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Needed a wedge, or something to block it. A metal shelf behind him. He grabbed it and pulled it toward him. He ducked aside as it crashed against the door, sending bandages and bottles of disinfectant smashing to the floor--but not before the thing shoved its arm and shoulder through.
Clay stayed out of reach of the slashing talons as the thing gnashed its awful teeth and hissed. It wore a jacket with the emblem of the ambulance outside. One of the formerly dead EMTs. He saw a second one right behind it, trying to push its pal through the opening. That gave him in idea.
He pulled out Alice. Only half a dozen rounds in the Raging Bull, but they were .454 Casulls. He aimed between the eyes of the lead monster and squeezed off a round. The report was like a punch in this small room, and the kick damn near sprained his wrist, but when he looked, the doorway was empty. Cautiously, he peeked through and saw both monsters on the ground, both with holes through their foreheads and enormous exit wounds.
"A two-fer! Awriiight, Alice!"
He wished someone was around for a high five, or at least a knuckle bump. So he settled for kissing Alice.
"There's my good girl. You're the best."
Then he noticed the first one twitching.
Aw, not again. He wasn't going to get up, was he?
No. The twitching stopped and it lay still.
He spotted the phone at the nursing station and had an idea. But first...
He grabbed his duffel from the counter, locked himself in the supply room, and began to reload the AA-12's drum.
Je
"EVERYONE!" Je
The hallway--just beyond the room-length finger-painted window--was filled with draculas.
Freakin' filled.
They'd run up en masse after sounds of firecrackers came from the lower floors. Je
At least eight of them. Maybe ten. Clawing at the glass, pressing against it, knocking on it. Some smeared blood and bits of gore across the surface, while others fell into line to lick the blood up with spongy, misshapen tongues and thick, ropey strands of saliva. Saliva right out of that movie Randall loved to watch over and over again. Aliens, with Sigourney Weaver.
"You kinda look like Sigourney Weaver," he'd told her, every time he played that VHS tape. "Cept you got better boobs."
As the children gathered around her, Je
"Will they break the glass?" Peter asked.
"No," Je
But that's what she feared, and why she ordered everyone away. The glass was thick--a necessity in the children's ward--and would be tough to crack bare-handed. These creatures were strong, but so far the glass had resisted their pushing and pounding.
If they did get in, Je
"I need your lighter," Je
The woman didn't answer. She just stared, wide-eyed, at the window. The draculas continued to knock and pound at the glass. Some bit at it, their teeth leaving scratches with the sound of nails across a chalkboard.
The boy holding the old woman's hand nudged her. "Grandma, the nurse lady needs your lighter."
The old woman stared at the child like she had just now realized he was there. Then, without a word, she handed her purse to Je
She heard a CRUNCH, followed by squeals of fright from the children. Je
Dr. Lanz.
After the second hit, the window spiderwebbed, but stayed intact. It had a plastic safety coating, similar to the one used on car windshields, so children throwing toys wouldn't get showered with shards.
Lanz tried twice more, but the glass held. His eyes met Je
Moving quickly, Je
Luckily, the hospital had something that was very flammable. And it was stored in the same closet as the oxygen.
Je
Finally, she found some rubber tubing, a large ca
Working quickly, Je
Next, she hooked the ca
"Miss! I need your help," Je
But the old woman, like the other adult in the room, appeared to be catatonic.
CRACK!
Dr. Lanz had returned, resuming his assault on the window. But rather than attack it with a chair, he was now wielding a fire extinguisher. It was heavy, compact, and would easily break through the glass in another swing or two.
Je
CRACK!
Je
CRACK! Some glass tinkled onto the tile floor, a medium-size hole appearing in the window.
"Quickly! Can any of you children operate a child-proof lighter?"
Every child raised their hand.
"Peter!" she said, calling the oldest of them. "Come here!"
CRACK!
The hole was now big enough to crawl through, and one of the draculas got ahead of Lanz and forced itself through the opening, sliding on its belly into the playroom.
"Light the tops like this!" Je