Someone else was making their way through the corridor of curtains.
Carter glanced over his shoulder but the curtain at the doorway to the chamber was unmoving.
He put a hand out and touched Norton’s shoulder. The man winced, shrinking back as if trying to bury himself in the stark, white brickwork.
“Don’t let it get me,” Norton whispered. “Keep it away. Don’t let it get me again!” His voice climbed to a shriek of despair.
He took his arms away from his head.
Carter stared at a face that was physically unmarked but wracked with an expression of abject fear.
“There,” Norton said, pointing at the curtain. “There!”
Carter glanced back in time to see the curtain swept aside. He caught his breath.
It was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. She was tall and slender, with long, auburn hair that swept over her shoulders. Her eyes glowed, pale blue and intoxicating. She was wearing a long, emerald green silk dress, strapless and low cut. She was barefoot and seemed to glide rather than walk towards them. He watched her, captivated. When she was halfway across the chamber she stopped.
“Why are you here?” she said. The voice seemed to fill his head. “This has nothing to do with you. You will leave now.”
Carter turned back to Norton who was shaking uncontrollably. “What are you doing?” he hissed. “Can’t you see what it is?”
“What is it, Henry? What can you see?”
“Oh, Jesus fucking wept! Look out!”
Carter spun round but it was too late. The woman had closed the space between them and was now no more than a yard away. Her hands had turned into claws and her mouth was opening…and opening. Carter watched in horror as the beauty melted away. Still the mouth opened, until the face was obscured and he found himself staring at nothing more than a gaping maw filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth. The woman threw her head back and with a sound somewhere between a shriek and a growl, lunged at him.
In room 208 Carter tried to wrench his hand away, but the comatose Norton was gripping it tightly. Carter struggled for a second, prizing the man’s fingers away from his own. Finally he was released and he reeled in his thoughts, dragging them away from the chamber and back into the hospital room.
His face was bathed in sweat. As Annie laid a hand on his shoulder he jerked away from her. In his mind’s eye he could still see the creature from the chamber. He got to his feet, sending the chair flying backwards, and headed towards the door, pushing through it, and out into the corridor where he leaned against the wall, doubled over, trying to regain his breath.
Annie was the first to join him, followed closely by Lacey and Sparks.
“Would you mind telling us what that performance was all about?” Lacey said.
“It was as if you were in some kind of trance,” Sparks added. “You kept muttering something about curtains.”
“Leave him alone,” Annie said. “Can’t you see he’s distressed?”
“I’m bloody distressed,” Lacey said hotly. “Why I let you clowns in to see him in the first place God only knows.”
He put his head around the door. “Is the patient all right, Doctor?”
Jhadav was at the monitor again. “There was a massive surge in brain activity, and his blood pressure climbed so high it was nearly off the chart. But he’s okay now. Things are settling back to normal.”
“Is he still in a coma?”
Jhadav leaned over Norton and raised one of his eyelids. And then he nodded. “Yes, he’s still comatose.”
“Well, that was a bloody waste of time,” Lacey said.
Annie had a hand on Carter’s shoulder. “Are you okay, Rob?”
Carter took a long, head-clearing breath. “Let’s get out of here, Annie. There’s nothing we can do to help him. And I need some air.” He still had the stench of the woman’s fetid breath in his nostrils. If he didn’t breathe fresh air soon he was going to vomit.
As they made their way back
Carter glanced over his shoulder but the curtain at the doorway to the chamber was unmoving.
He put a hand out and touched Norton’s shoulder. The man winced, shrinking back as if trying to bury himself in the stark, white brickwork.
“Don’t let it get me,” Norton whispered. “Keep it away. Don’t let it get me again!” His voice climbed to a shriek of despair.
He took his arms away from his head.
Carter stared at a face that was physically unmarked but wracked with an expression of abject fear.
“There,” Norton said, pointing at the curtain. “There!”
Carter glanced back in time to see the curtain swept aside. He caught his breath.
It was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. She was tall and slender, with long, auburn hair that swept over her shoulders. Her eyes glowed, pale blue and intoxicating. She was wearing a long, emerald green silk dress, strapless and low cut. She was barefoot and seemed to glide rather than walk towards them. He watched her, captivated. When she was halfway across the chamber she stopped.
“Why are you here?” she said. The voice seemed to fill his head. “This has nothing to do with you. You will leave now.”
Carter turned back to Norton who was shaking uncontrollably. “What are you doing?” he hissed. “Can’t you see what it is?”
“What is it, Henry? What can you see?”
“Oh, Jesus fucking wept! Look out!”
Carter spun round but it was too late. The woman had closed the space between them and was now no more than a yard away. Her hands had turned into claws and her mouth was opening…and opening. Carter watched in horror as the beauty melted away. Still the mouth opened, until the face was obscured and he found himself staring at nothing more than a gaping maw filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth. The woman threw her head back and with a sound somewhere between a shriek and a growl, lunged at him.
In room 208 Carter tried to wrench his hand away, but the comatose Norton was gripping it tightly. Carter struggled for a second, prizing the man’s fingers away from his own. Finally he was released and he reeled in his thoughts, dragging them away from the chamber and back into the hospital room.
His face was bathed in sweat. As Annie laid a hand on his shoulder he jerked away from her. In his mind’s eye he could still see the creature from the chamber. He got to his feet, sending the chair flying backwards, and headed towards the door, pushing through it, and out into the corridor where he leaned against the wall, doubled over, trying to regain his breath.
Annie was the first to join him, followed closely by Lacey and Sparks.
“Would you mind telling us what that performance was all about?” Lacey said.
“It was as if you were in some kind of trance,” Sparks added. “You kept muttering something about curtains.”
“Leave him alone,” Annie said. “Can’t you see he’s distressed?”
“I’m bloody distressed,” Lacey said hotly. “Why I let you clowns in to see him in the first place God only knows.”
He put his head around the door. “Is the patient all right, Doctor?”
Jhadav was at the monitor again. “There was a massive surge in brain activity, and his blood pressure climbed so high it was nearly off the chart. But he’s okay now. Things are settling back to normal.”
“Is he still in a coma?”
Jhadav leaned over Norton and raised one of his eyelids. And then he nodded. “Yes, he’s still comatose.”
“Well, that was a bloody waste of time,” Lacey said.
Annie had a hand on Carter’s shoulder. “Are you okay, Rob?”
Carter took a long, head-clearing breath. “Let’s get out of here, Annie. There’s nothing we can do to help him. And I need some air.” He still had the stench of the woman’s fetid breath in his nostrils. If he didn’t breathe fresh air soon he was going to vomit.
As they made their way back
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