“It says he died with his body going through blunt trauma, bones breaking, skin splitting apart…he…he died in mid shift,” I said as we all stared at the body. “It was his first time shifting…”
“Huh?”
I began flipping through the rest of his file before seeing his blood work and the list of abnormalities found.
“He was infected…sick with something that caused his body to react,” I said, taking everything in while the rest of my class spoke amongst themselves.
“So did Dr. Haines put him back together?”
“Impossible if this is a fresh body…”
“Not impossible,” I murmured. “That’s why he’s the doctor and we’re not. Alright. Let’s get to work,” I said, taking control. “We need to watch for bone fractures and pieces that–––”
The door suddenly burst open with Dr. Haines looking directly at me. The screams were still going on, coming from the hallway as he looked flustered with wide eyes.
“Isis, come with me.”
I looked back at everyone else, unsure of what was happening when Dr. Haines rushed me out.
“Quickly now child!”
I followed my professor out into the hallway as I tried to keep up with his pace. Teachers were darting across the hall from one room to another, poking their heads inside trying to get the scoop on what was happening. Who was brought in, and why were they screaming until Dr. Haines pushed the side door open that led to the stairway.
“Is your mother available if we call her?” He asked as we turned down the next set of stairs.
“I uh…I’m not sure. She’s—”
“There was an incident that just happened in the auxiliary where a student almost drowned in the pool. I need you to expel whatever what is in the body without compromising his system.”
I got into action, washing my hands and arms while putting on a fresh mask. I could already smell the salt water and see the student laying on the bed swollen in the face, arms, and legs. Her brown skin almost pale with green undertones and lips looked like they were filled with pus.
“This is one of my students,” Dr. Haines said as he motioned for me to step forward towards the bed.
“Is it necessary for a student to do this when this is considered an emergency?”
The voice was familiar, but I dared not turn around. I could hear the beeping noise of a walkie talkie and a man speaking into it like they were a police officer or security.All of this for a drowning? I leaned over the body, eyeing the school swimsuit as I gently touched and squeezed at the skin, feeling the water underneath. It felt thick…almost jelly like which was unusual. Looking at Dr. Haines, he nodded for me to continue as he kept his hand towards his mouth and watched.
“Do you believe this has to do with the message going around?” Someone whispered.
“Someone tampered with the water.”
I cut my eyes to the side before raising my hand over the student’s face, seeing her eyes dilute at the sight of me. She was silently still drowning with a single tear coming down her cheek. I reached to pull her lower lip down as I felt the moisture and immediately captured it with my fingers, finding the current in the air as I began to pull.
“This…” I started with a shake of my head, confused. It was only a little of bit of water coming out but not enough for this type of casualty. I looked back at Dr. Haines who immediately knew before stepping in.
“Get what you can out of her and return back to the lab,” he said. I attempted to grab the very last drop without disturbing the natural water her body held before I was suddenly rushed out of the room. I took one look back and caught Dr. Haines pulling something dark…like black liquid smoke from her mouth and pores before the door closed shut in my face.
I stood in the hallway for a moment, unsure of what to make of what just happened before turning on my heel to rush back to the lab.
…
“Something is going on!” I said as I dropped down into the seat at the dining hall. Souxie sat her things down while Asha made her way over. “Something is definitely up and where is Maggie? I hope she isn’t mad. I still feel so bad.”
Souxie looked around, bright eyes scanning the dining hall before leaning in.
“They’re looking for Maggie,” she whispered. Asha cut her eyes toward her, confused before sitting down.
“They’re what?”
