Ayla's Supernatural Love Dungeon

Chapter 14

Althea strolled down the long hallway at the Mayfield Hospital. The iridescent lights glowed, imitating the sun. When Althea reached room 2013, she knocked on the door.

            “Come in,” called a weak voice.

Althea entered the room to see an elderly man. She ambled over to his bedside. “How’s my favorite patient doing?”

The old man smiled. The smile was weak and the gentleman tried his best to hide the fact he was in pain. “Nurse Hoomake, what a pleasure to see you.”

Althea returned the smile. “Hi, Lewis. How are you feeling today?”

            “Same old same old.”

Althea grabbed the clipboard at the foot of Lewis’s bed and scanned through his charts. Her face dropped when she read the medical report.

            “Don’t look so sad my dear,” Lewis rasped.

Althea replaced the clipboard to where it belonged.

Lewis reached for the cup of water next to his bedside. The skin on Lewis’s arm was pulled tight showing bone. Althea kneaded her lip with her teeth. Every cell in her body cried out, demanding she use her powers to heal him.

            “I’ve lived a long and happy life. Should I shuffle off this mortal coil tonight, I’ll have no regrets,” Lewis beamed.

Althea shuffled from the foot of the bed and sat in the chair next to Lewis’s bed. “Is that so?”

Lewis’s smile grew. “Absolutely! I watched my kids grow into successful adults and then watched my grandkids grow up.”

Althea weakly folded her arms over her chest. Her fingernails dug into the skin at her elbows to the point of leaving a mark. She focused on the pain to silence the desire to use necromancy. That’s not what Lewis wants. “Wouldn’t you miss your friends?”

Lewis nodded and rubbed his frail fingers through his thinning gray hair. “I would, but I have more friends and family on the other side waiting for me.”

Althea’s heart gave a weak pang.

Lewis took one last sip from the paper cup before he placed it down on the tray. His eyes dazed, as if he was peering through the veil seeing the ghosts beckoning him.

            “Lewis?” Althea called.

Her voice brought Lewis back to the present. He stared at her briefly. “You remind me so much of my wife. Out of everyone I want to see when I die…I want to see her the most.”

            “What was she like?”

Lewis tilted his head up, his face contorted in such a way that hinted he was recollecting memories of his late wife. “She was beautiful. She was stubborn and never backed down from a challenge.” He paused to laugh. “One instance, she went into labor while we were harvesting grain. We were halfway done with the field when her water broke. Instead of going to the hospital right then, she demanded that we finish that field. She refused to get into the truck unless we did so.”

Althea laughed imagining a woman like Nekros’s mom, hands on her hips furious about not finishing a harvesting job.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the conversation. Althea glanced at the door to see Nurse Vera glaring at her.

            “Time for me to go. Take care, Lewis,” Althea said.

Lewis nodded. “Farewell Nurse Hoomake.”

            “Why are you even here!” Nurse Vera bellowed once Althea was in the hallway. Althea flinched at the tone. “All the nurses here have bigger dreams. You, you’re just comfortable being the lowest of low nurses!”

Althea kneaded her lip and hugged herself. She couldn’t tell Vera the real reason why she was working at the hospital and why she was comfortable just being a nurse at the bottom of the totem pole. It was because of people like Lewis, patients that were close to death. If I surround myself with death and get used to seeing it…then I won’t be tempted to use my necromantic powers.

            “Your shift is over. Get out of my sight!” Vera barked.

Althea scurried away from her hotheaded boss.

As Althea passed the nurse’s desk at the entrance of the hospital a girl stopped her.

            “Althea? You have mail in your cubby,” the girl said.

She pivoted in the direction of where they stored the mail. In her cubby, she found a postcard. The picture was of a night sky with several skyscrapers and a bridge. Lights reflected off the water. In the top center of the postcard, in gold filigree were the words ‘Chicago’. Althea turned it over to see the message. The writing made the knot in her stomach tighten and twist crueler than earlier.

            See you soon. -Requiem