It had been an angry bus ride home. Ann had had to walk to the bus station, which was not far, but the buses just seemed to take forever. She hated buses and wished she could afford a car. They were slow, dirty, and filled with big fat hairy men who liked to hit on her or chat about the weather. People just wouldn’t shut up and let her be. Today though, no one talked to her. Her black mood must have kept them away. She sat in her dirty seat and stared forward, giving the world her best “I will tear your head off if you come near me” look.
It was still morning when she arrived at her place. She quickly showered, dressed, and ate an apple. The food helped but the big knot in her stomach didn’t go away. She had been trying to work out a rescue plan in her head but hadn't really come up with much. She decided that first she would visit Miller, the strange man at the hospital. He had said that Vanessa was a demon and might know more. After that, she planned on storming the place. Sadly, Ann didn't have much in the way of weapons. She felt like she should have some protection if it did turn out there were horrible monsters and demons running around the place. Maybe some holy water or garlic? No, that was stupid. These were demons, not vampires. What she really wanted was a big-ass gun. She had never had even the faintest desire for a firearm, but at the moment, carrying one seemed wise. The best she could do on short notice was a bottle of pepper spray. Maybe demons had very sensitive eyes? Ugh. This wasn’t going to end well.
Horribly under-equipped, Ann grabbed her coat and headed out. It was turning out to be a sunny day, and she had the short walk there to try and psych herself up.
“You can do this, Keith needs you,” she chanted to herself. Exactly how she was going to rescue him was still a mystery to her, even after she had opened the door to the hospital. She decided to keep her head down, walk straight to Miller’s room, and make the next move from there.
Ann dashed past the front desk, though they took little notice of her. She quickly grabbed an elevator to the second floor and found Miller’s room.
“So far, so good. No sign of ol’ black scales,” she whispered. Poking her head into Miller’s room, she noted that it was empty. A quick blast of panic ran up her spine. She snagged a passing tech, a big man that she hadn’t met before.
“The man in this room. Was he moved?” she asked.
“Miller? The one that was hit by a truck?” Ann nodded and he continued. “I'm sorry, but he passed away last night.”