Wolf Running Read Free Page A

bodies flew through the air, and where they landed they left bloody smears.
    A burst of movement drew her eye and she saw three people peel off from the panicked mass and rush over to the fallen woman. They dropped to their knees around her, and even though their bodies blocked her from view, the bright red blood that spread out from the group was easily visible.
    Gunshots split the air. Drivers were abandoning their vehicles now and joining the stream of fleeing people. From a spot just a few blocks away there came an enormous explosion and a fireball bloomed, adding its own stream of smoke to the sky. And above it all rose the screams.
    She turned away, consumed by her own fear. What the hell is going on? It wasn’t safe outside the room, and it wasn’t safe outside the hospital. I need to hide. Just for little while. Just until someone in charge comes along. Tucked away in the corner near the empty bed was the entrance to the bathroom. She hurried inside and pulled the door shut behind her. It was made of thin material and did little to block out the noise from the madness raging through the hospital. She wedged herself in the space between the toilet and the wall, squeezing her eyes shut and finding with some surprise that she longed for the oblivion of just an hour ago.

 
    Chapter Two
    Then
    She jerked awake. Feeling unconnected and strange, it took her a couple of minutes to gather her wandering thoughts. Then the events of the day came flooding back. It was dark in the bathroom, and the chaotic noises of earlier had ceased. Considering all that she had heard before, her surroundings were disturbingly quiet.
    She eased out from her cramped hiding position and stood, her legs aching. Slowly she opened the door. The light panels in the ceiling shone incongruously bright and cheery, and for the first time since she woke to panicked screams she took in her surroundings. The room was empty, and the windows in the opposite wall showed that night had fallen. There was a television mounted on the wall facing the beds, but it was off and she couldn’t see a remote anywhere. Wooden cabinets surrounded a small sink in an alcove near the bathroom, and a couple of soft beige chairs were scattered randomly around the room. Medical equipment, machines that served some function beyond her knowing, was grouped around the head of each bed.
    She stood in the middle of the room and wondered. Whatever it was, whatever the cause of the chaos, was it still going on? What had happened in the hospital? Where was everyone? She crossed to the door and looked out the small inset window. The bloody smear on the wall and the threads of blood that had seeped under the door were still there. If things were back to normal, wouldn’t someone have come by and cleaned the mess up? How dangerous is it outside?
    “I can’t stay here.” The harsh croak of words startled her. Was that her voice? It didn’t sound familiar to her, but then again, would she even know if it did? My name is- she thought, and again found nothing. There was a black hole in her head where everything about herself should be. If she concentrated too much on that gaping nothingness she would fall in. Forcefully she turned her thoughts back to the here and now.
    I can’t stay here. I don’t think it’s safe to stay here. I need to find someone who can tell me what’s going on. And maybe tell me who I am. Her decision made, she reached for the door handle and then realized that she was only wearing a hospital gown.
    She stepped back from the door and looked around the room again. The cabinets in the alcove caught her attention. A search of the top cabinets turned up only medical supplies, but a bottom drawer revealed a pair of blue jeans and a red button-up shirt. The pants were too short and the shirt too big, but at least she was clothed. Another search turned up a pair of worn sneakers that fit reasonably well.
    There was a mirror in the bathroom. She studied the