Page 83 of Now Until Forever
Behind the window, the man in Autopsy3 cried out. Head tipped back. Liquid slid from his red rimmed eyes, down his clammy cheeks. He started to drop out of view, so Carlos moved to the window.
With his face almost pressed against the glass, Carlos tried to get a clearer view. The guy had collapsed to the floor. A few feet away, another person lay on the tile.
“Biological contaminant in Autopsy Three.”Klaxons sounded, then the voice repeated its warning.
“There are two of them in distress, the doctor and another person.” Carlos looked around, his gaze snagging on the two women on the tables. Sitting up. He could see that autopsies hadn’t started. Maybe they never would’ve been, given the two women had both been shot. There was no reason to look for another cause of death. But clearly something had happened after those two body bags were laid on the tables.
“Why are Sarah and Faith sitting up?” Fox peered in the window. “Was there something in their stomachs?”
“Whatever it is, the system registered it as a contaminant, or one of these staff people hit a button.” Carlos gritted his teeth.
“That’s the medical examiner we were supposed to meet, and his assistant.” Fox peered in the window at the two on the floor. “Not that you want anything to do with it.”
As if he was going to take that bait. “Where’s Glor with that help?”
Fox grabbed the edges of the window, peering closer. “Someone just entered the room.”
Carlos tried to see what she’d noticed. Sure enough, people in white PPE walked through the room from a side door, masks over their faces providing them with clean air to breathe. He looked for lanyards or badges but saw none. “Staff?”
“No idea.” Fox hammered the palm of her hand on the glass. “Hey!”
Carlos did the same, but the PPE people didn’t seem to notice the doctor and his assistant lying on the floor. “Hey! Over here!”
Four people in total, dressed in their protective clothing, and they never looked at the two staff members in distress by the door. Not once did they glance over. Carlos couldn’t see the doctor and his assistant clearly enough to know if they were evenalive. Two of the figures in PPE went to one of the dead women, and the other two went to the second.
They pushed the torso back and laid the women flat, then zipped up the body bags they’d been lying in.
“What on earth?” Fox breathed the question against the glass. She hammered the flat of her hand against it again. “Hey! Over here!”
Again, she was ignored.
The elevator door at the end of the hall dinged, and Carlos heard the doors open. Glor raced out with two security guards and a guy in a lab coat.
“Biological contaminant in Autopsy Three.”Klaxons sounded, three loud blaring tones, and then the voice repeated its warning again.
“There are people in there!” Carlos called out as they raced down the hall. “Who was sent in already?”
Fox shook his arm. “They’re taking the body bags.”
One of the security guards tried to shove Carlos out of the way.
“What’s going on?” The doctor stopped, breathy and pink cheeked.
Carlos said, “We need to get in there before?—”
“They’re taking them out!” Fox grabbed his arm and pulled him over.
Carlos looked through the window.
One of the security guards said, “What’s the protocol, Doctor? There are people in distress in there.”
“Uh…” The guy reached back and squeezed his neck.
Glor said, “Can you get on your radio and call for an ambulance for the staff? I’ve got no signal down here.” He looked like he was about to run back upstairs. He’d probably go out on the street and flag down a medic before these guys made up their minds about what to do.
Carlos yelled, “Doctor!”
“Right.” The older heavy-set man moved to a panel beside the door and tapped the screen. The Klaxons blared again.
