biohazard suits all of the
time.
The empty rooms passed out of his vision on
either side as he marched. He stopped when he got to the little
girl's room. He didn't even know her name. Turning his head, he
looked inside. He didn't want to but he couldn't help himself. She
was curled up on the floor but seemed to sense him. Looking up, he
could see the hunger in her eyes. She was still unmarked, though
there was dried blood around her mouth. Stemmy's blood. They stared
at each other for a few moments, the living and the undead. She
didn't move but he could see the minute wriggling of her nose. She
was sniffing the air, looking for him. She knew he was there but
she couldn't smell him and it confused her.
At that moment, he could no longer think of
her as a little girl. He felt no pity for this poor child whose
abominable fate had been sealed by some unknown plague. This
creature had bitten and infected his good friend. What would happen
now?
Heron moved on.
Stemmy was in the bed, his injured leg
wrapped up and elevated, an IV tube leading from his left arm to a
bag on a stand. The bag was filled with a yellowish liquid. On the
other side was a monitor with wires that snaked down and
disappeared beneath his gown. Stemmy looked up, also sensing
Heron's presence. He looked okay.
"Anthony."
He sounded like crap.
"How're you feeling?" Heron asked before he
could stop himself.
With some effort, Stemmy raised himself to a
sitting position. He was still groggy from the anesthesia. "Yeah,
I'm okay. Leg hurts like hell."
Heron nodded, not knowing what to say.
"They've got someone next door. I heard
movement, scratching. Is it… her ?"
Heron nodded again.
Stemmy shook his head. "I don't remember
much. The last thing I remember is shooting that woman in the head.
But I have flashes of the pictures all around the apartment and I
know the girl bit me."
Heron said nothing.
Stemmy got out of bed and hobbled forward. He
forgot the IV stand and had to go back for it when the tube tugged
on the needle in his arm. When the same thing happened with the
monitor he yanked it forward by the wires in frustration. He came
right up to the glass and pressed his face against it, craning to
see into the next room. But, of course, he had no view of the
zombie inside.
"That's what's going to happen to me, isn't
it?" he asked.
Heron said nothing.
Stemmy nodded to himself. Then he looked up
at Heron. There was a lot to say and he wanted to say it all. But
none of it came. "You don't let that happen, hear?"
Heron said nothing.
Stemmy nodded again, this time to his
partner.
They stood silently for a while. Finally,
Stemmy asked, "Did anyone call Eileen?"
"I don't think so."
"It's getting late. Have you got your phone
on you? They took mine."
Heron reached into his pocket and pulled out
the cell. Surprisingly, he had a decent signal. He guessed they'd
installed relays into the superstructure. Pulling out the drawer,
he dropped the phone inside and then pushed it through. Stemmy
retrieved it on his end and then started back for the bed.
"I'll give you some privacy," Heron said.
"Thanks."
Heron hesitated a moment. Then he turned and
went back out the way he'd come. This time he did not look at the
little girl.
***
EILEEN sounded frantic when she
answered the phone despite the fact that it wasn't really that
late; he'd missed dinner. Stemmy had maneuvered himself back over
to the bed so he could rest comfortably while speaking with her. He
didn't want her to hear the pain. He didn't want her to hear the
fear.
"Eileen," he said.
"Oh, my God. It's you. When I saw Anthony's
number I didn't know what to think."
He winced. "Look," he said and could sense
her relief was washing away. "I'm not going to be able to come home
tonight." Before she could ask, he began to explain. "Anthony and I
tracked down the identity of
time.
The empty rooms passed out of his vision on
either side as he marched. He stopped when he got to the little
girl's room. He didn't even know her name. Turning his head, he
looked inside. He didn't want to but he couldn't help himself. She
was curled up on the floor but seemed to sense him. Looking up, he
could see the hunger in her eyes. She was still unmarked, though
there was dried blood around her mouth. Stemmy's blood. They stared
at each other for a few moments, the living and the undead. She
didn't move but he could see the minute wriggling of her nose. She
was sniffing the air, looking for him. She knew he was there but
she couldn't smell him and it confused her.
At that moment, he could no longer think of
her as a little girl. He felt no pity for this poor child whose
abominable fate had been sealed by some unknown plague. This
creature had bitten and infected his good friend. What would happen
now?
Heron moved on.
Stemmy was in the bed, his injured leg
wrapped up and elevated, an IV tube leading from his left arm to a
bag on a stand. The bag was filled with a yellowish liquid. On the
other side was a monitor with wires that snaked down and
disappeared beneath his gown. Stemmy looked up, also sensing
Heron's presence. He looked okay.
"Anthony."
He sounded like crap.
"How're you feeling?" Heron asked before he
could stop himself.
With some effort, Stemmy raised himself to a
sitting position. He was still groggy from the anesthesia. "Yeah,
I'm okay. Leg hurts like hell."
Heron nodded, not knowing what to say.
"They've got someone next door. I heard
movement, scratching. Is it… her ?"
Heron nodded again.
Stemmy shook his head. "I don't remember
much. The last thing I remember is shooting that woman in the head.
But I have flashes of the pictures all around the apartment and I
know the girl bit me."
Heron said nothing.
Stemmy got out of bed and hobbled forward. He
forgot the IV stand and had to go back for it when the tube tugged
on the needle in his arm. When the same thing happened with the
monitor he yanked it forward by the wires in frustration. He came
right up to the glass and pressed his face against it, craning to
see into the next room. But, of course, he had no view of the
zombie inside.
"That's what's going to happen to me, isn't
it?" he asked.
Heron said nothing.
Stemmy nodded to himself. Then he looked up
at Heron. There was a lot to say and he wanted to say it all. But
none of it came. "You don't let that happen, hear?"
Heron said nothing.
Stemmy nodded again, this time to his
partner.
They stood silently for a while. Finally,
Stemmy asked, "Did anyone call Eileen?"
"I don't think so."
"It's getting late. Have you got your phone
on you? They took mine."
Heron reached into his pocket and pulled out
the cell. Surprisingly, he had a decent signal. He guessed they'd
installed relays into the superstructure. Pulling out the drawer,
he dropped the phone inside and then pushed it through. Stemmy
retrieved it on his end and then started back for the bed.
"I'll give you some privacy," Heron said.
"Thanks."
Heron hesitated a moment. Then he turned and
went back out the way he'd come. This time he did not look at the
little girl.
***
EILEEN sounded frantic when she
answered the phone despite the fact that it wasn't really that
late; he'd missed dinner. Stemmy had maneuvered himself back over
to the bed so he could rest comfortably while speaking with her. He
didn't want her to hear the pain. He didn't want her to hear the
fear.
"Eileen," he said.
"Oh, my God. It's you. When I saw Anthony's
number I didn't know what to think."
He winced. "Look," he said and could sense
her relief was washing away. "I'm not going to be able to come home
tonight." Before she could ask, he began to explain. "Anthony and I
tracked down the identity of
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