TRACKS OF TERROR -- DAY 5: THE RANSACKED MED-BAY CAR
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Published: February 20, 2025
Author: Daniel Conderman
Context: Recovered Conderman.Group interactive survival-horror serial
Original URL: https://conderman.group/2025/02/day-5-the-ransacked-med-bay-car/


YESTERDAY'S SURVIVING CHOICE: LOOT
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Searching the ankle- to knee-deep water uncovered the gear I needed: a
partly intact waterproof flashlight and a sturdy length of rope. The light
revealed holes in the submerged floor, and the rope let me probe the murk and
haul myself across a broken section where the water reached my chest. I
nearly panicked when something brushed my leg, but emerged dripping and
alive.


THE ROADS NOT TAKEN
-------------------

  Fight     -- Swinging blindly in the water would lead to a fall, drowning,
               or being dragged under by an unseen threat.

  Sneak     -- A quiet step into an invisible hole would still submerge me
               among the jagged debris.

  Improvise -- Trying to patch the flood would waste time and risk leaving
               me trapped beneath shifting wreckage.

  Persuade  -- Calling out would reveal my position to anything infected
               beneath the surface.


THE RANSACKED MED-BAY CAR
-------------------------

The next door opens on a cramped medical compartment. Hospital curtains hang
from ceiling rails, half torn and dangling. Bent, pried-open lockers line one
wall. Discarded bandages and broken vials cover the floor, and a chemical
odor makes my eyes water.

Empty medicine cabinets stand open. Cots are askew, some stained with dried
blood. Patients or survivors once barricaded themselves here in hope of aid;
now the only signs of life are scurrying noises behind the curtains. Rats,
perhaps, or the undead. A faint sound follows, like metal scraping on tile.
Anything left to salvage will not come easily.


WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
------------------

  Fight     -- Charge whatever is lurking behind the curtains.

  Sneak     -- Move silently past the creatures while seeking the exit.

  Improvise -- Make a barricade or distraction from the medical wreckage.

  Persuade  -- Call for survivors and hope they are not infected.

  Loot      -- Search for medicine, supplies, or a working tool.

The flashlight flickers as a wet scraping noise comes from the med-bay's far
side. The next installment will reveal which choice saves my hide.