some sort of riot. My wife had gotten bit by a guy that had broken into our house the night before, and that morning, she was delirious and running an extreme fever. So I brought her here.
“I wish now that I hadn’t.
“The Emergency room was packed. There were so many people that some were sitting on the floors and in the halls. The doctors were running around like crazy, and there were already police and military here also. They took my wife to a room, but refused to allow me to go back also. I was sitting by the doors when you came in.
“At the time I didn’t know what was covering you, but now I know it was the ravenous vomit. There was plenty of blood also. A couple of hunters had drug you in, one coming himself anyways from a bite. They said they had found you unconscious in a drainage pipe not to far from here, and it appeared that you had fallen through the top of it. There was a group of dead trying to break through the grate at the pipe’s end. They killed the dead-heads, and one of them just happened to noticed you inside by chance. You had a large chunk of metal lodged into the left side of your face, which you know the result of.
“But regardless, you were stable. This was lucky for you. They checked you over right there, and then sent you up here I’m guessing so you could have the metal dislodged. Shortly after, chaos erupted in the E.R.., and a few of us barely escaped.
“Other than that, you see the result.”
“I don’t understand,” I said to him, “what exactly happened. How did all of you end up stuck up here?”
The story Alec had told me seemed to be hard for him, and my usually inquisitive mind decided that it was probably a good idea not to ask him anymore about his family. I still needed answers though, and I needed to know if he could help me get out of here. I had to find my family.
I had to get home.
“We came up here a few at a time. “ Alec continued after a few moments. “There were a few of us here already. The twins, Tim and Sam, were here visiting their mom. She had been here ever since she had gotten hit by a drunk driver while walking home from work. Wall got stationed here when the outbreak first started, and Doc worked here. Most of the others were either already in the hospital somewhere, or came here later, before the dead swarmed the place.
“So why, if I may ask, are you so intent to get out of here?”
“My family,” I answered, short, straight to the point.
Alec lowered his head and said nothing more for a few moments. When he did again, there was a conviction in his voice and a fire in his eyes I had yet ever seen in the man.
“Show me on the map where they were.”
Alec led me over to the largest desk in the room, which in turn was covered in papers. Folded up surveyors’ maps, smaller ones printed off the internet, and multiple hand-written notes. He rummaged through it all for a moment, and finally pulled out a large map of Vermillion County. The map had several marks on it; large red “x”s and smaller red dots littered the area. I looked at it for only a second, getting my bearings on directions, and placed the tip of my finger down on it, almost on top of one of the red marks.
“What does this mean?” I asked Alec. He looked and then began to speak.
“The big crosses are places that we have been to, areas we have looked for supplies, etc. The dots are other buildings, houses, shed, etc. that we have encountered dead at. Why?”
“That is a nursing home called Colonial Manor.” I explained to him, once more pointing to the large red X. “My home is right across the street from it.”
He pulled the map closer to him, studying it intently for a few moments. Finally he seemed to see what he wanted, for he nodded and straightened up. He looked at me, and reached his hand out, placing it on my shoulder.
“I can get you there.”
14.
Alec and I had collected a few of the maps up, and left the small conference room a few
“I wish now that I hadn’t.
“The Emergency room was packed. There were so many people that some were sitting on the floors and in the halls. The doctors were running around like crazy, and there were already police and military here also. They took my wife to a room, but refused to allow me to go back also. I was sitting by the doors when you came in.
“At the time I didn’t know what was covering you, but now I know it was the ravenous vomit. There was plenty of blood also. A couple of hunters had drug you in, one coming himself anyways from a bite. They said they had found you unconscious in a drainage pipe not to far from here, and it appeared that you had fallen through the top of it. There was a group of dead trying to break through the grate at the pipe’s end. They killed the dead-heads, and one of them just happened to noticed you inside by chance. You had a large chunk of metal lodged into the left side of your face, which you know the result of.
“But regardless, you were stable. This was lucky for you. They checked you over right there, and then sent you up here I’m guessing so you could have the metal dislodged. Shortly after, chaos erupted in the E.R.., and a few of us barely escaped.
“Other than that, you see the result.”
“I don’t understand,” I said to him, “what exactly happened. How did all of you end up stuck up here?”
The story Alec had told me seemed to be hard for him, and my usually inquisitive mind decided that it was probably a good idea not to ask him anymore about his family. I still needed answers though, and I needed to know if he could help me get out of here. I had to find my family.
I had to get home.
“We came up here a few at a time. “ Alec continued after a few moments. “There were a few of us here already. The twins, Tim and Sam, were here visiting their mom. She had been here ever since she had gotten hit by a drunk driver while walking home from work. Wall got stationed here when the outbreak first started, and Doc worked here. Most of the others were either already in the hospital somewhere, or came here later, before the dead swarmed the place.
“So why, if I may ask, are you so intent to get out of here?”
“My family,” I answered, short, straight to the point.
Alec lowered his head and said nothing more for a few moments. When he did again, there was a conviction in his voice and a fire in his eyes I had yet ever seen in the man.
“Show me on the map where they were.”
Alec led me over to the largest desk in the room, which in turn was covered in papers. Folded up surveyors’ maps, smaller ones printed off the internet, and multiple hand-written notes. He rummaged through it all for a moment, and finally pulled out a large map of Vermillion County. The map had several marks on it; large red “x”s and smaller red dots littered the area. I looked at it for only a second, getting my bearings on directions, and placed the tip of my finger down on it, almost on top of one of the red marks.
“What does this mean?” I asked Alec. He looked and then began to speak.
“The big crosses are places that we have been to, areas we have looked for supplies, etc. The dots are other buildings, houses, shed, etc. that we have encountered dead at. Why?”
“That is a nursing home called Colonial Manor.” I explained to him, once more pointing to the large red X. “My home is right across the street from it.”
He pulled the map closer to him, studying it intently for a few moments. Finally he seemed to see what he wanted, for he nodded and straightened up. He looked at me, and reached his hand out, placing it on my shoulder.
“I can get you there.”
14.
Alec and I had collected a few of the maps up, and left the small conference room a few
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