Chapter Two

Liz had turned around to see Doctor Dandle sneer sinisterly at Virgil. She blinked surprised by how dark and frightening his expression was.

Suddenly Liz heard a gasp of anguish and turned to look at Virgil. In distress, he clutched his chest and gurgled a snarl while staring furiously at the doctor. Within seconds, Virgil collapsed hard. In shock, hearing a chorus of pain and anguish all around her, Liz instinctively ran over to Virgil's side. As a skilled nurse, Liz jumped in and quickly assessed the situation. She called to him to see if he'd respond and checked his pulse and breathing.

She gasped in shock—no pulse, and he had stopped breathing!

Before she could turn him over, Liz, in the mixture of sounds, heard the doctor erupted in laughter along with several others. She looked up in confusion to see him jeering at her futile attempt. The choir of cries increased to screams of terror and despair from patients and those who had taken the medicine. Doctor Dandle, with four other nurses, stood there in triumph as he exclaimed, "It's too late, my dear, he's dead. Nothing you can do about it."

Liz looked around in horror while he continued casually, "Now you have a choice, Elizabeth. You can join us or suffer the same agonizing fate. What's it going to be?"

She had no time to think. More people as she sat there were being poisoned. She had to do something to save those that hadn't taken it.

Holding back her fear and tears, Liz yelled, "You're a monster! How can you consider yourself a doctor? I refuse!"

"Well then"—Dandle answered, ignoring her answer, and

replied—"it's a shame Virgil won't get to see you suffer."

The nurses by him laughed. Dandle picked up a syringe and a vile with a smirk. His assistants picked up on what he was going to do and focused their attention on Liz while they leisurely walked toward her.

Horrified and couldn't believe this was happening, Liz forced herself not to panic. She was trapped in the room. There was only one exit, and that was behind Dandle. She couldn't jump out a window; it was too high. Everyone except her was dying or dead in the room. She had no one. They drew closer—Jeremiah Dandle with a syringe full of poison to torture with.

Terrified, Liz did the only thing she thought she could do—pull Virgil's sword. The blade thankfully wasn't an official paladin sword. It was a short sword and not the heavy long sword that Chris and many other warriors carried. Liz wasn't sure if it had the same magical properties as a full-fledged paladin sword, but the enemy didn't either. With all her strength, she pulled the sword up into a fighting stance she saw Virgil do on many occasions while training with Chris.

It must have looked convincing enough because the nurses backed off but not Jeremiah. He sneered, looking like he wasn't convinced she knew how to use it. Hoping she could be convincing, Liz lunged forward as she swung the blade at Jeremiah. He dodged, and the nurses ran from the second level. Jeremiah had second thoughts but still lunged for her with the syringe. Liz ducked and thrusted the blade at him, forcing him to jump back and rethink his strategy. He had no time for this. Besides, the paladin whelp was dead, and this place was doomed. This was a victory for him and his team. No need to get injured over it.

Liz swung the blade once more at him. He ducked, and she kicked him hard enough for him to get the point. That if he continued, would receive worse injuries. She lunged, and Jeremiah bolted for his box, picked it up, and ran out the exit.

Shivering, Liz forced herself to stay in control of her terror. Most of the patience on this level were dead or near it. She had to find others and stop them from being poisoned. This was terribly hard for her. She wanted to stay and give comfort to the dying and mourn for her friend Virgil. Making her decision, she looked back at Virgil's lifeless body with tears in her eyes. She couldn't help him. Painfully she turned with the sword and ran through the exit to find help.

Running as fast as she could down the stairs, Liz encountered more who were poisoned and searched. Surrounded by so many dying, it felt like a terrible nightmare. She couldn't tell who was friend anymore among the medical staff. Fighting broke out, and she didn't have time to sort it out. Liz kept going and found the cooking staff and stopped them from drinking the poison. Thankfully, some of the soldiers were there. She ordered them to stop anyone they could find from taking the poison and arrest all medical staff. They alerted Sergeant Darros who took command of the situation.

Everyone who hadn't been poisoned took refuge in the barracks while the soldiers fought off the medical staff that were part of Jeremiah's group. In the fray of the fight, several of Jeremiah's villainous team with two cartful of crates with poison pulled through as they picked him up and several others on their race for the east gates. Dandle scoffed, laughing as he jumped up onto a cart and ordered the driver to head to town. They would meet the rest of the group there.

Sergeant Darros, refusing to let that monster get away, pulled himself onto a horse and rode after them while two soldiers followed.

Liz watched him go while she fought off a nurse she thought was her friend. The woman's demeanor had changed so drastically; she barely recognized her. No longer the sweet and gentle Heather but a vicious murderer as she struck down two grown men to get at Liz.

Screaming and shrieking, Heather jumped for Liz as she twisted to step out of the way.

Bam! A shot rang out. Heather crumbled to the ground with a shocked look frozen upon her face. Liz looked around. A few soldiers were able to retrieve some rifles from their weapons locker and started shooting at the enemy. The sounds of the shot scattered them. These strays being put down as the soldiers took aim and fired. Bam! The picket line dropped them. A few struggling to flee even though it was pointless.

In the chaos, the soldiers managed to overtake the wounded enemy only for them to pop something in their mouths, swallowing something. Within minutes, they gurgled a laugh of triumph and died with twisted smiles upon their faces. There was nothing they could do but watch. Watch as each one died. The rest escaping.

St. Joseph in turmoil; Liz and Darros's second-in-command, Mark, and what was left of the soldiers, painstakingly rounded up the remainder of the medical staff and locked them up. Markus called for help. Liz didn't know Markus well but did as he ordered. While they waited for help, she, too, was placed in confinement with the medical staff. She understood and sat down to wait, dreading explaining Virgil's death to Chris.