My nostrils were constantly invaded by the sterile aroma of disinfectant.
The scent was everywhere: in the air, on my hands, on the floor. It seemed to be an essential part of my environment here at the hospital. I'd been in this accursed place for so long that I didn't know any other way. The fluorescent lighting was uncomfortably bright, white, noisy; it made me want to shut my eyes and plug my ears. I didn't want to be here. I had no choice.
I sighed as I looked around the room. It wasn't much more than a simple box with a bed, and a chair adorned with teal and pink cloth patchwork to simulate a friendlier atmosphere.
Another deep breath through my nose.
The smell made me sick, but I couldn't stop breathing it nonetheless. There would be no point in panicking so early into my shift, so I steadied myself by reaching for the metal bar beside my bed. I clutched it tight, closing my eyes and trying to focus on the dull hum of the lights, hoping to drown out the screeching sound of the door opening.
"Good morning," said a familiar voice. "How's our girl today?"
I opened my eyes and saw Dr. Vapulus standing over me. He smiled. His hair was on the short side, ash blonde, like mine. His suit was still as impeccable as ever. Near blinding. White.
"A-ah... good morning." I tried to hide my strained expression as best as I could. The doctor was a young man of mystery. I'd known him for years, and he always greeted me with the same warmth and enthusiasm. However, I knew nothing about him except that he worked here, and that he used his natural charm to hide the fact that he was a predator.
"It seems that we have a new patient today."
He placed a hand on my shoulder, and I tensed up. I didn't like being touched by strangers, especially not someone who had been inside my head so many times before. "F-fantastic news," I muttered, stiffening under his firm grip. I knew what those long fingers were capable of doing, and I didn't trust them.
"Let's go see her, shall we? She'll be pleased to meet you."
I nodded. I didn't need to be told twice. I quickly fell behind his broad-shouldered figure as he strode away from me, leading the way to the next room. I wondered whether he could feel my nervousness, or if he simply thought it was because of the patients and their fate. Doctor V. opened the sliding door and swept aside the soft pastel curtain with a wave of his hand.
"Come along, darling."
Ignoring the unwelcome 'darling,' I followed his lead and stepped into the small room, carefully folding my hands across my lap as I looked around. It was a single bed, unmade, and occupied by a young girl. Her hair was dark brown, with curls and waves that were well cared for. She was surrounded by pastel-colored cushions and pillows. I could see she was sleeping peacefully.
"She's one of the new ones," the doctor whispered.
I nodded, "How far along?"
"I'm not sure. She hasn't been examined yet. She was brought in unconscious."
"Hmm… Well, let's wake her up, shall we?"
The doctor closed his eyes, and I did too, just for a second, as we concentrated on entering her mind.
***
I landed softly, the excessive ruffles of my nurse-uniform styled dress fluttering gently in the air around me. I stood still for a moment, listening to the sound of the air moving past my skin, and then I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. This wasn't my first time visiting the dream world - not that I would call it that, were it up to me. This world was a strange and magical place, full of all kinds of oddities and superficial delights, but mostly it was filled with horrors. I swallowed, glancing down at my gloves, the patchwork of cloth hiding the corroded skin and deformed bones that my fingers had long since turned into.
I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as I steadied my composure. With a little shake of my head, I began to survey the surroundings for Dr. V. and my new patient, whom I was there to see. As I searched, I noticed that the air felt heavier somehow, and I heard a faint ringing in my ears. I frowned, shaking my head as I looked around again. I wondered how many more of these visitations I would survive before, eventually, I too would end up as fuel for the facility.
I shuddered at the thought. The surrounding scenery was becoming blurry, and my heart was beating rapidly, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. My mouth tasted metallic and stale, and my hands shook. "Doctor?" I called, but there was no answer.
I ran a trembling hand through my hair and took another deep breath. My eyes scanned the ground, looking for any signs of Dr. V.'s presence, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I forced myself to breathe evenly, calming my nerves as best I could. I began to search for the girl when abruptly a light shone brightly above me, blinding me momentarily. I shielded my eyes against the sudden glare, squinting.
"It's alright." A familiar voice said softly.
I sighed, readying myself for what was to come and nodded. "You may lead the way, Doctor."
"Of course."
I moved cautiously forward, trying to get my bearings as I headed toward the light source. As I got closer, I realized that the light was coming from the girl, sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. Watching me. She was rolled up in a myriad of the ever-present pastel blankets of the hospital. Her body had long since lost its original shape and form, a surreal blending of flesh and fabric, now forming a sickening cocoon around her.
The girl smiled slightly as she waved a droopy hand to welcome me.
"It is nice to meet you. I see you are warm and comfortable," I lied through my teeth with an attempt at a friendly smile. "I am your nurse," I assured her, pointing at my nurse's cap that sat snugly upon my ashen blonde hair.
She nodded. "It's very nice to meet you too. I am glad that you're here. I'm afraid I don't feel so good," she explained, sadness and regret thick in her voice. My feet carefully carried me closer before I put a gentle arm on the girl's shoulder - or, what resembled a shoulder beneath the mad stitching of quilting squares that had merged with her flesh.
"What's wrong? You can tell me if you need something," I urged her, placing a gloved hand over hers.
She sighed heavily before she leaned forward, her voice low as she spoke. "I am not sure what happened. I remember going to bed last night. It must have been about eleven o'clock because my alarm went off this morning, but when I woke up, I found myself like this."
I nodded along as if nothing odd was taking place, then shot her a bright smile. "You woke up quite cozy, though, huh?" I accentuated my surreal words with a gentle pet of the fabric; the material of the glove covering my fingertips gently ran over the thick threading. Bumpy, such terrible stitching... a brutally thick thread too.
She winced slightly as she responded, "It's a bit more than cozy... and it's a lot less than fun," she admitted with a slight grimace. "I think I've been here a while."
She seemed quite cognizant of her current ailment already. I had to distract her quickly.
A nervous giggle escaped me, "Well, if it's fun that you want, why don't we play a game?" Quickly swallowing away the bitterness that was threatening to overwhelm me, I lifted both of my gloved hands before her.
The girl looked at me curiously. "What sort of game?"
"We'll stop time!" I declared gaily, controlling my voice as best as I could.
"Oh... okay," she agreed hesitantly, seeming a little confused by my statement.
I placed one hand on her shoulder and held my other palm toward the girl. "First, you need to keep your eyes on my gloves."
She nodded. "Okay."
"Good," I replied, closing my eyes and focusing. I imagined a barrier between her and me, preventing her from seeing anything but my hands. I already felt his presence closer. The bright light illuminated the girl, and I instantly knew he pulsated with excitement already. I continued to push my consciousness further until I could feel the entire room. I opened my eyes, slowly moving my other hand off the girl's shoulder and closer to her face. Her bright pupils followed my movement.
This part was always the hardest - as the light grows in 'excitement,' the surroundings of the 'dream world' would reveal themselves and quite literally scare the little girls shitless. There were not enough pastel blankets, pillows and curtains in existence to hide the amalgamation of hospital equipment merged with the bones and bodies of the facility's previous victims. Every inch of space was covered with tubes, machines, and bandages. In every direction, there was only pain and suffering. I reached out with my free hand, taking the girl's soft face into my palms. I looked deep into her eyes as she held mine in her own. It took everything within me to ignore the corner vision of a painfully familiar strand of hair, strung between an IV stand and the wall.
I felt Dr. V's presence almost immediately, eager to get on with his nightmarish work. I pushed him back, fighting his desire to break through the barrier between us. In this world, his greed, hunger, and impatience weren't hidden beneath such a handsome face. He was only light here. I didn't have the time to ponder upon the meaning of that as I gently grasped the temples of the girl's head and closed my eyes.
The light swelled around us, stinging my eyelids. I focused on keeping it out, pushing back the darkness and the reality of my situation. This poor little creature would melt under the weight of Dr. V's hungry gaze once he was allowed to take control. So I forced myself to focus on the small details; the texture of her skin, the smell of her hair, the warmth of her body against the fabric of my gloves and the abomination of flesh melded with bones beneath them. Someone had to hold the girls in place when the doctor broke down their physical form and pulled them apart like the pages of a book. Unfortunately, that someone was me; and by the gods, these girls would be forever grateful that I was the one who stopped time for them. My eyelids drooped and the light began to seep in, the little girl's face melting into a blur as her skin began to glow. I forced my mind back to the task at hand, trying to remain as present as possible. I felt Dr. V's presence suddenly growing stronger as he pushed harder. I gritted my teeth as I tried to ignore the urge to let him in, fighting to maintain my grip on what was now a blazing beacon of coalescence between the pastel-colored quilt blankets, skin, hair, and welded bone.
I couldn't help but notice a slight trembling of what was left of the girl's body as I fought to hold the moment in place, but I knew I had no choice. The girl-shaped beacon had already ate the white fabric of my gloves, and started to attack my nightmarish hands. I wished that the nightmare-appendages replacing my forearms would dampen the pain, but I yet found myself blinking away tears at the sharp sensation of my fingertips being consumed by the light.
"I'm sorry," I told the girl, struggling to keep her face in focus.
I didn't know if she heard me or not as I watched her fingers turn into ghostly wisps and then disappear entirely. They left behind only a mass of grey, deformed bone crumpled around patchwork quilt pieces. She would make a fine new floor covering for the ward, I thought absently. As the light continued to grow more intense, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. I raised the disgusting sight of my hands to shield my eyes, "Are we done here, doctor?" I asked tiredly.
***
"Yes, very good," he replied, stepping back from the bed and allowing me to open my eyes.
I quickly wiped away the tears that had pooled in my eyes before they could ruin the perfect illusion of calm I had created. No amount of heavy swallowing would change the fact that there was a small girl sleeping in that bed but a moment ago, but now there wasn't. Now there was nothing.
"Good work," Dr. V said, moving to his chair and taking a seat. "She'll make a fine addition to the ward."
"Yes," I nodded numbly, turning to look out over the room. "Truly, the quilts have such a charming and calming effect on them..."
"Quite so," Dr. V agreed.
"Doctor... if you don't mind, I'd like to get some rest. I find I tire easily in this world," I admitted.
"No. It isn't easy to watch," he said softly. "But it has to be done. I am not yet finished here." I looked back to see him staring down at me. "You are remarkable," he added.
"Thank you," I replied, shrugging off his compliment. "I'm glad you think so."
He rose from his chair and walked over to the door, pausing for a moment as he reached out and touched the metal door handle. "Follow me," he commanded, walking through the door and into the dark corridor beyond.
I hesitated for a moment, looking at the door for a long time before I followed after him, stepping into the shadows of the corridor. The faint hum of machinery and the distant sounds of other people's conversations echoed through the hall, making it feel like we weren't all alone in this world. The lights in the ceiling flickered as I moved along behind Dr. V. My eyes darted up at the light and then back to the white coat covering his broad shoulders. His form in the dream world was just 'light,' such a pure... form - and yet he dissolves girls' bodies with ease. What type of man - no, monster - is capable of such destruction? I shook the thoughts from my head and focused on the path ahead.
The hum of machinery seemed to become louder as we walked further along the corridor.
His words tore me out of my thoughts, "