Queen of the Dead

15 Will

I didn’t bother with waiting for the elevator, just plowed through the lobby to the emergency stairs and up to the fifth floor, taking the steps two at a time. I cursed myself for leaving my phone in the car. At the very least, I could have called and tried to warn Alona while I was running, but it was like I’d stopped thinking the second I’d heard Mina was at the hospital.

I yanked open the door and burst into the hallway on the fifth floor, startling a nurse who happened to be passing by at the same time.

“Can I help you?” she asked, annoyed.

I ignored her and charged past the nurses’ station and down the corridor toward Lily’s room. The door was open, I could see that much, but I couldn’t hear her, as I had before.

Dread filled me, but I forced it back with an attempt at logic. She might be sleeping. Or, maybe they took her for more tests.

I jogged toward the door, moving slower than I had before, almost afraid to look inside.

And when I did, I saw exactly what I’d expected and feared. Lily’s bed empty, the covers shoved back. My heart sank.

Mrs. Turner looked up from her paperback, startled. “Will? Did you forget something?”

“Where is Al…Lily?” I shifted my weight from foot to foot, feeling potentially vital seconds tick away.

She frowned. “Physical therapy. Is something wrong? You look panicked.”

Physical therapy. That actually sounded legitimate. What were the chances that it was? Could I have beaten Mina and John here?

“She’ll probably be back in an hour, I’d guess.” She looked thoughtful. “Actually, the orderly never said how long it would take.”

Instinct whispered to me, telling me something was off. “Was she scheduled for therapy this morning?” I asked. “She didn’t mention it to me earlier.”

Mrs. Turner put down her book. “You know, we didn’t know anything about it, either, but I think they’re getting her ready to go home.” She gave me a weary but hopeful smile.

No. The Order was here somewhere. And they had Alona.

But had they taken her from the hospital, or were they still here with her somewhere?

It would be risky to take her from the hospital, because even if they managed to remove Alona, they still had Lily to deal with. They’d have to get her back here somehow. So, it wasn’t just sneaking her out, but sneaking her back in as well.

It might be easier to find an isolated place within the hospital instead. But where?

“Did you go with to get her set up?” I asked.

“No, the orderly recommended that she go alone, and that’s what she wanted, too,” Mrs. Turner said. “It’s been hard for her, I think, adjusting to these new circumstances.”

“More than you know,” I muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I said. So, either Mina and John were going to attempt to hijack her somewhere between her room and physical therapy…or the orderly was in on it. I remembered suddenly Lucy saying the hospital chaplain was involved. He, of all people, would probably know the hospital personnel well enough to find a true believer or someone willing to look the other way for a little extra green.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked again. “You just seem…out of sorts.” She offered me a kind smile, so similar to Lily’s, and patted the bed. “You want to sit down and tell me about it?”

I swallowed a hysterical laugh I could feel bubbling in the back of my throat. Well, you see Mrs. Turner, your daughter is not actually your daughter, at least not right now.

I shook my head. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”

“You’re welcome to wait here for her, if you want. But I don’t know what kind of shape she’ll be in when she gets back.”

You could say that again.

“I know things have been tough,” she continued, “but your friendship means the world to her. You should have seen the way she lit up earlier when you walked in.” Mrs. Turner gave me a significant look.

Alona. My chest ached with the need to find her. If I didn’t find and stop them in time, and she was…boxed, then our last conversation would be the one we had this morning. No, I couldn’t let that happen.

“I know things have been tough between the two of you, but I hope you can figure it out.”

Me, too. “Mrs. Turner, do you remember anything about the orderly that picked up…Lily?”

She frowned at me. “Why?”

Oh, good question, one for which I didn’t have an answer. I thought quickly, trying to come up with something that would seem legit without causing a panic. The last thing I wanted was the entire hospital in an uproar. That might cause Mina to try to hurry, or worse yet, take Alona and Lily out of here, assuming they were here to begin with. “I was just wondering if it was the same guy I saw on the elevator this morning with a patient,” I lied. “He’s a diner regular, I think.”

“Oh.” She looked faintly confused. “I don’t know. He was tall with dreadlocks. But I didn’t catch his name.”

Crap.

She brightened. “His scrubs were adorable. They were dark blue with balloons and teddy bears in party hats on them.”

Yeah. That was helpful. Then I realized she was waiting for a response. “Oh, yeah, that sounds like him,” I said quickly. “Nice guy.”

She nodded again, still seeming baffled by the turn of our conversation.

“I’m just going to go walk around a little, stretch my legs, check things out, while I’m waiting for Lily.” Like I hadn’t already spent way too much time in this hospital. But right now, the only solid lead I had was the priest. I could probably track down his office easily enough, assuming he was there and not with Mina and John. He’d been the one to call them in, so I had a hard time imagining him sitting idly by, doing paperwork or something, while they worked to remove this — what had Lucy called it? — manifestation.

“Okay,” Mrs. Turner said, “but don’t get in the way or bother people while they’re supposed to be working.” She pointed a finger at me.

“Got it.” I spun on my heel and started back the way I’d come. I didn’t know the priest’s name, but I bet someone at the nurses’ station could direct me to the chaplain’s office. If I had to, I’d page him and make him come to me. From there, I’d have to figure out what to say, another lie, but at least I’d be headed in the right direction.

At the nurses’ station, a mother with three children clinging to her legs had the attention of both nurses as she expressed displeasure about something to do with a fourth kid and a lack of Jell-O on his lunch tray yesterday.

Come on, come on.

“Can I help you?” One of the nurses finally turned her attention to me. It was the same one who’d looked at me disapprovingly when I’d burst in from the stairs, and she didn’t seem any happier with me now.

“I’m looking for the—” A flash of color, red on a dark blue background, passed by at the edge of my vision.

I turned quickly to see a tall man with short dreadlocks moving down the opposite branch of the hall, pushing agurney ahead of him. His scrub shirt was dark blue withteddy bears in party hats and red balloons printed all overthem.

Yes! My heart picked up an extra beat in the rush of adrenaline. This had to be him, right? The orderly who’d taken Alona to wherever she was.

“Young man?” the nurse asked, her mouth pursed tightly.

“Never mind,” I said quickly, and chased after the orderly. “Hey, wait, stop.”

He froze and then turned to give me a wary look over his shoulder.

Yeah, this was the guy.

“Listen.” I moved a little closer. “I got separated from the others, but I’m supposed to be helping.”

He shook his head, his eyes still watchful. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I got to get back to work, though, so—”

“The situation with room 512 and the Order,” I said in a voice just above a whisper. If I was wrong, and he had no idea what I was talking about, I was going to resemble a serious brand of crazy.

But recognition flashed over his expression. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” He leaned toward me. “They’re downstairs.”

I felt a huge rush of relief. They were still in the hospital. “Where?” I asked, trying not to sound desperate and like I was ready to shake him for the information.

I must have only partially succeeded, though, because he pulled back slightly to frown at me.

“I’m going to be in so much trouble for being late. I’m supposed to be training, but I screwed up the time, and then I couldn’t find my notes on where we were supposed to meet, and you know how the Order is about punctuality.” I could hear myself rambling, saying too much, anything I thought might open the door to the information he held that I needed.

“It’s all right,” he said, his hands out as if to calm me. “We’ll get you there. Just take the elevator to the basement. Turn right into the hall, and then left down the first hall. First door with no windows.”

Yeah, that didn’t sound ominous at all. “Thanks, man, I really appreciate it.” The relief in my voice, at least, was genuine.

“You better hurry, though,” he said. “Father Hayes said it wouldn’t take very long. And I gotta be down there in a little while to pick her up and bring her back.”

I couldn’t help but wonder how much he knew, what he would think when he went to pick up Lily from that windowless space and found her an empty shell once more. Was he expecting it? Or would it give him second thoughts about his involvement in something he probably didn’t completely understand?

Either way, I didn’t want to wait around to find out.

I nodded my thanks at him and took off for the elevator.