Chapter 15: Splitting Headache
They head inside to begin looking for any evidence that may link them to this hospital. Even though everything around them has withered or rotted to some degree, the location is perpetually the same.
Ana: "Ew, I can remember this waiting room. I liked it with less cobwebs and rubble though.
Luke: "Does anyone see a map? We should look for a records room."
Jace: "This place is already starting to freak me out."
Ana taps a wall that has a fire escape map still drilled into it.
Henry: "And it's labeled? Sick shit, Ana."
The two smirk and high-five.
Luke: "Where's the 'you are here' label?"
Henry: "We're still in the waiting room, dipshit."
Luke: "Right. Let's keep going. Ana and Henry have map duty."
Before long, they find a pair of doors that lead further into the hospital. That smell from outside of the building has gotten stronger. Ana proceeds to walk up and try to open the door, but there seems to be something heavy behind it. She's unable to process the door's weight as she feels her boots step into something squishy and wet. She braces herself and slowly glances down to see what she stepped on, praying for it to be a cockroach or other insect that just happened to be unfortunate. She struggles to breathe or blink as she continues to observe the area around her foot.
Henry: "Everything okay, Madame Map?"
Ana: "B-B-B...Bl...B-Blo..."
Ana points down to the floor around her foot. The three look down and finally notice the crimson pool that was underneath the doorway and creeping into the room. Jace gasps and staggers back in fear, Luke grits his teeth.
Henry: "Why is there so much bl-"
Ana: "Blooooo-d..."
Ana whines and jumps back into the others, removing herself from the arising situation. Her boot-print remains firm within the blood.
Jace: "Guys, we shoudn't be here."
Luke: "We're this close and you're letting some blood get in your way? Let's go."
Luke emerges from the group and reattempts to open the door. With some force, he's able to push it open just enough for everyone to comfortably squeeze through. What he sees is a grizzly sight, but he keeps it to himself for the time being and motions for everyone to follow him.
Henry: "Watch your step, I guess."
The three follow behind and meet up with Luke. They are greeted with a hallway of corpses. Every step from here on out will be bloody.
Luke: "I wouldn't look down if I were you, these poor souls had something awful happen to them..."
Ana follows the order, having her fix of gore for the day. Henry casually glances at the bodies, interested in the culprit's handiwork. As for Jace, he huddles his shoulders together and brings his hands close to his chest. He slowly follows behind the three, being terrifying of each squelch the floor makes whenever he makes a step. He does his best to do what Luke asked, but morbid curiosity gets the best of him and he looks down. The first body he lays eyes on has both of its arms removed. He flinches and briefly flashes back to the incident inside the warehouse. He does his best to shake the feeling off and continue with the group. Ahead, the three keep on talking with each other when they hear a loud thud behind them. They turn around and see Jace slumped against the wall. He's hyperventilating and trembling as he begins to slide down to the floor.
Ana: "Oh shit, Jace!"
Ana rushes over to Jace's aid.
Jace: "Help...I need...to know I'm not...there..."
Ana: "Yeah, absolutely. What can I do?"
Jace: "Ana...is that you? I can't stand..."
Henry runs over and with Ana's help, they put Jace around their shoulders. They exit the room and sit down with him near the waiting room. His condition hasn't improved.
Jace: "If there's someone with me, please help me escape this memory..."
Jace finds himself back in the warehouse that started it all. It's dark, except for the skylight that reveals a beautiful, full moon. He sits up and clutches his chest, it's still hurting from his irregular breathing. Once again, at the end of the warehouse stands two figures. One is in a trench coat and the other is nothing more as a spectator as the moon's light reveals Jace's father in front of the two, already lifeless and draining blood from the bullet-wound. Jace tries to run and save his father like he did before, but he isn't stopped this time. In fact, the only thing that has seemingly stopped is time. No matter how long he stands there, nothing changes. The figures don't attack and Jace's father never cries out for his son. Was he even there to begin with?
???: "...Morning Glory..."
Those words echoed from above, seemingly beyond the moon. Jace is startled and quickly darts his eyes throughout the sky to find the voice.
Jace: "T-The hospital we just found...right?"
???: "...met in a fire..."
Jace: "That's right...I met Ana in a burning building..."
???: "...You're going..."
???: "...to be..."
???: "...Okay..."
The voices and the words they speak resonate with Jace's psyche. the brightness of the moon seems to fade the entire environment to white, engulfing Jace's vision. When it returns, his eyes focus on the dilapidated houses of Morning Glory. He shakes his head and holds onto his temple.
Jace: "Can someone tell me where I am...?"
Henry: "Morning Glory Hospital. You're with Henry, Ana, and Luke. We carried you outside after you seemingly passed out on us, only being able to mumble words now and again. We've just kinda been sitting with you and talking with you as you were settling whatever you had to settle."
Jace: "I saw....my dad...in one of the bodies..."
Ana: "Shh, you're okay. Don't think about that anymore, you have us."
Luke: "I'm sorry, Jace. I should've warned you better. I didn't think traumatic memories would take over in that time."
Jace: "Please don't apologize...I'm okay..."
Henry: "Stay out here and get some fresh air."
Ana: "I'm staying here with him. If you two want to keep exploring, you can."
Luke: "I've seen enough movies to advise against splitting up."
Jace: "Go with them, Ana. I'll be okay."
Luke: "Jace, do you still have the communicator we tried using a while back?"
Jace: "Mhm, I've kept it in my pocket since I made it."
Luke: "Good. Take it out and get ready in case we need one another."
Jace: "Can do. Once we get home, I'll have Henry nab the electronics necessary amd build one for the rest of the crew. Is that cool with you, Henry?"
Henry: "Very cool. We'll catch you in an hour."
The three head back inside, leaving Jace alone to catch his breath and to ease his shaking. He takes out the communicator from his pocket and begins to fiddle with it. From within the hospital, the three make their way back to the disgusting hallway and continue their trek.
Ana: "Why are there so many of them?"
Henry: "I don't know...it looks like a killing spree to me."
Luke: "They've covered in lacerations and bite marks, it's like someone or something was trying to eat them."
Ana: "Do you...think they're still here?"
Luke: "It's fresh blood from decaying bodies, be prepared for anything."
They approach the records room and enter slowly. The amount of corpses significantly decreases as they continue on for the filing cabinets. They rummage through them until Luke pulls out a suspicious folder. He begins to read it.
Luke: "This has our names in it. We were once patients here."
Ana: "Mine too?! Why was I here?"
Luke: "Project Atlas Army...that's the name of the folder. We were going to be soldiers?"
Henry: "For who's army?"
Luke: "It doesn't say, but this hospital apparently housed the experiments for it.
Ana: "Are you trying to say we're test subjects?"
Luke: "We are. It says here that every person was injected with a serum that was designed to physically enhance them, but the results were random and often unstable for containment. Once word got out about the illegal injections, they quickly vacated the place, leaving Morning Glory to become a wasteland."
Henry: "Hang on. If you're saying that they left, then who do the bodies in this place belong to? Fellow doctors and scientists? Other guinea pigs like ourselves? Random people that actually discovered something wicked hidden within this place?"
Ana: "Okay, we're dropping the monster idea! It's creeping me out."
Luke: "I'm taking this and any other folder revolving around this project. I'll update Jace about this while we head out. I've had enough of this place too."
Ana: "I think that's one of your smartest plans today, let's leave."
Luke grabs a few more folders and the crew walks out of the room and back into the hallway. As they pass by the rooms, the sounds of feral eating can be heard in one of the adjacent rooms. Everyone stops. Henry slowly inches towards the window of the door and peeps inside. A young man in blue is huddled in the corner, his back facing everyone.
Henry: "Ana...that monster theory may be more plausible than we'd like. Everyone proceed slowly."
The three tip-toe by the door and through the hallway. They successfully exit the feasting-ground of a hallway and sigh in relief. Before they have anymore time to relax, the door slams shut. It echoes throughout the entire building. Everyone freezes again.
Henry: "Fuck...did it hear us?"
Ana leans a bit and glances through the window. The man is standing there with his head hanging low, his chin ready to touch his collar-bone.
Ana: "Guys. We gotta move."
Suddenly, the doors are forced open with unfathomable strength. They crash into the walls and have the glass from the windows dissolve within an instant. Two massive, blue arms emerge from the man's back.
???: "Fresh meeeeat..."
