Excerpt: Road kill

I stand with my back pressed against the door for a moment, grimacing and tugging at the collar of my coat.
“Uhh, Mary?” I call, my voice surprisingly dry in the long hallway, echoing for what seems like a long while before dissipating.
I wipe my brow with the back of my hand before taking a few steps forward and trying again.
“Mary, are you in here? We have a fresh one. A rabbit. You like working with rabbits best, don’t you Mary?” I say, attempting to coax her out gently.
“Not rabbits. You know I prefer human test subjects to petty road kill.” A bitter voice mutters, an inch away from my ear.
I jump in fright, turning to face her.
A thin woman emerges silently from behind me. Her hair is also black, but curls around her bowed head, covering her like a mask, and falling around her right down to her slim stomach. She wears a short dress, a deep crimson medical cross adorning her right pocket like a bloody mark. A leather strap containing many filled syringes and medical tools is fastened to her thigh, giving her easy access for when she needs them.
Her eyes dart upwards, her head still bowed.
“Oh there you are Mary, you gave me a shock! You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that!” I scald her, carefully choosing to overlook her last comment.
“It was you who failed to notice I was near.” She remarked quietly, turning away and drifting in the direction of the room in which the rabbit corpse was being held.