Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen novel Chapter 327

The moment Eileen's words hung in the air, the lobby by the elevators fell into an eerie silence.

The people that had been clustered around Renee retreated as if on cue, leaving her lying alone on the floor, a solitary figure in a ten-foot radius of empty space.

Janice, already terrified, yanked a pack of antibacterial wipes from her backpack and started scrubbing Eileen's hands with the fervor of a woman possessed.

The force was so great Eileen thought her skin might come off.

Eileen was taken aback. If it weren't for the audience of onlookers, she would have burst into laughter.

Janice was being adorably foolish.

Shaking her head, Eileen turned to the others, only to find them mimicking the frantic hand-wiping.

Good grief, didn't anyone know the first thing about how diseases spread?

An old lady, standing a good distance away, cupped her mouth and yelled towards Renee, "Why the heck are you wandering around with AIDS? Did your doctor even give you the all-clear? Does anyone know if this thing is airborne?"

Most folks had scant knowledge about HIV.

Why would you randomly look it up unless you had to?

A couple of guys in the crowd knew that HIV wasn't airborne and that checking one's pulse wasn't exactly a diagnostic tool for it.

But they clammed up, fearing that speaking out would somehow link them to the disease.

Renee was flabbergasted, stammering out a defense, "I...I don't have...I don't have AIDS..."

But no one was listening, and the crowd even backed away further.

It was AIDS, not the common cold – why risk it with a stranger who might be infected?

People scattered, and someone went to call security to have Renee escorted out.

Within minutes, security showed up in full protective gear – face shields, goggles, and surgical masks.

From a safe distance, they asked, "Who here is contagious?"

With a collective point of the finger, all eyes turned to Renee.

Looking pale and distressed, Renee, who was somewhat of a public figure, couldn't let such a smear stand.

Forgetting her feigned stomach pain, she quickly put on her mask, sunglasses, and hat, and dashed through the crowd towards the exit.

Janice had already stopped caring about Renee's departure.

She was too busy attempting to scrub Eileen's skin raw.

Eileen, exasperated, pulled her hand back, "Enough."

But Janice insisted, "No way, we need to get you cleaned! She could be seriously ill!"

Then, turning to the security staff, she pleaded, "Hey, could you hand us some sanitizer? We need to soak our hands!"

Eileen just poked Janice in the forehead, "Silly girl."

"Argh!" Janice clutched her forehead in mock agony. "More sanitizer, more sanitizer, I need to wash my face, I gotta wash my face!"

Eileen was done with Janice. She walked over to the hotel manager, whispered something, then pointed to the surveillance camera in the elevator's corner.

Back in their room, Eileen explained to Janice that Renee didn't have HIV, and Janice finally snapped out of her daze, muttering, "Oh, she doesn't have it..."

Eileen couldn't help but notice Janice sounded almost disappointed.