Twenty One

Angie stared at the corpses behind the door. The room would be full of them in seconds once they opened the door.

"Everyone sure they're ready?" she said. "We'll have to move quick."

"Yep," said Park, holding his rifle.

Kristen said nothing, but held her rifle as well. Mr. Paulson was quiet for the moment, hand on the wheelchair controller.

Angie looked back at Park. "You think this will work?"

Park shrugged. "Hope so."

Angie turned back to the door. "Yeah. Me too."

The corpses bit at the glass.

"Okay," she said. "Let's go."

Angie splashed the door with rubbing alcohol and lit it. Flame shot across the glass for a few seconds, then sputtered out. The glass was blackened and the corpses behind it had backed up several feet. Angie unlocked the door quickly and opened it.

The corpses groaned and came for them.

"Everyone back up!" yelled Angie. They all stepped backward, further into the room.

Corpses filed in, groaning and biting at them. The group stayed clear, backing up as more corpses entered the room.

"This won't work," said Kristen. "Oh god. This isn't going to work."

"Shut the fuck up," said Park.

"Circle back!" said Angie.

The group turned, backing up to their left now. More corpses came in. There were at least twenty in the room now. They reached for the group as they came in, but were blocked by the nurse's desk. Angie and Park had pushed the nurse's desk so that it ran outward from the door frame, corralling the corpses straight into the room. A few more came through, then no more.

"That must be it for the immediate hallway," said Angie. "Everyone keep backing up!"

The group backed toward the wall now. The desk was at their left. Some of the corpses stumbled around the desk and moved toward them.

"I think now would be a good time," said Park.

"Yeah," said Angie. She climbed up onto the desk and stood. Taking the open jug of alcohol, she dumped a large amount on the floor just by the door. A few corpses, the last to enter the room, reached for her but missed.

Angie set the jug down and knelt on the desk. Leaning forward with the lighter, she lit the puddle she had made.

Flame wooshed up at her and into the room. She pulled back, nearly singed. The corpses moaned and backed further away from the door, deeper into the room.

"Now!" yelled Angie, jumping from the desk and back to the others. She and Park pushed the desk to the other side of the door, right over the already-sputtering flame. The corpses were still backing away, moaning and wincing at the fire.

"Hurry!" said Angie. Kristen and Mr. Paulson rushed out the door and into the hallway. Angie and Park moved to the far side of the desk and pushed it against the door, blocking it. They both climbed over the desk and out the door.

Angie shut the door, looking at the corpses filling the nurse's station. Freeda's body was still in there, but she pushed the thought down. There was no helping that.

"Too bad these don't lock from the outside," said Angie.

"The desk should slow them down pretty good," said Park, turning to look down the hallway.

"Yeah," Angie nodded.

A moan came from further down the hall. The rest of the group turned to look. A corpse, a man with a missing ear and arm, was stumbling toward them.

"Hey fuckface," said Park. "You missed the party in the room back there."

Park leveled the rifle at the corpse and fired. The corpse's head snapped back and it dropped to the floor.

"Not bad," said Angie.

"Yeah," said Park. "If only deer would walk as slow as these things."

"And if only you two talked as little as they do," said Mr. Paulson. "Are we going or what?"

"This way," said Angie, walking down the hallway. "Follow me."

They moved quickly and quietly down the hall. Angie's back strained under the weight of the alcohol jugs tied to her waist. The whir of Mr. Paulson's wheelchair was the only sound.

Each of the patient rooms they passed was empty. Blood and hunks of meat were scattered across the beds, across floors and across the walls. But nothing moving. Nothing biting.

"So far, so good," Angie muttered.

They passed a room and Angie glanced inside. A patient was hanging sideways off the bed. A large hole had been chewed into their head. Brain and bloody muck coated the sheets.

They had cleared the room, Mr. Paulson bringing up the rear, when a corpse burst through the door.

"Shit!" said Mr. Paulson. The corpse was an old man in a cowboy hat. Portions of his cheek were missing, and flaps of bloody skin dangled as he moved.

The man grabbed Mr. Paulson. Mr. Paulson wrenched at the joystick and the wheelchair sped backward. The man held on, dragging alongside the chair. The man's teeth inched toward Mr. Paulson's face.

"Someone get this fucker off me!" Mr. Paulson yelled.

"Dad!" yelled Kristen, racing after him.

"Dammit, dumbass!" yelled Park. "Use your gun!"

"Dad!" Kristen kept running, holding her gun in one hand and showing no sign of using it.

"Shit," said Park. He leveled the gun at the chair and fired.

Kristen screamed and dropped to her knees. Mr. Paulson's chair stopped. The corpse shook, then slid to the floor. Blood oozed from under the corpse's hat.

"You crazy fucker!" said Mr. Paulson, wheeling the chair further back, away from the corpse.

"Dad!" said Kristen, climbing to her feet and rushing over. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," said Mr. Paulson. "No thanks to you three." He wheeled around her and back to Angie and Park. Kristen followed.

Angie watched them approach and sighed. Kristen looked shaken, but Angie refused to feel sorry for her. Not yet. "I gave you the gun for a reason," she said.

Kristen looked at the gun in her hand and frowned. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Angie said, turning back to head down the hall. "Just be smart." She started walking. The others followed.

Things were quiet for several more feet. Angie held up a hand and the others stopped. A few feet up ahead, another hallway split off to the right. And many feet ahead of that, several corpses had stumbled out of their rooms, groaning. The corpses hadn't noticed them yet.

"Wait here," Angie whispered.

"Fuck that," whispered Park. He turned back to Kristen and Mr. Paulson. "You two wait here."

Angie and Park crept toward the opening of the side hallway.

"This the second hallway you talked about?" whispered Park. The corpses up ahead continued to ignore them.

"Yeah," whispered Angie. "And it looks like we might have to use it. Unless there's even more of those things down there."

They reached the edge of the opening and slowly peered around it.

The second hall was empty.

"Looks good to me," whispered Park.

"Yeah," whispered Angie, casting a glance at the corpses further down to their left. They still hadn't noticed. "It's just a longer way around. We'll have to move even faster. I've got to be outside when my kids get here."

Park nodded.

"Hey!" yelled Mr. Paulson. "Are we fucking moving in here?"

Angie and Park turned back to Mr. Paulson. Kristen whispered to him. "Dad, we've got to be quiet."

"For fuck's sake," said Mr. Paulson, loudly. "You all retarded? Those things are dead. They can't hear."

The corpses down the hall moaned and started moving toward them.

Mr. Paulson blinked. "Well, fuck me."

"Yeah," said Park.

"Come on," said Angie, starting down the side hallway.

Park followed her.

They moved quickly for a few feet before Angie realized Kristen and Mr. Paulson weren't following.

"Wait," said Angie, stopping. She turned and trotted back to the main hall.

Mr. Paulson was struggling with his chair. Kristen was trying to help. The corpses were closing in, getting close to where Angie stood, leaning out into the hallway.

"What's wrong?" said Angie, running over.

"Fucking chair's broken!" said Mr. Paulson, wrenching the joystick from one side to the other.

"Careful, Dad," said Kristen. "Don't break it."

"It's already fucking broken, idiot!" yelled Mr. Paulson.

Park came back into the hallway. He looked at the three at the chair, then at the corpses coming closer. "We gotta move!" he said. He fired down the hallway, taking down one of the approaching corpses.

Angie moved to the back of the wheelchair. Mr. Paulson cursed and wrenched at the joystick. The corpses groaned and drew nearer.

"Wait," said Angie. "A wire came off the battery. It must have come loose earlier."

Mr. Paulson wrenched the joystick from one side to the other. "Damn it! Those fucking things are getting closer!"

"Your fault, dipshit!" said Park, firing at another corpse. The corpse went into a spasm then fell, limp. Three were left, getting close now. Soon they would block the way to the side hall. Park backed up, reloading the rifle.

"Hold on," said Angie, taking hold of the loose wire and moving it back to the battery.

Park finished loading the rifle and shot down another corpse. Two were left. "We don't have unlimited ammo here! I was only able to grab a few boxes!"

Mr. Paulson swore and leaned on the joystick.

Park fired again. One corpse was left, a large man with bloody, matted hair.

Angie snapped the wire connector into place on the battery.

The wheelchair sprung to life and shot down the hallway. "Shit!" yelled Mr. Paulson. The chair collided with Park, knocking him forward. Park sprawled to the floor, spinning to face up, toward the corpse. The corpse groaned and reached down at him. Park tried to move his rifle into position but the corpse knocked it aside in its blind grasping.

The corpse groaned and opened its mouth.

A shot rang out. The corpse's head snapped to one side and its body shook. Then it fell over, off of Park and onto the floor.

Angie looked to see Kristen lowering her rifle.

"Shit!" said Park, standing. He kicked the wheel of Mr. Paulson's chair. "Be fucking careful or you'll be dragging your crippled ass!"

"Hey!" yelled Kristen, pointing the rifle at Park. "You leave my father alone!"

Park scowled at her.

More groans came from the far end of the hall. Another group of corpses came into view.

Angie pushed Kristen's gun down and addressed Park. "We gotta go."

Kristen pulled her gun away from Angie's hand but kept it down. "Keep your friend away from my father."

Angie looked at Kristen. "My friend is half eaten in the nurse's station."

She turned away from Kristen and Mr. Paulson and headed for the side hall. Park raised his eyebrows at her as she passed.

She stopped at the entrance and looked down the second hallway. Still clear, as far as she could tell. "Okay," she said, looking back to the others. "Let's hurry."