As the wail of sirens approached Grand River Hospital, two police vehicles followed close behind the ambulance. Inside, Kenzie fiddled with a paper heart strung up for Valentine’s Day, the edges fringing from overhandling. Her green eyes moved from the decoration to the entrance just as Agent Spencer and Lindsey barreled into the emergency waiting area, followed close behind by a paramedic pushing a woman chained to a gurney.
"This is a bad idea, Spencer!" Lindsey''s voice was sharp but she spoke quietly enough not to draw attention to them. "She should never have been allowed to leave the prison."
"You know they can''t conduct surgery at this scale in prison," Spencer retorted, looking over to the woman. "I don''t like this any more than you do, but we have no choice."
Kenzie watched as a gurney rolled past the nurses'' station, a woman restrained on it with heavy leather cuffs binding her limbs. The greying blonde hair of the woman sparked a memory, she knew this woman from the papers years ago. Lindsey motioned for Kenzie to follow them toward the OR and Kenzie hesitated before falling in line behind them.
---
Back at the university, the echoes of Rob''s footsteps bounced off the walls as he wandered the athletic department, his flashlight beam dancing over the names on the doors. He held his phone between shoulder and ear, grumbling, "You should''ve been here by now, Zack."
"Sorry, man. I''ve got a quiz tomorrow I need to study for," Zack said, sounding tired.
Rob huffed, not buying it. "But the end-of-season prank is a—"
Before he could finish, he caught the reflection of someone coming up behind him in the door''s glass. Rob spun around to find a set of glowing eyes staring back at him. "Jesus, Zack!"
Zack wore a satisfied smile, his pink-hued eyes fading back to their natural blue, as he laughed at Rob''s reaction. "Just a little pre-prank before the end of season one," he said, patting Rob on the back. Rob rolled his eyes and the pair continued down the hall toward Coach Reynold''s office.
---
Back at the hospital, Spencer leaned close to Kenzie, his words low and steady. "She''s dangerous," he warned. "She used to be a psychologist before she started killing people. Took out five of her own patients before we caught her."
"Five?" Kenzie whispered, looking down at the frail woman, who remained silent. Spencer nodded.
"Claims she''ll do it again if she ever gets out," he continued. "Says next time, she''ll get it right."
A chill breeze swept over Kenzie. She adjusted her stethoscope, before wheeling the woman toward the available OR. Spencer gave her a curt nod as he watched her go, leaving the doctors and nurses to deal with the serial killer in need of surgery.
Kenzie''s fingers skimmed over the paper, ready to start the pre-operative questionnaire. She glanced at the doctor setting out the tools, and then back to the patient. "Margret Horess," she read aloud, meeting the woman''s gaze steadily. "Date of Birth: 06/17/67 – Height: 5ft 2in – Weight: 155lbs." Margret''s eyes, dark and hollow, stared blankly at Kenzie as she read.
"You''re here because you ate a cloth which has formed a blockage in your small intestine, which is now infected. Do you understand this?" Kenzie asked, looking up over the clipboard. She watched as Margret''s lips parted, but instead of acknowledging her condition, the restrained woman asked her a question.
"Is he coming to see me?" Margret''s tone was flat, disconnected from her situation. Kenzie frowned, unsure who ''he'' referred to.
"You''re not allowed to have visitors," Kenzie replied, masking her unease with a practiced professionalism. "The police are standing guard outside this room."
"They can''t stop him," Margret whispered a hint of a smile playing on her lips, she almost seemed excited.
Kenzie cleared her throat, trying to stick to the routine. "You''re on Temazepam for insomnia and Divalproex for seizures and manic episodes," she recited, checking off the medications on the form.
As Kenzie leaned forward to listen to Margret''s heart, the stethoscope cold against her skin, Margret''s body tensed beneath her touch. "I can tell you have a question for me, go on and ask me what''s really on your mind," Margret giggled as she looked down at her.
Taking a breath, Kenzie asked her question. "Why did you kill your patients?" As Kenzie waited for the answer, she wasn''t sure she actually wanted to hear it.
Margret''s face contorted as if recalling a horror only she could see. "Their eyes... their eyes changed," she whispered, she looked away from Kenzie and began to laugh. The anesthesiologist quickly placed the mask over her face, causing her to pass out.
"Well now, let''s get started," the surgeon said, moving into position.
---
The morning sun dawned over the University of Waterloo, its campus coming to life as sleepy students navigated their way to their first class of the day. Zack, Kenneth, Rob, John and Brian converged outside the science building, where the pair had asked to meet.
"You''re re-enrolling?" Zack asked as he eyed the other two. He still remembered there quote on quote lesson from last week.
"Yeah, we''ve decided to settle in Waterloo. We would like to join your covenant," Brian stated, his voice steady, he extended his hand toward Zack.
"I''m sorry but what?" Rob interjected, looking over at Zack. John also seemed lost, the lines of his face set hard. "If I recall correctly the two of you literally beat Zack to a pulp last week. Not to mention everything with Greed, how could we trust you in our covenant?"
"You don''t have to trust us, but you know we''ll add power to your covenant. Something you''re sorely lacking right now," Brian insisted, lowering his arm.
"So now you''re saying we''re weak?" John stepped in front to meet Brian. Sparks of anger flew between them, John''s claws started to extend. Zack slipped his hand onto John''s arm, a silent command that stopped him in his tracks.
"You say you''ll make me more powerful, but right now you need my power to protect you," Zack said, locking eyes with Brian. "You''re not Supremes anymore and Greed made a lot of enemies. Just a few months ago you were willing to kill us. That tells me all I need to know."
A ripple of frustration flitted across Brian''s face, his eyes lighting up briefly before he reined in his emotions. The denial was clear and Zack, Rob and John walked away from them.
Brian''s jaw clenched as he paced, trying to figure out a way into Zack''s covenant. "We''ve got to re-enroll here," he insisted, glancing over at Kenneth, who leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Seriously?" Kenneth raised an eyebrow. "I don''t think going to class is going to get us in Zack''s good books."
"Look, Kenneth, we''re lone vessels now. Everyone we wronged will be coming for us, and as we are now... they''ll kill us," Brian argued looking right into Kenneth''s eyes. "We need to at least try to win Zack over,"
"So you''re hoping to use Zack to protect us?" Kenneth unfolded his arms with a sigh, just as Leona walked by, chatting animatedly with her ex. A pang of something unspoken flickered across his face, and he shook his head. "Fine we''ll give it a try, but I''m not taking any math classes."
"Deal," Brian said with a smile. The pair headed toward the registrar''s office to start the first phase of their plan.
Inside the lecture hall Rob, Zack, and John shuffled down the aisle, finding seats in the middle row. Zack settled into his chair, his gaze inadvertently catching Angela as she entered the room. She moved awkwardly around a group of people standing in the aisle, her eyes scanning for a free spot.
"So you''re going after that professor''s daughter now?" Rob teased as he caught Zack staring, Rob nudged him with his elbow.
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Zack rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. "It''s not like that, I just want to get to know her more."
"Come on, man," Rob pressed, his voice low. "You are giving her do me eyes. It couldn''t be more obvious you are into her. So ask her out already."
"I don''t know," Zack looked back at Angela. "Do you think she would say yes?"
"Absolutely, she can''t take her eyes off you either," John noted, watching Angela glance Zack''s way before turning away and blushing.
---
After class, Coach Reynolds cautiously stepped into his office, his eyes scanning for the telltale signs of another end-of-season prank. He poked at the wrapped box on his desk with the eraser end of a pencil, half-expecting it to explode. When nothing happened, he peeled away the paper to reveal a box filled with screws.
"Really?" he muttered with a smirk, amused by the simplicity of the prank. But as he lifted the box, a hidden wire tugged free, and his desk collapsed in a heap of disconnected panels.
"Son of a bitch!" His exasperation echoed through the locker room, eliciting sly grins from Zack and Rob as they changed.
Fuming, Reynolds stomped into the team''s locker room, holding the leg of his desk. The players stifled their laughs, one of them reminding him, "I hope you didn''t throw out the IKEA instructions."
"Everyone thinks they''re a comedian," he growled, spotting another gift-wrapped box on the bench. Not falling for that again, he thought and he kicked the box hard. The sound of shattering glass halted his tirade. Bending down, he unwrapped the box revealing the remains of a coffee mug with his face on it: "#1 Coach" read the caption.
Attached was a card, crumpled from the impact. "Happy Birthday love, Gorth." His face turned beet red as he looked over at Gorth. The young man looked terrified, his eyes locked on the remains of the gift.
Ahmed''s hand cut through the air with sharp, frantic swats, as he waited outside the locker room for Zack and Rob. His gaze darted skyward to the flickering lights, but he couldn''t spot the fly. Leona watched him from a bench, scribbling notes, their eyes met and she gave him a look.
"Can you hear that?" Ahmed asked, the buzz growing into a consistent, maddening drone. Leona looked around and then shook her head in confusion. Ahmed stopped swatting the air, if Leona couldn''t hear it then maybe his siren abilities were trying to tell him something.
---
Meanwhile, inside the sterile white walls of Grand River Hospital''s operating suite, the tension was mounting. The surgeon hovered over Margret with a scalpel poised, he looked over the X-rays again and swore under his breath. "We''ve searched every inch of the bowel but no cloth," He turned back to look again and this time something began to balloon inside Margret''s intestine, slowly stretching and pulsing outward. Then her intestine burst, and a cloud of flies swarmed from the wound like a living plague.
As the flies distracted everyone in the operating room, Margret''s eyes snapped open, she seized a scalpel with unnatural speed. With a primal scream. She lunged at the surgeon, who stumbled backward, his own blood now joining the fray. Kenzie, turned just in time to witness the attack. She rushed to the doctor''s side as he collapsed, trying to slow the bleeding.
"Stay with me," she whispered, her voice steady as she searched for where Margret had gone. Her fingers pressed against the geyser of red, praying for a miracle.
---
Across town, in the sanctuary of Kyle''s loft, Ethel''s fingers trembled as they lifted the lid of the weathered wooden container. She carefully tipped its contents onto the coffee table, a beautifully hand-carved looking glass, studded with pearls, slipped out with a thud. It was worn from age, a hairline crack graced the upper right corner.
"This belonged to my great-grandmother. Before the Titanic sank," Ethel explained, eyeing the glass cautiously, "It is said that a fate was sealed inside it. My ancestor used it to avoid death, she chose not to get onto the ship that night after looking into it."
Kyle, standing a cautious distance away, eyed the artifact warily. "I wouldn''t touch it if you paid me," he murmured, tucking his hands into his pockets.
---
Back at the hospital, Kenzie recounted the details of what happened in the OR, she explained myiasis, the phenomenon of larvae nesting in flesh, but she''d never seen it take place inside the intestine before. As she talked about the incident something Marget said struck her, and she tracked Lindsey down.
"There''s one more thing," Kenzie said, her voice low. "Margret said she picked those patients because their eyes changed."
Recognition sparked in Lindsey''s gaze. "We know people who can change their eyes." she reached for her phone, but before she could warn Zack, Agent Spencer came bursting in.
He headed straight to Lindsey, informing her of the latest update. "We just got word—the stolen ambulance was spotted at University and Columbia."
"Right next to the campus," Lindsey finished, there was no doubt in her mind. Somehow Margret knew about Zack and the others. She needed to find her before she hurt anyone else and figure out how she knew about the vessels. As Spencer left to head to the campus, she pulled out her phone to fill Rob in on everything.
---
The fluorescent lights of the Biology 2 hallway flickered above as Brian approached Ahmed, his usual swagger on full display as he leaned on the wall next to Ahmed. Ahmed''s arms were crossed over his chest, making it clear he was unimpressed.
"You''ve been dodging me for over a month, don''t act like I should be happy to see you," Ahmed said sharply, looking away from him. "You don''t get to just show up when you want and expect me to fall into your arms again,"
Brian''s dark eyes held a silent plea, and he stepped closer, his voice low and steady. "look, I know I screwed up, but—"
As he leaned closer Ahmed realized he just couldn''t stay mad at the man he loved. In an instant, they were entwined, their lips locked as they guided each other to somewhere more private. They stumbled through the open door of Coach’s office, Brian pulled off his shirt, oblivious to the state of the room.
As Brian slipped his pants down to his ankles, Ahmed had just enough time to take in the disarray of the room. The desk was still in pieces on the floor, and several photos had fallen off the walls. Ahmed tapped Brian on the shoulder, alerting him to the room. They exchanged a look, making a silent agreement, and without another word, Brian threw his clothes back on and they left in search of another secluded place.
What they failed to notice was someone was tucked away behind the coach''s door, Margret watched them leave, waiting until she was sure they were gone. Then she made her move, she retrieved a staple gun that had fallen off the desk when it broke. Ignoring the blood seeping from her wound, she began to methodically close the gash in her flesh, one metallic click after another.
As Brian and Ahmed made their way across campus, they bumped into Rob. "Hey, Ahmed," Rob paused, giving Brian the side eye, "We need to talk, I''m meeting with John and Deb now. We have a problem."
Ahmed gave Brian an apologetic look, "Duty calls, but text me later and we can pick up where we left off." Brian nodded and Ahmed followed Rob to the SLC where John and Deb were waiting at a table tucked away in the corner.
"Lindsey just told me a serial killer escaped the hospital and was heading our way," Rob muttered, filling John, Deb, and Ahmed as he took his seat. "They don''t know how but somehow she knows about vessels, she''s targeting them. But the weirdest part is she escaped because a massive swarm of flies burst out her intestines."
"Flies," Ahmed said stiffening, he could still hear the buzzing. "I''ve been hearing a buzzing noise all day, I should have known it was a warning."
"Ok so this could be supernatural then," Deb said, her expression deep in thought. "I’ll go home and check the Demonology book with John. You two go find Zack."
As they scattered on their respective missions, Angela Benowitz sat hunched over her phone in her father''s lecture hall, her finger hovering over the screen as she scrolled through Reddit. Mr. Benowitz watched her pick away at her lunch.
"Angela, why are you sitting with me instead of where the other students are?" He gestured in the direction of the Student Life Centre with a half-eaten sandwich.
"I don''t have any friends to sit with out there," Angela confessed, her voice tinged with frustration. "At my old school, it was easy. Here, every time I try to talk, I just... ramble."
Mr. Benowitz offered her a reassuring smile. "Give it time, Angela. You''ll find your people."
Angela nodded and returned to her phone, she caught a post about telekinetic powers and clicked on it.
Zack listened to their conversation, his back pressed against the cool metal of the lecture hall door. He had gone there to talk to Angela but got spooked when her dad was there too.
"Well, what about that boy, Angela? He seemed interested in you," Mr. Benowitz asked.
"I don''t know how interested he really is in me," Angela replied looking up at her dad. "The only interest I''ve gotten so far was from that rabid bear. Maybe I should just date that."
"Maybe you should," her father chuckled. "You never know, he might turn out to be Prince Charming underneath."
Angela laughed with her dad, before continuing. "Honestly, I don''t really want to date anyone right now. I just want to, you know, make some friends."
Zack hung his head as he listened, his hopes of asking her out dashed before he even asked the question.
"Zack!" The urgent whisper caught his attention. Rob appeared at the corner, Ahmed in tow, both red in the face from rushing around campus looking for him.
"There''s a serial killer on the loose," Rob panted, barely catching his breath. "Flies came out of her, so many flies—"
"She''s here, I can feel it," Ahmed cut in. "I''ve been hearing buzzing all day, I think they are trying to warn us before she kills again."
"What about the police? Isn''t this one a human problem?" Zack''s brow furrowed, not sure he was the one for this job, given he could sense the auras of multiple officers on campus.
"Lindsey says there is an eye witness that saw Margret at Sobey''s," Rob said, running a hand through his hair. "They''ll be leaving to follow that lead shortly."
"But they''re wrong, I know she''s here, I can feel it,''" Ahmed looked around the space as if Margret was lurking just out of sight.
"I believe you, looks like we''ll have to find her ourselves then," Zack stated firmly, stepping away from the lecture hall doors.
"Exactly," Rob nodded. "I mean I doubt the police will stick around if we tell them our friend can sense death and feels like Margret is on campus."
Zack nodded, knowing the supernatural had to stay hidden. "I wish I had some way of tracking her aura, it would make this a lot easier," he lamented.
"Already ahead of you, Kenzie is waiting for us in the parking lot," Rob pointed to the door, motioning for Zack to follow them.
They burst out of the building and raced to the parking lot, Kenzie materialized as they turned the corners, clutching a small bundle to her chest. Her gaze flitted between them before settling on Zack.
"Margret''s things," she said, extending the bundle toward him. "Be careful, Zack. When I looked into her eyes... It was like staring into an abyss."
He reached out, his fingers brushing hers as he took the items. "I''ll be careful," he promised, offering a reassuring hug that lingered a beat longer than necessary. They parted, and Zack ran his hands over the clothes, feeling the emptiness that surrounded Margret.
"Got it, I should be able to track her now," Zack said to Rob and Ahmed. "But this is a huge campus, we''re going to need help."