"May we come in, Miss Maki?"
I glanced at Maki, but she didn't seem to notice anything amiss as she responded.
"Of course."
The door opened gently and three people stepped in, the first looking shocked to see me.
"Oh. You're awake."
I scratched my neck awkwardly, hoping my cold sweat didn't show.
"Yeah, just woke up not long ago."
She smiled at that and walked in briskly.
"Well, that's some lovely news, isn't it? Come on, ladies, let's not bother them for long."
Both she and a nurse pushing a cart walked toward me, with the last nurse picking a tray from it and heading toward Maki.
I quickly considered my options before they reached me.
'There's a two out of three chance the monster is on my side, though since Maki was the original target there's also a huge chance the monster is her nurse. Of course, there's also the worst-case scenario of more than one monster appearing.'
I should have informed Maki about this before they came in, but I had been too busy panicking. Still, she'd survived the attack in the novel. I reckoned she would be fine.
I looked at the nurses approaching me, trying to find any weird signs or tells that they weren't human. Nothing. They both acted normal, which was to be expected. There was no way it would be that easy.
That left me with only one way to find the skinwalker—using my ability on them. I had to be in contact for that to happen.
The moment they reached me, they split. The one I presumed to be the doctor or head nurse started checking my vitals, while the other nurse picked up a tray from the cart and set it beside me.
"So how are you feeling now?" the doctor asked, fiddling with the machine.
I knew a chance when I saw one. I gave a weak cough before replying, to better sell it.
"I feel a bit feverish and dizzy. I retched a bit when I woke up too."
The doctor frowned at that, touching my forehead with the back of her hand. Her frown deepened at the contact.
"That's strange. Your vitals look normal and your temperature feels fine as well. Your tests came out fine too."
I didn't pay much attention to her words. I activated Error Sense the moment she made contact. I hadn't changed the definition of perfection, so there was no need to visualize.
The buzz started immediately, but it was so faint I could barely tell it was there.
'So it's not the doctor.'
I glanced at the nurse beside me. She was fiddling with something on the tray before catching my gaze with a faint smile and pulling out an IV pack. Shifting my gaze to Maki's side, she was already eating off her tray, her nurse sitting beside her and talking about something.
The doctor brought my attention back.
"Hmm… When we're done here, I'll have you run some more tests. How's that?"
I returned my gaze to her, tapping the bed while thinking of ways to touch the nurse.
"Ah, yeah, I think that's fine."
The doctor nodded, looking back at the displays.
"How bad are your symptoms?"
I snuck a glance at the nurse again. She was fiddling with my drip, likely preparing to inject something into it. I looked back at the doctor before replying.
"Oh, I think it's gotten a bit better. It was a lot worse when I woke up."
The doctor looked satisfied with that. I moved to sneak another glance at the nurse, but this time she caught me, smiling knowingly.
"Are you scared? You keep sneaking glances at Nurse Anya."
Thankfully, the sounds of fiddling from behind me stopped at that. I didn't know what she was planning to put in my drip, it could have been poison for all I knew.
Still, the doctor's words gave me an idea. It wasn't a very good idea, and it would be embarrassing as hell, but I wasn't about to let a little shame stop me from catching a skinwalker.
I scratched my arm awkwardly, giving the doctor a wry smile.
"I'm not scared. It's just… Nurse Anya is really pretty."
I blushed from actual embarrassment the moment I said it. The room went completely silent, even Maki and her nurse pausing their conversation. The doctor broke it first with rapturous laughter.
"Awww… Anya, what do you think of that?"
Anya flashed a brilliant smile while chuckling.
"I think it's cute."
She started to turn back toward the drip. Before she could, I lunged and grabbed one of her hands, activating my ability the moment we touched.
"I'm serious, Anya. I think you're gorgeous."
Cold sweat soaked my pits as I held her arm, my embarrassment gone, replaced by stone-cold terror. The heavy droning, buzzing, and crackling coming from her was so strong I could almost feel myself vibrating.
'It's at least ten times worse than mine. And she doesn't look remotely sick either.'
There was no doubt about it. Anya was definitely a skinwalker.
She broke the silence with an awkward chuckle.
"I think you're a lovely boy, Victor, but you're a little too young for me."
She pulled her hand back, and I released it immediately. It would be weird if I just let her go without saying anything.
"Uh. Y-yeah, just think about it. Alright?"
She gazed at me, her black eyes sending shivers down my spine. Alien thoughts hid behind that mask, completely unreadable to me.
She gave a slight smile before turning back to the drip.
"Alright."
The doctor gave my shoulder a soft punch.
"You've got serious guts, I'll give you that, boy."
"Thanks…"
I brushed her off with a dismissive laugh, my gaze still fixed on Anya. There was no way I'd let her mess with my drip. I already knew what needed to be done. There was a rather sharp knife on the tray. Still, I hesitated.
I'd beaten people before and been beaten half to death as well. I'd done a lot of bad things, but murder was not one of them. I understood she was a monster just wearing human skin, but I also understood that the moment I killed her, I would cross a point of no return. Perhaps it was for the best. This was the sort of world I found myself in. Be it human or monster, as long as they threatened my survival, I would have to make that choice.
'Alright…'
I picked up the tray, using it as cover to grab the knife.
I snuck a glance at Anya. She was holding a syringe, tapping the drip bag. I looked back at the doctor with a smile, pointing at the tray.
"What's in it?"
"Oh, it's—"
I lunged, ripping out my drip and latching onto Anya's back. She let out an inhuman screech, elbowing my ribs with enough force to stagger me. I wheezed, nearly losing my grip, but held on for dear life.
Before she could try again, I stabbed her in the throat, face, eyes—anywhere my hands could reach. She slammed me into the wall repeatedly, but I only tightened my grip. She tried slamming me into the ground, and I made sure she stayed there using my weight.
After struggling fruitlessly, she resorted to scratching, elbowing, and punching. Luckily, she was much weaker now. Her attacks grew weaker and weaker until they stopped completely.
A panel popped up in front of me.
[Noble Hunter, you have slain a Fledgling Whelp: Skinwalker]