THEM

Chapter 12

Getting into the parking garage without a four legged, blood thirsty, beast trying to tear out our throats definitely made things easier for us the second time around.

We easily made it up four flights of stairs before exiting on the fourth floor of the hospital. It was only once we started walking down the halls that I noticed something was wrong.

"Where is everybody?" I asked.

There wasn't a single person in sight.

No nurses, no doctors, no patients.

Cory kept moving without breaking stride as he answered me.

"The first couple of days after they started showing up people tried to stick it out. They tried barricading the doors and whatnot but it didn't matter. Eventually they got inside here too."

I hurried after him as he made a sharp right turn down another hallway.

"Once they got in, the living got out. All the doctors, nurses, and patients who were able left to seek shelter somewhere else. Somewhere safer."

"What about the patients who couldn't?" I asked quietly and Cory stopped long enough to give me a solemn look over his shoulder that told me all I needed to know.

They got left behind.

They were left for dead.

I didn't have the nerve to ask any other questions after that as we continued on.

At the end of the hall Cory finally stopped in front of one of the many rooms occupying the floor. I watched as he reached out to grab the door knob before slowly pushing the door open.

Sticking his head inside, he looked left and right making sure it was all clear before ushering me inside.

Taking a look around, I found that we were in a small room that was used to house various types of medicines. All of them harder to pronounce than the last.

I simply stood back and let Cory do his thing knowing I'd definitely be of no help on this one. Trying to read and pronounce medicines was the equivalent of trying to understand magic spells.

Once he had the the medicines and syringes tucked away safely in his bag he turned to me and nodded towards the door.

"Let's go."

Now, that was something I could do.

I quickly grabbed the door handle, pulling the door open and stepped outside into the hallway only to be greeted with the end of a scalpel.

Freezing in my spot, I followed the scalpel with my eyes, up to an arm, which then met broad shoulders, which eventually ended at a head.

I took in the face before me.

Pale skin could barely be seen underneath the thick scraggly beard that covered most of his face. Somewhere behind all that dark facial hair was a pair of chapped lips that were parted to show yellowed and broken teeth. Farther up there sat a crooked nose and then there were his eyes.

Bloodshot. Wild. Frantic.

The eyes of someone who obviously wasn't in the right state of mind.

I swallowed hard before turning my head just enough so that I could glance at Cory behind me.
He was standing stiff as a board as he watched the man in front of me.

"Where is it?!" The man suddenly hissed, drawing my attention back to him.

"Where's what?" Cory asked from behind me, his voice calm and collected. The very opposite of what I was feeling right now.