Rachel - Interactive Story - scene 2 (Patreon)

continued from scene 1 

Rachel darts across the street, her boots pounding the pavement with an urgency that cuts through the early morning quiet. The ambulance before her is a twisted wreck, its exterior marred with streaks of dirt and blood, the reflective decals peeling off from the impact. The vehicle's front end is crumpled against the telephone pole, the metal frame bent at an unnatural angle. The front doors hang open, revealing a scene of chaos inside.

She approaches cautiously, her training taking over as she assesses the situation. Inside, the interior lights flicker weakly, illuminating an unconscious man strapped to a medical gurney, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Beside him, an EMT slumps against the wall, the side of his head cracked open, a dark pool of blood staining the floor beneath him.

Movement in the front seat catches Rachel's eye. The driver lies hunched over the steering wheel, his head obscured by an inflated airbag. But the passenger side draws her attention—a woman clambering awkwardly into the front seat. Her clothes, a torn and bloodied nurse's uniform, cling to her emaciated form. Her skin is sickly pale, veins stark against her flesh, and her eyes are now glazed over with a mindless hunger.

A scream pierces the air from outside, desperate and fearful. "Help! Help!"

Rachel's focus narrows to the immediate threat. The infected nurse turns her head, revealing a jaw slack with decay, her movements jerky as she senses the living so close by.

Rachel's hand steadies on her pistol, the weight of the decision heavy in her heart. As she aims, ready to protect herself and others, the patient on the gurney starts to convulse violently, thrashing against his restraints. His face contorts in agony, the veins in his neck bulging as if he's fighting an invisible assailant. It looks like a heart attack, but with the outbreak, any medical emergency takes on a new, terrifying context.

continue to scene 3