do! So, I took off my coat, threw it into the far corner and then ran for the cabinet you found me in. I gambled that they would follow the smell of blood rather than focus their efforts on me. I was lucky! The gamble worked.”
I didn’t know what to say. “Wow!” was all that I could come up with. “Thank god!” As I spoke, I noticed that the dryness was creeping back into my throat. I coughed.
“Are you okay?” Pam asked with a mix of both fright and genuine concern.
“Yeah,” I rasped. The smell of blood was gone. My throat was drying up again and my muscles were becoming stiff.
Oh damn! I saw the car entering the intersection but could do nothing to alter the course or velocity of the ambulance. Its not that I lacked the will to do anything, but simply the fact that my muscles were starting to become very stiff.
I gasped a raspy breath as the hard steel of the ambulance’s brush guard collided with the front end of the compact car, decimating the plastic exterior in a shower of splinters. Pam also gasped.
Slamming on the brakes, I looked in the rearview mirrors to assess the damage. I was relieved when I saw that the car was vacant. But, in an instant I realized that I had been a fool. The car was bait – intended to make me stop, as well as to attract the attention of the nearby creatures.
The ambulance’s engine sputtered to a stop. I cranked the key to no avail. As I heard a shriek outside the vehicle my heart sank. We were trapped – and, it would appear, we were also on the menu!
Chapter 10
Pam whimpered and I couldn’t blame her. Our position was, admittedly, precarious at best. We were stuck in a stalled-out ambulance in the middle of a four-way intersection surrounded by the shrieks of some damn inhuman creatures. I looked at her and could see she had been overtaken by a pall of fear. Her eyes were fixated on something she saw out the windshield. I turned my head and understood instantly!
Coming down the road ahead of us were several dozen creatures. And, they were moving fast!
I had always heard that the hallmark of insanity was when you keep doing the same thing over and over expecting there to be a different result. Well, in this case, I was insane! I kept turning the key to the ambulance’s ignition hoping beyond hope that the motor would fire to life.
Rrr-rrr-rrr-rrr…Rrr-rrr-rrr-rrr...
Nothing! And, what was worse was that the starter motor was becoming slower. The battery was draining.
Dammit! I cursed in my head. The creatures were only feet away from us now.
“C’mon,” I rasped as I beat the ignition to death. The burning in my throat was terrible, and my muscles were becoming even stiffer. The first of the creatures struck the side of the ambulance as I slapped my hand down onto the automatic lock button. As I heard something slam into the rear doors it occurred to me that I had neglected to watch the rearview mirrors. When I finally looked, I knew that our situation had just gone from worse to impossible!
However many creatures were ahead of us, there were at least double that many behind. And now I could see that they were also approaching from the left and right.
“Pam,” I rasped as gently as I could, “I’m sssssooo sorry!”
I could see a single tear wind its way down her cheek. But, she dared not look away from the heaving mass of animated flesh outside the window. Our ears were bombarded by the constant drumming of fists pounding on the ambulance’s sheet metal skin. On occasion, a solitary fist would strike glass with a much different sound – a sound that made me cringe. The glass would only hold so long and would likely be their best way into the vehicle.
It truly amazed me that these creatures didn’t have the mental faculties that I still possessed in a similar state. The simple thought processes which we as living humans take for granted were not present within these creatures. It was amazing that the simple idea of smashing in a window, or even
I didn’t know what to say. “Wow!” was all that I could come up with. “Thank god!” As I spoke, I noticed that the dryness was creeping back into my throat. I coughed.
“Are you okay?” Pam asked with a mix of both fright and genuine concern.
“Yeah,” I rasped. The smell of blood was gone. My throat was drying up again and my muscles were becoming stiff.
Oh damn! I saw the car entering the intersection but could do nothing to alter the course or velocity of the ambulance. Its not that I lacked the will to do anything, but simply the fact that my muscles were starting to become very stiff.
I gasped a raspy breath as the hard steel of the ambulance’s brush guard collided with the front end of the compact car, decimating the plastic exterior in a shower of splinters. Pam also gasped.
Slamming on the brakes, I looked in the rearview mirrors to assess the damage. I was relieved when I saw that the car was vacant. But, in an instant I realized that I had been a fool. The car was bait – intended to make me stop, as well as to attract the attention of the nearby creatures.
The ambulance’s engine sputtered to a stop. I cranked the key to no avail. As I heard a shriek outside the vehicle my heart sank. We were trapped – and, it would appear, we were also on the menu!
Chapter 10
Pam whimpered and I couldn’t blame her. Our position was, admittedly, precarious at best. We were stuck in a stalled-out ambulance in the middle of a four-way intersection surrounded by the shrieks of some damn inhuman creatures. I looked at her and could see she had been overtaken by a pall of fear. Her eyes were fixated on something she saw out the windshield. I turned my head and understood instantly!
Coming down the road ahead of us were several dozen creatures. And, they were moving fast!
I had always heard that the hallmark of insanity was when you keep doing the same thing over and over expecting there to be a different result. Well, in this case, I was insane! I kept turning the key to the ambulance’s ignition hoping beyond hope that the motor would fire to life.
Rrr-rrr-rrr-rrr…Rrr-rrr-rrr-rrr...
Nothing! And, what was worse was that the starter motor was becoming slower. The battery was draining.
Dammit! I cursed in my head. The creatures were only feet away from us now.
“C’mon,” I rasped as I beat the ignition to death. The burning in my throat was terrible, and my muscles were becoming even stiffer. The first of the creatures struck the side of the ambulance as I slapped my hand down onto the automatic lock button. As I heard something slam into the rear doors it occurred to me that I had neglected to watch the rearview mirrors. When I finally looked, I knew that our situation had just gone from worse to impossible!
However many creatures were ahead of us, there were at least double that many behind. And now I could see that they were also approaching from the left and right.
“Pam,” I rasped as gently as I could, “I’m sssssooo sorry!”
I could see a single tear wind its way down her cheek. But, she dared not look away from the heaving mass of animated flesh outside the window. Our ears were bombarded by the constant drumming of fists pounding on the ambulance’s sheet metal skin. On occasion, a solitary fist would strike glass with a much different sound – a sound that made me cringe. The glass would only hold so long and would likely be their best way into the vehicle.
It truly amazed me that these creatures didn’t have the mental faculties that I still possessed in a similar state. The simple thought processes which we as living humans take for granted were not present within these creatures. It was amazing that the simple idea of smashing in a window, or even
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