Paradise Lost: Tales of the Dead Tropics Read Online Free Page B

damned thin today. We've been dealing with outbreaks of aggression all over the hospital in the last hour -" He stopped abruptly as the same appalling thought occurred to all of us. What if this was happening all over the hospital?
    "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, folks." He turned to a bald man calmly chewing gum. "Jim, go get a visual on what's happening downstairs in ER."
    Jim nodded and turned to go.
    "And make it quick."
    Jim snorted. "Count on it."
    My head was spinning. Surely we were overreacting. There was no way this craziness could be happening all over the hospital?! Emma looked pale. Ken murmured, "Just a few of those creatures took out our whole staff and security guards. If this disease has spread..."
    "We don't even know if it is a disease." Emma said without conviction.
    "Disease, mass hallucination, act of God. Whatever it is, it kills people and then brings them back with an addiction for human flesh."Ken said dryly. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it would be bad if it has spread."
    Emma shuddered. I wrapped a protective arm around her. "We are all aware of what's at stake here, Ken." My thoughts raced. What about the children's ward? ICU? Most of the patients in this hospital would be unable to defend themselves!
    Ken deflated and looked sheepish. "Sorry. Bit stressed."
    I couldn't help myself. I laughed out loud. "That's seems the understatement of the day."
    Ken grinned and Emma giggled nervously.
    The sound of moans filtered through the doors. We sprang up nervously. "We need to move." Emma's voice trembled. "There are so many of them. What if they get through?"
    "We need to know what we are dealing with before we go anywhere." Biggs came over to stand in front of Ken and Emma. "Fill me in on what happened up here. The more I know, the better I can deal with the situation."
    Emma nodded and took a deep breath, watching the doors anxiously.
    "I was lucky." She smiled a little, aware of the irony of that statement. "The miners died within minutes of each other. We left them on the trolleys while we cleaned up. I was in the next room getting supplies, but Alana and Jan were in the room with the bodies..." She swallowed and looked away. "I heard them screaming and when I ran in, Jan and Alana were on the ground and two of those monsters were eating them, chewing on their faces, their stomachs."
    Emma squeezed her eyes shut as the memories slid over her. "I ran back into the supply room and locked the door. They came after me and banged on the door for a while. I just prayed and prayed and then I heard them move away. They were making grunting sounds, like they'd gone back to ...eating. And then the screams from the other rooms started." She shuddered. " I hid in the cupboard until I heard Ken calling my name."
    Ken's mouth tightened. "I was in the men's when it started. When I came out, the others were already dead or dying. That's how quickly it happened. When I trying to get out, I saw Jan and Alana dead on the floor and the supply room door shut; I thought maybe, just maybe, Emma was still alive." He looked at her with a half smile. "I had to know for sure."
    She returned his smile. "I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life. I might never have let you go if I hadn't seen... "
    "What?" Biggs tried to urge gently.
    "Jan and Alana. They sat up." Tears filled her sapphire eyes. "No noses, lips, cheeks, stomach but they got up without any sign of pain." She bit her lip. "I knew that they were dead. Yet there they were...walking."
    Ken continued. "When I felt her body tense, I turned around, and they were coming at us." He shook his head at the memory. "Thank God their faces were so messed up that they couldn't see very well 'cos they tripped over some boxes. I just grabbed Emma's hand and ran right past them."
    Biggs frowned. "So your walking dead theory is all based on those nurses having more resistance to pain than you? Jesus."
    "No!" Ken exclaimed. "We saw others - hell, Brian