Page 29

“It was the strangest thing I’d ever witnessed. His skin had turned ghostly pale, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. Not a split second later, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he started seizing. He started foaming at the mouth. I did what I’m trained to do and rushed to turn him on his side, but when I got to him, the seizure had subsided. His body lay motionless, and he wasn't breathing. I couldn’t save him.” Her head falls, and she faces the floor at the last words.

The room remains silent, and Julie's hand is pressed to her face, covering her mouth. Everyone else seems equally stunned, unable to find their words.

Logan is the first to break the silence. “What the fuck, Mary? Why are you just telling us this now?”

“I thought I had it under control, and everyone else is busy with their own jobs. What could any of you have done if I had told you?” she demands, hands in the air.

Logan doesn’t answer. Mary’s right. None of us could have done anything differently.

I speak up, my voice soft. “Mary, what about you? Could you have been exposed to whatever he has— had?” I correct myself. “What about the others?” Everyone in the room panics, asking questions and desperately trying to put as much distance between themselves and her. It isn’t the reaction I was trying to provoke.

“No. Everyone, calm down!” Mary demands.

We all go silent. “I don't think this is an airborne illness. All the people I'm treating have the same story linking them to the same point of contact.” She lets her words hang in the air for a beat.

“What's the point of contact?” I ask.

“They all told me that John had given them extra food in exchange for doing his dirty work.”

“What dirty work?” asks Tyler, taking the words right out of my mouth. Instantly, I shift my attention to Logan, watching his reaction and suspecting he and John had been scheming behind my back. Logan refuses to make eye contact with me. Instead, his eyes dart around the room, almost like he is trying not to fidget. My gut is telling me he knows something the rest of us don’t.

“At first, they wouldn't say anything, like it was a huge secret. It wasn't until Jerry died that they finally decided to speak up,” she says.

“So then, we should be good, right? You have all the people John was feeding?” Julie asks.

“It's not that simple,” Mary responds.

“Well, sweetie, make it simple for us,” Logan murmurs.

“First off, Logan, don't call me sweetie. Show me some respect.” Her words strike a nerve with Logan. His face hardens, but he doesn’t respond. “Second, I can't explain it. I have no idea what's causing this. I'm still trying to figure out what John gave them and what would cause so much blood in the abdomen. Also, within the next few days, if the other patients' symptoms match Jerry's, it’s likely they’ll all be dead sooner rather than later.”

I push my chair back and stand from the table. Everyone instantly turns to me.

“Where are you going?” Julie asks.

“It sounds like we all need to take a little field trip to the medical center and figure out what they know,” I explain. “We can continue the Kelly conversation later.” My eyes land on Kelly as soon as the words leave my mouth.

“It's going to be fine. Stop worrying,” says Tyler, putting his arm around her.

“What information are you hoping to get from them?” Mary asks.

“Anything. I want to know why they were doing dirty work for John.” Mary doesn’t get a chance to respond before Logan interjects.

“I’m sure they are just spewing bullshit. I know how to put an end to their suffering. You said you don’t know what their sickness is, Mary? They’re going to die anyway, so I’ll speed up the process and put them out of their misery. Then the problem is solved, no more spies and no more John causing endless headaches. It’s as simple as that. Now get the fuck out of my way.” He doesn’t wait for anyone to protest. He shoves Mary out the way and storms out the door.

Once the doors close behind Logan, Tyler breaks the silence, “He was joking, right?”

Mary looks over at Tyler. “No, I don’t think so.”

“I don’t think Logan is the joking type,” I say. “Let’s go figure out what is happening and stop him before he does something crazy.”

18

THEO

Walking into the medical center feels like a breath of fresh air. I used to visit here the first week to check on Mary when everything was a bit more chaotic, but as things settled, she told me I didn't need to keep checking on her, she had everything under control. I listened to her and haven't been back since.

There’s an aroma in the air that I can’t quite put my finger on, but whatever she has in here smells fresh and clean, like disinfectant cleaner, reminding me of a hospital. The place is pristine: The polished faux-wood floors are sparkling clean, a stark contrast to when they were covered in blood. There are no shades on the windows any longer, so the sunlight is no longer blocked. All the chairs are lined up along the wall, a setup that reminds me of a waiting room. There’s a help desk just inside the door, behind it, and tan stones are lined from the floor to the ceiling. My attention is immediately drawn as Tyler walks in the door, obnoxiously loud as per usual.