Peter's heart raced as he sprinted down the sterile hospital corridors, his shoes squeaking on the polished floors. "Syd!" he called out, his voice echoing off the bare walls. "Syd, where are you?"
The emptiness of the hallways unnerved him. Where was everyone? he was used to the constant bustle of activity, but now an eerie silence permeated the air.
Suddenly, a muffled scream pierced the quiet. "Help! Someone, please help me!"
Peter skidded to a stop, He pressed his ear against the wall, trying to locate the source of the cry. "Hello? Can you hear me?"
"Yes! Please, I'm trapped in here!" The voice was frantic, tinged with desperation.
Peter's brow furrowed as he ran his hands along the smooth surface. There should be a door here, he thought. But there was nothing only a wall.
"What the hell is going on here?" he muttered, a chill running down his spine.
The man behind the wall continued to plead. "Please, you have to get me out!"
Peter closed his eyes, guilt washing over him. "I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I can't... there's no way to help you, I'm sorry."
He backed away, his mind reeling. Focus, he told himself. You need to find Syd.
Peter jogged towards the lounge where he'd last seen her, hoping against hope she'd be there. But as he burst through the door, he was met with the same unsettling emptiness.
"Dammit," he muttered, running a hand through his messy hair. "Where is everyone?"
A gnawing worry grew in his stomach as he made his way towards the exit. Maybe Syd had gotten out somehow. As he rounded a corner, he stopped dead in his tracks, his blood turning to ice.
A woman's body protruded from the wall, her torso and arms flailing weakly as blood pooled beneath her. Her eyes locked onto Peter's, wide with terror and pain.
"Oh God," Peter breathed, his nurse's instinct going crazy with his rising panic. He approached cautiously, his hands shaking. "Ma'am, can you hear me?"
She gurgled in response, more blood bubbling from her lips.
Peter's mind raced. How was this possible? It defied all logic, all known laws of physics. He reached out, wanting to help but unsure how.
"I'm going to get you help," he said, his voice trembling. "Just... just hold on, okay?"
But even as the words left his mouth, he knew there was nothing he could do. The woman's eyes rolled back, her movements growing weaker.
Peter stumbled backward, his breath coming in short gasps. "This can't be happening," he whispered.
He had to find Syd. He had to get out of here. With one last look at the dying woman, Peter turned and ran towards the exit.
He pushed on, guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders. Finally, he reached the exit and burst through the doors, gulping in the fresh air. For a moment, relief washed over him.
"Oh, thank God," he breathed, savoring the feeling of being outside.
His rest was short-lived as he noticed police cars gathering nearby. Panic gripped him anew.
"Syd," he said out loud, scanning the area. "Where are you?"
As Peter started to move away from the building, he caught sight of two men and a woman approaching him. Something in their demeanor set off alarms in his mind.
"Hey!" one of the men called out. "Stop right there!"
Peter's instincts kicked in. Without a second thought, he turned and ran, Running as fast as he can against the pavement as he desperately tried to escape.
"Why are they after me?" he thought frantically, risking a glance over his shoulder. To his horror, he saw the trio in hot pursuit.
"I said stop!" the man shouted again, his voice closer now.
Peter pushed himself harder, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I have to lose them," he thought. "I have to find Syd. I have to figure out what's going on."
As he ran, Peter's mind raced with questions. Who were these people? What did they want with him? And most importantly, where was Syd in all of this chaos?
Peter's heart pounded as he sprinted into the street, his eyes darting wildly for an escape route. A car horn blared, tires screeching against asphalt. He flinched, narrowly avoiding the vehicle as it swerved past him.
"Jesus!" Peter gasped, his pulse thundering in his ears.
Glancing back, he saw his pursuers closing in. Panic surged through him, but a stroke of luck intervened. A city bus passed between them, momentarily blocking their path.
"Thank God," Peter muttered, seizing the opportunity to put some distance between them.
As he circled back towards the hospital, Peter's thoughts turned to Syd. "Could she be with David?" he wondered, his brow furrowing with concern. The possibility both relieved and troubled him.
Rounding the corner, Peter froze at the sight of police officers going into the building. His mind raced, torn between the need to find Syd and the fear of being caught.
"What the hell is going on here?" he whispered to himself, feeling overwhelmed by the chaos.
Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the noise. "Peter!"
His heart leapt. "Syd?" he called out, frantically scanning the area. "Syd, where are you?"
Peter spun around, searching desperately for the source of her voice. "Come on, Syd," he said out loud. "Give me a sign. Anything."
As he continued to look, Peter couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The bizarre occurrences in the hospital, the people chasing him, and now Syd's disembodied voice – it all felt like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.
Suddenly, a lot of voices Appeared all of a sudden.
"Help us!"
"Where am I?"
"What's happening?"
"What do I want for dinner?"
"Fuck I can't believe I fell for her shit, i knew I wasn't the father".
"I cannot wait till I retire and get out of this dead job"
The voices grew louder, more insistent, overwhelming Peter's senses. He clutched his head.
"Stop!" he cried out, his voice barely audible over all the noise going on. "I can't take it anymore".
Just as he felt he might lose consciousness from the strain, a single, calm voice cut through the chaos.
"Just sleep, Peter," it said, soothing yet authoritative.
But before he could what just happened an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over him. His eyelids grew heavy, his limbs weak.
"No," Peter protested weakly, fighting against the irresistible pull of unconsciousness. "I have to... find..."
His thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind as darkness enveloped him. The last thing Peter saw was the blurry outline of a figure approaching before everything faded to black.