Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus Read Free Book Online

Hills was where Devenish Preparatory School now stood. After the epidemic the townspeople had relocated to the area I’d been to yesterday and established a new cemetery.
    Obviously, I had been right in my guess that it was an epidemic. But an epidemic of what? It was odd to me that there wasn’t more information about a disease that had killed so many people.
    Turning to leave, I saw a sign in the corner of the room. It was labeled ANTIQUE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT and pointed at a staircase.
    I followed the flight of steps down into a long room. Three sides of the room contained old operating tables, as well as some displays of really gruesome-looking instruments. On the side nearest me was a Plexiglas shield covering a large square of stone wall. The sign beside it stated that the cutaway showed the original structure of the almshouse basement.
    I moved closer, drawn to the centuries-old wall. It was built of rough stones, natural, not cut, piled on top of one another and anchored by some sort of mortar, much of it long crumbled away. It reminded me of the cell wall from my dream yesterday and I felt suddenly sick. Drops of perspiration snaked down my back despite the fact that it was cold in the basement.
    Way too cold.
    The stones looked different now. The plastic shield was gone, and the rocks covered the whole wall. They were exposed—slick and damp, with bits of lichen clinging to them. My stomach cramped, like fingers biting into me and twisting. It was all I could do not to double over. Sweat broke out on my forehead.
    I stumbled back and drew in a deep breath, closing my eyes. When I opened them again, the Plexiglas was back over the wall. The stones were dry, without lichen. Now I was seeing things while I was wide awake. I felt even worse.
    My stomach lurched, and I glanced around, suddenly desperate to get out of the basement. There was a door between the surgical displays, and I rushed through it.
    I emerged into a long hallway, sterile and white, with linoleum floors. It was a relief to find something so ordinary and hospital-looking, but I still felt light-headed. Little black dots danced at the edge of my vision, and I hurried down the corridor, looking for a place to sit. Most of the doors were closed, but I found one open. The room was full of supplies. Past the shelves was a chest-high wall, forming a little inner room, and in it I could see a rolling stool.
    I went in and sank down on the stool, rolling out of sight behind the wall. I wrapped my arms tightly around my chest and closed my eyes, waiting for the shivering to stop.
    After a few minutes, my heart slowed to a normal pace, and my stomach unclenched. I no longer felt as if I were going to faint or throw up. I was about to stand when I heard two men arguing in the hall. Their voices quickly grew louder, as if they were walking at a fast clip toward my hideout.
I’d better wait here until they’re gone
. No doubt I was someplace I wasn’t supposed to be, and I didn’t want to get chewed out by some pissed-off doctor.
    But they didn’t keep going. They stopped right outside the open door to continue their fight.
    “I saw what I saw. You are violat—”
    “Would you keep it down?” the other one snapped. “Come in here.”
    I heard the distinct click of the door swinging shut. They had closed themselves in the outer room.
Great
.
    Now I was totally stuck. I scrunched down as far as I could into the corner.
    “What do you think you’re doing?” one of them asked heatedly. “I can’t fathom why you’d endanger your position this way.”
    “It won’t be endangered if you keep your mouth shut,” the other retorted bluntly.
    “So now you’re saying I should lie for you?”
    “Look … We’ve been friends for years, right?”
    “Yeah, yeah. And Pam’s practically like a sister to you. But what you’re doing is foolish. You can’t consort with the Banished.”
    Consort with the Banished? That sounded pretty biblical. My curiosity won