An eerie stillness settled on Gabriel. His eyes heated with a dangerous energy.
“Otis?” he said.
“He showed up later that same night. He was the one thing I knew for sure was real. My father told me later that he wasn’t allowed to see me because of the hallucinations. The doctors thought a visit would agitate me. He believed them and returned to Resonance. I phoned him after I got back to my apartment and told him I had discharged myself and that I was okay.”
“You didn’t tell him you thought you had been injected with more hallucinogens?”
She shrugged. “There was no point. He wouldn’t have believed me. After all, the doctors had assured him I was hallucinating—which happens to be the truth.”
“Because of the drugs.”
“Yep.”
“You were about to tell me how you escaped,” Gabriel said.
“It was a process. We waited until after dark the following day. Then Otis chewed through the restraints—”
For the first time the vibe of anger shivered in the atmosphere around Gabriel. “They tied you to the bed?”
“Well, sure. I was hallucinating, remember?” She knew sarcasm dripped like acid from each word. “I had a little trouble getting out of the room. Just as I was about to make my exit, the fake doctor showed up to give me another dose of the drug. Otis went for his throat. I bashed him in the head with a metal bedpan. It all turned out for the best, because I was able to borrow the creep’s white coat, cap, and face mask. No one noticed me in the hallway. Otis led me out through the loading dock entrance. I made it home to my apartment in the Dark Zone and collapsed.”
Gabriel started to say something and then stopped. “Huh.”
“Huh?”
“There was no report of an injured doctor.”
“That is very insightful of you, Mr. Jones. No, there was no report that a doctor had been injured and a dangerous patient had escaped. That is most likely because the demons weren’t real doctors.”
“Demons,” Gabriel repeated, his voice once again unnervingly neutral.
“Sorry. I’ve tried to break myself of the habit of using that word to describe the creeps, because it just makes people think I really am suffering some serious trauma. But under the influence of the drug, that’s how they appeared to me.”
“What happened after you left the clinic?”
“What do you think happened? I went home to my apartment and took a long shower. Then I contacted the hospital and informed them I had checked myself out against medical advice. I called Dad and told him not to worry about me. The effects of the drugs wore off after a couple of days. My friend Veronica looked after me. Made sure I ate. Took time off work to stay with me for the first two nights. Nights were bad. They still are, but things are much better now.”
For the second time that day, she thought she saw pain in his eyes, but he did not interrupt.
“When I finally had full control of my senses again, I discovered my professional reputation had been destroyed,” she continued. She patted the steering wheel. “I was lucky to get this cool job as a tour guide here in the Storm Zone. Mr. Luxton loves me because I make sure every tour gets to drive through a real storm.”
“A storm you generate?”
“Usually. The natural ones are unreliable. Tourists want a little thrill for their money. I’m reliable. With all the energy in the area, it’s relatively easy to channel some of it into a small dust devil or a little whirlwind. Luxton sells tickets for my tours at twice the amount of the regular tours. My tours are exclusive. The storm experience is guaranteed.”
“Does he pay you extra?”
Lucy almost laughed. “Are you joking? I’m still on probation. The only money Otis and I make is in the form of tips and a small commission from the toy dust bunnies Luxton sells in the gift shop.”
Gabriel studied her intently for a long time. The energy in his eyes was feral now.
“I tried to contact you after I got back from my last assignment a month ago,” he said. “You weren’t answering your phone, and you weren’t online.”
“I asked Runner—he operates the Dark Zone Delivery Service—to ditch my phone and my computer in the Fire Zone. I was in hiding for the first couple of weeks. I was terrified the kidnappers would come looking for me. I’ve got a new phone now, but I don’t take any unknown calls.”
“Any reason to believe that someone has come looking for you?” Gabriel asked.