A woman lay on a hospital bed that looked old and dust-covered. Her irises were brown, her hair long and jet-black. The patient gown she wore was torn to shreds, nearly every part soaked with blood that had already dried.
Not long after—three to five seconds—her eyes trembled. As if forcing themselves open.
"Uhh..." The woman finally opened her eyes wide and groaned softly, then clutched her head, which felt dizzy.
She felt a sharp pain in her chest as if it were too large, while the fabric of her clothes felt tight.
"Where am I?" she asked, but there was no answer. Only herself was there, and the corpse lying on the bed beside her.
The room was full of treatment beds, aligned and in a chaotic heap, thick with dust, spiders spinning webs, a musty and rusty-metal smell, peeling paint. There wasn't a single object of good quality there.
The woman tried to get down from the bed, but her head pulsed again and she couldn't hold herself up.
She could only sit back on the bed, trying to steady herself until the throbbing subsided.
Her eyes glanced around, trying to make sense of the situation.
'This place... feels familiar, but I don't remember what it is or who I am.'
Her gaze landed on a note that looked recently left on the bedside table. She reached for the note and read it.
"Oh my dear. If you awaken, I hope you read this letter. Forgive me, forgive my failures as your father. I truly failed to protect you; I deeply regret it. Wait for me; I will create a miracle.
But perhaps I will be gone by the time that miracle truly happens. So, stay spirited and keep fighting, even if fate does not allow us to be together. Our blood still binds us, for we are family.
Once again, I apologize. And I implore you, hold on to life. As aid, I have scattered all the "methods and knowledge" on pieces of paper that are recorded. From Father To Father's Beloved Child"
The woman frowned; she did not know who this person calling himself "father" was, but she recognized who the child was.
She looked at the corpse beside her, likely the child of this "father."
A drop of water fell from her eye and she slowly wiped it away with the fabric of her gown.
'Why? Why am I crying? Do I feel pity for them? Or is there something else strange in my heart?'
Soon she began to ignore the questions that surfaced in her mind.
'Rather than linger aimlessly in this room, maybe I should explore this place.'
•••
The woman with brown irises now walked through a dark, silent corridor—only the echo of her footsteps, her breath, and drips from pipes. Mist puffed from her mouth in the cold air.
'Damn, I didn't expect the corridor to be this cold and dark. I need to get to the storage room if there is one.'
A yellowish white light from a windowed door caught her eye, instantly piquing her curiosity.
'Lucky! There should be some supplies in there!'
She began to step toward the lit room cautiously.
But when she reached the door and threw it wide open, what she saw was not something useful but a headless, dried corpse slumped against a locker. The corpse's neck was eaten away by wriggling maggots and termites. The stench hit her sharply.
"W-What is this?!" The woman covered her nose because she couldn't stand the smell; she nearly vomited.
'If maggots, I know they eat flesh. But termites? And why do they look strange? Like... "stained" by something.'
Soon, the odd heavy sound of footsteps made her terrified. Her instincts told her to hide!
A humanoid figure appeared, its body filled with human organs, revolting red flesh, and a face crowded with ugly eyes and sharp mouths.
The creature looked toward the windowed door that emitted light. But all it saw there was a headless corpse. Sensing nothing else, it limped away on one malformed leg.
Meanwhile, the woman crouched in the blind spot beneath the door's window. Her breath came ragged; sweat soaked her face. Fear had nearly swallowed her.
"I'm so lucky, it didn't notice me. Besides, what kind of creature looks that... strange?" she murmured.
She thought for a moment.
'If I go out now, that monster might still be wandering nearby. I have to find something good and useful in this room. Though... I don't like that corpse.'
She began to search every corner—patient beds, tables and drawers, hanging cabinets. From all of it she found headache and fever medicine, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, a crowbar, a black backpack, and a doctor's coat which she now wore over her patient gown.
She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at her slightly exposed clothes.
'It's getting colder. I need clothing that can withstand this place's temperature.'
She exhaled.
'That creature will probably come back around here soon.'
Now there was only one thing she had to do: move the corpse and check the locker behind it.
She took the crowbar and pulled at the collar of the dried corpse's clothing. The body was neither heavy nor light. She could manage it until the corpse shifted.
When the corpse slumped, maggots and termites disturbed by the movement spilled out from its neck and scattered in all directions.
Hundreds... thousands... millions!
How many insects had eaten this corpse!
The woman covered her mouth; the stench grew more pungent, making her nauseous, and she vomited shortly after covering her mouth.
"Ugh! Hock!" She released her hand from her mouth, expelling the remains of her vomit.
But something she did not want happened. The maggots and termites began to swarm her. Maggots climbed onto her legs, trying to gnaw at her flesh, and termites approached her body, attempting to chew.
'No, no, no!' she screamed inwardly in panic.
She began moving her body wildly, hoping the insects would come off.
But it was useless. Her body was now covered by insects that crawled all over her. All she felt was the pain of her flesh being torn, gnawed, bitten.
"Akkhh!!!" she shrieked in agony.
She fell and crawled, then lay weak, screaming repeatedly, yet she still held on.
'I don't want to die. Please... anyone, help me.'
Ah... there was no one there. Maybe I really will die. And I don't even remember my past—will I truly die without knowing who I am?'
Tears fell, slowly running down her cheeks; the sensation of the tears was warm.
At the same time, she remembered something. A piece of memory that had long been missing returned.
Amid the ruins of buildings spread across the area.
On a toppled wall that leaned at an odd angle sat an old man with his eyes closed, kneeling with his buttocks on his heels, his back slightly bent. His palms were pressed together between his head and chest, his head bowed. It looked like an act of respect and humility.
Although it seemed so, the old man was actually facing a pitch-dark sky, without light, without the stars that once hung there.
Then a woman of about twenty sat beside him and asked, "Hey, why do you always pray to the 'sky'?"
They both wore worn, dirty robes and turbans.
The old man slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. He looked at the woman.
"Mira, remember this. Even though the world has changed, the world has fallen. The god will always be with us, up there, beyond the darkness. He will bring a blaze of hope to humankind," he said. "So, if you feel troubled, pray—ask for his help."
The corners of his mouth widened, warmth radiating to her.
After recalling all that, the woman opened her mouth loudly, with deep intent.
"Oh, God. I do not know you and I am not sure of your existence. If you are real, I pray to you, my only hope. Please save me... your humble servant," she prayed, tears streaming down her face.
From those tears, golden light shone. It burned all the insects that devoured her and healed every wound that accompanied them.
"E-Eh? W-What is happening?"
She steadied herself with her hands, planted them on the floor, then sat while staring at her body. She wiped her tears with the fabric of her gown.
'That blaze... it didn't burn my clothes. Could God really be real?'
Putting that aside, she was grateful she had not died.
"Was that a recovered memory? Then who was the old man in that memory? Why is the outside world so strange? What kind of God do people worship in this world? It feels odd—could our prayers be granted so easily? Isn't that... too easy?"
Her hand moved slowly, pressing firmly to her pulsing head.
She held herself, regulated her breathing, and tried to calm her mind so it would not bear too much weight.
She might have forgotten her identity, but she did not forget human knowledge and emotions—from the lightest to the deepest. So it felt strange to her if things were this easy.
'I can't stay here any longer. I must continue my journey quickly; there are many mysteries and odd things still unrevealed. Now that one puzzle piece is in place, I have clearer goals. Find out my background and find a way out. I was "saved," so I must not waste it and must use it well!'
Then she put her hands on the floor, placed her right knee down and bent her left leg, pressing and trying to stand upright.
Her eyes glanced at the locker ahead. When she opened the locker door, inside was only a dust-covered sheet of paper—apparently an older letter than the previous one.
'Could this be another letter the "Father" wrote earlier?'
She paused, a little nervous. Then she took the paper slowly.
Her eyes read every word seriously, reading them in her heart.
"1
1-12-2150
I don't know why all this happened. At first I came here only for research, with my child and members of my group.
From the rumors I heard, this hospital was called a "Disaster nest" and those who entered could not leave. But of course I, as a hunter and a scientist, was curious, and I invited my group members to explore the place.
Unexpectedly, my child—who is now twenty-three—insisted on coming along with me. I always told them it was very dangerous, but they always argued that they were trained, of age, blah blah blah and so on.
However, on the first day, luck was not on our side. All my group members died. All of this was caused by a monster that attacked us. They nested in this hospital!"
"Disaster? What kind of term is that? Is that the name for those terrifying strange creatures?
Forget that for now. If what he said is true, 'They' he meant are those creatures—meaning there are many of those strange beings roaming throughout this hospital! I'm truly in danger!"
She stared at the dried corpse beside her. 'Could this person be one of his group members who died? Damn! It's only the first day, and I don't want to go through what happened before and lose my head!'
With swift movements, she began stuffing all the equipment she had found into her backpack.
When she finished, she was ready to resume exploring. But as she turned to walk toward the door—
The terrifying strange creature was there.
The monster stared at her through the door's window; those eyes blinked wildly and the sharp mouths gnawed.
'Damn! I'm done for!'
.....