Claire's Room
Pushing past his shock, Ethan ran the last few steps to Claire's door and burst inside. The monitors hummed softly, oblivious to the chaos outside. Claire lay on the bed, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, her face peaceful but pale.
Of course she wouldn't be in this room in the first place if this room isn't more secure than other patient's rooms, even if the hospital itself was to collapse this room would still be relatively okay, but it wouldn't if the beast in the sky were to inadvertently target this room.
He moved quickly to check her vitals, his hands shaking. The numbers were stable for now, but for how long? The hospital itself felt like it was moments from collapse.
Another tremor shook the building, and Ethan staggered, catching himself against the edge of Claire's bed. The beast outside released its energy, and the city trembled as a beam of destruction cut through the skyline. Ethan glanced at the window, the distant glow of fire reflecting in his eyes.
Taking Claire's hand in his, he whispered, "I'm here, Claire. I'm not leaving you."
But then, the room trembled again, the lights flickering as the hospital groaned under the strain of the growing apocalypse. Ethan looked down at Claire's sleeping face, his jaw tightening.
"I'll protect you," he said, his voice steady despite the fear gripping his heart. "No matter what happens. I'll keep you safe."
But deep down, as the world began to unravel around him, a single thought consumed him.
How do you protect someone from something this monstrous?
His heart thumped loudly as He stared at his phone, scrolling through more posts, while holding Claire...
As much as he wants to ascertain that she's okay, being a doctor he knew that information was power and the internet was only hope of gatgering as much information as possible...
And each one of the info from the posts painted a grim picture of what was to come:
"Creatures from the void are real. A village in the south reported attacks. Entire populations wiped out."
"This isn't natural. Someone did this. A rift between dimensions? A failed experiment?"
"This is no time to be joking pal..."
Of course, there'll be some carefree freaks that'll be enjoying the thrill that this dangerous situation brings...
He clenched his jaw, his mind racing with questions. 'How much time do we have? What are those things? Can I keep Claire safe with all this madness?'
The door to Claire's room was just a few feet away, but for the first time, he hesitated. The weight of what was happening bore down on him, and the thought of failing her—failing everyone—threatened to crush him.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan straightened and pushed the door open. Inside, the monitors hummed softly, oblivious to the apocalypse outside. Claire lay peacefully, her delicate form bathed in the faint glow of the machines keeping her alive.
Ethan stepped inside and closed the door behind him, knowing this sanctuary, however advanced, might not be enough to protect them from what was coming.
For the second time in his life, Ethan Cross—brilliant doctor, unshakable optimist and a well known playboy who always get what he wants—felt powerless, as thing didn't go the way he wanted it too.
*****
Meanwhile, thhe hum of the machines in Claire's room, once a comforting backdrop to Ethan's work, now felt oppressive. It was as if the very air had shifted. Ethan frowned as the Advanced Air Detectors on the wall emitted a shrill beep, flashing crimson across their sleek interface.
"Warning: Unknown Energy Signature Detected."
Ethan's eyes darted to the readout, and his stomach twisted into knots. Strange energies were rapidly accumulating in the room, the levels rising exponentially with every passing second. The detectors, calibrated to pick up even the faintest abnormalities, were screaming out warnings of an unprecedented surge.
He turned to Claire, her fragile body lying still on the bed. Her chest rose and fell softly, but something was wrong—terribly wrong. Her vitals on the Nano-Vital Monitors began to spike erratically, the graphs fluctuating wildly in colors Ethan had never seen before.
"What the hell…" he whispered, rushing to her side.
He stared at the holographic displays, the data pouring in like a torrent. The energy wasn't just present—it was reacting with Claire's body. Tendrils of glowing red mist, invisible to the naked eye but stark on the monitors, coiled around her like living things, sinking into her skin.
Ethan's medical instincts kicked in. His hands moved with the precision of years of experience, activating the Cellular Regeneration Capsule. It whirred to life, its mechanisms glowing as it attempted to stabilize her failing cells. He simultaneously keyed into the NeuroSync Console, searching for a way to isolate the energy.
"Come on… Come on!" he growled through clenched teeth, his mind racing.
The results only made his heart sink. The energy wasn't just interacting with Claire's body—it was overloading it. Her cells were absorbing the energy, but instead of revitalizing her, it was overwhelming every system, tearing her apart from the inside out.
"No… This can't be happening," Ethan muttered, his voice trembling.
He scanned the data again, desperately searching for a way to stop the surge. His system gave him theoretical solutions—deploying energy dampeners, creating an isolating barrier—but each one required at least thirty minutes to implement. Time he didn't have.
A sharp alarm jolted him as the Nano-Vital Monitors flashed an ominous red. Claire's lifespan—her precious few days—plummeted in an instant. Two minutes.