Beneath the Flesh: They kept all the demons out … except one by Alex Kings

the rest of it.
     
    Finally, there was something else clutched in the mouth of the second dog. A human arm, severed just below the shoulder. The skin on it was young-looking: pale and smooth, save for a few wounds that looked like dog bites. The hand was small, with long, delicate-looking fingers.
     
    It was some of the first human remains she'd seen since she arrived, she realised.
     
    And …
     
    There were something about this hospital. It had a sort of magnetic pull to it. An unplaceable feeling told Jess that it important. Or that there was some important thing inside it. Something beyond what they were here to collect. She stared at the building, then shook the feeling off.
     
    They past the ambulance and the dead dogs up to the main entrance. There had been two sets of sliding doors here, but they'd been twisted open, all the safety glass lying in pebbles on the floor.
     
    In the reception area they stopped and checked all the surroundings with guns raised. Then Jess pulled out the list of equipment Dr Patel had given them and skimmed it. Every item came listed under the best place to find it, sometimes with helpful diagrams to show what it looked like.
     
    “Here,” said Luke.
     
    Between the reception desk, with its papers scattered all over the floor, was a message board. On the left was a poster about flu vaccinations and an advert in cheery colours for a “Fun-Run Fundraiser”. On the right was a map.
     
    “So where do we need to go?”
     
    “Surgical department, pharmacy, lab.”
     
    Luke studied the map for a while. “Okay,” he said, and pointed to the right. “That entrance. I think. Yeah. That way, one floor up to the main corridor.” He showed Jess where they were heading. “We should also check out some of the rooms on the way, see if there's a good defensible place to spend the night.”
     
    With the plan in hand, they set off, past the broken set of doors and up a flight of stairs accompanied by a ramp.
     
    The main corridor was dark and immense, stretching off in both directions. There were only a few small windows, and without electrical lighting, great chunks of it were swallowed by shadow. It ran the whole length of the hospital – nearly half a mile – but Jess couldn't see either end clearly.
     
    After a moment Luke stopped. “I know this  might sound silly,” he whispered, slowly raising his pistol, “but did you hear anything just now?”
     
    Jess silently shook her head. But the question reminded her: The presence in her mind hadn't gone away. It was silent, yes – but she could feel it. She could feel it had intentions, thoughts – but she couldn't make out what they were.
     
    They stood in silence for a moment, then Luke started walking again, slowly, quietly.
     
    The next time it came, Jess did hear the noise. It sounded like one of the dogs they'd run into earlier, the same same bark and shriek. Except this time it was cut off halfway through, stopped by a faint but definite crunch.
     
    A second later came a third sound: A long, low groan. It sounded human, and yet not.
     
    Jess and Luke looked over at each other at the same moment. This wasn't a hallucination.
     
    Still, there was nothing to do but carry on, so carry on they did. They walked as quietly as they could down the corridor, pistols ready, prepared to shoot any anything that came their way.  At every side-corridor, Jess half expected to come across some demon. They passed through a section of the corridor that was almost pitch black. Jess became aware of how loud their boots were, squeaking constantly against the rubber floor.
     
    They passed back into a better-lit section of the corridor. Enough to see, at least. Looking round into one the side-corridor, Jess found what she'd been looking for.
     
    It was a cart for carrying medical equipment. With two layers of silvery metal, and a few extra hooks for hanging things on. She gave it an experimental push. Its wheels rattled, but it moved