Jake woke up to a strange noise at night. It was 01:02 on the clock. There was a strange noise, or rather a grinding noise.
The hallway is silent. No nurses. No other patients. Only the hum of the lamps.
Someone or something will earn the walls of the hospital. Jake's legs were still wobbly.
Surprisingly, Jake was still able to move and was able to stand up, but it was better not to rush.
Alex: "Were you fast asleep? Did you hear any screams?"
Jake: "what?"
Jake feels something icy in his stomach. Footsteps outside the door. No, not footsteps. Like wet sheets being dragged slowly across the floor. The scratching has gotten louder. It's getting closer.
Jake pulls the blankets tightly around himself, as if they can protect him from whatever is crawling down the hall. It's hot inside. Stuffy. His heart is pounding in his throat. The noise is getting closer.
Alex: "interesting..."
There's heavy breathing behind the door. It's almost human... but too muffled. Too wet.
Something is scratching at the wood of the door. Slowly. As if it's studying.
Jake hears the door creak. Someone—something—is crawling into the room. Right now. He can hear it dripping from his body… onto the floor…
Suddenly—silence.
And then—footsteps. Small. Light.
"…Help…" a child's voice comes from the corner of the room.
Alex: "A monster that can transform into a child. Strongly"
The footsteps inside the chamber stop. Silence.
Something heavy is breathing very close to you - on the other side of the blanket. So close that you can feel it warming the air beneath the fabric.
The blanket pulls a little tighter. It's like... it's being studied. With your fingers?
Voice deeper, distorted:"...Jaaaaaake..."
Alex :"He knows your name."
Jake in his mind: "Alex, are you laughing at me?! I can hear him... and this monster likes to play?! What the hell?! What does he want?"
Alex: "You're right... it's not just hunting. He's interested. You're the exception. You don't run, you don't scream, you don't fight. You lie down. He doesn't know what to do with someone like that."
Alex: "He's not just a monster. He studies people. He plays with their boundaries. He doesn't eat the body, he eats... reactions. He'll stay until you show HIM what he's looking for. Fear. Pain. Or..."
Jake: "Alex, I had a gun. The only question is, will this creature die from 24 bullets? And how many of these creatures are there in principle?"
Pause. Alex seems to be reading something outside of time.
Alex: "How many are there? I can't say for sure. But I sense at least three in the building. One with you. The second is on the floor below. The third is on the roof. And they are moving. Not together. But… they are connected."
Jake realizes that his body is still not fully functioning so Jake waits.
Alex: "He's looking to see if you're alive or not. He can feel fear. Your heartbeat. If you're... too calm, he'll think you're dead. He'll leave. Or... he'll open you up to make sure."
Jake: "How exactly does he react? Is he interested in emotion or is he blind and reacts only to emotions? Only negative or strong emotions or to emotions in general?"
Alex: "I think it is. These creatures don't have eyes, well, not in the usual human sense. But it's hard to call this thing blind."
The creature moves away. Scratching at the door. Something gurgles in its body, as if it were talking to itself in a foreign language. The door opens. Then — closes.
Silence.
Alex with a gentle smile: "You just survived an encounter with a creature that kidnapped twenty-two people…
Without a shot. Without panic. Because you acted like a child. This will go down in history."
Jake: "I'm sick, leave me alone! What a well-mannered monster closed the door behind himself."
Alex smiling: "Well, not a monster - just a nurse after her shift. All that's left is 'don't forget to get tested'."
Jake throws off the blanket.
The room is empty. There is almost no light, only a weak neon light flickering above the door.
And then… there's a scratching sound in the hallway. Again. But different. More intermittent. And… several sources.
Creaks.
Steps.
One heavy.
Another seems to crawl.
Jake: "There are three of them, as you said, in the building and one on the roof. I'm waiting for them to be right next to the door to knock them out with the door after one bullet until they die. I want to know how many bullets are needed for one monster."
[WEAPON: DUAL PISTOLS]
[AMMO: 12 / 12 | 12 / 12 | RELOAD TIME: 60 sec per unit]
[MODE: DUAL FIRE]
[STATUS: READY]
Heart - even. Breathing - quieter. Fingers - firmly on the handle.
Threshold. Creaks. Paws.
Whispers on the other side of the door: not words - sound imitation, as if they liked.
Jake suddenly leans forward - shoulder, body - blow!
The door flies out with a crash, as if spitting out fury.
The monsters on the other side were not expecting it. One is completely knocked down, the second stumbles.
Bang! Bang!
The first bullet — to the one near the floor.
Result: skull crushed. One down.
Bang!
Second — to the gut.
He squeals. Bullet #2 — not fatal.
Bang! — to the chest. He's still alive.
Bang! — to the throat. He goes limp.
Alex : "I'm impressed, what are you going to do next?"
Jake: "Make a rope out of the sheets and tie it up so that they can't do anything. Call the soldiers of the circle and all the necessary medical personnel, lab technicians, etc."
Alex: "That makes sense."
Jake: "Carmen?"
Alex: "Don't forget that there's a last one on the roof."
Jake: "I remember. I'll contact Krug first, then I'll deal with it."
Jake finds the chief physician's office and a whole communication terminal with the circle in a straight line.
[Enter the name of the creator you want to contact.]
Jake: "Zach Rose"
[The application has been accepted. keep a message]
Jake: "I've discovered a new type of monster. The ability to read emotions... Oh my God!"
Alex: "I don't think it was on the roof, it's huge."
A monster is also looking at Jake from the window. It was locked but his head reached the third floor and it was huge compared to the previous ones.
Jake was gripped by fear. It has stuck out its tongue and is going to kidnap him through the window. But Alex hits the monster.
To be continued...