Night Runner Read Free

around, then his eyes settled on me and he started sprinting back to the ward. A police car was in the way, but he didn’t even break stride. He actually stepped right on top of the hood, cleared the roof in a single leap, then jumped off the rear bumper.The police in the lobby reached for their guns, but the old man obviously didn’t care a pinch.
    Then he saw Nurse Ophelia and stopped dead.
    I couldn’t blame the man for staring. Nurse Ophelia was probably the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. When we were window shopping last Christmas, she caused three accidents just walking from Brock Street to Simcoe. Unless you were blind, she pretty much stopped you in your tracks.
    Well, the old man looked at her and his face calmed, but then his brow wrinkled up again, as though he’d just remembered he was supposed to be annoyed. He pointed a finger at her. “Get him out of here,” he said. Then he turned to go, and I don’t know if it was because of all the police lights or what, but for just an instant, his watery blue eyes glowed red, just like a person in a photograph when the flash doesn’t work right. I’m not even certain it really happened, because he sprinted off so fast that no one even had time to take aim and fire.
    I looked at Nurse Ophelia and the officers nearby. Some still had their guns out. They looked stunned. I don’t think if Santa Claus had flown down in a flying saucer you would have seen more mouths hanging open. One woman started talking into a radio that was clipped to her shoulder.
    â€œYeah, I think so. The same guy . . .” The way her voice sounded, it was like she didn’t believe herself. I didn’t hear the rest because Nurse Ophelia quickly took hold of my hand and started pulling me down the hall.
    â€œWhere are we going?” I asked.
    One of the policemen interrupted before she could answer me. “We have to ask him some questions, ma’am,” he said.
    Nurse Ophelia barely slowed down. She just looked over her shoulder. “I’m going to get him cleaned up. I’ll be right back.”
    When we got to my room she opened the door. It was dark inside. I like it that way, unless I’m reading.
    â€œI want you to stay out of sight,” she said. “Just for tonight.”
    I didn’t really know what to say, so I nodded and took a bunch of the antiseptic wipes from her. I noticed her hands were still shaking.
    â€œI’ll get a hamper for your clothes,” she said. “They’re soaked. Try not to get the blood all over everything.”
    â€œWhat about that man?” I asked.
    â€œDon’t worry about him for now.”
    â€œDo you know him?”
    Nurse Ophelia shook her head. “No. But he’s gone. And I need you to focus on getting yourself tidied up. The police will have to talk to you soon.” She pointed towards the house phone beside my desk. “You can buzz me after you’ve had a shower. And you might want to tidy up a little, just so no one gets lost in here trying to find you.”
    I looked at all the clothes on the floor. It wasn’t that bad. There were at least two or three patches of tile that weren’t covered.
    â€œDo I have to talk to them?” I asked.
    â€œThe police? Yes. I would imagine so, given what’s happened. Why?”
    â€œThe man on the motorcycle said someone was after me. And he warned me to stay away from the police.”
    Nurse Ophelia nodded slowly. “Right. Well, if you think this through carefully, Zachary, I’m sure you’ll come up with a few reasons not to trust that man’s advice.”
    She had a point. He was a little weird. But then again, so were the rest of us. And when a guy steals a motorcycle for you, tells you to scram, gets blasted full of holes and then comes back to life just to tell you the same thing all over again, well, maybe that guy is someone you should listen