Chapter 13 Where The Dungeons Are

The week was coming to an end with unanswered questions for Doctor Zack.  No one was allowed on the first floor of the hospital. He stood outside in the rain, his umbrella not doing much to keep the wind from blowing rain into his face. He stood at the boarded up entrance to Darteret Hospital glancing up periodically from photos of earlier in the week.  He shook off his disbelief at the images, wondering still, how could the company photographer gather the angles that were presented to the team. The body in the photo didn't matter yet.  People were dead and not by heart attack.

Who is this Damien? Doctor Zack asked himself, looking at the destruction in real time from the outside.

"The rumor is, Darteret Hospital harbors more than humans." Doctor Zack said, speaking intensely to a member of law enforcement.

"You asked for us to be present just in case hospital security roughed you up.  We've got our own gnomes and pixies to handle.  That's why Lucky got the job of moonlighting rumors."

Doctor Zack blinked consistently, not liking the conversations tone.  He'd heard the jokes a thousand times.

The slow computers that were used were enough to get his name out there. If only his gang of theorist would have fact checked themselves, he'd be sitting at a computer screen, glued to a chair with a bunch of eager scientists waiting for an answer over a telephone line. The anticipation was always great, he remembered.

"How do you feel about this pixie, officer?" Doctor Zack asked, showing a photograph of a large hairy beast lying on the hospital floor.

"Well it's not Sasquatch." The officer said, returning to him the rain dropped photograph. "There's video of him." The officer said without adding more to his answer.

Doctor Zack snorted frustratingly at his escort and snatched the photo.

"We're getting nowhere out here." He said.

"Let's head to the basement. The warrant's got the place covered.  You know, it's a good thing justice is on your side otherwise you'd be laughingstock." The officer said, grinning.

"Guess what?" Doctor Zack asked.

"What?" Said the officer, genuinely curious about the question.

"I'm afraid we're too late for that.  Come on.  Let's go find evidence of pixies since you say they're real" Doctor Zack said, leaving the officers side.

The virus made the hospital seem small to Dr. Zack, adjusting his mask.  Beds and staff filled the first floor wherever they could, obviously needing the space. Such an amazing feeding ground for a werewolf, he thought, realizing that everybody looked to be sick of something but he wasn't there for a microscopic entity that turned the world upside down.  A telescope and a clear evening or night sky to gaze at the gray celestial object in the sky suited him better than the cop with the search warrant that included the hospital basement.

The elevator door closed after the officer pressed the button.  Dr. Zack looked at him blankly.  The cop returned his stare wth a smile that made Dr. Zack shiver noticably.  He was sure the officer knew that it was the rain. 

The elevator stopped to the rising stench of decay overpowering the small rectangular box.  Dr. Zack and his guide looked at each other seemingly to recognize the smell of death.

The door opened.  The officer approached the basement with caution, his firearm out.

"What did you say you were looking for?" He asked Dr. Zack.

"We've already found it." He replied, flinching at the odor of death hitting him in the nose.

Bodies covered the basement floor.  And body parts hung from shelves and they were laid to rest on top of filing cabinets.

Too many to count.

"Come on." Commanded the officer.

"I'm not a cop." Dr. Zack said taking a step back into the elevator.

"You see it done all the time on tv.  Now you are.  Deputy." The officer said ordaining Dr. Zack quietly and stepped out of the elevator.

Blood covered the floor in multiple skids, alerting to the fact that bodies had been dragged into the room.

"The person could still be in here." The cop whispered, waving his body with the firearm from one side to the other, scanning the death chamber.

"Shouldn't you call for back up?" Dr. Zack asked.  "You see it done all the time on television."

"I need this promotion, deputy." Said the officer.  "I find this thing and detective begins to sound better everytime I wonder about it."

"Ok.  Hero.  It's your call."

"But it's your search.  Now shut up and let's move."