Chapter 3: New Arrivals
Payne was now standing in the reception with Rebecca. He'd spoken to the police cheif. Apparently the other hospitals had all reported similar occurrences with bite victims going crazy and biting others who suffered the same symptoms.
The police were now diverting any of the victims to another hospital to hopefully contain the problem. However there was now the problem of the riot to deal with it was now only a couple of blocks away and the rioters would surely ransack the hospital as it contained a lot of valuable equipment. The police were also dealing with they were sending down two squad cars with eight police officers all armed to act more of a deterrent to the rioters rather than to fight them off.
Payne was waiting to great them and give them areas to guard before Rebecca would activate the shutters all round the hospital. A newish idea that's supposed to keep people in or out in the event of a outbreak of a very contagious disease which this was the time. It would also serve to keep the rioters out.
"Why would people riot at a time like?" Rebecca asked more to herself than Payne.
"No idea Becks" Payne replied, Becks was Rebecca's knick name that Payne had called her since they were small.
Steven entered the reception his pipe in hand. Payne was glad to see him as it signified everything was going well.
"Everyone locked up?" Payne asked.
"Yes doc, one or two of them are starting to looked like the others that we fought earlier."
"There's five bite victims isn't there?" Payne asked not too sure in all the commotion he'd forgotten.
"Yup" Steven replied.
"Right you can stay here with me, Is there any one you'd like to contact before the police get here as we're going to shut the place down tight?"
"Nawh, I live alone any ways both of me parents are dead"
"Hadn't you better phone your wife?" Steven asked
"No, besides we're hardly on speaking terms at the moment, how'd you know I was married?"
"Saw the ring" Steven pointed at Payne's left hand.
"Ah!" Payne replied and nervously moved the ring round his finger then decided to take it off at put it in his pocket.
The three of them were stood there for a moment then they heard the approaching sirens. Payne looked around then looked down at his coat, which was now covered in blood. He looked like a butcher in a slaughterhouse.
"Becks is there a clean coat around?" Payne asked her.
"Sure one under here" She said diving behind her desk and pulling out a clean coat. She tossed him it and he put it on.
He cast away his dirty coat and put the clean one on. Payne had always taken pride in wearing a white coat it made him look and feel like a doctor.
He then leant against the reception desk waiting for the police officers. Steven went over to the vending machine and began to get a drink.
They were all waiting calmly when they heard the screech of a car outside and several gunshots. There were a couple of shouts then suddenly the door to the reception flew open and three police officers flew in backwards all wielding shotguns and pointing them towards the door. A fourth police officer ran in normally he only had a small police revolver and about three people were chasing him all had raggedy clothes and blood all over them. The police officers with the shotguns all opened up firing into the three people all three flew to the floor and the fourth police officer scrabbled away from them.
"Shut the door, there's more of 'em coming" one of the officers shouted.
"Becks pull the shutters down" Payne shouted over the chaos.
Rebecca dived under the desk and there were several sirens and red lights flashed around the door and suddenly the shutters began to creep down and within moments the whole room was cast into darkness and all that illuminated the room were the flashing lights.
"I can't see the fuckers," some one cried out, which was followed by another shot. One of the people who had chased the police officers in slumped to the ground from the shell destroying his head. The other two stayed down.
A silence hit the room that was almost deafening. Then after what seemed like several minutes one of the officers spoke. "Looks like they didn't see us come in here"
"Thank god" said the officer with the revolver. He looked like the youngest of the officers in fact he looked as though he'd only just joined up.
"Who's in charge here" another said.
Payne stepped forward. "I am, Doctor Payne, thought there was going to be eight of you?"
"There was but in the end the other officers were needed to sort out the supposed rioters, did I hear that right doctor Payne?"
"Yes you did" Payne replied.
There were some sniggers from the officers.
"Unfortunate name for a doctor." said the officer who appeared to be in charge
"Yes, it is. So what is the plan then?"
"Well we've been ordered to come here to protect the hospital, but frankly I wouldn't expect a rescue any time soon this cities gone to hell."
"Yeah! It's like a frikin war zone out there. People are going crazy and eating each other it's like a zombie movie."
"Hold on there's no such thing as zombies is their doc?" Steven interrupted.
"No not as such, but" Payne began
"But?"
"After what I've seen in the past hour I'm not so sure." Payne continued.
"So what are we going to do?" Steven said.
"Well I'd like all you officers upstairs out of this light for a start then we're going sort out a plan."