The ICU was the last place he wanted to be, though, as his studies of viruses told him. Anytime an outbreak occurred people poured into hospitals trying to get treatment. It was even most likely worse combined with the fact that the infected bit people. It would be the point where the most people flooded into the hospital, bringing the infection with them.
Dr. Fumio continued forward, hoping that it hadn’t filled with infected, but unwilling to turn back around. The hallway was dark but started he was determined to make it outside alive. He wandered down the hall until he came upon the sliding glass doors that separated the ICU from the rest of the hospital. The doors were left open, which made it easier for him to make it through.
He slowly went around the door and began to hug the wall again. It was still too dark to make anything out really, but he knew that eventually once he got to the actual ICU lobby itself, there would be some natural light from outside. The hallway finally opened into the familiar ICU ward; it was a small square with rooms all around it, and in the middle, there was nurses’ desks and supply closets. He stuck to the left side and began to try to make it through the ward itself and into the waiting area on the other side.
Every time he came to a door that led into a patient's room, he quickly walked forward until his fingers grasp the other side of the doorframe. He repeated the process until he got to the corner of the room and began to work his way down the hall. Dr. Fumio was almost there, once he got to the waiting room the outside was just through a set of doors. About a third of the way down the hall his fingers felt something slightly gooey, and he pulled away from the wall momentarily in disgust.
It had felt like something had dried on the wall but hadn’t completely solidified yet. Dr. Fumio reached back outwards for the wall only to grasp something soft and not like a wall at all. He realized what it was he was grabbing when he felt something grab him in return and moan. An infected was in the doorway, and in the dark, he could only make out a blob in front of him, but he knew what it was.
Dr. Fumio yanked back to free himself and was barely strong enough to break free from the infected person's grasp. He began to move quickly forward, forsaking holding onto the wall to guide him. He wandered in the dark, and he ran into something metallic and heavy, tripping over it. He fell along with whatever he ran into with a loud clatter. He began to feel his muscles get tight, and his chest heavy.
He froze, knowing he needed to keep moving, but was too afraid to make more noise or trip again. In the dark, he heard movement behind him, and he couldn't tell if it was the lone infected that had grabbed him or multiple, coming to see what the noise was. Shapes moved in the dark, from both directions of the hall. He was trapped between infected, with nothing to protect himself, and no way of easy escape.
He could feel that his luck had finally run out, and he was done for. What happened next was going to happen; the only thing he could do was back up against the wall and watch as the infected got closer and closer. Helplessness took hold, and his body froze in place. The infected were mere feet away from him, and they reached out in the dark. The infected on his left was closest, reaching out and touched his shoulder.
Feeling the infected person’s hand on his shoulder made something click in his mind, and his fight instinct took over. He threw a solid punch at the infected person, managing to connect with their head. The infected person lost their balance and fell back. The noise sent the other infected into a craze. He had rung the dinner bell, and he was the main course.
Another infected reached out to grab him, and he quickly launched another punch. This punch only grazed the infected person but was enough to knock them back. Dr. Fumio started to gain confidence that he could handle the infected and keep them at bay. He threw another punch at the infected again to knock them down completely. He came back from the blow, and he felt a hand grasp him from behind.
Again, he tried to pull away, but this infected had a better grip. The infected pulled him back, and he felt a white-hot searing pain shoot through his back. He had been bitten by the infected. Dr. Fumio pulled away with what little strength he had left. Throwing a feeble punch, falling forward onto the ground and felt something land on top of him.
More white-hot searing pain coursed through his leg, as the infected that had fallen onto him took a bite. He blacked out from the pain. His heartbeat began to slow, and a small pool of blood rushed out from his wounds.
Chapter 14
He wandered the dark hall, searching for something that wasn't there. He knew it would be there if he waited long enough. Time had passed, but he no longer thought of it. In fact, he rarely thought about much anymore, except for what he was continually searching for; food.
The others that wandered the halls with him also searched for what he was, but so far, they had found nothing. He yearned for something to present itself, and they could all have what they found. Instead, it was quiet, and it was annoying.
That is until he heard something he hadn't heard before. Something that sounded like what he was searching for. The others in the hallway heard it too, and they all began moving towards the sound. It was coming from the doors that led to the outside. They all wanted to be free, himself especially. They couldn't find the source of the noise, so they continued to wander around nearby.
Shortly after they all turned as one; the doors had been opened. They all rushed through the doors, finally finding the source of the noise. Several soldiers had decided to come inside the hospital.
“What the-,” said, one soldier, before he was cut off.
Another soldier tried to raise his gun, but they were too fast. They overtook three of them before they knew what was happening. The other two fell shortly after, he lunged at the last soldier himself, grabbing his arm. He sunk his teeth deep into the soldier's arm; the soldier screamed in pain. Warm blood gushed out from his wound.
Dr. Fumio felt some semblance of joy as he felt the warm blood on his tongue. It was a new sensation, but one that his mind told him he liked. He went for another bite deciding it wouldn't hurt. The soldier still fought him but did little to stop him. More warm blood; what was left of his senses buzzed with excitement.
He couldn't remember his life before, of what he saw or thought, meant, but it didn't bother him. His new life and new senses made him more complete than ever. Dr. Fumio cared little for anything but finding his next new buzz of excitement.
What Remains (Book 2): Quarantine Page 18