Episode 1 – Hospital of Blood
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The fluorescent lights above buzzed with a sickly hum, casting a pale glow over the hospital room. The stench of bleach couldn't mask the underlying odor—decay, hopelessness, the smell of slow death. Zack sat slouched in a chair by the window, hoodie pulled tight over his head, knuckles raw from punching walls during the endless nights he couldn't sleep. His mom lay on the bed, skeletal and weak, tubes feeding her like a machine keeping a ghost alive.
She turned her head, cracked lips curving into a fragile smile.
"Baby… you still here?"
"Where else would I be?" Zack muttered, gripping her hand. It was cold, so fragile it felt like if he squeezed, her bones would splinter.
Her cancer had taken everything from her—her hair, her strength, her voice. And Zack hated it. Hated the world, hated the unfairness, hated that he was seventeen and powerless while life chewed his mother apart in front of him.
Then the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
The entire hospital drowned in darkness.
The hum of machines died. The heart monitor flatlined. In the silence, Zack heard screams.
Not just one. Dozens. From different floors, echoing through the halls. Then came the sound of tearing. Flesh ripping. Bones crunching. Wet, sloppy bites followed by choked moans.
"What the fuck…" Zack shot to his feet. He pressed his mom's hand to his chest. "Stay here, I'll—"
The door creaked open.
A figure stepped in, tall and lean, skin pale like marble, eyes glowing faint crimson. Its mouth stretched into a smile too wide, revealing fangs dripping with saliva. A vampire.
Zack's heart thundered. His fists clenched. "Get the fuck away from her."
The vampire tilted its head.
"Oh, brave little morsel. You smell… young. Fresh. Your mother's ripe, but you…" Its tongue licked over fangs. "You'll taste divine."
It lunged. Zack swung wild, his fist smashing into its jaw. For a human, it was a solid hit. For a vampire, it was nothing. The creature laughed as Zack's knuckles cracked against its unbreakable skin. In an instant, claws raked across Zack's chest, tearing flesh, spraying blood onto the walls.
Zack fell back, clutching the gaping wound. Pain seared through him. He could barely breathe.
"Pathetic." The vampire grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground like a ragdoll. "You'll scream nice for me."
But before it could sink its teeth into Zack's neck, a second shadow filled the doorway.
This one was different. Its body shimmered like liquid chrome under the flickering red emergency lights. Its eyes glowed molten white, and its fangs weren't bone—they were steel, shining and jagged.
The first vampire hissed. "Metal-blooded freak—"
Before the insult finished, the steel vampire's fist punched through its skull. Bone fragments and brain matter splattered across Zack's face. The corpse dropped twitching to the ground.
The steel vampire turned toward Zack. Its voice was a metallic growl, vibrating like machinery grinding steel plates.
"You are dying. But your bloodline is… acceptable. You will survive… if you endure."
Zack's eyes widened. "What the fuck are you—"
The creature bit deep into his chest wound, injecting molten steel into his bloodstream. Zack screamed as his veins ignited. His skin bubbled, cracked, then hardened into metallic plates that spread like armor. His bones snapped and reforged into alloy. His teeth melted in his mouth and reformed as serrated steel fangs. His hands spasmed, knuckles protruding like jagged metal clubs.
His scream echoed across the entire hospital floor until it was more roar than human sound.
When it ended, he collapsed to his knees, drenched in blood, smoke rising from his skin. A HUD burned itself into his vision like neon graffiti across his eyes:
LEVEL 1 UNLOCKED
EXP: 0 / 1000
Zack gasped, clutching his chest. His voice came out distorted, metallic.
"What… the fuck… did you do to me?"
The steel vampire's lips curled into something between a smirk and a death grimace.
"Survive. Or die. Those are your only paths now."
And then it was gone—vanishing into the shadows as if it had never existed.
Zack staggered, his body alien. He could feel power coursing through his limbs, every muscle wired with unholy strength. His chest wound had sealed shut with steel plating. His mother gasped, eyes wide with horror.
"Z… Zack… what… what happened to you?"
Before he could answer, more vampires stormed into the hallway, drawn by the blood.
Three of them. Grinning, snarling, hungry.
The first rushed him. Instinct took over. Zack swung his new metal fist with inhuman force. CRUNCH. The vampire's head exploded like a watermelon, painting the walls red. Warm gore splashed his hoodie, dripping down his face.
+250 EXP
EXP: 250 / 1000
The second leapt at him. Zack ducked low, then drove his steel fangs straight into its throat. He ripped out a chunk of flesh and tore its jugular clean. Blood geysered, spraying across the ceiling. He spat out a chunk of meat, eyes wide, shaking with adrenaline and disgust.
+250 EXP
EXP: 500 / 1000
The last one clawed his back, shredding what remained of his hoodie. Zack roared, grabbed its arm, and bent it backward until the bone snapped out of the skin. Then he pummeled its skull with steel knuckles, blow after blow until nothing was left but pulp.
+500 EXP
LEVEL UP! [LEVEL 2 UNLOCKED]
The HUD flashed bright across his vision. His body buzzed with new energy. His wounds closed faster, his muscles hardened further.
Breathing heavy, drenched in gore, Zack turned back to his mother. She stared at him with tears streaming down her face, equal parts fear and heartbreak.
"Zack… my baby… what have you become?"
Zack's hands trembled. He looked at the blood dripping off his steel knuckles, the shattered remains of monsters around him, and the neon numbers floating in his vision.
"I… I don't know."
But somewhere deep inside, a darker voice whispered back:
Yes, you do.