The Snipers of the Apocalypse

Doctor of the Dead Part 4

The next hallway we entered was dark, with long white pipes running along the side of it. On top of the unsettling silence, there was an eerie red light at the end.

Warren was first in line, followed by Murphy and Doc, then 10k carrying Cassandra. I stayed a few feet behind to cover the back, holding my pistol to my side. As of right now, the two bullets inside were about the only ammo we had.

"Can you see anything?" Doc questioned Warren after she opened the metal door at the end of the hallway, the red light brighter than before.

"Hold on, little too dark." Our leader pulled out one of the flashlights we acquired along the way and flicked it on, scanning the room slowly. "There's some kind of emergency lights flashing."

"Oh, really? I thought it was a rager." I muttered from behind the group, earning a mom-look from Warren. "Sorry, I get sarcastic when I get nervous."

Before anybody could react, Murphy attempted to push his way past Roberta and enter the room, but Doc stopped him.

"Dude, it says quarantine. Can't we just believe them?"

"What are you, high?" Murphy looked at him. "We're infected already, remember?" He made his way into the room, Doc and Warren stepping so their backs were against the wall so that 10k and Cassandra could go next.

I made sure I was the last through the door, keeping an eye on everybody just in case there were surprises.

We made our way around a corner, the beams from the only three flashlights, wielded by Doc, 10k and Warren, scanning every inch of the room.

"What is this place?" Our leader mumbled, seemingly to herself. Murphy discovered some kind of sealed door with a little porthole window, and decided it was a wise decision to peer inside.

Then again, all of us were curious. Doc took it upon himself to shine his light inside as 10k gently placed Cassandra in a corner.

Inside, there was an older man sitting in some kind of wheelchair, mostly naked other than a pair of what looked like hospital-grade shorts. He was hooked up to all kinds of tubes and wires, although it was unclear what they were for. The most eye-catching feature, though?

He was missing both of his legs from the knees down.

"This isn't a hospital," Murphy started, "it's a goddamn hall of horrors."

"Hey, look." That was Warren getting our attention. She was looking into another one of the same type of door, her flashlight's beam reflecting slightly off the window.

Walking over, there was yet another disturbing sight inside.

"Oh, my God." Warren's words settled in the air as we all took in what we were looking at.

There was a woman, possibly in her 30's though it was hard to tell, wearing the same type of generic hospital top and shorts, sitting on the floor. Her hair was short, white and wild.

She was still alive, though for how long was another uncertainty. This poor woman was being swarmed by some sort of small, black flies. They were covering her from head to toe, and seemingly biting, or burrowing into her skin judging by all the spots she was covered in.

She kept mouthing the words "help me" over and over again.

"I hope God doesn't know about this." Doc shook his head. "Cuz if he does..."

"We should give her mercy." Warren cut the old man off.

"No." I stated firmly, against my will to put her out of her misery. "If we open this door, those flies are gonna be feeding on us next. There's nothing we can do." I turned away, not able to bare seeing that poor woman anymore.