Chapter 7:The Quest within the Deserted Hospital

The rusted sign above creaked in the wind:"Mercy Falls General Hospital."More like"No Mercy Falls,"Alexander thought grimly.The air hung thick and heavy,a nauseating cocktail of decay,disinfectant long since turned sour,and something else…something indefinably wrong.It was the smell of death,amplified and concentrated.Isabella wrinkled her nose."Ugh,it smells like a zombie's gym socks in here."Alexander chuckled,the sound tight with tension."Let's hope that's the worst we encounter."He squeezed her hand,the warmth of her touch a reassuring anchor in the oppressive gloom.The hospital's entrance yawned before them,a gaping maw of shattered glass and peeling paint.Inside,the dim light filtering through grimy windows revealed a scene of utter chaos.Overturned gurneys,scattered medical files,and bloodstains that looked disturbingly fresh painted a grim picture.They moved cautiously into the main lobby,the silence punctuated only by the crunch of debris under their boots and the distant,unsettling drip…drip…drip…of some unknown liquid.Isabella's medical instincts kicked in,her eyes scanning the debris for any sign of usable supplies,any clue to the virus's origins.Alexander,meanwhile,remained hyper-alert,his senses on high alert.He trusted his gut,and right now,his gut was screaming"DANGER."The silence,however,was short-lived.A cacophony of shouts and the clatter of metal echoed from down a corridor.Alexander's grip tightened on Isabella's hand."Showtime,"he muttered.They rounded a corner and found themselves facing another group of survivors,led by the ever-charming David Green.David's face,already etched with the harsh lines of survival,twisted into a sneer at the sight of them."Well,well,well,"David drawled,his voice dripping with sarcasm."Look what the cat dragged in.Fancy meeting you two lovebirds here.Come to scavenge,have we?"Isabella stepped forward,her chin lifted."We're here for the same reason you are,David.To find answers."David let out a bark of laughter."Answers?Honey,the only answer you'll find in this hellhole is how quickly you can die."He gestured around at the dilapidated surroundings."This place is a tomb.And we were here first."One of David's goons,a burly guy with a shaved head and a menacing sneer,cracked his knuckles."Yeah,pretty boy.Time for you and your girlfriend to take a hike."Alexander felt a surge of anger,hot and primal.He was itching for a fight,ready to unleash the pent-up frustration and fear that had been simmering within him.But Isabella placed a calming hand on his arm."David,"she said,her voice surprisingly steady,"we can work together.We're all after the same thing–a cure,a way out of this mess.We'll have a better chance if we cooperate."David's eyes narrowed,considering her words.For a moment,Alexander thought he might actually agree.But then,a cruel smile spread across David's face."Cooperate?"he scoffed."In this world,sweetheart,it's every man for himself.Survival of the fittest,and all that jazz.You two are clearly not fit."He nodded towards his crew."Get rid of them."Laura Blue,a woman who always stay in the back,frowned her eyebrow.The thugs started to advance,their intentions clear.Alexander tensed,ready to spring into action."Isabella,stand back,"he says."Alex,don't!"But before he could make a move,before the first punch could be thrown,a new sound pierced the air.It's low growl.It was a chorus of them,growing louder,closer..."What the..."David began,his eyes darting towards the source of the terrifying symphony.From the depths of the hospital's darkened corridors,shadows began to stir.Not the shadows cast by flickering light,but somethingwithinthe darkness itself.The growls intensified,taking on a sickening,wet quality.A glint of yellow eyes appeared,then another,and another,multiplying rapidly.They were surrounded.The creatures that emerged weren't the slow,shambling corpses of typical zombie lore.These were faster,leaner,their movements unnervingly agile.Their skin was a sickly,mottled green,stretched taut over bone,and their mouths were filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth,dripping with a viscous,black fluid.One of them lunged,not at David's group,but at Laura Blue,who stood at the edge of the group,her face paling.The creature's claws,elongated and wickedly sharp,ripped through the air.