Bed Nine

"Amelia, move!"

The man let go of the nurse and came straight at her. Amelia didn't move. Her feet felt glued to the floor, her body frozen by the sight of blood. Then a metal pole swung past her face and cracked against the man's skull.

Chloe stood there gripping the IV stand with both hands, breathing hard. The man stumbled sideways, hit the next bed, and slid to the floor. "Is he dead?" Chloe whispered.

"I don't know." Her hands tightened around the pole. "Did I kill him? Amelia, tell me I didn't kill him."

Amelia forced herself to look at her. "Chloe, listen to me. You saved my life, okay? Now help me with her."

The young nurse lay on the floor, one hand clamped over her shoulder. Blood seeped between her fingers, dark and fast, while a small, broken sound escaped her lips. Amelia dropped to her knees beside her, but her hands shook so badly that she struggled to tear open the gauze packet.

"Dr. Carter," the nurse whispered. "It… hurts. It hurts so much."

"I know. I know it does." Amelia leaned closer. "What's your name?"

"Tessa."

"Okay, Tessa. I'm going to press on the wound. It might hurt more, but I need you to stay with me."

She pressed the gauze firmly against the bite. Warm blood soaked through her gloves, and her stomach rolled. The ward seemed to tilt beneath her.

Don't look at it. Look at her face. Just look at her face.

"You're shaking," Tessa murmured.

"I'm cold. That's all."

"You're a bad liar."

"I've been told." Amelia pressed harder against the wound. "Chloe, I need a pressure dressing and a clamp. Cart two, bottom drawer."

"Got it."

Chloe hurried away, but she hadn't taken three steps when the double doors at the end of the ward banged open. Two security guards rushed in, both wearing grey uniforms. One was already shouting into his radio.

"We have a Code White on the east ward! Repeat, Code White! We need backup. Now!"

"Over here!" Amelia shouted. "Bed nine! The patient from bed nine!"

The taller guard turned toward her, then stopped. Bed nine was empty. The rail hung broken from the frame, and a thin trail of blood crossed the floor before disappearing beneath the curtain.

"Where did he go?" the guard asked.

"He was just there!"

The curtain shifted. The guard approached slowly, one hand resting on his belt. "Sir? I need you to come out and show me your hands."

The curtain flew back. The guard barely had time to react before something dragged him inside. His scream cut off almost immediately, and the shorter guard dropped his radio and ran for the door.

"Don't go!" Amelia yelled. "You can't leave us!"

He didn't look back. The doors swung shut behind him.

For a moment, the ward fell silent except for Tessa's wet, uneven breathing. Then screaming erupted from the hallway. Not one voice. Several.

"Oh no," Chloe whispered, clutching the pressure dressing to her chest. "Oh no. No, no, no."

"Give me that." Amelia took the dressing from her and wrapped it tightly around Tessa's shoulder. "Can you stand?"

"I think so."

"Good. We're going to the staff room. It has a lock."

Chloe glanced toward the beds. "And the patients? There are sixteen people here, Amelia. We can't just leave them."

"I know that!"

"Then what do we do?"

Amelia opened her mouth, but no answer came. Four years of medical school and two years of residency, and not one lecture had prepared her for this.

"Dr. Carter? Dr. Carter!"

A thin man in a crumpled blue coat crawled out from beneath the nurses' desk. His glasses were crooked, and his face was soaked with sweat.

"Ethen?" Chloe stared at him. "Ethen Miller? What are you doing under there?"

"Hiding! What does it look like?" His voice cracked. "They're in the lift. They're in the stairwells. A man ate a porter, Chloe. He ate him. I saw it. I was in the corridor, and I saw it, and I ran."

"Ethen, breathe."

"I can't breathe! You breathe!"

"Ethen." Amelia's voice sharpened. "Listen to me. How many are out there?"

"I don't know! Ten? Twenty? I didn't count. I was busy running!"

A quiet voice came from the corner. "Eleven that I saw."

Everyone turned. A tall man in a faded grey cardigan sat on a stool beside the medicine fridge, his arms folded. Amelia hadn't even noticed him. Nooh Brooks, the night pharmacist's assistant. In two years, she could count on one hand the number of words she'd heard him say.

"Nooh," Chloe breathed. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Since the first one came in."

"And you didn't say anything?"

"Nobody asked."

Chloe stared at him. "Unbelievable."

"Eleven," Amelia repeated. "In the corridor?"

"Eleven. Four were patients I recognised. They were in beds yesterday." Nooh finally unfolded his arms. "They were discharged, Dr. Carter. They went home. Now they're back."

The words hit her like cold water. "Discharged?" she repeated. "You mean they were treated and sent home?"

"Yes."

"With what?"

"Cuts. Fractures. One had a broken arm." Nooh tilted his head. "None of them had a fever when they left."

"So they got infected afterward."

"Or they were already infected," Nooh said. "And it was only waiting."

Amelia felt the room shrink around her.

"Dr. Carter?" Tessa's voice was thin and tired. "Can I sit down? I don't feel good."

"Of course." Amelia turned to Chloe. "Help her."

Chloe eased Tessa onto the nearest empty chair. The nurse's skin had gone pale and clammy, and a faint grey tint had spread across her lips.

"Tessa, look at me," Amelia said. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts." Tessa swallowed. "And I'm really hot."

Amelia touched the back of her hand to the girl's forehead. Burning. She pulled away, her expression tightening.

"That was fast," Chloe whispered. "Amelia, he bit her five minutes ago."

"I know."

"Is it the bite? Is that how it spreads?"

"I don't know!" Amelia snapped. Chloe flinched, and Amelia lowered her voice. "I'm sorry. I really don't know."

Tessa shivered violently, her fingers tightening around the edge of the chair. "I'm cold now. Why am I cold? Dr. Carter, please. I want my mum."

Nobody spoke. Ethen covered his mouth with both hands.

Amelia knelt in front of Tessa and took her hands. They were burning hot. "Hey. Stay with me, okay? You're twenty-three. You've got a whole life ahead of you. We're going to figure this out."

"Promise?"

Amelia's throat tightened. "I promise."

Tessa gave her a faint smile, but her eyes grew unfocused. Her head slumped forward, and Amelia caught her before she fell from the chair.

"Tessa?" Amelia shook her gently. "Tessa, can you hear me?"

There was no response. Amelia lowered her carefully to the floor and checked for a pulse. Her fingers pressed against Tessa's wrist, but she felt nothing. She tried again, shifting her fingers and pressing harder.

"No. No, come on."

"Amelia," Chloe said softly.

"She's not breathing." Amelia tilted Tessa's head back and checked again before placing her hands in the center of the girl's chest. "Chloe, help me!"

She began chest compressions, counting under her breath. Her arms ached, but she didn't stop. "Come on, Tessa. Come on."

Chloe stood frozen beside her, staring at the girl's hand. "Amelia…"

"I'm not done!"

"Amelia, look."

Amelia glanced down. Tessa's fingers had curled. Slowly, one by one, they closed into a fist. Grey lines crept beneath her skin, spreading up her wrist, across her neck, and into her cheek.

Amelia stopped compressions. "Nooh," she said, her voice barely audible. "You said they come back."

"Yes."

"How long did it take? The ones you saw?"

Nooh hesitated before standing up from the stool. "Not long. Step away from her, Dr. Carter. Please. Right now."

Tessa's eyes snapped open.