Biohazard's Catastrophe: Death's Hallway

Still Alive

Dustira Hospital

Cimahi, West Java

Next day

Ardana did not know if Ilham had forgotten his negligence in reading the important message. Since last night the middle-aged man had not offended that. Even what she was told was a sudden call in the morning to the two of them from Dustira Hospital in Cimahi. The body of the dead found hanging from a tree a few days ago was diverted from Ciamis City Hospital there since yesterday. A few hours ago his body was autopsied. And it was done with the approval of Odang as the village head.

By noon, Ardana and Ilham had arrived at Dustira Hospital. The area of the hospital that was established since 1887 still looks magnificent and antique. Despite some modernization and the addition of new buildings, the typical colonial atmosphere still feels thick. Cimahi in the past was indeed a military zone set by the Dutch colonial government. This area became the center of military exercises and activities because it is strategic and close to the city of Bandung. Many supporting facilities were built, one of which was Dustira Hospital which was formerly called Militaire Hospital. The management is now held by Kodam Siliwangi TNI (Indonesian National Army).

The figure of Ilham turned out to be so familiar to many soldiers who were serving there. Many junior and senior middle officers who knew him immediately approached while saluting. Ardana was amazed to see the unwritten tradition still preserved by the soldiers. The soul of Korsa will never die even because of the status of a retired. Even so with the policemen who were seconded there, they also greeted Ilham who they had known a few years before. One of the captain-ranking officers from the health department of Kodam Siliwangi was happy to escort the two to the morgue.

“Why don't they tell us the details and instead ask us to look directly? The one in the hole alone has made me nauseous,” whispered Ardana. He had childhood trauma with the autopsied body of a murder victim and suddenly fell in front of him in a hospital while being moved.

“I think you can stand if you see a damaged corpse,” Ilham said.

“It is precisely because I cannot stand it. I stayed away from the crowd when the body of the victim was found on the edge of Sirnasurya Forest, Sir,” Ardana replied while turning her face. Every time he remembered that day he always felt an indistinct nausea.

“Then what do you want, vomit here? Don't know your shame this.”

“Eh? No, it is sir. That's right.”

Ardana continued to grumble annoyed by the response of the Inspiration, which actually made the middle-aged man to smile because he tried to hold back his laughter. He shook his head as he occasionally glanced at the youngster next to him who was lip-sticking in the opposite direction.

The mortuary was moved to the back of the old hospital. After passing through the hallway and the garden in an open room in the middle, they both found a new building with a size large enough to stand alone and separate from other building complexes. Posts ‘cadaver’ on a long wooden board clearly emblazoned above the closed door. If the writing was not installed, no one would know the new building with white paint that dominates at the back of the Dustira Hospital is a temporary shelter for the bodies.

“This is the name of the house of luxury corpse,” muttered Ardana. His two eyes did not blink seeing how too good the building before him was. Makes her remember the family home of the late Stella, her former lover in the city of Bogor. This one is wider in size with a capacity that if viewed from the outside can accommodate up to a hundred more bodies.

“Captain,” call Inspiration to the officer who escorts them. “Who has an idea to build this place?”

“Colonel Marzuqi, the new head of our hospital,” replied the captain calmly.

Inspiration scrunched his forehead hearing the name earlier.

“Marzuqi... You mean Colonel Marzuqi Jamaluddin?”

“True, Sir. You know Colonel Marzuqi?”

“Yes, of course. He was junior one level below me while still active in TNI.”

The valve!

Not long after that the door of the body storage building was opened from the inside. A man who was the same age as Inspiration with half of his face covered in masks appeared. He was wearing a TNI AD daily uniform wrapped in a doctor's white coat. Right behind him, there were two young soldiers in camouflage uniforms with infantry green beret hats on the head. Despite the lack of equipment, both guards were equipped with Glock 19 pistols on the right waist. They were held back when they looked directly at Ardana and Ilham.

The captain who escorted the two immediately saluted with a well-built posture.

“Pak Marzuqi, two people mentioned Mr. Odang already with us,”.

The man who turned out to be Colonel Marzuqi just nodded. Knowing that the man standing in front of her was Inspiration, he approached her with his hands out.

“Zuqi... awesome! It's been a long time since our first assignment in the Balkans in 1995, huh?” Inspiration welcomed the Marzuqi stretch of hands with a happy feeling.

“You yourself how are you, Ham? From Bandung to Cimahi. Too bad, you even chose to retire with the rank of major. Though I wish you could be a colonel too,” replied Marzuqi while shaking hands with Inspiration.

“Life selection,” Ilham. “Now I have more new hobbies to do at home. Cultivation of seeded and rare plants.”

“And also weapons collectors from various countries,” whispered again.

Marzuqi nodded while patting the shoulder of Inspiration. His attention then turned to Ardana who was standing right behind his old friend.

“Whose young man, Ham?” tanyanya.

Inspiration turned to Ardana who was nodding firmly at herself and Marzuqi.

“From Baihaqi Armed Corps headquarters. His name is Ardana Putra. The new boy Syamsir sent me to investigate the missing persons case in Sirnasurya Forest.”

Marzuqi combed Ardana from toe to head. Although his gaze seemed less certain looking at the physicality of the young man who in his eyes was less dashing but he was sure of his ability. Moreover, he also knew Shamsir who was also one of his friends besides Ilham. If only he knew of the lack of Ardana which is quite a lot and especially seconded directly to him, maybe this senior TNI officer will lecture without breaking and then give him a little pressure.

“Welcome to this Siliwangi pride hospital. Ah, as I call it,” welcomes Marzuqi while extending a hand to Ardana to shake. “Can we go straight inside only? Let's have a better chat.”

Marzuqi turned to the TNI captain who delivered Ardana and Ilham. “Captain, you can return to where you are now,” the order.

“Ready, Sir!” The captain saluted and turned to leave them.

Ardana. This is the moment he dislikes the most. Following two nostalgic middle-aged men as they stepped inside the corpse storage building. As soon as the door opened wide, they immediately came face to face with the hall filled with rows of human corpses on the left and right. Everything was covered with white cloth. Some forensic officers from the TNI and POLRI looked serious working on their respective parts regardless of the presence of Ardana and the others.

The building also has a basement. At the left end, after passing through the row of bodies there is a ladder down which is the only access to get out and in. Just setting foot in front of her, Ardana already felt something that made her uncomfortable.

The appearance of the basement that functions as a storage of bodies with specialization is not too creepy, just designed soundproof. The white walls and the ceramic floor are in harmony making Ardana remembered with the appearance of a slaughterhouse in one of the horror games he had played. A mad surgeon armed with a chainsaw hunts down the main protagonist and must occasionally hide in certain lockers.

From its size, it turned out to be smaller than the hall above. Only its shape resembled a corridor that extended far forward. The bodies inserted here are only selected on the basis of irregularities during the autopsy process for further research. Unlike what Ardana saw earlier, here all the bodies are stored in a transparent bulletproof-glazed freezer in a standing position. Fused with the wall so that it resembles the part of the wall that pokes.

There were only six TNI soldiers on duty in that basement. All of them were wearing masks and white coats that dangled to the calves. They instantly marched on the right side as soon as they became aware of the presence of Marzuqi and his guests.

“His body is there,” point Marzuqi to one of the hearse freezers in the right corner.

They came together to the designated cupboard and looked directly at the contents. Ardana tensed her lower jaw with a horrified expression. This time he was forced to witness the condition of the body which was very terrible directly. The death toll was found hanging on a tree with his own skin on the edge of the Sirnasurya Forest and had made a scene in the village of Cikembang.

Inspiration brought his face closer to the glass of the closet. He found an awkwardness in the lifeless corpse inside. The waist down that was previously lost is now growing a new body part in the form of meat. Even moving slowly to form stifled joys.

“Zuq, what is this regeneration? If so, it should not be stored here,” the cetus is worried.

Marzuqi himself seemed surprised at the unnatural process that Inspiration thought looked like regeneration. It was as if the corpse was indeed alive even though it appeared to be dead.

“Instead it. The Ciamis City Hospital refused to keep it and shifted handling to us,” he explained while shaking his head.

“Wouldn't it be moved from here too? Here a lot of civilians and dangerous if something happens that is not desirable.” Inspiration frowned with slightly bulging eyes.

Marzuqi sighed. He retreated back while crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“But, in reality there are no signs of life at all, Ham. You saw it for yourself, right? His chest was torn, until his heart and lungs were almost sticking out it was clear. No signs of life from both organs in his body.”

Inspiration does not refute the Marzuqi refutation. In plain view, the heart of the body is not beating even though weak. His lungs did not show any fluffy and deflating movements. Even so, the process that he thought was similar to regeneration at the bottom of the corpse seemed to bother him.

“There's another one, Zuq? I mean, it's still about this body.” This middle-aged man turned to Marzuqi.

Marzuqi fell silent while thinking for a moment.

“When the re-autopsy process was done..euh, we found something clumping in the throat cavity. The shape resembles a black flower petal with many blood red spots. I don't know the type, it seems to belong to the group of roses. The plan, later tonight I will send it as a sample to LIPI Bogor through Puncak,” he explained later.

Ilham nodded and seemed satisfied with his best friend's explanation. While Ardana who was standing on his left still remained silent. Just like Ilham, his attention was fixed on the lower part of the body that seemed to regenerate itself.

His forehead puckered sharply when he realized the head of the corpse was also experiencing the same process to the damaged eye. The dull white color on his eyeballs turned blood red and looked fresh.

The newly formed eyeballs suddenly glanced at him.

“He lived...! This creature is still alive..!” scream as loud as possible.

THE DUAKK! THE DUAKK!

The pause between Ardana's shout and the impact on the glass part of the freezer is barely a second. The surprised Ilham and Marzuqi reflexes dodged although not yet fully aware of what was happening.

AGRROAAARR! AARR GRRROAAAARR!

The creature in the freezer in front of them went berserk while smashing its six newly emerged red tentacles violently. The two TNI soldiers who were escorting directly acted to secure Ilham and Marzuqi. Ardana who happened to be carrying a gun immediately pulled it and pointed towards the freezer. Six forensic officers from the TNI who were not far from them also issued the same weapon.

THE DUAKK!

THE KRETAKK! THE KRETAKK!

The protective glass covering the freezer slowly began to crack from the middle to the rest.

“Close the entrance!” Marzuqi turned to his two bodyguards who were ready to fire.

* * * * *