"Ahh!!" Just then, someone jumped out in front of his flashlight without warning, causing Gumshoe to jump back in surprise. Lately, whenever something like this happened, it was because someone had almost walked into him by mistake.

"...!!!"

He couldn't believe what he was seeing at first. A nurse!? B-But he'd never seen one standing this close to the rooms before! Not at night! He backpedaled, desperately trying to put as much distance between him and the woman as he could. What now!?

He didn't get very far before she suddenly charged at him, and without thinking, he reached for his revolver-- a-and then gave a half-shout when he remembered it wasn't there!

MOVE!

He darted to the right, but he wasn't fast enough. The blades had, without a doubt, slashed his lower left arm, which he had raised to shield his face, and he could feel pain blazing across his left shoulder as well. Gasping in shock, he blindly aimed a low kick at his attacker's right leg in a last-ditch effort to knock her off balance.

Little did he know then that he had already been stabbed in the left shoulder.