Chapter 5: Family matters
samantha and michael cautiously open the door to the stairwell, looking at the massive amount of debris piled up, that blocks the path leading up to the floor above. They noticed, crushed and dismembered patients tangled in the carnage, showing the ruthlessness, and lack of self concern, that the infected patients have for themselves. Samantha speaks up, it is almost as they were building the barricade, the patients did not even hesitate or slow down, they just continued crushing each other, and mashing themselves, becoming a part of the blood covered barricade. Realizing how insane their strength is, michael begins thinking to himself, and recalls all the syringes in billy’s arms, that just maybe the more of the dosage the patients take, or are given the stronger and more dangerous they become. Thinking of this, michael tells samantha, that we have to find the medical supply room, and destroy the rest of the drugs, to prevent anymore harm, or this situation from getting any worse. Michael then asks samantha, if she knows where the supply room is located; and samantha reminds him, that it is just her first day here, and that she has no idea. However, she does remember a layout of the building, hanging on the wall in the lobby. Realizing that is their next goal, and they need to find that supply room as soon as possible. Michael and samantha peer over the rail, glancing down the poorly lit, narrow, seemingly endless flights of stairs, that lay ahead of them. It is quiet, and most importantly, nothing is blocking their path, with no sight of the horrors that they encountered on the floors above. Michael an samantha start heading down; and as they reach the stairs perched between the 11th floor, and the 10th floor, mike and sam, hear rustling and groaning below them. They look down too see the mangled infected patients, climbing up the flights below, with the larger infected patients, slinging the smaller ones over the rail. With the little guys bouncing off the metal with loud, pings all the way down, splattering in pools of blood, on the ground floor below. Michael and samantha rush to the exit of the 10th floor stairway, to see the hallway littered with the infected patients just swaying and standing all about, blood dripping from their bodies; almost as if they were waiting for mike and sam. Michael notices an elevator shaft completely exposed with the doors nowhere in sight. He explains to samantha, that we are going too have to slide down the cable too escape, and reach the ground floor. Michael can see the hesitation in sam’s face, but she knows that they have no other option, to escape this alive. By now all the slumbering infected patients, on the 10th floor have noticed their presence, and begin limping towards them. Michael tosses the satchel with their supplies down the shaft; hearing it bang on the busted elevator doors, that now lay at the bottom of the shaft. Leaning in and looking down, michael notices at the bottom, that the doors of the elevator are open, because of the light shining through. Mike and sam look at each other and mumble, "lucky us" as samantha climbs on michaels back, they leap for the cable. Grabbing it firmly and holding on for dear life, michael begins climbing down the worn, splintered cable, glancing up as they descend. Noticing the infected patients, are still coming toward the opening above, and as the patients reach the edge, they do not stop. The patients begin hurling themselves down the shaft, trying to knock michael and samantha from their grip of the sharp pointy cable, which is now digging into michaels hands, causing them to bleed down his forearm. As patient after patient, fly past them, and are slamming onto the shinny, busted up doors below, covering them, with their blood, and piling on top one another. All of a sudden a patient latches on to samantha, and begins trying to yank mike and sam from the cable, that would certainly lead to their deaths. After a struggle, samantha manages to bite off the infected patients thumb, dislodging his grip, sam then head butts him knocking him free, the patient bounces from side to side, of the shaft, down to a mound of bodies, which now lay below. The patients finally stop their assault; only because there are no more towering above them, michael did not think the patients would ever stop coming. As the two reach the 3rd floor, michael begins getting tired, and his grip begins slipping, with his hands soaked in blood and sweat, michaels grip then slips and they begin sliding out of control, down the cable, squeezing as tight as he can, and sliding faster and faster, michael can now feel his hand beginning to burn. As michael feels the flesh melting from his hands to the cable, mike and sam, slam into the pile of bodies at the bottom of the shaft, which act like a padded pillow of pulverized bones and flesh. They gather themselves, and get too their feet. Michael begins digging through the mashed up, bloody corpses, looking for their supply satchel, which is now underneath all this disgusting, bloody mess before him. As he is digging through body after body, michael finally finds the satchel. However, samantha notices one of the piled up bodies behind him, is not dead. The partly decapitated patient, rises too his feet, and starts lurking towards michael. Samantha quickly picks up a small stone stand, just outside the elevator opening, and smashes the abomination in the head, severing it completely from its body, which it was barely attached too, to begin with. Michael then stumbles’ his way over the corpses, and the decapitated straggler, and out the elevator shaft into the hallway. Mike and sam run through the halls towards the lobby, with michael following samantha in agonizing pain, from his shredded bloody hands. Michael asks samantha to stop, and tells sam that he needs to wrap his hands, and that they are killing him. Samantha reminds michael, that they are heading to the medical supply room, where they will be able to tend to michael’s hands, and get him some pain killers. Samantha and michael finally, walk into the lobby’s lounge area, with the layout of the building, plastered on the wall, which happens to be right next to the exit of the building. (very tempting) as michael looks at the map, he finds that the supply room is located in the basement of the building, which is only accessible by one stairway, which is located in the northern part of the floor, which they are on currently. Feeling somewhat relieved, that mike and sam do not have to climb back up through hell. Michael notices something has caught samantha's eye, samantha looks over by the small section, that is set up for toddlers, and visitors. Samantha gasps, then shouts out loud, nooooo! With an obvious sadness in sam’s voice, michael ask samantha, what is wrong? Samantha crumbles into michaels arms with her head on his chest, explaining, "i completely forgot with everything that has happened” “,that my husband and daughter were coming to have lunch with me” “, how could i forget that”, with samantha in a panic, michael asks samantha, “what makes you think that there here”? Samantha then points to a small doll, that is sprawled on an empty chair and explains; “that’s my daughters favorite toy” “, and she takes it everywhere she goes” “, she never leaves the house without it” “, and she would not have left it behind, without something bad happening”. Trying to ease samantha’s mind, michael mention’s; that just maybe her family got out of here, when the emergency alarm sounded, by heading right out the front doors. Looking somewhat relieved with that possibility, samantha grabs the doll, and shoves into the satchel. Samantha runs to the front desk, grabs the phone, and starts dialing her home phone, it rings and rings, no answer. The answering machine picks up, playing a message that the whole family had recorded together, samantha slams the phone down, hanging up. Starting to panic, samantha then tries again. This time her husbands cell phone, but the same thing, it just keeps ringing and ringing, finally her husbands voicemail picks up saying, “you have reached jason price, and i can’t get to my phone right now, if you leave a message i will call you back. Maybe!” samantha decides to leave a brief message, speaking into the phone visibly shaken, samantha asks “oh honey, are you there” ”, are you ok” ”, where are you”, samantha lets him know that we are looking for them, and that we are going to find them. Samantha then ends the message with; “please tell alyssa, that mommy loves her” ”, and that everything will be ok”. Samantha hangs up the phone, and tells michael that they have to find her family. Trying to console samantha, michael gives samantha a hug and tells her that we will find them, and that everything will be ok. First, let us get to the supply room, to take care of my hands, and destroy the rest of the drugs, that caused this mess. Samantha nods, then michael, and samantha both begin heading down the hall, toward the supply room. They reach the door, leading down to the supply room, noticing that it is locked from the inside, michael shouts, “let us in we're not infected”, no answer, he shouts again; “if your in there, back away from the door, i’m going to shoot the lock and come in”, no answer. Michael pulls the trigger, blasting a hole in the door, and releasing the lock. The door slowly swings open, revealing a dark set of stairs, winding down to the supply room.