It’s a loud noise that comes from outside the lab. It’s a crash or… No, not really a crash. It’s more like…
Abang.
Whatwasthat? Even though the sound originated outside the heavy metal doors of the anatomy lab, it still resounded through the room, loud and clear. And then, while the echo of the noise is still in my ears, I hear it again a second time.
What could have made a bang that loud? The only thing I could think of is…
A gun.
But it couldn’t have been a gun. Why would there be a gunshot in the hospital? Much lesstwogunshots. It doesn’t make sense.
Where are you, Victor? How long does it take to pick out a bag of chips?
While I’m contemplating my next move, a noise from across the room grabs my attention. It’s the heavy door to the anatomy lab swinging open, squealing on its hinges. Thank God—Victor hasfinallyselected his snack and has returned. Maybe he’ll be able to tell me what that unsettling noise was.
I squint through my thick lenses at the doorway, and I feel a rush of relief at the sight of the familiar face of my classmate.
“Hey!” I call out. “Did you hear that noise a minute ago?”
He doesn’t answer me, which I find a bit odd. It’s also odd that there’s something splattered on his scrubs. His dark-brown jacket is hanging open, and his hands are shoved deep into the pockets. He walks toward me, the expression on his unshaven face completely blank. A drop of saltwater trickles down the side of his face.
“Is everything okay?” I ask him.
Again, he is silent. He just stares at me.
Now that he’s closer, I get a better look at the splatter across his chest. It’s dark red and still slightly damp. I’m not entirely sure what it is, but it looks almost like…
Oh God.
I take a step back. “What—”
Before I can complete my sentence, something dark obstructs my vision. It takes me several beats to realize there’s a gun pointed at my face.
My knees go weak. I grab onto the edge of the table, trying to keep myself upright. I lower my eyes to Agatha’s mutilated corpse, clearly unable to offer anything in the way of aid. The gun is inches from my forehead, and I can feel the heat radiating from it. There’s no doubt in my head anymore about what that bang was.
He’s already fired this gun tonight.
Oh God. I don’t want to die like this. Not here, not now. It can’t end this way. I’ve done some bad things in my life, but I’m pretty sure I don’t deserve this…
All I can think about is how pathetic it would be to die in the anatomy lab. The janitor will probably discover me here tomorrow morning. Will he even notice that I’m a medical student and notone of the bodies?
“Please…” I whisper.
His eyes are as black and impassive as the barrel of the gun. When he speaks, his voice is flat and toneless: “Do exactly as I say if you don’t want to die.”
PART I
HEATHER
1
THE FIRST DAY
“Lookto your left and look to your right.”
My eyes lift at the words of our dean of students at DeWitt Medical School, Dr. Marvin Bushnell. He has a huge, Santa Claus-esque belly and sweats with the mere effort of speaking. He’s been talking to us for about five minutes, and he’s already got a shiny forehead and huge pit stains. But he barrels on, totally oblivious to the amount of fluid his pores are secreting.
I obligingly look to my left because it’s clear everyone else in the auditorium is doing it. Two seats over is a male student with a messy brown ponytail and ratty leather jacket that smells of cigarettes and possibly some illegal substance. I can understand not dressing up in a suit and tie for your first day of medical school, but I’d think at least you’d want toshower.
