The pain! The pain is killing me. Where am I? What has happened? Why am I covered in blood? No — now the red flickering is coming back, and the painful pounding in my head.

Angelica walks along the canal, looking out over the water. How lovely to finally be on holiday. This year I'm just going to take it easy, rest and read lots of books. Forget all the stress at work. Yes, I'm going to go for a walk every day too. It's so beautiful here along the canal, and in this whole part of our little town.

Angelica picks up a small stone from the path and throws it into the canal. A little splash, and then she watches the rings spread across the surface of the water. She picks up another stone and throws it in. The water gleams like a mirror, and the sun's rays reflect off the water so she has to squint to keep from being dazzled.

She stands with her eyes closed for a long while, feeling the warmth of the sun against her face. Imagine if it could be like this all the time. Getting to decide for yourself what your days look like. No nagging about deadlines and presentations and reports that have to be handed in. No no no! No work, I said. Away with those thoughts!

Angelica opens her eyes and slowly begins to stroll on along the canal. She decides to buy some coffee and a pastry at the café next to the hospital. Then she'll sit down on a park bench in the hospital park and enjoy herself.

Angelica leaves the path along the canal and cuts straight up through a small patch of woods. It's the quickest way up to the hospital. She stops. Someone is coming towards her. Who is that? God, how silly I am. People walk here all the time. But… There's something wrong with him. Why is he wearing a hospital gown? He looks confused. Maybe he wants help?

Angelica walks up to the man to ask if he needs help. She barely gets her hand on his shoulder before he throws himself at her. He bellows hoarsely and lunges at her face.

"Let go of me, you fucking idiot! HELP, HELP!"

Angelica fights back, but he's too strong. She falls onto her back and the man lands on top of her. Terrified, she stares into his cold, empty eyes as she struggles to break free.

"Help, help. Please, somebody help me." Angelica screams as loudly as she can.

The man snaps at her face, but she raises her left arm to shield herself. He bites down on her forearm and bites off a piece of it. Pain shoots up her entire arm, and Angelica is paralysed with terror and pain. This isn't happening, this isn't happening, she repeats to herself.

Angelica comes to her senses and starts tearing, thrashing and hitting to get free. The man seems completely unaffected, even though she manages to land a few blows to his face. But then, quite suddenly, she sees the man stop. He looks down, and his empty gaze clears. He looks shocked and surprised.

Angelica shoves him away and gets to her feet. She runs as fast as she can towards the hospital. Once she's covered some distance, she glances back quickly. The man in the hospital gown is walking down towards the waterfront promenade.

Just a few dozen metres to go and she'll be at the emergency entrance. Her head is spinning, and a searing pain shoots through her body. Everything is starting to blur.

Only a few metres to go.

Her head is throbbing. Must be blood loss and shock.

When she comes through the door and sees the desk with the nurses inside the ER, she collapses forward and everything goes black. Just before she fades away completely, she hears footsteps running towards her.

Angelica is lying in a hospital bed. She doesn't have the strength to open her eyes, but she lies listening. A few doctors or nurses are standing outside her room, talking.

"Did you hear she got bitten by that man who escaped from here? The one who'd picked up some strange infection on holiday."

"What, is that true ?"

"Yep! And her blood pressure and pulse have dropped the same way his did. Now it's so low she really shouldn't be alive. But she is, just like the other one was."

"That's completely insane. So he gets infected, escapes, bites her, and now she has the same infection? It's only been a few hours since she was bitten. How can it happen so damn fast?"

"No idea. We've taken loads of blood samples, so we'll see what they find. One thing's for sure — whatever it is, it's extremely contagious."

"She's kind of creepy. I went in there to restock supplies. She stared at me with a completely empty, glassy stare. Looked like she'd jump me at any moment. I more or less threw everything into the cupboards and ran out of there."

"Yikes!"

That's all Angelica hears. The red flickering before her eyes and the hard pounding in her head come back before everything goes black again.

Why am I lying here? Who is that lying over there? It looks like the man who bit me. Where is my husband?

Angelica wakes up again. Her head hurts and it's hard to think. It feels mostly like porridge in her head, and she can't manage a single clear thought. She opens her eyes. To her surprise, she isn't in the bed. She's walking down the corridor. Doctors, nurses and patients are screaming and running away, or staring at her in horror.

Angelica raises a hand to steady herself against the wall. Her hand and arm are bloody. How did that happen? She looks down at her body. The entire upper half of the hospital gown is covered in blood. She tastes the metallic tang of iron in her mouth and touches her face. Her whole face is bloody. Angelica feels panic bubbling up inside her. This has to be a nightmare. What's happening?

She tries to call for help, but the only thing that comes out of her mouth is a rasping hiss. She tries to clear her throat and tries to shout for help again. All that comes out is a rasping hiss this time too. Everyone she approaches turns and runs away from her as she draws near.

"Don't go anywhere near her. She's already bitten several other patients and staff. Police are on their way."

Angelica turns towards the voice. Behind a small reception desk stands a security guard. Angelica feels irritation and anger rising in her. An irresistible craving comes over her to bite the man. To tear chunks of flesh from him and swallow them.

Angelica starts walking towards the man. He dashes into a room behind the desk and shuts and locks the door behind him. Angelica wrenches and pounds at the door, but she can't get in. She peers through the little window in the door. Inside stands the guard. He's holding a broken chair leg in his hand. The chair it came from lies shattered on the floor in front of the door.

Angelica turns away and starts walking towards the exit. The headache is unbearable, and soon everything goes black again.

Officers Kent and Sten step out of the police car outside the hospital. They watch people run out of the entrance in panic. They look at each other and then start walking towards the entrance.

"The woman we're looking for has bitten several people in there, and we need to be careful. She's presumably carrying a highly contagious virus," says Kent matter-of-factly.

"You're kidding?"

"No! It's the same woman who was bitten by another infected man down in the park yesterday. You know, the one Kalle and Jonny shot down on the boardwalk."

"This is insane. And now she's running around biting people at the hospital?" Sten stares wide-eyed at Kent.

"Yes, and it's not getting any better. Kalle and Jonny have been dispatched to the ravine. Apparently someone saw two badly injured people lying down there. One of them was wearing a hospital gown."

"Could it be the one they shot earlier? The one who bit the woman we're arresting now? That would be completely insane."

"It doesn't look good." Kent scratches his cheek the way he does when he's thinking. "Nothing ever happens in our little town, and now this. Can you remember both patrols ever being sent out at the same time, other than New Year's and stuff like that, to talk to drunk teenagers?"

"No, never. I've never drawn my gun from its holster once in eight years here, either."

"Me neither, and I've been working here for nearly fifteen years."

"Look, there she comes!" Sten points towards the entrance with his left hand while putting his right hand on his pistol and flicking off the safety. He doesn't know why he's doing it, but this time it felt right.

"Police! Stay where you are and get down on the ground!" Kent's voice booms, commanding.

The bloodied woman keeps walking towards them.

"Stop and get down!" Kent shouts even louder.

Sten draws his pistol and holds it down along his leg. He moves a few metres out to the left, beside Kent.

"Stop, or we'll shoot!" Kent draws his pistol too and aims it at the woman. Sten raises his as well.

"Final warning. Stop or we'll shoot."

The woman keeps coming towards them. Kent fires a warning shot into the ground next to her, but she doesn't react at all. He aims at her left thigh and fires again. The woman doesn't react to that either. She keeps limping forward towards Kent and Sten.

Kent hesitates and backs up a few steps before stopping again. He fires a shot into her other leg, but she doesn't stop. Sten and Kent fire several shots at once into her body. She just keeps coming. Now she's only about two metres from Kent.

"Shoot her in the head!" Sten screams at Kent.

Kent raises his pistol and fires two shots at her head. The woman falls dead, and the slide catches open on Kent's pistol. The magazine is empty.

I hear something. People are coming this way. My voice doesn't work, can't scream for help. I see them. Two police officers. The same officers who shot the man lying next to me. Hannah raises her hand towards the approaching police officers.