"We're too weak," Lisa said interrupting them, her voice sharp and cracked as glass, studying Marcus's hand-drawn map. "The Head Surgeon will carve us up."
Caleb nodded, his still eyes fixed on Marcus. The man sat still, his smile a frozen mask, like a snake coiled in wait.
"So what's the move?" Tom asked, rubbing his knuckles raw.
"We get stronger," Sarah said. "We'll try to farm the weaker zombies."
"The nurse's stations," Marcus said, voice smooth as oil on water. "It has predictable routes and it's not too clustered. Easy kills."
'How did he know their patrols so well?'
The thought quickly flashed through Caleb's mind but he couldn't muster it's substance.
But the plan held water. Caleb checked his status:
[Caleb Stray - Level 13]
EXP: 800/1000
HP: 77-%
Stamina: 100/100
He was close to leveling up. Satisfied he somewhat relaxed.
Then suddenly, the echoed sharply in his skull:
'You forgot what you did' it hissed, bitter as bile.
' You'll gut these people the second you get the chance.'
Caleb pushed Ellen's terrified face from his mind, focusing on the scalpel's weight.
He'd left her and Soren to protect them; this group was a necessity, a shield for his survival. He'd leave the moment the opportunity he quickly convinced himself.
"Let's get in pairs," Caleb said. "Sarah and Tom, Lisa and Maya. Marcus and me."
Marcus's smile twitched wider. "Perfect."
They split up. The others veered east; Caleb and Marcus took the central corridor, its lights buzzing like dying moths.
"Nurse station ahead," Marcus whispered, nodding at double doors labeled 'NURSING STATION 7C.' "Three inside, maybe four."
"How do you know?"
"The lights. Nurses dim them when they're working."
Caleb peered through the glass. Marcus was right. Three figures in tattered scrubs shuffled between desks, movements jerky yet precise, yellow eyes glinting.
[Nurse - Level 11]
[Nurse - Level 12]
[Nurse - Level 10]
The Level 12 nurse snapped her head up, eyes locking onto Caleb.
"Go time," he said.
He activated Fast Step, bursting through the doors, stamina draining. [Stamina: 80/100. Fast Step on cooldown: 10 seconds.] The Level 11 nurse was mid-turn when his scalpel sliced her throat. Arteries parted clean. She crumpled silently.
[50 EXP Gained]
The Level 12 nurse shrieked, lunging with syringe-tipped fingers. Her nails raked Caleb's arm, blood welling, pain sharp as betrayal. [HP: 75/100.] He triggered Accelerated Reflexes, time slowing as his reactions sharpened. [Stamina: 50/100. Accelerated Reflexes on cooldown: 60 seconds.] His scalpel carved her gut, enhanced by his title.
Her HP plummeted. She fell, gurgling.
[60 EXP Gained]
The Level 10 nurse charged from the shadows, her syringe grazing Caleb's thigh, venom searing like fire. [HP: 61/100. Minor Poison Effect: -5 HP/10 seconds.] He stabbed her heart, dropping her.
[45 EXP Gained]
[Current EXP: 955/1000]
Power tingled, close but not enough. Weak prey, weak rewards.
Marcus appeared, blood on his surgical knife. "Took out three patients in the back. Noise drew them."
Caleb hadn't heard a sound. No screams. No struggle. His gut knotted, wary.
They pushed to the next target: four security zombies patrolling the corridor, Their armor glinting under flickering lights. Marcus knew their routes, almost perfectly.
The ambush was brutal. Caleb isolated a Level 10 guard, his scalpel slipping between armor plates, but a Level 11 guard tackled him, slamming him against a wall, ribs creaking. [HP: 60/100.] He sliced an artery. [75 EXP Gained.] Two more swarmed, clubs swinging; one clipped his shoulder, pain exploding like a burst vein. [HP: 50/100.] His cuts sharpened, dropping them.
[85 EXP Gained]
[Current EXP: 980/1000]
No level-up. The Tower craved stronger prey.
They met the others on the ninth floor, battered but sharper. Sarah was Level 12, her Quick Shot deadly accurate, nailing a scalpel into a wall from twenty feet. Tom, Level 12, stood firmer in his Iron Wall stance. Lisa hit Level 11, her Analyze Weakness keener. Maya, Level 10, healed faster with Mend.
Caleb's wounds throbbed, poison lingering until Maya's hands glowed, purging it. [HP: 45/100.] "You're reckless," she muttered.
Caleb avoided thoughts of Ellen's bloodied arm, Soren's shattered jaw. Their absence stung like a fresh cut.
They eventually met another survivor group, they met them on the tenth floor. They were 5 climbers in total. Their leader, Catherine, was blood-soaked, grinning. "Hunting party?"
"Same as you," Sarah said. "Prepping for the ICU."
"Smart. We've been farming the maternity ward.
They swapped intel: zombie locations, patrol patterns, hospital weak points. Others were doing the same, turning the hospital into an experience farm.
"Coordination's key," Catherine said. "I've met two other groups before, we planned to meet up SPD then hit the ICU together,
Caleb nodded, but Marcus's smile faltered, a crack in his polished mask.
"Problem?" Caleb asked.
"No," Marcus said, too quick. "Just bad timing."
They separated from Catherine's group.
They pushed to the thirteenth floor, hitting seven doctor zombies in the surgical ward, Levels 12-14, carving a writhing patient-thing. Sarah marked the strongest with Tracker's Mark, but a Level 14 doctor slashed Tom's thigh, blood gushing. [Tom: HP 70/100.] Tom roared, Iron Wall holding, drawing four doctors. Maya shielded Lisa, taking a scalpel to the shoulder, her cry sharp. [Maya: HP 65/100.] Her Mend flared, stabilizing her.
Sarah's throws dropped two. Lisa's analysis pinpointed weak points. Caleb's Precise Strike cut throat, heart, and spine, but a doctor's blade grazed his side, tearing flesh. [HP: 40/100.]
[120 EXP Gained]
[150 EXP Gained]
[135 EXP Gained]
[Current EXP: 980/1000]
"It's getting a bit troublesome so, I'll just say you guys are now ready," Caleb said, licking his bright teeth.
"Ready for what?" someone asked asked.
Marcus stood in the doorway, his shadow writhing like a burned thing. "He smiled sharply, you'll see."