Page 81 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

“Ghosts…” Amelia had whispered as if the mere mention of them would attract them. “And bogeymen.”

“Ghosts and bogeymen? Where did you hear that nonsense?”

Her grandmother had told her the stories, but Amelia didn’t share that with her father because she knew he’d get upset. So, she lied. “Kindergarten.”

“Honey bear…” He’d leaned closer. “Those are just stories to scare naughty children. You’re too old now to be impressed by them.”

She gazed up at him. “Really?”

“Sweetheart, lack of education, stupidity, ignorance – those are the things you need to be afraid of. Not some paranormal nonsense, created for entertainment and marketing. It’s all just an illusion.”

She hadn’t understood any of what her father had said that day, except that ghosts and bogeymen were an illusion. To prove it to her, he’d made her go into the Haunted House, and she’d walked out no longer afraid.

That lesson served her well now. Amelia dashed past the trees, without paying attention to the gloomy shadows and the noises of the night. If she allowed herself to give in to her fear, every branch could turn into the man with the octopus tattoo.

Or Mikhail.

She had noticed how his eyes changed colour when he talked about his Hospital. To save the immortal species was not just a selfless mission for him, it was much more. She couldn’t tell how much more, but while he hid behind the slogan of salvation, he was ready to do anything to achieve his goal.

The further she ran, the more convinced she became that she had been right to take the risk and flee him, but her sense of direction only grew worse in the depths of the forest. Even her only landmark – the slope of the hill – hindered her progress, because she slipped and fell twice.

It didn’t take long for her to figure out that her only chance to survive was to return to the asphalted road. She marched in the direction she thought was correct, listening for the sounds of passing cars.

She deliberated for a while, but didn’t dare hitchhike. Dave hadn’t mentioned anything about how long the perfume lasted, and she had already emptied the bottle. What if they sensed that she was human?

Her eyes darted around. The darkness was deepening. Well, I could always say I’m part of the staff at the Hospital and I got lost. Mikhail did mention he has humans working for him.

Exhaustion decided for her. She was going to hop into the first car that drove past.

Half an hour later, she was still wandering through the thicket. Her soles were numb and the stolen jacket was doing very little to fight off the angry gusts of the wind. A rustling noise behind her made her jump.

She turned and scanned the surroundings. Two glowing dots stared back at her, belonging to a massive silhouette looming about thirty feet away, its outline barely discernible in the darkness.

An animal.

Before she could choose between fleeing through the forest or slipping away unnoticed, a wolf emerged from the shadows. A quick and desperate look around informed her that there was nothing she could use to ward it off.

The wolf approached.

Eye contact. She had to maintain eye contact.

She held the predator’s gaze. They were alive, and impatient, like those of the man with the octopus tattoo. Or Mikhail’s. She remembered what he’d told her about the man with the cane they met at the rehabilitation centre. He could turn into a bloodthirsty wolf in a heartbeat…

It was worth a try.

“Hello!” she yelled in the direction of the wolf. “I imagine you’re out for your evening stroll. Me, too, but I got lost… I’m a vampire, by the way.”

A chill gripped her when one giant paw inched forward.

“All right, I… I will leave you to it.” Amelia took a slow step back, refusing to let him out of her sight.

The wolf wrinkled his snout. She continued to back away.

The animal leaned forward and growled.

That was when two other wolves flanked the one at the front. She took a deep breath and started counting.

One, two, three. Numbers, wolves, inches, seconds…

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