Undead Horizon

Chapter 01: Inception

I dashed up the fire exit stairs, my heart hammering against my chest. The radio chatter from the supervisor's office had confirmed my worst fears: something terrible was happening, and I had to check on Pierre. He's still locked in his room, oblivious to the chaos that was unfolding here and in the world.

My hand radio crackled, "Lee, Lee! Where are you?!" It was Daisy's voice, frantic and panicked. "Mary's not here, and the supervisor's not answering any of our calls!"

I stopped on a landing and leaned against the wall. I grabbed the hand radio, squeezing it hard as I prepared to tell her the truth. I pressed the button. "Mary took the day off, and the supervisor's gone. He turned into one of those things that attack!" I hated Daisy, but I knew I had to team up with whoever I could in this situation.

As soon as I released the button, Daisy came back on. "Damn it, damn it!" She cursed, "This can't be happening! The staff here are losing it and getting violent. When the doctors try to treat the wounds, the injured staff just attack them!" She gasped for breath, "I couldn't protect them, there were just... too many of them. And now I'm hiding in the damn maintenance room and hoping they don't find me here."

I pressed the button again, "But are you bitten too?"

"No, I'm not... after seeing how getting attacked and bitten can turn you into one of those disgusting things, I won't let myself become one of them!"

My mind raced as I processed Daisy's story. It was a miracle that she was still alive. I wasn't even sure if the attackers were still human, remembering how the supervisor had ignored me when I called out to him and warned him. "Okay, okay..." I said as I resumed climbing the stairs, "Do you have your baton with you, Daisy?"

"Yeah, I'm holding it right now," Daisy replied, "But what about your gun, Lee? Do you still have it?"

I paused as I looked down at my right holster where my Colt M1911 lay. I switched the hand radio to my left hand and pulled out my pistol. It had a metal frame and slide, both finished in a matte black color. The grip was made of wood, with a checkered pattern for better grip. The trigger was curved and smooth, with a light pull. The hammer was exposed and serrated, ready to strike the firing pin. The safety lever that was currently on was located on the left side of the frame, above the grip.

My pistol felt solid and balanced in my hand, with a comfortable weight and size. It fit my palm perfectly, as if it was made for me. "Yeah," I answered Daisy as I gazed at my gun, "It's with me."

"Good, that's good..." Daisy cleared her throat, "And where are you right now?"

I glanced up and saw the bold "2F" sign next to the door. "Heading to the second floor to check on the patients."

"With you being armed, it's best for you to protect the addicts as much as you can—" Daisy was interrupted by loud crashing noises on her end, "Shit! They found me! I'll page you later, Lee—" Her line went dead. I wondered if I should use the radio to ask what happened, but it seemed pointless as she had already said she would contact me again if possible.

I let out a sigh as I holstered my hand radio and used my free hand to push open the door and peek into the hallway. I leaned out and saw two figures wandering aimlessly down the hall: one in patient scrubs and one in a lab coat. Both of them looked bloody and had that familiar yellowish-gray skin. My eyes darted around the hallway and saw some of the patient doors wide open with blood pooling out from inside the rooms. I closed my eyes briefly as I imagined what had happened to those addicts. Luckily, none of the open doors were marked "21" where Pierre was.

I quickly retreated to the safety of the doorway, leaning against the cold metal frame. My eyes lingered on the safety lever of my Colt, contemplating whether I should do it or not. Taking a deep breath, I pulled up its lever, making this pistol engaged followed by pulling back its slide to make sure it was fully loaded.