NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: The Last Safe Haven
"Shh!" Priyanka immediately raised her hand to signal her to be quiet. However, the woman clearly hadn't fully grasped the changes around her and furrowed her brows in confusion, seemingly unable to understand why the doctor was so tense.
"Look... look outside the door..." Dorothy couldn't help but point towards the door, her voice filled with fear. The woman, curious, walked over to the door and cracked it open slightly. Instantly, she saw the horrifying scene in the hallway. Her face turned pale, her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor.
"No... no, she's having a heart attack!" Dorothy quickly bent down to check the patient's pulse, her face growing even paler. "She's... she's not breathing."
"What?" Priyanka knelt down to check her patient, confirming she had no signs of life. She bit her lip, forcing herself to calm down. "We have to get out of here, Dorothy, or we'll be their next target."
"But... how do we get out?" Dorothy's voice trembled, her eyes filled with fear.
"Calm down, calm down." Priyanka took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "First, we absolutely can't use the elevator. If the elevator doors open and there are zombies inside, we're done for."
Dorothy nodded, swallowing nervously, her eyes beginning to show some determination. "Okay, then... then we'll take the emergency stairs."
Priyanka confirmed that the zombies outside the door were not paying attention to them, signaling Dorothy to follow. They gently opened the door and quietly slipped into the hallway, carefully avoiding the zombies' sight as they quickly made their way towards the emergency stairs.
Priyanka grabbed Dorothy's hand and led her into the emergency stairwell, closing the door behind them, feeling a slight separation from the chaos outside. Every step they took echoed in the narrow stairwell, the tension in the air making it feel as though even the walls were reminding them that death was creeping closer.
"We need to move faster." Priyanka whispered as they descended the stairs, her voice laced with urgency. "If we're too slow and the zombies block the stairwell, we'll have nowhere to run."
"But... why is this happening?" Dorothy's voice trembled with disbelief. "Are... are those people... zombies? How did zombies end up in the hospital?"
"I don't know..." Priyanka whispered in response, her mind still in chaos as she tried to make sense of everything. "But no matter the reason, there's only one thing we need to know: If we don't escape, we'll become part of them."
Finally, they reached the last set of stairs, and safety seemed just within reach. But as they stepped onto the final stair and pushed open the door leading to the first floor, they were met with an even more terrifying scene of chaos. The hospital lobby was dimly lit, with bloodstains and scattered objects covering the floor, as if the entire world had fallen into an abyss of disorder and violence.
A police officer was struggling to shoot at the zombies, the gunshots deafening, but his bullets were running low. His partner was shouting desperately, "Support! We need support!" as they tried to fend off the growing number of zombies. A few security guards were swinging stun batons, but the sheer number and force of the zombies were forcing them back, their defenses on the verge of collapse.
"We can't stay here." Priyanka gripped Dorothy's wrist tightly, her heart racing. "We need to find a safer place."
"But where do we go?" Dorothy looked around nervously, the area filled with zombies and panicking crowds.
Just then, low voices from the pharmacy counter caught their attention. A few pharmacists were hiding inside, pale-faced, anxiously discussing how to deal with the current situation.
"We should stay here and wait for rescue. There will definitely be support coming!" one of the pharmacists whispered, hope flickering in her eyes.
"Stay here? Are you crazy?" another young pharmacist rebutted, looking terrified. "There's no food or water here! How long can we last?"
"But it's more dangerous outside! The zombies could break in at any moment..." the older pharmacist spoke urgently, but with a sense of helplessness.
After a brief debate, they made a decision—leave the pharmacy counter and find a safer place. But as they pushed open the door to leave, the sound of zombies' growls erupted. A pack of zombies lunged at them like wild beasts, their sharp teeth and bloodstained hands tearing them apart one by one. The zombies greedily feasted on their flesh, and soon, the pharmacists were transformed into zombies themselves, joining the hunt for survivors.
Priyanka and Dorothy stood frozen, unable to believe the brutal scene before them. Dorothy's lips trembled as she whispered, "Where... where should we go?"
Priyanka suppressed her inner fear, scanning the area and suddenly noticing that the pharmacy counter was now empty. "Over there, the pharmacy counter looks like a temporary hiding place."
She quickly analyzed the situation and decided to make a run for the pharmacy counter. Grabbing Dorothy's hand, they carefully moved through the zombies' blind spots, avoiding most of the pursuers. However, just as they were nearing the pharmacy counter, Priyanka turned around and was horrified to see Dorothy running toward the bathroom in the opposite direction.
"Dorothy, come back!" Priyanka lowered her voice, her tone filled with urgency.
But Dorothy seemed unable to hear her, completely engulfed in panic and unconsciously running toward the bathroom. Several zombies had noticed her movement and turned to chase after her. Priyanka watched as Dorothy's figure grew more distant, her heart heavy with helplessness, her eyes beginning to well up, but she knew she couldn't go back to save her. Gritting her teeth, she continued running toward the pharmacy counter.
At that moment, a woman holding a child ran toward her, but a nurse zombie suddenly emerged from a nearby room and extended its claws toward her. In a split second, Priyanka pulled her out of harm's way, kicking the zombie away, and then ran with her around the corner.
After temporarily evading the zombies, the woman whispered, "Thank you. Do you know where the bathroom is? The child's mother gave the child to me before I passed out. She said she was just going to the bathroom, and I have to find her and return the child to her."
Priyanka pointed toward the bathroom and said, "That way."
The woman thanked her and ran toward the bathroom. It was only then that Priyanka remembered that a few zombies had been chasing Dorothy toward the bathroom.
"Come back!" Priyanka urgently called, but the woman didn't seem to hear and continued running toward the bathroom.
A few more zombies approached her, forcing her to leave. She was already close to the pharmacy, so Priyanka ran a few steps and quickly dashed into the pharmacy, carefully closing the door behind her. She leaned against the door, panting heavily, listening to the pounding of her heart, trying to calm her inner fear. However, she soon realized that this place wasn't as safe as she had imagined.
The room was filled with various medications and medical supplies. What was once a peaceful and orderly space now resembled an abandoned fortress, with only scattered empty pill bottles and papers all over the floor. What unsettled her even more was the fresh blood left behind by the pharmacists, staining the floor in patches, and the faint smell of rust lingering in the air.
"It's safe now, it's safe now…" she whispered to herself, trying to comfort herself, but the tension in her heart didn't diminish in the slightest. At that moment, the low growl of zombies echoed from outside. Priyanka held her breath, pressing her ear against the door, listening carefully to the sounds from outside.
Suddenly, the door shook. Priyanka almost screamed in terror, quickly covering her mouth, forcing herself to calm down. Something outside seemed to be getting closer—possibly a zombie lingering in front of the door, unconsciously sniffing the air for human scent. She could hear the low growl right outside, the zombie's sharp claws scraping against the door, creating an eerie sound.
"Please... don't come in..." she silently prayed.
The zombie eventually lost interest and slowly moved away. Priyanka quietly peeked through a crack in the door and saw that the zombie had turned toward the hall. She sighed in relief and turned to the shelves, hoping to find something to use as a weapon. Her fingers brushed across bottle after bottle of medicines, bandages, syringes, even an oxygen tank, but none of them were suitable as a defense.
"What should I do..." she muttered quietly, looking around anxiously.
At that moment, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps slowly approaching the door. Her heart tightened, and the fear that had momentarily dissipated surged back again. As the footsteps grew closer, she clenched her fists, cold sweat running down her temples.
"No... I have to get out of here." She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. She kept mentally rehearsing her options, deciding that if things became irreparable, she would have to find another way out.
Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying shattered the silence. The sharp and mournful wail echoed through the empty corridor, instantly drawing the zombies' attention. Priyanka's heartbeat quickened, and she couldn't help but glance toward the direction of the sound.