Damned Are We

by Durman, Jason

  The group made for the elevators, but found the doors completely blocked by flaming rubble.

  "Don't tel me we're going to have to walk up the stairs," Jacob groaned.

  "Wel , feel free to stay down here," Corvo replied dryly, moving toward the stairwell doorway. The

  burly biker sighed warily and fol owed him.

  The grizzled veteran reached the door to find it ajar. However, as soon as he pushed it open, an

  empty metal bucket that was balanced precariously on top of the door clattered noisily to the ground.

  The others looked up in shock and then, to their horror, they heard the sounds of scurrying feet

  running toward them.

  "We've got company!" Corvo cried, raising his rifle.

  Several moments later, several infected people came storming out of nearby rooms, only to be cut

  down by withering gunfire. Jacob constantly pumped new rounds from his shotgun, sending Infected

  flying backward in a blast of gore with each shot, while Samantha and Markus stood back to back

  just outside the stairway, firing continuously. Corvo's M-16 spat flame in a long burst, blasting away

  several attackers in a continuous flash of light that consumed his last clip. He cursed and tossed the

  rifle aside, drawing a pistol.

  "Don't let them close the distance!" he yel ed, splattering a man's brains across the wal .

  A buckshot round tore open an infected woman's body, but another one closed in from the side

  almost immediately, snarling furiously. Jacob cried out as her hands shoved him to the hard floor. He

  looked up fearfully to see the attacker flexing her claws, and he raised his arms to protect himself as

  best he could. Suddenly, a hail of bullets tore into the woman's chest, sending gouts of blood flying

  into the air, covering Jacob' face. Grimacing with the foul smell as he rose to his feet, he looked over

  at Corvo and acknowledged him with a grateful nod.

  Thirty furious seconds later, the last Common Infected had fallen, in a viscous snarl. The look on its

  face as it died was one that Corvo would never forget. He had seen it before too many times.

  "I'm going to count down from ten, okay Corvo...?"

  "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

  Blood...? Lots of it, everywhere. The surgeon brutal y kil ed by the nurse before his very eyes. This

  was not a dream.

  Have to stay awake...

  Can't think...

  Don't black out.

  Goddamn drugs, they...

  Stay awake!

  Corvo struggled to focus his pupils, and then realised the blood-covered nurse was looking directly

  at him. There was an insane glint in her eyes.

  No... he thought frantical y, his blood running cold.

  He silently screamed at his leg to work. He managed to bring his foot up and kick the nurse in face,

  sending her crashing to the floor.

  Oh, Jesus, Corvo's mind whirled as he dragged himself up from the operating table, tearing off his

  face-mask. Is this real? Is this happening?

  Run! The back of his mind yelled at him.

  The aging veteran ran out of the operating theatre and down the hal way, struggling not to pass out

  with the searing pain shooting through his body.

  Don't panic. Don't black out.

  Everything hurts...

  Stay with it! Find something sharp. Kil it. Then get home...

  Corvo threw himself through a doorway and found himself in an operation prep room. Spying a

  bone-saw lying on the counter, he wil ed his hand to pick it up.

  "RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

  The nurse was right behind him, her entire face and chest covered in blood. Corvo wasted no time

  and swung the bone-saw with all his might, aiming for her neck.

  SPLAT.

  THWACK!

  The haunting memories were interrupted by a loud CRACK. Corvo looked over to see Jacob caving

  the skul of a stil -tJaguaring body with his boot. Samantha and Markus both looked disgusted, but

  chose not to say anything about the grisly scene.

  "Everyone okay?" he asked meekly instead.

  "Stil in one piece," Corvo grunted, retrieving his assault rifle and slinging it over his shoulder.

  Jacob angrily kicked the bucket that had fal en. "What the hell was that thing doing on top of the door?"

  "Quiet!" Markus hissed. "What if there are more around?"

  The survivors froze, listening careful y for any more movement nearby. They breathed a col ective

  sigh of relief when it appeared that luck was with them for a change.

  "It was an alarm system," Corvo said observantly. "Set up by survivors. We might not be alone in here."

  He set off up the stairs without another word, his pistol held down to his side. Samantha, Markus and

  Jacob took one more look at the body-strewn lobby before fol owing him, cautiously making their

  way up to the second floor. The stairwell door here was ajar like the previous one, with another

  bucket balanced on top. However, before Corvo could open the door, he felt a strong pair of hands

  grab him from behind. His pistol fel from his grip as he was shoved roughly against the wall.

  "Hands where I can see them, old man," came a rough voice from behind him.

  He looked over his shoulder to see a large black man behind him, pinning him against the wall. The

  man's hot breath washed down his face, and the older survivor could not help but crinkle his nose.

  "Let him go!" came Samantha's voice from below. She was pointing her gun at the intruder.

  No, Samantha! Corvo yel ed silently. Turn and run!

  However, it was too late. The distinct sound of a rifle being cocked echoed throughout the stairwel .

  "Drop your weapons."

  Chapter 12

  "Drop your weapons."

  Markus, Jacob and Samantha looked up to see another survivor crouched on the stairs further up,

  aiming an assault rifle at her. The former student promptly dropped her pistol and held both of her

  hands in the air above her head, Markus quickly fol owing suit.

  Their captor motioned at Jacob. "You too."

  "Oh, yeah?" he sneered. "What are you gonna do if I don't? "

  "Jacob!" Corvo snapped over his shoulder. "Just do as he says!"

  The survivor above them realigned his aim at the biker's head. "I'll give you to the count of three."

  Markus and Samantha exchanged nervous glances. "One... Two..."

  "Guys, wait!" she exclaimed. "What are we doing? We're al survivors here. We should

  be helping one another. Not holding each other at gunpoint!"

  There was an awkward silence fol owing her statement.

  "Please," she continued. "We fought our way through hel to get here. We just want to find the rescue."

  After a few more moments, the two offending survivors hesitantly lowered their guns, while

  Samantha and Markus slowly lowered their hands.

  "Sorry for surprising you like that," the black man behind Corvo said, his dreadlocks swaying as the older man turned to face him. "We were just a little spooked when we heard our bucket fal over

  downstairs. We thought the Infected were making their way up."

  "It's okay. Can't be too careful," Corvo replied, offering his hand. "Name's Corvo."

  The large man took it in a strong grip. "I'm Trev." He gestured up at his partner on the stairs above them. "That's Andy."

  Corvo gestured to the rest of his group. "Markus, Jacob and Samantha."

  "Nice to meet you," she said shyly. "We're glad we're not the only ones left."

  Trev chuckled. "We have a couple more of our own further up. Fol ow me."

  The six survivors turned and climbed up another cou
ple of flights of stairs, Corvo uttering a muttered

  curse every now and then.

  "Don't like stairs, Corvo?" came Samantha's voice from behind him.

  "Not one bit," he grunted, pointing down at one of his knees. "Old war injury. Telling you now; climbing stairs with a stiff knee is not fun."

  "Hey, Trev, right?" Jacob cal ed from further down the stairs. "There wouldn't happen to be working showers around here, would there?"

  "As a matter of fact, there are," he answered. "Do you need one?"

  "No. You look like you do though."

  Trev, however, laughed off the insult. "Real charmer we've got here."

  Jacob is kidding himself if he thinks he doesn't need a shower, Markus thought in

  disgust. I can smel him from here.

  Samantha, however, nearly exploded with excitement. "Sweet Jesus, a shower? Yes! Are there

  washing machines too? I've been wearing these clothes for over a week."

  "Yep, there are," Trev answered with a chuckle. "Don't worry, we'l have you four smellin' like roses again in no time." He final y stopped at the fifth floor. "Here we are."

  He pushed the door open, and the others fol owed him into a hospital ward, just as desecrated as the lobby. He led them to the left down a dim hal way to the help desk, where there were two more

  survivors sitting down in cheap-looking white plastic chairs.

  The older of the two stood up, fumbling with a Uzi rather clumsily. "Trev! Andy! Who are they?"

  Corvo stepped forward and offered his hand. "More survivors, son. We already got the shakedown

  from your col eagues."

  "Glad someone else made it," the middle-aged man said, shaking his hand. "I'm Roger." He gestured to the younger black-haired man sitting in the chair behind him. "This is Joe."

  "Pleased to meet you all," Joe said, standing up. He gazed over at Samantha and flashed her a

  warm smile. She reciprocated.

  "If you don't mind me asking, why haven't you four been rescued yet?" Markus asked curiously. "I heard that there was supposed to be an evacuation here."

  "There is," Trev said, gesturing to a battered-looking radio sitting behind the desk. "We were able to get in touch with one of the north-east safe-zones. They're going to send a helicopter, but they can't

  get one out until tomorrow morning, as they're al already out on other rescue missions."

  Samantha felt her spirits lift dramatical y with those words. So there were other survivors out there...

  Andy nodded at the newcomers. "You guys got here just in time."

  Corvo gave a weary sigh as he surveyed his surroundings. Although they had final y made it to

  Jameson Hospital, he knew that they were not out of the woods yet.

  "How long have you been holed up in here?" he asked Roger.

  "A few days. There were more of us before." The man's voice was laced with regret.

  "That was before the Infected broke in?"

  He nodded silently.

  "How safe are we in here?" Corvo asked.

  "We managed to clear out this floor," Roger replied. "Well, they did most of the clearing," he added, motioning to the younger men of his group, who were quietly mingling with the others. "I'm not much

  of a fighter."

  "What do you do?"

  "I'm a doctor. I was supposed to leave on the last helicopter, but it was full, so I volunteered to stay behind and treat any new survivors who showed up."

  "I'm glad you did," Corvo replied. He nodded toward Markus. "My friend was badly-injured. He needs medical attention."

  Roger nodded. "I can only do so much, though. As you can see, the more advanced equipment isn't exactly in working order."

  Corvo turned to address the rest of the survivors. "Okay, it turns out that our friend Roger here is a

  doctor. Looks like you lucked out, Markus."

  If he's not already mutating in to a bloodthirsty freak, Jacob thought to himself.

  "We're going into the next room to let Roger work," Corvo continued. "You al keep watch out here."

  With that, he and Samantha helped their friend into a nearby private room. They sat him down on

  the bed, and Roger started removing the bandages that had been wrapped around his chest. He

  clicked his tongue when Markus' chest was revealed.

  "Hm, this does look pretty nasty. I'll need to clean the wounds to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with..."

  As the doctor worked, Samantha and Corvo walked over to the door.

  "I'l watch Markus," he said to her. "You and Jacob should restock on ammo."

  "But – " she started to argue.

  Corvo cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Look, Samantha, we're all dead on our feet. But I need

  you both to see what ammo you can scrounge up. This hospital is stil swarming with the Infected."

  She finally nodded and walked back to join the others, while Corvo plonked himself down on a chair

  just outside Markus' room. Without realising it, he immediately slumped down, with his beret sliding

  down over his eyes.

  Jacob threw himself into a chair gratefully and stretched out, while Trev and Andy cleaned their

  guns.

  "So, you're the ones who've been holding the fort, huh?" he said absently.

  "Yep," Andy replied proudly. "You wouldn't believe how many Infected I've popped."

  The large biker snorted. "Bet I've popped more."

  "You guys wouldn't happen to have any food, would you?" Samantha suddenly piped up.

  Andy gestured to the nearby kitchenette. "Help yourself to anything not rotting. Hospital was stocked with food, but we're starting to run low on supplies."

  Jacob grunted. "Ain't nothin' like crappy hospital food." He looked over to see Trev shaking his head.

  "What's up with you? Got a problem with bikers?"

  "Nope," the large man replied. "Just you."

  "Oh, yeah? And why's that?"

  "You're startin' to become a pain in my ass," he said, standing up menacingly.

  Jacob rose to meet him, and they both stood face-to-face for a moment, sizing each other up.

  "Okay, boys. Put the rulers away, zip up," Samantha said suddenly, tapping them both on the

  shoulders.

  She pushed her way through the middle of them, forcing them both to step back and earning her a

  scathing look from Jacob. She passed through into the kitchen and emerged a few moments later,

  carrying an assortment of candy bars. She threw one to Jacob, who deftly caught it with one hand.

  Joe chuckled. "Trying to keep up a balanced diet?"

  Samantha opened a candy bar and bit into it hungrily. "Well, there wasn't much else in there besides

  rotten apples, rotten bananas, rotten broccoli... oh, and some powdered custard."

  "Trust me, the custard tastes better than it looks," Joe said, smiling.

  "There's another kitchenette on the far side of the ward. There should be more food in there," Andy offered helpfully.

  "Wel , I'm just looking forward to some real food again once we get to the safe-zone," Trev yawned, sitting back down in his chair.

  "Hey, Trev," Samantha said. "You were saying before that there are showers around here?"

  "Yeah, but you gotta be careful. We managed to clear out this floor, but there are stil Infected al

  over the hospital."

  Joe stood up. "Come on," he said gently. "I'll show you where they are."

  After he and Samantha had gone, Jacob turned his head toward Andy. "Hey, my group is runnin' low

  on ammo. Do you have any to spare?"

  "We have some spare pistol clips, as wel as a few rifle magazines."

  "We're gonna need 'em."

  "Wel , you're gonna have to earn them," Trev said gruffly.

  Jacob' eyes narrowed in chal enge. "And how's that?"

  Trev grinned, and produced a pack of cards.
"Ever played Texas hold'em?"

  "So here they are," Joe said, leading Samantha into the shower room; a tiled room with curtain-covered cubicles. "I'm sorry to say that the hot water is long gone, but it's a smal price to pay to feel human again."

  Samantha, however, was too busy grinning from ear-to-ear to answer. She moved toward the

  nearest cubicle and pul ed off her track jacket revealing her white vest. She turned back to see Joe

  stil standing guard. He was facing away from her, watching the bathroom door.

  She frowned and cleared her throat. "Um, a little privacy?"

  "Oh, sorry! Sorry!" Joe stammered awkwardly. "It's just that we have to keep watch on the door, the Infected could come in... I'm really sorry. I'll go outside."

  He quickly left the room, and Samantha smiled.

  Roger cleaned and dressed Markus' wounds, pausing for a moment when his patient gasped as a

  sharp, stabbing pain shot through his body.

  "Sorry," Roger said apologetically. "I'd use anaesthetic if there was any."

  "Hey man, don't worry about it," Markus replied.

  "I just wish the damn helicopter would hurry up and get here," Roger grumbled.

  Suddenly, his attention was diverted by a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye.

  Did I just see something move past the window?

  Drawing his pistol, Roger approached the glass, and peered through it careful y. He breathed a sigh

  of relief when he saw nothing threatening outside.

  "What is it?" Markus asked nervously.

  "Nothing," Roger replied, holstering his pistol. "Just my imagination."

  Chapter 13

  Corvo sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly ahead.

  The young doctor at the door tried to break the uncomfortable silence. "So... are you expecting any

  family?"

  Corvo said nothing.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the young man stammered. "That's right. You... um..."

  Corvo glared at the man. If looks could kil , the doctor might as wel have laid down right there for the autopsy.

  Regardless, he continued his vain attempts to initiate a conversation. "So. You're a veteran?"

  "It's Philadelphia Veterans' Hospital," Corvo replied without looking up.

  "It's actually a very common procedure. There's nothing at all to be worried about."

  "I didn't ask." Straining with the effort, the grizzled veteran reached over to the bedside table and fished out a cigarette from the packet lying atop his clothes.