We continued to date through the last two years of college. After that, I had the unbelievable privilege of making her my wife. We had the wedding in the local chapel five months after my proposal. It was a simple wedding; she always said the simple things are what mattered most to her.
Soon after, my wife received her teaching credential and started teaching first graders. I continued with my education in law and began to attend law school. It was rough for the first two years, but with her as my foundation and support, combined with my desire to succeed and reach my dreams, we made it through.
During my final year of law school, we found out we were gonna have a baby. We were so excited, and my wife was the most excited of all. This is where Scraps comes into the picture.
Before our dreams of parenthood were fulfilled, I bought my wife a puppy because her baby fever was so intense. Not that I minded though; I was excited at the notion as well. We treated Scraps like our very own child. He made a good replacement, especially when he caused trouble at home.
At this point, the baby was only a fetus and still growing day by day. We were on the verge of discovering if we were going to have a boy or girl when it started happening.
I’m sorry, just give me a moment. This is where the hard part comes in…………
Around the same time I had the idea of a child introduced into my life, the nation was swept with news talking about a new disease that had recently been discovered in remote areas of Tanzania. I only caught a glimpse of a few of these reports, but from what I saw, it was pretty serious.
People were dying at alarming rates, and there were various reports of people eating one another. I remember seeing a picture of the guy behind it all: He was a man, about thirty years of age, and all of his pictures featured him in a lab coat. He had well kept grey hair and a trimmed beard. His face held a smile of pure insanity that spread from ear to ear.
The reports said he adapted this new disease from animal testing and began illegal human testing with it. He captured a group of locals and underwent experimentation. That wasn’t where the danger truly lied; it became a hazard to society, and later to the world, when one of the test subjects escaped into a large city nearby.
The disease spread like wildfire. Over the next few weeks, more and more reports were coming out about the disease and what it did to people once it got ahold of them.
One night, as my wife was putting Scraps to sleep in his doggy bed, I saw the most disturbing report up to that point. Tanzania, along with all of its surrounding countries, were being evacuated. Various videos showed empty streets full of chaos and destruction, with occasional infected people running about. The infected featured in the videos were far from view as the crews kept their distance from the roaming beasts. I couldn’t really see them clearly; it just seemed like a bunch of blurry, specter thin ghosts were running to and fro, flying angrily at any moving object that crossed their paths.
It wasn’t real to me until I saw a close-up of an infected. There were before and after pictures of a little girl that looked to be ten years of age. Her before picture showed a lovely looking girl with nice brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing a blue sundress and had a smile of pure joy on her face. I almost want to vomit thinking about how the disease ravaged her body, transforming her into a hideous creation beyond comprehension.
The after picture still haunts my dreams to this day. It serves as a reminder of my ignorance, the damage the disease caused to my life and the lives of others, and the hopelessness that I still feel in my heart. It’s as if a fresh dagger is plunged into my chest every single day.
Her skin was solid white, making her a walking ghost. Her skin was broken in various places where pus and blood were seeping out. Her brown hair had turned white in a void of color and was falling out of her head. Saliva wasn’t dripping from her mouth, or if it was, it was a green slime that seemed to cover everything it touched in its filth. She could no longer stand up straight; her posture forced her into a contorted position that gave her a demonic presence in the photo. What scared me the most were her eyes; they had no pupils and were white with an insatiable desire to feed.
I would go on, but I don’t think my stomach could handle it. I think I’m used to it now, but at that time I could imagine no greater evil.
A few weeks later was when the real fear, and my horrible present, came to be. My wife had just gone to our doctor to find out the sex of our baby. It was almost like a birthday to us; we had a cake and a full course meal prepared for when she would return with the good news. We were gonna to find out first, and then proceed to tell all of our loved ones of the new joy soon to enter the world. I’d taken work off that day because absolutely nothing would interfere with the relaying of the fact that I would either have a pretty princess of a girl, or a manly brat of a boy.
Clearly, I wanted a girl first. I’d always wanted to have a girl first, mostly because I liked to take care of girls. It always made me feel important and needed. I had years of practice caring for a wife whose beauty shone brighter than any diamond I could put on her finger.
I miss the moment of that day, when joy and excitement had completely taken over my senses. I felt numb in the best way possible. I’d need to feel that numbness for what would happen that day.
About fifteen minutes after she’d left, I was sitting on the couch, dwelling on the fact that I would soon be a father. I flipped on the television and began to skip through the channels. To my surprise, every channel I went to was broadcasting a news report about the continuing infection. It didn’t really catch my attention at first, but after getting to channel three hundred and forty seven, I figured I might as well see what was going on. I think It’s very interesting how a person’s life can be turned completely upside down with a simple news report.
The local anchorman didn’t look his usual professional self. He looked as if he hadn’t bothered to dress up at all that day. Then the report began. I don’t really remember much of the report, but I do remember two specific details: an outbreak had begun in my own hometown not twenty minutes ago. What’s worse is the fact that the sentence that followed stated it began near the office my wife had gone to see our doctor at.
I panicked. I threw on my coat and jumped into my car. I could only think one thing: I had to reach my wife and child at all costs. I told myself she would never become the abomination I had seen on the news a few weeks ago.
I sped down the streets. I don’t recall how many red lights I blasted through on the way to the hospital entrance. I only remember smacking the side of the car against a street dumpster as I took a sharp turn onto a main street.
However, I never made it to that hospital entrance. Upon entering the parking lot, I was stopped by a large barricade of police cars surrounded by various officers holding shotguns. I got out of the car and made a run for the side entrance covered by less police. I was stopped short by a sharp pain against the side of my head.
Next thing I knew, I was being pulled out of a bush by two large officers. My head was pounding audibly as sounds of wailing sirens filled the air. When I was on my feet, the officers told me that I couldn’t go in because the infection had spread rapidly inside, and there was little chance of survivors.
I’ve never begged so much in my life. I threw myself to my knees and begged them to step in and find my wife. They eyed me with unfeeling stares and said they’d never be stupid enough to send in any forces to save a lost cause, let alone a citizen that was likely monster feed. Still, I begged; I bribed, I cursed, and I threatened until I choked on my words.
I couldn’t believe that they’d let the people I loved sit in that monster den and die like innocent sheep given over to the slaughter. Then the officers said they couldn’t help me because they hadn’t received word from the captain to go in yet.
Upon seeing how useless those guys were, I turned to my right and saw a broken window a few feet away. I jumped to my feet and made a run for it. I guess I still had some youth
left in me from my days in sports; I looked back and saw the officers at least seven steps behind me as I crashed through the window and landed on the hospital floor. I was in.
I never expected to land in a pool of blood. I never even knew a person could bleed so much. Through the fractured light the room, I could see the blood before and upon me, as well as the silhouette of the hospital receiving room I landed in. I picked myself up and walked into the hallway. The echoes of the officer’s voices chased me, warning me not to tread any further. It was pitch black; I felt along the wall, trying to feel my way through the dark. The stench of death was everywhere; its noxious toxins seeped into my nose and mouth, almost making me vomit at every step.
I made my way down the main hall, going the opposite way of the lighted exit signs at each turn. I knew where to go, even in that dark, cold prison. I‘d been there plenty of times with my wife; we frequently visited her doctor to keep an eye on her precious cargo. I reconstructed the floor plan in my head: Three hallways, two flights of stairs, and one door at the end of the hallway.
I made it through two of the pitch black hallways when I heard growling behind me. Even though I couldn’t see anything, I could feel the evil presence nearby. I turned in the darkness, hoping my eyes would find the beast behind me. They searched the dark, but were unable to find anything. I asked the darkness, “Is anyone there?”
What an idiot. It located me immediately. I could feel the tension break as the footsteps clapped in my direction. I turned and ran, with all my might. I sped through the last dark hallway, tripping over what I believed were pillows with a little extra stuffing. I made it up the first flight of stairs and began to ascend the second. I only made it halfway.
A cold hand grasped my ankle. A chill went through my body, grim as Death himself. I fell and was greeted with the taste of cold, hard cement and blood in my mouth. Behind me, the shriek of a demon pierced the deserted halls of the hospital. I tried kicking to free myself to no avail.
Finally, after a few strong kicks, I think I managed to kick it in the face somewhere. There was a muffled shriek at the bottom of the stairs as I made my way up and crawled through the hallway leading to the final door. I made it to the door as the creature made another shriek from the stairs below. I pulled myself to my feet at the front of the door. I could feel blood seeping into my mouth as my tongue felt around. It found teeth missing from the left side, and it could still taste the cold cement from my fall a moment ago. I took a deep breath of assurance, turned the knob, and stepped into the waiting room.
I stepped into a waiting room suited for expectant mothers. Through the dim light in the room, I could see that the walls were lined with pictures of babies in all sorts of uniforms and costumes. Like all baby pictures, the babies looked more confused than happy or sad to have pictures taken of them. I knew I’d have to take some of those and put them up when the baby was born. The floor was carpeted in magazines that advertised the right feeding habits and tools to help the baby learn up to five languages by the time it was three. I locked the waiting room door behind me before going any further.
The room seemed untouched by the evil that lay just beyond the door. Besides the magazines spread out across the floor, everything seemed to be in order. I walked over to the window and opened the blinds. The searing light made its way into the room, banishing the darkness into the remote corners of it. I remember looking out into the world, taking in the serene picture the clear blue sky offered me. It confused me, making me wonder how there could still be a peace amidst the chaos that was beginning to ensue. My eyes drifted back to the city before me. Nothing looked out of place from my vantage point. They continued downward, centering me as my situation drew me back into my reality. I saw the police down below, guarding the hospital and still refusing to do anything for the innocent people being consumed within it. I hated them. They were supposed to protect and serve. Instead, they’d abandoned their calling, leaving us to our own destruction.
I turned my attention back to the office, back to my wife and child. Just beyond the reception desk I would find my wife with the doctor and the news of our impending child. What relief I felt in that moment.
I walked past the reception desk into the small hallway with three small waiting rooms. It was surprisingly still there, but I guessed everyone was keeping quiet in case one of the monsters would be nearby. They wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore; I was there to find them and help them escape from the dangers in the hospital.
I opened the nearest door and peeked inside. Nothing there. I walked further down the silent hallway and opened the second door. I found a woman in scrubs lying face first in a pool of blood. I walked over to the lifeless body and turned it over. As I expected, it was the receptionist that had warmly greeted my wife and I each time we visited.
Poor woman; she had a series of jagged slashes across her neck. The look of surprise on her face took me aback. It was clear she hadn’t expected to be attacked in her final moments of life.
I couldn’t bear it any longer; I closed her eyes, gently placed the body back down, and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me. I glanced over to the last room; the door wasn’t completely closed, but was cracked just a little. My wife would be there, safe and sound.
As I reached for the door, I found myself stopped, trying to fight my instincts to run away rather than enter the room. My entire body trembled as I fought this conviction, which told me I needed to slam the door closed and run away, never looking back. I won over myself and opened the door. Nothing prepared me for what I saw next.
The light spread across the room, illuminating the scene where my life was swept away. I saw the doctor first -- or at least what was left of him. He was face up on the ground, gazing up at me with a blank look of horror. The floor was covered in blood. I opened the door all the way and saw that he’d been torn in half. His intestines were covering the ground in a fleshy, bloody maze. Blood was still leaking out of his torso. I found the lower portion of his remains about five feet away, connected by the intestinal maze on the floor.
That’s when I heard shuffling behind the large chair in the room. It could only be my beautiful wife seeing I came to save her. I called out to the chair, letting her know it was safe to come out. There was a brief silence, and then more shuffling. Again, I pleaded for her to come out so we could escape the hell we’d been trapped in.
I said, “It’s okay, Honey. I’m here now. I’ve come to save you and take you home and never let you out of my sight ever again. I’m sorry you had to go through all of this, but it’ll be over soon. Trust me.”
She stepped out. Namely, it stepped out. It wasn’t my wife behind the chair, but I could still see that it was the woman I’d always loved.
I took a step back in horror as I saw the disease had taken hold of my wife and ripped her out of my life.
Her once gorgeous hair was void of color. Her skin was torn in various places, and I could see pus and blood leaking out of her at the sites of broken skin. She was bent over sideways and had a stature I’d only seen in my deepest nightmares. Her eyes broke my heart and pierced my soul; they were no longer a beautiful fusion of majesty and compassion, but now showed a white hate and hunger. In that moment, I could only muster up enough courage to say, “I’m sorry.”
She stepped out and dragged her feet in my direction. I staggered back, still muttering apologies that could never find forgiveness. I still remember the shrill cry she let out as she lunged towards me. It pierced my ears and filled the office. It resounded off the walls of the room and the walls of my heart, sobering me to the fact that I’d lost everything.
She landed on top of me, clawing at my throat with desperation. She was so heavy. Hot, wet tears flew down my face as I begged her to stop while trying to push her away from me. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, edging herself closer to my neck as slime flew from her mouth.
I managed to push her to the side of the room
closest to the door. I stood up quickly and made a run to the hallway. I got past the receptionist desk and reached the door leading out of the main office. However, I couldn’t make an escape; I heard clawing and scratching on the other side of the door.
I recalled the creature from before; it had made its way to the door and was trying to find its way in. I turned around and saw my diseased wife standing in the doorway of the receptionist office, waiting to locate me and make her next attack. More hot tears flew down my face as I no longer saw my love and only saw an abomination that represented who she once was. I slid down the wall of the office into a position of defeat. I knelt on the floor, arms wide open. She needed to kill me, she wanted to kill me; I wanted to die.
I closed my eyes as a shrill cry filled the room. Slow, staggered steps got louder with every passing second. I could hear her closer and closer, sensing the easy prey ready to be devoured. All was black.
A gunshot, and the sound of shattering glass. Where did that come from? I opened my eyes. I saw the hospital waiting room once again, bathed in the sunlight. I looked down at my knees. She was lying next to me on the floor, her face directly beneath mine. I scanned her body in wonder how she had managed to stop. In the middle of her stomach, a gaping hole stared back at me. More tears came to my face as I realized that I’d been spared, but my wife and child hadn’t, and never would be. I gazed angrily at the hole, hoping by some miracle that everything had been a nightmare that I would soon wake from.
I turned my gaze back to the face of the creature below. I could no longer find anything evil about it. Now, in its dying state, I could once again see my wife, the love of my life. She was dying right in front of me.
It was difficult to swallow as she choked on the blood filling her mouth. There were no pupils in her eyes, but I could sense the fear in her. All I could say was that I was so sorry.
Her eyes searched my face, pleading for release. She didn’t have long left. Her disheveled hand slid weakly across the floor towards me. I reached out and grasped her hand in mine. She was so cold. I looked into the face of my love one last time. The last words she heard me say were that I was sorry.
She died, and so did I.
Tape #3