I barely remembered putting my coat on. I was floating through the scenes like a picture book. First, I was at the lab, then downstairs, then watching my skirt collect snowflakes as it dusted along the sidewalk. I had my basket in hand, needing to check three times to see if the bottle for Edith was still inside.
Memory loss aside, I was lighter. Maybe the memory loss was a part of that.
Along with my memory, time must have also escaped me, as the sun had already disappeared mostly, leaving a purple dusk across the sky. The streetlamps would likely be turned on soon.
I stopped for a minute, looking up at the stars that appeared. I couldn’t help but smile as they winked at me, fading in and out as I viewed them from glassy eyes.
My thoughts were interrupted by the only thing that could jolt my heart enough to panic me. A muttered gargling from a strained throat sounded from across the street.
There were no carriages passing at this time; most had gone home, and shops were closed for the day after Christmas.
On the other side of the street was a hunched man covering his face with a hat. He was nicely dressed, with a finely tailored coat, though his resolve was anything but as put-together as hisoutfit. His shoulder slumped to one side, and he limped as he approached the street.
My gut curdled, and a wave of skittish energy overcame me.
He froze.
He lifted his head, shaking as if it took significant effort to do so.
Slowly, I could see his face appear from under the rim of his hat, a pale, sickly face that made even the snow look off-white. He started to hobble forward, limping faster as he set his sights on me.
I quickly backed up, a spell of vertigo making it hard to stay coordinated from the sudden spike of adrenaline.
The man approached faster than I anticipated before he wrestled me into the snow of the alleyway.
His hoarse throat strained as he hissed and clawed at me. I held my hand out, and he bit down on my palm. I screamed and couldn’t pull it from between his teeth.
I reached for my basket and my shaky free hand grabbed the bottle, swinging it across his face and making some of my blood spray into his mouth.
As I scrambled to my knees, he dug his fingers into my leg and clamped down on it with his jaws, growling like some wild animal as he shook his head, tearing at my calf.
The howl that escaped me was muffled quickly by a breathless sob.
There was no time to think. I couldn’t afford to go into shock now.
I shattered the bottle against the brick alley wall, plunging the shards into his neck, his shoulder, wherever I could hit him.
He didn’t let go of my leg until I plunged the broken bottle into his face, then kicked the bottle with my free leg to bury it further. I assume a shard must have gone through his eye and into his brain, because the slump of his body was so sudden.
As I dragged myself across the ground, the searing pain in my leg was too great to be fully disguised by the venom in my system, but it certainly helped me stay calm. I held myself against the wall, my bloody hand pressing against the wound on my leg.
I was seeing specks of color in my vision one by one until it fully clouded my eyes.
The sounds and colors blended in a symphony of unconsciousness, until all I could see was the red blood behind myeyelids.
46
THE CREATURE
Idid not pay attention to the nurse at the front desk as I flung the front doors open.
“Sir!” she shouted, but I was already halfway up the stairs.
I shoved open the doors one by one, letting them slap on their hinges and wail on the returning swing.
Phoebe and Edith were huddled by a bed, quietly bickering with each other. I did not bother to listen, as this was no time for chatter.
As I got closer, the image before me truly sickened me. A trembling returned to my hands, similar to the time I witnessed her seizure—except this time it was true horror. An uncontrollable, knee-jerk reaction. It shook me, and I wouldn’t pretend it didn’t.
