I cross my legs under my desk and watch the night nurse on the security camera monitors. She’s packing up to leave for the night. Right now we have one patient here at Heron Lake Regional Hospital. One elderly woman in room 409. I told the nurse she could go home and get some rest; I would check up on the woman during the night. It gets boring being a security guard at a hospital. Having a ‘patient’ will make the time go faster.
She waves at the lobby camera – somehow knowing that I’m watching – before putting on her coat and strolling out into the cold November night. She pulls the door closed behind her and locks it. I yawn at the idea of yet another long night stretched out in front of me. Time for some coffee.
I make a cup and hold the steaming mug in one hand, fishing in my jacket pocket for my phone with the other. I open up spider solitaire. Time to beat my high score. I play for a few minutes but can’t really get into it. Ugh. I guess I’ll go check on the old lady. I pull myself out of my chair and start down the hall to the main stairwell, my shoes clicking on the linoleum. The only other noise in the building is the soft buzz of the fluorescent lights hanging above me. Their dim white light makes the whole building seem sterile and fake.
After climbing up one floor and going down the hall, I reach 409 and gently push open the door. The woman is asleep, her silvery, curly hair fanned out over the pillow. Well I guess that’s that. Not much to do here. I leave the small room pulling the door shut behind me. One set of stairs and a short walk later I am back at my desk. Where did I put my phone? I rustle through the few papers on my table and even poke my head underneath, but there’s no sign of it. Could I have left it in the old woman’s room? Huh. Just as I’m about to go back up and look, something catches my eye on the security camera. Or at least I think it does. It’s gone when I try to get a better look but for a second I was sure I saw a dark shape in camera 5. That’s the first floor main desk camera. But it’s deserted now. Yikes. I’ve got to start getting more sleep. I rub my eyes and look again. Nothing. Nothing in camera 5. In camera 1 however, there’s movement. The front door is wide open and swinging slightly. What the hell? How did that happen? Didn’t the nurse lock that? Whatever. I sigh and reluctantly get up again and head back towards the stairs. Down two flights and I’m in the lobby. Brrr. I shiver and walk up to the front door. It seems fine and the locks definitely haven’t been tampered with. I close the door and go to lock it. Then I realize the lock is already engaged. So she did lock it. But somehow it got open. Maybe she changed her mind and came back. I shake my head and lock the door for real. This is weird. “Um, hello?” I call. My voice echoes back to me through the empty halls. What was her name again? Ugh, I should know this. “Hello? Is someone here?” I call once more then decide to go back up to my desk where I can watch the whole building. If there’s someone here I’ll be able to see them from there. At least I’m getting an interesting night.
Back on the third floor I stop to pour out the cold coffee that’s sitting on the counter and fill the mug with fresh stuff. Walking to my desk I almost drop my coffee. As it is it splashes all over my hand, burning me but I can hardly feel it. I rush to the monitors. What is going on?! Every single screen is grey static except for camera 1. It is focused on the front door which is wide open again. I set my coffee down softly and sit down in front of the disabled cameras. A small warning bell starts up in my brain but I do my best to smother it. ‘Panic cannot be used’. I can hear my teacher’s voice in my head. Don’t panic. The door is just broken. I get up and head towards the stairs once again. There’s a janitor’s closet on the fourth floor where I can probably find some duct tape. This time I am moving quicker though. Despite my best attempts my adrenaline is up and a small shiver runs up my back as a bead of sweat heads down it. I force myself to breathe normally as I get to the top of the stairs and walk to the end of the hall where the closet is. The lights above me buzz and flicker as the wind outside whips against the lines.
Thankfully there is some duct tape so I grab it and turn to leave. As I’m passing room 409 I decide to check on the old lady. It’s nice to know there’s someone else in this building with me. I push her door open and see that she is still asleep, this time on her stomach, oblivious to everything happening. It calms me somehow and I walk over to her. The nurse told me to turn her over if she got on her stomach because it gets hard for her to breathe. I gently touch her shoulder not sure if I’m supposed to wake her up to do this. She seems to be deeply asleep so I carefully roll her over and my heart stops, the duct tape falling from my limp hand. Her throat and chest are matted with blood. The bed underneath her is covered with it. I promptly turn and throw up, falling to my knees next to her bed. Holy s***. Oh my god. My breathing comes hard and fast making me dizzy with its intensity. I wipe my mouth shakily and stare at a drop of blood on the floor. A second drop joins it, dripping from her hair. I swallow another round of vomit and force myself to get up, grabbing the bedside table for support. My trembling hand reaches for her. How? What? I can’t seem to form complete thoughts. The blood is warm and when I push her wet hair away I see that it’s pooling from a gash in her throat. I rip my hands away and stumble back. I can’t breathe. I can’t, I can’t… I stare at my sticky hands. They are shaking so hard my vision seems blurry. The tiny part of my brain that is still functioning forces me to stay conscious. I have to get out of here. The doorknob rattles in my weak grasp and I fall into the hall when it opens. My body feels like jello and I use the wall for support as I attempt to get to my feet. My legs start moving towards the stairwell but my mind is still in 409, the vision of the woman’s blank gaze burned into my brain.
I stumble down the stairs with the intent of getting to the front door and getting the hell out of here. When I reach the lobby, the door is closed for the first time all night. I run to it and pull, willing it to open but already knowing it won’t. The lock is stuck and there’s nothing I can do to get it open. The terror washes over me now, filling every inch of my brain and making my heart triple in speed. I trip over my own feet as I rush back towards the stairs. There’s an emergency exit on the basement level, I’ve seen it before. Blood pounds in my ears as I half run, half fall down to the basement, the door on the lobby level slamming shut behind me. The lights are dimmer down here and my eyes don’t want to adjust. I half look, half feel for the door handle and push with all my might, but it won’t budge. I slam my fist against it, sweat pouring from my chest and back. My hands are still covered in the old woman’s blood. The thought of her makes me dizzy and I slump to the ground, unable to hold myself up anymore. Tears mix with sweat and blood as I put my face in my hands. I hear the door at the top of the stairs click open and yet another wave of panic consumes me. My eyes roll back into my head and my thoughts dissolve into darkness.