Part 5
Two hours before Nero heard the scream.
"Hah, hah, haaah."
Although scared, Mirai mustered courage to walk down the hospital corridor for her stomach that kept growling.
"Huuuungry."
Now she was already on the second floor after descending the stairs at the end of the corridor. Come to think of it, it was hard to consider this a dream, because the pain in her stomach felt too real.
Unexpectedly, there was a brightly lit room. She entered the room hoping someone was there, but reality said otherwise. Empty. All there were rows of glass cabinets and refrigerators containing medicines. She approached the cabinets still hoping there was something she could eat.
"Hm, this is medicine for this… this one is for that… then this one also for ..., eh?" She startled herself. "Huh? How do I know what this medicine is for? Just saw it. I'm not a pharmacy graduate, let alone a working pharmacist." She rubbed her forehead. "Dreams won't make me smart either. If people could gain knowledge from dreams, no need for school. Just sleep all day and suddenly get a diploma." She laughed to herself. Suddenly tapped her forehead. "This is not the time to joke. Focus Mirai!"
Again, she seemed like someone who had just realized something."Why Mirai? My name is… hm? Huh?" She got confused. "I don't remember my own name! How come?! This is really funny!" Panicked, all memories of herself were pulled, but it seemed all the data was blocked by a thick fog. "Weird! This is really weird! Am I suffering from amnesia?!" Not really, she remembered her childhood when she was in an orphanage.
Grooooook.
Her stomach growled again.
"Ah, come on!" She looked at this room filled with medicines. For an abandoned hospital, it was quite strange that the medicine stock was still in good condition. Even the refrigerator was still working.
There was a door in this room. Without hesitation, Mirai opened it and found only a storage room filled with stacked boxes that piled high, containing only various kinds of medicine.
"Haaah, not important at all. Medicine doesn't make me full. Forget it." She decided to leave. Unbeknownst to her, this place would become something very important in the future.
Finally, the girl reached the ground floor. Near the reception desk was a patient waiting room with many metal chairs anchored to the floor in rows. Of course, almost all were in a messy and rusty state. On the reception desk there was a signboard. "St. Angel Hospital," Mirai spelled. Truly an uncommon hospital name in her country.
Suddenly Mirai's eyes widened when she saw a vending machine. She quickly approached and found rows of various drinks that still seemed consumable. Her face lit up when she saw a box of milk.
When thinking of buying it, she was startled again. "The machine is off. How to buy it? Just break the glass? Hm, that's stealing." Her expression turned gloomy. Was it still important to think about morality at a time like this? Her heart struggled between need and guilt.
Grooooook.
"Who cares! If anyone protests, I'll replace it later!" She grabbed a metal rod lying on the floor from a broken chair. Soon after, the sound of breaking glass was heard.
Crash!
Finally, Mirai got what she wanted. A box of chocolate milk. When checked, strangely there was no expiration date. "Safe, huh?" Her shoulders just twitched, ignoring the oddity. While enjoying the taste of chocolate milk that was still delicious, a suspicious sound was heard. Like something being dragged from far behind her.
Her whole body went cold. Because surely the sound was getting closer. Even though her body froze, she forced herself to look back for safety. Had the person who kidnapped her finally appeared?
How shocked Mirai was when she found a nurse in uniform dragging a body across the floor. Her hair was disheveled, one leg appeared broken, being dragged with flesh torn. Overall, the figure looked pale green where blood traces were imprinted like spilled paint on her clothes.
Instantly Mirai screamed hysterically. The figure was too terrifying for her. "KYAAAAAAAA!!!" Hearing her shrill scream, the creature moved more aggressively while growling ferociously. Reflexively, Mirai grabbed the metal rod, then struck it at the figure's face.
The tip of the rod hit the weird nurse's cheek until she turned, not just scratching, but tearing the cheek up to the mouth as if her facial flesh was made of wax. Pieces of flesh attached to the tip of the rod shook Mirai's psyche.
For the first time in her life she acted this crazily. Her eyes began to water, filled with regret. "So-sorry, forgive me!" Her hands trembled, yet the reaction she got was only growls that grew more fierce. Out of fear, Mirai continued to strike the rod at the nurse's face recklessly until the disgusting creature's body collapsed limp as the tip of the rod tore her neck almost off.
Tears had flooded Mirai's face, shaken because she didn't expect to act this cruel. Her hands trembled greatly but still clenched the rod tightly while checking if the nurse was already dead. Suddenly, the creature's hand grabbed her left ankle; instantly she hit it again frantically out of panic, screaming like possessed.
Once her foot was freed from the half-rotten fingers, Mirai choked on her own saliva, then coughed hard while retreating from the figure now motionless on the floor. Her mind felt dizzy; she hoped all this was just a nightmare. Suddenly waking up in the abandoned hospital, seeing a building-sized monster with eyes as big as truck tires, then now the nurse like the undead. This was truly a nightmare!
Something she did not want happened again. Louder rustling noises approached. Groans of pain and growls amid heavy breaths became increasingly clear from the end of the dark corridor.
Mirai prepared for the worst possibility though her heart felt chaotic. And indeed, a group of undead dressed like patients appeared, walking hastily and unsteadily. They were like terrifying creatures often seen on TV. "Those are zombies!!" she shouted desperately.
The number was too impossible to face. Therefore she chose to run, trying to escape toward the exit door of the building that gaped wide, revealing the darkness outside. Without caring whether she would encounter the big monster earlier or not, Mirai continued taking a thousand steps without hesitation as zombies still followed behind.
"Someone! Isn't there a single person heeeere?! Help! Heeeeeeeelp!"
Her screams echoed in the dark street. Silence had been broken. Hundreds of terrifying creatures that had been silent in every dark corner were now provoked by Mirai's shriek.
[Indonesia]
Part 5. Mimpi Buruk
Dua jam sebelum Nero mendengar suara teriakan.
"Hah, hah, haaah."
Walau takut, Mirai memberanikan diri menyusuri lorong rumah sakit demi perutnya yang terus berbunyi.
"Lapaaaaaaaaaar."
Sekarang ia sudah dilantai dua setelah menuruni tangga di ujung lorong. Kalau dipikir, sulit rasanya menganggap ini mimpi, sebab perih diperutnya terasa terlalu nyata.
Tanpa disangka ada ruangan yang terang benderang. Dimasuki ruangan tersebut dengan harapan ada seseorang di sana, namun kenyataan berkata lain. Kosong. Yang ada hanya jajaran lemari kaca dan lemari pendingin berisi obat-obatan. Didekati lemari tersebut sebab masih berharap ada sesuatu yang bisa dimakan.
"Hm, ini kan obat untuk ini ... yang ini buat itu ... terus ini juga buat penyakit yang, eh?" Ia tersentak sendiri. "Loh? Kok gue tau ni obat buat apaan. Baru juga liat. Gue kan bukan lulusan farmasi apalagi kerja apoteker." Diusap keningnya. "Mimpi juga gak bakal bikin gue pinter. Kalo orang bisa dapat ilmu pengetahuan dari mimpi mah gak perlu ada sekolah. Tidur aja seharian tau-tau dapat ijazah." Ia pun tertawa sendiri. Tetiba menepuk dahinya. "Ini bukan waktunya ngelawak. Fokus Mirai!"
Lagi-lagi ia seperti orang yang baru sadar akan sesuatu.
"Kok Mirai sih? Nama gue kan ... hm? Hah?" Ia jadi kebingungan. "Gue gak ingat nama sendiri! Kok bisa?! Ini mah baru beneran lawak!" Panik, ditarik semua ingatan tentang dirinya, tetapi seolah semua data itu terblokir oleh kabut tebal. "Aneh! Ini aneh banget! Gue sakit amnesia kali ya?!" Tidak juga, ia ingat masa kecilnya saat berada di sebuah panti asuhan.
Grooooook.
Suara perutnya berbunyi lagi.
"Ah, yang bener aja!" Diperhatikan ruangan ini yang dipenuhi oleh obat-obatan. Untuk ukuran rumah sakit terbengkalai, cukup aneh kalau stok obat-obat ini masih dalam keadaan bagus. Bahkan lemari pendinginnya masih berfungsi.
Ada pintu di ruangan ini. Tanpa ragu Mirai membukanya dan hanya menemukan ruang gudang berisi tumpukan kardus yang menggunung dan hanya berisi berbagai macam obat.
"Haaah, gak penting banget. Obat gak bikin gue kenyang. Sudahlah." Diputuskan untuk keluar saja dari sana. Padahal, tanpa disadarinya tempat ini akan menjadi sesuatu hal yang sangat penting di masa depan.
Akhirnya gadis itu sampai di lantai paling bawah. Dekat desk resepsionis ada ruang tunggu pasien di mana banyak kursi besi yang terpatri ke lantai di letakkan berjejer. Tentu saja hampir semua dalam keadaan yang sudah berantakan dan berkarat. Di atas meja resepsionis terdapat papan tulisan. "Rumah sakit St. Angel," eja Mirai. Sungguh nama rumah sakit yang tidak umum di negaranya.
Tetiba mata Mirai membesar ketika melihat ada mesin penjual minuman otomatis. Lekas saja disambangi dan menemukan jejeran berbagai minuman yang tampaknya masih layak konsumsi. Wajahnya berseri ketika melihat kotak susu.
Ketika berpikir untuk membelinya, ia jadi tersentak lagi. "Mesinnya kan mati. Gimana belinya? Pecahin aja kali ya kacanya? Hm, itu kan nyolong." Rautnya berubah muram. Apa masih penting mikirin moralitas disaat seperti ini? Batinnya bergolak antara kebutuhan dan rasa bersalah.
Grooooook.
"Peduli amatlah! Kalo ada yang protes ntar gue ganti!" Diambil batang besi yang tersungkur di lantai bekas patahan kursi tadi. Lalu tak lama terdengar suara pecahan kaca.
Prang!
Akhirnya Mirai mendapatkan apa yang diinginkan. Sekotak susu cokelat. Saat diperiksa, anehnya tidak ada tanggal kadaluarsa. "Aman gak, ya?" Bahunya hanya bergedik tak menghiraukan kejanggalan tersebut. Saat sedang menikmati rasa cokelat susu yang ternyata masih lezat, terdengar suara mencurigakan. Seperti bunyi sesuatu yang diseret berasal jauh di belakangnya.
Sekujur tubuhnya langsung merinding. Sebab secara pasti suara itu semakin mendekat. Meski tubuhnya jadi beku, ia tetap memaksakan diri menoleh ke belakang demi keselamatan. Apakah orang yang sudah menculiknya akhirnya muncul?
Betapa terkejutnya Mirai kala menemukan sosok wanita berseragam perawat menyeret tubuhnya di lantai. Rambutnya terurai berantakan, sebelah kakinya tampak patah terseret dengan daging yang tercabik. Secara keseluruhan, sosok itu tampak pucat kehijauan di mana jejak darah tercetak laiknya tumpahan cat di pakaiannya.
Sontak Mirai berteriak histeris. Sosok itu terlalu menyeramkan baginya. "KYAAAAAAAA!!!" Mendengar jeritan melengkingnya, makhluk itu bergerak semakin agresif sambil menggeram ganas. Reflek Mirai meraih batang besi tadi, lalu menghantamkannya ke wajah sosok tersebut.
Ujung besinya mengenai pipi si perawat aneh hingga berpaling, bukan hanya sekadar menggores, melainkan merobek pipi hingga ke mulut seolah daging wajahnya terbuat dari lilin. Serpihan daging yang melekat di ujung tongkat besi membuat psikis Mirai terguncang.
Pertama kali dalam hidupnya ia bertindak segila ini. Matanya mulai berair dipenuhi penyesalan. "Ma-maaf, maafkan aku!" Tangannya sampai gemetaran, akan tetapi reaksi yang didapat hanya geraman yang kian mengganas. Sangking takutnya Mirai reflek terus menghantamkan batang besi tersebut ke wajah perawat tadi secara serampangan hingga akhirnya tubuh makhluk menjijikkan itu tersungkur lunglai saat ujung besi mengoyak lehernya hingga nyaris putus.
Air mata sudah membanjiri wajah Mirai, terpukul karena tidak menyangka bahwa ia bisa berlaku sekejam ini. Tangannya gemetar hebat namun tetap terkepal erat menggenggam batang besi tadi seraya memeriksa apakah perawat itu sudah mati. Tetiba tangan makhluk itu mencengkeram pergelangan kaki kirinya, sontak ia menghantamnya lagi secara membabi buta sangking paniknya sambil berteriak seperti orang kesetanan.
Begitu kakinya terlepas dari jeratan jari yang setengah membusuk Mirai tersedak air liurnya sendiri lalu terbatuk keras sambil mundur menjauhi sosok yang kini telah terdiam kaku di lantai. Isi kepalanya serasa berputar, ia harap semua ini hanyalah mimpi buruk semata. Tiba-tiba terbangun di rumah sakit terbengkalai, melihat monster setinggi gedung bermata sebesar ban truk, lalu sekarang perawat yang seperti mayat hidup. Ini benar-benar mimpi buruk!
Sesuatu hal yang tak diinginkannya kembali terjadi. Suara-suara gemerisik yang lebih besar mulai mendekat. Erangan kesakitan dan geraman disela napas berat terdengar kian jelas berasal dari ujung lorong yang gelap.
Mirai bersiap untuk kemungkinkan terburuk walau hatinya terasa kacau balau. Dan benar saja, sekelompok mayat hidup berpakaian seperti pasien bermunculan dengan jalan cepat yang terseok. Mereka laiknya makhluk mengerikan yang sering muncul di layar televisi. "Itu zombie!!" pekiknya putus asa.
Jumlah sebanyak itu terlalu mustahil untuk dihadapi. Maka dari itu ia lebih memilih melarikan diri, mencoba kabur menuju pintu keluar gedung di mana telah menganga lebar menyajikan kegelapan di luar sana. Tanpa peduli apakah ia akan bertemu monster besar tadi atau tidak, Mirai tetap mengambil seribu langkah tanpa ragu di mana para zombie masih mengekor di belakang.
"Seseorang! Apa gak ada satupun orang di siniiiiiii?! Tolong! Toloooooooong!"
Jeritannya menggema di jalanan yang gelap. Kesunyian telah pecah. Ratusan makhluk menyeramkan yang tadinya hanya terdiam di tiap sudut gelap mulai terpancing oleh pekikan Mirai.