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dead.

    Cameron woke again.
    His head was still pounding and he was freezing – as though he’d woken up in a fridge. And instead of the fuzzy vision there was only darkness. He shivered.
    A shadow flitted past him in the gloom.
    Cameron jumped, his whole body jerking. But at the same instant that one part of hismind registered the shock, another part registered over whelming relief. Whatever was wrong with him, he wasn’t paralysed!
    The shadow flicked by again, brushing softly against his shoulder. He flinched, trying to pull away. There was a rapid series of clicks, and suddenly Cameron found he could move his right arm.
    That was when he twigged: he had been strapped down, his arms and legs securely fastened with metal restraints. The shadow was unfastening them.
    ‘What … what’s going on?’
    ‘ Shhhh ,’ hissed someone. ‘Stay still.’
    A girl’s voice, soft and throaty. She hurried down towards his right leg and began to work on the strap there.
    Whoever she was, Cameron wished that she had started with the one securing his head. The only view he had was of a darkened ceiling. But with his right hand free, he ought to be able to release his head himself.
    Cameron lifted his arm. It felt heavy and clumsy, as though he’d been sleeping on it allnight. His hand fumbled uselessly at the strap across his forehead, fingers searching for the buckle or clasp.
    ‘What’s going on?’ he said. ‘What’s happened to me? Am I hurt? Am I in hospital or what?’
    The shadow threw aside the strap on his right leg and was around to his left in a flash. ‘Sorry, but we’re going to have to save the questions for later. My name’s Rora and I’m here to help you, and that’s all you’re going to get for now.’ She tugged the leg restraint loose, then moved to the one on his left arm. ‘We have to get out of here.’
    Whoever this girl was, she didn’t sound much like a nurse. But then this place didn’t feel much like a hospital. Cameron swallowed hard. He didn’t really want to consider the other possibilities.
    He was getting nowhere with the strap at his head. His fingers might as well have been a bunch of sausages, they were so numb and useless. What was wrong with him? Why was nobody willing to tell him what was going on?Neither the doctor nor this strange girl. And where were his mum and dad?
    Cameron tried clenching and unclenching his fingers to get some feeling back into them, but they weren’t co-operating. At last Rora undid the last of his straps and his head was free. Impatiently he sat up straight and looked around.
    Dizziness swamped him. His head reeled as his vision snapped into crystal-clear focus. It was as if someone had switched on a bright light inside his head. The sudden sharpness was overwhelming. No matter how much he shook his head to try to get rid of it, it stayed stubbornly with him. What did it mean?
    Cameron scanned the room, fighting the giddiness. The lights were out, but despite the darkness he could make out rows of beds and tables, all shrouded with white sheets. This, combined with the freezing temperature, reminded Cameron uncomfortably of a morgue. And all he had on was a loose-fitting hospital gown. Terrific.
    ‘Come on,’ said Rora, helping him – practically dragging him – to his feet.
    Cameron staggered, his legs wobbling. He bumped against whatever it was he had been lying on, and turned round to look at it. The metal medical trolley trundled a short distance before coming to rest against one of the beds.
    ‘This isn’t right,’ he insisted. ‘They don’t keep patients on trolleys. They don’t keep them in the freezer unless they’re …’ He scrubbed that thought right away: clearly he wasn’t dead. ‘Well, unless they’re not patients any more.’
    ‘Never mind that,’ said Rora. ‘Can you walk?’
    ‘Of course I can,’ hissed Cameron, gritting his teeth as an agonizing flash of pins and needles raced up his legs. He took a tottering step,