look much better. Besides the nurse running toward them, only he and Malik looked healthy. “Malik, we really need to get back to the office,” Daniel said, grabbing Malik’s shoulder and trying not to breathe deep.

As Malik stood up, Daniel pulled him back from the crowd. The nurse knelt down beside the woman, touching her face. She looked up and pointed at four people. “Help me get her to the office; the ambulance can pick her up from there.”

Even though they weren’t picked, Malik moved forward to offer assistance, and Daniel grabbed his jacket hard, pulling him back and almost off his feet. Malik spun around. “Dude, you need to chill.”

Daniel leaned close but kept his eyes on the group as some picked up the woman and carried her down the hall. “You have a wife and kids, Malik. Look at those people; they’re sick as shit. You really want to bring that home to an infant and two small kids?”

The irritated look left Malik’s face, and he turned, glancing at the other people as they turned to follow the nurse. None of them were talking, almost following the nurse like they were in a trance. “Shit,” Malik mumbled, stepping back beside Daniel. “Didn’t really notice that.”

“Thought so,” Daniel said. “You need to wash your hands really fucking good.”

As a man stepped out of an office leading into a law firm beside them, Malik and Daniel both stepped back several yards. The man coughed so hard he started gagging. When the coughing subsided, the man looked at them with a flat expression then turned and walked down the hall.

“I’m taking a fucking shower,” Malik announced as he spun around. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to go downstairs and help security, but screw this shit.”

“We could get fired for that, Malik,” Daniel said, following him back to their section. When they walked in, Daniel noticed a maintenance cart in front of the reception desk. “What’s going on?” he asked, pointing to the cart.

Glenda looked up, drinking a bottle of water, and both Malik and Daniel stopped away from the desk. When she had drained the bottle, Glenda wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist. “Maintenance is here to replace the cracked marble tiles in Mr. Barron’s bathroom and wire cable up for the new TV for the break room,” she said, dropping the empty bottle in the trash can.

A faint scream sounded outside the glass doors, and they turned around but only saw the empty hallway that ran for several hundred yards to the elevators. Daniel pulled out his cellphone and dialed security. “All circuits are busy. Please try your call later,” an electronic female voice told him.

“Glenda, lock the reception doors,” Daniel said. He stepped over to Teresa’s desk, grabbed the phone, and pressed the button for building security. After ringing a dozen times, an answering machine picked up, and Daniel hung up.

“I tried calling them before I got you,” Glenda said, wiping her brow.

“I’m going to shower,” Malik said, turning to the right and walking through the cubicle doorway.

Spinning to the left, Daniel headed to his office. “Unless they are an employee, Glenda, don’t let them in,” he said, walking down the hall and passing the VP’s offices. Yanking his door open, Daniel moved to the display case on his back wall. Since he was also the company’s safety officer, building security gave him a radio to stay in touch in case of emergency. Daniel grabbed it and turned it on.

“Holy shit, run!” bellowed out of the radio, and Daniel turned down the volume.

“He fucking chewed his arm off!” another voice screamed.

“Pull back to main security,” a voice said loudly, but unlike the others, Daniel couldn’t hear anyone in the background.

A scream erupted from the radio as someone held down the transmit key. In the background, Daniel could hear more screams and calls for help, then the radio cut off. No sooner than it did, another voice screamed, “We have an attack on the third floor!”

“Copy, this is Captain Russell. Get back to main security,” the captain called out, and Daniel realized it was the voice he had heard before. “All security details return immediately to main security.”

“Captain,” Daniel said, pressing the key. “This is Daniel—safety officer for SCC. What is the situation?”

“Stay off the air, and don’t leave your suite. We have gangs or terrorists inside and on every floor. They are on some kind of drug and attacking anyone. Be prepared for lockdown!” the captain bellowed.

“Multiple attackers on seven!” a voice screamed as soon as the captain stopped transmitting.

“I’m on nine, and they got Bobby!” another voice screamed.

“Repeat, all security teams pull back to main security. Police have been notified, and lockdown procedures have started,” the captain yelled.

Looking at the radio like it was possessed, Daniel fought to calm his heart rate down. “This is bullshit,” he said, dropping the radio on his desk and running out of his office. He had been in firefights around the world, but he only had his body to protect him now.

He skidded to a stop at the reception desk. “Glenda, don’t open that door unless you call me first. There is some kind of attack going on in the building.”

With drowsy eyes, Glenda looked up and nodded. “Okay, does that mean even our employees?”

“Yes,” Daniel said and watched her flip the switch that sealed the doors. He looked at the wall of window that made up the reception area and shuddered. It wasn’t glass, but it still felt vulnerable. “Security said they had started lockdown procedures, so the elevators will be shut down. Don’t let anyone leave either.”

“Okay,” Glenda said with a weak smile.

Running around the desk, Daniel burst through the door to the cubicles. He could see people standing around in a daze and he heard very little talking. He moved over to the closest cubicle and saw Mary, a young intern that just started. With her mouth hanging open, she was staring at her computer monitor. Her face was pale, and Daniel stepped back, noticing drool dripping from her mouth.

Spinning around, he charged into the break room. Banging the door open, everyone turned to look at him. “The building is going into lockdown,” he called out, and almost everyone jumped up, talking at once.

“Shut the fuck up!” Daniel bellowed, and everyone that was talking clamped their mouths shut. “All I know is there is some kind of attack going on in the building,” he said in a more subdued voice but still loud. “The police have been called, so we are to follow the regulations and wait for instructions.”

Everyone in the room looked around at those they were sitting with and talked quietly with them. Seeing the three stooges step away from their table and head toward him, Daniel held up his hand. “Not in the mood and not now,” he said, walking past them.

Weaving around the tables, Daniel stopped at his chair, looking at Ginger. “We are still going on our first date,” he said with a weak smile.

Looking at Daniel, Ginger could tell he was uneasy. “You know how long before the cops get here?” she asked, putting her chopsticks down. Daniel shook his head. “Well, since we don’t know how long until we can leave, you need to eat,” she said, pushing his chair out with her foot.

A scream outside the break room shut the quiet mumbling up. Everyone turned to the windows that overlooked the cubicles. In front of Mary’s cubicle, a crowd had gathered, trying to separate two people on the floor.

“Oh shit,” Daniel said, walking over to the windows. “Of course this had to happen today.”

Chapter 3

Ginger jumped up and ran to Daniel’s side then looked out. “What’s Mary doing to Vince?” she asked as Mary yanked her head back, and a fountain of blood erupted from Vince’s neck. “Fuck me,” Ginger said and took off running for the door.

“No wait,” Daniel said, taking off after her.

Bolting out the door with Daniel right behind her, Ginger saw several people trying to pull Mary off of Vince, and Mary was leaning over him with her bloody mouth hanging open. Elbowing two people out of the way, Ginger grabbed Mary by the hair and yanked back.

Mary’s body flew back as she rolled back over Vince’s legs and landed face first at his feet. Ginger saw a hole in Vince’s neck where Mary had bit him. Kneeling down, she ripped a chunk of Vince’s shirt and pressed it over the fountain that was shooting out of his neck in pulsing waves.

Reaching to grab Ginger, Daniel froze as another scream sounded further back in the cubicles. Stepping to the aisle, he saw Mohammed and Frank holding down Billy, biting him and ripping off chunks of clothes with flesh.

A scream behind him made Daniel jump, and he spun to see Mary biting Susan on the leg, ripping out a chunk of meat. He grabbed Ginger on her shoulder. “We need to move.”

“Vince is bleeding out,” she cried, pressing the dressing harder.

Looking down at the large pool of blood that surrounded Vince, Daniel knew there was no way to save him. Not saying anything, he grabbed Vince by the wrist and pulled. “Break room,” he grunted, dragging Vince as another scream came from the cubicles.

Glancing up, Daniel slowed, looking at the group that had moved around Vince. With the exception of Susan, who was kicking Mary in the face, they were all frozen like statues, looking at the spot where he had dragged Vince from.

“What do you need us to do?” Ken asked behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder, Daniel saw the three stooges. “Pull him in the break room now!” Daniel said, letting go of Vince’s arms. Jumping over Vince, Daniel charged toward Susan and Mary. Mary grabbed Susan’s other leg as it kicked her, and Mary lowered her open mouth.

Skidding to a halt and rearing back his leg, Daniel kicked out. His foot hit Mary at the angle of her jaw, and not only did he feel the bone break, he heard it as Mary’s head snapped back. Still holding Susan’s leg, Mary’s body rolled over from the force, pulling Susan’s feet out from under her. Letting out a cry, Susan grabbed the wall of the closest cubicle and stopped her fall to the floor.

Grabbing Susan by the arm, Daniel pulled her to him. “She won’t let go!” Susan screamed as Daniel looked back and saw he was pulling Susan as Mary dragged along, holding Susan’s leg.

Spinning on his left leg, Daniel snapped out with his right foot at Mary’s wrist. Again, he heard the bones snap as her hand let go of Susan.  In horror, Daniel watched as Mary ignored her broken wrist, reaching out to try to grab Susan again. With her jaw cocked to the side, Mary tried to open and close her mouth as her lips pulled back, exposing her teeth.

Picking Susan up, Daniel tossed her over his shoulder and spun around in a dead run. He saw Don holding the door to the break room open. “Come on,” Don yelled at him.

Flying past him, Daniel put Susan in a chair. “Someone find something to use as a bandage for her leg,” he said, looking around for Ginger. He saw her still holding the dressing on Vince’s neck. All color was gone from Vince’s skin. Stepping over, he put his hand on Ginger’s shoulder. “He’s gone,” Daniel said softly.

“I know,” Ginger said in a broken voice as more screams sounded out from the cubicles.

“Break room!” Don yelled, standing at the door.

Leaning down to Ginger, Daniel looked at the windows overlooking the cubicles. “You need to get ready to move,” he said as a blaring alarm sounded in three short blasts.

“Building security has initiated building lockdown for hostile attack. All tenants should remain in your suites until police and security have the situation under control. Follow your company’s guidelines and those of the building’s management until lockdown is suspended,” a soothing electronic voice said, followed by three more electronic blasts, and the message repeated one more time.

Looking out the window at the group that had surrounded Vince, Daniel saw Beverly look around lazily then shamble toward the back. The others stayed just staring at the floor. As a figure stood up outside the window, Daniel jumped back. “Holy fuck me,” he said, noticing it was Mary moving toward Don, who was yelling at people to get in the break room.

“The stooges aren’t complete without Larry. Nobody liked Shemp,” he said, running for the door. Yanking the door open, he charged down the hall as Mary came up behind Don, her arms reaching out. Jumping in the air, Daniel kicked out with both feet and caught Mary in the side.

Outweighing Mary by an easy hundred pounds, her body folded with the impact, and they sailed past Don. Seeing the bodies sail past him, Don cried out, jumping back into the windows. Before he hit the floor, Daniel rotated his body and rolled when he touched the floor, springing to his feet in a run toward Don.

“I’m not doing it again, so you need to go!” Daniel said, grabbing Don and pulling him to the break room as three more bodies ran with them, yelling to open the door.

When they ran in, the door shut behind them, and Daniel let Don go as Joe and Ken came to check on Don. Breathing through pursed lips to control his heart rate and breathing, Daniel saw Ginger sitting in a chair, looking down at Vince’s dead body. Teresa was behind her, holding Ginger’s shoulder with tears running down her face.

Walking over, Daniel knelt down in front of Ginger. “You need to let it go and be ready to move,” he said, grabbing her bloody hands.

“You heard the alarm; the building is in lockdown. We can’t leave,” she said, blinking tears out of her eyes.

“Trust me, those who can’t move are easy targets,” he said as the door busted open, and Glenda came in panting.

“Three people in the hall just attacked a man beating on our door!” she screamed. “They’re eating him, and he’s still alive!”

A big man pushed past her and shut the door. “Sucks to be him,” he said.

“Gary, they are eating him!” Glenda yelled.

Pointing at the windows that ran down the wall, Gary yelled back, “What the fuck do you think’s going on in the cubicles?”

Swaying on her feet, Glenda looked out the windows to see several employees getting dragged down to the floor by other employees. “Why are they attacking them?” she said, moving to the windows. “My god, Mohammed is eating Bill!”

Ginger and Teresa ran over to Glenda, guiding her to a chair as the men’s locker room door opened. Turning around, Daniel saw Malik step out dressed in slacks and a polo shirt. “I wasn’t gone that fucking long,” Malik cried out, looking down at Vince’s dead body and the large, bloody dressing over Susan’s leg.

Not in the mood, Daniel walked over to the wall and grabbed the phone. Pulling the receiver to his ear, he heard a blaring tone. “Phones are supposed to stay active in lockdown,” he said, slamming the receiver down. Pulling out his cellphone, he tried calling 911 only to get the all circuits busy message. Then he just dialed two numbers at random and got the same message.

“Fuck,” he snapped, putting his phone up and moving to the windows. Gary was looking out, chuckling at the mayhem of his coworkers.

“Dumbasses,” he said, watching another getting literally pulled apart.

“Move,” Daniel said, shoving him back and lowering the blinds.

“Better watch it, boy,” Gary snapped, puffing out his chest.

Daniel slowly turned around with an apathetic expression. “I’m not some geek boy. Back off, or you won’t have to worry about getting rescued because I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

Stumbling back, Gary stuttered. “Dumbass, those windows are bulletproof; they can’t break them.”

Turning back around, Daniel closed the blinds and moved to another window. “Yes, they are bulletproof, lard ass, but they are set in wood. It wouldn’t take but a few of them to push the windows out of the frames.”

Gary, along with others, looked at the windows in fear. Several others ran over to help lower the blinds. Malik ran to the door, grabbing chairs and shoving one under the handle. “This won’t hold long,” he said.

Ginger ran up and grabbed the wedge door stop off the floor and shoved it in the space between the frame and the door. Using the heel of her hand, she tried driving it in. “Let me,” a man wearing a tool belt said, moving over as he pulled out a hammer.

“Thanks, Andy,” she said, stepping back as he drove the wedge in.

“Aw, now that’s great,” Gary said, pushing through people toward the door. “Now we can’t get out.”

“I’ll let you out, but when I seal that door, you aren’t coming back in,” Ginger said, looking up at Gary. He was over a foot taller and had an easy hundred pounds on her, but she gave no indication she was even slightly concerned.

Like a true bully, Gary didn’t like that she was standing up to him. “Whatever,” he mumbled, turning around and shoving a woman in a chair before he walked to the back and sat down.

Looking around, Ginger saw Daniel sitting at their table, and she walked over and joined him. “We have a date, so what’s the plan?”

He looked over, grinning. “Yes we do,” he said. “I can get us out of here, but I think we should wait for the police.”

“Why do you want to wait?”

“Because the emergency fire door is on the other side of the building in the north stairwell, and on any given day, there are over a thousand people on this floor. We don’t know what we would have to fight through,” he said as Teresa came over and sat down.

“Guys, Glenda isn’t doing so good,” she said in a low voice. “She’s sweating like it’s over a hundred, but her body his cold and clammy.”

Pushing back from the table, Daniel looked over at Glenda, who was just staring off into space. “Oh, fuck a duck,” he mumbled and looked around the room. He noticed a few others that didn’t look well. Andy started coughing violently as he sat down in a chair.

“What the fuck is going on?” Ginger asked, seeing the other sick people.

Shaking his head, Daniel motioned Malik over. “I have no idea,” he said, looking around. “Where’s the fucking TV?”

“It broke, Daniel,” Teresa said. “They took it out yesterday and were bringing a new one today. That’s why Andy is in here.”

Malik sat down, looking at Daniel. “What’s the plan?”

“Wait for the cavalry,” Daniel said sitting up taking off his suit jacket. “We can’t move to the exits with terrorist lock-down. Even stairwells are sealed now.”

“There is the fire door in the north stairwell,” Malik said, looking over his shoulder at the employees.

“You want to wade through the floor to get there?” Daniel asked.

Leaning over on the table, Malik stared at Daniel, whispering. “You and I both know they are going to get in the break room sooner or later. This isn’t a secure room.”

“Susan,” someone called out, and everyone turned to see several people shaking Susan as she lay on tables they had pushed together. “She’s not waking up.”

Don screamed and jumped back, knocking over chairs, and everyone turned. Dozens of gasps were heard as Vince sat up. “He was dead,” Ginger mumbled. Her eyes grew wider as Vince tried to stand and reached out for Don.

“Get away from him,” Daniel said, standing, but he didn’t need to say from who because most were scrambling away. Walking around the table, Daniel noticed several people staring off with blank faces.

“Vince, I’m sorry I broke your X-box remote,” Don yelled, backing away and shoving tables and chairs aside as Vince stood up sluggishly.

As Daniel came up behind Vince, he saw Vince pass right by Glenda, who was just staring at nothing and showing zilch emotion to the scene mere feet from her. “Vince, you’ve been hurt and need to lay down,” Daniel said, coming up behind him.

When Don passed another coworker, Charlie, as he backed away, Vince shifted his gaze to Charlie. “I didn’t do anything, Vince,” Charlie screamed as Vince raised his arms, grasping the air as he stumbled forward, snapping his teeth rhythmically.

Grabbing Vince’s shoulder, Daniel pulled him hard, moving out of the way as Vince fell on his back. “Stay down, Vince; I don’t want to hurt you,” Daniel said when he felt his left forearm in pain.

Turning to his left as he heard a groan, Daniel saw Andy still sitting in the chair with his hand clasped on Daniel’s left forearm pulling his arm to Andy’s gaping mouth. Extending his right fingers and flattening his right hand, Daniel swung, striking Andy in the throat with his fingertips. He felt the cartilage break and was looking into Andy’s eyes when he hit, but Andy showed no sign he felt it, and his head only moved back a few inches.

Feeling his left hand start to go numb, Daniel looked down at Andy’s hand as it held his forearm like a vise. Bringing his knee up, Daniel caught Andy under the chin, snapping his head back. Raising his right arm up, Daniel chopped down on Andy’s forearm at the radial nerve.

Daniel felt the pain from the blow, but Andy’s grip never lessened, and Daniel could see his left hand turning blue. As Andy’s head snapped forward from the knee strike. Daniel dropped his body, leaning forward to drive his elbow into Andy’s nose. A loud crunch was heard as Andy’s nose broke, but he didn’t yell out or even acknowledge it. He just opened his mouth again, going for Daniel’s arm.