Ward 15, Third Floor

[Laraqua]

Melissa clutches at his arm and looks nervously at the door. She points to him, then herself, and moves behind him.

[jtull_84]

Bernard is glad that Melissa seemed to understand what he was trying to put out. He is also happy to be on the move, and eases himself towrd the door, putting Melissa's hand on his belt. He readies his flashlight and puts his ear to the door to do a quick listen check before they leave.

[Laraqua]

Bernard hears nothing outside the door.

[jtull_84]

Bernard eases the door open and tentatively steps into the hall. If it is too dark to see, he uses his flashlight. He tries to find a map on the wall. He wants to find some surgical masks and a weapon for Melissa. After he secures these items he wants to head upstairs in an attempt to rise above the ash and find survivors.

[Laraqua]

There is a map on the first floor, of that he is certain. He does recall that the main stairs are in the center of the large public area of each floor and the ramp is just near there. For surgical masks he'd need to find an operating theatre (downstairs) or a store room. The operating theatres are probably full of weaponry but the rest of the hospital likely won't have much but a few syringes, books and chairs. There is a fire extinguisher on the wall in the main area, however, that could be used in a pinch.

[jtull_84]

Bernard leads Melissa to the ramp in the public area of the third floor. He inteds to get past the second floor as quickly as Meliisa's condition allows, and find the map so he could navigate the hospital easier. He uses the flashlight only when neccessary and tries to be as quiet as possible to preserve noise and light discipline.

[Laraqua]

Each time he turns off the flashlight, he finds himself in total darkness. The ramp is at the other end of the hospital and it takes some time in getting there due to Melissa's slow gait. The entire floor reeks of abandonment. Ash motes float in the air, the floor is streaked with rust and mildew, and discarded personal possessions litter the floor. An eerie whistling can be heard from the opposite direction of the ramp. Above it all, he can hear crying coming from downstairs.

The Map is on the First Floor.

[jtull_84]

Bernard leaves the light on unless he needs to hide. He starts down the ramp with Melissa in tow.

[Laraqua]

The stairwell is stained with fresh blood. There seems to be a lot, though probably not enough to represent someone dying from it. The metal handrailings are knotted with rust and are dripping with moisture. He can peer through the railings at the first floor as he slowly comes down the stairs. The floor looks somewhat unsafe near the reception desk but fortunately, the map is over by the front doors.

The front doors are broken, ash billowing in, glass scattered across the floor, and a human arm hangs over the bottom part of the door frame, the body hidden behind the ash, darkness and the frame itself.

[jtull_84]

Bernard has Melissa stay back by the ramp, hiding, while he moves as quickly as he can through the ash to the map. He gets a piece of paper ready to make an etching or to draw a quick sketch map. After he gets locations for the OR bays he checks for a security station. Perhaps he could find a real weapon for himself. After that, he keeps his ears open for the crying. If he can't find anyone here it's back to Melisa.

[Laraqua]

There are no security stations but there are several operating theatres on the ground floor. There's paper and pens on the nurse's desk or the nearby offices that would allow him to sketch a map.

A phone rings persistently downstairs.

[jtull_84]

Bernard snags a pen and a pad of paper. After sketching a map he searches the operating floors for scapels or anything that might make a decent weapon. That damn phone is horrible. Can't answer now... the voices are too needful. He should get back to Melissa as soon as he can. Where is that crying?

[Laraqua]

The crying seems to be coming from the ground floor. That is where the operating theatres and all of the scalpels and other likely weapons are. He'd need to go down the stairs and turn left if he wanted to reach the operating theatres.

[jtull_84]

Bernard heads towards the operating theatres, searching for the crying.

[Laraqua]

Several operating theatres line the corridor. Each is stark and sterile, with scrubbing rooms and store rooms branching off the ends. Through one open door, he can see the corpse of a young boy, his flesh peeled open, his organs brought out and thrown to the floor. The grotesque scene bears signs of aggression and desperation. The crying sound comes from a further operating room, further towards the end. SAN loss 1/1d4+1.

[jtull_84]

Failed SAN check: http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1318918
SAN loss: http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1318924

Bernard stumbles, mind reeling, as he passes the open door. My God, to think that something, or someone, could do that to a little boy! Bernard is not going to stop in that room. He keeps moving toward the crying, something he can do something about.

[Laraqua]

In the furthest operating theatre, a woman stands by the sink, her face hidden in her bloodied hands, as she weeps. Her blonde hair has come partially loose from its bun, the strands going everywhere in a wild frizz. Her clothes are also wet with blood. She, herself, is small and frail-seeming.

[jtull_84]

Bernard moves closer, but stays out of arm's reach. "Miss, are you alright?" He tries to visually assess her condition and determine whether or not she can help Melissa. A nurse would be helpful.

[Laraqua]

She turns towards him, her once pretty face marred with hundreds of lacerations, her eyes firmly shut, and she presses herself against the counter. "Get away from me! No!"

[jtull_84]

"Shhh, it's okay. I have some bottled water, we can wash you up if you want. I'm with a young woman. We're trying to find more people for safety. Please, come with us. I can't stand to leave you down here."