Page 13 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

Amelia smiled. “I’m sorry. I don’t drink.”

“You don’t drink, don’t listen to music, don’t dance, don’t eat, don’t watch movies…” Petrovsky followed her down the street. “Give me just one chance and I’ll melt your stone heart. I’m sure I won’t be able to get rid of you afterwards.”

The sun had risen, creating a sense of warmth that the cold autumn air would quickly neutralise.

“And I’m sure you’re right. That’s why I can’t risk it,” Amelia said. “How was your shift?”

He shrugged. “The usual. They didn’t let me sit down for a second.”

Amelia looked him up and down. “And yet you seem rather fresh. What’s your secret?”

“My secret?” He leaned closer to her. “I don’t give a shit.”

“That, I know.”

Petrovsky winced. “Actually, where are we going now?”

“I’m going home. You’re following me.”

“Coffee at your place? Why not? Then I’ll nap.”

“Goodbye, Petrovsky.” She halted at the bus stop.

He explored their surroundings, as if now realising where they were. “Travelling by bus? What happened to your car?”

Her muscles tightened at the memory of the incident. “It’s at the mechanic’s.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing. Just an oil change.”

His flirty gaze suddenly turned serious. “Are you all right, Amelia? You look exhausted.”

“Of course, I’m all right. Exams, shifts… you know how it is. In four months, it’ll be different.”

“Ah, yes. Soon enough, I won’t be allowed to boss you around anymore. You’ll be a doctor as well.”

The bus arrived.

“You’re not allowed to boss me around now, either.” She waved goodbye and got on the bus.

Her car would be ready in an unclear one-to-two-week period, three max, according to the mechanic. She was already regretting servicing the car just because of the two tiny scratches. She wouldn’t have bothered, but she’d felt compelled to put the money the stranger had given her to good use.

The scene kept playing in her head. How could she have left the parking space without checking her rear-view mirror? And why were the panic attacks returning now? It’d been six months since her last one…

The appearance of the strange man seemed weirder and weirder the more she thought about it. She’d Googled “The Hospital” last night. Thousands of hospitals had come up, but all of them had a name, so maybe this was some secret organisation or something? Either way, she didn’t think she’d need to use Mikhail Korovin’s business card, so she’d tossed it in the trash this morning before leaving work.

As the bus reached her stop, she got off and headed home. The wind had turned vicious during her brief respite inside, so she pulled the collar of her coat up, taking the narrow path between the buildings, a shortcut she was accustomed to. Further ahead, she recognised the Labrador Retriever from yesterday on the grass. His owner was smoking a cigarette and talking to a man with two Yorkies. Amelia walked past them, towards the thick shade cast by the birches along one side of the street.

Sudden goosebumps made her turn around. Her eyes scanned the high tree crowns to her right. The yellow leaves had gone still. As she glanced over her shoulder, in the distance, the dogs and their owners weren’t hanging around anymore. And… all noise had disappeared.

Someone’s following me. Her intuition kicked in.

Why would anybody be following me?

“Ms. Amelia.”

She spun around fast and almost screamed with surprise. A giant man towered over her, three feet away. He was in his mid-thirties, with cropped dark hair and the most terrifying bright-blue eyes she had ever seen.

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