Queen of the Dead (18 page)

T
he strange thing about a hospital is that you’d think it would run on routine, the same thing every day, every hour.

Instead, it was more like they set out to throw random elements in at odd intervals just to keep you off balance.

Mr. Turner had just left to take Tyler to the cafeteria when an orderly showed up in my room with a wheelchair. “Physical therapy,” he called out far too cheerfully as he pushed the chair up to my bed. His scrubs had dancing teddy bears on them. Blecch.

“Are you serious?” I asked. The last thing I wanted to do in this body was anything physical.

“Dr. Highland never said anything,” Mrs. Turner spoke up with a frown.

The orderly was undeterred. “The sooner we start, the faster she’ll be back on her feet.”

“Okay,” Mrs. Turner said, still uncertain. She set her book down, a tattered paperback that she carried with her everywhere without ever seeming to make progress in it, and stood up.

“It might be better for you to wait here. Therapy is hard on the patient, but sometimes it’s even harder to watch,” the orderly said.

Great. This sounded like more fun every minute.

“No, I think I should—” she began.

“I’ll be okay,” I said. Now that I could talk, I wasn’t completely helpless. And it would probably be a good idea to start putting some distance between us. If Will could figure a way out of this—and he seemed determined, if more for Lily’s sake than mine—then the less time we spent together now, the better. Not that it would help all that much after everything that had happened, but it wouldn’t make thingsworse as further bonding might.

“Are you sure, baby?” Mrs. Turner asked with a frown.

The weird thing was the prospect of leaving Mrs. Turner here and going to therapy alone didn’t exactly spawn the feelings of relief I’d expected. It was almost like I wanted her to go with me.

No, no, no. Not your body, not your life.

Not your family.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I said firmly, trying to convince myself as much as her.

“Okay,” she said, beaming.

Oh. She saw it as a sign of improvement. Fabulous. Well, at least it made her happy.

After some very awkward maneuvering that revealed far more of this body than I would have wanted if it were mine, the orderly managed to get me into the wheelchair. That alone was enough to exhaust me, even though I’d done little more than just keep my balance during the transfer.

He spun the chair around expertly to face the door, and only then did I realize I’d left Lily’s cell phone on the bedside table.
Crap.
Well, how long could one physical therapy session last anyway? I’d probably be back before Will called.

If he called.

“Bye, Lilybean,” Mrs. Turner called after us.

This girl had more ridiculous nicknames than I had cute shoes. Or, used to have. Whatever. I wondered if my mom had finished cleaning out my room. Were all my clothes and shoes already on the shelves at the Salvation Army, next to ugly plaid sports jackets and sensible heels that
nobody
wanted to wear?

I shoved that thought away. I had enough to worry about right now.

The orderly moved us down the hall swiftly, like we were running late or something. The momentum, especially around corners, made staying upright a little tricky. More than once I thought I’d slide right out of the chair into a big hospital-gowned heap on the footrests.

But I didn’t ask him to slow down. Because every second we cut off this little adventure was one less in the hallway where everyone stared at me as we passed by. Some of them even followed me down the corridor, whispering to each other.

Look, I get it. It looks like a miracle, talks like a miracle, but…it’s not.

Reaching the service elevator—they never used the visitor elevators to move patients around, as I’d discovered during my bajillion tests earlier this morning—was, quite frankly, a relief.

Humming a tuneless collection of notes under his breath, the orderly wheeled me inside and pressed the button for the basement.

The basement? That seemed vaguely odd. Not that I had any clue where physical therapy took place, but I’d seen most of the basement at various times. After all, the morgue was down there, as was the MRI machine—another discovery from this morning.

Looking back on it, I should have asked. I should have spoken up and said something, anything. Maybe that would have been enough to push events back on course.

But I didn’t. I was tired from the effort of sitting up during the (relatively) wild wheelchair ride, and honestly, at the hospital, with so many people pushing and pulling at you, taking you one place, only to drag you somewhere else, you kind of just surrender your destiny to the powers that be with the idea that they know what’s best. I wasn’t proud of it, but that was just the way it worked.

The orderly wheeled me out of the elevator and down the main corridor before turning off into a small hall I’d never noticed before.

He stopped in front of an unmarked door and knocked.

The door opened, and the first thing I noticed was the smell: mildew and fake pine. The orderly pushed me inside, and then I saw the mops standing in the metal bucket, the rusting and tilted shelf that held crusty-looking bottles of industrial cleaners, and a huge washtub.

Father Hayes stood next to the industrial tub, his hands folded at his waist, as though he’d been praying while waiting for us.

“What’s going on?” I demanded, feeling the first spark of fear. Though somehow, in the back of my head, I was still thinking that this must be a mistake. A wrong turn.

“Raymond, thank you.” He stepped forward and extended his hand toward the orderly who shook it. “You are truly doing the work of the Lord.”

Oh, this was not good.

I craned my neck around to find Raymond or as much of him as I could see from that awkward angle. He released the priest’s hand and turned to leave. He was just going to abandon me down here in the janitor’s closet! “No, no, no. Come back, Raymond. Take me out of here. What about physical therapy?”

But he just kept going, at a speed much closer to normal rather than the rapid rate at which he’d moved before. And that’s when I realized he hadn’t been doing that to spare me embarrassment or discomfort. Nope, he’d been trying not to get caught.
Bastard.

The door snapped shut behind Raymond, and I twisted around to face Father Hayes again, but he wasn’t looking at me. His attention was focused on something behind me.

“I assume this space will be adequate for your needs?” he asked.

I turned the other way, straining my neck to see who he was talking to, and as soon as I did, my breath caught in my throat and my heart exploded into a frantic beat. There, where the door would have hidden her from sight, stood Mina, scourge of the spirit world. She had her huge duffel bag strapped over her shoulder, and her curly hair stood out around her head in a frizzy halo. And, in her right hand, she held the shiny disruptor weapon that had taken down Mrs. Ruiz, aimed right at me.

Will.
Had he called her down on me?

I wanted to throw up, not just from the fear but the betrayal. He’d threatened it, but I never actually thought he’d go through with it.

Mina moved to block the door. “This is fine,” she said to Father Hayes, her weapon hand steady and unwavering. She reached up and removed her duffel with her free hand, setting it down on the ground with a loud clanking sound.

But if Will was responsible, where was he? He might leave me to Mina, but he would never abandon Lily to chance. And what was the priest doing here? This made no sense.

“I think there’s been some kind of mistake,” I said, trying to sound level headed, the way a regular person would if she found herself in a janitor’s closet with seemingly crazy people instead of physical therapy.

“No. No mistake,” Mina said, circling me. “I can almost see you in there, flickering just under the surface.” She leaned over, bringing the disruptor closer to my face. I didn’t know if it would work on me in this form, but I was pretty sure it would, or else she wouldn’t be pointing it at me.

“Touch me with that, you freaky-haired bitch, and I will make you regret the day you decided to home perm,” I snapped.

Mina stopped, her mouth hanging open. Then she cocked her head to the side, an evaluating look on her face. “Highness? Is that you in there?”

Damn.

“
You’re
the red level.” She grinned. “This is going to be fun.” She backed up from me and knelt down by her duffel, careful to keep her attention on me. With her free hand, she started pulling out little metal boxes, ones I recognized as similar, if not identical, to the ones from the front room of the Gibley Mansion.

This was it. Mina was going to haul me out, box me up in little pieces, and stick me on a shelf somewhere.

Think, Alona, think!
Talking her out of it was nevergoing to happen. I couldn’t run. Hiding was definitely out, duh. So, I did the only thing I could.

I screamed bloody murder…because I had a feeling that was exactly where this was headed.

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.