Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Casey walked into the main lobby of the hospital.  From memory, she knew it to be spacious with very little decoration, a plant or two set within the entrance corners.  To the left and right of the lobby were entrances to adjacent hallways leading further into the building.  The off-white tiled floors were usually polished to a glossy sheen.  However, now she was barely able to see through the dim lighting to the rounding counters she knew to be the nurse’s station at the back of the room.  Emergency lights…The heavy footsteps of her booted feet sounded throughout the empty room.  She swallowed, a tad nervous at the hospital’s eerie silence.  It seems no one is here either.  What could have happened?

The sight of the nurse’s station came into view through the dim light and Casey hastened her stride.  Coming to a stop just before the counter’s edge, she looked over its surface briefly before rounding the desk.  There were two desktops stationed on either sides of the desk, a phone placed in between.  Biting her bottom lip, she reached for the phone, doubtfully.  Picking up the receiver, she placed its chilled plastic to her ear.  Nothing but silence greeted her.  Not even static was on the line.  “Damn.”  Gritting her teeth, she placed the receiver back roughly in its place.

Sidestepping to her left, she bent over to the monitor next to her, seeing that it too had a dull lighting illuminating from its screen.  Looking to the task bar, she saw the internet connection was out as well.  “Figures.”  She grumbled, nibbling at her thumbnail.  Along with biting at her bottom lip, gnawing her thumbnail was a nervous habit she came by as a child whenever she went into deep thought.  It seems all connections to the outside world have been cut. Maybe some sort of security action… But, why aren’t the town’s boarders’ barricaded then?

A devastating bang sounded from the hall to her left reverberating through the empty corridors like a shockwave, snapping Casey from her deep concentration.  Instinctively she reached for her pistol, usually placed within its holster strapped to the lower part of her back, and grasped at nothing.  Her hand fell to her side remembering she had left the gun at the base, figuring she wouldn’t be needing it on her visit back home.  Now she regretted that decision.  Something definitely seemed to be taking place within this small town of hers and having her firearm would have made her feel just a tad bit more at ease.

Looking to the hallway the noise had sounded from, Casey carefully advanced, her heart beating a little faster from the scare.  She wasn’t sure what she might encounter, but she wanted to know what had happened to her hometown.  Her mind was already reeling with all sorts of possibilities but no plausible ones.  Marksville was just too far off the map for a terrorist attack and there were no nearby facilities for any kind of chemical spill to have taken place.  The other thoughts she had come by were just too bizarre, possibly from watching too many sci-fi movies at night.

 Placing her back to the wall, just to the right of the archway, she mentally prepared herself for what may be lying in wait for her, and then she steadily leaned her upper half around the corner to survey the area.  There was a long hall stretched out ahead of her with patient rooms on either side, the large doors spaced five to six feet apart.  Behind her was a large pane glass window that had been broken and by the looks of it, something had smashed into it from the outside.  Besides the glass littering the floor, there was nothing else to be seen.  Not even a drop of blood that would have been expected from the broad pieces of jagged glass hanging from the panel could be seen on the white tiles.  Whoever had crashed through had been extremely lucky.  Stupid, yes, but lucky all the same.

But the noise I had heard definitely hadn’t come from broken glass…it sounded more like someone had knocked over a heavy piece of equipment or rammed into a wall with a cart…or something like that.

Seeing the hall was clear, Casey stepped out from behind the wall, taking in a lungful of air and exhaling before breathing her normal breaths.  Continuing a deliberate stroll down the hall she noticed the doors to the patient’s rooms had been pulled shut which was odd to her since every time she had visited anyone at this hospital the doors were ordinarily open. If the nurses were changing a patient’s dressing, they simply pulled the curtains closed in its place.  

Raising a brow, she stopped at room number 103 and reached for its curved handle.  Grasping its smooth metallic texture firmly in her hand she pushed down.  The handle didn’t even budge.  “Locked?”  She questioned aloud dropping her hand back to her side already looking to the other doors.  Are they all locked?  She walked across the hall to room 106 where she tugged down on its handle, finding that, it too, was locked.  But why?

Another noise, much louder this time, rung out from down the hall, causing Casey to flinch: her heartbeat now doing double time.  Letting out a long alleviating breath, she mentally encouraged herself to move forward, taking slow deliberate steps down the lengthy hallway.  Have to keep it together.  She urged herself, though the eerie faint light from the florescent bulbs did little to calm her frazzled nerves.

What had seemed like an eternity, she had finally reached the end of the hall, finding the joining area split in to two ways: left and right.  Placing her back flat up against the wall as she did before, Casey could see the right hall was clear, ending in a set of closed double doors.  All she needed to do now was gain enough nerve to look to the hall behind her.  Carefully, she leaned gradually out into the hall, scanning the area with a sideward glance, and discovering it too was empty. 

Letting out a frustrated huff Casey leaned back against the wall, resting her head to its surface.  If there is nothing here, where the hell is that noise coming from?

Stepping away from the wall, she rounded the corner, knowing the only way to find her answer was to keep moving.  As the hall before, either side was set with closed doors with numbers.  Further down to the right were a set of elevators.  Though it crossed her mind for an instant, Casey decided against it.  If I can’t find anyone here, I doubt I’ll be going upstairs.

Continuing her search, she could hear a clatter of movement coming from further down the hall.  It had been so low at first, she was uncertain she had even heard it.  She took a few hurried steps forward, pausing a few feet from the second last door on the left, an uneasy feeling coming over her suddenly. The sounds were coming from inside that room; there was no doubt about it.  Nevertheless it seemed everything in her was telling her not to go inside…that something very bad was about to happen…

Nevertheless, she couldn’t ignore the fact that the sounds may be from someone, or even a group of people, that might need her help.  So she stepped forward, ignoring her screaming instincts.  I’ll just take a quick look…if I don’t like what I see I’ll high tail it out of here.

After reaching the door, she looked to the handle, seeing it had been broken off, the door somewhat ajar.  It seemed all it need was a little push.  But why is this handle broken?  Alarms seemed to go off in her mind.  If there were people hiding, they wouldn’t have broken that lock just to get in.  It would be a dead giveaway that there was someone inside, especially since all the other doors were locked.  Could this be a trap?  She backed away from the door just as something scraped across its wooden surface.  

The door began to open with a drawn out creak as three razor sharp claws edged their way around the door, once white in color now stained a darkened red.  Casey’s eyes widened, her pulse racing at the sight of these talons unhurriedly pulling the wooden door open before her revealing a creature only to be seen in an unthinkable nightmare.

Crouching on all fours was a humanoid being with talons in place of hands and feet.  At the moment, it didn’t seem to acknowledge her presence, as if its black oval eyes were purely darkened pits embedded into its oval blooded face.  Casey became repulsed at the spectacle before her, of its blood-smeared features; it appeared to be covered head to toe in the dark glistening liquid.  

And that was when the realization came to her, making her feel more revolted by the sight of its bloodstained body.  The creature gave the impression as if being skinned, the dark ridges of muscle tissue, the sight of its brain with its crinkling effects the organ generally had, being able to see the muscles within its chest constricting and extending as the heart beneath beat, as the lungs took in and released oxygen.  She was visibly able to see this organism’s anatomy at work.

It stretched out its long left arm, its talons clicking upon the tiled floor, and strode forward, its body knocking into the doorframe with an audible solid thump.  She gasped in awe.  It has a clear exoskeleton?

At the sound of her gasp, the monster before her shrieked, a sound mixed with a raspy inhumane cry and a rush of a hushed breath like a hiss, revealing its sharp jagged teeth in its impossibly widening mouth.  Casey took a step back as the thing before her brought back its head before spewing out a greenish colored liquid at her.

With a horror-stricken yelp, she impulsively raised her arms in a crisscross fashion covering her face as the liquid sprayed her bare arms.  Her skin felt as if it were burning from exposure to this vile liquid.  Hastily she wiped what liquid she could onto her t-shirt the pain easing to some extent as its gooey consistency tried to cling to her skin.  

Gritting her teeth Casey looked to the creature and before it was able to make its next move, she stepped forward, stomping her left foot down onto its face.  The beast screeched again, this time a shrill high-pitched noise, and backed away hurriedly, bashing into the wall behind it, shaking its head as if to rid the pain it had endured.  

Casey didn’t wait for the creature to recover, already taking her chance to sprint down the hallway with the hope of escape accompanying her.  It wasn’t long after that the sound of rapid ticks could be heard from behind.  The creature was pursuing her and gaining fast.  What should I do?  She neared the elevator doors.  If it catches up to me-

A strong force yanked her towards the elevator, cutting her thoughts short as her back hit the doors with a muted thud.  A gloved hand was then clasped over her mouth as a dark figure of a man leaned over her, preventing her from moving.  “Don’t move, don’t move!”  His voice came out as a hushed pleading tone.  “It won’t find us if we don’t move.”

Casey’s eyes widened as the creature came into view.  It stopped before them, bringing its front legs closer to its body, placing the monster in an almost squatted position.  She flinched when the creature faced her, closing her eyes tightly.  It cannot see me.  It cannot see me.  It cannot see me.  She ensured herself repeatedly.

She heard one last shriek before the repeated ticks of its talons as it raced down the hallway in search of its prey.  A few moments of silence passed by before the man who had saved her backed away, looking down the hall in the direction the creature had run.  “Are you alright?”  He then asked, studying her.

“I’m fine.”  She responded softly, looking the man over.  

He was dressed in some form of uniform.  At first, she thought it to be military, but upon closer inspection, she could see the material wasn’t quite right.  She was not sure what kind of material his uniform was made from, but the black material seemed much stronger then the cloth the army handed out, giving a slight sheen in the emergency lighting.  If she wasn’t mistaken, she thought it to be padded as well.  

Strapped around his torso was a combat vest with eight large pockets on the front, four on either side of the zipper in rows of two.  Covering his face was a large tinted splashguard attached to the helmet he wore.  Within his right gloved hand, he held a large, ridged dagger, the type used in hunting.  The uniform he wore was definitely made for combat.  

Suddenly, she felt herself begin to tire, felt her skin begin to get increasingly warm.  She rubbed gently at her eyes, her vision blurring from her unexpected fatigue.  The incident with that creature must have taken more out of her then she thought.

 The man placed his free hand to her shoulder grasping her attention.  “Miss?  If you are able to move, we must go now.”

Casey looked to him through her distorted vision.  “Go where?”  Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

“To my comrades.”  He said removing his hand from her shoulder.  “They are on the other side of the building.”

Her gaze lowered to her feet. “But what of that thing?”  She questioned, fighting to say the words.  Damn, it’s hard to even think…

“We just have to be exceptionally careful.  If we do come across it, I’ll take care of it.”

“I see.”  Casey said swallowing, thinking the man to be a little too self-assured, before finding herself not caring half as much.  Right now, if she could find somewhere to rest, that’s where she wanted to be.  “Then let’s be going.”  She took a wobbly step forward.  

The man stepped before her.  “Are you sure you are alright. Miss?”

She looked to him confused. “Where are we headed?”

The man only studied her, watching as she took another step forward.  The feeling of nausea washed over her, the room swaying beneath her feet.  Turning her head to the side, she vomited onto the floor, her body hunching over from the forceful heave.  

Placing an arm around her back, the man placed her left arm around his shoulders.  “We have to move.  The poison is moving fast.”

“P-poison?”  Casey questioned breathlessly allowing her savior to lead her through the hall.  “But how, when?”  Were the only words she could say before her legs buckled beneath her.  All she could remember before utter darkness was a pair of strong hands lifting her from the floor.