A thin, emaciated figure dragged himself across the threshold of the cafeteria. He was covered in dried blood and looked as though he hadn't eaten in a week. "Finally ... made ... it." The man promptly lost consciousness.Ash pushed the bowl away, spying the man just as he collapsed. Without a further word, she rushed to his side. He shifted his head revealing a pattern of bruises as though someone had attempted to strangle him. Ash quickly pulled away and even tore at the parts of the man's clothing at his neck, wrists, and waist. She checked for a pulse and in an authoritative voice, spoke seemingly to the very air, "Elliot, alert the trauma unit I'm bringing a male huumunn, age indeterminate. Suffering from dehydration and unknown injuries."
"Trauma unit alerted, Mirandahh. Do you require a gurney?" Elliot-7 relayed the information and query with the practical efficiency only a computer could achieve.
"Yeah, get a stretcher or something in here, fast."
"Done, Mirandahh."
The man's eyes fluttered open for a second and he spoke in a pained voice, "It's ... not my ... blood. Attacked in ruins ... blacked out ... came to ... attackers ... dead."
Shad glanced at the barely conscious man. "What ..." He walked over to him cautiously. "Think I remember him from a few nights back.
Ash flashed a light in his eyes and checked for dilation. She spoke quietly to the man. "Can you stand, brother?"
The man winced as the light obviously intensified his pain. He managed to rasp in a hoarse whisper, "Used ... last ... strength ... get here."
Shad glanced back at Ash's patient. "I don't think he can." He listened in on the other conversations while keeping an eye on the fallen man.
"Shh ... shh, don't worry." Ash reassured the weakened man as she tried to straighten out his limbs. She used her ever present Med-kit to prop his legs up. Ash pulled out her stethoscope and listened to the man's heartbeat. She quietly fired off his vitals to Elliot.
The savory aroma mingled with a sweetness that could only mean baked goods drifted on the air. An extremely loud growl emanated from the emaciated man's stomach. "Should have stayed ..." He rambled, "Wish I knew ... what happened."
Two orderlies rushed in with a stretcher and set it up next to the prone figure with careful and practiced precision. The man was quickly hoisted up and onto the stretcher. He winced despite how careful they were. Ash grabbed her kit and followed them out of the cafeteria.
Ash had forgotten all about the decent food as they entered the ER. She continued talking to Elliot. "Multiple contusions seen at the right and left temples..." Her litany continued, lost in a string of medical jargon as they parked the man in Exam cubicle A. An IV cart was wheeled in and filled with an electrolyte concoction that promised quick rehydration once the nurse found the man's vein.
She checked his limbs for broken bones. "He's going to need a CAT scan, and possibly an MRI. I don't want to do much else until we know what's happening inside his head."
"X-ray has been alerted." Elliot-7 informed her. The nurse nodded and off they all went again, this time to the second floor as the patient fluttered in and out of consciousness.
The elevator pinged open to the second floor. The semiconscious man was wheeled to the big machine and slowly propelled into the tunnel. The machine whirred to life, taking pictures of his brain and skull. Ash called out, her voice oddly echoing in the tunnel. "Gonna be okay, just a few more minutes."
Her patient rasped back, "Not ... going ... anywhere."
Slowly, as always, the machine whirred to a stop and sent the man back out. The orderlies transferred him back to the gurney as Ash studied the pictures on the light wall. "Okay," Ash spoke to the orderlies, "His head looks okay. Clean him up and put him in a room. Keep him on the electrolytes. I'll come back and check on him in an hour." The nurse that had followed, nodded and went to prepare everything with Elliot's help. Ash found herself as she'd started ... alone and with nothing better to do. She checked on a few patients before wandering back downstairs.
==
A quaking whimper passed through Abra Linn as she pressed back against the wall. The smell of a savory stew reached her nose and a tear trailed down one of her angular, high-boned cheeks, frustrated at the fear that stopped her from getting any of what was creating that wonderful smell. "Stop it! Stop it. . ." She chided herself as she leaned back against the wall and sharply knocked her head against it once or twice. The ceaseless trembling of her hands a sign to the paranoia eating away at her sanity.
The veiled stranger watched Abra for a few moments and then walked over to her.
"Oh ..." So the fears were valid all this time, Abra reasoned to herself. She never did consider the Klonopin a help. She quickly skittered away.
As the veiled stranger approached, he spoke quietly yet harshly to Abra, "Is there a problem?"
It took all of her strength not to stutter. Abra deepened her voice in a feeble attempt to intimidate him, "Go ... away!"
The reply though spoken gruffly, was acquiescent. "Fine."
She backed up further, gritting her teeth. She slipped into a sitting position, knees drawn up, arms curved around them. She rocked, slowly, incessantly, back and forth.
Shad shrugged and glanced at Abra. He noticed her confusion and recognized madness. He shivered slightly as dark thoughts invaded his mind. Shad walked quietly to the door. He turned back to glance about for a moment and shuddered slightly. A tint of horror crossed his face as though something flashed by his mind and then was gone. "Perhaps everything should've been destroyed instead of leaving survivors. Fate..." He shrugged quietly. "Such a funny and fickle thing it is." Shad frowned slightly, "Fate ... Why won't you leave me alone?" With an expression of despair as though haunted by something, he exited quietly followed by a roar of a dirtbike outside.
For some unknown reason, Ash found herself back in the cafeteria, maybe if only to smell the food Bliss made. A few moments later Azreth stepped into the cafeteria. His feet tapped lightly upon the floor as he hummed some discordant melody. Azreth gave a slight nod to Ash as he walked and she gave a nod to him in return. She paused, watching the stranger who'd entered when she was there earlier. His face was still obscured by a veil as he hungrily wolfed down a plate of food. He quickly refilled his plate as though in fear that such a feast wouldn't be offered again any time soon. Unexpectedly, the man turned to look at Ash and walked over to where she leaned against the wall.
"Mirandahh, did you hear?" The mysterious man spoke quietly and pulled down his scarf enough to reveal a hint at his true identity. Ed slipped it back into place and put a finger to his mouth.
To her credit Ash didn't betray Ed's secret. With a look of surprise instead she hugged herself tightly, her voice dropping low, "What should I be hearing?"
Ed revealed in a soft voice, muffled by the scarf, "I shot the freeman, Garth."
Her head snapped around, ice blue eyes trying hard to pierce the veil. "What?"
"Come now, Ash, I thought you were quicker than that."
Her eyes narrowed at that, not liking the jibe. "He was just here. He didn't look shot to me."
"That's just it. He never looks shot. The guy's a monster." Ed murmured. His voice lowered to a whisper. "He killed a little kid. I watched the boy die. The kid said that there were more of them. He killed at least four of five."
Ash worked her jaw a moment, then managed quietly, "You watched the kid die?"
"So did your friend, the one-eyed man."
Ash felt her spine stiffen. "Why are you telling me this?"
==
Quentari, stumbled down the stairs wearing a strait jacket. He tore into the hospital lobby, screaming in terror, "Help! Someone!" He struggled against the strait jacket binding his arms to his sides as he searched for a familiar face. Quent frequently glanced over his shoulder as he moved down the hallway toward the cafe. He'd managed to throw his body weight past a doctor and an orderly on the floor above. As he entered the cafeteria, Quent glanced back again and saw they were following ... and catching up. "Help, I've got to find the doc! Where is she? She can help! Someone's gotta tell them I'm not crazy!"
Terra strode down the hall from the second floor in search of a cup of tea. She walked into the cafeteria and came to a stop when she saw Quent. Upon catching sight of Terra, he grew more frantic. "DOC! You've gotta help me!" The orderly caught him and slammed him to the ground with a dull thud. "DOC! I'm not crazy, help!"
Terra looked at Quent somewhat warily as he struggled against the orderly. Quent looked at her for help, "Doc, they say I'm crazy! You've gotta help, tell them I'm sane!"
Terra saw Quent struggling with the orderly and sighed. "I ... am not one who can make that judgment.
"But ... but, I'm not. I'm not crazy; I don't even know how I got in this room."
"Quent, you tried to attack your doctors ... For what reason I wouldn't even start to know." Terra shook her head. "I deal with treating injuries and such."
Quent stopped struggling and looked at her with an expression of terror. "I what?"
"Quent, they are merely trying to stabilize you. When they feel it is okay, you will be released."
"But I am stable, I'm fine!"
"Apparently your doctor doesn't think so."
"You're my doctor." He looked around and his voice took on a conspiratorial tone, "I ... I don't like that new man. He keeps on asking about daddy." He looked at Terra. "I don't like talking to him. He keeps asking about my father." Suddenly growing violent, he shouted at her, "I don't want to talk about my father!"
"Quent, your ... father?" She gestured to the orderly to allow him to sit for a second. Terra took a step back as the orderly went to sedate him.
Quentari slowly sat up, looking at the orderly with an evil gaze. "NO. No more medicine!"
The orderly spoke in a low tone to Terra. "We need to get him back up to Psych."
"Quent ... you need to calm down." Terra soothed.
Quent tried to get to his feet and get away from the orderly. "I'll calm down when I get out of this damn thing!"
Another orderly joined the first one in subduing him. "Perhaps if you didn't display that behavior..."
"No." Quent thrashed around struggling to get back to Terra. "I don't want to talk to that man, I want to talk to you! He shifted his gaze to the second orderly. "Maybe if I wasn't in this thing I wouldn't act like this!"
"Quent. Calm down ... Quent, you weren't in it when you attacked with a knife."
Quent stopped struggling abruptly. "What's the use, no one cares anymore. Not after how I acted." He started to cry. "I'm sorry mommy."
Terra shot a look to the orderly. "Quent ... It will be okay. Go back to your room and I will stop by to check on you."
"Bye daddy." He giggled through the tears. "No more medicine."
He looked at Terra as though she were a stranger. "I want to talk now! And I don't want to talk to the man, I want to talk to you. You're nice."
Thinking they should have given him heavier sedation, Terra tendered a smile. "I am glad you think so."
Quent hung his head. "I don't want to talk to him. I don't like them. You're nice, not me, we're not nice." He began to rock back and forth as he giggled "I want to talk to you, not us."
Terra chewed on her lip a bit as she regarded him. She lifted a brow at the us.
Quentari smiled. "But I stopped him, stopped one of us ... I stopped the medicine. I don't want to talk to any of us. Just one of you, a nice one of you." He smiled through the tears.
"Quent." Terra smiled softly. "You need to go to your room. I will check on you later."
"When's later?"
"I will come up to your room when you are back and settled in."
"As soon as possible?" He pleaded, looking around. "Well, I ... I guess."
"Yes. Soon. I ... I promise." The experience was starting to take a visible toll on Terra.
Quentari looked at Terra before he was taken from the room. "I'm sorry."
Terra smiled. "Quent. I will check on you later."
Quentari collapsed limply on the ground and began to chatter incoherently. The two orderlies grabbed him on either side and led him to the corridor leading to the psych ward. His voice trailed off into the corridor. "... Sorry ..." He giggled, "Medicine ... Better ... Daddy."