“If it could keep people inside, then it can be adapted to keep others out.”
He nodded. “That’s what I thought, too.” He sighed again and shook his head. “Until last night.”
“Daniel, you will figure this out. And if not you, look at how many others there are that can help you.” She pulled him close and held his face in her hands. “I have faith in you. You’ve got this.”
Hatcher snorted. “Yeah, if we get attacked by a herd of senile old folks, we’re golden.” He pulled back from her and stared at the rag-tag group loading their lives into trucks. “It worries me that a biker and a couple of thugs could damn near take us out in one night. What if he thinks of something that I don’t?”
“Then we’ll learn from it and go on.” Vicky sighed and stepped in front of him again. “Have no doubts, Danny…we will lose people. Hell, we may lose everybody. But nobody will fight harder to save these people than you will. I know this.” She turned and pointed to the crowd. “They know that.”
“But—”
“But nothing!” She punched him in the arm. “You need to stop this. Don’t let this crazy asshole get in your head. He got lucky this time. Next time we’ll be waiting for him.”
Hatcher looked up at her and nodded. “Because there will be a next time.”
“Easy there, doc.” Carol gently pushed Kevin back toward the lab. “You don’t want to do anything aggressive, now do you?”
Vivian LaRue cocked her head to the side again and sniffed at the air. A low growl came up from her throat as she focused on Carol.
“I don’t think she likes you,” Kevin uttered nervously as he stepped back into the lab.
“I got that impression before she was bitten.” Carol slowly reached behind her, hoping to feel Kevin there.
Vivian stiffened, preparing to launch as Kevin dragged Carol back inside by her jumpsuit. Carol’s hand slipped from the door just as Vivian smashed into it, latching the scientists inside, out of her grasp.
“Get to the isolation ward! Now!” Carol turned and pushed the rollaway cart up against the glass door as Kevin ran for the isolation ward. She watched as Vivian smashed her fists against the reinforced glass, smearing dark brown ick across it. She imagined that it was mostly blood.
Carol stepped back slowly, watching as Vivian threw her entire body against the door. She could still see her in the hallway, the red lights from the alarm reflecting off her blood soaked clothing. Carol had just stepped into the isolation ward when she heard the tell-tell crack of glass.
Kevin pulled the heavy steel door shut and latched it. They took up positions on either side of the door’s viewing window when they heard her bang against it.
Carol closed her eyes and listened, praying that Vivian would think the room empty and leave. She could hear sniffing just beyond the door and imagined a drug dog inspecting the seal.
“She can’t see us, can she?” Kevin asked.
Carol held a finger up to “shush” him when Vivian let loose another hair-raising scream. She stepped deeper into the shadows and out of the line of sight.
Carol’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and she watched as Kevin dropped to his hands and knees. He pulled open the lower storage unit on a stainless steel cabinet and tried to climb inside.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
He shook his head nervously at her. “I should have stayed under my bed.” She watched as he tucked himself into a ball and pull the door shut. At that moment she wanted to call him a coward and join him at the same time.
She watched the door bounce in its frame as Vivian threw her tiny body against the exterior. She remembered Charles throwing his body against the door, but he was easily three times Vivian’s size. And he was trying to push the door open the way it swung. Vivian was trying to get in by slamming the door shut.
She was never so thankful for small design ideas as she was right then. The door was made to open backwards so that the room could be drawn under a vacuum in the event of an emergency. If the door had opened the other direction, there was the possibility of blowing it open.
She slid down the wall and listened to her boss claw and sniff at the edges. After a few moments, the noise stopped and Carol had to remember to breathe. She gulped large amounts of air and slowly pulled herself to her feet.
Her entire body shook as she crept closer to the door. The viewing pane was smeared with streaks of brown ochre and the flashing red lights were beginning to affect her in ways that she couldn’t afford at the moment.
Carol slowly crept closer to the window, her eyes straining for any sign of movement beyond. She braced her hands against the cold steel to feel for anything that could tell her if Vivian was still lurking just outside.
Carol ducked low and approached the glass from the other side, praying that she would spot LaRue before LaRue spotted her. She slowly slid closer, the room panning as she did.
The bang on the door caused her to jump and scream, her hands instinctively coming up to block whatever attack may come.
“Who’s in there?” A gruff voice asked.
Carol felt her legs go out from under her and she crumpled to the floor in a sobbing mess. She heard the sliding door open on the cabinet and Kevin peered from the darkness. “Was that a human voice?”
“Open the damned door. We’re clearing civilians out of this level.”
Kevin pushed the cabinet door open and fought to free himself from the cramped confines as Carol gathered herself and pulled her legs back under her.
“Just a moment.” Her voice sounded weak and cracked as she pulled herself upright. “Is she gone?”
“We’ve cleared the floor and they’re about to
