Author's Notes: There's chapter would've come out earlier, but I was a bit busy this Saturday. This chapter focuses a lot on Bethany. I wasn't going to reveal so much about her character so soon, but…y'know…Anyway, the second half is about James' adventures in the basement, and it gives you a clue to what they're about to face. Keep in mind what happens to James at the end of the chapter, because he's going to be in for some trouble (why do I torture him so?). Thanks for the reviews, and enjoy!

Bethany stretched lazily as she wandered aimlessly around the first floor. She didn't go back to the office like she told James she would. Even though it was probably somewhat safer, her curiosity had caused her to explore.

Although she didn't show it, she was a little ticked off at James' attempt to get rid of her. She didn't like it when people told her to get lost, even if it was in a nice way. Her revenge was satisfying enough though. She loved seeing his discomfort, the way his face got red when she toyed with him.

I really should go see how dear William is doing.

William was shy, that much she knew. It was kind of cute when he blushed furiously when she asked about his sexual preference. She meant the question as a joke, but he struggled his best to answer. He stumbled all over his words until he managed a quiet, embarrassed "straight."

He seemed to be very insecure about himself. How he was a cop, she didn't know.

He's got charm to him though…

James still remained a mystery to her. He was a bit too quiet and serious for her tastes. Ever since they arrived, he seemed very depressed. She couldn't help but wonder what his problem was.

There was a thick, glass window next to her. She casually glanced inside. When she saw what was there, she stopped and leaned closer for a better look.

It's a nursery.

Inside there were several hospital-style cribs lined up in neat rows. Each crib had a blue or pink blanket on it, messily spread-out over the tiny beds. Each one was empty. No babies, no nurses busily taking care of them. It was almost sad.

She gently pressed her hand against her stomach, squeezing it gently. There was no movement, no life, nothing.

For the first time that night, she felt just as melancholy as James had when they entered the hospital.

She was glad that there was no babies in that room. It probably just would have made her feel worse.

She knew this hospital. It held a painful place in her heart. That one night that changed everything, her decision that changed everything. Those two words she spoke that had haunted her ever since.

"Do it."

Now there was nothing there. Some sick part of her was glad, she wasn't ready for parenthood yet. The other part regretted it, taunted her about it-

Which I learned to accept and ignore. Come on Beth, you promised yourself you wouldn't think about it anymore. It's a thing of the past now.

Something caught her eye. Far back in the nursery, there was something wrapped up in a pink blanket. It didn't move or make any sounds.

'No way. It couldn't be,' she thought in disbelief. She found herself walking around and entering the nursery. She pushed open the door that read "employees only" and hurried to the back of the room. She stopped at the crib, looking at the baby-sized figure that was hidden under the blanket.

'They didn't get all the babies out of this room?' she thought. It looked like it was sleeping.

She reached down and gently tugged the blanket off the baby. Once she got a glimpse of the body, she choked back a scream.

The baby was dead. Its skin was ghostly white and its stomach had been partially eaten, showing whatever was left of its entrails. Its small mouth was open, frozen in a permanent cry of pain. Blood covered the crib where its tiny, naked body laid. Something had been eating it.

She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold back the bile that was rising in her throat. She backed up, knocking over an empty crib.

There came a soft moan from the other side of the room. Too distracted with the baby, she failed to notice that she wasn't the only one in the nursery. There was a female nurse, rising from her spot on the floor. Blood was caked around her mouth.

'She…she killed that baby?' she thought to herself, horrified. The nurse stumbled toward her with her arms outstretched. Bethany stepped back as the nurse swiped at her. Before she could recover from her attack, Bethany slammed the butt of her shotgun into the nurse's skull. She shrieked and fell. Bethany pressed one foot into her back and aimed the muzzle of the shotgun directly at her skull. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins.

This is for killing the baby, you bitch. Really, she had no room to talk.

The gun bucked in Bethany's hands. Blood, brain matter, and vital head parts were now all over the floor. The adrenaline wore down, and now she found herself looking at the disgusting mess she caused.

If the baby's corpse hadn't caused her to be sick, the mess leftover from the dead nurse had. She turned away, vomit spilling onto the floor. She heaved until she felt like she had just thrown up her entire stomach.

She had used her shotgun to kill zombies before, but she never stopped to actually look at what she did. There was only a spray of blood, followed by her running past as quickly as she could. It never looked like this.

She couldn't take it anymore. She retreated out of the nursery, slamming the door behind her and rubbing her forehead.

I should go back to Hursh's office.

Yes. She'd do that.

James could have never guessed what exactly had been blocking the second floor. He decided to try the stairs, just to see if there was some chance he could squeeze through. As he ascended the stairs, he noticed trickles of blood were all over the staircase. A sense of dread filled him more and more with each step he took.

When he reached the top, he was surprised at what he found.

The door leading to the second floor was blocked off, all right. A blockade of plaster, steel, and-

Corpses.

There were several dead bodies. They consisted of doctors and patients. Some of the corpses were piled on top of each other with bullet holes in them. One of the doctors had been impaled. The rail from the staircase had been bent and shoved straight through his back. His arm was dangling, a gun was right underneath it.

What could have done this?

In the doctor's pocket was a box of handgun ammunition. James felt bad, but he took the ammo. He doubted the doctor needed it anymore.

There was a loud set of moans behind the door. It was a clear reminder that the girl was still in danger.

He went back downstairs to the basement. He opened the door, and indeed it was dark. Pitch-black even.

The flashlight went on.

James had never feared the dark as much as he did right then. The fact that he couldn't see anything around him was extremely dangerous. A zombie could come up behind him and take a chunk out of him before he could turn around.

He used the flashlight to navigate the long hallway, frequently using it to check around him. There were several doors to choose from, probably even more that he missed due to his limited vision. He stumbled around until he found a door labeled "Power Supply". He opened the door and went inside.

He searched the room with his flashlight and found the panel that supplied power to the elevator. At least, he hoped that was it. He walked over to it with the slight feeling like he was wading in something. He ignored the feeling and shined his flashlight down on the box. There were sixteen buttons arranged in four rows. There were two buttons above them. One was green and the other was red. Currently, only the red button was lit.

He kept his flashlight trained on the buttons.

It's like a puzzle…

'Strange,' he thought. He'd never seen anything like this before. He reached out and touched a button. Three of them lit up.

He looked hard, trying to detect a pattern. He touched another button. Three more lit up.

Oh! I get it!

He began pressing several buttons until all of them had been lit. The red button flicked off as the green one came on. He could now use the elevator to get to the second floor.

He felt victorious, but it was short-lived when he felt something on his leg. He frantically tried brushing it off, his fingers touching what felt like slime.

Then he felt a sharp pain. He grabbed whatever was attached to his leg and jerked it off. He threw it and it landed with a sickening slap on the other side of the room.

He heard disgusting, slimy noises coming from all around him. He shined his flashlight around the room.

Oh shit…

Now he saw what he had been wading in. There were leeches piling up all over the floor. There were even more covering the walls. It was a horrifying sight to see. He backed up towards the door, feeling several of those fat, slimy bastards crunch under his feet.

The lid of the vent suddenly flew off and more leeches spilled out. It looked like something else was trying to crawl out of it.

'Get out! Get out!' his mind screamed. He turned around, struggling to reach the door. He ignored the crunching of leeches under his boots and brushed the leeches off the door. He slammed the door behind him, leaning against it as he did.

Damn, we've got leeches to deal with too?

The flashlight he was holding slipped out of his hand. He cursed as it hit the ground. To make matters worse, the flashlight went out as soon as it hit the ground.

Panicked, he bent down and felt around for it. While searching, his foot accidentally connected with it, sending it skidding away from him. He stood up as he heard a crash from the room he exited.

'Don't panic. Don't panic. Just remember the way you came in,' he thought. He tried to remember where the stairs were. He drew a picture in his head, an imaginary map.

Right…it would be on my right.

He slowly turned to his right and walked down the hallway with his hands in front of him. He tried his hardest to see through the darkness, and for a moment he thought he could make out shapes. His side smashed into something hard. He hissed in pain and felt to see what it was.

It was a metal tray.

The door from behind him opened. He stiffened in fear.

'Just keep moving,' he ordered himself. He moved as quietly as he could to the end of the hall. When he felt wall again, he slid himself over to where the door was and opened it. To his relief, the stairs were well-lit. He ran the rest of the way.

James was never so happy to see light when he emerged on the first floor. His heart was racing from his experience in the basement. What exactly had been down there other then the leeches?

"James!" he looked up and saw Bethany running towards him.

"Bethany? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, we noticed the power for the elevator had been restored. So I came out to see if you…oh god James, look at yourself," her face wrinkled in disgust.

He did, and he saw that his legs were covered in leeches.

"Ugh, there's leeches down there too? Disgusting," he wasn't paying attention to her, instead he was frantically trying to get all the leeches off. Bethany had read somewhere that peeling a leech off would only make the bite worse. She quickly grabbed his arm.

"Let's get you to Hursh. I'm sure he'll help you get those things off you," she said. He responded with a noise that could only be described as a whimper. She chuckled, feeling sorry for him. She guided him towards the office.

"Geez, men are such babies."