Perkatory: Coffee, Zombies, and the Brewmaster System

The hospital loomed ahead, silent and foreboding, its shadow stretching across the cracked asphalt. Riley, Ethan, Dr. Vance, Matthew, and Jake stood outside the ER's shattered entrance, their nerves taut as they prepared for what awaited them. Each carried a set of pre-made coffee potions, their hands gripping the vials like lifelines. The memory of their last encounter in this place lingered heavily, the image of the sinister machine and the intelligent zombie still vivid in their minds.

Ethan took a deep breath and glanced at Riley. "So, what's the plan if it's still in there?"

Riley's jaw tightened. "We don't panic. Stick together, use the potions when necessary, and take it down fast. We're better prepared this time."

Jake's fingers drummed nervously against his hip. "…If it hasn't, you know, figured out how to counter us by now."

"Let's not borrow trouble," Dr. Vance said, though his voice lacked conviction. He adjusted his glasses, eyes scanning the darkened corridors visible through the ER's entrance. "We've faced worse."

Matthew, however, wasn't convinced. His danger sense had been prickling faintly since they'd approached the hospital, a muted warning that had yet to intensify. That was the part that worried him.

"Something feels off," he muttered, taking a cautious step forward. "I can't explain it, but…it's quiet. Too quiet."

The group exchanged uneasy glances. They each drank one of their coffee potions in unison, the rush of energy sharpening their senses and bolstering their courage. Riley nodded to the others, her voice steady as she signaled. "Let's do this."

They approached the ER doors, now permanently ajar, and took their positions. On Riley's count, they threw the doors open, weapons ready, breath held. The sight that greeted them froze them in their tracks.

The room was…empty. The intelligent zombie that had once guarded the machine was nowhere to be seen. The sinister device stood in the center of the room but was unrecognizable. Its sleek metallic frame was now a rusted husk, its surface corroded to the point that it looked like an ancient relic unearthed from a forgotten era. There was no hum of energy, no glowing nodes—just silence and decay.

"What the hell?" Jake whispered, stepping cautiously into the room. "Is this…is this a joke?"

Ethan crouched near the machine, inspecting its remains without touching it. "This thing was functional when we left. There's no way it should look like this. Not unless…"

"Unless someone destroyed it," Dr. Vance finished grimly, his voice low. His eyes darted around the room. "And not just someone. Something extremely powerful."

Matthew's brow furrowed as he stepped farther inside the ER, realizing what had felt off the entire time they walked through the hospital. His boots made soft, crunching noises on the floor, but no zombie remains were visible. The last time they'd been here, the hospital had been littered with dismembered bodies, the aftermath of their desperate fight to survive. Now, it was spotless.

"Uh, guys?" Matthew said, his tone cautious. "Does anyone else notice what's missing?"

Riley frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The bodies," Matthew said, gesturing around them. "The last time we were here, pieces of zombies were everywhere. But now? Nothing. No bloodstains, no decay, no sign that anything happened."

Ethan straightened, his expression darkening. "You're right. That's…not normal. Something or someone cleaned up."

Dr. Vance's face grew pale as he processed the information. "This isn't just cleanup. This is eradication. Whoever did this didn't leave a trace. That level of precision…it's almost surgical."

Matthew's danger sense had remained eerily quiet since they'd entered the hospital, and now that realization hit him like a freight train. He turned to the group, his voice urgent. "My danger sense. It hasn't gone off. Not once since we came in."

That caught everyone's attention. Riley's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean? Are we safe?"

"No," Matthew replied, shaking his head. "It means there's nothing here to trigger it. Nothing alive, nothing hostile. It's like whatever came through here wiped everything out completely."

"Everything except us," Dr. Vance murmured, his tone laced with unease.

Riley crossed her arms, her brow furrowed in thought. "So, you're saying something came through here, took out all the zombies, destroyed the machine, and left the place spotless? And it was strong enough to make your danger sense useless?"

Matthew nodded. "Exactly."

Jake swallowed hard. "That's not comforting."

Dr. Vance adjusted his glasses, his mind racing. "Whatever did this wasn't human. That much is clear. The level of power required to do all this is beyond anything we've encountered. If it's still here…"

"Then we're dead," Jake finished bluntly.

"Not necessarily," Ethan said, though his voice wavered. "We don't even know what it is. Maybe it's on our side."

"Or maybe it's worse than the machine and the zombies combined," Riley countered. "We can't take that risk."

"So, what do we do?" Jake asked, looking from one face to the next. "Do we stay and investigate, or do we get the hell out of here before this thing comes back?"

The group fell silent, each grappling with the gravity of the situation. Riley paced the room, her mind racing as she weighed their options. Dr. Vance leaned against the wall, his expression grim, while Ethan stared at the rusted machine, his hands clenched into fists. Matthew and Jake exchanged uneasy glances, their shared fear unspoken but palpable.

Finally, Riley stopped and turned to face them. "We need to decide. Do we risk staying and finding out more about what happened here, or do we leave and regroup?"

Dr. Vance spoke first. "Leaving might be the safest option. If whatever did this is still here, we're not equipped to face it."

"But if we leave, we might miss something important," Ethan argued. "This could be our only chance to figure out what we're dealing with."

"Or it could be our last chance to stay alive," Riley said.

Jake raised his hands. "Okay, okay, let's not turn on each other. Maybe we can just…look around a little? We leave if we don't find anything useful in ten minutes."

Matthew nodded slowly. "That could work. But if my danger sense so much as flickers, we're gone. Agreed?"

The group exchanged tense glances before Riley finally nodded. "Ten minutes. That's all we're giving this. Stay alert, and don't split up. Let's figure out what we can and get out of here."

With that, they began their search, the unease in the room thick enough to choke on. As they moved cautiously through the ER, the rusted machine and the empty room stood as silent witnesses to the aftermath of an event none of them could comprehend. Whatever had happened here was far beyond their understanding, and the implications of that left a heavy weight on their shoulders.