Twice Dead Louis Hastings

She moved forward tensely, feeling the cold air penetrate her metal shell. The tunnel walls grew damper, and the sounds of footsteps echoed along the long corridors. Her sensors were working at full power, recording every step and possible threat. The noise of the city was deafening, but in her mind everything was clear: she had to find Peter Reynolds and figure out what was happening in this ruined city. However, her plans were interrupted by a communication that came right into her ear.

"Miss, can you hear me?" Jennings, the photographer, said, his voice tense but with a certain urgency.

"Yes, I can hear you, Jennings," she replied, removing her hand from the sensor on the back of her head and strengthening the connection. "Is something wrong?"

"We need to meet," he said quickly, wasting no time. "I found something you might be interested in. You need to meet me as soon as possible."

Delia Asia Vieira paused, assessing the situation. Could this be related to her search? Perhaps Jennings had found information about Sergeant Neff, or at least a clue that would help her understand what was happening.

"Okay, I'm coming. Where are you?"

"Around the corner, next to the abandoned library. Be careful, there's something strange going on in the city, and I'm not sure we're safe."

Delia Asia Vieira nodded without even saying a word in response. She knew well what these warnings meant. If Jennings was unsure of his safety, then the danger was real. Without wasting any time, she turned into the nearest alley and walked towards the library, trying to remain inconspicuous.

As soon as she reached her destination, she saw him. Jennings was standing at the entrance to the dilapidated library, his camera hanging around his neck, his gaze anxious.

"You're just in time," he said, noticing her approach. "I thought you'd get lost. This isn't the safest place, and you definitely shouldn't linger here."

"What did you find?" Delia Asia Vieira asked, wasting no time. She was ready to listen.

"Doctor Lou Hastings," Jennings answered, looking at her with concern in his eyes. "You won't believe it, but he's back from the dead. They buried him a couple of days ago. The doctors said he was dead, but now... He's here. He's wandering around town and he seems to want to... eat people's brains.

Delia Asia Vieira thought about it. Jennings' words were too strange to be believed 100%. She had long been accustomed to the fact that in this city everything was not as it should be. Resurrected people? It seemed impossible, but...

"Are you sure?" she asked, raising a metal eyebrow skeptically. "This sounds crazy."

"I was at the hospital where they kept him," Jennings continued, handing her the photograph. "Here, look. This man hasn't just come back. He seems to have become... something else."

Delia Asia Vieira picked up the photograph. It was of Dr. Hastings, a man with kind eyes and a smile that now seemed completely out of place. There was something strange, unnatural about his gaze, as if he were no longer human.

"It could be a fake," she said, looking at the photograph. "But you're right, it's not a normal case. Where is he now?"

"My intel is that he's been seen around the old theater on the other side of town," Jennings said, his voice low and worried. "He's looking for something. Maybe victims. I don't know, but he's not alone."

Delia Asia Vieira looked at him again, assessing the situation.

"Okay," she said. "We're going there. But be prepared for something unexpected to happen. If this is true, we'll be facing something dangerous."

"I'm with you," Jennings replied, his face serious. "I've seen this city change, and I know we're on the brink of something terrible right now."

They headed towards the theatre. The closer they got to the place, the more tense it became. The city was abandoned and destroyed, and the streets seemed empty, like the atmosphere itself - dead and lifeless. Suddenly they heard footsteps. They were unclear, muffled, as if someone or something was following them.

"He's here," Jennings said quietly, stopping. "We're not alone."

Delia Asia Vieira stopped, her sensors immediately began scanning the space around her. She found the source of the sound. Several shadows were moving in the distance, and their silhouettes did not look human.

"Be ready," she warned Jennings, drawing her weapon from behind her back.

The shadows were getting closer, and one terrible question was forming in the robotess's mind: who was it? And how could they survive in this city if creatures like Dr. Lou Hastings roamed it?

And then they saw between the rotten trees the silhouette of a man - slender, with a slightly stooped posture, who moved confidently, despite the strange emptiness around him.

"It's him," Jennings said, freezing in place. "Dr. Lou Hastings."

Delia Asia Vieira studied the figure carefully. His movements were smooth, almost overly confident, like a man who shouldn't be alive. Or even human. Her sensors went into overdrive, trying to gather more data, but the signal was weak, and at some point, her internal systems panicked.

"We have to be careful," she said, taking a step toward Jennings. "If it really is him, we need to figure out what happened to him before we make a decision."

"I agree," Jennings replied, still watching the doctor tensely.

Dr. Lou Hastings continued walking, ignoring them. He walked slowly toward an old, dilapidated clinic, its doors wide open as if someone had recently come and gone, although there was not a soul around.

"The same one," Jennings couldn't hide the displeasure in his voice. "He's here again, and it looks like nothing good awaits us."

"Let's go," Delia Asia Vieira replied, although her voice was completely calm. "We need to find out what he's doing here."

They followed Dr. Hastings into the dark entrance of the clinic. It was strangely quiet inside, and the air seemed heavy, as if there had been no normal people here for a long time. In the corner stood an old cabinet, and on the shelves were numerous ancient medical instruments and bottles of unknown liquids.