The Lost Hospital

In the early days of the Corruption, after the Dreamers had passed beyond the Veil into the miasma beyond, plague spread amongst the people. Foul ichor filled the stomachs and lungs of its victim, and as the soul left the body, something primal remained. Only by destroying the brain could true death be confirmed in the plague-stricken.
Only one hospital in the lands was equipped to handle such a plague, though unseen side effects would soon see to its failure. The sweet stench of sick mixed with acrid formaldehyde pervades its halls. Paladins, members of the Order of the Awoken, attempt vainly to keep the calm and peace as panic sets into the hearts of the dying. The waiting room is packed far beyond capacity. Behind the desk, doctors and nurses rush from room to room, their faces pale and grim.
Behind the hospital, wisps of oily smoke reach for the clouds above. Skin cracks and bones snap in the heat as a pair of orderlies toss another corpse into the flames. There is no time for graves, no time for burial rites. One of the orderlies cries out in shock and pain as a body sinks its teeth into his wrist; one of the doctors was sloppy with the lobotomy, and now another victim will submit to oblivion.
The second story of the hospital, once devoted to intensive care, is packed with beds, cots, mats - anything that can hold a patient. Currently, a pair of Awoken are struggling with a corpse that reaches for their necks as it gnashes its teeth. A well-aimed strike to the base of its skull causes the figure to go limp. In another trellised garden just outside of this room, a young paladin weeps uncontrollably. Her sobs can be heard down below in the unending line of waiting patients. The sound mixes with the same sobs coming from a mother cradling a coughing child. Others stare blankly ahead, either ignoring the sorrow or unable to comprehend it anymore.
In the basement of the hospital, the lead healer cuts open another cadaver. She pulls out its liver, and examines it closely. Her father's armor glows faintly, its enchantment trying to protect her from the vile fumes in the air. Unsatisfied, she tosses the liver aside and digs around in the body's abdomen. Precise cuts with her knife clear the way, and she removes the stomach. Another disappointment. It drops from her fingers and she turns her back to this cadaver.
Dark mists begin to swirl around her as she rests her eyes for a moment. She can hear shouts and screams from above. The door to the morgue opens and one of the Awoken enters. He says something, but her attention is drawn to his neck. She can see his veins twitching as the sickness flows through him. Perhaps that was the key. Once they were dead, there was nothing to be found. She would need a new subject. As the sounds of fighting from above grow louder and more panicked, she steps forward towards the paladin. A swift cut is all that's needed. His veins twitch, but the blood leaves the body now instead of sustaining it. The mists swirl around her as she begins to dig through the man.
The hospital falls, screams echoing from within. Those who can, flee. The rest are consumed by the building.

Type

Hospital