Peactrons (FULL STORY)

Atlea (Chapter 3)

  There is a scrubbing of bare feet down the white halls, a little girl about 12 pants and gasps as she hurries into a room. Her hospital gown is bloodied and her eyes were wide with fear. There is a screech of metal, another, then a loud bang. The sound pattern repeats closer and closer. The girl holds a photo of her family, she whispers a song, Civilian by Wye Oak. The pattern brakes to a soft pattern of footsteps, the flickering light of the hallway shadow a thin woman with a nurse hat. The shadow whispers, "Want to feel better?" The singing girl continues singing. A set of long metallic fingers curve on the broken window over the child's head. A head pops in slowly, it's eyes are dark with only a circle of yellow flickers surrounded by fake tearing skin. Atlea grins as she slides her hand off the window slit, and syringe then hovers above the girl's head. "I'll make you better," Atlea whispers to the sobbing girl.

   New vans drift to their sides outside of a white spacious building, the red cross hovers and flickers on the building. Groups of people in hazmat suits drop out of the van and patrol around the main doors of the hospital. Lt. Davis at the front with a yellow hazmat suit, Andres waddles to his father, not comfortable with the plastic suit. Andres questions, "Why are we getting Atlea, she is just a medical android, we don't need hazmat suits."

   Zoey cocks her shotgun and responds to Andres, "There were multiple reports stating that Atlea has been receiving numerous diseases, most we never encountered before." Carmen has a hazmat suit and the lieutenant raises a brow at her, she explains, "It's my job, and I saved your son, so you're welcome."

   The holographic tape surrounded the building, the JPD team passes through the line and waved at the panel near the door. The door opens and they head in quickly, an unclean air espaces shortly before the door shuts it self. Andres looks around the abandoned lobby, there were papers everywhere and the air was dense and musty with some color of air. Even through the stuffy suits, Andres could feel the grotesque smell of puke and sickness.

  The lights of the hallways flickered and most were dead. There were two leadings to the building, Lt. Davis decides, "We search both at the same time."

   Agent Fredrick has 3 of his men and Zoey go into the right. The two Davis and Matt with 2 other officers head down the left. Their guns attached with lights swing from empty door to room. They clear the hall and meet up again at a case of stairs, there is then a screech of a sound. Whether the sound was a voice or of metal, it didn't matter to the sweating figures in their suits. With caution and fear, they head up the stairs and to a door. An agent opens the door with ease, flash lights enlightened circles in the second level. There were several bodies laying all over the place, most were patients in rags while the rest were doctors and nurses. Their heads come to life and slowly turn to the newcomers. Few stranglers stagerly wander around, talking to the sky.

"What should we do?" Lt. Davis whispers at the FBI agent.

The agent only stares without answer, then chokes out, "we pass by, I guess."

   They troops tiptoe around and through the tangled bodies of the dying citizens. As Andres steps around a body, a hairy hand shoots out and clenches his ankle. Andres jumps in surprise and points his pistol at a woman with messy hair and wild eyes. The wild woman sputters, "Atlea...She is curing us...You must be cured." Andres kneels near the woman and questions, "Where is Atlea?"

Andres' father turns to his son and orders, "Keep moving son."

The woman only says to the air, "Must be cured, must be saved, before the clowns get you."

Matt shivers, "C-Clowns?"

   "Stay focused team!" Davis shushes but is too late. For the infected civilians begin to rise up and claw at the hazmats all moaning, "Atlea will cure." Each giving threats of random creatures and events that will happen if it is not done. An male patient holds a scalpel and runs at them, "Not the fleas!"