Overheard

Reacting to her growing feeling of unease, Sarah decided she was going to take a short cut back to her ward.

The layout of the hospital was a squared-off "C" shape. It meant that if she stuck to the corridors, she couldn't be further from where she wanted to get to. Suddenly, that didn't seem to be a coincidence. Instead, she cut across the grounds, from one wing of the hospital to the other.

While this was normally frowned upon, she decided it was worth risking the reprimand.

She went in through the fire exit, which she knew would be kept open for those wanting a crafty smoke. Turning round the corner into the corridor leading to her ward, Sarah stopped when she saw a figure at the other end.

Pressing herself into a doorway, she peeked out; although silhouetted against the light coming through the main ward doors, she could see it was the nurse who'd sent her on the wild goose chase. The woman was talking into a mobile, and Sarah could make out snatches of conversation:

"What? How long?" Something indistinct. "Listen, she's going to be back any minute. Can you not get here any faster?"



Part Two begins here.