Book Six: Chapter 176

They climbed up to the seventh floor, then stepped out into a foyer decorated with rainbow colors. A golden bell hung on a wall opposite where the receptionist, an older woman in a red Santa hat, sat. There was a plate of cookies sitting on the counter, so Lily took one.

“Peanut butter,” she announced. “A top-tier cookie choice, the best that healthcare can afford.” When she took a bite, she discovered she was wrong. “What the heck is this? It tastes like cardboard that is trying too hard.”

“It’s a hospital,” Death informed her. “Nut-free zone.”

“So then what flavor are these supposed to be? Regret?” Lily tossed the cookie into a nearby bin. “You seem to know your way around here.”

“I do.” Death was already moving down a nearby hallway. “In the first weeks of December, Tink convinced me that the Krampus was real and that I could catch him. Since children were his prey, she suggested I hunt where children congregated. I came here many times in order to hunt fo