I left Elisabeth in her bed and made my way back towards the staircase. Under different circumstances, I would've felt bad leaving her body in such a state.
Now, however, anything was better than being bitten and rising from death itself.
In reality, there was no way for me to know that whatever infection was spreading, was transmitted through biting, but it was a good guess.
It was like that in the movies, after all.
When I reached the third and second floors, I took a glance into the corridors to see if anything was going on. An eery silence told me that the floors were most likely empty, so I continued down to the ground floor.
Not far now...
As I stood before the door that would lead to the reception desk, I focused to see if I could hear any noises. It would make sense for the zombies to be gathered down there, especially if the infection had begun to spread whilst the hospital was mid-evacuation.
And to no surprise, I heard noises. A few of them.
My heart began to race, which I had now accepted as a common occurrence.
Beating a zombie one-against-one isn't difficult, especially with my new strength. But multiple at a time...
Without a doubt, it was beyond my capabilities. Or at least what I felt comfortable with.
I turned over the possible options in my head.
The first one was to spend more time in the hospital, searching for resources and weapons. Even if the zombies on the ground floor didn't get me, then there was a high chance that those outside on the streets would. Fighting multiple zombies at once might have been unavoidable, so going against them prepared would increase my chances of success.
However, this option presented a huge problem. I would be left alone for a longer amount of time, as well as separated from my brother. I had no idea how long I had been in a coma, so every minute I didn't spend searching for him was a minute wasted.
So that left me with another option. The one that I had decided to take.
A full-blown sprint through the corridors and out into the streets of Lenton Town.
My stamina was incredible. Not only due to my history as a boxer but also because of the changes made to my body after waking. The wound on my waist could slow me down, but so far, I had barely even noticed it due to the adrenaline.
If I moved fast and smart enough, I should be able to outmanoeuvre the zombies. They were only Walkers after all.
Walkers... it was a fitting name.
After coming to my decision, I took deep breaths to control my nerves. I needed maximum concentration to pull this off.
I lifted my hand to the door and pushed it open only slightly, granting me a view of the corridor.
I saw the beasts walking around aimlessly, or standing in their grotesque forms, doing nothing but leaking blood from vicious wounds onto the ground. One had no legs and moved by pulling itself across the ground on its stomach, and another was missing half of its head completely.
The sight sent shivers down my spine.
Quietly I closed the door again.
Seven. I counted seven walkers between me and the exit.
The odds could have been much, much worse.
Like I had already done once before, I counted myself down.
3...2...1!
Shakily, I pushed through the door and sprinted through.
Tap, Tap, Tap,
The sounds of my bare feet slapping against the floor beneath me drew the attention of the zombies.
The closest one turned towards me, arms outstretched, trying to grab me, but I shoved it to the side with my shoulder and barged past.
"Augh..."
Another came towards me from the right, so I pushed myself up against the left side of the corridor and continued sprinting right past it, and then another.
That meant there were only four more between me and the exit near the reception desk.
"Augh! Grr."
With my enhanced agility, I leapt over the zombie that crawled along the floor. But before I could land, another was on me.
There was no time to evade it, I had to push through.
I lifted a leg before landing and felt my foot thump into the chest of the zombie. It stumbled off balance, and fell to its back, hitting its head on the ground with force. I watched as blood splattered like paint.
The last two zombies were right ahead, standing shoulder to shoulder, blocking the path. Past them, I could see the reception desk, and glass door to the exit.
I saw no immediate zombies outside, so as long as I could get past the zombies ahead of me, I would be free!
Sprinting at full speed towards the lifeless creatures, I tackled them with my shoulder, knocking them over like bowling pins. They staggered to the side, crashing into the wall as I was allowed through.
"I did it," I muttered to myself, as I strode towards my opening. "I did—"
"HELP! PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
A sudden cry filled the air.
It came from behind me.
I turned my head backwards and noticed that the zombies were not even following me.
It seemed that one of the zombies that I had barged over, had been knocked into a door. The force flung it open.
Inside of the room was where the sounds were coming from, and the zombies slowly filtered their way through.
The screams grew louder and louder.
A survivor... it was another survivor within the hospital. My actions had led to his save room being found.
And now, he was calling for my help.
"WHOEVER'S OUT THERE, PLEASE. SAVE ME!"
I looked forward towards my destination.
The door was right there.
The door that would lead to the outside world.
To Burner, my brother.
...
I didn't even hesitate, as I continued sprinting towards the door.
Seven zombies were entering that room, yet there was only two of us.
I had to be smart if I wanted to survive in this world.
I had to be realistic.
The screams continued from behind me, growing louder and louder, before suddenly stopping.
The zombies must have caught him, but there was no time for me to dwell on this thought.
I barged through the glass door and out into the streets of Lenton. My journey was not over yet.
There were still hundreds of zombies between me and my brother's apartment.