3AM.
The last few hours of the night shift is always the worst. I always finish all my duties in the first half. There's only so many sleeping ICU patients to check on, so by this time I'm usually wandering the hallways. It's enough to make someone wish for a real emergency.
A bullet wound, maybe. Or a stabbing. That would bring the energy up.
I'm walking through the second floor hallways, poking my head into the private patient rooms as I pass. They're all asleep, just the same way I should be. I haven't seen any of my coworkers for a good while- I bet Jenny's off for another one of her 40-minute smoke breaks.
At the end of the hall, something catches my eye. I know I should turn around, get back to checking charts and noting heart rates and all that, but...
(set: $newspaper to false)(set: $missingpatient to false)(set: $NSKey to false)(set: $exitKey to false)(set: $scalpel to false)
[[I want to investigate...|The Door]]
[[I should get back to work.|Missing Patient]]At the far end of the hall, a door hangs open. The yellow caution tape that usually covers the door to the abandoned wing has been torn down. It's lying in shreds around the doorframe, fluttering lightly in some invisible breeze. Beyond the doorframe is a dark hole, the thin halogen lights from the hallways barely reaching a few feet into the darkness.
We're told the floor in there is unstable, the supports rotting. That the whole building went down in some fire, and instead of rebuilding it, they just cordoned it off and tacked on a new building like nothing happened. Like a band-aid over a wound.
I'm hesitant, staring into that dark opening. Almost like if I blink, it'll blink back.
[[Step into the hallway.|Abandoned Wing Start]]
[[Go back to your patients.|Missing Patient]]I spin on my heel. I don't have time to be sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong.
The first door on the right is open- I ought to check Ms. Peterson's chart. Her meds are probably due in a little while.
I pause in the doorway, knocking quietly on the doorframe before I enter. Mostly out of habit- I know she's asleep. There's no response, so I step inside, pulling my clipboard to my hip and glancing over at where she'll be, fast asleep on her bed, lit up by the bedside monitor.
Except she's not there. The sheets are twisted, leaving an imprint shaped like a body. The IV previously attached to her wrist is leaking saline fluid onto the pillow, a slowly spreading wet stain.
[[Look for her in the new wing|Fruitless Search]]
[[Look for her in the abandoned wing|Abandoned Wing Start]]
(set: $missingpatient = true)I step through the doorway to the abandoned wing, watching my feet carefully just in case the floor gives out. Rotten supports could be anywhere.
The floor looks okay, though. Clean. The linoleum tile is old and scuffed, but it looks like someone's swept recently. Which is strange, of course, but not too alarming. I think to myself, "This place isn't so bad. Jenny's got a stick up her ass for nothing."
Then the door slams behind me, a quick gust of wind picking up, howling down the hallway. I pull on the handle, but it won't turn, and the heavy fire door just rattles in its frame.
It's fine, i'll just head downstairs and get back to the new wing through the door on the first floor.
[[Head down the hallway|Abandoned Wing 2F-1]]I look around the second floor first, ducking into each room one by one. After the first few, I can't help but feel like it's futile. Still, I push on, because...
Well, because I have to. Imagine what Jenny would say if she found out one of my patients had gone missing. I'd be on bedpan duty for months.
An hour later, i've stuck my head into every room in the hospital, gone over every hallway twice.
Every hallway, except...
[[The abandoned wing.|Abandoned Wing Start]]This place must be set up differently than the new wing- The hallway branches here, heading off in two directions. Both directions look the same, just an expanse of gray walls and checkered tile stretching out into the darkness.
Is it just me, or are these hallways way... longer than the building looks from the outside? I could've sworn this place was smaller...
[[Go left|Abandoned Wing 2F-2]]
[[Go right|Abandoned Wing 2F-3]]The hallway seemed really long from the junction, but it ends eventually, turning a corner. It lets out into a different area, with bright primary-coloured tiles. There are fluffy clouds and little birds painted on the walls, but the paint is peeling away in big swathes, leaving sheddings on the floor. A few feet ahead is a doorway, the door itself dangling precariously from one hinge.
(if: $missingpatient is true) [Ms. Peterson isn't anywhere to be seen.]
[[Examine the wall|Pediatric Ward Wall]]
[[Head into the room|Pediatric Ward ICU]]
[[Continue down the hallway|Abandoned Wing 2F-4]]The hallway seemed really long from the junction, but it ends eventually, turning a corner. This part of the hospital seems more sterile, the hallways free of any debris. Along the walls are sets of double doors with frosted windows, painted green. I step up to one of them, squint at the plaque in the center.
"Surgical Suite 1."
[[Continue down the hallway|Abandoned Wing 2F-4]]
[[Go into the surgical suites|Surgical Suites]]I step towards the wall, looking over the peeling mural. All of the little multicolored children are flaking away, bits of their hands and feet falling the the ground. Their faces are just blank swathes of skin, their eyes and mouths long since gone. Just out of curiosity, I reach up with my finger and scrape away at the paint. The wall below is a strange pink colour, and it gives slightly under my finger when I touch it. Gross. The wood underneath must be rotted through.
[[Continue down the hallway|Abandoned Wing 2F-4]]
[[Head into the room|Pediatric Ward ICU]]All I can think when I enter the room is of the stories i've heard from the other nurses, how this place burnt to the ground, too damaged to even salvage.
But this place looks just fine. A bit old, sort of dirty, but no evidence of a fire at all. The small beds are lined up in neat rows, four to each side of the room. The curtains that used to cover them are in various states of disrepair, some of them looking moth-eaten or rotten. At the far end of the room is a small glass divider separating a nurse's station from the rest of the room. I'm not sure, but I think I see something on the counter behind the frosted glass.
It couldn't hurt to look around a little, could it? The longer I stare at my surroundings, the stranger they seem. My mother always said I was too nosy for my own good, but it's... more than that. I feel compelled to step forward, start looking over everything.
[[Investigate the beds.|PWICU Beds]]
[[Investigate the nurses' station.|PWICU Nurses' Station]]
[[I don't think I should touch anything.|Abandoned Wing 2F-2]]I leave as quietly as I can, turning a corner as the wing curls back in on itself. I must be on the other side of the second floor already. This hallway looks much like the others, so much that it trips me up for a second. But no, the place I left is still behind me.
Ahead stretches a hallway, lined on one side by windows with the blinds drawn. If i were to open them, i'd presumably see the street to the north of the hospital, with all its glass buildings and ugly skyscrapers. The other side contains doors, some hanging open, some shut tight. I glance around one more time and spy a plaque nailed to the wall next to me- was that there before?
It says the stairs are right ahead, though I can't really see much- the hallway isn't very well lit.
[[Open the blinds|2F-4 Window]]
[[Look into the rooms|2F-4 Rooms]]
[[Go to the pediatric ward|Abandoned Wing 2F-2]]
[[Go to the stairs|Abandoned Wing Stairs]]
[[Continue down the hallway|Abandoned Wing 2F-3]]It's creepy how small these beds are, really. If I believed in the ghost story nonsense Carly is always running her mouth about it might make me nervous, thinking about how many kids might have died here, that their spirits might still haunt these halls-
Ahem.
I'm not scared, so I lift the covers of the nearest bed and find something tucked at the bottom, lying so flat I didn't see it. It's a photograph, some kids playing in what looks like a recreation room. A girl holds something up to the camera, half of her grinning face hidden behind...
I'm not sure what it is. The way she holds it is relatively normal, like it's a teddy bear. Nobody else in the room seems affected by it at all. But the thing she's holding, this dripping pink mass of wrinkled skin. It's dotted all over with bulging purple veins, but there are no eyes, ears, mouth to speak of.
Someone's idea of a fun papier-mache project, I guess. I shudder and put the photo down.
[[Investigate the nurses' station|PWICU Nurses' Station]]
[[Leave|Abandoned Wing 2F-2]]
I head to the back of the room, jiggle the lock. It doesn't give. Now that I'm closer I can make out the thing on the counter better. It's dark and oblong, lying sideways across the countertop. The frosted glass obscures the rest of the details, though.
(if: $NSKey is false)[The door to the nurses' station is locked. I'll need a key.](elseif: $NSKey is true)[It seems like I have the key. [[Enter the nurses' station |PWICU Nurses' Station 2]]]
[[Investigate the beds|PWICU Beds]]
[[Leave|Abandoned Wing 2F-2]]The lock clicks and opens smoothly, without any trouble. Over and over, I've been confronted with indications that something isn't quite right with this place, but what else can I do? I need to move forward. I need to leave.
The door swings open, and I step into the Nurses' Station. It's a small, cramped room with a low ceiling, the ceiling lamp giving off a harsh light. In the back are a few cabinets, presumably containing medicines. Lighter-coloured rectangles on the walls indicate the spots where medical charts might have been hung, once upon a time. Through the frosted window, I can see the pediatric ward, the rows of tiny beds. Underneath the window is a flat linoleum counter, and atop it sits a black box, made of some smooth, shiny lacquered material. I can see a little catch on the front, some shiny metal hinges.
[[Look into the cabinets|NS Cabinets]]
[[Leave|Pediatric Ward ICU]]
[[Something else|SE]]I find the door to the stairs easily enough. No window in this one, just a blank metal door. The area beyond smells strongly of copper, a heavy smell. I have to pull my scrubs up over my nose. I have to.
Below me, the stairs head down, into the dark.
[[Go to the Pediatric Ward|Abandoned Wing 2F-2]]
[[Go to the Surgical Ward|Abandoned Wing 2F-3]]
[[Go back out into the hallway|Abandoned Wing 2F-4]]
[[Head down|Stairs 1]]I walk to the wall, grip the yellowing window shade in my hand, and pull down on the of the segments, creating a gap. Through it, I can't see anything, just a grime-encrusted windowpane. There might be something behind the translucent layer of dirt, something moving quickly. Maybe a car, but there is no headlights or engine sound, just a blur of movement. Come to think of it, I can't hear anything at all besides my own heavy breathing. No nighttime city sounds, no cars, nothing.
There's no time to think too hard about any of that, though. I look back over my shoulder and see my options spread out in front of me. They couldn't be clearer if they were written down.
[[Continue down the hallway|Abandoned Wing Stairs]]
[[Investigate the rooms|2F-4 Rooms]]
I take my time looking through the rooms as I pass. Some of them are stuck fast, the doors jammed into the frames or the locks broken. A few of them are open, but they hold nothing of interest, just a few dusty beds and broken pieces of equipment lying on the floor.
(if: $missingpatient is true)[I open the door to the final room with an almost bored detachment. There was nothing in the previous ones, so why should this be any different?
I'm immediately proven wrong. Ms. Peterson is draped over the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. This is unprecedented- until now, she was basically catatonic, refusing to speak or move. She looks up when I enter, and her teary red eyes focus on my face.
[[Talk to her|MP Convo]]]
[[Leave|Abandoned Wing 2F-4]]"You're here..." She says softly, her voice strained with disuse. I rush towards her, trying to help her sit up, but she pushes my hands away.
"This isn't the place you should be." She fixes her gaze on me again, narrowing her eyes.
[[Neither should you.|MP Convo 2]]
[[Where do you think I should be?|MP Convo 3]]There's a window above the landing, but it's papered over, a thin light shining through the layers of newspaper, making distorted shapes of words on the wall. The sickly yellow glow seeping through the paper makes barely enough light to see by, so I have to watch my step if I want to go any further. To my right, the stairs turn a corner and disappear further into the dark. I find myself in front of the window, looking down at my arms, at the shapes the words make on my skin.
Light... but... isn't it nighttime?
[[Peel off the newspaper|Newspaper]]
[[Go up the stairs|Abandoned Wing Stairs]]
(if: $newspaper is false)[[[Go down the stairs|Newspaper 2]]]
(if: $newspaper is true)[[[Go down the stairs|Stairs 2]]]I squint at the stairs beneath my feet, careful not to fall as I tentatively step. The first step holds under my weight, and so does the next. I make it all the way to the landing without any trouble.
[[Go back up|Stairs 1]]
[[Go down the next flight|Stairs 3]]I lift my hand up, scraping my nails at one of the lower pieces until it starts to peel away. It's quite old and brittle, so it takes a little bit of careful work, but I manage to get the sheet off the window mostly intact. The glue must be ancient by now.
The glass is now clear in a spot where I pulled the paper away, a great square hole. Beyond is a bright light, glowing orange, piercing into my vision and leaving great blue sunspots. I have to look away after a few seconds, feeling tears spring to my eyes.
Instead of giving myself permanent vision damage, I decide it's best to just read the paper instead.
[[Read the article|Newspaper 3]]I lift my foot, preparing to set it down on the first step of the stairs, and find myself paralyzed. Just for a second, I feel every muscle in my body freeze up, and I'm stuck in place. Once it's over, I stumble backwards, spinning around aimlessly for a moment as I try to come to terms with... whatever had just happened. I find myself in front of the window again and before I know it I'm reaching my hands up and peeling off the first piece of newspaper I can reach. I don't want to do it, I'm not even sure what purpose it'll serve, but it's like someone else is at the reins of my body and I carefully peel an article away from the glass. The thin paper rips a little bit as my hands tremble, but it's still mostly readable.
The glass is now clear in a spot where I pulled the paper away, a great square hole. Beyond is a bright light, glowing orange, piercing into my vision and leaving great blue sunspots. I have to look away after a few seconds, feeling tears spring to my eyes.
Instead of giving myself permanent vision damage, I decide it's best to just read the paper instead.
[[Read the article|Newspaper 3]]''LOCAL HOSPITAL UNDER SCRUTINY FROM FEDERAL AUTHORITIES FOR MISSING PATIENT SCANDAL''
//Multiple federal agents were seen on the premises of -the paper is torn here- General Hospital. In the recent years since its construction, the hospital has been at the center of a number of scandals, many of which revolved around patients that seemed to go missing without a trace. The families of the missing have banded together and petitioned the local government to enlist help in finding the source of these disappearances.//
Is this true...? I look at the grainy photo attached to the article, and though it's faded, I can clearly recognize the old wing's stony facade. I glance up at the other articles, ripping them down in a frenzy. Missing patients galore, but nothing about the place ever burning down. No, something else must have happened. But what?
(set: $newspaper to true)
[[Put it down|Stairs 1]]It's much the same. I go down the stairs, turning a corner and seeing another landing.
(set: $climb to $climb+1)
[[Keep going|Stairs 4]]
[[Go back|Stairs 2]]It's much the same. I go down the stairs, turning a corner and seeing another landing.
Shouldn't I have reached the first floor by now?
(set: $climb to $climb+1)
(if: $climb is 4)[This is getting ridiculous. There's no way the hospital has this many floors. Am I getting turned around in the dark?]
(if: $climb is 6)[I'm getting tired now. The longer I walk down these stairs, the less energy I have, like it's draining out of the soles of my feet.]
(if:$climb is 8)[The hospital doesn't want me to move forward. It's useless to resist, i'll just tire myself out running into the walls. My path has been laid out for me, and I can only choose from what I'm given. I'm so tired I can barely think. If I gather my energy now, I might be able to get back up to the landing with the window.]
[[Keep going|Stairs 3]]
[[Go back|Stairs 2]]
(if:$climb is 10)[[[Lie down|BAD END]]]
(if:$exitKey is true)[[[Use the key|Escape]]]I'm so exhausted, running myself raw like a hamster on a wheel. And still, the stairs don't end. I'm not getting anywhere, and everything is still dark. Before I know it, my legs are buckling under me and I slide to the cool concrete floor, my cheek grating against the rough surface. The chill temperature of the floor is comforting, soothing my tired muscles. I think I'll take a rest here, just for a little bit... the thing on the landing below will watch out for me, keep me safe while I sleep. Even as I drift off, I can hear its soft, even breathing, lulling me like a metronome.
Goodnight...
THE END. I remember now- I have a key. I reach into my pocket and pull it out. It almost seems to glow in the low light, the metal still warm to the touch. I reach the next landing and reach out for the wall in front of me, where the door should be. The key finds the lock easily, though there's still no door to be seen. I hear a click.
As the key slides into the lock, I hear something behind me, something slow and heavy lumbering down the stairs. There's this labored breathing, each breath rattling in its chest like it takes the utmost effort.
That's enough of that. I wrench the key to the left and push against the wall with everything I have. I can feel the concrete give all at once, slipping away from me as I stumble forward.
I'm in the second floor hallway. In the New Wing. Behind me is just an empty wall. Ahead are the doors to the patient's permanent rooms, all of them closed but one. I look down at my watch. 4:45 AM, almost time for my shift to end. I lean against the wall and sigh, deeply relieved.
Whatever just happened, it's over now.
(if: $missingpatient is true)[[[Enter the open door|GOOD END]]](if: $missingpatient is false)[[[Enter the open door|GOOD END 2]]]"Neither should you." I say, trying to inject my voice with some sternness. She laughs, like it's funny. If she hadn't recently woken from a coma, I would've shaken her. Instead, I grit my teeth.
"You didn't hear the call, but you came anyway. Why?" She regards me calmly, crossing her arms in front of her and fixing me with another piercing look.
[[I was looking for you.|MP Convo 4]]
[[The call?|MP Convo 5]]
[[I did hear it. The abandoned wing called to me.|MP Convo 6]]"Where do you think I should be?" I ask, confused. She laughs, like it's funny. If she hadn't recently woken from a coma, I would've shaken her. Instead, I bite the inside of my cheek.
"You didn't hear the call, but you came anyway. Why?" She regards me calmly, crossing her arms in front of her and fixing me with another piercing look.
[[I was looking for you.|MP Convo 4]]
[[The call?|MP Convo 5]]
[[I did hear it. The abandoned wing called to me.|MP Convo 6]]"I was looking for you." I say, annoyance showing clear in my voice. This woman must be more out of her mind than we thought, just yanking out her IV and running off like that. She didn't even do it properly either, I can see the jagged hole on the back of her hand when she reaches up to play with the collar of her thin hospital gown. She doesn't even seem to notice the blood, or if she does she doesn't care.
"It's not safe to be here, Ms. P. We really should go." I reach for her wrist, but again she bats me away, a little harder this time.
"My dreams told me somebody would come find me here. But it's obviously not you." Her face is flat, almost angry. At that, then she pushes to her feet, still clutching the pillow to her chest. It's... still surprising seeing her up and about, when just last night she was dead to the world. She stalks past me out into the hallway.
"Wait, Ms. P-" I turn around quickly, trying to catch her, but my hand cramps up and I clutch it to my chest, gasping. I'm left frozen as she runs out into the hallway, the sound of her bare feet echoing on the tile. I listen to her footsteps recede, unable to do anything, unable to even move. After a few seconds, I come back to myself, but she's gone.
[[Go back|Abandoned Wing 2F-4]]"The call?" I look at her, squinting my eyes. What the hell is she talking about? This woman needs some rest, and to get her IV put back in. This woman must be more out of her mind than we thought, just yanking it out and running off like that. She didn't even do it properly either, I can see the jagged hole on the back of her hand when she reaches up to play with the collar of her thin hospital gown. She doesn't even seem to notice the blood, or if she does she doesn't care.
"It's not safe to be here, Ms. P. We really should go." I reach for her wrist, but again she bats me away, a little harder this time.
"My dreams told me somebody would come find me here. But it's obviously not you." Her face is flat, almost angry. At that, then she pushes to her feet, still clutching the pillow to her chest. It's... still surprising seeing her up and about, when just last night she was dead to the world. She stalks past me out into the hallway.
"Wait, Ms. P-" I turn around quickly, trying to catch her, but my hand cramps up and I clutch it to my chest, gasping. I'm left frozen as she runs out into the hallway, the sound of her bare feet echoing on the tile. I listen to her footsteps recede, unable to do anything, unable to even move. After a few seconds, I come back to myself, but she's gone.
[[Go back|Abandoned Wing 2F-4]]"I did hear it. The abandoned wing called to me." I say hesitantly, not sure where the words are coming from. They feel foreign in my mouth, like they don't belong to me. Across from me, Ms. P. smiles, big and wide, showing all of her teeth.
"Of course... of course you did. I always knew you were special. You were so kind when you came to me, taking care of me. My dreams told me where to go, said someone would come find me here. I should've known it would've been you." She smiles as she talks, dreamily staring off at a spot behind my shoulder. I glance behind me, but nothing's there except ugly peeling wallpaper.
"Since you've been so lovely, I'll give you a clue."
(if: $NSKey is false)["The key to the nurse's station is under the fifth bed in the surgical ward. Someone must have dropped it, clumsy."](elseif: $NSKey is true)["The stairs are broken. You'll have to find another way down."] She giggles at that, then she pushes to her feet, still clutching the pillow to her chest. It's... still surprising seeing her up and about, when just last night she was dead to the world. She smiles at me, patting me gently on the shoulder, then breezes past me out into the hallway.
"Wait, Ms. P-" I turn around quickly, trying to catch her, but my hand cramps up and I clutch it to my chest, gasping. I'm left frozen as she runs out into the hallway, the sound of her bare feet echoing on the tile. I listen to her footsteps recede, unable to do anything, unable to even move. After a few seconds, I come back to myself, but she's gone.
[[Go back|Abandoned Wing 2F-4]]The surgical suite is large, divided into multiple beds, wrapped tightly in sterile plastic. Each one is on wheels for ease of movement, and the rubber has left black marks and deep grooves on the checkered linoleum tile. It still smells like bleach, even after all these years. It's been weighing on my mind since I got here, and seeing this perfectly preserved room only makes it worse- if this place burned down, why doesn't it look... burnt?
Everything in the room is pristine except for the great floor to ceiling crack in the far wall. It's about three feet wide, enough for a person to squeeze through. It's hard to see what's inside, though, because the cracked tile and crumbling plaster gives way to a deep, impenetrable darkness after a few feet.
Is it just me, or can I feel a soft vibration humming up from the floor?
[[Examine the broken wall|Cavern]]
[[Examine the beds|2F-5 Beds]]
[[Examine the surgical tools|Tools]]
[[Leave|Abandoned Wing 2F-3]]As I step closer to the cavern, the vibration feels stronger, like everything around me is taking in a breath. I put a hand on the cracked tile and lean my head into the opening, trying to see further into the dark. The air inside is warm, and I can definitely feel a breeze coming from deeper in.
[[Go in|Cavern 2]]
[[Head inside|Cavern 2]]
[[Step further|Cavern 2]]I glance over the beds, peeling back the plastic sheeting to look at the threadbare mattresses underneath. It can't be comfortable to lie on these beds, but I guess the people under anaesthesia don't mind much.
Under the fifth bed, all the way towards the far wall, there's something shiny. I get to my knees and try not to inhale a mouthful of dust as I reach for it. My fingers close around a small metal key. (set: $NSKey to true)
[[Examine the broken wall|Cavern]]
[[Examine the surgical tools|Tools]]
[[Leave|Abandoned Wing 2F-3]]There's a rack of surgical tools next to one of the beds. They're a bit dusty, but they haven't rusted, even after all these years. It doesn't really make any sense, but that's nothing new.
[[Take a scalpel|Scalpel]]
[[Examine the broken wall|Cavern]]
[[Examine the beds|2F-5 Beds]]
[[Leave|Abandoned Wing 2F-3]]I don't really have a choice, do I?
Something wills me forward, hearing shards of tile grate under my shoe. The gap in the wall is just the right fit, the cement scraping the shoulders of my scrubs. I dislodge little bits of stone and tile as I move along, hearing it fall to the floor. After a few feet the darkness sets in, until I can barely see my hand in front of my face. All the time the vibration gets stronger, rising and falling in waves... like breathing. Like the hum of something huge and sleeping- for now.
It takes me a few more minutes to reach the end, getting warmer all the while. All the remaining light is gone, so I just feel forward with an outstretched hand until I make contact with... the end.
The wall gives under my hand. It's soft and warm, covered in a smooth film. I push a little bit, fascinated by the strange material. It tightens for a moment, tensing up, then pushes back against my hand. I'm in shock and awe, feeling the gentle pulse of the wall beneath my fingers. Like a heartbeat.
This is impossible, but it's happening all the same. I'm trying to understand how I feel, revulsion and intrigue battling for my attention.
(if: $scalpel is true)[[[Use the scalpel|Cavern 3]]]
[[Leave|Surgical Suites]]I pull the scalpel from my pocket, hearing the metal scrape along the walls in these close quarters. Before I can dissuade myself from what I'm about to do, I squeeze my eyes shut and thrust it forward, burying it deep in the wall in front of me. I wrench downwards, cutting a neat incision nearly all the way to the floor.
Around me, there's a deafening scream. Something hot and wet starts to pour from the wound, soaking my shoes almost immediately and beginning to crawl up my legs. I try to move backwards, escape the sound, but I hit a wall- the passage behind me has closed up and there's nothing there, just me and the Hospital and the blood that's filling the tiny corridor until I can't breathe anymore-
[[Pass out|NEUTRAL END]]I open my eyes and I'm somewhere else. My head is leaning against a cool cement wall, and it takes me a second to realize where I am. The waiting room in the New Wing. I'm sitting on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs, arms crossed in front of me. There's a single receptionist at the desk, but she pays me no mind, immersed in the computer screen in front of her.
I must have dozed off without realizing it. I glance around, tilting my head to look down the hallway at my side. Empty. Good thing I woke up before Jenny saw me slacking off- she'd have my hide.
I stand up, brush myself off. As I do so, the movement causes something to drop from my pocket, winking in the dull light from the ceiling lamp. It's a metal scalpel, like the kind they use over in the Surgical Suites. I wrinkle my nose, crouching down to pick it up. There's something black and slightly sticky crusted on the blade. How strange.
I put it back in my pocket and head off to the second floor- I have patients that need checking in on.
THE END.I pick up one of the scalpels. It's shiny and sharp, winking in the light from the ceiling lamp. I'm not sure why, but I carefully wrap it in some gauze and put it in my pocket. (set: $scalpel to true)
[[Examine the broken wall|Cavern]]
[[Examine the beds|2F-5 Beds]]
[[Leave|Abandoned Wing 2F-3]]There's rows upon rows of bottles in here, all labeled neatly. There's nothing really out of the ordinary about any of the medicines in here specifically... although there does seem to be a lot of sedatives. Even the Nurses' Station in the New Wing doesn't keep a stockpile this big. Were people having sleeping problems here?
[[Leave|Pediatric Ward ICU]]
[[Something else|SE]]I spin on my heel, looking around the room again. Isn't there something I'm missing? I've looked at everything, except...
The box. Somehow before, it didn't even occur to me. I get this funny guilty feeling in my chest when I look at it too long, as though I'm doing something I shouldn't. Like any second something will bust the door down and catch me looking. But that's silly. I'm alone here.
I reach down, feeling my hands start to cramp again, muscles stiffening up my arm all the way to the shoulder. I grit my teeth and pull the catch, and the box springs open. Inside is a soft pink cushion, atop which is set a heavy metal key. There's a paper tag hanging from it, reading "First Floor Exit Key." I take it easily enough, feeling the smooth, warm texture of the cushion underneath. It almost feels like it's moving under my hand, like it's responding to the touch.
But it's no matter. I have the key now. (set: $exitKey to true)
[[Look into the cabinets|NS Cabinets]]
[[Leave|Pediatric Ward ICU]]I peek my head around the doorframe, not knowing what I'll find. Ms. Peterson is sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, watching the fluid drain out of the IV bag and onto the floor. She's yanked the IV out of her hand, I can see the jagged hole its' left behind. She glances up at me, smiles faintly. Her eyes are rimmed with red, like she's been crying.
This is unprecedented- just last night she was comatose, unable to speak or move. And here she is, sitting up like it's nothing.
"You got out." She says softly, tilting her head.
What? How could she know...?
"How long have you been awake?" I ask, my thoughts spinning a mile a minute. She just shrugs and slides back under the covers. It's no matter- the doctor assigned to her file will ask her all that in the morning. I plug the IV bag back up, prepare to wheel the little cart away. Before I go, I make a little mark on the chart at the foot of her bed. She's doing better, it seems. Full recovery.
"I'll go bring you something to eat." I say, and she nods, playing absentmindedly with something small and metallic in her hand- a little key.
THE END.I peek my head around the doorframe, not knowing what I'll find. Ms. Peterson is sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, watching the fluid drain out of the IV bag and onto the floor. She glances up at me.
"You got out." She says softly, tilting her head.
"So did you... but I thought you wanted to stay?"
"I thought I did, but... they weren't very nice over there."
"It's for the best, I think." I sigh deeply, and she slides back under the covers. I plug the IV bag back up, prepare to wheel the little cart away. Before I go, I make a little mark on the chart at the foot of her bed. She's doing better, it seems. Full recovery.
"I'll go bring you something to eat." I say, and she nods, playing absentmindedly with something small and metallic in her hand- a little key.
THE END.