Eudora leaves an exhausted Walton with his crew and heads to speak with Dr. Monroe. She tells herself she is going to pry answers from Vincent, one letter at a time, if it takes weeks, if it breaks protocol, if it defies security clearance, if it makes him writhe in pain, even if it kills him. The hallway is a rusty haze, jumbled thoughts filling her mind so thick they strangle her vision like weeds, the absurd rumors recalled from her days above ground, above this pit, the smirking whispers of foul things lurking in the dark, manmade horrors for the good of security, for the good of the people, furthering science and understanding. These were ghost stories told by grown men to break up the tedium of the day, to tease the fresh faces, ignorant to the truth in their lies. It’s all true down here. Down here where they have cast her, cast out from the light, away from the sane, ignorant world. Down here with the monsters and the undying things, weapons for an unimaginable war against God knows what… She arrives at Monroe’s room and realizes she has been running. After pausing to catch her breathe she enters the room. It will be eleven seconds before she breathes again. Monroe is not there. His bed is gone, as are his IV stands and equipment, even the uncomfortable visitor chairs have been removed. The air reeks of industrial disinfectant. The chemicals sting her nose and throat. Eyes watering, Eudora retreats from the empty room back into the hallway. She searches the small medical wing for signs of Monroe, at last finding a nurse bringing fresh linens to the other rooms.
“Where is Dr. Monroe? Where has he been moved?”
The nurse blinks before answering.
“They moved him,” she says with flat confidence.
“Yes. Where?”
“I don’t know. They didn’t tell me. They just took him.”
“Who took him?”
“A few of the guards. Half an hour ago, a group of them came here and wheeled him away.”
“And you let them?”
“I don’t see why not.” A microsecond of doubt crosses the nurse’s face before being absorbed back into her natural state of rote duty. “The doctors didn’t seem to mind.”
“They took the others, too? The other wounded men?”
The nurse nods. “Uh hm. All three. Poor creatures. It’s good they have company, we’ve really done all we can up here. Excuse me, please.”
Eudora wants to slap the woman across her slack, stupid face, but instead moves aside to let her pass. They got him, thinks Eudora, they took Monroe just like Raymond said they would. That her first instinct was to strike the nurse, an innocent woman, makes her wonder what Raymond’s reaction will be to the news of Dr. Monroe’s kidnapping.
Part 1:https://steemit.com/horror/@senderos/the-nightmare-song
Part 2: https://steemit.com/horror/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-2
Part 3: https://steemit.com/horror/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-3
Part 4: https://steemit.com/horror/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-4
Part 5: https://steemit.com/horror/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-5
Part 6: https://steemit.com/horror/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-6
Part 7: https://steemit.com/horror/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-7
Part 8: https://steemit.com/horror/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-8
Part 9: https://steemit.com/writing/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-10
Part 10: https://steemit.com/writing/@senderos/3fmcns-the-nightmare-song-part-10
Part 11: https://steemit.com/writing/@senderos/the-nightmare-song-part-11
Photo by Amanda CharchianStory by Daniel Capuzzi, 2016. All copyrights apply.