The Real Night of the Living Dead (22 page)

The cop stopped in front of the first cottage.

I hopped out, ran to the entrance, and threw open the door to see the kids were all sleeping. The attendant, Norm, had also been sleeping, his head resting on a table by the entrance, but he was awoken when I busted in.

He came over in a hurry, looking upset.
“You crazy?
What’s the meaning of slamming that door, you trying to wake these little retards up?”

I wanted to punch him right in his teeth. It was apparent the guy had no idea what was going on tonight, however insane that may sound. “How about instead of sleeping you do your damn
job
, answer the stinking phone when it rings, then I wouldn’t have to barge in here.”

His gaze noticed my horrible appearance; I was covered in dirt and blood. I had a black eye and cuts and bruises on my face from scuffles with Hank. I was a mess.

“What happened to you? You look like King Kong chewed you up and shitted you out…”

“Listen,
bub
, we’re in the middle of a patient escape,” not wanting to try and even explain to this guy what was going on, I didn’t have the time or the patience right now, “and we need this door locked shut. Don’t open it for anybody, get me? Cops are on the way.”

“Christ, how many patients escaped?”

“Plenty.
Now keep this door locked.
All right?”

His eyes studied me from head to toe. I knew from the look on his face that he understood this was serious business. “I hear
ya
. I’ll lock it right now.”

“You have the keys to the other cottages?”

“Yeah?” he said, raising his eyebrows at me.

“Hand it over.”

“Why?”

“Why?” I said, growing impatient.
“Because I’m going to lock up the rest of them.
Unless you want to risk your ass out there?”

“Jesus,” said Norm, trying to look over my shoulder at the darkness outside. “It really is bad out there, huh?”

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him to my face, saying, “Give me the damn keys, screw, before I put your nose through your hallow skull.”

He gave me the key ring.

“Now lock this door.” And I ran out, back inside the Plymouth.

Officer Antonio drove me to the two other cottages that Norm was assigned to, numbers three and five. They were both quiet. The kids were all sleeping. I locked the doors on both and moved on. We didn’t have to worry about the windows as they were covered from the inside with thick metal screens, so they could withstand some pressure if the infected showed up and tried getting through them. I just hoped the cops would show soon, because, overall, the cottages were weak. They could withstand some abuse from the creatures, but not too much, or for too long.

Heading to Cottage Six, we saw a naked infected woman dragging her stiff body around the side of the small building. Antonio slowed down enough for me to fire a shot into her head.

She didn’t see it coming.

This cottage was like the others, quiet. I locked it up and got back in the car. That’s when we began to hear sirens in the distance. Our faces lit up with joy and relief.

“Thank God,” I said.

Officer Antonio cracked a slim smile. “We’ll get this under control now.”

The Plymouth pulled to the front of number four. I hopped out, getting this down like a routine, opened the door and Bobby the attendant and five other creatures reached out and grabbed me.

Chapter Thirty-four

I
screamed,
so did they, as they pulled me toward their drooling mouths.

Pulling as hard as I could, I fell back, running backwards down the path, with the creatures holding onto me.

I fell on the hood of the Plymouth, my eyes on the creatures as they followed, intending to devour me.

The cop threw the car in Reverse as I pulled up my revolver, screaming the whole time ― I was scared as hell ―and fired a shot at one of the creatures, killing him.

Two of them lost their grip on me as the cop sped back. There were still two, including Bobby, on the hood with me, doing their best to keep their balance while trying to bite me.

Antonio spun the car around, and the three of us flew off.

I was on the ground, my face in the mud. I felt one of the creatures grab my shirt and shriek. Then I heard a gunshot, and the attacker fell dead beside me.

I rushed to my feet, saw Officer Antonio pointing his smoking revolver from inside the Plymouth,
then
turned to see Bobby, on the ground, about to grab my foot.

The cop’s gun went off again. Bobby was gone.

Then I ran in the Plymouth as the two that fell back were running toward us. Behind them came a wave of infected children, they were screaming and running out of Cottage Four.

The Plymouth drove toward Cottage Two.

I turned back in my seat, looked out the window, and saw the screaming maniacal creatures running behind us. My eyes were wide. I was shocked as I watched their glaring dead eyes moving, strutting in the dark.

Antonio said, in a panic, “I’ll stay in this next cottage. You take the car back…”

“Are you crazy?” I said, turning now to the cop. “Did you see what came out of there? It may not be safe.”

“If it is, I’m staying. I already told you, someone needs to stay and protect them.”

Stopped now in front of Cottage Two, we both ran out of the Plymouth, the engine still running, about fifteen creatures not far behind and getting closer by the second. With our guns prepared to fire, I opened the door, the cop beside me, and it was like the other cottages, peaceful and quiet, the thirty or so kids were sleeping.

The cop pushed past me, entered the cottage, turned back, saying, “Go.
Hurry!”

I stared at him for a second, hearing gunfire mixing now with the sirens in the distance, I pulled the satchel from over my shoulder, “
Here.
” He grabbed it. “Good luck.”

He nodded and that was the last time I ever saw Officer Antonio. He shut the door and began stacking stuff in front of it. I turned and ran back, hopping in the Plymouth as the creatures came running from the corner of the cottage.

Their deafening screams sent a sharp pain to my eardrums as they pounded on the trunk, while I drove out of the camp.

The Plymouth picked up speed, and the distance, between me in the car and the running creatures from the
cottage,
grew. My eyes glanced into the rearview mirror, and I could see them moving further and further away.

As I crossed the road, I stole a quick glance to my right and saw the army from the women’s group had finally arrived; they had just crossed the creek and were heading my way.

I stopped the Plymouth in front of the entrance, grabbed the other satchel of ammo, exited the car, heard the moans of the creatures approaching from the road and the screams of the ones running from the camp, and I saw a few infected patients at the entrance, the door was open and they were heading inside.

With all of this going on, I didn’t have time to be scared, only time to survive.

There were two infected standing at the open door, about to walk in.

As I ran to the entrance, they turned to me and were met with my revolver sending bullets into their skulls. I headed inside, ran down the hall, saw another creature with no arms ― they had been eaten off and all that was left was mangled pieces of flesh and tissue hanging from stumps near the torso ― walking slow in the direction of the ward.

While running, I aimed at the back of the creature’s head and killed him.

I continued running to the ward.

Then I saw a familiar figure in front of me, their back facing me. I stopped when I reached the creature and gazed. He turned to face me, Billy the Kid.

I didn’t want to shoot him. I’m not sure if he recognized me, ‘
cause
he just looked at me for a moment, like he knew. But then he grabbed my hand and showed me his teeth. I wrapped my hand around his skinny neck and pinned him against the wall as he snarled, scratching at me. I put the revolver against his forehead, turned my eyes away, and fired a shot.

He stopped fighting.

I didn’t look at him again. I couldn’t. I liked Billy. I didn’t want to see him like that.

Turning the corner now, I saw the entrance to the ward. The door was open, and my sweet Clara was standing there waiting for me. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders and wanted to cry, I was so happy. I dropped the revolver and the satchel and threw my arms around her.

And she tried to bite me.

Chapter Thirty-five

I quickly pushed her away. I looked at her, her uniform was torn near the top, and there were a few bites on her shoulder and arm which I didn’t notice at first ― I was just so anxious to be back with her. But there was something else I noticed, a bullet hole in her chest.

As she let out her haunting scream, I looked into those familiar dead yellow eyes. I screamed her name as tears ran down my face. “No! God no! Not Clara!!! Not my Clara!!!”

She ran at me again.

I pushed her away. The revolver was on the floor, but I couldn’t shoot her anyway, even if the gun was loaded and my finger on the trigger. I dropped my head and cried, my legs feeling like they wanted to give up.

She attacked again.

I grabbed her by the neck, as her jaw kept biting, trying to get a piece of me, I kissed her forehead and rubbed my cheek against hers. “I love you.”
My cry getting harder.
“I’m sorry I bailed on you, angel. Sorry…Don’t forgive this dumb kid…This dumb stupid kid…I’m sorry.”

I screamed as I pushed her away from the entrance. I stumbled in the ward and locked the door. My wet suffering eyes shot right to the nurses’ station, where I saw the professor, with the two girls, barricaded inside, staring at me.

I ran over, screaming, “What happened? How’d they get in? The door was locked, goddamn it.”

The professor said in a calm voice, with the girls on either side of him, “I shot her.”

“What?” I said, my eyes squinting.

“I shot her. And as she was gasping for air through her wounded lungs, I pushed her out of the ward.”

“Why?” I screamed, pounding on the glass, wanting to get my hands on this old man and rip him to pieces. “I trusted you!”

“My boy, I did it so she could join my wife. I wanted you to understand the pain that I am forced to live through for the rest of my life. I wanted someone to share that with. I saw the love you have for her resembles the love I have for my beautiful lost wife. Please understand
,
I didn’t want to lose Sharon. She was taken away from me. And now, you can feel the initial pain that I felt when I discovered she was lost, and you can feel the pain for the rest of your days, as I will.” He paused. “I am not crazy, Mr.
Veimer
. I am heartbroken.”

I shook my head, not wanting to accept it, my hands running through my hair as I screamed her name and cried. I screamed until my voice faded, then I stumbled to the door and stared at Clara through the small window.

She saw me and banged away, trying to get inside. I just gazed, tears running down my face, clearing any dirt in their paths.

As the minutes passed, I could hear the creatures, they had surrounded the building and were banging away, trying to get in, and the gunfire was getting closer too, but none of it mattered to me anymore.

The professor exited the nurses’ station and approached. I could feel the heat from his body standing behind me. “You must have really loved her?”

I shook my head, my eyes on Clara, saying, “Please…just kill me. Please, do me that favor.”