it in . Roads impassable . Eight feet of snow not to mention the freezing temperatures .
The place was quiet , no family members visiting , nothing unusual . Voices echoed in this place so no need to search every room for the living-and-breathing ones . Sandy rode the elevator to the basement . She assumed Callie would be there like she always was , still working , making sure everything was ready and waiting for the next person . Sunlight oozed through the basement ’ s halfwindow and the furnace whistled despite the immediate chill Sandy felt as she crossed the threshold . No Callie .
Sandy checked the gurneys and their accompanying reports to see if she knew any of the recent dead . Lloyd Bennett . Martha Conrad . Benjamin Kramer . Nope . She didn ’ t know any of them . As always , Callie ’ s reports were impeccable and so organized . Every blank filled in , spelling and grammar perfect . Then Sandy noticed two empty gurneys . Unusual . Gurneys without bodies where bodies were supposed to be were no-no ’ s . They had strict procedures to follow and empty gurneys in the basement wasn ’ t one of them . She ’ d need to find out what was going on . Just a glitch , she reasoned . But there was something even more unusual . Another gurney sitting alone in a far corner . There was a body on it encased in a body bag .
“ Well , why are you here all by your lonesome , huh ?” Sandy pushed it alongside Mr . Kramer and reviewed the report . It was dated today , the time about thirty
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