Shattered World (Broken World Book 2) (21 page)

His flashlight lands on the source of the smell just as I jog up, but it isn’t a zombie. It’s the leftovers from a zombie’s meal. The remains of what was once a living, breathing human lie in a rotting, bloody mess on the floor of the back room. There are flies everywhere. They fly in circles and land on the mess, crawling around before taking off again.

My stomach churns, and bile rises in my throat, making me gag. I turn away, coughing. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Go ahead if you gotta,” Axl says.

I bend over and breathe slowly through my mouth, trying to fight off the nausea. I can hear him shuffling around behind me. What’s he doing back there? I want to help him, but my face is still hot and my head’s swimming.

Angus walks up and shines the flashlight on the remains. I try not to look, but I can’t help glancing over. What is it about the blood and gore that’s so impossible to resist? Like passing an accident on the highway.

“Bastards ate his face off,” Angus says.

That does it for me. My stomach lurches and my throat spasms, and there’s no holding it back. I heave, and everything I’ve eaten today comes up in a foul-tasting pile of vomit. Axl comes over and pulls my hair out of my face. He pats my back as I retch and heave.

When I’m finally done, I stand up and wipe my mouth. Now the back room smells even more wonderful. Death with a hint of vomit.

“You okay?” Axl asks.

I nod and try to avoid looking at the body. Or at Axl. I feel stupid. All the crap we’ve seen and all the zombies I’ve killed, and this is what gets me. A bloody mess that doesn’t even resemble a human anymore. But that’s probably what it was more than anything. The knowledge that it was once human and the torture it must have gone through when it died.

“You check out the rest of the place?” Axl asks Angus. He’s still rubbing my back. It’s so nice and gentle that even in this smelly store, which is suffocatingly hot—on top of stinking—the gesture turns my insides to Jell-O.

“It’s clear.” Angus looks down at the carnage on the floor. “Looks like they got this bastard and wandered out.”

“Let’s go rest for a bit then,” Axl says as he pulls me toward the front of the store. “Get somethin’ to eat. It’s gotta be close to lunchtime by now.”

I can’t imagine eating. Not after throwing up all over the floor and not with the image of that body in my head. But as soon as Axl forces me to sit—in a wheelchair, of all things—and hands me a granola bar, my stomach growls. I scarf it down and move onto a second one, downing a bottle of water after that. My mouth tastes a hell of a lot better now, and my stomach isn’t quite as uneasy. Of course, it doesn’t smell as bad in the store as it did in the back room, which could be a good reason for it.

Victor refuses to eat and instead walks around the room, gathering anything he thinks might be useful. He has a pile of stuff on the floor, and it’s getting bigger by the second. It doesn’t look like there’s much of the essential stuff, though.

“Someone’s been in here too,” Hadley says.

She plops down on the floor at my feet and digs some food out of her pack. I feel dumb, watching her sit on the floor from my wheelchair. I climb out and sit next to her. The floor is hard but better than the chair.

“Is he actually finding anything useful?”

“Some, but not the most important things. Chances are the hospital has been cleaned out too.” She seems a lot more relaxed now, but I don’t know if it’s because we’re in a building that’s clear of zombies or because she’s somehow adjusted to the idea that we may die. Probably the first one. I don’t know if it’s possible to ever adjust to the realization that you could at any time face a horrible death by being eaten alive.

Axl sits next to me and I lean my head against his shoulder. The memory of being in bed with him last night sends a shiver down my spine. He pulls me closer as if he knows what I’m thinking. He very well could. He seems to always be able to read my mind.

“You feelin’ better?” he asks.

His lips are close to my ear. They brush against my skin, making me tingle inside and out. I bite my lip and nod. I should have told him I loved him before we left. Now doesn’t seem like the right time or place. Hadley is next to us, and Angus stands just a few feet away, looking out the front window at the zombies walking around outside. A little privacy would be better.

I get to my feet and grab Axl’s hand, pulling him up behind me. He raises his eyebrows questioningly but doesn’t resist when I lead him through the store. Away from the others.

Once we’re alone, I can’t get the words out. A lump the size of a baseball forms in my throat, and my stomach does a flip-flop every time I try to open my mouth. Maybe waiting is better. Like it will give me an incentive to get back to the shelter alive. Now, here in the middle of the medical supply warehouse with zombies surrounding us, it just feels wrong.             

Axl tilts his head, and he narrows his eyes. “You alright?”

I shake my head and swallow. Yeah. Waiting is the right thing to do. “I’m okay.”

He nods and pulls me against him. Tears come to my eyes and my throat tightens, and I hate how it all feels because it’s so ominous. Like the end is just around the corner. And I don’t want that. Not now that I’ve found someone to love and something to live for.

Axl’s mouth finds mine, and I savor every second of his kiss. The end for us could very well be near, but right now we’re together.

23

“YOU TWO DONE SCREWIN’ so we can head out?” Angus calls from across the room.

I break away from the kids and give him the finger, but he just chuckles. Angus’s mood swings are all over the place when it comes to Axl and me. Gives me whiplash. Although, he seems less concerned about it now that he’s getting some himself. It would be nice if it stays that way, although Darla’s track record doesn’t give me a whole lot of hope.

We head back to the group, and Axl looks down at the supplies. “We get much?”

“It was pretty cleaned out before we got here.” Victor gives Axl an apologetic look.

He already has everything packed up in a box and ready. He seems almost excited at the prospect of going to the hospital. Not scared like Hadley or dreading it like the rest of us. Doesn’t seem right.

We head to the back, and I gag as soon as we step into the storage room. The smell is even more repulsive than I remember. I follow Axl to the door and do my best not to think about the body back there or the mess I left behind. It’s impossible, though.

“Guns or knives?” Hadley shakes so hard I doubt she’ll be very accurate with a gun, but it may make her feel better if she doesn’t have to get close to them.

“Whatever you need,” Axl says. His expression is tense, and he glances over at me.

“It’ll be okay.” I do my best to sound reassuring. The last thing I want is to have him distracted out there because he’s worried about me.

“Let’s stop talking ‘bout it and just get it done,” Angus growls. He walks to the door and only gives us one quick look before shoving it open.

The bright light almost blinds me, and I have to squint so I can see. There are zombies everywhere. Angus fires off two shots before he’s even taken a step out. He motions for Axl to go out ahead of him, and I go next, followed by Hadley. She’s almost on top of me, and her body is so stiff I’m afraid for a moment she’s frozen from terror. But she finally shoots her gun. It takes her three shots to hit one in the head, her aim is so bad. Better than nothing, though.

Victor comes out behind us. He carries the box of supplies, so he doesn’t have a free hand for the weapons. He seems unconcerned about it, though. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s suicidal, or because he’s wedged in between Angus and me.  It’s hard to say, but he’s in good shape. Angus is a good shot and so am I, and we won’t let the zombies get him. Whether he wants them to or not.

The car’s only six feet from the door, but the zombies are on top of us every step of the way. I take out four before I’ve even gone a foot, and more come up behind them. Every nerve in my body is screaming at me to check on Axl. He’s leading us toward the car and is the most vulnerable, and with the horde closing in on us, I can’t get a good look at him. But I can’t afford to get distracted. One false move and I’m zombie chow. Something that looks even less pleasant than it sounds.

A rank, saggy man in nothing but a filthy pair of tighty whities charges me. I sink my blade into his skull, and I’m just puling it out when a scuffling sound comes from the front of the group. Axl curses, and I glance his way just in time to see his head disappear. Less than a second later Angus shoots off a stream of vulgarity more colorful than a rainbow. My heart goes into overdrive. I can’t see Axl!

Angus rushes forward, leaving Victor vulnerable. More zombies charge, and I slam my blade into the head of a decaying woman so hard that it vibrates down my arm. Angus disappears into the mass of bodies like he’s been swallowed up by a wave. He’s going after Axl, and my insides scream to help him. But Victor stands in front of me like a sacrificial lamb, ready for the slaughter. We need that crazy man, and I can’t think of myself first. No matter how much my body aches inside.

I shove Victor toward Hadley with one hand while swiping at a body with the other. My blade slices open the neck of a nearby zombie, and black goo sprays everywhere.

“Get Victor to the car!” I scream.

The zombie I nicked moves closer. I keep him in my line of sight while searching for Angus. There’s a scuffle up there, but I can barely see the top of his head.

Hadley grabs Victor and pulls him forward. I put my foot in the center of the zombie’s chest and kick him backward as hard as I can. He falls, taking a few others with him, and I dash forward. Searching for Axl.

My heart almost explodes at the sight of him lying on the ground. I don’t even have enough time to figure out what’s happening. All I know is he’s down and there are zombies everywhere. Angus is fighting them off, but he’s running out of time. He needs my help.

I look up in time to see Hadley pull Victor into the car. Good, that’s one worry off my mind.

Axl kicks at a zombie in front of him while grabbing for his gun. He must have dropped it when he fell, and it’s just out of reach. Why doesn’t he use his knife? I frantically look around, but his hands are empty. Then I spot the knife lodged in the head of a zombie at his feet.

Angus is fighting them back, but a zombie is almost on top of Axl when I raise my gun and shoot it in the head. The bastard goes down, and it gives Axl enough time to grab his own gun and pull his knife free. He scrambles to his feet, and Angus attacks the zombies around his brother with his machete. He chops through their skulls like a pro.

Once Axl’s up, I grab his hand and pull him toward the Nissan. I can hear the heavy breathing of Angus behind me. We’re at the driver’s side, but I climb in first anyway and crawl over the center console to get to my seat. Axl and Angus shut the car doors before I’ve even had a chance to catch my breath.

The zombies outside converge on the car, attacking us from all sides, and I have a sudden flashback to Axl and me trapped in the Explore outside the Paris casino. It makes me want to cover my ears and scream. This was too close.

I’m panting when I look Axl over. He’s dirty and sweaty and covered in black gunk. But he looks alright. “Are you okay? Tell me you’re okay!”

Axl nods and wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. All he manages to do is smear the dirt and black spots across his face.

“What happened?” Angus asks from the back seat.

“Bastard was on the ground. Didn’t see him. Grabbed my leg and pulled me down.” Axl starts the car and gives me a tense smile as he puts it in gear.

“No scratches? No bites?” I ask with a shaky voice. The pounding on the windows is making me crazy but not as much as not knowing if he’s been bitten.

He puts the car in gear and hits the gas, plowing through the dead piled around us. “Nothing.”             

***

We’re three blocks away when the hospital comes into view. We knew it would be overrun, but knowing and seeing are two different things. The knowledge in no way prepares me for the sight. Hundreds of zombies surround the hospital. So many that it reminds me of the crowds at a fair or carnival. Not nearly as festive, though. It isn’t quite as overwhelming as the Strip was, but it’s close.

The zombies start to follow the car when we’re still a block away, banging on the sides and throwing themselves in front of us. I bounce up and down in my seat as we roll over body after body, their bones crunching under the wheels as we go.

“This is going to be impossible,” I say.

“Where do I go?” Axl asks.

Victor sits forward, suddenly more animated than I’ve ever seen him. “Go to the opposite side of the ER. It’s the first place to get overrun when an emergency hits. I would look for a smaller entrance, maybe a place where the employees go in after regular business hours.”

Axl nods and heads away from the ER, and I study Victor. He looks almost happy. Maybe this is what he needed to pull himself out of his depression. To feel useful and have something to distract him. Sitting in that condo thinking about his dead wife couldn’t have been good.

Except he had his wife tied to a chair in the other room. No, that can’t be it. A stable person doesn’t do something like that. I need to keep my eye on him.

“‘Employee Parking,’” I say, reading the sign out loud as we drive by.

“I see it,” Axl says through clenched teeth.

He’s driving slowly, plowing over the undead. I look behind us at the carnage we’ve left in our wake. Some of the bodies are trying to get back up on broken legs, pulling themselves after us with their arms. Dragging their damaged bodies behind them. It makes me shudder, and I have to turn away.

“I’m gonna go ‘round once and check it out,” Axl says.

He slows as we drive through the parking lot designated for employee parking. There are fewer zombies back this way, but more trail behind us. There’s a door just off the parking lot that’s slightly ajar. It seems like the perfect place to enter. Except that we have no idea what it’s like inside.

“We’re attracting them as we drive,” Hadley says. She almost sounds hysterical. “How are we ever going to get in there alive?”

Axl accelerates and takes off toward the other side of the parking lot. The undead run after us. “I’m gonna draw them over this way, then haul ass back. We’ll have to make a run for it.”

His voice is tense as he pulls the Nissan to a stop and honks the horn over and over again. As tense as I feel. Every muscle in my body is on edge as I grab the reusable bags I took from CVS and double check my weapons. Gun full, extra clip in my back pocket, two knives attached to my belt, and my flashlight. Doesn’t seem like enough when I think about what we’re about to face.

The zombies rush at us. It’s a terrifying sight. The dead lumbering across the parking lot, dressed in hospital gowns that blow in the wind. Wearing scrubs and coats that used to be white but are now covered in dried blood and black goo.

They surround us, and my heart races as panic closes in on me. All I can think about is being trapped in that car with Axl and how close we came to death.

“What if we can’t get out?” I yell over the banging and screaming.

“Go!” Hadley shouts. Her eyes are wide, and her face is as white as a ghost.

“We’ll be okay,” Axl says.

He puts the car in gear and moves forward just a bit. The dead scream, and a few in front of us fall to the ground.

“Hang on,” Axl says as he slams his foot down on the gas pedal.

My hands are full, so instead of grabbing the door or the seat, I grip my gun and flashlight. It doesn’t keep me from lurching forward as the car takes off. Axl moves through the mass of bodies easily, then accelerates toward our target. We’re almost in the clear. They’re behind us and they’re running, but the area around the employee entrance only has a few milling around.

Axl slams on the brakes, and I fly forward as we come to a screeching halt outside the door. “Run!” he yells before the car is even in park.

I shove the door open and jump out, praying the area inside the door is clear. No zombies are even close to us, so getting inside is a piece of cake. But I’m gasping for air when I stumble through the doorway and am thrust into total darkness. The rank odor of death is overwhelming, and my feet bump into something solid. I lurch forward, almost falling, but manage to regain my footing. My hands shake as I flip my flashlight on. The beam illuminates the rotting face of what used to be a zombie. That must have been what I tripped over. Hopefully, he’s the only one.

I’m searching the darkness when the others rush in behind me. The door slams shut, and one by one their flashlights flip on. The only sound is our heavy breathing and the moans from the other side of the door. But they’re faint. Muffled by the metal separating us.

I pan my flashlight around so I can reassure myself everyone made it. Angus swears, and Axl lurches back when I shine it in his eyes. Hadley is busy checking every dark corner for the dead, and Victor just stands there. We didn’t lose anyone. That’s something.

We’re in a hall of some kind, and our heavy breathing echoes through the empty corridor. There’s a wall to our left and a door about twenty feet away on our right. Other than the body at my feet, the hall is empty.

Now for the deadly part.

“Everybody ready?” I say, trying to sound confident.

No one says no, so I take that as a yes and head toward the door.

“Everybody stay together,” Axl whispers. “And remember. Knives. Don’t wanna draw attention to ourselves.”

I stop in front of the door and take a deep breath, but my hand still shakes when I reach for the doorknob. “Here goes.”

Slowly, I turn the knob and ease the door open. The place is oddly silent, and when I shine the flashlight out into the hospital, no zombies are in sight. The stench of human decay is even stronger than it was in the hallway, though. It chokes me.

I don’t move while I check out the area. After a few seconds of straining my ears, I make out the sound of moans off in the distance. Dozens and dozens of bodies moaning perfectly in synch. It sends a shudder through me.

After determining the coast is clear, I step into the hospital and the others are right behind me. None of us talk. With the door to our backs, we silently spread out in a semicircle. I pan the flashlight around. We’re in a hallway just outside the cafeteria. There’s a gift shop to my right and a florist next to it full of dead and wilted flowers. In the distance, I spot an information desk. That must be where the main entrance to the hospital is.