The room is huge, I immediately register unpleasant aromas… they are actually nauseating. I fear there is some kind of chemical agent, the filter on the suit is good but it does not prevent the plague from making my eyes sting; I resist the urge to scratch them and instead put on the desert glasses, they stick and leave me completely isolated from the prevailing environment in the hospital. It's the reception and it seems unusually clean, except for the spaces where some footprints should be.
Checking thoroughly, you notice that there was humidity in these gaps. When you turn on the sensor, its micro series of DNA sensors check the air samples in search of a gene involved in protein synthesis, a gene that all bacteria have; It is sensitive enough to distinguish between these thousands of gene sequences, meaning that it can analyze an air sample and list each type of organism present, it expands a bit (surprising in a processor of that category) it detects many bacteria: e . colli, few salmonella, I trust that none of their strains are very dangerous or I will not have an army and I will have many corpses to process.
As I move through the aisles I am surprised to still see food and junk food vending machines, most of them must be expired or about to expire, but it surprises me. Where I grew up those machines were the first to be destroyed when food supplies became limited to farming and treats were out of the question. The emergency areas are full of traces of death: there are scabs of what I think is blood and all the stretchers are overturned, the sonar picks up noise in this direction but I'm not close yet.
I have already visited a large part of the hospital, at least the bottom floor, but I don't see these aborigines... I can only hear their whispers, gasps and fights, if the ventilation system does that they are downstairs... or I am facing some kind of ghost …the idea makes me very funny, compared to the shelter this place is very small and the places without lighting are compensated with the night vision of the suit. I think I arrived at my destination, the noises can be heard behind the door. I adjust the flamethrower and hold my breath.
I expected to find a tangle of agitated bodies, either fleeing from me or lunging at their prey, instead I see some infantrymen lying in the corners, all resting their heads on the chest of the one behind them, with weak movements they push their heads, almost like the "monkeys" that the library called, surrounded by boxes of canned food, in the center is their new leader, the one who screams and hits a can of canned food with his fists full of blood.
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They are weak, I don't understand it, it is true that they lost their families, but I only lost sight of them for no more than two days, one of the smallest ones makes a horrible scream and a stream of diarrhea comes out from between his legs, immediately everyone They gather around him and begin to eat the child's liquid waste... I can't help but gag because of the nausea it causes me; my father taught me to never consume human waste, they have too many bacteria and not all of them are so friendly... as soon as they finish "eating" they return to their passive position, I think only their leader did not participate... actually I need them and they need me.
He came in shouting for them to stop, the human body instinctively rejected (so the books say) anything that could be bad for it, but it seems that is not the case, everyone retreats in the corner, their boss takes out a bone knife and without fear he launches himself at me, the tip hits the suit, its fabric distributes the weight quickly on the rest of my body, so I only feel a push, with one hand I throw him and show him my empty hands, slowly I I go to one of the boxes that contains the cans (twenty of about 5 kg each), I check it and yes, it says here how to open it, its device is similar to a can opener but it is a little rusty, so I take out my knife, After fifteen poorly tuned blows I release its contents in the middle of the room.
Despite what I expected, the leader knelt down and with his fingers brought the food to his companions... I have to admit that I would eat first, but that is a good sign, once he fed everyone with a gesture he asked me for the can, I throw it at him and he starts scratching the bottom of the can with his hand, the jagged edges cut his hand and he still continues eating with tears in his eyes.
When he finishes cleaning the can, he licks his hand with his tongue, I'm surprised to see how little blood is still coming out. I think he has a lot of platelets because in my case I would be losing spurts of blood and for him it was more of a condiment. He returns to where his bone knife was and he kneels in front of me.
— Save people, your food, if you relieve the clean people, "We follow you!" he tells me.
It took me a little while to insert the articles and understand why they called them "clean people" It doesn't surprise me that they weren't rivals of their attackers, a diet like that is lethal... the worst thing is that I have little time to save them; I can't say for sure but I think everyone has a fever; I have to cure them, I need my workers, I have already made my decision; I signal to the leader to come, I think a little about how to say it in his language:
— I save your people, do as I say.