Peter and Marianne are tasked with a specific, shorter job this day; To perform a routine inspection of the inhabitants of the Bethlem Royal Hospital. Situated in the borough of Bromley, the hospital served as a psychiatric facility for the clinically insane of London.

Dressed up in their usual work attire, the two doctors were greeted by a nurse in the lobby. The young blonde lady in the pasty white knee-length uniform with white heels bowed to the doctors. She held a clipboard in her left hand. On her white nurse’s cap bore a black snake wrapped around a pole inside a red six-pointed star. Otherwise known as the Star of Life and the Rod of Asclepius.

“So glad you’re here. My name is Lorene. Is this your first time here?” The nurse asks.

Peter and Marianne both shake their heads.

“Ah. A-anyway follow me please. Allow me to show you around.”

The nurse gingerly leads on. With the hospital containing four wings for patients, Lorene starts with the east wing. The doctors just glanced around at the sights while Lorene explained how the hospital operates and is currently dealing with the plague. The eerie moans and cries of patients locked inside their rooms sends shivers down Marianne’s spine. Even Peter winces at the sounds and nearly jumps when a man slams his head against the thin glass window on his door.

Heading into the north ward, the layout seems to be the same as the last wing. At the entrances are front desks with offices and break rooms nearby. Each wing has a dedicated patient lobby, and the hallways are lined with rooms for the patients. Lorene explains how the entire first floor is strictly for the patients while the doctors and the director all have offices upstairs. Staff works around the clock with night time being much calmer since patients tend to be less restless once the sun sets.

“This is all fine and dandy ma’am… But you should know why we’re really here.” Peter speaks up.

Lorene stops in place. A nervous chuckle escapes her lips. She turns to face him and Marianne with a frail smile.

“Oh I-I’m so sorry. I uh, I don’t know actually. Whoever received the memo must’ve taken off somewhere. I was just told by the head nurse to wait for you two.” She replies.

“The homeless. Where are you keeping the homeless at?” Marianne asks.

“Oh dear! Apologies! O-of course you’re here for them. They’re uh… They’re in the east wing. F-follow me please.” Lorene answers.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Lorene takes the doctors into the central corridor that leads to every wing and the upstairs. She brings them to the east wing. Upon entering, the atmosphere is grimmer and depressing. Dozens upon dozens of men, women and even children in dirty, tattered clothes populate the rooms. Not a single resident is outside the rooms. Every nurse checking in on the patients is wearing a mask and extra layers of clothing to cover up every inch of skin. A brunette nurse passes by the three with bags under her eyes appearing drained of energy.

“We’ve been overwhelmed with the arrival of these poor residents. By orders from the director himself, we had to transfer all the patients to the other wings so these people could be packed into the rooms. Due to potential exposure of the plague, they’re forced to stay inside the rooms. We have to bring them what little food and water we can supply. I-I guess that you’re here to examine these people.” Lorene says.

Peter and Marianne approach the first of many rooms. Marianne motions for Lorene to stay back after she unlocks the door. She nods and obeys. Peter sighs.

“What a truly awful sight. Six filthy people crammed into a single room like birds in a cage.” He says.

“I took a gander at the room opposite of this one. An entire family. If any of these ‘clean’ people are exposed to plague-bearers it’s safe to assume they may already be infected.” Marianne adds.

“Regardless we must examine these street rats.”

The children stare at Marianne with perturbed looks as if she was a monster from their nightmares. She kneels down to meet them at eye-level while Peter examines the adults. They figured the drill and start offering their arms for blood samples. Marianne gathers the children with gestures and hand movements.

“W-who are you?” A little boy asks.

“You look scary…” A little girl adds.

Marianne shakes her head.

“Hello there. Do not fret. I’m simply a doctor here to check you all for the bad thing that’s going around town. We’re just here to make sure you’re safe. That’s all.” She speaks.

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Marianne pulls out a syringe. Flicking the needle causes the children to jolt. They start trembling.

“It’s okay. One-by-one I need you all to hold out your arms to me. I will be checking your blood. The needle looks scary, I know. If you just relax… Take deep breaths… And look away… Everything will be fine. I promise.”

Her calm tone felt a bit reassuring to the children. A boy approaches first with his arm out.

“I-I’ll go first. Okay? Then you all go next.” The dirty brown-haired boy spoke.

Marianne held his wrist and gently stuck the needle into his arm, drawing some blood. She pulls out glass vials from her utility pack. The boy fidgets some. Marianne also pulls out bandages. She places one on the spot where she drew the blood. The boy rubs the spot.

“It hurts…” He whines.

Marianne looks at him. She softly runs her gloved hand through his hair.

“I know. It will hurt for a spell. Give it time to heal and wane. Soon you won’t even feel it.” She says.

The boy nods and steps away. A blonde-haired girl steps up next.

“They’re all clear. Thank goodness.” Marianne breathes deeply.

Peter stashes the vials into his bag. He nods. The two wave to the children and adults before proceeding across the hallway to check the next group of people. Five to be exact. Four adults and a child. Lorene comes over after locking up the previous group to unlock the door for the next.

The two doctors proceed to gather the blood samples and analyze them individually. Infected blood normally takes about a minute to show discoloration. One of the vials appears darker than the rest. The blood from the lone small child. A little boy with messy black hair. Marianne feels her heart sink. Peter sighs and shakes his head.

“Damn it…” Marianne mutters.

Lorene looks concerned. She has to keep her distance though.

“What uh… What’s wrong?” She asks.

Peter looks over to the frail nurse. He walks over to her and speaks in a quiet tone;

“The child. He’s infected.”

Lorene’s expression changes to one of despair. She starts panicking.

“No. Dear God no…” She sobs.

“Shh. This is to be expected. No way everyone here is disease-free. We won’t know for sure if it’s Crow’s Plague or not until we test it. For now, we must escort the child out and into quarantine. Where is your quarantine zone located?”

“I-in the basement. Room opposite of the morgue. All the sick transfers were taken there. B-but I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Wouldn’t those who have the plague be a danger to those who just have smaller illnesses like the common cold or flu?”

Peter was taken aback by Lorene’s question. In actuality, it would put them at risk. But with how the plague was spreading so fast, options are vastly limited.

“In theory… Yes. Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do right now. Crow’s Plague seems to operate as a hybrid of other existing diseases. It’s unpredictable and dangerous in its own right. And with how rapid it’s spreading… Our priority is treating it first and foremost.”

Peter rejoins Marianne. The two lead the little boy out and close the door to the room. Lorene watches as the doctors lead the boy away.

The basement of Bethlem serves as transportation for patients who pass away and a storage unit both for supplies and the dead. Across from the morgue is a room with no label. Peter peers inside the dimly lit room to see several people inside. Most are just sitting against the wall or large crates.

“I… I have to go in there?” The boy asks.

He tugs on Marianne’s wrist. She kneels down and pats the boy’s head.

“Yes. You do. You’re sick dear. For the safety of others, you need to go in there for now. Peter if you will…” She says.

Peter nods and unlocks the doors. He opens one door. Coughs and hacks echo around them as Marianne leads the boy inside. A small group of children gathered in a corner particularly notices the new arrival. Only a few of the adults even care to glance. The boy lets go of Marianne’s hand.

“We have to go now. I... I’m sorry.”

Marianne leaves the room. She turns around to see the boy glaring at her with sullen eyes. Marianne turns away as Peter shuts the door and locks it. He rubs her back.

“You okay, love?” He asks.

Marianne shakes her head. She clenches her fists.

“Let’s just go. We have others to examine…”

Peter follows behind Marianne as the two make way for the stairway.

After he finishes marking off names on the paper, the gray-haired doctor with black-rimmed glasses lowers the clipboard. He puts the pen behind his right ear. He breathes a deep sigh, gripping the temple of his nose.

“Thirty-three infected… Jesus. I had a gut feeling at least half of the homeless refugees would be carrying diseases. How many do you think have the plague?” The doctor asks.

Peter and Marianne look at each then then back to the doctor.

“Unsure until the lab results are finished. It’s safe to assume many of them already were diseased prior to the breakout of Crow’s Plague. Regardless, they must remain in quarantine. We will do our best to treat everyone once the results are finished.” Peter explains.

“I understand. Thank you for coming and performing your examinations. Thankfully it seems none of the nurses are infected. As far as we know anyway.”

“The plague is vicious. Keep all eyes and ears peeled for anyone that may show symptoms.”

“Of course. Have a blessed day.”

Peter and Marianne nod. The two head out the front doors, leaving Bethlem Royal Hospital for now. But they will soon return. For now, they had somewhere else to be once their shift was over; The Institute.