Adventure of Джеки Квил 1

Джеки входит в разрушенный госпиталь. Молодой парень, худой, бледный, в промокшей серой куртке и с растрёпанными тёмными волосами, мечется между обвалившимися палатами; на его щеке засохла кровь.

Он замечает её. На миг его лицо белеет, затем он бросается к ржавой двери и захлопывает её между ними.

За дверью сбивается его дыхание. Запор скребёт по металлу, но дрожащие руки не сразу находят нужное положение.

Джеки остаётся перед дверью, чувствуя запах ржавчины, сырости и свежей крови. Из глубины госпиталя доносится второй шаг, тяжёлый и неправильный, будто суставы движутся не в том порядке.

Шаг повторяется ближе. За дверью запор наконец встаёт на место, а затем парень тихо, отчаянно втягивает воздух.

drives her shoulder into the rusted door. The bolt shrieks, the frame buckles, and pain flashes through her bruised arm as the door bursts inward.

The young man stumbles away from the ruined doorway, clutching his bloodied cheek. Beyond him, the hospital corridor sinks into darkness beneath sagging plaster.

A crooked silhouette unfolds at the far end. Its shoulders rise too high, and its limbs adjust with a wet, misaligned rhythm as it turns toward the broken door.

The impact has split the skin across shoulder, but the passage is open. Cold air pours through it, carrying a whisper that seems to come from inside the walls.

The question enters the corridor and returns wrong, stretched thin through the plaster. The crooked silhouette does not advance, but every shadow around it turns to face her.

Its voice copies hers without matching the words, dragging the question toward something older. The young man flinches and clamps both hands over his mouth.

The creature's head tilts. The corridor contracts with a deep wooden groan, sealing the route behind the young man while leaving only the darkness ahead.

Jackie says nothing. She shifts her grip, braces the injured shoulder, and brings the chainsaw up between herself and the crooked silhouette.

The starter cord snaps back. The engine catches on the first pull, its harsh growl filling the corridor and drowning the whisper in the walls.

For the first time, the creature retreats half a step. Its warped limbs lock in place, and the shadows facing Jackie turn away from the saw.

The engine's vibration reveals a narrow side passage behind the creature, hidden until now by its overlapping shadow. It leads toward a stairwell marked with fresh handprints.

Jackie angles the running chainsaw toward the young man. The engine snarls between them, while the creature remains rigid beside the handprinted stairwell.

His eyes flick toward the crooked silhouette, then back to the saw. The threat strips away his hesitation, leaving only a pale, exhausted calculation.

At the spoken name, the creature's head jerks toward him. The shadows recoil from the saw, but one long hand begins unfolding against the corridor wall.