Last Steps

It was odd really, how the bites didn’t hurt so much any more as burned. It felt as though napalm was shooting in slow agonizing cycles from each wound and into her veins, and she supposed as she leaned heavily against the wall of the emergency stairs that it might as well be.

She just needed to rest a moment, that’s all she though as she slowly sank to the cool forgiving concrete floor. She cradled her arm on her lap and watches as her blood sluggishly excreted from the wound on her lower for arm onto the sky blue of her scrub pants. She had liked them so much too.

It didn’t matter any longer now, not really. She was so tired. She closed her eyes momentarily before snapping them back open in horror. No. She could not fall asleep. One of them might have slipped through some how when others had tried to escape this way.

But she was so, so tired. It couldn’t hurt to just rest a moment, could it? She reasoned with her self as she closed her eyes.


“Call into work tomorrow sweetheart.” He father’s voice sounded from her cell phone the evening before.

“Daddy…” She drawled out in the way that had always made her will possible before.

“Sweetheart, have you seen the news? God only knows what you will be facing tomorrow.” He father reasoned desperately, not much else he could do, seeing as he lived in another state.

“Daddy, I’ll be fine. They have some of the National Guard at the hospital to make sure nothing will happen. And besides, almost every other nurse has called out indefinitely. If I don’t go in, then who will?”

“You promise me, the first sign of trouble,” He began, his frustration obvious in his tone.

She smiled, “I’ll be out of there like a bat out of Hell.”

“Promise me.” He demanded.

She rolled her eyes, “I promise.”



“No, it hurts! Please,please,PLEEEEASE!”


A desperate scream from somewhere on the floor beyond the thick metal door made her jump to wakefulness. Her breathing raged in fear, she forced herself onto her feet, her numb fingers seeking purchase on the white painted concrete wall as she made her way to the next set of stairs that would take her down another floor.

Just a few more floors now to freedom, she thought feverishly as she grasped the metal railing and began to inch her way down the steps. It was becoming harder now to make her feet work right, how odd.

She made her way down the steps, almost falling twice before finally reaching the landing before the next set. Her breathing was choppy, and she felt as though no matter how many she took, it was just not enough.

Maybe, she should rest again, just for a moment, she reasoned to herself as she lay down on the blessedly chilled floor. Just for a moment. Her eyes closed and she struggled to breathe.

“Sweetheart, do you want some ice-cream?”

“Daddy?” She rasped out as she felt her heartbeat race faster and faster.

She could see him smiling at her in her parent’s kitchen as her Mom dished out a bowl of strawberry, her favorite.

“Can I have hot fudge?” She whispered as her hand stretched out across the rough cement floor to grasp the bowl her father offered her.

Her daddy pressed a kiss to her forehead before scooping on a healthy dollop of fudge. “I love you sweetie.”

She smiled against the floor as her mother echoed his sentiment. “Love you too…” She whispered.



“Can you fucking believe it? It’s clear! No blood, nothing!” The excited physical therapist stage whispered to the security guard as they made their way quickly down the steps.

“We lucked out.” His companion whispered back, his hand gun at the ready for anything that might come at him.

They made their way down two more flights before a streak of red against the wall stopped them short.

“Fuck!” the physical therapist hissed urgently, his eyes frantically searching the area around them.

“Just stay close man.” The guard whispered as they made their way slowly down the next flight. “Just one more after this and we are out of this hell hole, we can’t stop now.”

The physical therapist nodded jerkily as he followed his breathing panicked. “Oh shit!” He hiss as he caught site of it, bumbling along the next landing in gore stained light blue scrubs.

The guard raised his hand to silence him as he took aim, his hand shaking. His first shot was wide, striking it in the shoulder. It groaned piteously, turning it’s dead eyes to them.

“Oh, nonono…” The physical therapist cried as he scrambled back up the stairs as it began to lumber towards them.

“I’m sorry.” The guard said to the creature as he aimed carefully and shot it in the head.

Its head tilted back as it crumpled to the floor.

“Oh shit! Oh shit man. Oh my fucking God those things are going to be EVERYWHERE!” The physical therapist moaned as he slumped down to sit on the steps, watching as blood and brains oozed out of the creature’s skull.

“Then we better get moving then, shouldn’t we? Before anymore of them come this way.” The guard reasoned in a shaking voice as he checked his clip to see how many bullets he had left.

The physical therapist swallowed hard before standing up. “I guess we better then.” He responded, his voice shaky with fear and grief. “We can’t stop now.”

The guard nodded as they made their way down the next set of steps.