A growing ring of people surrounded the man on the floor.
“What happened?”
The elderly woman wrung her hands. “I don’t know. We were waiting to file a police report and Ernest collapsed.”
The old man stilled. Blood continued to flow from his head.
I felt terrible for him and his hysterical wife, but there wasn’t anything I could do. I sidestepped the crowd and walked up to one of the glass windows near the front of the lobby.
“I’m here to bail someone out of jail,” I said to the middle-aged, curly-haired woman on the other side of the glass.
She continued staring over my shoulder at the drama unfolding behind me.
I rapped my knuckles on the glass partition to get her attention.
The woman shot me an annoyed look. “What d'ya want?”
“I’m here for Eden Walker. She was one of the protesters arrested last night.”
The woman typed something into her computer. “Her hearing hasn’t started yet.” She jabbed her finger at the closed blue doors to my left. “Court’s running behind today. Take a seat.”
Chewing on my thumbnail in frustration, I walked over to the double doors. They were locked. Through a small window in one of the doors, I could make out a hallway where a group of women wearing black-and-white striped jumpsuits stood in a long line. They were handcuffed and their feet were shackled. Several bored-looking jailers stood beside them.
I scanned the line and quickly found Eden standing over a blue-haired prisoner who was slumped against the wall. The woman’s face was pale as a bone, and when Eden tried to help her to her feet, she swayed back and forth. As Eden called for one of the jailers, I got a look at the black veins running up the length of the woman’s throat.
“Get away from her, Eden,” I shouted through the window.
Damn it. She can’t hear me.
I yanked on the door. It didn’t budge.
Two paramedics, a tall thin white man and a short dark-skinned woman, rushed into the lobby.
“Get back,” barked the bald officer to the growing crowd around Ernest.
People moved away, allowing the paramedics access.
“What happened?” asked the female paramedic.
The elderly woman blinked at her. “I don’t know. Ernest said he wasn’t feeling well, and then he keeled over.”
“He hit his head pretty hard,” added the officer.
The male paramedic knelt down next to Ernest and pressed his fingers against his throat. “I’m not getting a pulse.”
“He’s dead. Oh, my God. He should’ve never gotten that vaccine,” screeched the older woman.
Another victim of the canine flu vaccine?
I shuddered, feeling a chill skate down my spine. I need to get my sister out of here ASAP.
The officer grabbed the flailing woman’s arm. “Calm down, ma’am. Everything is going to be okay.”
Ernest twitched and spasmed.
The male paramedic looked down at Ernest, his hand still on the injured man’s neck. “What the hell? I still can’t find a pulse.”
Dread washed over me. I knew where this was going. “Get away from him.”
Every head in the lobby swiveled in my direction.
I gulped, feeling the scrutiny of a dozen pairs of eyes. “He’ll attack you. I’ve seen it before.”
The paramedics gave me blank looks.
“What’s she talking about?”
The officer took a step toward me. “Hey, didn’t I tell you to wait back over there?”
Ernest made a gurgling sound. His eyes flew open.
The male paramedic leaned over him. “Relax, sir. Can you—”
Ernest clamped his jaws around the paramedic’s throat.
People screamed.
“Let him go!” shouted the officer.
Ernest ripped out a hunk of the paramedic’s throat.
Blood sprayed the crowd.
Ernest’s wife fainted.
The paramedic collapsed on his side, his hand pressed to his neck. His eyes were wide with shock. Blood poured from his wound.
The female paramedic let out a cry and dug through her medical bag. “I’ve got you, Todd. Stay with me.”
Horror froze me in place.
It’s happening all over again.
Still gnawing on the paramedic’s flesh, Ernest staggered to his feet. He stared at the surrounding people with filmy white eyes.
The officer motioned for everyone to get back. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the old man. “Get down on the ground.”
I wanted to tell him his words were useless. Whoever Ernest had been was gone. The creature left in his place wouldn’t respond to orders. But it wasn’t as if the officer could’ve heard me over the panicked crowd.
Ernest growled and lunged for the officer.
The officer opened fire on him.
Bullets slammed into the old man’s chest. Impossibly, he kept coming.
The blue doors flew open.
I jumped to the side, barely avoiding being trampled by the jailers.
They joined the officer, forming a semicircle around Ernest.
I caught the edge of the blue door before it closed and darted inside.
A sea of anxious female faces greeted me. It was clear the prisoners didn’t know what was going on.
A harried-looking man in a suit stood at the front of the long hallway. “Back in line, ladies.”
He was drowned out by the sound of gunfire.
“Eden,” I shouted.
My sister’s eyes widened when she caught sight of me. “Lee, what are you doing here?”
“Getting you out.” I waved her over. “Come here.”
“I can’t leave Claire.” She looked down at the woman who’d sunk to the floor. “She’s sick and no one’s helping her.”
I used my no-nonsense big sister voice. “Get over here now.”
“But… but...” She motioned to her shackled feet.
“Hop if you have to, but get the hell over here.”
The guy in the suit looked over as she hobbled toward me. “Hey, you can’t be in here.”
Flipping him off, I grabbed my sister’s arm and dragged her through the door into the lobby.
She started to protest, but went silent when she caught sight of the officers standing over the old man’s body.
Ernest looked as though he’d been through a human-sized hole punch. He was riddled with bullet holes from his brown loafers to his bloody goatee. The top of his head had been blown off and the rest of his face was unrecognizable.
More officers streamed into the lobby from a door on the opposite side of the building.
I shoved my purse in front of Eden’s hands. “Hide the cuffs under this and take short steps. Okay?”
She nodded jerkily.
Keeping a firm grip on her wrist, I tugged her forward.
We hadn’t gone more than ten feet before we caught the attention of a statuesque blonde officer. “Hey, stop right there.” She stepped away from the cluster of officers hovering around Ernest’s body and glared in our direction.
The sound of screaming saved us.
The blonde snapped her head around and gaped at the sight of the male paramedic attacking his partner.
The female paramedic let out a cry as she tried to beat him back with her medical bag.
He clamped his jaws around her forearm and bit down.