'Oh, why are they looking at me like that?' Elia swallowed hard, catching the gazes from the children and the five patients who had just awakened.
With two steps forward, he brushed his hands over Zeno's hair. "Can you do me a favor, Zeno?"
The small boy nodded, an unreadable smile spreading across his face.
"Alright." Elia exhaled sharply, then leaned to the boy's level. "Can I keep everyone here under your care?"
He kept a focused gaze on the boy, then shifted his gaze to the other kids.
Zeno hesitated, followed the man's eye direction, then nodded. "Yes."
"That's good." Elia straightened, then stretched his arms.
After two minutes, he walked to the door. "At least I have someone to take charge." He closed his eyes, then brushed his left palm across his face.
"But he's also a kid… what if he becomes the one to drive them out the moment I step out?"
He turned a last glance at Zeno, then to the lady who had a leg and an arm amputated. 'She would have been of great help if not for her condition.'
A heavy air gushed out of him when he turned and swung the door open. "Locking it from this side will at least prevent them from coming after me."
Metal screeching, snaring, and sharp grinding sounds echoed from the other rooms that had their doors locked.
"I'm sure other nurses, or patients, are in this room." He moved closer to the white door on his left, then leaned on it, one eye closed.
Sound like tearing skin waved through the wood and lined itself in his ears. "What's that sound? I've got to check that out."
He stepped back, increased his grip on the rod, then took a single deep breath. 'Whatever comes, comes.'
He raised his right leg, then kicked the door open.
The antibiotic smell smashed into his face as soon as he stepped inside. Twitching sounds echoed from the side of the seven-foot white table.
"Let me try to create a small disturbance and see if someone is actually here."
Elia tapped the tip of the rod on the sink at the right side of the wall, just two feet away from the door.
Pam. Pam. Pam.
A metallic plate fell from the table and hit the ground as the twitching sound resurfaced.
'Whatever is hiding behind that isn't a zombie… and I can't just leave… after creating the disturbance.'
He slowed his steps, then neared the table like a ninja, the rod raised over his head, every ready to swing it down.
"NO! NO!! NO!!! Please don't kill me!" The junior doctor's screams made Elia freeze.
"Ahh…" dissatisfaction filled Elia as he slowly moved the rod downward, staring at that tiny blood spot on the doctor's face.
"What is that on your face?" He squeezed his face, his knuckles tightening around the rod as he pointed a finger at the doctor's face.
"Nothing, nothing." Nicholas brushed it off with the collar of his white robe, breathing heavily.
'Isn't that a bite mark on his cheek?' Elia kept a steady gaze on the pointed hole in the guy's face, then stepped backward slowly.
"Please, it's nothing. I wasn't bitten by those monsters. I swear on the corpse of my dead parents."
Knowing how hard losing both parents is, Elia slightly believed the guy, then loosened his grip on the rod.
'I would have smashed his head if he said he was bitten.' "So, were you here all this time?" Elia placed the rod on the table, his fingers resting on top of it in case of any unforeseen entry.
"Nah… I was at the entrance when the monsters reached here," Nicholas stated, brushing his fingers at his neck, wearing an unpleasant expression.
"YOU MEAN YOU WERE AT THE FRONT?!" Elia grabbed the rod, then took a step back.
"No, no… not what you're thinking." Nicholas waved, his earlier expression vanishing. "What I mean is I saw them before they got here."
"Are you sure?" Elia raised the rod, his breathing hitching. "'Cause if you're lying, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you right now."
"You can check the mark by yourself." Nicholas stepped forward, turning his neck and making the scar on his cheek more visible.
"I ain't playing here. You'd better step back!" Elia pressed his left arm forward, his eyes reddening.
"Fine." Nicholas stepped back. "But hope I can just go there to take some wound cleanser?" He turned to the left, where a first aid box was.
'Wound cleanser? He shouldn't be fucking with me!' Elia kept a close guard, staring at the eerie movement of the doctor.
He stood there, watching the doctor pour the items into the box, hastily scattering the medicines. "This will help ease the pain," Nicholas whispered, seeing the Chlorhexidine.
He gritted his teeth, raising the left side of the white robe.
"WTF!" Elia's legs moved toward the door, but his mind could barely follow. "Didn't you say you weren't bitten?!"
"Don't worry… this is just a small wound." Nicholas squeezed his face, pouring all the Chlorhexidine on the wound that had the size of a human palm, covering part of his stomach and his left side.
"I ain't gonna succumb to your lies… any longer." Elia kept his gaze on the doctor, then swung the door open.
"Don't leave me here… please," Nicholas begged, but the boy had already exited and locked the door from behind.
"At least, he can't come after the kids or me." Slight satisfaction fell on Elia after he pushed a metal standing shelf, blocking it at the gate.
"Now, let's head forward for something to boost the system inside me." He slammed the rod in his palms, then exited from the hallway.
Chilled wind from the outside of the hospital wafted into the waiting room through the shattered glass windows.
Snaring and teeth-clicking sounds echoed from the right side, where the door leading to the entrance of the hospital was.
"Oh, nah… I can't kill that." Elia's heart sank the moment he followed the direction of the sound and found a six-year-old zombie girl crawling her way toward where he stood.
There, standing at the center of the waiting room, the translucent panel shimmered to life before him.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Presence Detected: Zombie.
Type: Walker
Classification: Grade E.
Threat Level: Low.
Recommendation: Avoid Engagement.
"Finally," Elia exhaled sharply. "At least the system has some sympathy. I like that."
He maintained his distance from the Walker, watched it move toward another direction, then went toward the door it came from.
Standing at the front of the door was like being at the gate of hell. Men in tattered, bloodied clothes, with parts of their bodies bleeding, roamed about in the hallway in front of Elia.
"This is what I was looking for." He held the rod tightly, then dashed forward, the translucent panel before him showing the same grade level and type of zombie.
Elia shoved the cylinder part of the rod into the chest of the first Walker that dashed toward him. "Damn… I will need a good bath after this."
He teased, swinging himself so perfectly to dodge the spraying blood.
After five minutes, he stood at the front of five fallen Walkers. "Why am I not receiving any boost?" His mind forced him forward.
He ducked under a Walker that lunged forward, its teeth open wide. Elia slid down, raised the rod, then closed his eyes.
"Eww…" he coughed, quickly brushing the blood that splashed on his lips away, raising the collar of his black T-shirt.
"I would have to find something to cover my mouth if I really want to move forward." He stood up, brushed the dust that had clung to his elbows away, then focused on the zombies that hadn't moved an inch.
"When is the boost coming? I'm already feeling tired." He whirled his arms around, shaking the fatigue off.
The panel appeared.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Host Condition Detected
Hydration: 12%
Strength: -0.5
Agility: -0.5
Recommendation: Hydrate immediately
"WHAT?!" Sweat began to bead and drip from Elia's face. "Where can I even get water to drink? And will the boost come again? What actually boosts the system?"