by Amy Cross
“She's had a rough couple of nights,” Sharon replied, as she checked the extent of the damage to Rachel's face. “Didn't think she was gonna turn into a runner, though. Come on, we need to get her back into bed, and then I need you to promise me you won't tell Nurse Winter about any of this. She told me to keep a special eye on Rachel right now.”
“Sure, but -”
“Promise!”
“I promise,” Elly replied, as she took hold of Rachel's feet, ready to lift her up. “I need to find Nurse Winter, though. I have something to tell her.”
“I'm sure she'll be fascinated.”
“I might be leaving,” Elly added.
Sharon took hold of Rachel's shoulders, but after a moment she seemed to register what Elly had just said. “What?” she asked, staring at her.
“I know this is going to sound crazy,” Elly continued, “but I got offered a job interview at St. Michael's. I haven't got it yet, but if I do... I mean, nothing's definite and I guess I might end up staying here, but I should let her know that there's a chance I'll be moving on. I'm so grateful to her for hiring me, but at the same time...” She paused. “Well, you understand, right? If you got a chance to leave Middleford Cross, wouldn't you take it?”
“I would,” Sharon said cautiously, clearly worried about something, “but...” She adjusted her grip on Rachel's shoulders. “Just don't get carried away, girl. You haven't left yet. Now lift with me on three. One. Two. Three.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Receipt, receipt, receipt...”
Looking through yet another pile of papers in one of the hospital's abandoned rooms, Nurse Kirsten Winter finally let out a sigh as she tossed the papers onto a nearby desk. Checking her watch, she saw that it was almost 3am, which meant she'd been searching for a couple of hours without taking a break. She was exhausted and ready to stop for the night, but at the same time she felt she had to keep going. That one piece of paper had to be somewhere in the building, and she knew that eventually she'd find it.
And then she'd find Annie Radford.
“Let's see what we've got here,” she muttered, grabbing another box and tipping its contents onto the table. Finding herself face to face with yet another pile of papers, she grabbed the first few and started leafing through them.
Her eyes almost glazed over as she saw yet more receipts, this time for taxis that had been used to transport patients. After a moment, she realized she'd barely been paying attention to the names, so she started going through them again, determined to be thorough.
“Kelly Lewis,” she read out loud, trying to keep herself awake, “Donna Mackenzie, Alison Shawcross, David Trent, Cooper Laudstone, Annie Radford -”
She froze.
Staring at the piece of paper, she felt as if her heart was about to burst out of her chest. After a moment, her hands started to tremble, but she still didn't dare move, didn't dare disturb the moment in case the miracle fell apart.
“Annie Radford,” she whispered, setting the other papers down and turning so she could see a little better in the light from her flashlight.
She quickly read the page, as a growing sense of hope began to rise through her chest.
She'd found it.
Finally.
“Receipt 08785,” she read, before seeing that the date, from just a few years ago, matched perfectly. “Use of a hearse for transportation of a...” She froze again, unable to believe what she was reading. “For transportation of the deceased,” she continued, as all the color began to drain from her face, “from Middleford Cross mortuary.”
She sat in silence for a moment.
“No,” she said finally. “No, this can't be right.”
She turned the paper over, but the reverse was blank. Looking at the print side again, she was barely able to keep from panicking as she read the details over and over, but slowly she realized that the truth was right in front of her.
“Annie Radford died,” she whispered. “She died in the fire here, she -”
Hearing a faint creaking sound from the doorway, she looked over, but there was no sign of anyone.
She waited.
Silence.
Looking back down at the receipt, she read it several more times, trying to commit the most important details to memory. Finally, once she was done, she grabbed an old metal trashcan and dropped the receipt inside, before taking a cigarette lighter from her pocket and reaching down. She set fire to the receipt and watched as it started to burn.
“No!” a voice shouted.
Getting to her feet, Kirsten was just in time to push Mary back and keep her from getting through the door. Slipping past her after a moment, Mary dropped to her knees and tried to grab the receipt, but she was too late. The flames had done their job and all that was left was a small pile of ashes.
“Hello, Mary,” Kirsten said with a faint smile. “Now, didn't I tell you right at the beginning of all this that I'd be the one who got to the truth first?”
“What did it say?” Mary asked, picking the ashes up and watching in horror as they slipped between her fingers. After a moment, she turned to Kirsten. “What did it say?” she screamed. “Tell me!”
“Oh, now let me think,” Kirsten continued. “There was quite a lot of information on there, I'm not sure I can remember it all. I tried to memorize it, but there's only so much space in this pretty little head of mine. I suppose I shouldn't have burned it, really, but I didn't want it falling into the wrong hands.” She took a step back. “Of course, I imagine there might be a few more documents relating to that particular item of information, although it would take you months, maybe years to find anything. No, I rather think I struck lucky.” She paused, staring at the ash that continued to fall from Mary's hands, and this time a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes. “Of all the possibilities I envisioned, this was not one of them.”
“I was listening to you,” Mary hissed, clearly filled with anger. “I heard you reading out loud. You said Annie...” She paused. “You said Annie died!”
“Did I?”
“She didn't die,” Mary continued, “she can't have died! I'd know it if she died!”
“Would you? Last time we spoke, you were the one telling me that Annie was dead, although I suspect you were simply trying to put me off the scent. Turns out, you were right.””
“Don't test me!” Mary snarled, still on her knees by the trashcan.
“Why not?” Kirsten asked. “After all, you're just a mad old woman living in the ruins of a burned-out hospital. Forgive me, but you don't exactly seem very menacing. I'm sure you were more impressive back in your glory days. How old are you now, anyway? By my calculations, you must be well over a hundred. I guess some of your earlier experiments have been keeping you alive.” She turned and headed to the door. “I win, you lose. Goodbye, Mary. Enjoy scrabbling through the dirt. I have something very important to do. I have to go to Annie's grave and -”
Stopping suddenly, she realized she could hear Mary getting to her feet. She paused, trying to decide how to handle the situation, before turning and seeing that Mary was now right behind her.
“I see,” Kirsten said finally. “You know, Mary, for a weak old woman desperately clinging to life, refusing to accept the inevitable, you can actually come across as a rather tragic figure. You and your former husband seem to have shared this determination to stay alive. Or is it fear? Do you fear death so much, you refuse to succumb?”
“Where is she?” Mary asked firmly.
“Who?”
“Don't play games,” Mary continued, her voice sounding a little distorted now as more and more of her old accent began to come through. “Where is Annie Radford?”
“In her grave.”
“Where?”
“Well, that was on the receipt,” Kirsten explained. “It said exactly where her body was taken, and where it was buried, and...” She paused. “Oh, but I burned that, didn't I? So the only -”
“Where is she?” Mary shou
ted, stepping closer as her eyes filled with anger. “Tell me now, and I might spare your miserable life!”
“And the mask slips,” Kirsten continued, forcing a smile. “Let me guess, the weak old woman act was just a convenient way for you to slip about unnoticed. The truth is, you're just like me. You want to find Annie, or as it turns out her corpse, and you knew the truth about her whereabouts was hidden here somewhere. Whereas I took a direct route to finding that information, you preferred to loiter and scavenge, to let others do the hard work.” She paused. “Then again, scavenging has always been your preferred method of getting things done, hasn't it?”
“Where is she?” Mary asked. “Tell me, or I'll tear the information out of you.”
“Turning to threats now, are you?” Kirsten replied. “What are you going to do when that doesn't work, burn the hospital down? Again?” She smiled. “That didn't work so well for you last time, did it? What were you trying to do, scare Annie into giving you the information you wanted? You might have tracked her down before me, but you blew your chance to get her on your side. Now it's my turn.”
“You're not leaving this room until I know what was on that receipt,” Mary said firmly. “Tell me where I can find Annie Radford!”
“Or what?” Kirsten asked, taking a step back. “Come on, you mad old bitch. Do your worst.”
Letting out a cry of anger, Mary rushed forward. Before she could get too close, however, Kirsten stepped aside and then grabbed her by the shoulders, slamming her head-first into the opposite wall and then pushing her limp body down to the floor.
“You've annoyed me for long enough, Mary,” she muttered, staring down at the crumpled heap by her feet. “I think it's time to get you out of the way permanently. After all, we all have to die some time.”
***
Mary's eyes flickered for a moment, before slowly starting to open. A second later, she heard a loud bumping sound that echoed all around, and she began to sit up.
“Careful,” Kirsten said from the other side of the thick glass window, “you don't want to ignite all that oxygen.”
Stopping suddenly, Mary looked around and saw that she was in a hyperbaric pressure chamber. She turned to look toward the far end, but the door had been shut, and when she looked down she saw that she was wearing an old, brown hospital uniform.
“You're in a chamber filled with oxygen,” Kirsten explained, “and for some reason that I can't quite remember, I decided to slip you out of your old clothes while you were unconscious, and into that lovely polyester outfit. It's quite flattering, and it has the benefit of not being encrusted with your foul bodily fluids. The only downside is that it could generate quite a lot of static if you make any sudden moves. Or, indeed, any substantial moves at all. If I were you, I'd be scared to so much as flinch.” She smiled. “We all know what would happen if there was a spark inside that oxygen tank, don't we? Boom.”
“Get me out of here,” Mary stammered, trying not to panic as she looked around. “Are you insane?”
“No, I'm perfectly sane,” Kirsten replied. “What's more sane than permanently getting rid of one's latest enemy?”
“This won't change anything,” Mary continued, starting to sit up. “If you want to -”
“Stop!” Kirsten said suddenly. “Mary, really... Think about it for a moment. You're a scientist, for God's sake, so act like one. Every time you move, you risk igniting the oxygen around you.”
“We could work together,” Mary replied, her tone suddenly becoming more desperate, almost pleading. “It doesn't have to be like this, we could help each other.”
“I don't need your help.”
“So you know where Annie's buried,” Mary continued, “so what? Go there, dig her up, what will you achieve?”
“I think we both know,” Kirsten replied, “that Annie Radford was well aware of our interest in her. After she left Lakehurst a few years ago, she and her male friend spent a considerable period of time studying the radio signals that were being used at the asylum. They managed to pinpoint the source, and it's my belief that they were then able to work out what was really going on at Lakehurst. After all, once they went through Doctor Rudolf Langheim's papers, they would have realized that his science was at best flawed, and at worst outright fake. His experiments shouldn't have worked, but they did work, somehow, which means something else must have been influencing the outcome.” She stepped closer to the glass window. “I believe that Annie, and her friend Kieran before he died, had worked out exactly what was happening at Lakehurst. I believe they knew how to harness that power, too, and that's why I had to track her down. Now that she's dead, I must go to her grave.”
“Let me out of here,” Mary hissed, “and we can work together!”
“Annie wouldn't have let her knowledge die with her,” Kirsten continued. “I thought I could track her down and persuade her to talk to me, perhaps with a little special treatment, but now...” She smiled. “I can only conclude that her grave must hold the secret. After all, she knew I was looking for her by the time she was admitted to Middleford as a patient. There's something you don't know, Mary. Shortly before the fire here at this hospital, Annie got a message to me. She said something was after her, which I suppose must have been you. She said she had something for me, but then she broke contact. I came here looking for her, by which point she was gone. Now I understand why, but I'm sure she made arrangements. I just need to find her body.”
“Please...”
“I promise I'll think of you,” Kirsten added, “when I finally uncover Annie's message and get to the bottom of all this. I'll think of you and I'll remember your face as you burn...”
“No!”
“Don't get angry now. You might set off a spark.”
“Let me out of here!” Mary shouted, reaching up and banging her fists against the inside of the glass. As she did so, several sparks of static flickered through her clothes.
Kirsten didn't even flinch as she watched the chamber fill with flames. Instead of turning away, she simply stood and watched as Mary's burning fists continued to bang on the window for a few more seconds. After a moment, however, the fists stopped and rested against the glass, and the flesh quickly began to sear and burn away. The window was already heating up thanks to the fire on the other side.
Suddenly a face emerged through the inferno as Mary screamed, but the flames had already begun to consume her flesh. Her face turned slightly, before she slumped down and disappeared into the heart of the inferno.
“Yes,” Kirsten said with a smile, “I'll definitely remember your face when I find Annie's grave. Fortunately, I know exactly where it is, so...” She turned away from the chamber and headed to the door. “Goodbye, Mary. Forgive me if I don't shed too many tears, but I'm a busy woman. I think my time at Middleford Cross might be drawing to a close.”
***
“You're going to be just fine,” Sharon whispered as she finished applying a fresh set of bandages to Rachel's face. “Try not to do this again, though. There's really no need to panic.”
“Where's Nurse Blackstock?”
Turning, she saw Kirsten standing in the doorway. “Her shift ended half an hour ago,” she replied. “She headed home. You might still be able to catch her at the bus stop, though.”
“No, it's fine. I'll wait until tomorrow.” She turned to head to her office.
“She might be leaving,” Sharon added.
Kirsten stopped, before looking back over at her.
“Seems Doctor Carmichael set her up with a job interview at St. Michael's,” Sharon continued, with a faint smile. “Hard to believe, huh? Another few days and she might be out of here for good.”
“No,” Kirsten replied, clearly shocked by the news. “No, that definitely won't happen. I need her for something else.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Thanks,” Elly replied, grabbing her bags from the counter and making her way out of the store. “Have a great day!”
It
was still dark outside, and all she wanted was to get back to her apartment and sleep through the morning and afternoon, ready for another night shift in twelve hours' time. As she made her way along the sidewalk, she began to realize that the constant night-shifts meant she'd barely seen sunlight at all over the past couple of weeks, but she'd become accustomed to being something of a nocturnal creature. Still, the thought of getting a new job at St. Michael's was enough to put a spring in her step, and for the first time in months she felt as if she might be able to put the past behind her.
Reaching the bus stop, she set her bags down and pulled her phone from her pocket. She kept telling herself that she'd have to stop these ridiculous imaginary calls to her mother, but she figured the time for that would come when she had her new job and was able to make friends. Real, actual friends. For now, she needed to at least pretend that she had someone who'd listen.
“Hey,” she said, holding the phone to the side of her face, “it's me. I just wanted to tell you that I'm heading home soon and I had a really good shift. In fact, I got some great news tonight. I might be able to switch to a much better job at a better hospital.”
She smiled as she imagined her mother congratulating her and telling her she deserved success. As she pretended to listen, she glanced at a man sitting on one of the benches, and she realized that he could probably hear her every word.
“Yeah,” she continued, unable to stifle a faint smile, “I know, it's hard to believe. I mean, it'll be a lot of work, but I feel ready. Do you remember that friend I had a drink with last week? Well, he told me I need to focus on the future, and it's going to be difficult but...” She paused. “For some reason, he seems to have believed in me, so I figure I should at least take this opportunity.”
She watched as an ambulance drove slowly past, and she imagined her mother congratulating her some more.
“I don't want to get ahead of myself,” Elly added finally. “I don't actually have the other job yet, there are a lot of hoops to jump through, I might get knocked back but... Well, anyway, we'll have time to talk about it when I get home. I just... I guess I just wanted to let you know the good news, that's all.”