text: [Themes: Zombie, amnesia, zombies, hospital, horror, survival]
  
  You let out a deep and painful moan as you slowly realize you are awake on a cold, tiled surface. Judging by the ache in your head and bones, you've been hit with a lead pipe and left to rot. You grope at your head, but you can't feel anything, not through the thick rubber gloves you're wearing at any rate. You flop over and moan again at the bright lights coming from the ceiling. Your arm half-heartedly gropes around for something, and finds the metal railing of a vinyl bed. You use it to steady your balance as you pull yourself up. You close your eyes to help yourself adjust.
  
  As your vision clears and your nausea subsides you are gifted with a very acute headache. Feeling less groggy, a sudden realization of a deep, debilitating hunger nearly doubles you over in pain. You can't remember how on earth this happened to you, but then retrograde amnesia is rather common in head trauma victims. You take time to recover your senses, then assess the situation.
  
  You instantly recognize the special room of the hospital you are in; after all you've been working here for years. You can see the delicate instruments of radiation treatment neatly positioned, ready to use. There is a worn green vinyl bed underneath the delicate machinery. A quick glance around also finds you a smashed glass paperweight on the ground, which you suspect is the cause of your massive headache. Your hunger is probably just from being knocked out for so long. You also notice an airtight, electronic sealed door with a large button next to it.
  
  You can go south to the Control Room.
  
  [Author's Note: The infection has spread. They are coming.]
  
  > examine paperweight
  You see the shattered remnants of what formerly appeared to be a glass paperweight. Small chunks of glass lie in a heap upon the floor None of them are large enough to cut anything.
  
  > About yourself
  You look at yourself and find that you're wearing a large-pocketed, long lab coat, with thick rubber gloves and white boots to match.
  
  > examine the pockets
  Deep white pockets, useful for carrying things. Inside you can see nothing.
  
  Searching more closely, you actually find your small good-luck compass in one of the pockets! It will certainly prevent you from getting lost.
  
  > examine compass
  A small bauble. As far as navigation goes, it's not too terribly accurate but it can give you a general idea.
  
  > look at the bed
  A semi-comfortable human-sized block of padding with a head pillow. The padding is covered in vinyl for easy sanitation.
  
  > examine the pillow
  Slightly thicker vinyl plush extending from the radiation bed in a predictable rectangle shape. The radiation equipment seems to be focusing on this spot.
  
  > examine the equipment
  A marvel of modern machinery and medicine, they offer hope to those who have little. This device will kill off cancer in rather precise locations with exposure to large amounts of radiation. Unfortunately, it kills many others things in the process. It appears to be targeting the head pillow of the radiation bed. Perhaps the last user had a brain tumor. It looks functional.
  
  > Examine button
  A large, round, inviting button. You just know it does something. Probably something with the door it is right next to.
  
  > examine the door
  An electronic door, sealed tightly to keep out radiation. There is a large exit button clearly labeled next to the door. You can only assume this is in case a patient panics and tries to run out. The airtight door is closed.
  
  You feel weak from hunger.
  
  > About yourself
  You look at yourself and find that you're wearing a large-pocketed, long lab coat, with thick rubber gloves and white boots to match.
  
  > go to the south
  As expected, you see a computer control system. What you did not expect is to see are two dead bodies. The first is a woman slumped in the northeast corner with her head blown out. The other, a desiccated and decaying male with a coat and badge lies frozen in a crawling motion. Your neck hair prickles, your stomach churns and your mind reels. "Zombie," your mind whispers, but you are having trouble believing it. The stench of the dead fills the room.
  
  To your dismay, you see another locked door, this time with a cardswipe next to it. Why can't doors just be always open? After reflecting on it for a moment, you are quite glad that these doors are here; the barrier probably saved you from... whatever is going on outside. You probably owe your lives to these annoying doors.
  
  You can go north to the Radiation Chamber or south to the First Floor Hall.
  
  > take the badge
  You fight back waves of nausea. You feel as though you've seen many dead bodies in your life, but this one will give you nightmares, if you're ever able to sleep again. You gently remove the security badge from his blue lab coat as if the slightest touch might wake him. His mottled and rotting skin does not stir.
  
  A sharp pain from your temples almost make you cry aloud.
  
  > examine the controls
  A series of buttons and sliders that adjust the strength and location of the machine. There is a large, conveniently labeled "start" button. You can also make out instruments adjusting the angle and intensity, but you don't want to mess with the direction or intensity buttons. There is an emergency seal button in the very top corner.
  
  > look at the woman
  She is a middle aged, slightly heavy woman. The name tag on her shirt identifies her as Madelyn Grea, a senior technician. She has been shot through the jaw, and there is a vast quantity of blood staining her shirt and pooled on the ground around her. There is a handgun in her right hand and cartridges surrounding her. With your amateur detective skills, you deduce that she killed the attacking man and then took her own life.
  
  > take the gun
  The dead woman's fingers are gripping the gun tightly. With a shudder of distaste, you realize you'll have to open her hand first.
  
  > open her hand
  The gun clatters from her nerveless fingers to the floor.
  
  > take the gun
  Taken.
  
  A nice slab of steak sounds perfect right now.
  
  You pause a moment, as your pain makes it difficult to concentrate.
  
  > look at the gun
  A standard 9mm handgun, as far as you can tell. The etchings indicate that it is a Glock 17, but you're not sure what that means. The chamber is empty.
  
  > look at man
  The most disgusting corpse you believe you have ever seen. The flesh is withered and seems to have been preserved while in the midst of rotting. Judging by the holes in the clothes, he appears to have been shot in the torso and head several times, but there is a distinct lack of blood. Judging by the crooked angle of his legs, at least one had been broken. His fingernails are peeled back, and his left arm is outstretched towards the dead woman: grasping the floor as if he had been crawling towards her with an intense amount of effort. Upon closer inspection, you discover that the man is not "missing" a head, per se, there blasted apart pieces of skull littering the room. All of the bone fragments are covered with coagulated blood and rotting meat.
  
  You realize that you are looking at an actual zombie. Your heart and breath quicken. If a person wearing a staff uniform has been infected, then who knows the extent of the plague, and how it spreads? You are not sure you can rely on the standard movie bite as the only mode of transmission. It might be spread by more casual contact, or even airborne. You resolve to survive.
  
  You really want to get rid of this headache.
  
  > take the man
  That's disgusting. You don't want to interfere with a future police investigation and you certainly don't want to expose yourself to whatever disease he's got, even with protective gloves. You leave him put.
  
  > search the woman
  Nothing but more blood.
  
  > search zombie
  Nothing here but internal organs.
  
  > Swipe badge
  The door whooshes open with the wave of your plastic.
  
  > go south
  You walk into a central hub of nondescript, pristinely sterile hospital hallway. The lights flicker with the dim light of the emergency power generator. The lack of noise sends a chill down your spine. Where there should be doctors rushing, nurses chatting, and patients complaining, you hear absolutely nothing. You wonder if this building has been quarantined off or if the infection has spread beyond it. You are thankful that there are no more signs of trouble: no blood on the walls, no corpses on the ground. Then again, this does make your situation more uncertain.
  
  You can go north to the Radiation Controls, south to the Elevator, east to the Hospital Entry, or west to the Cafeteria.
  
  > go west
  Where sterile halls and clean, empty rooms have dominated nearly all of the hospital, the Cafeteria's vile stench precedes it a full hallway in advance. The Cafeteria has been thoroughly raided. Overturned bins of food, broken jugs of milk and other liquids have all swirled together into a rotting pool of sludge. There are still-sealed bottles of water that have managed to escape the ooze.
  
  A stove had been serving as a barricade to the kitchen, but it has been shoved aside and overturned. You also note some blood and bloody blunt objects.
  
  You can go north to the Kitchen or east to the First Floor Hall.
  
  > look at sludge
  A disgusting mix of undecipherable food, liquids and now mold. Looking around at the pooled filth you wonder why all this food was wasted.
  
  > look at the water
  (sealed bottles)
  Bottles of water that are still sealed and not covered in goo.
  
  Your stomach rumbles in hunger.
  
  > take the water
  (the water bottle)
  Water will always come in handy, and you are certain that with the seal it is safe to drink, providing you are very careful where you put your lips.
  
  > examine the blunt objects
  Bloody trays, a skillet, a chair leg and even cooking utensils are strewn about the room. They might have been marginally useful against invading hordes, but now most of them are shattered or bent or plain unwieldy from over-use. The skillet looks like it is in the best condition.
  
  Judging by the way the blood has dried, they were used against
  humans, not zombies.
  
  You feel weak from hunger.
  
  > take the skillet
  eggs. You are certain it will come in handy for one of those things.
  
  > Go north
  You now realize where all the bodies are - in the kitchen. You see rows upon rows of neatly stacked and cleaned dead bodies, ranging from cafeteria workers to janitors to patients and doctors, all forming a macabre scene.
  
  Tearing your eyes away from the gruesome pile, you look around and notice a chaos of canned food. That is probably what the survivors were fighting over - the promise of eating something that is untainted. There is also a huge stainless steel walk-in freezer, not to mention rows of promising cabinets. In the far corner you can see a tin trash container and a plastic blue recycling bin.
  
  You can go south to the Cafeteria.
  
  > take the canned food
  You rifle through the various cans of food and grab the nice-looking can of chickpeas.
  
  > open the cabinets
  You open the cabinets, revealing a microwave.
  
  A nice slab of steak sounds perfect right now.
  
  > open the freezer
  You see dozens more bodies stacked up in a neat row; with corpses piled several layers high. They are stacked higher towards the end, forming a slope. While the power had been on, you were sure that the cold had helped keep these bodies hidden and preserved. The power has apparently been off for some time now, as many of the bodies have started to melt into one another.
  
  The stench, which had been sealed off, is now overwhelming and more repulsive than you can even imagine. Barely suppressing the urge to vomit, faint or do both, you close the freezer and back away. As you back away from the freezer, you stumble over one of the dead bodies, knocking it out of line. You really hope that someone is not going to care about that because you are too disgusted to fix it.
  
  > look in the blue bin
  The plastic blue recycling bin is empty.
  
  > look in the trash
  The tin trash container is empty.
  
  > examine the bodies
  Someone has neatly arranged bodies into a row, with the shortest person in the middle and taller people on either sides. They all show signs of a bloody struggle with serious injuries - some have had their heads bashed in, some are missing body parts or have obvious amounts of strong internal bleeding. They have all been cleaned up as much as possible, closed their eyes and even pushed their cheeks into a smile. Someone put a lot of time into doing this.
  
  You survey them one by one. You see nobody you recognize, but perhaps that is only because you don't remember them. It appears as though only a few of them had actually turned; the rest seem to lack bite marks and only have wounds from fighting. Whoever lined them up also seems to have taken everything useful from them - they lack food, weapons, keys, and don't even have their wallets or ID cards.
  
  > look at the microwave
  A boxy device used to heat up things. It looks like it's a decade old at least, and the useless power cable has been ripped out from the back of the machine.
  
  > open it
  You open the microwave but the light don't come on. In fact, none of the lights are on. The machine is quite broken.
  
  > take the microwave
  It's a useless hunk of metal. It wouldn't even be wieldy enough to use to bludgeon.
  
  > hit the can with the skillet
  (the can of chickpeas with skillet)
  Violence is never the answer, except when it comes to survival. Well, even now, it's not really going to help.
  
  > Examine can
  (the can of chickpeas (unclean))
  A metal can containing chickpeas. Happily for you, it is the kind you can open without a can opener.
  
  > Clean can
  (the can of chickpeas)
  You achieve nothing by this.
  
  A collective moan arises from the rest of the city. It echoes and is joined by more moans until a distance or origin point is simply indeterminable. The voice of the despairing dead slowly peter out, but their message for you remains. They are determined, and they do not sleep, and they are always hungry, always desperate. You better prepare your defenses.
  
  > Open water
  You open the water bottle.
  You take a small sip.
  
  To protect the water as best as you can, you close it tight again.
  
  > put the water on can
  (the can of chickpeas (unclean))
  Putting things on the can of chickpeas (unclean) would achieve nothing.
  
  Your stomach rumbles in hunger.
  
  > put can on the pillow
  You put the can of chickpeas (unclean) on the pillow of the radiation bed.
  
  > hit the zombie with the skillet
  (zombie crossdresser with skillet)
  Wielding your best weapon (the skillet) you charge and scream as you run towards the crossdresser, putting all your force into a beautifully-arched swing. The metal makes contact with the skull, and you hear the crackling of bone as blood spurts of blood fly around you. As the body of the former person falls to the ground, the blood around the skull wound and splattered onto the frying pan clots almost instantly. The handle to the skillet breaks and is torn from your hand by the force. You duck your head away to minimize contact with flying debris.
  
  The now broken skillet clatters to the ground. You'd better find a real weapon. Despite the racket, no more zombies come, and you can only assume you were lucky enough that they simply didn't hear. You slump in a corner, and quiver for minutes before being able to so much as stand again.
  
  > go north
  On the head pillow is a can of chickpeas (closed).
  
  > take can
  Taken.
  
  > open it
  You remove the lid, salivating at the prospect of food.
  
  > eat can
  You scarf the vegetables down, eager to have something to eat at last. You hardly feel satisfied at all, and even a little queasy.
  You recall hearing about the difficulties people have eating after long bouts of starvation. Or maybe you just never liked chickpeas. You feel an unusual craving for some meatloaf, but at least your hunger pains are satiated.
  
  > look at the transvestite
  He was a sort of crossdresser, and a darned good one at that too. If it wasn't for his (now bloody) adam's apple and lanky walk, you'd have mistaken him for a woman. His skirt, already short, is ripped. One of his shoes fell off, and his bright green jacket has been covered in blood. His makeup was nice, but his face has been completely destroyed.
  
  > go to the south
  A central hub of nondescript, pristinely sterile hospital hallway.
  
  You can go north to the Radiation Controls, south to the Elevator, east to the Hospital Entry, or west to the Cafeteria.
  
  > go east
  The grand entrance to the Calypso Hospital, dead bodies hang from ropes tied to the previously majestic arches and pillars. There is a series of abandoned check-in counters. There are various benches along the hallway, as well as couches and a small table littered with magazines. The large glass sliding door to the outside displays a thick, ominous fog. You think you see figures moving in the fog, but then again, you might just be playing tricks on yourself.
  
  You can go north to the Gift Shop, south to the Pharmacy, east to the Hospital Exterior, west to the First Floor Hallway and northwest to the Physical Therapy room.
  
  > examine the sliding door
  Impressively large sheets of glass with great visibility. There is a thick fog outside. You think you can see figures moving outside, but you're not quite sure. You worry about invaders coming.
  
  > lock the door
  What do you want to lock the sliding glass doors with?
  
  > look at the counters
  A series of desks where employees check in patients, as the name suggests. Everyone has abandoned them; you don't even see hints of blood or struggle. They are just empty. Aside from that, you see nothing spectacular about them.
  
  > examine table
  A lightweight but sturdy flat surface used to hold the typical variety of tattered hospital magazines. The coffee table is basically made up of a flat wooden rectangular plank attached to a thin supporting column with a weighted metal base.
  
  > Break table
  Violence is never the answer, except when it comes to survival.
  Well, even now, it's not really going to help.
  
  > take the table
  The coffee table, while moveable, is hardly portable. You would have a difficult time trying to take it anywhere past a few feet without thoroughly exhausting yourself.
  
  > look
  The grand entrance to the Calypso Hospital, dead bodies hang from ropes tied to the arches. There is a series of abandoned check-in counters. There are various benches along the hallway, as well as couches and a small table littered with magazines. The large glass sliding door to the outside displays a thick, ominous fog. You think you see figures moving in the fog, but then again, you might just be playing tricks on yourself.
  
  You can go north to the Gift Shop, south to the Pharmacy, east to the Hospital Exterior, west to the First Floor Hallway and northwest to the Physical Therapy room.
  
  > go to the northwest
  Full of various exercising equipment, this place is designed to start people on the path to getting stronger, but you are certain that there is a larger place off-facility for when people are able to leave the hospital. You see exercise balls, stretchy rubber ropes, stationary bicycles, massage tables, stair stepping blocks and doctor chairs. This place is still bright and cheery looking - no blood, no bodies, just orange walls and brightly colored equipment. All of the free weights and weight bars you remember being here have been stolen. There goes your shot at a sweet bludgeoning weapon from here.
  
  You can go southeast to the Entry Hall.
  
  > examine balls
  Bouncy, large rubber balls for doing yoga and various other kinds of exercise.
  
  > take the rope
  You fiddle with it for a few minutes then put it in your pocket for later.
  
  > examine blocks
  Stackable blocks used to do aerobics on. You can combine the blocks to form all sorts of stairs.
  
  > Go southeast
  The grand entrance to the Calypso Hospital, dead bodies hang from ropes tied to the previously majestic arches and pillars. There is a series of abandoned check-in counters. There are various benches along the hallway, as well as couches and magazines. You can't see anything out of the sliding glass doors, thanks to the coffee table and bench barricade.
  
  You can go north to the Gift Shop, south to the Pharmacy, east to the Hospital Exterior, west to the First Floor Hallway and northwest to the Physical Therapy room.
  
  > Go north
  An assortment of gifts and necessities, designed to milk more money out of patients and their visiting families. The place is quiet and poorly lit, lending to a dystopian atmosphere. There are rows and rows of low shelves containing gift cards, knick-knacks, flowers and balloons. There is a section containing flashlights, lamps and batteries especially catches your eye.
  
  You glance around the store. Not seeing any figures past the shelves is somewhat comforting, but you can't shake the image of a fallen zombie hidden somewhere beneath one of the shelves, just waiting for someone to wander close enough. You shudder.
  
  You can go south to the the Entry Hall.
  
  > take the batteries
  Looking at the wall of assorted batteries, you decide that you should stock up on all sizes and shapes. You grab a package of everything from AAA to DD, and even a few tiny circle ones to be sure. You never know what size battery you might need.
  
  > take the flashlight
  You're unsure what a flashlight is doing in a hospital gift store, as you are sure that it won't make anyone feel any better. The flashlight is wrapped in a plastic container. You get one.
  
  > open the flashlight
  (the flashlight (wrapped))
  You rip at the plastic crap, but you never could do it with your bare hands. You need a sharp object.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a flashlight (wrapped)
  some batteries
  a stretchy rubber rope
  empty can
  a water bottle
  a handgun (empty)
  a security badge
  a compass
  a lab coat (being worn)
  thick rubber gloves (being worn)
  white boots (being worn)
  
  > look athe knick-knacks
  Name magnetic license plates, curio windmills, figurines, glasses and all sorts of other assorted bits of junk manufactured by starving people in China for the passing amusement and inevitable disposal. There is nothing that looks even remotely useful here. Tourist-trap grade junk.
  
  > examine the shelves
  There sure are a lot of shelves. They are all uninteresting, except for the various for-sale cards, balloons, batteries, flashlights and lamps.
  
  > look at the balloons
  Something native to all hospital gift stores, the assortment of crinkly aluminum get-well balloons. They have everything from teddy bears to cute kittens to just plain "Get well soon".
  
  > take the balloons
  You seriously doubt that you will ever have need for balloons with get-well inscriptions. Perhaps you can give it to the next zombie you see, and it will be touched at your heart-felt intentions enough not to eat you alive. Nevertheless, taken.
  
  > look at can
  A completely emptied tin can, complete with the pull-off top.
  
  > open the flashlight with can
  (the flashlight with empty can)
  That doesn't seem to be something you can unlock.
  
  > look at the card
  (the happy birthday card)
  "Your special day, today it's like the world is made just for you!"
  
  > examine the lamp
  A shelf with a few electric lamps. Neat.
  
  > examine the boots
  Thick, with a killer sole. They're actually completely inappropriate for a real hospital worker to be wearing, it was probably just the shoes you wore on your way to work when it was raining. Still, they look pretty badass.
  
  > Go south
  The grand entrance to the Calypso Hospital, dead bodies hang from ropes tied to the previously majestic arches and pillars. There is a series of abandoned check-in counters. There are various benches along the hallway, as well as couches and magazines. You can't see anything out of the sliding glass doors, thanks to the coffee table and bench barricade.
  
  You can go north to the Gift Shop, south to the Pharmacy, east to the Hospital Exterior, west to the First Floor Hallway and northwest to the Physical Therapy room.
  
  > go west
  A central hub of nondescript, pristinely sterile hospital hallway.
  
  You can go north to the Radiation Controls, south to the Elevator, east to the Hospital Entry, or west to the Cafeteria.
  
  > Go south
  You stand outside of the elevator. Looking at the elevator lights above the elevator door, you notice that there are two floors, plus probably a basement. The great steel elevator doors are closed. To the west you see a staircase.
  
  You can go north to the First Floor Hall, or west to the First Floor Staircase.
  
  > examine the elevator door
  Tall, steel and firmly shut. Without electricity running to it, you worry that you probably won't be able to open it at all.
  
  > go west
  On the walls, you can see a broken fire extinguisher box, and an emergency escape map.
  
  The staircase leading up is blocked halfway by piles upon piles of furniture. You can see a small passage in the top of the barricade. As for the stairway down, a large chunk of concrete staircase has gone missing. You think you could navigate down, but he darkness of the basement worries you.
  
  You can go east to the First Floor Elevator, northeast to the First Floor Hall, up to the Second Floor Staircase or down to the Basement.
  
  > Examine box
  Someone has yanked off the box's little complimentary glass breaker and smashed the glass, taking the fire extinguisher. Aside from glass shards, the only thing you see is a guide on which types of extinguishers to use on which types of fires.
  
  > take the shard
  You decide to ditch the idea of pocketing the cut hazard; even the tiniest nick creates a huge vector for infection. There must be less dangerous ways to cut things open.
  
  > examine the barricade
  A painstakingly erected barricade made of piled up furniture. There is a small hole at the top that seems stable enough for you to climb through if it wasn't just out of your reach
  
  > go northeast
  A central hub of nondescript, pristinely sterile hospital hallway.
  
  You can go north to the Radiation Controls, south to the Elevator, east to the Hospital Entry, west to the Cafeteria or southwest to the First Floor Staircase.
  
  > go east
  The grand entrance to the Calypso Hospital, dead bodies hang from ropes tied to the previously majestic arches and pillars. There is a series of abandoned check-in counters. There are various benches along the hallway, as well as couches and magazines. You can't see anything out of the sliding glass doors, thanks to the coffee table and bench barricade.
  
  You can go north to the Gift Shop, south to the Pharmacy, east to the Hospital Exterior, west to the First Floor Hallway and northwest to the Physical Therapy room.
  
  > Go northwest
  Full of various exercising equipment, this place is designed to start people on the path to getting stronger, but you are certain that there is a larger place off-facility for when people are able to leave the hospital. You see exercise balls, stationary bicycles, massage tables, stair stepping blocks and doctor chairs. This place is still bright and cheery looking - no blood, no bodies, just orange walls and brightly colored equipment.
  
  You can go southeast to the Entry Hall.
  
  > take the blocks
  They look a little too bulky to carry, but you feel as though you could push them around if you wanted.
  
  > take the map
  It's mounted to the wall.
  
  > read the map
  Basically, it is telling you to go down the stairs and out the exits of which you are already aware. Not actually very helpful.