Red Snow

Prolog

Rose looked at the flickering light bulb. A flash of light outlined a ghostly figure, but then darkness again hid the stranger. The woman carefully looked at the back of the corridor. A new flash again showed the man in the dark - she did not have time to examine him.

— Who's there? — Rose asked anxiously. In response, silence.

Vile goosebumps ran down her sweaty skin. Rose hurriedly threw an armful of things. She pulled a pistol out of her holster and, in anticipation of the next flash, glanced at the human figure through the scope of her weapon. The lamp flashed: for a second dispersed the darkness and showed a disfigured man.

— Infected! — exclaimed Rose, startled.

The man heard a scream, he looked around. A reflection of a short woman flickered in his embittered eyes. A furious growl escaped from his mouth. The stranger deftly ran to the woman. Having bared yellow teeth. Rose took aim, and on exhalation, gently pulling the trigger, shot him. The bullet thrust into the shoulder, but the man did not stop, but became even angrier. Then Rose shot several times. Bullets pierced the chest, stomach, leg. The man continued to run stubbornly - this time he noticeably limping. Rosa realized that she needed to shoot her limbs. She fired, and copper bullets tore his muscle ligaments and broke his knee joints. The distraught stranger collapsed to the floor. A muffled click - the bullets is over.

— Damn... — Rose said quietly.

She looked at the fallen man. In the disfigured areas, it was seen that muscle fibers contract on pale milk bones. Inflamed capillaries filled his eyes with bloody tears. Red drops ran down his cheeks. Drooling like transparent threads hung on his chin.

— Abomination... — said Rose in disgust.

— Don't kill me, please... — but he cried out in anger, — I'll kill you!

— You're on the edge, — she took out a blank clip and said, — I will relieve you of your suffering.

— Shit! — his mind turned inside out.

Gritting his teeth on his thumb, he shook his head insanely. The bone broke, the crimson liquid spilled out of the finger. In a fit of aggression, he began to bang his head on the floor. Due to the blows, bloody strokes remained on the concrete.

Rosa reloaded her weapon and shot it. The man was lying on the floor, but then slowly raised his head. A drop of blood flowed from a hole in the forehead. Life slowly left the body of the infected. Rose brought the barrel to her forehead and gently pulled the trigger. Shot. Small scarlet drops fell on the back of a half-naked stranger. His head fell loudly to the floor.

— Who shot? — a hunched fighter ran into the corridor, to the sound of a shot.

Rosa quickly aimed her gun at the soldier, but then she realized who was standing in front of her and turned her weapon to the side. — I could shoot you! — she asked. — Who missed the infected man?

One of the soldiers ... the stooped walked slowly toward the corpse. - This one sent him to the next world.

— I see, — she took out empty ammunition from her pocket and shook it near his face. — Give me yours, — the stooped stared at Rose. — You will take another in the warehouse.

— Do you know that Pasha tightened the delivery of ammunition? — asked the stooped fighter.

I know. Two ammunition per day. Not more. - said Rose. Pasha completely went crazy with these quarantines.

— Pasha is afraid of rebellion. Well, okay... — he said with a smile. — I'll give you my ammunition, — He took her empty ammunition from her, and gave his. Then, he gently touched the female hand. And he asked her. — What will you give me?

— Do not be arrogant! - but he continued to gently stroke her hand. She said. — Well, if you ask... I will hit on the your rotten teeth! — and added, crushing slaps on the cheek.

— A fiery woman! — he said admiringly, rubbing his reddened cheek.

— Take away the ego body! — Rose pointed a finger at the mutilated corpse.

The soldier squeamishly took the corpse by its dirty feet and dragged the body at the end of the corridor to the door where the staircase was. Rosa waited until he disappeared from sight. She lifted a spare jumpsuit with a gas mask from the floor. Entered the code and opened the iron door.

The hospital room looked cozy - in the spirit of the Soviet era: peeling paint on the walls, old linoleum, and a ceiling with a light bulb hung on the ceiling. Directly below him stood a tall blond girl.

— Rose? You scared me. I heard a shot outside the door. What happened

— Do not worry, — answered dryly, and threw a jumpsuit with a gas mask on the bed. — Put it on.

— For what? — the mistress of the chamber was surprised.

— The doctors and military were evacuated, — she said. — Soon the Russian authorities will be bomb the city.

— Why do you think that? Maybe the authorities found a vaccine, and they were called for training ...

Rose said irritably. — Anya, don't be a fool! What vaccine ?! Everything! The end!

— But here people are...

— People? — she looked at the metal insert, which completely obscured the window. — You were well isolated, — she turned to her friend, and said. — Listen, while you were in isolation. The world has changed. Mountains of smoldering skulls, this is all that remains of the inhabitants of the town.

— You said that everything is going for the better! — Anya scaredly stared at her friend.

— I lied — She pointed to the child. — I was worried that you would be nervous and your milk would disappear, — she took a gas mask and added. — Only former police officers from the city remained in the hospital. Those who are smarter make legs. Others continue to fanatically fulfill their duties. Um! — nervously grinned, — Fools! Under a pile of bombs, they will all die.

Anya looked at the sleeping child. The baby snorted softly with his nose. And sometimes she moved her pink legs and small hands. Mom felt the terrible anxiety for her child.

— What is your plan? — asked Rose.

— You just don't worry, — her worry anxiety flashed stronger at the words. — Yesterday, your husband contacted me.

— Anya opens her eyes wide, staring at her friend and cried out loudly. - Sasha! - her lips frantically shook. "I thought... That... He died ..." salty tears of joy flowed down his smooth cheeks.

— Do not Cry! — Rose wiped the tears from her friend's face. — If we can et out behind the wall, you can will see your Sasha.

— How do we can slip over the wall? — asked trembling voice Anya.

— In the basement of the second building, in the floor, a hole was hollowed into the sewer. We need to go through security at the main exit, — Rosa held out a rubber gas mask. — Here, put it on.

— Why not through the spare? — she asked, pulling on a puffy jumpsuit.

— Only the main exit is cleared. The emergency exit is littered with snow.

Anya carefully wrapped the child in a white blanket. She quickly put on a gas mask and said. — Go! — Door opened...

As soon as Anya entered the corridor. She immediately drew attention to the floor. Small thick drops of blood were near her left foot. Looking a little further, she saw red drops alternating one after another. They something like a narrow walkway.

to be continued