Rachel - Interactive Story - scene 3

continued from scene 2 

Rachel raises her pistol, the Glock steady in her grip, and fires twice at the zombie shuffling through the door. The bullets slam into the creature's chest, but it barely registers the impact, its dead eyes still fixed hungrily on the ambulance driver. A flicker of realization crossed Rachel's mind—the heart wouldn't do. It has to be the head.

She steadies her aim again, focusing on the ghastly figure when suddenly, a cold hand clasps around her arm. She whirls around to see the man on the gurney, his eyes now lifeless and hungry, a grotesque parody of the patient he once was. Without hesitation, Rachel shifts her aim and fires, the bullet finding the female zombie's head with a sickening crunch. She then turns back to the gurney, the man's grip still on her, and dispatches him with another precise shot to the head.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Rachel's attention snaps to the front of the ambulance. The driver, an EMT dressed in navy blue scrubs, is slumped against the airbag. His uniform is disheveled, a small cut bleeding on his forehead, and one of his hands is awkwardly angled, a finger clearly broken. She rushes to his side, checking for signs of life.

The EMT's eyes flutter open, confusion and pain clouding his gaze. He looks at Rachel, then at the carnage around them, his voice shaky as he asks, "What... what happened?"

Rachel keeps her response brief and concise, knowing there's no time to waste. "There's been an accident, but it's not safe here. We need to move now."

The EMT, still groggy and disoriented, glances towards the back of the ambulance, his voice laced with concern. "How's the patient doing? And... have you seen Bob?" His eyes then drift to the dead zombie woman in the front, and his face blanches in shock.

"I'm sorry," Rachel says, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. "I have no idea about anyone named Bob. The patient," she pauses, choosing her words carefully, "he transformed. I had no choice but to... He's gone. The infection is spreading fast through the city. You need to get to safety."

Screams echo from outside, desperate and chilling. Rachel's gaze snaps to the passenger side window, where she sees a young woman being savagely mauled by two infected. It's the source of the scream she ignored earlier, the decision to stay in the ambulance now weighing heavily on her.

Her finger tightens on the pistol's trigger, aiming through the window at the gruesome scene. Wait, I need to conserve bullets. There are too many infected already, and I can't waste resources. Instead of firing, she lowers her pistol.

The EMT turns back to Rachel, desperation creeping into his voice. "Can you help me get to a hospital?"