Page 18 of Pocus
The room is hazy, so I can’t see clearly. I can perceive an enticing yet oddly repulsive scent; it smells like a mixture of incense and herbs. It all seems so strange yet so familiar… I feel like I’ve been here countless times, but then again, I feel like I haven’t. What the hell is going on here? I feel strange…very strange. I try to move, but my bones feel like lead. I can see a figure moving in the mist. No, two…I see two dark figures. One is stooped and wrapped in a heavy cloak, while the other is tall and proud. He walks through the mist, sometimes disappearing only to reappear at a different spot. Something about this whole scenario tugs at the edge of my memory, but I can’t seem to get a hold of it.
Where have I seen all of this before? Is this a sort of dream?
There are others in the mist, but like me, they are all on their knees and naked to the very soul.
Where is this place?
Why am I here?
Suddenly, the stooped figure starts to murmur a weird chant. I grind my teeth as my head suddenly starts to throb. I try to cry out in pain, but no sound escapes my mouth. The tall figure walks toward me, his strides long and powerful. I keep thinking that I know someone who walks like that…but the memory keeps slipping out of my grasp. The tall figure stops directly in front of me and stoops to my level. He leans forward until his breath fans my face. A terrifying chill runs up my spine, and an involuntary shiver racks my whole body.
He’s murmuring low incomprehensible words into my ear, but I can’t seem to grasp their meaning. The chants get louder, and the scent of incense gets stronger. The mist gets thicker, swallowing up the other figures around. I’m left alone with the tall figure whose voice is now a distorted echo in my head.
My head feels swimmy….
Why do I feel so dizzy?
His voice sounded familiar, was my last thought before I submitted to the clamoring darkness around me.
* * *
My mission is clear.
Tonight I’m a nurse. And also a killer.
It’s never the same profession twice. The elevator dings and I walk out, keeping my head ducked. The last thing I want is to be approached by a real doctor or nurse working around here. Luckily, it’s a busy night, and the nurses and doctors are properly occupied. I adjust the large glasses on my face while trying to scope out the area. I see a sign that says VIP and head in that direction.
Go to Room 306.
The instructions were clear. I walk down the long hall, keeping to the shadows to avoid the CCTV cameras. I stop in front of the room and look around to ensure I’m not being followed. I slip into the room and quietly close the door behind me. I walk toward the bed and glance down at the man lying there, who looks peaceful in his sleep. Too bad he’d never get to open his eyes again.
I slip my hand into my pocket to take out the already filled syringe, raise it to the light and pull the plunger. Just as I’m about to insert the needle into his arm, someone jerks me away and slams me against the wall.
“What the hell?” I winced as pain ricocheted through my whole body. Strong arms hold me in place despite my struggle to break free. I stop struggling to look at the face of my attacker, a huge handsome man in a black leather cut.
“I knew you were up to no good when I saw you in that uniform,” he says, his piercing green eyes glaring down murderously at me. “You’re a nurse now, ma petite? The last time I saw you, you were a personal assistant.”
“Who the hell are you?” I ask, raising my chin defiantly to glare at him with equal intensity.
He scoffs incredulously. “What? Did that bastard put you up to this? So you do murder, too?”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” I say in a frigid tone. “Can you get away from me so I can go about my business?”
“You’re fucking remorseless, aren’t you?” he asks, his voice dripping with every bit of venom in his pretty green eyes. “You know, you almost had me fooled the last time.”
Last time…?“I’ve never met you before. I don’t even know who the fuck you are, but if you’re not the police or something close, will you just….”
I gasp softly as the heel of his palm suddenly comes in contact with the area just beneath my breastbone. My breathing seizes, and my eyes go wide with shock. The syringe falls out of my hand as my whole body rapidly begins to weaken. His piercing green eyes remain intensely on my face while my eyes drift closed.
His does smell strangely familiar and oddly comforting, like pines and earth. It’s the smell of freedom and….
I can’t complete the thought as my mind shuts down alongside the rest of me.
* * *
Pocus
As I stare down at her, I can’t decide which emotion to dwell on. On one hand, I’m furious about everything she represents; her vile and deceptive nature. On the other hand, I feel disappointed because deep down inside of me, I’d wished she was untouched by Anderson Gray’s evil claws. But as it is, she’s actively involved in Gray’s villainy. The nerve of her actually playing dumb with me. What? She’s never met me before?