Chapter 17: Fight

The air was heavy with tension as Adam and Monica stepped into the heart of the hospital. The oppressive darkness enveloped them, and the faint glow of their flashlight barely cut through the thick, musty air. Every step they took echoed eerily through the vast, decaying halls, the silence making everything feel even more foreboding.

As Adam surveyed their surroundings, his senses remained sharp. The building was like a tomb—cold and lifeless, with an unsettling sense of abandonment. The walls were cracked and covered in grime, remnants of the old world still visible in the peeling posters and the broken medical equipment that littered the floors. But it was the silence that felt the most dangerous.

"We need to find the lower levels," Adam murmured, his voice low as he turned to Monica. "That's where the crystal will be."

Monica nodded, her face steely. She was no stranger to danger, but even she could sense the unnatural atmosphere here. "We'll stick together," she said, her tone firm. "I'll watch your back."

They continued deeper into the hospital, making their way toward the stairs that would lead them to the lower levels. The faint smell of decay and something more pungent—something foul—hung in the air. Adam's instincts screamed at him to move faster, but he kept his pace steady, knowing that rushing would only get them killed.

As they passed through another hallway, Adam felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine. His eyes darted to the sides, every corner seeming to hide something that wasn't quite right. Then he heard it—a faint, shuffling sound, like something dragging itself across the floor.

"Stay alert," Adam whispered, drawing his machete from its sheath.

Monica mirrored his action, pulling out a small, silenced pistol and keeping her eyes trained on the hallway ahead.

The sound came closer, a low, guttural growl now accompanying the shuffling. Adam's heart raced. Whatever was out there was too big to be a regular zombie.

"Get ready," he muttered, his body tense as he stepped toward the corner. He held his machete in both hands, ready to strike.

The growl grew louder, and suddenly, a massive form appeared in the dim light. It was a creature unlike any zombie Adam had encountered before—a hulking beast, its body grotesquely twisted with bulging muscles and strange, unnatural growths. Its skin was a sickly gray, stretched taut over its bones, and its eyes were bloodshot, full of a mindless hunger. Its mouth was lined with jagged, needle-like teeth, and it staggered toward them with an unsettling, jerky gait.

It was a mutated monstrosity—a product of whatever experiments had taken place here before the outbreak. Adam could feel his pulse quicken as he assessed the threat. This wasn't just a zombie. This was a predator, and it was hungry.

"On my signal," Adam whispered to Monica, his eyes locked on the creature. "Wait for it to come closer."

Monica nodded, her grip tightening on her weapon. She was ready. They had both seen their fair share of monsters in the past few months, but the stakes were higher now. They were here for something far more valuable than just survival—they were after the power that would allow them to rise above this apocalypse.

The creature lunged forward, its massive form barreling down the hallway toward them. Adam didn't hesitate. With a swift movement, he dashed forward, slamming his machete into the side of the creature's skull. The blade sank deep, but the creature hardly slowed down. Instead, it let out a deafening roar, swiping its massive claws at Adam, sending him flying backward.

Adam hit the floor with a grunt, but he was already moving. He scrambled to his feet, his body aching from the impact, but adrenaline was coursing through his veins. He couldn't let it get the better of him.

Monica fired several shots from her pistol, each bullet hitting the creature in the chest. But the bullets seemed to have little effect. The creature's skin was tough, and it was far too powerful to be taken down so easily.

"Focus on its head!" Adam shouted as he lunged forward again, this time aiming for the creature's eyes. His machete found its mark, cutting deep into the creature's face. The monster howled in pain, staggering back as blood and ichor sprayed from the wound.

Monica took her chance, charging forward and slamming her pistol into the creature's temple. She pulled the trigger, and this time, the bullet found its mark, sinking deep into the monster's brain. The creature let out a final, guttural scream before it collapsed to the ground, twitching once before it went still.

Adam stood panting, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The adrenaline from the fight still surged through his body, but he couldn't afford to linger. They had a mission to complete.

"Let's move," Adam said, wiping blood from his blade.

Monica nodded, her face hard but focused. She had no time to dwell on the violence they had just faced. There was no time for weakness in this world—only survival.

They continued down the hallway, carefully stepping over the corpse of the mutated creature. Adam's mind was already on the next step of their plan. They were getting closer to the crystal, closer to the power that would allow them to protect themselves from whatever else the world could throw at them.

But as they moved deeper into the hospital, the silence grew even more oppressive. It was as if something was watching them—waiting for them to make a mistake.

A few minutes later, they reached the lower levels. The air grew colder the deeper they went, the shadows in the corners of the rooms more suffocating. There was something unsettling about this place. Adam had faced numerous dangers in the apocalypse, but the feeling in this hospital was different. It was like a sense of dread hanging in the air, a feeling that something ancient and terrible lurked beneath the surface.

As they rounded a corner, they found themselves in a large, open space—what had once been a medical lab. It was dark, save for the flickering light of a single malfunctioning overhead bulb. And in the center of the room was a sight that made Adam's blood run cold.

On a slab in the middle of the room, surrounded by various medical instruments, lay the source of the power they were seeking: a massive, pulsating crystal. It was the size of a human heart, glowing with an otherworldly light.

But it wasn't the crystal itself that made Adam's heart race—it was what stood guard over it.

A hulking, armored figure was standing over the crystal, its eyes glowing red in the dark. It was unlike anything Adam had seen before—part machine, part mutated creature. Its metal exoskeleton gleamed in the dim light, and its massive sword was raised, ready to strike.

"This is it," Adam whispered. "The guardian."

Monica's eyes narrowed, her grip on her pistol tightening. "We'll have to take it down before we can get the crystal."

Adam nodded. This was it—the final test before they could unlock the power they had come for.