Page 12 of The Cauldronball Run
Chapter Five
Farrah
Farrah checked her watch as J.J.pulled the ambulance up to The Red Ball Garage, her stomach churning with a mixture of anticipation and unease.Just past midnight, and the place was crawling with vehicles that looked about as legitimate as her ex-husband's alibi during their divorce proceedings.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
A hearse covered in religious symbols that were definitely upside-down sat next to a Tesla that kept flickering in and out of existence like a glitch in reality.Leather clad mini dragons on motorcycles were literally breathing fire and bickering back and forth.Near the back, a vampire in an expensive suit was trying to charm a group of fairy women who looked like they'd rather set him on fire than listen to his pickup lines.
This has to be the most elaborate practical joke in history, or I've officially lost my mind.
"This is where we're picking up our patient?"she asked, watching two enormous trolls try to squeeze a monster truck into a parking space clearly marked for compact cars.
"Transport coordination point," J.J.said."Sometimes multiple medical facilities arrange shared departure times for efficiency."
That's the biggest load of bullshit I've heard since Derek told me he was "working late" with his secretary.
But Farrah needed this job too desperately to call him on his obvious lie.Fifteen thousand gold could dig her out of the financial hole Derek had left her in.
“I should take a look at the patient.”
"Later,” J.J.said.“Our patient is already loaded and sedated."He gestured toward the back of the ambulance."I got everything set up before you arrived.We should get inside the ambulance.It’s almost time to roll out."
Farrah couldn’t think of a reason not to and with one last look around climbed inside the ambulance.
Someone inside the garage gave a signal, and every vehicle on the street started their engines simultaneously.The sound was like a mechanical orchestra tuning up, if orchestras included death metal, dragon roars, and what sounded like the Vienna Boys' Choir singing backup to motorcycle engines.
"That's our cue," J.J.said, and she caught the edge of excitement in his voice."Time to get our patient to Los Angeles."
The ambulance lurched forward as J.J.pulled into the stream of vehicles heading toward the nearest highway on-ramp.Farrah twisted in her seat to look through the partition window into the back, where their critical banshee patient was supposedly stabilized and ready for cross-country transport.
What she saw made her see red.
Son of a bitch.
The "patient" was a store mannequin.A plastic, faceless store mannequin dressed in a hospital gown with fake medical charts clipped to the stretcher rails.The IV bags were labeled as saline solution, but she could see from here that they contained what looked suspiciously like Red Bull.The medical monitors weren't even plugged into anything.The cords just dangled uselessly beside the stretcher.
I'm going to kill him.I'm going to use my medical training to kill him in the most painful, medically accurate way possible.
