War of the Worlds, Chapter 9
By Lucky_Ladybug
Mark, Jack, and Amanda were almost out the front doors of Community General when suddenly over the P.A. system came Ellie's hysterical voice.
"Dr. Bentley to pathology! Dr. Bentley to pathology---immediately! There's been a bit of a . . . problem," Ellie finished in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"I wonder what that's about?" Amanda mused, looking up at the loudspeaker. She sighed. "Sorry, guys. I guess going to the mansion will have to wait a bit."
"Hey, that's alright," Jack said. "I'm curious about what Ellie wants myself."
The trio headed down the hall, and ariving at the door of the lab, went in. Ellie looked up with relief.
"Oh, Dr. Bentley, I'm so glad you're here!" she breathed.
"Ellie, what's the matter?" Amanda asked. "You're pale!"
"Well, Dr. Bentley, you see . . ." Ellie wasn't quite sure how to explain it. "Adeadbodygotupandranoutofthelab!" It came out faster than she had intended.
The three doctors were floored.
"Ellie, are you sure?" Mark said finally.
"Whose body was it?" Amanda asked.
Ellie thought frantically. "Mr. Montel's," she said. "He was laying right here!" She gestured at an empty slab.
"Mr. Montel," Amanda mused. "I examined him and pronounced him dead at noon!"
"Well, obviously, the guy came back to life somehow," Jack said. He grinned mischievously. "Or maybe it was a zombie." Amanda gave him a "you've-got-to-be-kidding" look.
"Ellie, where is Mr. Montel now?" Mark asked.
"I don't know!" Ellie wailed. "He took off running through the hospital! Mr. Briggs saw him too!"
"Norman saw him? And what did he think?"
"He turned pale and went back into his office," Ellie replied.
Mark hurried to the door. "Well, we'd better find Mr. Montel before he scares everyone in the hospital!"
******
Jack and Amanda were wandering down the corridors of floor 5, searching desperately for the "zombie," or whatever he was.
"Is it possible that you could've . . . mistakenly pronounced him dead?" Jack asked slowly.
Amanda sighed. "I've never made a mistake like that before!"
"Well, there's always a first time," Jack returned.
"I guess that's about all it could be," Amanda mused. "I mean, we know he couldn't be a zombie. They don't exist!"
Before Jack could reply, a sheet-clad figure tore past, arms outstreched, knocking over everything in sight. Several patients started complaining about the racket.
"That's him!" Amanda exclaimed. "Quick! We have to catch him!"
She and Jack chased after the elusive, apparently panic-stricken Mr. Montel.
"Mr. Montel! Please stop! We're not going to hurt you!" Amanda called. Mr. Montel didn't slow down at all and ran into a storage closet. The two doctors followed him in. Silence reigned.
"Where is he?" Amanda demanded, looking around. "There's no way he could hide in here . . ."
Suddenly brooms and buckets and mops flew at them from all directions. Jack grabbed Amanda and tried to shield her from the flying cleaning items as he attempted to open the door. It stubbornly refused.
"What's going on?" Amanda exclaimed.
"If I'm not mistaken, our friend Mr. Montel is throwing these things at us," Jack replied.
******
Norman was greatly disturbed when Mark told him that Mr. Montel was still at large.
"It's been over two hours now!" he declared. "Somebody should have been able to catch him!"
"Unless . . ." Mark paused.
"Unless what, Sloan?" Norman demanded.
"Unless the man is really dead," Mark said.
Norman just stared at him, then abruptly turned away. "Don't be ridiculous!"
******
Mr. Smith, meantime, was walking down the hall, presently invisible to everyone around him. He had heard about the strange events surrounding Mr. Montel and decided to try to find the man. He had no idea what was up with him, whether he was dead or not. But surely, if he was . . . wouldn't Mr. Smith have known about it?
Suddenly he heard a huge crash from the nearby storage closet. Quickly he rushed over and opened the door. Jack, Amanda, and about a hundred brooms, mops, and buckets tumbled out.
Mr. Smith gasped and quickly became visible. "Oh man, are you guys okay?" he asked. "What happened?"
They both looked pretty dazed from their experience. Finally Jack's eyes seemed to focus and he said, "That dead guy threw this stuff at us!"
"We don't know he was dead!" Amanda shot back. "He couldn't have been!"
"Well, then, where is he?" Jack demanded. "He should still be in the closet!"
"Maybe he is!" Amanda replied.
The three of them quickly peered into the closet. No one was in sight.
"I rest my case. It was a dead guy," Jack proclaimed. "There's no way he could've gotten away without our seeing him!"
"Ohhhhh boy," Mr. Smith said softly. "There's more to this than meets the eye."
Suddenly they became aware that they had an audience. They slowly turned around, finding themselves facing a man and woman, both looking at them intently.
"Did you say something about a dead guy?" the man asked.
Jack paused, then slowly nodded. "Uh, yeah. I did. Why?"
The man reached into his jacket pocket and removed a badge. "FBI Special Agent Mulder. This is my partner, Agent Scully." He indicated the woman. "We were summoned here by a Norman Briggs."
By Lucky_Ladybug
Mark, Jack, and Amanda were almost out the front doors of Community General when suddenly over the P.A. system came Ellie's hysterical voice.
"Dr. Bentley to pathology! Dr. Bentley to pathology---immediately! There's been a bit of a . . . problem," Ellie finished in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"I wonder what that's about?" Amanda mused, looking up at the loudspeaker. She sighed. "Sorry, guys. I guess going to the mansion will have to wait a bit."
"Hey, that's alright," Jack said. "I'm curious about what Ellie wants myself."
The trio headed down the hall, and ariving at the door of the lab, went in. Ellie looked up with relief.
"Oh, Dr. Bentley, I'm so glad you're here!" she breathed.
"Ellie, what's the matter?" Amanda asked. "You're pale!"
"Well, Dr. Bentley, you see . . ." Ellie wasn't quite sure how to explain it. "Adeadbodygotupandranoutofthelab!" It came out faster than she had intended.
The three doctors were floored.
"Ellie, are you sure?" Mark said finally.
"Whose body was it?" Amanda asked.
Ellie thought frantically. "Mr. Montel's," she said. "He was laying right here!" She gestured at an empty slab.
"Mr. Montel," Amanda mused. "I examined him and pronounced him dead at noon!"
"Well, obviously, the guy came back to life somehow," Jack said. He grinned mischievously. "Or maybe it was a zombie." Amanda gave him a "you've-got-to-be-kidding" look.
"Ellie, where is Mr. Montel now?" Mark asked.
"I don't know!" Ellie wailed. "He took off running through the hospital! Mr. Briggs saw him too!"
"Norman saw him? And what did he think?"
"He turned pale and went back into his office," Ellie replied.
Mark hurried to the door. "Well, we'd better find Mr. Montel before he scares everyone in the hospital!"
******
Jack and Amanda were wandering down the corridors of floor 5, searching desperately for the "zombie," or whatever he was.
"Is it possible that you could've . . . mistakenly pronounced him dead?" Jack asked slowly.
Amanda sighed. "I've never made a mistake like that before!"
"Well, there's always a first time," Jack returned.
"I guess that's about all it could be," Amanda mused. "I mean, we know he couldn't be a zombie. They don't exist!"
Before Jack could reply, a sheet-clad figure tore past, arms outstreched, knocking over everything in sight. Several patients started complaining about the racket.
"That's him!" Amanda exclaimed. "Quick! We have to catch him!"
She and Jack chased after the elusive, apparently panic-stricken Mr. Montel.
"Mr. Montel! Please stop! We're not going to hurt you!" Amanda called. Mr. Montel didn't slow down at all and ran into a storage closet. The two doctors followed him in. Silence reigned.
"Where is he?" Amanda demanded, looking around. "There's no way he could hide in here . . ."
Suddenly brooms and buckets and mops flew at them from all directions. Jack grabbed Amanda and tried to shield her from the flying cleaning items as he attempted to open the door. It stubbornly refused.
"What's going on?" Amanda exclaimed.
"If I'm not mistaken, our friend Mr. Montel is throwing these things at us," Jack replied.
******
Norman was greatly disturbed when Mark told him that Mr. Montel was still at large.
"It's been over two hours now!" he declared. "Somebody should have been able to catch him!"
"Unless . . ." Mark paused.
"Unless what, Sloan?" Norman demanded.
"Unless the man is really dead," Mark said.
Norman just stared at him, then abruptly turned away. "Don't be ridiculous!"
******
Mr. Smith, meantime, was walking down the hall, presently invisible to everyone around him. He had heard about the strange events surrounding Mr. Montel and decided to try to find the man. He had no idea what was up with him, whether he was dead or not. But surely, if he was . . . wouldn't Mr. Smith have known about it?
Suddenly he heard a huge crash from the nearby storage closet. Quickly he rushed over and opened the door. Jack, Amanda, and about a hundred brooms, mops, and buckets tumbled out.
Mr. Smith gasped and quickly became visible. "Oh man, are you guys okay?" he asked. "What happened?"
They both looked pretty dazed from their experience. Finally Jack's eyes seemed to focus and he said, "That dead guy threw this stuff at us!"
"We don't know he was dead!" Amanda shot back. "He couldn't have been!"
"Well, then, where is he?" Jack demanded. "He should still be in the closet!"
"Maybe he is!" Amanda replied.
The three of them quickly peered into the closet. No one was in sight.
"I rest my case. It was a dead guy," Jack proclaimed. "There's no way he could've gotten away without our seeing him!"
"Ohhhhh boy," Mr. Smith said softly. "There's more to this than meets the eye."
Suddenly they became aware that they had an audience. They slowly turned around, finding themselves facing a man and woman, both looking at them intently.
"Did you say something about a dead guy?" the man asked.
Jack paused, then slowly nodded. "Uh, yeah. I did. Why?"
The man reached into his jacket pocket and removed a badge. "FBI Special Agent Mulder. This is my partner, Agent Scully." He indicated the woman. "We were summoned here by a Norman Briggs."