shirt. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The sick woman came for the nurse again but was answered with a massive shove and a scream of, “Oh, HELL NO!”
The woman fell to the floor, sprawling down the hallway. Her head struck the tiles with full force and blood splattered against the white drywall. The woman’s yellow flowery dress pulled up mid-thigh, exposing the shark-like bite just above her left knee. Jennie shuddered.
“Are you all right?” Pastor Billy laid a hand on the nurse’s shoulder.
The moaning from both bodies continued. Both attackers appeared unconscious but continued to squirm.
The nurse nodded, her hands on her knees, while she tried to catch her breath. “What on earth is going on? This is the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Pastor Billy patted her back. “We don’t know, either, but it seems that the alien-attack victims have become violent.”
“I don’t need this!” The nurse threw up her hands and rushed past Jennie for the elevator and pressed the button. Sweat beaded on the nurse’s face. Her bun had fallen, giving her a disheveled appearance. The elevator doors popped open, and the nurse stepped in, turned, and pressed a button. Her dark eyes brimmed with tears as they met Jennie’s. Without a word, the nurse looked away, and the elevator doors closed.
Jennie jumped as Pastor Billy rested a hand on her shoulder. “Which room did you say your mother was in?” he asked.
“I don’t remember.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she shook her head. The doors down the hallway seemed endless in both directions.
“No clue at all?”
Jennie closed her eyes and tried to remember. “I think it was 306 or 309? I remember the nurse at the desk saying both those numbers.”
“At least that narrows it down to two rooms.”
She felt comforted when Pastor Billy took her hand again and led her in the direction the arrow pointed. All the doors down the hall were shut. Screaming and moaning came from behind each blue door.
When they reached 306, Pastor Billy released her hand to knock just below the number. He didn’t wait for an answer before pressing the lever to open the door. He began calling in a cheery voice before they entered. “Hello, Mrs. Ransom?”
A gurgling noise greeted them in response. On the floor of the room, a woman in a mint green hospital gown blew red bubbles from her throat. Her arms and legs hung uselessly at her sides as she attempted to use her head to move her body in their direction. Her cloudy blue eyes fixed on Jennie’s.
Pastor Billy held out an arm and started backing up, pushing Jennie toward the door. “Well, this room is definitely not the right one. Sorry to bother you, Miss.”
Jennie nearly tripped over the threshold as she backed from the room. She glanced down the hallway and saw a familiar silhouette heading from the other direction. “DAD!”
Pastor Billy forgotten, Jennie ran for her father. As she approached, he looked up at her and blinked hard. He started for her in a jog. “Jennie?”
She felt as though she were five years old again. All she wanted to do was hug her daddy. The tears she’d been holding back broke through her defenses and blurred her vision. She slammed into her father with such force that his breath came out with a swoosh. With her face buried in his chest, she blubbered, “Daddy, I’m so scared. I was so worried that you…and Mom.”
“Have you seen her? Have you seen your mother?” He grabbed her shoulders and pulled Jennie away from him to look in her face.
It broke her heart for him to push her away. She blinked through her tears and looked up into his lined face. A look of worry filled his brown eyes. Wrinkles contorted on his forehead like she’d never seen before. She shook her head, suddenly worried. “Weren’t you with her?”
He peered over her shoulder as if searching the hallway. His eyes passed over Pastor Billy without seeing him. Then, he did a double-take.
The woman fell to the floor, sprawling down the hallway. Her head struck the tiles with full force and blood splattered against the white drywall. The woman’s yellow flowery dress pulled up mid-thigh, exposing the shark-like bite just above her left knee. Jennie shuddered.
“Are you all right?” Pastor Billy laid a hand on the nurse’s shoulder.
The moaning from both bodies continued. Both attackers appeared unconscious but continued to squirm.
The nurse nodded, her hands on her knees, while she tried to catch her breath. “What on earth is going on? This is the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Pastor Billy patted her back. “We don’t know, either, but it seems that the alien-attack victims have become violent.”
“I don’t need this!” The nurse threw up her hands and rushed past Jennie for the elevator and pressed the button. Sweat beaded on the nurse’s face. Her bun had fallen, giving her a disheveled appearance. The elevator doors popped open, and the nurse stepped in, turned, and pressed a button. Her dark eyes brimmed with tears as they met Jennie’s. Without a word, the nurse looked away, and the elevator doors closed.
Jennie jumped as Pastor Billy rested a hand on her shoulder. “Which room did you say your mother was in?” he asked.
“I don’t remember.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she shook her head. The doors down the hallway seemed endless in both directions.
“No clue at all?”
Jennie closed her eyes and tried to remember. “I think it was 306 or 309? I remember the nurse at the desk saying both those numbers.”
“At least that narrows it down to two rooms.”
She felt comforted when Pastor Billy took her hand again and led her in the direction the arrow pointed. All the doors down the hall were shut. Screaming and moaning came from behind each blue door.
When they reached 306, Pastor Billy released her hand to knock just below the number. He didn’t wait for an answer before pressing the lever to open the door. He began calling in a cheery voice before they entered. “Hello, Mrs. Ransom?”
A gurgling noise greeted them in response. On the floor of the room, a woman in a mint green hospital gown blew red bubbles from her throat. Her arms and legs hung uselessly at her sides as she attempted to use her head to move her body in their direction. Her cloudy blue eyes fixed on Jennie’s.
Pastor Billy held out an arm and started backing up, pushing Jennie toward the door. “Well, this room is definitely not the right one. Sorry to bother you, Miss.”
Jennie nearly tripped over the threshold as she backed from the room. She glanced down the hallway and saw a familiar silhouette heading from the other direction. “DAD!”
Pastor Billy forgotten, Jennie ran for her father. As she approached, he looked up at her and blinked hard. He started for her in a jog. “Jennie?”
She felt as though she were five years old again. All she wanted to do was hug her daddy. The tears she’d been holding back broke through her defenses and blurred her vision. She slammed into her father with such force that his breath came out with a swoosh. With her face buried in his chest, she blubbered, “Daddy, I’m so scared. I was so worried that you…and Mom.”
“Have you seen her? Have you seen your mother?” He grabbed her shoulders and pulled Jennie away from him to look in her face.
It broke her heart for him to push her away. She blinked through her tears and looked up into his lined face. A look of worry filled his brown eyes. Wrinkles contorted on his forehead like she’d never seen before. She shook her head, suddenly worried. “Weren’t you with her?”
He peered over her shoulder as if searching the hallway. His eyes passed over Pastor Billy without seeing him. Then, he did a double-take.
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