Thicker Than Water

I know because I asked every last one of them.’

‘Anything you could make out?’

‘One word, someti ~makmes. It sounds like “more” or “ma”. The rest is just gibberish.’

More? Ma?

‘Mark,’ I suggested.

Nurse Ryall nodded. ‘It could be that. Why?’

‘Because Kenny here -’ I pointed to the other bed ‘- had a stepson named Mark who died last year. Fell or jumped off a high building. And it hit Kenny hard - at least, according to some.’

Which explained nothing. I needed more than I had: needed a thread to follow through the maze, but Nurse Ryall had given me all she had.

And she was well aware that I hadn’t returned the favour.

‘What is it?’ she demanded. ‘What is it really?’

‘Demonic possession,’ I said, deciding not to beat about the bush.

She gave a pained, incredulous laugh. ‘What, and you’d know?’

‘I’d know. I’ve seen it before.’

‘With two people? Two people at the same time -’ she groped for a phrase ‘- hooked up to each other like this?’

‘No,’ I admitted.

‘Well, then—’

‘Last time it was two hundred.

The entire congregation of a church in West London. They all caught a dose of the same demon, and they all went out into the night to do unspeakable things to each other and to anyone else they met. I know about this shit, Charge Nurse Petra Ryall, because this shit is what I do for what I satirically call a living. They’re both possessed, and it’s one entity that’s possessing them. I don’t know what, and I don’t know why, but I might have a way of finding out. Is anyone else likely to come in here?’

She stared at me, her face a menagerie of misgivings. ‘At twelve. When the shift changes.’"

"‘Okay.’ I slid my hand into one of the paletot’s many inside pockets and took out my tin whistle. ‘Watch the door. If that cop makes a move, even if it’s just to scratch his arse, or if anyone else comes along, let me know. You’ll probably need to shake me or punch me in the shoulder or something. I may not hear you if you just whisper.

Or even if you shout out.’

Nurse Ryall looked unconvinced, but she nodded.

I turned the chair beside Kenny’s bed to face me and sat down on it the wrong way round: there was no telling how long this would take, and if it dragged on it would be useful to have something to rest my elbows on.

Nurse Ryall watched me with uneasy fascination. ‘You’re going to do an exorcism?’ she asked.

‘I’mƒt sina going to try,’ I said. Then I shut her out of my mind.