8:05 pm Friday
Marie woke up but her body was paralysed. She couldn't move a muscle. It was a struggle but she opened her eyes. She saw a giant of a man and a woman standing over her. The room appeared to be an old style creepy hospital room. They were talking to each other but sounded like a muffle as though they were speaking underwater. Her body felt like it was made of metal and a powerful magnet was pulling her down. Every second that went by she felt sensations coming back to her body. She quickly opened her eyes and and clenched them shut again. The two people talking over her appeared to be a doctor and a nurse. Marie still couldn't quite make out what the two people were saying.
She could now feel the tingling in her toes that travelled quickly all through out her body. She could now wiggle her fingers. She concentrated on what the two were saying to each other. Marie finally came around and could hear what the two were saying.
"Prepare the vile Nurse Jones" The doctor said gently. "We don't have much time for the operation"
"Yes doctor" The nurse said
The nurse walked over to a bench few feet away and appeared to tinker with a syringe and a vile of yellow solution. Marie had no idea what to do but she knew that she'll have to get herself out of here. The doctor was also occupied preparing a contraption that Marie didn't recognise. She saw that the doctor had a gun holstered under his gown. She figured that if she was to get alive, she needed to act now. By this time, Marie seemed to have her movement back. What ever they dosed her with had almost entirely worn off.
Without another moment's thought, Marie sprung up and grabbed the doctor's gun, Then, she pointed it squarely at the doctor and pulled the trigger. The doctor's head whiplashed back as he fell to the floor. The odd thing was, she couldn't see any blood splatter nor the sound of the bulleting crunching through his head. The nurses reaction was unusual.
The tall, blonde, statuesque woman slowly turned around unperturbed. She was like a model out of a magazine. She put the syringe and and the vile of liquid down and began to walk towards Marie. She shot the nurse in the head. Again, no blood.
"Please Marie, put the gun down. I know you're traumatised." The nurse said calmly.
"Who are you people?!" Marie yelled.
Her hands shook uncontrollably. The nurse's head jerked left and right as she walked towards Marie. Marie shot the doctor point blank in the head. Yet, he seemed to be moving and was starting to get up.
"Marie, we don't have much time, we need to prepare you for the procedure. It's for your own good.
A chill ran down Marie's neck. She took three shots on the back of the doctor's head and the nurse in the head. The nurse dropped to the floor with a massive metallic thump. Marie thanked her lucky stars that she was dressed in jeans and T-shirt. Marie quickly opened the door and got out into the hallway. She couldn't see the ends of the hallway on either side. She started running expecting the siren to sound off any second now. What were those things. They looked human but bullets didn't affect them. Marie turned around to see if they were chasing her. There weren't anyone behind her.
She stopped to catch her breath. She looked into a room. There was a person on a bed with another doctor and nurse looking over them. The nurse injected the person with the yellow vile. The doctor put on something that resembled a silver helmet with wires coming out of it. The person gave out a spasm before laying down perfectly still. Marie wanted to help the patient but she needed to get out of this creepy place herself. In the next room, it was another set of doctor and nurse performing the same procedure.
Marie kept walking. After what seemed to be an infinity, she finally came to a door at the end of the hallway. She carefully opened it. It was a stairway. She wasn't sure what floor she was on. She decided walk up. Marie was hoping that this was a nightmare and would wake up any moment. She wasn't that lucky. After another infinity, Marie came across a door. She had no choice but to enter it.
It was not what she expected.
It was a kitchen. It must be the hospital kitchen. A massive room. There were dozens of rows of chefs busily doing all sorts of cooking. Not one of them took a notice of Marie. The chefs all had the caricature look of a chef, big belly, mustache, like a picture on a cereal box. The peculiar thing was some of them were merely mimicking the action of cooking. One looked as though he was beating eggs in a bowl but he wasn't holding anything.
She tip toed through this nightmare of a kitchen. Despite her best efforts to not attract any attention to herself, she felt a tap on the back of her shoulder. It was one of those cartoony chefs. He looked angry.
"Can I help you miss?" The chef said in an unrecognisable accent.
Marie thought about shooting her way out but decided to talk to the man instead.
"Where am I?" Marie asked.
"What kind of stupid question is that Miss! You're in the kitchen of St Marks. We need to prepare meals for the new patients brought in this morning. What are you doing here?"
"So, sorry, but I'm lost, can you please point me to the nearest exit" Marie said nervously.
"Just get to the end of the kitchen, go up two floors, go through the chapel, there you'll find the foyer" The chef said annoyed.
"Thank you so much, sorry to have troubled you"
When Marie reached the end, she took a quick look. The hundred chefs continued to work.
She made sure that she didn't forget the directions. She walked up two floors and reached a chapel. She was nervous to enter. But she had no choice. She prayed that she was one step closer to the exit. The chapel was a serene place. There wasn't a soul in it. She could see the exit on the other side. She was glad that she didn't have to spend an eternity in here. She entered and casually walked through the church. She looked around as she walked. there was a standard cross and a church organ at the front, few rows of wooden benches, red carpet, nothing unusual.
"My child, how can I help you?" A voice said from the back of the chapel.
It was a man in his sixties wearing a priest's outfit. Marie wanted some answers before she gets out.
"Where am I? She asked.
"You are in the chapel of St Marks Hospital" The priest said.
"What kind of hospital is this?"
"You must be new. It's a completely automated hospital, run entirely by artificial intelligence, robotic staff including the doctors and nurses"
"What's happened to all the people, you know, humans?" Marie was starting to get spooked. She had no idea how she ended up here.
"Well my dear, I can't answer that. All I know is that If you've come from the east wing, you must have been getting prepared for harvesting"
Marie clenched her weapon and made sure it was in view of the Chaplin.
"Are you a robot?" Marie asked.
"Simply put, yes, I am"
At that moment, a dozen men in white stormed into the chapel and charged at Marie. She opened fire, dropping several of them.
"Good luck" The priest said as she bolted towards the exit.
The chef told her that the foyer would be outside the chapel. It was not the foyer. It appeared to be a morgue. There were hundreds of metal drawers for bodies. She dared not open them. Besides, she was getting chased by the hospital security. She ran, occasionally shooting at the men in white. She could see the door at the end. She charged through it. She finally made it to the foyer. The remaining men who were chasing Marie suddenly turned and went back. That was easier than Marie thought.
About fifteen feet directly ahead was the entrance to the hospital. Sun rays were coming through the glass door. She was so close. She made sure the men didn't suddenly turn around to grab her. As she turned towards the front door, there was the nurse with half of her head blown off earlier. The nurse was holding the syringe with the nasty yellow vile.
"You are sick Marie, we can help you. Please, let's go back to your room and let us help you" The nurse said with a metallic static in her voice
"Why am I here?! Where is everyone?!" Marie yelled in desperation.
Marie could see people walking in the streets outside .
She took aim and shot at the nurse's head and pulled the trigger. Nothing. She was out of ammo. She decided to gun it towards the exit. Then she felt a strong hand grabbing her and slamming her down to the cold hard floor. That was the last thing she remembered.
She was back at the creepy room, her arms and legs bound. The nurse and the doctor was back talking amongst themselves. The nurse with half the head blown off finally injected Marie with that god awful syringe. She went to sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Written by David Kim 2021
HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2021 EVERYONE