outside frame. The harsh screech echoed inside the tin

cted grew louder, their heavy bodies pres

ht in the eye, given his cold speech, an

trembling hands slowly tightening into hard fists.

y dread in her chest. Her terror evapora

ess victim. She was a doctor. She fought to keep people alive e

ight beam. The pale light revealed shelves packed with surgical trays,

slightly under a heavy

ing across the shelves. 'I need a weapon

stainless-steel rod from a portab

lding the razor-sharp blade against the top end of the steel rod, she wrapped it tightly with

er hand. It wasn't pretty,

A small spiderweb crack split the

ceiling, a square metal ventilation grate sat embedded in the wa

en supply crate beneath

she jammed the blade into the edge of the gr

ped one by one. The grate popped

ic crunch. Cold air and the horrific smell of decay rushed

abbed the metal lip of the opening, and pulled herself up into the n

smash into a nose, and wriggled frant

g cold. Rachel crawled on her stomach, her elbows

king shallow breaths of stale air unt

ut of the opening and crashi

oming in ragged gasps. She quickly grabbed her spear and b

the hospital. Long, rusted pipes ran along the lo

old, stagnant moisture, and

, her shoe crunched on

reds of paper files were scattered across the wet con

b reports were dumped everywhere, many o

icked up a thick manil

ge bore the offic

read in her head, her brow furrow

nine mo

through a few more pa

Deceased. Date of

eceased. Date of D

who had supposedly died and been moved

e pile. Paperclipped to the inner c

her blood r

nged to a middle-aged woman wit

the emergency lobby earlier, the one with the pitch-bla

her heart racing uncontrollably. 'How was she walki

d from the shadows behind a r

her head, a massive weight s

her hand and skittering away across the concrete, it

oulder. A horrible, raspy hiss blew hot, de

e survival instinct, she swung her elbow backward with all her streng

its grip loosening for

cally to the side, s

ker. It was another infected patient, its body twisted and

in, its arms outspread

verything she had. The surgical scalpel bit deep into the

sound that vibrated through the un

the shaft, smashing its heavy

backward into a heavy

t the stone. Pain exploded behind her eyes, white-hot and blind

g uselessly at her side, entirely numb, and a deep gash ac

pear shaft still embedded in its chest. Its black, holl

refused to answer. Her strength was draining

s her vision, slowly cr

her chin dropping toward her chest as her head

ss. The creature raised its pale, bloo

ark tunnel arou

's jagged claws stopped just inches from Rac

into existence right before her eyes,

s the floating window, accompanied by a clear

rvival Syste

identi

fession dete

accept the Hospit

vision was blurred with blood and tears, but the

thought, her min

lickered slightly, wa

Derek's betrayal, the trapped survivors upstairs, and the horrifying trut

very last shred of her willpower

lving into a shower of brilliant light

hed through her veins, instantly p

self, displaying new, bold te

atulat

ly registered Hospi