we
don’t?”
“This woman is dead.” The female paramedic said.
She went to stand up. “We can’t help her.”
“What? You haven’t even tried,” said Rick.
“She has no heartbeat. I’m sorry. Usually, we
might try to do something, but we had another seven emergencies called in on
our way here. We’re the only ambulance in the area, and we have to spend our
time where it can do most good. This woman has been dead too long.”
Rick looked down at the woman whose head he’d been
holding for fifteen minutes and saw the truth of it. The amount of blood that’d
leaked from her chest had formed a massive puddle on the wooden floor beneath
her, and her arms were the colour of chalk. She was cold.
“Can you help Sarah?” he asked. “She passed out
from the shock.”
The female paramedic took something from her kit
bag and waved it beneath Sarah’s nose. She winced and began to stir. “She’ll be
fine. Just give her a few minutes to wake up.”
“We have to go,” the male paramedic urged.
“What do we do with her?” asked Keith, pointing to
the dead woman.
“I’ll inform the coroner,” said the female paramedic.
“Just place a sheet over her and wait for someone to come.”
Rick eased the dead woman’s head down onto the
floorboards and stood up. He retrieved his pint from the table and downed half
of it.
The paramedics disappeared out the door, which
left the people inside the pub to stand around anxiously. Nobody knew what to
do. Rick wondered if he should go home or stay where he was.
Screaming from outside.
Rick stared at his brother. “What now?”
“I don’t know. Just close the door.”
Rick nodded, went over to do so, but couldn’t help
glancing outside at the car park. The ambulance was parked right outside, its
lights chasing away the shadows of approaching night. The paramedics were
nowhere to be seen.
The screaming had stopped.
He took a tentative step outside the pub and
looked around. The front of the ambulance faced him at an angle, its large rear
doors hanging open. He couldn’t see inside from where he stood, but the
paramedics must be in the back.
Who had screamed?
“Hello? Is everything all right out here?”
The sound of movement from the ambulance drew him
forward another few steps. It took a handful more until he had moved around sufficiently
to face the rear of the vehicle.
Something horrible glared back at him.
It was a man, but also a monster. His eyes were
cloudy and white, lips cracked and bleeding. He looked dead.
“Are you okay?” asked Rick, not knowing what else
to say.
“I am your end,” the dead man hissed. “I will use
your hollowed skull as a latrine.”
Rick noticed the bald paramedic lying on a gurney
in the back of the ambulance. His neck had been twisted around and broken. This
monster had murdered him and would do the same to Rick. He turned to run, but
the dead man leapt out and grabbed him, cold hands seizing his throat. Rick
fought back the only way he could—with his legs. He lifted his right foot and
stamped down on where he hoped a kneecap would be, and the dead man howled and
collapsed sideways. The icy fingers slipped from around Rick’s neck and allowed
him chance to stagger away.
The dead man bellowed. He reached out his hands to
try and grab Rick again, but every time he tried, he crumpled to the ground as
his broken leg folded.
“Is it safe?” came a voice.
Rick glanced upwards to see that the female
paramedic was lying prone on the roof of the ambulance. A bad scratch parted
her left eyebrow, but she seemed otherwise okay. “What are you doing up there?”
he said. “Come down and help-”
The dead man tackled Rick around the waist, dragging
him to the ground. Before he could react, his enemy had straddled him and was
back to squeezing his throat. “Submit to slavery, worm, and you may get to live
out your days as a foot licker.”
Rick struggled, tried to bring his legs up to kick
the monster off of him,
don’t?”
“This woman is dead.” The female paramedic said.
She went to stand up. “We can’t help her.”
“What? You haven’t even tried,” said Rick.
“She has no heartbeat. I’m sorry. Usually, we
might try to do something, but we had another seven emergencies called in on
our way here. We’re the only ambulance in the area, and we have to spend our
time where it can do most good. This woman has been dead too long.”
Rick looked down at the woman whose head he’d been
holding for fifteen minutes and saw the truth of it. The amount of blood that’d
leaked from her chest had formed a massive puddle on the wooden floor beneath
her, and her arms were the colour of chalk. She was cold.
“Can you help Sarah?” he asked. “She passed out
from the shock.”
The female paramedic took something from her kit
bag and waved it beneath Sarah’s nose. She winced and began to stir. “She’ll be
fine. Just give her a few minutes to wake up.”
“We have to go,” the male paramedic urged.
“What do we do with her?” asked Keith, pointing to
the dead woman.
“I’ll inform the coroner,” said the female paramedic.
“Just place a sheet over her and wait for someone to come.”
Rick eased the dead woman’s head down onto the
floorboards and stood up. He retrieved his pint from the table and downed half
of it.
The paramedics disappeared out the door, which
left the people inside the pub to stand around anxiously. Nobody knew what to
do. Rick wondered if he should go home or stay where he was.
Screaming from outside.
Rick stared at his brother. “What now?”
“I don’t know. Just close the door.”
Rick nodded, went over to do so, but couldn’t help
glancing outside at the car park. The ambulance was parked right outside, its
lights chasing away the shadows of approaching night. The paramedics were
nowhere to be seen.
The screaming had stopped.
He took a tentative step outside the pub and
looked around. The front of the ambulance faced him at an angle, its large rear
doors hanging open. He couldn’t see inside from where he stood, but the
paramedics must be in the back.
Who had screamed?
“Hello? Is everything all right out here?”
The sound of movement from the ambulance drew him
forward another few steps. It took a handful more until he had moved around sufficiently
to face the rear of the vehicle.
Something horrible glared back at him.
It was a man, but also a monster. His eyes were
cloudy and white, lips cracked and bleeding. He looked dead.
“Are you okay?” asked Rick, not knowing what else
to say.
“I am your end,” the dead man hissed. “I will use
your hollowed skull as a latrine.”
Rick noticed the bald paramedic lying on a gurney
in the back of the ambulance. His neck had been twisted around and broken. This
monster had murdered him and would do the same to Rick. He turned to run, but
the dead man leapt out and grabbed him, cold hands seizing his throat. Rick
fought back the only way he could—with his legs. He lifted his right foot and
stamped down on where he hoped a kneecap would be, and the dead man howled and
collapsed sideways. The icy fingers slipped from around Rick’s neck and allowed
him chance to stagger away.
The dead man bellowed. He reached out his hands to
try and grab Rick again, but every time he tried, he crumpled to the ground as
his broken leg folded.
“Is it safe?” came a voice.
Rick glanced upwards to see that the female
paramedic was lying prone on the roof of the ambulance. A bad scratch parted
her left eyebrow, but she seemed otherwise okay. “What are you doing up there?”
he said. “Come down and help-”
The dead man tackled Rick around the waist, dragging
him to the ground. Before he could react, his enemy had straddled him and was
back to squeezing his throat. “Submit to slavery, worm, and you may get to live
out your days as a foot licker.”
Rick struggled, tried to bring his legs up to kick
the monster off of him,
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