Hearts

Others Stories | Oct 17, 2016 | 6 min read
24 Votes, average: 4 out of 5
The waiting room was empty when Arleen walked in. She woke up with what she believed to be a terrible kidney infection and she wanted to see Dr. Andrews to get some medicine. She walked up to the check in desk. A black headed recetionist sat in front of a computer, staring at the screen. Arleen waited for her to look up.
Arleen waited a couple of minutes, frowning. The lady didn't move or look up. It was like she was frozen.
"Excuse me." Arleen said. The lady at desk, slowly looked up.
"May I help you?" She asked in slow motion,  barely moving.
"I would like to see Dr. Andrews. I think I have a kidney infection."
"Take a seat ma'am." She directed, still in slow motion.
Arleen went back to a seat and sat down. She realized that the lady was new and wondered what had happened to the old receptionist, Rhonda. Rhonda had been a big, brassy redhead that laughed and talked(loudly), but was helpful and nice. Arleen shrugged and picked up a magazine, leafing through the pages. When she turned the last page she lay the magazine on the table and looked at her watch. Thirty-four minutes had transpired and no one had called her name, and it she was still the only one waiting. She hadn't even been triaged yet. What was going on?
She picked up her purse and began to rise from the seat. She was going to confront the receptionist and demand to know why she was still in the lobby waiting.
"Ms. Reed" she heard her name called. Already on her feet she turned and walked toward the open door. She opened her mouth to speak to the nurse but closed it quickly. This was not Stephanie, Dr. Andrews nurse.  The nurse turned and headed down the hallway. Arleen followed.  They passed the familiar scales and went straight on to a room.
"Sit here." The new nurse instructed. When Arleen was sitting, the nurse left the room, closing the door behind her.
   This isn't right! She didn't take any of my vital signs, weigh me or let me use the bathroom. I will ask Dr. Andrews when he comes in about it! After what seemed an eternity, but was actually only fifteen minutes, according to her watch, the door opened. Thank God! She turned to inquire of Dr. Andrews about the inappropriateness of the visit so far, but it wasn't him. It was a dark haired man she had never seen before.
"Where is  Dr. Andrews?" she demanded of the man. He stared at her for a moment. She began to feel nervous.
"Follow me." He said and walked out the door. Arleen fell in step behind him. They walked down a back hall and into another exam room. He disappeared behind another door in front of her. This time she could hear talking. Then the door opened again.
"Ah Ms. Reed, the man said and sat down in front of her."
"Who are you? Where is Dr. Andrews?"
"Well, Dr. Andrews had to leave. I'm Dr. Remey." Arleen knew immediately she didn't like him. He made her skin crawl.
"You know, I think I'm better now. I'm just going to leave. I'll pay on the way out. Thank you." She turned to leave.
"Oh but Arleen, you can't leave yet. You must stay. There is something you must do." Arleen backed away from the doctor, bumping into a chair and then into the wall. He stepped toward her and grabbed her wrist.
"Now Arleen, is that any way to behave. You will help me and then I will help you." Arleen was scared and sweating bullets. He was creepy and menacing.
"What do I have to do?" She asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"It is a very simple task. Follow me." Still holding her wrist, he led her through the same door the other man had went in. The room was darkened and it smelled foul. He led her over to the exam table. Arleen sucked in her breath. Someone was lying on the table, wrapped in paper gowns.
"Now Arleen, this is what I want you to do, and you will do it. Do you understand?" He asked, the pressure on her wrist tightening, and his voice menacing.
"Yes" she managed to whisper.
"Hold out your hand" he ordered. She lifted her hand and felt something cold lay across it. She looked at her hand. It was a large scalpel. He turned and she thought about running, but the other man had returned and had slipped up behind her.
"Okay Arleen, when I tell you to, I want you to plunge that scalpel into this heart." Arleen screamed out. she couldn't believe that the doctor was standing there holding a pumping heart in his hands. She tried to back away, but the dark haired man planted his hands firmly on her back and pushed her toward the heart. The nurse and the receptionist had appeared and was standing at the head of the table.
"No I can't do this!" she screamed.
"Yes you can, and you will." Dr. Remey demanded.
"Stab it!" The nurse and receptionist both shouted in unison.
"Stab it, Arleen, stab it!" They all chanted. Her head began to swim. She raised her hand over her head and dropped her hand back down.

"I can't!" She cried out.

"You will Arleen or you will suffer greatly!" Dr. Remey shouted at her, his face red and angry.

The look on his face told her she had better comply and with a swift stroke plunged the scalpel into the heart. It quivered violently.
The nurse and the receptionist quickly pulled open the gown at the chest of the person lying on the table. Arleen caught a glimpse of a grayish blob of flesh on the table. Her stomach lurched and she gagged. The doctor rushed over to the corpse and held the bleeding heart over the exposed chest, blood flowing into the cavity. Arleen fell against the wall and slunk to the floor.
Suddenly the corpse began to shake and quiver. The gown fell onto the floor. Arleen watched, sick but mesmerized.
When the shaking stopped, a man rose from the table. The nurse grabbed a pair of scrubs and put on him.
Dr. Remey examined the new man and smiled a most evil smile. "Now Rapha, my brother, we need to continue. Bring another body."
"Yes, brother." The new man said in slow motion.
Arleen watched in horror as they brought in another bloated body. The smell made her gag again. The doctor turned toward her.
"No! I can't do that again!" She squirmed against the wall trying to get to her feet.
"Do not worry Arleen. You do not have to do that again."
"Why did you make me do that anyway? Why didn't you do it?"
"As an ancient Priest, I cannot kill and bring life at the same time. It is forbidden. And you do not have to do it again, but there is another way you will help." He nodded at the nurse and black haired man. They both grabbed an arm and dragged Arleen to another room. It was cold and dark.
"Stay here." The nurse ordered and then closed and locked the door.
Arleen turned and leaned against the door, wrapping her arms around her. She shivered uncontrollably. What had she done? What was happening?  Oh, God, had she really just watched dead bodies coming alive again. She had to escape.
She felt around the door and flipped on the light switch, but nothing happened. Then she felt around in her jeans pocket and pulled out a lighter. She flicked it on. The flame lit up the room. She muffled a scream, and dropped the lighter. It clattered to the floor. She knelt down and felt around until her hand brushed over it. She flicked it on again, ready this time.
When the flame came to life, she panned it around the room. Horror squeezed her chest. There against the wall were, Rhonda, Dr. Andrews, his nurse and three others she could only assume were patients. Each one stared at her through dead eyes and each one had a perfect round hole in there chest.
Arleen heard the lock click and the door opened slightly. Rapha and the dark haired man was at the door. She heard the nurse tell someone to follow her, and then a man's voice ask where Dr. Andrew's was and if he was going to be seeing him for his migraine. The two men stepped into the room and looked at her.

Arleen backed away from the men. The dark haired man had a bottle of chloroform and Rapha had a curved knife and both men walked toward her until her back was against the wall. The last thing she saw was the dark haired man looking into her eyes and smiling.

Tags:

  
Report This Story
Notice (8): Undefined index: User [APP/View/stories/story.ctp, line 227]
Notice (8): Trying to access array offset on value of type null [APP/View/stories/story.ctp, line 227]

Recommendations

Reviews

Download the Short Story Lovers App

Read and write stories anytime, anywhere with the Short Story Lovers app