Free Thirst No. 4 by Christopher Pike Page A

have been injured. It’s so serious that triage units are being set up near the track. A lot of people are so badly hurt they can’t wait until they reach a hospital. They need immediate care. It’s your job to get as much blood as possible and take it to the scene and start operating on people.” I pause and focus on her eyes. They have turned bloodshot, another fact I’m not wild about. Could I be damaging her? “Do you understand?” I ask.
    “How did this happen, Kim?”
    “Teenagers were fooling with the track controls and derailed a train. We need the blood and we need it now. Let’s get it.”
    I manage to get her in a nearby elevator and push the button for the basement. It’s half past eight. Most of the patient visitors have gone home but the hospital isn’t as empty as I would like. It probably would have been wiser to wait until midnight to try to steal the blood. Tell that to my thirst. Theblood I drained from Sandy is beginning to feel like a mere mouthful.
    There is only one guy manning the blood center. At first glance I feel relieved. He’s young, maybe twenty. He looks neither very strong nor very intelligent. He just looks bored. Unfortunately, he flashes a smile when he sees Sandy, and it’s obvious he knows and likes the woman.
    “Dr. Treach, I thought you went home hours ago,” he says. His name badge reads GARY STEVENS. “What are you doing here?”
    Sandy replies like a zombie robot. “There’s been a major train accident outside of town. Many people have been injured. It’s so serious that triage units are being set up near the track. A lot of people are so badly hurt they can’t wait until they reach a hospital. They need immediate care. It’s your job to get as much blood as possible and take it to the scene and start operating on people.” She turns and gestures to me. “This is my niece, Kim Treach.”
    Oh shit, I think. Could there be a worse example of crossed brain circuits? Now, it’s clear my psychic abilities only go skin deep.
    On the plus side, Gary must not be a sports fan. He couldn’t have watched much of the Olympics. He doesn’t appear to recognize me.
    At the same time that doesn’t make Dr. Treach’s request any less unusual. Gary stands and comes around his desk, andas he does so a cloud of doubt crosses his face. He scratches his head.
    “I’ve been online most of the night and didn’t see anything about it. And no one’s called down from the nurses’ station. Dr. Treach, are you sure about this accident?”
    “Teenagers were fooling with the track controls and derailed a train. We need the blood and we need it now.” She stops and seems to glance at me for support. “Let’s get it.”
    I would laugh if the situation wasn’t so dire. Gary does chuckle but it sounds forced. He glances at his phone like it might be a lifeline to a saner authority.
    “How much blood do you need?” he asks.
    “As much blood as possible and take it to the scene,” Sandy says.
    He nods uncomfortably. “I heard you the first time.”
    I catch his eye. “Show it to us and we’ll take care of everything,” I say softly but firmly. Unfortunately, I don’t feel much power in my voice or in my head. Also, Gary appears to be one of those people who are simply difficult to hypnotize. I run into them every now and then.
    “That sounds like a pretty screwy plan if you ask me,” Gary replies and suddenly reaches for the phone. I have no choice. In a flash I take two steps forward and slug him in the jaw, in the sweet spot, as the boxers like to call it. I catch him as he falls and then let him down gently. Sandy stares at me with a bewildered expression.
    “Why did you hit him?” she asks.
    I grip Sandy by the shoulders and focus on her face as best I can.
    “Forget I hit him. What’s important is the blood. We have to get the blood so we can help the people who were hurt in the train wreck. That’s all that matters.”
    The suggestion appears to strike home.