Chapter Two

Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, I've been caught up with the end of my school quarter and now I'm at home dying with some strange disease that I'm too lazy to go get checked out. Probably Ebola or something. So don't hold it to me if I die. Anyways, here's the chapter. Hope you guys like it, it's a little bit shorter than the first one, but it's fairly fast paced. Also, I will hopefully have a cool book cover to show you guys soon as well. I won't share secrets however so you will have to use your imagination.

Chapter 2 - University Hospital

​Although the drive to the hospital was literally up the hill, It took forever to get through the blockades now being put in place by more reserves. As we moved up around the bend I looked at the Children's Hospital that was just finishing evacuations. Although the hospital we had held a small amount of people, it by far held the ones in the most critical and sensitive condition, one mistake could result in one or more fatalities. We already planned to kill the special infected, we could not risk any more lives. I heard the sound of a helicopter, I looked out the truck window to see two medical Chinooks fly north overhead.

I pulled out my cell phone and hit the speed dial 1. It showed ‘ERICA’ in big blue letters appear as the phone started to call. I put the phone to my ear.

​ “Jim? Is that you?” I hear on the line.
​ “Yeah, Yeah Erica, are you ok?” I asked worriedly. There's a pause for a moment and few sniffles.

​“Yeah, I think so. They are evacuating us down here, what’s going on?” I paused for a moment thinking on how to answer it.

​ “I can’t tell you much but it has to do with this virus, it’s not as harmless as we thought. Erica it changes people, go with the soldiers, they know what they're doing, I will find you the moment I can.” I listened for a response. “Erica?”

​“Yeah, Jim, ok. Please stay safe, I don’t know what I would do without you.” There was silence for a few seconds. “I love you.” She said through tears.

​ “Yeah, I love you too.” She hung up and I put away the phone, Maxwell looked over at me, trying to think of something to say. He nodded and smiled slightly.

We finished the pull around the hill and came into the wrap around drop off point in front of the main doors. I pulled open the truck's door and jumped down onto the pavement, the hospitals large revolving doors turned slowly as doctors rushed here and there. Patients who could walk were being rushed on to the Army transport vehicles. They called them “transport vehicles” but they were actually just old school buses that were fitted with medical supplies.

I spotted Mitchell head into the hospital and I moved to follow him, he would start to lead the evacuation from the top floor, while I got to the helipad and salvaged more medical gear from the remaining life flight. I stepped into the large revolving door and was met with the strong smell of coffee, doctors rushed past pushing beds and wheelchairs and I spotted a Ranger on a radio in the cafe. I turned down the hall towards the elevators and saw Mitchell enter the last elevator. I double checked the sign on the wall to see where the life flights came in before then calling my own elevator and heading up. I listened to the soft elevator music playing from some prerecorded tape housed elsewhere in the building.

The elevator reached my floor and I walked out onto the floor, I noticed another Ranger checking cameras at a desk, most likely checking on the SI in the quarantine area. I found another map and started on my way to the life flight dock. I noticed for some reason there were less patients and doctors on this floor, and a considerably more amount of Rangers, I figured the floor had already been mostly evacuated and kept going, I headed down the final hall when another Ranger with an identical mp5 like the one Jennings had earlier said

"Stop, this is a restricted zone. I can't let you pass." I stopped in front of the ranger and checked his rank on his shoulder and the name on his upper chest.

"Corporal Price, I order you to stand aside so I can reach the helicopter pad down this hall. I have orders from Commander Wallace to evacuate all uninfected patients, I cannot carry this out unless I have supplies on that helicopter." He stood there silently, his hands adjusting his gun.

"And I have orders not to let anyone past here without permission from my crew Captain Jennings. This is the start of the US Army 110th Ranger Quarantine Zone. No unauthorized people should pass this point." He sounded rehearsed but still slightly nervous like he didn't approve of what was going to be done to the patients. I sighed and said

"Look, I don't think they should do this either, but if I can't get through here MORE people will die." I made sure to emphasize the more so he understood that I knew his orders. He stood nervously for a moment, I had gotten to him. He was about to reply when a scream was heard down the hall, followed by the quick pops of a suppressed machine gun and the clattering of shells on the tile. The ranger quickly turned around in time to see another ranger stumble out of a patient's room, holding a bleeding arm with his other hand.

"Kill it!" He yells to the Ranger still staring stupidly in front of me. At that moment a bloody patient stumbles out from the room. The ranger shoots it down as the injured ranger is surrounded by two medical soldiers. I watch in horror as the patient starts to get up and walk towards the Ranger who just shot it and was now walking towards me, no one saw it due to their occupation with the already injured soldier.

"Watch Out!" I yelled. The ranger turned around as the patient bit down on the soldier's shoulder. He cried in pain and I pulled my revolver again. I aimed for the patient trying to get a good shot, I was taught to go for the larger target, the chest, but tried my luck with a headshot as it was the only thing visible. I took aim and fired. I got lucky and hit the patient in the top of the skull. It fell back as another medic rushes over to help the other ranger. I took the chance to rush down the hall and through the door outside.

I rushed towards the helicopter and threw open the side door. I searched for a bit until finding what I needed. I threw them into the empty supply bag slung over my shoulder and was about to leave when I decided to see if I could find anything else usefull. I quickly searched more bags and grabbed a basic first aid kit, a small roll up case of antibiotics, a few syringe packs and 2 small bottles of insulin. I put them in my bag as well, re-threw it over my shoulder and quickly ran back towards the doors. I was about to reach them when they opened on their own, the same ranger who had been bit by the patient before leaving the room stumbled towards me. Blood poured down his chin and the bloody bandages the medics put around his arm were falling off. I reached for my revolver but to my horror found it wasn't in the holster, I quickly drew my second side arm on my vest and shot the soldier twice in the chest. He fell back a second but kept coming. Surprised I shot him two more times, this time more accurately at his heart. He moaned angrily and continued to stumble towards me. I was being backed up towards the edge and was about to give up and try to run past him when I remembered the patient. I took a chance, aimed a little higher and squeezed the trigger of my small 9mm beretta. The soldier fell back as the bullet drilled through his brain.

I caught my breath and tentatively examined the now twice dead soldier. I then grabbed his side arm, (another 9mm) a couple of his magazines and the half empty silenced mp5 still slung around his shoulders from when he was attacked. I slung it around my shoulder and took my M4 off my back, I grabbed my radio,

"We have a soldier down on the helicopter pad, supplies have been gathered but we had someone turn in the quarantine zone. We need to hustle up with the evacuation before this gets out of hand." I listened for a second waiting for a reply. "Does anyone copy?" again silence. I looked at my radio and realized it was out of batteries and not even on.  I grabbed the radio on the dead ranger and plugged it into my headset, I changed the channel to my squads and was immediately met with chatter filled with worried yell, screams and more gunshots.

"Captain Anderson, come in. Are you even there?" more chatter followed as I struggled to sync the wireless headset. I gave up and just pressed the talk button

"Yeah I'm here, my walkie died. What’s going on? Who is this by the way?” I rushed in my speech as I headed back towards the doors.

“Lt. Gordon, look Mason’s dead, it seems the patients turned before the Rangers could put them down, it’s hell in here. Where have you been?” I made my way back down the hall, 2 patients and another ranger were tearing apart one of the doctors. I shot each one in the head and continued running towards the stairs.

“Yeah, I know I saw it happen, I was getting supplies for Mitchell on the helipad, it seems like most of the Rangers are dead, I was able to get one of their walkies.” I listened for a reply as I headed downstairs towards the entrance. One of the reserves in my group was walking up the stairs, I waved to him happy to see another of my own. But then I saw the gash on his leg. I fired another round into his head.

“We need you down here pronto, these things spread like a wildfire. I’m missing half of the reserves and none of our shots are doing anything.” I burst through the doors back onto the main floor. A few reserves were shooting more infected, I saw a doctor and one of the patients in better condition with soldiers sidearms.

“AIM FOR THE HEAD!” I yelled to them. I picked up the walkie again and said, “Look headshots are the only thing that work, I don’t know why.” The patient shot one of the infected in the head like I said. it fell to the ground.

“Alright, I understand. Where are you?” I shot another infected and one of the reserves ran out to grab more ammunition from one of the dead soldiers.

“Main lobby I think, I’m not sure I came through the stairs. Where’s Mitchell?” I ran towards the small group that was not scavenging off the dead soldiers. The living patient and the doctor grabbed their M4s. Another reserve grabbed one of his magazines and his combat knife. I turned to the group and said, “Hey look guys, we need to get out of here. Can you get to the entrance? There should still be buses. This place isn’t safe, even for the military.” Another voice came on the radio,

“I’m here with Gordon, do you have the supplies?” We started to run down the halls back towards the sound of more gunshots and the smell of the cafe.

“Yeah, I’ve got them in my pack, though I don’t think we need them anymore.” I was about to take off the pack when he replied,

“No, keep them. We may need them later, who knows what’s going to happen after this.” I nodded to no one in particular and continued running past the cafe with the group. I yelled,

“Aim for the head!” again to the group of soldiers and civilians still in the lobby trying to hold off infected. I reloaded my M4 and ran to the group that had not taken out a few more of the infected.

“What are these things?” One of the doctors asked.

“Zombies obviously.” Said one of the patients. I shook my head.

“Look I can’t tell you much, mostly because I don’t know. Is anyone bit?” They all shook their heads. “Alright, listen we need to get out of here, does everyone have a gun?” They all nodded.

“Alright captain, we need to get out of here, grab who you can and meet us out front, we’re already in the trucks. Maxwells already left.” I motioned for the group to head outside as more infected started coming around the bend of the hallway.

“Alright copy, we should be there in a sec.” I headed towards the door, I looked behind to see an infected with no legs crawling across the floor. What has this world come to I thought. I ran outside to see the group piling onto one of the transport trucks. I hear a crash as more infected break through windows on the ground floor and even higher up. I watched as one of them jumped from the 5th floor, falling with a splat on the ground. A sickening crack could be heard. I jump onto the truck, pulling closed the door as the driver pulls off. I sit down in the chair and catch my breath, I watch out the window as more infected pour out of the hospital, a reserve runs out and is then tackled by one of the infected.

“We have to go back and help them!” One of the reserves said, breaking the silence. I shook my head.

“No, It would be suicide. We can’t risk any more deaths, we will head to the refugee zone as planned. From there, orders may change. But unless we hear otherwise, we will be going to the planned rendezvous point.” Gordon nodded,

“I agree with Captain Anderson, going back would be pointless, we would most likely end up losing even more life’s.” I nodded in agreement to his point and made sure that my guns were all reloaded. I got to the revolver and realized again that it must have fallen out in the helicopter. I frowned to myself and thought that maybe when this was over I’d be able to go get it back.