The sun sets on a muggy Greensboro afternoon. All the local eateries are opening their doors, promising small town cooking for the masses. Most of the offices were closing for the day, bar a few workaholics who lived for and only by their work. The highways were flooded as usual, and the symphony of car horns and hurled expletives filled the air in a sort of ironic beauty.
But it was far from the end of the day for the Mercy Medical and Emergency staff. Patient #127 was complaining of dehydration. #391 had an upset stomach. They almost lost someone into a coma in the ER. They ran low on Morphine and were forced to improvise. Just another day at the office.
The only sounds to be heard was of the life support's gentle hum and the occasional moan from the troubled patient. The floors were spotless, indeed, their cleanliness was only surpassed by their service. It was from the observation room that Patient #67 awoke in a sweat, breathing heavily and clutching her chest.
"Another nightmare...."
They were becoming much more frequent, and it was the same thing each time. She and her friends were crowded into an SUV, laughing heartily at a joke someone told but no one understood. She turned up the radio, remembering that she liked the tune but couldn't place a name on the song. It was a beautiful day, and for all appearances it would stay that way.
However, appearances can and are sometimes deceiving. A gravel truck took the turn too fast. Time seemed to slow down and stop. The driver of the truck, who'se features were distorted and yet familiar, stared at her in dread. A piercing screech of metal, followed by a scream, possibly her own. A jarring impact, and the scream was cut short. The only thing that she could see was red, a seemingly never ending sea of blood. No one answered her calls for help, and looking around no one was able to. She prayed that they were just unconscious, but knew they weren't.
Their empty yet accusing stares persisted until she awoke, sometimes with a scream caught in her throat.
As she slowly came to her senses, Sarah looked around at her environment. It was a typical hospital, white everything, so bright it hurt. Sheets tucked in so tight she could barely move. This suffocating atmosphere was meant to reassure and calm, instead it only filled her with a sense of dread she could not yet understand. Without even thinking, she picked up the call button, stared at it for a few seconds, and then rang it.
A few seconds later, a tired looking, middle aged African American woman padded into the room, her nursing shoes barely making a sound at all. Lines were visible under her eyes, and irritation was evident in her voice when she rasped "Yes ma'am?"
She thought for a few seconds, then said quietly "A glass of water would be very nice. When do you think I'll be able to go home?"
She never got the answer to that question, because as the nurse opened her mouth to speak, an earth shattering boom rocked the hospital. The nurse was thrown off her feet, and just as Sarah began to fight to get out of bed, the lights went out.
Author's note: This story may or may not integrate the events of Left 4 Dead into it's storyline, the original 4 may even make an appearance. Be honest with your feedback, and let me know if there's anything I need to work on. ~Mark.