Devoured by - (ebook reader browser .txt) 📖

Lance saw the creature coming, closing the distance between them in three leaps. It was a woman, or used to be, its body distorted like the others. Its eyeless face expressed nothing but ravenous desire.

It was cut down before it reached them, dropping to the ground in a hail of bullets. Exit wounds showered the pay station and gate.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

The gunshots waned, then halted. The air reeked of gunpowder. Lance wiped black soot from his eyes.

Theodore cried harder than ever, his tiny cheeks an angry red.

Lance peered around the pillar, making sure no one would shoot them when they stepped out. “We’re coming out! Don’t shoot!”

They walked slowly through the broad entrance, squinting against the lingering smoke. Uniformed men ran around the street, shouting and pointing, occasionally firing down streets and alleys.

Civilians shuffled in and out of small businesses lining the sidewalk, ushered away from the military if they got too close. News helicopters hovered overhead.

The pandemonium in the middle of a major U.S. city startled Lance more than the news reports they’d seen earlier. Chaos ruled the day.

Dozens of armored vehicles littered the road. Plastic sheeting and large, white hoses were being rolled up and packed way. Tables folded and slid into the back of trucks. Cables wound and extension cords collected.

Lance knew a cut and run when he saw one.

A large group of men waited on the sidewalk, weapons aimed at Lance and his companions.

Major Reynolds strode down the sidewalk. “Let them through. It’s not like the infection hasn’t spread all over the goddamn place anyway.”

The soldiers by the entrance stood aside, but kept their rifles trained at the garage.

Eifort stood at attention, saluting the major. “Sir, we were completely—”

“I’m well aware, Staff Sergeant.” He gave her a quick salute back. “Are any of you infected?”

“No, sir.”

Doctor Brown’s face contorted. “You know what happened in there? Why didn’t you send help? Those things tore half of my staff apart!”

“As you can see, we’re a little busy out here, trying to survive.” Reynolds nodded to a café across the street. “See that building? It’s full of body bags—used body bags.”

“What’s going on with the evacuation?” Lance stepped forward. “I overhead some men talking about leaving. Are you abandoning the city? You just got here!”

More shouting from down the street got the major’s attention. “The events out here are far beyond anything happening inside that hospital. We can’t control the infection from this location. The city is lost.” He walked away without saying anything else. Soldiers and officers called out to him from all directions as he crossed the street, as if he was a celebrity at a movie premiere.

“Well, that told us absolutely nothing,” Don grumbled. “What the hell does that even mean? The city is lost?”

“Eifort,” a uniformed man said. He stood by a table with electronic equipment covering it, wrapping Ethernet cabling around his arm. He was roughly the same size as Lance, but a bit taller and leaner. “What happened in there?”

The staff sergeant saluted. “Captain Jackson, it went south in a hurry. We lost almost everyone. Riggs, Sanchez, White… they were… eaten. Sir.” A sheen covered her eyes as she spoke, but her voice never wavered.

“Eaten by other human beings—Christ. And the rest of the patients in the hospital?”

“Most have barricaded themselves inside of their rooms.”

“That’s probably for the best.” The captain turned to Ashlee and looked over her baby. “There’s a medical tent down the street if you or the child need anything. You should get over there soon though; they’re closing up shop as we speak.” He pointed to a FedEx store down the way. “All other civilians are either being sent home, or ushered in there if they need to contact someone—your choice.”

“Why didn’t you send help?” Doc Brown asked again. “There are doctors and nurses in there who can help you. Everyone with a gun suddenly turned tail and ran out of the goddamn building!”

“We were going to when a small wave of those things moved on us. We’re getting calls from all over the city about people being attacked in their apartments and in the streets. Some decisions had to be made, and one of them was to temporarily abandon the hospital.”

“But the CDC told us—”

“The CDC was in charge when our primary concern was fighting a virus. Now we’re being physically attacked. New orders came down an hour ago—we’re leaving the city.”

Lance started to ask another question, but was cut short by a new round of gunfire. They ducked down by a Humvee, Lance popping his head up to see what happened.

Theodore cried on.

“Make up your mind—go home or try and follow us out of here, but do it now.” The captain pulled Eifort aside and gave her some orders that Lance couldn’t hear before he turned back to everyone else. “We aren’t allowed to take any non-medical civilians with us, but that doesn’t mean you can’t follow.”

“Where are you going?” Lance asked. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The city, which operated normally just yesterday, was about to be abandoned by anyone of authority.

“We’re falling back to Heinz Field.” The captain looked around, making sure no one was close enough to overhear him. “All of the bridges and major highways leading out of the city will be blown or heavily guarded. Testing centers will be setup at two or three points around the city where you will be observed for any symptoms of whatever this is. If they clear you, then you’ll be allowed to leave. Heinz Field will have the biggest space, so I would go there if I was you.”

“You’re going to cut off the city?” Lance stared at the man, his mind racing. Things continued going from bad to worse. Now they were telling him to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ stadium and hope for the best.

What the hell kind of plan was that?

“Right. The disease is found primarily in major cities. The countryside is fairly safe, for now.”

“So all of us are going to be kept over here, while you guys are safe on the other side? You’ll have guns and tanks and we’ll have the sick and dying. And that sounds like an ethical way to protect the country?” Lance’s face felt hot, the agony in his feet abating.

Liz touched Lance’s arm. “Take it easy.”

“Fuck that. These guys locked us in a hospital with those things, and now they’re going to lock us in the city. This is bullshit. Hell, they’re pulling out and going home without even telling everyone in there,” he shouted as he pointed to the hospital. “All of those people don’t even realize that you’ve left them!”

The captain stared at him, stone-faced and unresponsive.

A helicopter whooped overhead, buzzing over the street before disappearing between buildings. A myriad of contrails crisscrossed the sky as jets blazed back and forth over the city. Lance took it all in before turning back to the captain.

“You can’t leave us here. We’ll die.”

The captain remained steadfast. “We’re doing everything we can. There isn’t a playbook for something like this. Get to the stadium. It’s your best chance.” He gave Eifort a nod before heading back to his table and packing up the rest of the electrical gear.

Lance thought about confronting him again, but didn’t see the point. It would accomplish nothing, except increasing his chances of being shot. Besides, the man had a point—who knew what to do at a time like this? He turned to Eifort instead.

“Listen to me. You can’t—”

“There’s nothing I can do,” she interrupted. “I have my orders just like everyone else.”

“At least take Ashlee and the baby. How do you expect her to navigate through this madness to the stadium with a child in her arms? She’ll be a walking target.”

Ashlee’s eyes grew wide. “You think so?”

Eifort shook her head. “But—”

Lance turned on Doctor Brown. “They’re taking you with them, right? They said they’re taking medical personnel.”

“That’s what it sounded like, but I’m much too tired to be of any good now.” Brown’s shoulders sagged, his cheeks sunken in. He pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Tell them that she is your wife and that this is your child.” Lance put his hand on the doctor’s shoulder.

“But I’m not married.”

Lance struggled to maintain his patience. “They don’t know that. It’s a simple lie and they’re too preoccupied to look into it.”

Brown examined the baby and Ashlee for a moment before nodding. “She’s a bit young, but I’ll tell them she’s my second wife. My trophy wife if you will.” He paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, but do you have an actual husband?”

“No, it’s just me and Theodore here. His douche bag of a father split town as soon as he found out I was pregnant.” Her ample chest puffed out a bit as she spoke, her pride in raising the baby alone evident.

“Good for you,” Brown said, extending a hand. “My name is Emmett, in case they ask.”

Lance laughed in spite of himself. The insanity surrounding them couldn’t keep from getting a kick out of the ludicrous name.

“Really? You’re Doctor Emmett Brown?”

The doc let out a long, tired huff. “Yes, yes. I’ve been hearing this torment since 1985. Before you ask, no, I don’t own a DeLorean, no, I don’t know Michael J. Fox, and yes, I like the movie.”