Nine
The room was quiet for a few moments. Jones and Elijah were both breathing hard and the sound of their panting was all that echoed through the library. The older people and the fat man came creeping back in from where they had hidden in the reading area, one of them softly asking if everything was alright. Virginia stood up from behind the circulation desk and looked around at all the blood. She patted herself to make sure she was still all in one piece.
Seth had collapsed onto the floor, sitting down hard. He stood up now and wobbled over to the chair that he had been sitting in. He sat down and looked at Naomi. What the fuck had happened to her? What if there were more dead people coming back? He didn’t like the thought of that and stopped thinking about it. Then he remembered Ruth down in the basement. He stood up to go back downstairs.
“Where you goin’?” Jones, the male paramedic, asked. He was standing slightly bent over, his hands propped up on the circulation desk. Sweat was running down his face.
“Ruth is down in the basement, calling the police. I was going to get her, tell her everything is…. sorted out.” Seth pointed over his shoulder to the door leading down into the basement. “I won’t take long.”
The paramedic nodded, “Yeah, go get her. But the police ain’t gonna be much help. These things have been popping up all over, from what they’ve been sayin’ on the radio. I didn’t believe ‘em until now.” He looked at his partner. “Shit.” He pushed himself up off the desk and walked over to Elijah. Elijah was sitting on the floor, holding both hands around his bitten thigh. The wound didn’t seem to be too big, but it was bleeding profusely enough to have soaked the whole back of his pants leg.
“Fucking bitch. She fucking bit me,” Elijah gasped when he saw the paramedic coming his way. He kicked out at Naomi’s inert body with his good leg and spat at her. “Fucking bitch.”
“Here, let me get a look at it.” Jones rolled Elijah over onto his stomach, exposing the circular wound.
Seth turned and went down the stairs into the basement. He called “Ruth?” into the darkness, not wanting to sneak up on her. He tapped on the outside wall of the office she was in and called her name again. He heard her get up from the chair inside and she met him at the doorway. “Hi,” he said, smiling a little. “Find anything out?”
She was teary-eyed and shook her head. “No,” she said quietly. “No, there wasn’t even answer. It just rang and rang. What the hell is going on, Seth?” She looked on the edge of tears.
“Hey, hey. I — I don’t know, Ruth. But, here… come upstairs. You don’t need to be alone down here in the dark. Come on,” he moved beside her and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward the staircase. “Come on upstairs. It’s all settled down now. It’s all OK.“
They climbed the stairs and had just reached the little room that held the door to the stairs and the doors to the restrooms when Ruth spoke again. “I — I forgot the flashlight,” she said. “It’s still down there. I can go get it — “
“No, you go sit down. I’ll get it.” Seth turned around slowly, not really wanting to go into the basement but he had already volunteered himself.
“Actually, I think I need to pee,” Ruth said, smiling a little. “So I guess I’ll go in here first. I can leave the door open, to get a little light. Just call for me when you come back up.” She patted him on the shoulder and smiled again. “Thanks, Seth.” She turned and went into the bathroom, propping the swinging door open with the trashcan.
Seth stood there for a few moments, thinking it was insane to be attracted to someone when the dead were coming back to life. He chuckled once then turned and walked back down the stairs.
The flashlight was still sitting on the desk next to the telephone. He picked the phone up and tried dialing 911 again. The same irritating tune. He tried the operator and asked her for the city police department.
Clicks, hums, silence. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Seth sighed and set the phone down on the desk, the rings still buzzing into the silent room. “Guess we’re alone, then,” he said quietly to the dark room. He sighed, hung up the phone receiver, picked up the flashlight and left the room. He climbed the stairs slowly, mulling over what they could do, where they could go. They? Didn’t he just mean “he”? He wasn’t sure, but he decided it really wasn’t up to him. Either she’d go with him or she wouldn’t.
He stopped outside the still-open bathroom door and knocked on the wall. “Ruth?” She stepped out a few seconds later, looking as refreshed as could be expected. She had washed her face and it was mostly makeup-free. Her eyeliner had run a bit. He chuckled and she looked at him sideways.
“What?” She raised a hand to clean up her face but he stopped her.
“No, leave it alone. I need something normal. I think we all will.”
She stuck her head back around the door to look in the mirror and laughed herself. “I guess my makeup isn’t really a worry anymore, is it?” He shook his head and they walked out into the main room together.