Page 2 of Newly Undead in Dark River

I'd been backpacking my way through Canada with my friends, but they had gone home last week, while I continued to travel up through Alberta by myself. I'd missed my bus to Yukon, so I'd decided to hitchhike my way through the last stretch to the border of British Columbia. After all, what's life without a little adventure? I'd been picked up by a family with teenage sons, but they'd let me off near Grande Prairie. I walked down the highway a bit more, and then poof, everything else is blank.

“Do you remember your name?” the Sheriff asked in the same soft voice.

“Mika McKellan. From Boston.”

“That's good, Mika. I'd like you to come down to the station with me, so we can get this all sorted out. The town doctor will meet us there, just to check you over.”

I nodded absently, and followed Sheriff Walton out of the diner, clutching my take away cup to my chest like a lifebuoy. He walked me over to the squad car, and let me sit in the passenger seat, instead of the back.

We drove in silence around the block, and I took the town in. It was actually quite beautiful. Not the cemetery stillness of most small towns after dark. Fairy lights were strung around the town square, and people milled about. The lights were on in all the shops, and small clumps of people were talking to each other on well-lit sidewalks.

“Is there a festival going on or something?” I asked Sheriff Walton.

“Or something,” he replied, letting silence fill the cab.

Within a minute, we had pulled up in front of a skinny brick building. There were shiny bars on the windows, and a police sign hanging over the front lawn.

Sheriff Walton moved around the front of the car and opened the passenger door. I heaved myself out of the seat. Moving wasn't as painful as it was when I first woke up, but I still felt sluggish.

A plain woman with sparkling eyes met us at the front door. She looked me over and then sent a pointed expression to Sheriff Walton.

“Mika, this is Doctor Alice Sommer. I'm gonna get the Doc to check you for any signs of, uh, injury.”

He held open the door of the station for me, and I gave him a polite smile.

“Let's go into the conference room. We need to have a chat after the Doc has looked you over. I'll be out here doing some paperwork.”

He opened the door to an interrogation room. No windows, just a metal table with two chairs. Conference room, my ass.

“Thanks, Walker. I'll give you a shout when we're done,” the doctor said softly.

The door closed with a click. The doctor sat a leather doctor’s bag on the metal table. “Have a seat, Miss McKellan.”

“Mika.”

“Okay, Mika it is. But you have to call me Alice. Now, let me have a look at you.” She shone one of those penlights in my eyes, and I let out a little squeal.

“Ouch.”

“Hmm, light sensitivity. You have a little bruising on your throat too.” She got out a measuring instrument and measured the width of the bruise. “Anything else feel off to you?”

“Except for the starving feeling, my muscles aching, the weird blank spots and the passing out?” My sarcasm was obnoxious, but I couldn’t seem to help it. “Other than all that, I'm as healthy as a horse.”

The doctor clicked her tongue and wrote down the measurements. “Walker, can you get the cooler from the backseat of my car and come in here please?” She barely raised her voice, but the Sheriff must have heard because the front door of the station slammed.

“Don't worry, Mika. Your symptoms should lessen in a few days.”

“Lessen?”

But the Sheriff was striding in the room, cooler in hand. Damn, he was fast.

“It's confirmed, Walker, though let's face it, it was obvious to everyone as soon as she walked through the door of the diner. You can smell it just as well as I can.”

The Sheriff ran a hand down his face and sighed. “I know, but I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to think someone we know could have done this.”

What the hell were they talking about? I sniffed my armpit stealthily. I didn't think I smelled that bad, considering I'd been sleeping in a ditch. My nose twitched. A tangy metallic smell was coming from the cooler. A smell that was so familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

“You know, I'm still in the room. Do you think someone could take me out to the ditch and see if I can find my wallet and my backpack? Everything I have is in that pack.”

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