Chapter 1

But you see, it’s not me

It’s not my family

In your head, in your head, they are fighting

With their tanks, and their bombs

And their bombs, and their guns

In your head, in your head, they are crying

In your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie

What’s in your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie, oh

Sophia Blanc sang into the mic, her voice booming from the speakers in the club. Behind her Mike, Stella, Rosa and Nate played the instruments.

The crowd in the blue and red-lit club sang along with her as they danced on the cleared dancefloor.

Rosa and Nate strum the electric guitars. They called themselves the Copycats, it was a befitting name since they never performed original songs, she as the lead singer was comfortable with singing her favorite songs while the rest of the band played along. They had formed the band in med school, Rosa had heard her singing after one of their lab works and had immediately told Mike and Nate about her voice and they had invited her to join their band. Stella joined them when they got their jobs as nurses at St. Peter’s hospital. Soon they became nurses by day and musicians whenever they were free. The band kept their friendship strong and since neither of them had much free time in their busy schedules to write original songs, they were content with her covering popular songs. Ricky and Luis, the owners of the club in which they performed every Friday night, also appreciated their performance. They allowed them play every Friday night since the clubgoers enjoyed their performances too.

Sophia, shook her head as she gripped the microphone tight in her hand and the pink wig in a bob cut moved around her face with her movements.

 In your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie

What’s in your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, ay, oh, ya ya…

The crowd echoed her singing. Soon the song came to an end and the entire room exploded in a deafening round of applause. She bowed and removed stray pink hair from her face. Behind her Stella, Rosa, Nate and Mike yelled, raised their hands and cheered with the crowd. Rosa came up behind her and patted her back.

“Wow, girl, that was another good one.” She hugged her. “Does your throat hurt?”

Sophia laughed. “A little. I’m going to sit the next song out.”

“Alright girl, take a break. You really went all out with that one,” Rosa patted her back again.

She fixed the mic back on the stand and climbed down the stage as the rest of the band started playing another song. As she passed through the dancefloor some of the clubbers complimented her voice like they always did. And like always some offered to buy drinks for her.

“Sophia, let me buy you a drink. Anything you order is on me.”

She chuckled as she glanced at the middle-aged man who held her arm as she passed. His head was covered with grey hairs and he was missing two teeth.

“Pappy, I’ve told you one thousand times I’m not spending your money,” she said affectionately.

“You can’t blame an old man for trying,” he said.

It was almost routine for them to have this conversation after every performance.

She gently withdrew her hand from his and made her way to the seat Ricky always reserved for the Copycats every Friday night. It was hidden in the shadows away from the crowd which she liked. Pulling out her phone she turned it horizontally and searched for a game to play to keep herself busy while Mike, Stella Rosa and Nate finished performing. They didn’t join her at the table, instead, they joined the dancers on the floor and danced to the music blasting from speakers set up on the walls of the club.

This was how they spent their Friday and Saturday nights, unwinding at Ricky and Luis’s club. While the rest of the Copycats excelled at partying, she was satisfied with just singing and waiting to go home. It wasn’t for lack of a dance partner that she secluded herself, if she wanted one all she had to do was step into the dancefloor and hands would be reaching out to grab her.

Stella, like always, was already hooking up with a guy right on the dancefloor. Sophia kept an eye on her as she played her game. Stella was the wildest of them all when it came to partying and it was up to the other members of their group to keep an eye on her- actually it was her job to keep an eye on everyone.

By Monday however, they were back to being professionals.

At twenty-four she was working her way up to Clinical nurse specialist, working on a master’s degree to earn it. Nate was actually the only doctor among them. Stella, Rosa and Mike were also working on their masters.

Her wig discarded on Monday, she pulled her thick black unruly hair into a ponytail and folded it in to form a small puffball. She, Stella and Rosa quickly discarded their casual clothes and changed into their scrubs. Throwing her stethoscope around her neck she left them in the changing room and stepped into the halls that had the lingering smell of disinfectant. There were folders already waiting for her on the table by the time she arrived in the office she shared with Rosa. She quickly glanced through them and then selected the one at the top to begin with.

The patient’s name was Freddie, age 7.

She suppressed a groan as she took his folder and read through his reports.