Dead Man's Eye

CHAPTER 19

“This is crazy,” Stephen said. He stared at the hospital. Once just a place of work, it now made him shake in terror.

“It’s no good running. They’ll only find us. You’ve seen that.”

“So why come back here?”

“Because this is where Lincoln is.”

“So what are you saying, that we save them the trouble of finding us and just hand ourselves over to them?”

“Of course not.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Being a demon’s plaything isn’t high on my list of things I’ve always wanted to do.”

“We can’t run and we can’t go to the police. We’ve got to find a way to defeat them.”

“Great, you, me, two water pistols and an almost empty bucket of water. Where’s Rambo when you need him?” He looked at the red plastic gun that they had purchased from a newsagent en route to the hospital.

“Have you got a better idea?”

“Yes, let’s just get away and let someone else deal with it.”

“No one else knows about it.”

“We could make an anonymous call to the police.”

“They’d think it was a crank.”

Stephen put his face in his hands and rubbed. How the hell had they ended up in this mess?

“So how do we defeat them?” he asked.

“We’ve got to record their meeting at midnight. I can use my phone to record it, and then forward it to the press offices and the police.”

“It sounds too dangerous.”

“It’s either that or become one of them.” Joanna grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I love you,” she said.

“I should hope so too. Who else would take on a den of demons armed with a water pistol for you?”

“My hero.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Now we need to check out that basement and find somewhere in there to hide before midnight.”

Stephen glanced at his watch. Midnight seemed a long way away; this was going to be the longest few hours of his life.

They filled the water pistols, exited the car and walked hand in hand towards the entrance. Stephen stuffed the pistol down the waistband of his trousers and felt a little of the water trickle down his leg. It made it appear he had peed himself. Although he wished it was a real gun rather a kid’s toy, he had seen the effect the water had on the demon in the church, so it reassured him a little that they might be able to hold them back.

But then he thought about the demons superhuman strength, and the fact that somehow, they had managed to track them down like supernatural bloodhounds. So if that was the case, what other talents might they have? The grim thought made his gun seem more and more like a toy again.

“It might help if you can still obtain the other cornea recipients details, just in case this doesn’t work,” Joanna said as they walked along the corridor.

“I will. But first, let’s check out the basement. And keep your head down. We don’t want anyone to see you.”

When they reached the door to the basement, Stephen took out his water pistol and led the way down the steps. He was thankful that the corridor was brightly lit as it meant he could see if anyone was lying in wait, which they weren’t.

Once inside the room where Joanna had overheard the demons, they searched for a place to hide. Panels on the walls contained fuses and switches for the hospital’s main supplies. As well as these, the room housed the heating controls, and various tanks and bottles supplying air and various gasses to the emergency rooms above, along with the central heating system.

Along one wall was a door into a small storeroom containing old mops, brushes, buckets and other cleaning supplies.

“What about hiding in here?” Stephen asked as he surveyed the storeroom.

“It stinks,” Joanna said, wrinkling her nose.

“Yes, but those slats in the door will allow us to look out without being spotted.”

Joanna didn’t seem convinced.

“If you want to do this, it’s the best option as far as I can see and there’s plenty of room for both of us to fit inside.”

“It just seems too obvious.”

“What do you mean?”

“If they’re going to check for anyone eavesdropping on them, then this will be the first place they look.”

“But they probably won’t check.”

“Probably isn’t good enough. We need to be certain.”

“Well we can’t be certain of anything, but unless you can find somewhere better, then this is it. Anyway, wait here while I see if I can get those records.”

“I’m not staying here on my own!”

Stephen shook his head. “We can’t risk anyone spotting you. You’ll be safe down here.” At least he hoped she would. “Wait in the cupboard and I’ll be as quick as I can.”

“This is like what they do on every bad horror movie I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s either this or risk being spotted.”

Joanna nodded, stepped inside, and Stephen closed the door behind her. “I can’t see you through the slats from this side, so you should be alright. How does it look from your side?”

“I can see you if I crouch down.”

“Great. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Stephen hurried back up into the hospital, his heart pounding and palms sweaty. He kept his head down as much as possible, trying to remain inconspicuous. When he reached the A & E reception, he let himself in.

“I thought you were off today,” Clair said. “And what’s happened. It’s not raining is it? You look like you’ve been soaked.”

Stephen shrugged. “It’s a long story.”

Clair narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “So what are you doing here now?”

“I love the place. Can’t keep away.”

“Since when?”

“I’m just after a few notes that I left, that’s all.”

“Notes on what?”

“What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?” He grinned, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Well it’s not like you to turn up on a rest day, that’s all.”

Stephen made his way towards his desk. “There’s a first time for everything. You been busy?”

“When aren’t I? It’s like Beirut out there. John from security said…”

Stephen stopped listening as he logged into his computer. He nodded occasionally when he thought he should, added a “really” and a “yes” when he thought she needed a response, but his mind was elsewhere. Even if she started telling him the meaning of life, he still couldn’t care less.

After entering his log-in details he accessed the archive files and searched for Joanna’s records. It didn’t take long to access the donor’s details. After that, he tracked the other cornea recipient’s file, printed out the information he required, and then logged off.

He didn’t realise how much he was sweating until he heard Clair say, “Are you okay? You look awful.”

“Cheers, you really know how to make someone feel great.”

“Well you do.”

“I’m fine. Just had a late night yesterday. You know how it is the day after. Head’s killing me.”

“So what have you printed out?”

Stephen stuffed the sheets into his back pocket. “Just some info Jo was after about her transplant.”

“I hope it’s nothing private. You can get in trouble giving out private information.” She stared at Stephen for a second. “What did the police want with her yesterday?”

“There was an incident involving her friend.”

“Incident?”

“Nothing important.”

“Then why were the police here?”

“They just wanted to know if Jo had seen her.”

Clair chewed her top lip. Stephen could tell she didn’t believe him. “Anyway, I’ve got to shoot.”

He felt Clair’s eyes burrowing into him as he exited the room, but didn’t look back. At the end of the corridor, he glanced at the sign for the wards, wondered what Lincoln was doing now. It still seemed far fetched to believe that a demon was residing in the hospital, waited on by the National Health Service at the taxpayers’ expense. It made foreign immigrants seeking free treatment passé by comparison.

He studied the faces of the people he passed. How would he know if any of them were possessed? Any one of them could be housing a demonic entity. The thought made him shiver and he bowed his head to avoid eye contact. The enormity of the situation was beginning to set in, bringing with it a whole host of fears that set his nerves jangling.

He gripped the handle of the water pistol in his waistband. If he didn’t think it would look ridiculous, he would have taken it out and brandished it. To think that his life might depend on a gun that cost £4.99 seemed ludicrous, but it was a damn sight more reassuring than being unarmed.

When he reached the door to the basement, Stephen opened it and descended the stairs. As he started along the corridor, he heard the door open behind him and his heart missed a beat when the clomp of footsteps reached his ears.

Someone was following him.

Panicked, he ran towards the room where Jo was hiding, his temples pounding.

They had followed him. The demons had followed him.

Once inside the room, he fled towards the storage cupboard and tore the door open, terrified to find Jo wasn’t there.

Panic exploded within his body like a neutron bomb. He tried to take a breath; felt faint, thought he might collapse. Unsure what to do, he stepped back, turning as he did so to view the room. He wanted to call Jo’s name, but fear held his tongue.

He reached to withdraw the water pistol, when a hand grabbed his leg.