*****
Ann did not find Keith that first day, nor did she find him the next. The people at the hospital all said that they had seen him around recently, but none could say exactly when. It was driving her crazy. Near the end of her second tour of the hospital, she once again passed Mr. Miller’s room and was drawn inside.
"Miss Ann." The sound of his voice made her wince a bit. She was unsure what to make of him. Somehow he managed to creep her out and make her laugh at the same time. And then there was the whole demon speech from yesterday. She also couldn’t shake the feeling that they had met before
“Hiya,” Ann said, and gave him a halfhearted wave.
“Come over here. I have something amazing here," he said, quickly waving his one good arm, beckoning her. He reminded Ann of a four-year-old who wanted to show off his latest toy. "Look. Look. Look." He pointed to a television screen showing the hospital welcome screen. Relaxing photos of happy doctors and patients moved across it.
"Um, so?" Ann asked, a bit baffled.
"The pictures. They move by themselves! No moving parts whatsoever. It’s brilliant!"
"You mean the TV? You've never seen a TV before?"
"No, never. Are they common? What fantastic things! I was impressed with the electronic candles but when the nurse turned on this box..."
"You really don't get out much do you? Look, here, let me show you." She snagged the remote from the bed-stand and changed the channel. A talk show was on.
"Ah. It has more than one picture? Wait, are they actually inside there?"
Ann shook her head. How could someone not know what a TV was? "No, it’s television. It's a show recorded someplace else and then played back here."
"Like a camera with moving pictures." Miller was breathless. "How many shows can it do?" He said the word “shows” slowly. It must have been his new word of the day.
"Oh, sometimes hundreds at once.”
Miller’s jaw dropped. "That is truly amazing! Now if it could only make sound. Music maybe."
Ann rolled her eyes, smiled, and pushed up the volume.
Miller gasped.
Ann sat down in the empty chair by the bed and for a moment they sat in silence, absorbed by the TV.
"Thank you for showing me this," Miller said.
"Oh it’s no trouble. I figure one of the nurses or techs would have shown you. No kidding, you've never seen a TV before?"
"I do not ‘kid’ you. This is a first for me." He paused, glancing back at the screen. "People must never leave their houses!"
Ann shrugged. "Actually, that is kind of an issue."
"I guess that I missed it. I have been away for a bit."
"Really? How long?"
"Let us just say a long time and leave it at that." Miller’s grin was back on his face.
"Right," Ann said, "Whatever. Look, I have to go. Apparently, I've become my ex-boyfriend’s stalker and I need to finish up my rounds."
Miller’s face was suddenly serious. "Ann, you will think I am mad for this, but please do something for me."
"I make no promises, crazy man."
"Just stay away from Dr. Black. She is very dangerous and it would be a shame for a nice young lass like you to be injured." There was genuine concern in his eyes. “Perhaps stay away from this whole area for a few days.”
"Look, I've known Vanessa Black for a few years now. She's a bitch, but she's harmless."
"Take my word, Ann. That person you knew is no longer with us. Just give her some space." He tapped the cast on his right arm. “I’ll handle her in a few days, once I get this off."
Handle her? Good lord, this guy should be in the psych ward. She stepped away, wondering for a moment if you could catch crazy.
"And on that bizarre note, I'm out!”
She gave Miller a quick wave and dashed out of the room. She wondered why she had stopped there in the first place.
Moving on down the hall, she poked her head into the last few rooms with open doors. This was getting crazy. She was becoming a stalker. Obviously Keith was hiding from her, and if he was too much of a coward to face her, what could she do?
“Okay then, one more floor and then back to work, and Keith Malone? You’re dead to me.”
It wasn't the “great telling off” that she had planned in her head, but it would have to do.
She headed past a nurses’ station where Vanessa Black was talking to a nurse. She paused, wondering if she should warn her. Just because she really didn't like Vanessa didn't mean she wouldn't feel horrible if, a few weeks from now, crazy man managed to get out of traction and attacked her, thinking she was some kind of monster.
“Umm, excuse me Dr. Black. I think you should know something.”
Vanessa silenced her with an open hand and finished talking to the nurse. They were chatting about American Idol. For a second Ann considered storming off but then held her peace. Finally turning to Ann, Vanessa said, “Now Miss Melakh, what can I do for you?”
“Look, I just wanted to warn you, the patient in room 269…”
“Let me stop you right there.” Again Vanessa put her hand in front of Ann's face. “I've heard you’re looking for Dr. Malone. I know you and he had a relationship in the past. However, this does not give you the right to run around my hospital bothering my staff and my patients.”
“Hey, listen, you...”
“No. You listen,” Vanessa shouted, the anger slipping into her voice. “If I see you in here one more time, I will call security and have you dragged out of here.” The sentence seemed to end in a snarl. The two women stared at each other..
“Fine,” Ann turned to leave, “Bitch.” She stormed to the nearest elevator, pushing past the two nurses getting out. As the doors closed, Ann gave Vanessa the middle finger and slammed the button, not for the ground floor, but for the basement.
“You won't be rid of me that easy.”
She had actually never been in the basement. She had first imagined that Keith was just working, not avoiding her, but now she was going to widen the search a bit. The elevator stopped and as she stepped out, another woman plowed into her. They tumbled, forming a mass of arms and legs on the floor.
She was young, dark-skinned, and a bit overweight. Her hair was done up in dreads and she wore a FedEx uniform.
“Are you okay? I can...” Ann asked, pushing herself up and offering the woman a free hand.
The woman ignored Ann and dashed down the hall. Ann watched her run, heading for the stairway. Turning around, she caught sight of a familiar-looking nurse who winked at her, waved, and entered a room on the right. Glancing back and forth between the fleeing figure and the nurse, Ann shook her head.
“Okay, that was odd,” she said aloud.
Heading down the hall, a bit shaken, she noticed two orderlies farther down the hall. The two massive, hairy men nodded at her as she passed. Their huge uniforms could barely contain them, as if they had shrunk in the wash.
“You new here, fellas?” she asked in passing. The man on the right, who looked vaguely Asian, simply grunted. “Not much for talking then. I'll just move along.”
This looked like a psych ward. At least that’s what her extensive movie-watching experience told her. Mean-looking orderlies? Check. Lots of rooms with locks on the outsides and windows to peek in through? Check. Crazy people, like the woman by the elevator? Check.
She glanced into a room at random. Through the window she could see a man in a straight jacket, drooling. Double-check. There was no way Keith was hiding here. It was way too creepy for that big chicken. Ann decided to turn back.
Just as she was about to head back to the elevator, something slammed hard against the door of one of the rooms, making the door vibrate in its frame. Curiosity got the better of her and she walked down the hall and put her head to the glass.
“Oh my God.
”
Inside was a man, or at least something like a man, completely naked. Black scales like a snake’s covered most of his chest and shoulders. One arm was massive, its knuckles dragging on the ground. Foam sprayed from his mouth and his eyes were jet-black. From his back jutted one massive bat-like wing, which flapped aimlessly. The man-creature, whatever he was, was in a rage. He smashed the door with his oversized fist, tossed himself to the ground, and then flung himself against the door again. He seemed to be screaming, though the room was apparently soundproof, as no noise reached Ann’s ears.
She stared, wide-eyed, at the thing. Was it a man with some kind of new disease? Was this even possible? A wing?
Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulder and flung her back, slamming her into the wall across the hall. Black spots briefly blurred her vision. When they cleared, Vanessa Black was over her, her face misshapen with rage.
“Vanessa, what the hell...urk,” Vanessa’s right hand latched on to Ann's neck and lifted her off the ground. The wind had been knocked out of her and her lungs instantly started to burn. Her feet dangling, she grabbed Vanessa's arm, desperately trying to get free and breathe.
“I know what you’re doing,” Vanessa said, “and he is mine. Mine!” The “mine” was more scream than speech. Vanessa's hand suddenly seemed to bulge and the skin split. Underneath, Ann could see the same black scales that the man in the cell in front of them had. Vanessa growled and tossed Ann down the hall. She flew a good fifteen feet before hitting the ground and skidding to a stop.
Ann lay on the cold floor for a second, panting. Vanessa was standing over her, her hand now a huge black talon. She rubbed her claws together, creating a sound disturbingly like nails on a chalkboard.
“Be happy the law keeps me from killing you.”
Vanessa's words seemed to knock Ann out of her shock. To put it plain and simple, she lost it. Picking herself up, she took off at a mad sprint down the hall. There was no screaming. She didn’t have air in her lungs for more than running. She ran past the two orderlies, who had watched the exchange, unimpressed. She ran past the elevator and made a sharp turn at the stairway, flying up the stairs two at a time, following a similar path to the woman before her. She didn’t stop running for a very long time.
In Ann’s panic to escape, she did not notice the extremely tall blind man in the old suit and ruined old top hat leaning against the building. As she ran by, a large, toothy grin appeared on his face.
Chapter 6 - The Morning After
Colours – 2 Pie Island - 2 Bit Pie