by Amy Cross
"You can get up and walk about," he replies, "and you should make sure you drink some water every so often. There's a small canteen in the -"
"I'll just sit here," I tell him. "It's okay. You can get on with other stuff. I'd rather just sit here and stare at the wall while I'm waiting."
"Okay," he says, grabbing the clipboard and starting to fill in a few details. "You okay?" he asks after a moment. "You're breathing a little funny."
"Just tense," I say, letting out a deep breath. "I'm fine. Honest. I just want to get it over with."
"Okay," he replies, flicking back to the front page of my notes. "Cool. If you need anything, I can -" He stops speaking suddenly, as something on my notes catches his eye. For a moment, it's as if someone's just broad-sided him, and I swear I can see the color starting to drain from his face. "Joanna Mason?" he says to himself, as if the name has finally hit home, and after a moment he turns to me. "Joanna Mason? The Joanna Mason?"
"I guess so," I reply tensely.
His mouth hangs open for a moment, and he clearly has no idea what to say. "I'm really sorry," he stammers eventually. "I didn't... I didn't realize. I never would have mentioned the Sam Gazade murders if I'd realized. Or the execution. I'd never have brought it up at all. Oh God, you must think I'm -"
"It's fine," I say, forcing a smile that I really don't feel. "No harm done."
"I'm so, so sorry," he continues, the apologies continuing to flood from his lips. "I should have realized. I should have noticed, and I should never have even started talking to you about the whole Sam Gazade thing, I -"
"Don't worry about it," I say, interrupting him. "Please, it's fine. I'm okay. I'll just sit here with my drugs and wait two hours, and then you can come and unhook me. No problem."
He nods, but I can see that he's feeling desperately uncomfortable. Once he's hurried out of the room, I'm left to sit and wait for the effect of the drugs to kick in. I know how it works: after twenty minutes or so, I'll start to feel nauseous, and then eventually the drowsiness will kick in. I'll want to rip the needle out, and I'll probably even come close to doing it before, finally, I'll decide to just wait it out. This exact same routine happens twice a week, and the worst thing about all the discomfort and fear is that it's so goddamn repetitive. I have the same reactions every time. Hell, I think I even think the same things, in the same order, every time I have to spend two hours sitting in this chair while chemical poisons are pumped into my body. There's not much variety. It's the same pain every week, and it's goddamn boring.
Two hours later, a different nurse comes to unhook me. It's weird, but every other time I've been for chemotherapy, the nurse who hooks me up is the same nurse who unhooks me. I guess the guy from earlier just didn't want to come back. He probably felt embarrassed, and I guess I don't blame him. After all, I'm the last person who should ever be interested in making small talk about the Sam Gazade case, and the first person who should be glad about his impending execution.
COMING IN 2014
MASS EXTINCTION EVENT: SERIES THREE
With a series of loud impacts striking the planet, Elizabeth starts to worry that nuclear reactors are exploding in the distance. Are the survivors doomed to a slow, lingering death from radioactive fallout? Together with Toad and Rachel, she sets out on a journey to look for other communities, only to find that human civilization is already showing signs of regrowth.
Meanwhile, Thomas and his sister Martha make a shocking discovery in the desert. Has the progenitor finally been found, and if so, can he help to defeat the creatures? With help from a familiar voice, Thomas and Martha set off on a deadly journey to one of the most dangerous places in the world, where they hope to find the one man who can either save humanity or doom every survivor to a hideous death.
ALSO AVAILABLE
Asylum: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
After killing her younger brother, Annie Radford is sent to Lakehurst Psychiatric Hospital. But Lakehurst hides some dark secrets. Patients are regularly subjected to 'special treatment' in the basement, while the cruel Nurse Winter rules the hospital with an iron fist. As Annie struggles to retain her sense of identity, she finds herself being drawn deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Lakehurst. Suffering under the horrific conditions imposed on her at Lakehurst, Annie starts to doubt her own sanity, especially when she once again starts to hear the voices that plagued her when she was younger. Who is the strange old man in the attic? What does Jerry keep in a jar in the basement, and why is he so keen to continue with his macabre and vicious experiments? Where did the husks come from? And how is this all linked to mysterious radio signals being monitored in a forest hundreds of miles away? This volume collects all 8 books in the Asylum series.
Dark Season: The Complete First Series (All 8 Books)
When Sophie Hart is rescued from a mugging by a mysterious, silent vampire, she discovers that she is part of a dark prophecy. Patrick is the last vampire on Earth, having killed the rest of his species at the end of a bloody war, and he has plans for Sophie. But will she survive? This volume collects together the first 8 Dark Season books, covering the entire first series. Along the way, Sophie encounters not only a vampire but also werewolves, ghosts, evil maids with sharp teeth, crazed psychiatrists and dream-sucking Tenderlings. She travels to Gothos, the ancestral home of the vampires. She discovers a secret hidden inside the body of an old woman, and later she finds another dark secret hidden inside her own body. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
Dark Season: The Complete Second Series (All 8 Books)
Picking up where the first series left off, the second series of Dark Season follows Sophie's attempt to discover what has happened to Abigail. Meanwhile, the mysterious Nimrod has arrived in town and he's determined to gain his revenge on Patrick. This volume collects together the 8 books of the second series of Dark Season, plus the prequel book 20th Century Vampire. As Sophie tries to find Abigail, she comes up against Nimrod's blood-lust. From old country houses to the sewers of Dedston, and from the bottom of a haunted well to an underground hall filled with spiders, the second series of Dark Season takes Sophie to the brink of death and puts her faith in Patrick to the ultimate test. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (All 8 Books)
The third and final series of Dark Season tells the story of Patrick and Sophie's daughter Abigail, and her journey to discover the truth about her own identity. Having been raised as a normal human, Abigail is suddenly thrown into a dangerous new world as she discovers that she possesses unique vampire DNA. With Sophie dead and Patrick having apparently vanished, Abigail quickly falls under the wing of the mysterious Benjamin and his organization, the Watchers. The prophecy is forcing itself back into reckoning, and soon a powerful force begins to move through the world. This volume collects together the 8 books of the third series of Dark Season. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
The Night Girl: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
When she starts her new job as a night shift assistant, Juliet Collier has no idea that she's about to meet a mysterious entity that lurks in an abandoned part of the building. Soon, Juliet finds herself granted a gift that means she can kill indiscriminately, and apparently without consequences. Meanwhile, eleven years earlier, a young Juliet makes a terrible mistake that sets her on a dark course. This is the story of a girl whose decisions lead her to a devastating end-point, as she struggles to reconcile the voices in her head with the reality in front of her eyes. This volume collects all 8 books in the series.
Devil's Briar: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
In the remote wilderness of Colorado, Bill and Paula Mitchell discover an entire lost town. Devil's Briar was abandoned many years ago, and has fallen into disrepair. But it soon becomes clear that the town contains some special and highly unusual qualities, and that elements of the past are seeping through into the present. As she tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, Paula finds her
self drawn deeper and deeper into the bizarre time loop that keeps the entire town trapped in eternity. Soon it becomes clear that nothing in Devil's Briar will ever be the same again, and that two time periods are merging with horrific consequences. This volume contains all 8 books in the Devil's Briar series.
Broken Blue: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
Returning home for her father's funeral, Elly Bradshaw soon finds herself drawn into the dangerous world of billionaire Mark Douglas. Although she finds Mark irresistible, Elly learns he hides a dark secret. She's quickly pulled deep into a dark sexual game that threatens to change the way she views the world forever. Meanwhile, back in the late nineteenth century, another set of players are caught up in the same game. Tortured by his role as Mr. Blue, Edgar Lockhart sets out to end the game forever. His failure, however, results in the arrival of Jonathan Pope onto the scene. Cynical and only interested in a payday, Pope begins to investigate the shadowy trio of players who keep the game alive. This volume contains all 8 books in the Broken Blue series.
Broken White: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
Now that she's part of the game, Elly has to deal with her new life as Mark's girlfriend. Soon, however, it becomes clear that dark forces are starting to make their presence felt, and the game itself seems set to reassert its power. As Elly tries to come to terms with the limits of her endurance, she's faced with a shocking moment of violence that leads her, finally, to come face to face not only with her own destiny, but also with a man who bridges the ages between the game's old form and its new face. Meanwhile, Jonathan Pope struggles to save the women he loves, but when he's forced to make a horrific choice, he finds himself up against the game's attempts to resurrect itself. This volume contains all 8 books in the Broken White series, which acts as a sequel to Broken Blue. The story will be concluded in the Broken Red series, coming in 2014.
Lupine Howl: The Complete First Series (All 8 Books)
Arriving in London, penniless and alone, Jess finds herself forced to live on the streets. She soon encounters Duncan, a mysterious man who seems to be caught up with some very dangerous people. Duncan is a werewolf, forced to scavenge on the streets of the city and unable to break free from his master, a vicious, cruel man named Thomas Lumic. But there's a war coming. Humanity is no longer prepared to tolerate the existence of the werewolves. Along the way, Jess encounters some truly hideous and bizarre creatures, including the haunting Flesh Weavers, the vicious Loom People, the mysterious Wormwood, the hideous Golvs, and a flesh-sucking little boy who rules a circus of fear. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
Lupine Howl: The Complete Second Series (All 8 books)
The second series of Lupine Howl begins with Duncan and Jess being recruited for a dangerous mission, and ends with them fighting for their lives against one of the most evil creatures that has ever lived. From the moment he receives a message from Black Annis, Duncan is convinced that someone or something is manipulating things behind the scenes. His suspicions are heightened as he and Jess find themselves facing a series of unusual creatures, until finally the truth becomes clear: Herbert Lumic is still alive, and is determined to gain his revenge over Duncan. Meanwhile, Jess discovers the truth about Anna, the girl who once traveled with Duncan and whose death has haunted him down the years. An old letter waits to be opened, but its contents could prove to be more explosive than the mysterious darkness that is already spreading across the world. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
Lupine Howl: The Complete Third Series (All 8 books)
Having abandoned Duncan, Jess makes her way to India, where she makes a fateful decision that could affect the future of werewolf society forever. The time has come. After centuries of calm, the killing fields of Sangreth are about to be disturbed. Although he's terrified of the journey, Duncan finally accepts that he and Jess must head to Sangreth and prevent Jonathan Neale from uncovering the true secret of the werewolves. But Sangreth is more than just a place: it's a living nightmare, where every werewolf must face the ultimate truth, and where a powerful force waits to be resurrected. For both Duncan and Jess, past wounds are about to burst open and spill fresh blood. Can Jess escape her past, and will Duncan be able to deal with the startling revelation that he has an important role to play in werewolf history? Out now from Amazon and other sites for just $2.99!
Ghosts: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
Having been brutally murdered by her own father, Beth Keneally wakes up and discovers she's now a ghost. Determined to protect her little sister Elise from becoming her father's next victim, Beth finds herself forming an alliance with an unlikely group of other ghosts who have all found themselves trapped on Earth. Meanwhile, an angel named Kal has arrived in town to hunt down God and Satan, who have made a bet with each other that they can wipe their memories and live as humans for an entire lifetime. This volume collects together all eight books in the Ghosts series, which includes encounters with creatures such as the mysterious Red Man and a living plague. Out now - 160,000 words for just $2.99!
Table of Contents
Copyright
ALSO BY AMY CROSS
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve
Day Thirteen
Day Fourteen
Day Fifteen
Day Sixteen
Bonus Extract from The Dead and the Dying: A Joanna Mason Novel by Amy Cross