Page 12 of Surviving Her

The woman glanced at Bobby’s corpse just a few feet away, her attention torn between the young nurse and the urgency in River’s voice. She took a deep breath, clearly trying to steady herself, and then nodded. “I’m Dr. Carter. Eliza. Alright. Are the introductions out of the way? Let’s move. This place…it’s not safe anymore.”

River nodded, her heart racing as she helped Eliza cover Bobby with a blanket. She couldn’t bring herself to look too closely at the young man’s face and the hollow look in his eyes. There was no time for that—not if they were going to get out of here alive.

As they turned to leave, a nearby door slammed open with a deafening bang. River spun around just in time to see another group of infected stumble into the hallway. They moved with a terrifying speed, their bloodshot eyes locking onto the two women as they snarled and clacked their jaws.

“Run!” Eliza shouted, grabbing River’s hand and pulling her down the hallway.

As they sprinted through the hospital, River’s lungs burned with the effort, her legs screaming for relief as she pushed herself to keep up with Eliza. Every turn seemed to lead them into more danger—more of the living dead. But Eliza clearly knew the hospital better than anyone. She navigated them through the labyrinth of hallways, up staircases, down staircases, through service areas and weird-smelling labs, through basement storage areas, and even a morgue with a determination that bordered on desperation.

They finally burst through a set of double doors into the hospital’s underground parking lot, the cold air hitting them like a wall. The vast space was dimly lit, the overhead lights flickering sporadically.

The generators must be struggling to stay on.

Eliza and River didn’t stop until they reached a corner of the parking lot where an old, rusted-out pickup truck sat gathering dust. The vehicle offered some cover, so they crouched down behind it, their breath coming in ragged gasps as they tried to catch their breath.

“Are you okay?” Eliza asked, her voice shaking.

River nodded, though she wasn’t sure how true it was. Every vein in her body was throbbing, but the sheer relief of having found a doctor was enough to keep her grounded. “I’m fine. But we need to figure out what to do next. We can’t stay here. I don’t understand what the fuck is going on. Is it really what it looks like? Zombies?”

“I think we’re okay here for a while. They can’t get through that door. I jammed it behind us,” explained Eliza, “and…I have no clue what this is. But it’s not normal, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

Eliza wiped a hand across her forehead, smearing a streak of blood that River hadn’t noticed until now. Her eyes were wide and filled with something River couldn’t quite place—fear, yes, but also something else—something that looked a lot like guilt. “You’re right,” River said, her voice dropping to just above a whisper. “Good job. But we still need to get out of here. Do you have any clue where can we go? The streets are just as bad as in there, you know?”

River bit her lip. Her head was full of questions, and she knew she wouldn’t get answers any time soon. She’d come all this way to find a doctor, and now that she had Eliza, she had to bring her back to the cabin to see her dad. But now that she’dwitnessed firsthand the state of the hospital, she wasn’t sure if that was even possible anymore. The world outside the hospital was a mess. It was more than a mess—it was insanity. There was no telling what they’d face on the road back to the cabin, and River didn’t fancy their odds of making the trip in one piece. But what else was she supposed to do?

“Listen up, lady,” River said, her voice coming out more steadily than she’d expected. “My father needs you. I honestly think you’re the only one who can do this. Sheila said you’d help me. I know it’s a lot to ask. I know you probably have your own family to go home to. But…but please…”

Eliza stared at River, her blue eyes searching River’s face as if trying to gauge who she was dealing with. River felt the weight of that gaze settle deep in her chest. She knew she was asking too much of this woman—more than she had any right to. But she was asking anyway.

Finally, Eliza sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. “Alright,” she said softly. “I’ll come with you. My family is out of town. Where else am I going to go? We can’t stay here, and it’s fair to say my patients are beyond help. I can’t go back in there. There’s nothing I can do, is there?”

Relief flooded through every cell of River’s being. She felt it so powerfully that it made her dizzy. There were no words that could truly express her gratitude. “Thank you,” was all she could muster.

Eliza flashed her a broad smile, but River noticed that there was no genuine warmth in it. “Let’s just get to this cabin of yours. It sounds remote, which is what we need right now. We can talk properly when we’ve made our way to safety.”

As they stood up to leave, River caught sight of a door at the far end of the garage. It was slightly ajar, and through the gap, she saw a faint light shining inside. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing in the direction of the doorway.

Eliza squinted. “I’m not sure. I don’t ever park my car down here. Maybe it’s a way out.”

They made their way over to the door, their footsteps echoing behind them. The door led to a small maintenance workshop filled with tools and supplies that seemed like they hadn’t been touched in a while. But what caught River’s attention was the shelf in the corner, lined with dusty bottles of water.

“What is this place?” asked River.

“The hospital made some cuts about a year back. I think there was a janitor crew down here. But they outsourced the work to save on the budget. I’m guessing nobody ever came to clear this place out.”

“Is that drinkable, do you think?” asked River, pointing to the dusty bottles.

“I guess so. I mean, normally I’d be worried about microplastics in bottled water that’s been hanging around this long…but I think we’ve got bigger issues. If we can find a way to carry some of these, let’s do it,” Eliza said, grabbing one of the bottles and inspecting it. The label was faded and the plastic was slightly discolored, but when she twisted the cap open, the water inside looked clear enough.

River grabbed a bottle. Her throat felt so dry after their sprint through the hospital. She hadn’t realized just how thirsty she was until now. The water felt warm as it passed her lips, but it was better than nothing. She gulped it down.

Gross, but also…thank God!

As she continued to drink, River couldn’t help but steal glances at Eliza. The doctor was standing by the door, her eyes scanning the parking lot for any sign of danger.

“We got lucky. I can’t believe there’s nobody down here,” she said.

“Don’t say that. You’ll jinx it,” River said, laughing slightly despite the seriousness of their predicament.

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