Leon's heart beat faster and faster in his chest the further he got down the hallway. He glanced at each door, having no way of knowing where the gunshot had originated from.
Knocking on the first door on the left, he announced himself as security. No answer came from behind the door. He reached for the masterkey on his key ring, but another two gunshot sounds drew his attention away. He knew where it was coming from- the suite at the end of the hall.
He wasted no time worrying about the patrons now. He drew his pistol from its holster and hurried towards the door. His hands shook, gripping the masterkey, making contact with the keyhole. He managed to get it in the knob despite his trembling. He flung the door open, pointing his gun ahead of him. Before him, was a blonde woman- perhaps in her late twenties- with a silver pistol in hand. Her light hair was stained with red. She turned her head, noticing Leon in the doorway.
"He just came after me!" she cried.
The woman made a run for the doorway, dropping her pistol on the carpet.
Leon moved himself to the side to let the woman out and investigate what she was talking about. There was no time to think about whether or not she was telling the truth. He was sure Lori already telephoned the police if not her husband directly.
He rounded the corner of the room. A man laid upon the bed, face up. His legs and arms were bent at odd angles like he had tripped on himself. Leon was certain that he was lifeless. It wasn't the smell of death that filled the room though. It was a distinct odor like… mushrooms.
Three bullet holes were visible from his chest, blood still trickling out from them. Leon had never seen a dead person before. He stared in an almost wonderment at the site before him, the finality of it. The way it looked so different from a sleeping person. There was a stiffness that came with death- more than something visual. An aura around the corpse- or lack thereof. A small movement caught his eye, and he jerked his head in response to it. Finding himself looking at the man's open mouth, he stepped forward and leaned down to get a closer look. Whatever it was, it was definitely moving. Worm like tendrils danced in his mouth, a whole garden of them.
But they weren't worms. Leon didn't know what they were, but they were definitely alive. He had never seen anything like it. Not in a dead body of course, but not anywhere else either.
He holstered his gun and rushed out of the suite, the reality of what he had just stumbled upon hitting him suddenly.. Lori rushed towards him, worry written all over her face.
"What happened?"
Leon shook his head.
"Where did that woman go?" he asked.
"She ran out the front door. She said something about her sister being at a different hotel. Leon, what happened?"
"It looks like she shot whoever she was with, but she said he came after her. Something's not right about this. You gotta take a look at this yourself."
Lori shook her head, scrunching her nose up in disgust.
"What are you talking about? If there's a body in there, I'm not going in there."
"There's something coming out of his mouth. I can't explain it."
"What do you mean something in his mouth?"
"I don't know, it's moving like it's alive. A plant or something. Maybe bugs."
Lori gave him a look of horror before dismissively shaking her head.
"Did you call the police?" Leon asked.
"Yes, and Rick himself. He should be here any minute now. God knows every other cop in Jefferson takes their sweet time."
It was a small town. There were only a handful of men working at the station, one of which was Lori's husband, Rick.
"What about the patrons?"
"They all need to get up to their rooms if you can help me with that."
"It's what you pay me for."
Leon followed Lori back to the dining room, the hotel guests looking up at them in shock.
"Care to share what you found?" The latino man from earlier was the first to speak.
"There's been an incident and the police have been called," Lori announced. "There's no need for anyone to panic. But we need everyone to return to their rooms or leave the premises if you prefer."
"No one's leavin'," the dining room doors opened, and there stood Rick Grimes and his partner Shane, the latter of which had the blonde woman held by the arm.
Her face was a blend of shock and distress.
"Fuck this, my family and I are leavin'," the latino man said.
He stood up, along with who could be presumed to be his family- another man several years younger than him and a girl in her early teen years that was likely his daughter.
"Sir, that's not a good idea," Shane said. "It ain't safe out there."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" he asked.
"The whole town's gone crazy," Shane explained. "People are attackin' other people. It's a hell hole out there."
The hotel patron was right. What the fuck was Shane talking about?