“Yes, he’s taken a turn for the worse.” Exactly like I told you he would, she adds in her mind.
Dad stretches his back. “Look, honey, I know what you’re thinking. But please don’t believe everything you’ve seen in movies. This is not like that. The doctors will deal with whatever is wrong with Jonas, and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“I would still like to go see him.”
“Sure thing. I’ll take you there first thing tomorrow morning.”
“I would like to go now.”
“Right now? I think dinner is almost ready.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Well, I am.”
Selina crosses her arms.
Dad sighs. “Come on, Selina. You have to eat something.” He drops the sponge into the bucket and dries off his hands on his shorts. “Besides, the visiting hours at the hospital are probably over for today. We’ll go tomorrow right after breakfast, all right?” He puts a hand on her shoulder.
Selina looks up at him and thinks to herself: Tomorrow it’s too late. She forces a smile and says: “All right, Dad. Ulla said to tell you dinner’s ready in five.”
“Thank you, honey. I’ll be right there.”
Selina goes back around the house, her steps firm, and her mind determined. She knows what she must do. She finds her phone and searches for a number online. Instead of going to the front door, she darts one quick look over her shoulder to make sure Ulla can’t see her from the kitchen window, then she walks across the courtyard, putting the phone to her ear.
“You’ve reached Top-Taxi, and we’re happy to help,” a female voice says.
“Hello,” Selina says, as she walks out of the driveway. “I need a taxi as soon as possible …”
THIRTEEN
Just as she gets into the taxi, she gets a text from Dan.
I’m still with the police. Can’t go home until my parents come back. Of course they don’t believe me about the zombies. What about you?
Selina writes back: I got to go home a few hours ago.
The answer comes almost immediately: And Jonas? Did you hear from him? They just keep telling me he’s fine.
On my way into town to see him now. He’s in the hospital.
A few minutes pass before Dan writes back this time. Selina imagines how he’s considering his answer. He’s probably thinking about writing something like: I told you, or: You know what to do, or the worst possible one, the one Selina really doesn’t want to hear: You need to kill him.
But apparently Dan decides none of those are necessary, because when the text finally does come, it’s very short: Be careful.
The taxi arrives at the hospital two minutes later. Selina pays the driver and gets out. She looks up at the tall glass building, the evening sun flashing in the windows. She takes a deep breath and walks up to the entrance. The automated glass doors let her into the air-conditioned entrance hall. And as she walks towards the elevators, she realizes she has no idea what her plan is—other than to find Jonas, of course. But after that, well, she simply didn’t think about that until now.
If he really is infected, then he will die and come back just like Soren and Allan and Josefine did, and there will be no other choice than to kill him again. The thought alone makes her nauseous and makes her want to turn around.
And why not? She didn’t ask for any of this. She just wants to go back to her life of being a teenage girl whose biggest problem is that her best friend saw her kissing a guy last night and is bound to tease for it. In fact, Krista already texted her a bunch of times, but Selina hasn’t replied. And they’re going to Prague Monday morning! The whole class, as a summer school trip. She had almost completely forgotten about that. She needs to go home and pack. And she could do so. Just pretend like this whole thing is over and go to Prague with her friends.
But if she does that, she might have the end of the world on her conscience—although she can hardly fathom that thought. A thing like this simply doesn’t happen in real life. The fate of the earth can’t be resting upon one person’s shoulders.
But the fact of the matter is that she and Dan right now are the only two people who know what’s most likely going to happen to Jonas, and seeing as Dan is still being kept at the police station, she’s the only one with the power to do something about it.
An old lady with a bouquet of flowers is waiting by the nearest elevator. As it opens, she steps inside, turns and sees Selina. “You going up too?” she asks, smiling.
Selina nods and steps inside.
“What floor?”
Selina looks at the old lady. “Sorry, what?”
“What floor are you going to, dear?”
“Uhm … fourth.”
The lady pushes the button and the doors close. With a feeling of absolute unreality, Selina feels the elevator start moving.
“My husband had an operation on his heart,” the lady says. “He just woke up, and the procedure went fine.”
“I’m … happy to hear that,” Selina says, managing a polite smile.
“Who are you here to visit?”
“A friend.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He … was in an accident.”
“I’m sorry,” the old lady says, real regret in her voice. “Young people simply aren’t careful enough behind the wheel.”
Thankfully, Selina doesn’t have to come up with an answer, because the elevator stops and the doors open.
“I hope your friend feels better,” the lady smiles as Selina steps out.
“Thank you,” she mutters back, right before the doors close again.
Then, she’s alone in a long hallway. Room eight, she thinks and makes her legs start moving, even though they aren’t exactly keen on it. The numbers on the doors glide by and she reaches number eight way too quickly. It’s closed. She stares at the knob. The door feels like an unbreachable barrier. She has no idea what’s waiting on the other side.
Selina closes her eyes. She’s
