Bobby scoured every inch of the locker room, searching for another way out. He checked behind rows of lockers and storage racks, looking for any overlooked door or passage. But the room was sealed tight - no back entrance, emergency exit, or even an air vent duct he could squeeze through.
“Bloody fire regulations, my arse,” he muttered, giving the handle of a locked locker one final frustrated rattle. “What kind of changing room doesn’t have a second exit?”
Bobby kicked a locker in frustration, knocking an old can of Lynx Africa to the floor. He smiled as the black tin rolled his way. May as well, he thought, grabbing the can and liberally spraying both armpits.
"Maybe I'll finally attract a girl now, even if it is the end of the bloody world."
The deodorant burned his pits, triggering memories of receiving the Lynx shower gel and deodorant box-set every Christmas as a teenager, when he’d douse himself in the stuff trying to mask those first smelly years.
He tossed the deodorant in his bag with the blue roll, before eyeing his makeshift barricade. Ah, for fuck’s sake. I'm gonna have to move it all and brave whatever's out there.
Awkwardly, Bobby thrust the hammer into his jeans' waistband. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the nearest locker and pulled it away, wincing as the metal screeched too loudly for comfort. His heart raced faster, picturing the rabid rat waiting on the other side. After a few more heaves, the door was clear. Now Bobby stood facing the ravaged entrance, working up the nerve to step outside.
A loud crash sounded behind him - something knocking over a locker. The rat's frenzied screech followed as it barrelled into another locker, denting it as its claws scrabbling for purchase on the floor. Bobby glimpsed drool dripping from its fanged maw.
"Shit, shit, shit!" He yanked open the door and sprinted into the hallway, trying in vain to slam the slow-release hinge shut.
You've got to be kidding me, he thought, panic rising. Fumbling the hammer from his waistband into a sweaty grip, Bobby took off down the corridor.
Bobby sprinted down the dim hallway, his footsteps echoing off the peeling walls. Behind him, the monstrous rat's nails screeched against the floor as it pursued him relentlessly. He careened around a corner, slipping on the grimy linoleum but catching himself against the wall.
The rat's rabid snarls grew louder, closing in.
Another door loomed ahead. Bobby went to shoulder barge through, only to bounce off the push bar and land hard on his ass.
"Bloody pull!" he yelled, scrambling up with a wince. Below, the rat's nails screeched closer.
Yanking the door open, Bobby burst into a stairwell. Ignoring the pain flaring in his shoulder, he took off up the concrete steps, taking some two at a time in his panic. His legs burned as he sprinted upward, desperate to stay ahead of the rabid beast.
Bobby heard the rat slam against the stairwell door, but no scrabbling claws followed. Maybe it didn’t get through? Unless its learned to pull doors open?
Still, Bobby didn't dare look back. He charged out the next door marked "Ground Floor" and kept running, his breaths ragged and pulse pounding.
Bobby's steps faltered as he took in the scene before him. The reception area was utterly wrecked, barely recognisable as part of a hospital.
Overturned wheelchairs and gurneys blocked his path, among shattered glass and debris. Something had repeatedly pummelled the information desk, causing it to cave in. The floor was strewn with crumpled pamphlets, soaked in dark splotches that looked ominously like blood.
The walls and ceiling bore a web of deep gouges, as if something with giant claws had gone on a rampage. Drops of dried blood flecked the reception counter, where monitors and computers laid smashed.
A set of double doors led further into the depths of the hospital, with one side ripped half off its hinges. Through the mangled entrance, Bobby glimpsed more overturned beds, ruptured IV bags, and long smears of dried blood streaking the floors.
He stood paralysed, struggling to process the nightmarish scene. The dried carnage implied this chaos wasn't recent. Still, everything in him screamed to turn and flee this hellish place. But where would he run? Steeling himself, Bobby crept onward, hyper-alert for any sign of what had caused such utter devastation.
Hammer in hand, Bobby crouched low, making himself as small a target as possible. He searched the area for anything useful, making sure to avoid the large smears marking where bodies had been dragged away.
No actual corpses yet, but the size of those stains made his skin crawl, imagining what could've hauled off full grown adults. If level 5 rats roamed here now, no doubt far worse creatures prowled these halls. Monsters to avoid at all costs.
After searching for a few minutes, Bobby had scavenged a few more supplies for his bag. He found a first aid box on the wall and took what little remained - two pouches of sterile water and a roll of bandages. Not much, but he grabbed everything useful that crossed his path.
In the debris behind the reception desk, he even found a discarded cigarette lighter, its fuel sloshing audibly as he shook it. He flicked the wheel of the cigarette lighter and was rewarded with a crisp flame.
"Could come in handy," Bobby muttered, slipping the lighter into his pocket rather than his bag. Who knows what I might need to burn down the line? Every little bit helps hey. He thought with a smile.
Scratching claws seized Bobby's attention - the diseased sewer rat had found him once again. It must have discovered another route up from the basement. Hammer tight in hand, Bobby turned to face his nemesis.ß
Stolen novel; please report.
The rat looked as rabidly focused on making him its next meal as ever. His nemesis’s status flickered above its matted head. Bobby felt a glimmer of relief seeing it had lost some HP from the door and locker blows. But over half its bar remained.
Diseased Sewer Rat
Level 5
Health 61/100
The rat screeched and charged - the time for running was over. Bobby dodged its first biting attack and swung his hammer in reply, landing a solid head blow. But the rat shook it off before lunging at his leg again.
It snagged his jeans, yellowed teeth shredding denim as they sliced into his calf. Bobby shouted, pain blazing through his leg as he tried shaking the beast off. He hopped backward awkwardly, struggling to dislodge the vicious jaws that had now clamped onto him.
Tripping on debris, Bobby fell backward, his bag full of blue roll and medical supplies cushioned his fall somewhat. Gripping his hammer, he smashed it in frenzied blows against the rat's head. Through the haze of pain, he saw its health drop - yet each strike made it tear deeper into his calf.
For a fleeting second, he wondered what his health bar would be, and in response, a shortened box flickered into view.
Health 81/100 Health Regen Slow/Moderate Stamina 75/100 Stamina Regen Moderate Mana 15/15 Mana Regen Slow Battle Effects Light Bleeding - slower health regen
The rat abandoned his leg, bloodied maw lunging for Bobby's face instead. Black claws cut into him as it scrambled upward, intent on his throat. Bobby blocked with his left arm, taking the bite there. The fangs couldn't find purchase - with a heave, he flung the beast off.
Knowing he was in big trouble, he scrambled back to his feet. Limping away as the rat snarled, circling closer. Cautious now, it stalked him.
Bobby swung the hammer in low arcs, keeping the beast at bay as he backed toward a door - a glass panelled office by the looks if it. The rat seized its chance as Bobby glanced back, darting in to nip his injured leg. He swung again but too slow, hammer missing as the monster dodged away. It had changed tactics, intent on wearing him down.
He knew he was in trouble, but he was running out of options. As he reached the door, his left hand groped behind, twisting the cold metal handle. Eyes riveted on the diseased rat, hammer at the ready, he backed into the room.
Thankfully, it was unlocked.
Bobby swung the heavy door shut with a bang, sealing the snarling rat outside in the reception area. Locking the door, he smiled in relief as he turned around. His smile faded as he realised he was right. It was an office of sorts, one with only one way in and out. The door he had just come through.
His left leg buckled a little as he stepped forward. Looking down, he could see his jeans of his leg were shredded, and his calf muscle chewed up pretty badly. Swinging the bag off his back, he pulled out the roll of bandages he had salvaged from the reception room. He needed to stop the bleeding, but as he peered at the wound, he could see the rest of the leg around the wound was red raw to look at - early signs of an infection.
That bloody diseased rat! He thought, how much damage has it done?
Battle Effects Bleeding - slower health regen infected - health regen slowed, maximum HP reduced.
Bobby lowered himself to the floor, back against an office desk. He couldn't risk passing out from blood loss - the shock might kill him if the rat didn't finish the job first. He knew he should clean the wound, maybe rinse it with the sterile water. But there was no time for that with the rat prowling outside.
Unraveling a length of bandage, he wrapped it tight around his shredded calf, biting his lip against the burst of pain. The office window exploded in a shower of glass as the diseased rat came flying through, claws extended, its one good eye locked onto Bobby.
He threw up his arms as the beast bore down, biting into his forearm. The hammer was useless at this range. Bobby's bag spilled open as he thrashed, desperately trying to dislodge the rat. The can of Lynx Africa rolled free.
With a burst of adrenaline, Bobby kicked out and shoved the rat away. As it recoiled, he fumbled the lighter from his pocket. Snatching up the deodorant and the lighter, he fumbled with the lighter mechanism, struggling to light it as he squirmed backwards from the again advancing rat.
Finally, the lighter sparked to life, with the Lynx deodorant in one hand, and the lighter in the other, he unleashed the improvised weapon. A makeshift flamethrower roared to life, engulfing the rat's head in fire. It shrieked and writhed as rancid fur and flesh melted away, its last eye boiling into oblivion.
The rat flailed blindly, smouldering, but it wasn’t dead - not yet. Bobby dragged himself away, agony flaring through his now injured arm.
The empty Lynx can clattered to the floor. Grunting, Bobby hauled himself to his feet. He scooped up the hammer and advanced on the blinded creature. With a guttural cry, he brought the hammer down, crushing the rat's skull in a series of sickening cracks. It twitched and spasmed with each blow until going still.
You've gained 250 XP!
≪ Level Up! ≫
Improvisation Skill Tree Unlocked
1 Skill Point Gained
+1 Bonus Skill Point
Spend your hard-earned skill points wisely!
As the notification faded, a wave of energy coursed through Bobby's body. The searing pain of his wounds subsided as he felt his strength returning. He rose to his feet, clenching and unclenching his fist. The gashes and bruises from the diseased rat had vanished.
Bobby felt energised, his reflexes sharp. He realised his senses seemed heightened in a way he couldn't quite explain. The world around him somehow felt more real and immediate. He looked around the ransacked office. Relief washed over him temporarily, yet he remained vigilant as the danger lingered. Sitting back down against the office desk, he closed his eyes, focusing inwards.
"Let’s see what these skill points can do."