Godead

XI

As they approached the front entrance, they looked on at the four story structure, noticing it in shambles as broken windows lined the building. As they entered the lobby, they cringed, holding their noses as the stench of decay filled the air.

"Eww... it stinks so bad in here!" Misty said, voice sounding funny as she clamped her nose shut.

"Yeah. Even worse than the police station," Blair replied.

"We should stay alert. We're nearly out of bullets, and Abby took that pipe I was using," Claude said. The three warily traipsed through the hospital, stepping over corpses and debris as they looked around. As they approached a dark hallway, Claude paused, noticing a fire axe on the wall.

"In case of emergency, break open glass. Amazing it hasn't been broken, yet," he said, looking to Blair with a smile. "What do you say? This qualifies as an emergency, right?" he asked jokingly.

"...Ya think?" she replied lightly. "You're not breaking anything with that hand of yours, though," Blair said, stepping forward before breaking the glass with her elbow, retrieving the axe before handing it to Claude.

"Thanks, Blair," he replied, taking it with his good hand. "This should be more useful than a rusty old pipe," he concluded.

The three carefully continued through the hospital, looking into each room as they passed. Death lay in all directions; bodies strewn everywhere as spatters of blood lined the walls. An eery chill filled the air, and the halls were pitch dark, save for the occasional light flickering overhead. As the three neared a stairwell, they looked up.

"...Should we head upstairs?" Claude asked.

"Yes. That's likely where the medical supplies will be," Blair replied, the three cautiously heading to the next floor.

The second floor was worse than the first, debris lining the floors as the lights flitted on and off above them. The three crept through the corridors, bits of glass crunching beneath their feet. As they turned a corner, Misty paused.

"...What's wrong, sweety?" Blair asked, turning to the girl along with Claude.

"...Listen," Misty replied softly.

As the three fell silent, the sounds of a distant commotion echoed through the halls, faint moans following soon after. As the group stood in tense silence, a thin man with glasses appeared at the end of the hall, running at full speed from a mob of zombies. As he approached through the darkness, he stopped.

"...Wh... who are you people!?" he asked, out of breath as he eyed the approaching mob.

"No time for intros! Run!" Blair replied, the four rushing off before hurrying downstairs, closing the entrance to the stairwell as they narrowly escaped the zombies.

"...So much for heading upstairs," Claude said, soon turning to the stranger along with the others. "I guess it's safe to introduce ourselves, now. I'm Claude, and this is Blair and Misty," he said.

"Doctor Ralph Jenkins, MD," he replied.

"A doctor, huh? That's fortunate. Maybe you can take a look at Claude's hand. We got in a spot of trouble, earlier, and he cut it," Blair said. Ralph turned to Claude, having a look at his wound under the flickering lights.

"...Hmm. It doesn't look too serious. The bleeding's stopped, but you should certainly clean the wound with some water," he said, leading them to a nearby hospital sink. Claude turned the handle, washing the wound as he cleaned the blood from his hands.

"Thanks, doc," Claude said, turning the water off moments later.

"Shouldn't we get him some bandages?" Blair asked.

"It's not necessary. It's a minor laceration," Ralph replied, pushing his glasses up as Misty stood at Claude's side, staring at Ralph's bloody white coat.

"So what's your story, doctor? How have you managed to survive here so long?" Blair asked.

"Well... from what I recall, I was on a half hour break in an unoccupied room, taking a brief nap when there was a commotion outside. I looked out, noticing everyone going mad, clawing and... gnawing at each other," he said shakily. "I managed to lock myself in a room, and was safe for a few hours until one of those... people noticed me. He broke through the door, so I fled outside, and that's when I ran into you three," Ralph explained.

"I see," Claude said.

"I turned on the news just before the power went out. Is all this really... worldwide?" Ralph asked worriedly.

"So they say...," Blair replied.

Back on the streets, a familiar girl in green skipped down the sidewalk, looking around at the empty suburban landscape.

"Geez... I'm so bored, now. Isn't there anyone left to play with...?" Abby asked, humming a tune as she casually strolled down the pavement.

Just then, the sounds of distant aircraft filled the air. Abby turned around, spotting a fleet of military helicopters overhead. As Abby's hair blew around wildly, she grinned.

"...Well, now... they look like fun!" she said, suddenly following the fleet as it traveled north.

As Claude and the others stood in the hospital, the sounds of approaching helicopters grew near. The four approached a window, looking outside as an aircraft landed in the parking lot.

"...Looks like military guys," Claude said.

"Yeah. National Guard, probably. Oh, thank goodness...," Blair said in relief, the group watching as the troops left the aircraft.

The soldiers looked around, rifles raised as they carefully approached the hospital. As they marched across the parking lot, a guttural yell suddenly came from behind. The battalion turned around, spotting a single soldier drenched in blood, looking down as a small, pale arm pierced through his stomach.

"...Peek-a-boo!" Abby said playfully, grinning as the soldiers readied their rifles.

As they opened fire, Abby took cover behind the soldier she'd just killed, using his body as a meat shield as she picked up his assault rifle, raising it high before returning fire. As several soldiers fell to the ground, the others spread out, taking cover as they began firing back. As Abby's human shield broke and fell apart, she smirked, rushing sideways as she quickly strafed her attackers, cackling as she killed them one after another.

"Kya, ha, ha! Die, you maggots!" she exclaimed wildly, firing as she ran in circles around them, the soldiers trying in vain to land a shot.

As the last of the soldiers fell to the ground, Abby cheered, jumping and cheering as her maniacal laughter filled the air. As Abby cackled like a hyena, Claude and the others watched from inside, staring out the hospital window in shock.