Tag: writing

Andrea
Andrea Tomlinson sat quietly next to the aisle in the dirty bus. An empty seat sat to the left of her. She sat near the center of the bus. She never liked sitting too close to the front or the back. She watched as the driver of the bus bounced up and down and left and right listening to tunes that bled into his ears from earphones. He seemed a little too happy to be driving a city bus in a depressed little town like Kingsboro.
Kingsboro was always a podunk little town stuck in the south central palm of Michigan. Jobs were moving out and economy was quickly getting worse. The residents fought over the reason. It was the president, it was the governor, it was killer bees from Mexico—Andrea really didn’t care why the town was falling apart she was only interested in finding a job.
Through the large bus windshield she watched as a young man, cute from a distance of 20 yards, stood at a bus stop. He had his hands in his pockets and watched as the bus approached. Andrea noticed his hair was trimmed short and he wore an ironed shirt and pants. They were not starched but neat.
“He looks like a recent military veteran,” she thought. That gave him extra cuteness points.
The bus stopped with a jolt and the front door opened. The man— the young veteran walked in and immediately smiled.
“Did he see something he liked?” She thought curiously then it hit her. She was staring at the man. He thought she like him. She looked down at her naked knees. She adjusted her short red skirt and shuffled her coordinated heels upon the dirty bus floor.
“How are you doing?” The man asked as Andrea pretended not to she him. “May I sit here?”
Andrea said nothing and just stared at her knees.
“Miss?” He asked.
He said “Miss”. She added a couple more points then looked up. He had a nice face, thin and sculpted. His eyes were young and blue and his hair was brown.
“May I sit here?” He asked again.
“Yes, sure,” She said with a nervousness that was surely noticeable.
“Thanks,” he said and stepped over her knees and slid into the seat next to the window.
As soon as he sat down he began to ramble. Something about computers and processors and how difficult it was. The man’s points whittled away as he pronounced each three to four syllable word over and over. The man continued to babble until the bus jolted to a stop again. Andrea stood and stepped out into the aisle way. A woman she did not see almost ran into her from behind. Andrea apologized quickly and walked toward the front of the bus. The man followed close behind. She had hoped he would of stayed on the bus but what could she do. Another man unavoidably attracted to her and she would have to deal with it.
Nancy
Nancy Smith, sat in the back of a dirty city bus. In front of her sat several other passengers going about their business of laughing, joking and whatnot. The temperature of the bus always seemed to reach ten or twenty degrees higher then the temperature outside. Today is was 82 degrees.
“It would be nice to have a steady job, a steady paycheck and a steady place to live,” she thought.
She received the e-mail several days ago.
Looking for a nurse to care for patients at a research center. Interested in individuals that enjoy a challenge, or want to make a difference in peoples lives. No background check. 1 to 2 years experience.
Nancy wanted to make a difference but it wasn’t what interested her. It was the no background check. She had a checkered past that seemed to follow her. She was never at a job for longer then 3 months, if she even got the job.
“Don’t think about that,” she warned herself sternly, “maybe this is the one.”
Hope filled some of her empty heart but the stern look on the judge’s face and the reluctant verdict fought to take any hopeful gains away from her.
“I wasn’t convicted of a crime,” she thought, “it wasn’t a crime. I did the right thing.”
The bus slowed then stopped with a jolt. The driver laughed loudly. His gleeful cackle bounced throughout the steel and glass walls of the bus. Nancy stood up quickly. She began toward the front of the bus to tell the driver what she thought of his joke when a woman step out into the aisle in front of her. Nancy stopped centimeters from the back of the woman’s head. The woman’s blond hair brushed her face as she turned to apologize. Nancy smiled and accepted her apology. She allowed the blond woman and the man she sat with to move into the aisle and move toward the front of the bus. Nancy followed them out of the bus and was certain that she was going to say something to the driver. She approached the driver but only scowled at him. The driver smiled, the center two teeth under his top lip were missing and he seemed to have a corneal ulcer in his right eye. The infection, usually caused by a bacterium, caused the eye to look cloudy. Nancy smiled back, she again wanted to say something to the driver but she could not. She stood staring at his eye.
“Is there a problem?” The driver asked with noticeable uncomfort then looked forward through the front windshield.
“I’m sorry,” Nancy said, “I noticed your eye and wanted to recommend you get it treated.”
“Your so kind,” the driver said sharply, “I’m going to close the door are you getting out?” Nancy had offended him and she immediately felt awful. She turned and walked ashamed down the bus steps. She stepped upon the ground and the driver closed the door. The door slid closed with a thump that startled Nancy. “Was this how her day was going to start?”
A familiar Cadillac sat ahead of her. There was a large dent just behind the passenger door.
“Obviously, Dr. Stein still didn’t notice my accident two weeks ago,” she smiled slightly then stopped.
“Is he working here too? I think I see him sitting in the driver’s seat. I should see if he’s ok.”
Dr. Daniel Stein
Sitting in his car, Dr. Daniel Stein, recently retired from Kingsboro Mercy Hospital, thumbs through the Kingsboro Times.
He laid the paper down upon the passenger seat and glanced out the windshield at the bland, gray rectangle that was the Kingsboro Research and Development Co. He glanced at his watch—another twenty minutes to go.
He went over in his mind all that had happened in the last weeks. There had been the purchase of the hospital by Dallas Truman, a local real estate tycoon, the thorough investigation and analysis by the FBI, then the appearance of what would be called a freak.
Dr. Stein stared out the windshield wondering why his life had taken such a strange unexpected turn. He disappeared into thought and the busy hallways of the Kingsboro Mercy Hospital replaced the bland exterior of his new job.
“Can you believe they are going to force me out,” Dr. Stein had said with disbelief as he walked quickly through the hospital front hall with Andy Koffman. Andy was still a resident but when they met for the first time they became quick friends.
“I’m so sorry they are treating you like this Daniel,” Andy said
“I just don’t understand why? I’ve been here 25 years and you are barely a doctor.” Said Dr. Stein.
“We may never understand—,” Andy began but never finished. A large argument ensured behind the white curtain an ER triage unit. Soon something burst and left a dark stain upon the curtain. Andy and Dr. Stein began toward it when an irate patient, covered in blood, stepped from the curtain. He looked at Dr. Stein, his expression deadpan and his eyes cloudy. He then thrust his arms out and felt for a heavy wooden chair that sat outside the unit. He grasped it and with enormous strength tossed it at the two men. Dr. Stein ducked and fell to the floor. The heavy chair hit Andy full in the chest and he collapsed under it. Dr. Stein looked back to see his friend unconscious, under the chair. He began to stand when an IV line, with pole attached, just missed his head. Several people, staff, patients and security converged and surrounded the man. Three men in black suits burst into the ER from the right of the patient and grabbed him. The man threw them off him easily then proceeded toward the nurse’s station. He tore it apart. The large desk portions he through over his head. The chairs, he threw, flew with such force that anyone caught with one was dead. Dr. Stein lay on the floor looking back. Andy lay under the large chair still motionless.
“He’s probably dead,” Dr. Stein, said to himself as he began to slide backward to get a better look. Paper and computer equipment flew across the room. A flat screen computer monitor hit a surgeon in scrubs dumb enough to run across the hallway. The monitor hit him in the side of the head and broke his neck. The noise was disturbing. A loud crack and the surgeon fell to the floor. The three black suited men stood against a hallway wall not moving. They looked terrified, scared to even move a muscle. The people that initially gathered had all but left. The hallway was empty except for Dr. Stein, three men in suits and bodies’ dead or unconscious. After the nurse’s desk had been destroyed and thrown over the hall the man fell to his knees and then fell forward. Dr. Stein, stood and pulled the chair from on top of Andy. Andy’s chest was sunken and his face was mangled but he was alive.
“Someone get me a gurney,” he shouted. A nurse appeared from a far room and grabbed the first one she could find. She quickly pushed it up the Dr. Stein and they preceded gather Andy up. The three suited men, stood against the wall for a short time longer then rushed over to the irate patient. They talked quickly and seemed to be smiling.
“What the hell are they smiling at,” Dr. Stein said loudly. The nurse hadn’t heard him. She began to push Andy toward a room. Dr. Stein stood watching the men. They were inspecting the man as he sat face first on the ground.
“Dr. Stein?” Said the nurse.
The drab building, Kingsboro Research and Development Co., reappeared. A thin woman with long red hair stood outside Dr. Stein’s car.
“Dr. Stein, your going to be late,” she said with a smile.
Dr. Stein looked at his watch and it was five minutes to 5:00 in the morning.
“Oh, hell,” and he opened his drivers door. He straightened his black tie and began to walk quickly toward the building. He stopped and looked back. The redheaded woman was walking toward a large city bus. The driver stood outside the front door smoking a cigarette.

Kingsboro Epic

Chapter 1– New Employees

The long dark hallway just inside the entrance to The Company was quiet at 7:59. As the seconds ticked by the darkness prepared for the new day.

8:00 began the workday. A large steel blue door opened and light illuminated the hallway in front of it. The florescence lights above the hallway lit up and the day began.

Derrick Adams, Eric Hoyt, Dr. Daniel Stein, Nancy Smith and Andrea Alexander walked through the dark blue door and into the nondescript hallway. They stood together off to the left of the door.

“Did you notice no one walked to the left down this hallway?” Andrea Alexander said, as she watched 200 or so people walk to the right into a maze of perpendicular hallways.

Nancy Smith, stood beside Andi and look to the left down the hallway. She noticed a single door painted darkly at the end of the hall. There was a small bulb lit above the door. No other doors are within the hall, just faded plaster walls and a paint strip down the center of the floor.

Nancy brushed long brunette hair from her face and answered, “I wouldn’t call it a strange thing.”

The rest of the group looked to the left and stared into the hallway. Curiosity peeked like a child in the refrigerator.

“How’s it going?” Said a voice from behind them. The group jumped in unison and turned toward the voice. A small Latino man dressed in a sharp black suit and light blue shirt approached the group smiling.

“Derrick Adams, Eric Hoyt, Dr. Stein, Nancy Smith and Andrea Alexander,” he began professionally.

“I’m Dr. Ruiz. Follow me,” he said.

“Wait,” Andrea Alexander asked then added. “What’s down that hallway? No one walked down that way.”

Dr. Ruiz hesitated slightly, “There are some storage rooms and other rooms that aren’t used,” he said.

“But there is only one room down there,” she countered.

“Lets continue,” Dr. Ruiz stated, ignoring her comment.

The first hallway was on the left. It was well lit with several people walking in and out. Derrick Adams, the new resident IT specialist, spotted a man standing by himself outside a doorway on the right.

“Hey, what’s going on Kerry,” Derrick said.

The man looked. The large sacks under his eyes were drooping and wrinkles were prominent upon his middle-aged face. When he saw Derrick he smiled and waved.

“You know that man,” said Eric Hoyt sharply. He was a large man with a square jaw. He fit better in the Secret Service then in a Research and Development company.

“Why do you ask?” Said Derrick suspiciously.

“Don’t know,” replied Eric Hoyt, “just curious.”

A muffled argument burst from an opening door at the end of the hall. Suddenly, the glass within the door burst outward and a man in black slacks fell through it. Everyone within eyesight gasp but no one went to investigate. The man sat unmoving within the door. A door burst open from somewhere and men rushed out into the halls. The clamor of heavy leather boots announced introduced the Company guards. The guards pushed through Dr. Ruiz and the group of new employees. They rushed up the hall and stood in front of the door at the end of the hall.

Doctor Ruiz stepped in front of the group. “The conference room is in the last hallway…” He began.

“…all the way to the right, down the hall. Go in and pick a chair. I’ll meet you in a few.”

Dr. Ruiz walked toward the commotion. The group stood watching for several minutes then, lead by the women, they began to walk down toward the conference room. They said little till they sat in the conference room.

The conference room was a large room, lit brightly, with four tables pushed together in the center of the room. Three black overstuffed chairs were pushed neatly under each table. Nancy Smith and Derrick Adams entered first and walked around the table. Nancy Smith sat on the left and Derrick Adams on the right. Andrea Alexander, Dr. Stein and Eric Hoyt came in last and sat closest to the door.

“What brings you here, Andrea?” Nancy Smith said trying to avoid talking about the situation down the hall.

“I’m not really interested in small talk,” Andrea said with no contempt but no interest in the conversation, “I want to know what happened down the hall.”

“It simply looked like an argument,” said Dr. Stein.

The group looked at him. He was the oldest of the group. He wore a white doctor’s coat with a small insignia on the right chest.

“Your probably right,” Andrea said.

“Alright, group,” said Dr. Ruiz as he stood within the doorway, “Let’s get this started.”

The meeting lasted only 30 minutes. Dr. Ruiz explained the history of the company; it’s procedures and safety guidelines. He introduced the head of each department by picture only. He intended to have them visit but because of the commotion they were not available. He dismissed the group and they left for their perspective positions.

Derrick Adams stood outside the door of the conference room waiting for Gary Minux. He was head of IT for The Company.

Gary Minux stepped from the main hallway and began toward Derrick.

“Hi, welcome to the Company,” said the man. He was a small man with a large forehead and thin hair. He spoke in a quiet, almost bored tone.

“My name is Gary Minux and I am the Technology Director. Come with me,” he said.

“Hi, welcome the the Company,” said a small balding man in a quiet, almost bored tone.
“My name is Gary Minux and I am the Technology director. Come with me,” he said.
As Derrick began to follow the small man Dr. Rebecca San Mario stormed out of the conference room.
“You have some balls,” she shouted back into the room as she slammed her fist on the wall outside the room. She pushed past Gary and Derrick and disappeared down the hall.
“Hey,” Dr. Ruiz shouted from the doorway. “Don’t tell the director what I said.”
Derrick smiled and said, “Did you just come on to her?”
Dr. Ruiz glared at him. His face was pale.
“You are the man,” Derrick said as he laughed hard.
He repeated this several times as he began to follow Gary again.
“I wish I was just coming on to her,” Dr. Ruiz said quietly as the color returned to his face and his lips pursed. He then disappeared back into the conference room.

Chapter 1– New Employees
The long dark hallway just inside the entrance to The Company was quiet at 7:59. As the seconds ticked by the darkness prepared for the new day.
8:00 began the workday. The clock struck 8:00. A large steel door opened and light illuminated the hallway in front of it. Seconds after, the florescence lights above the hallway lit up and the day was beginning.
Derrick Adams, Eric Hoyt, Dr. Daniel Stein, Nancy Smith and Andrea Alexander walked through the dark blue door and into the nondescript hallway. They stood together off to the left of the door.
“Did you notice no one walked to the left down this hallway?” Andrea Alexander said, as she watched 200 or so people walk to the right. Most of them walked a ways then turn left or right into their elected hallways. Andi, as she liked to be called, was a blond woman, taller then most, confidant and a newcomer to the nursing field. This was her first job.
Nancy Smith, stood beside Andi and look to the left down the hallway. She didn’t notice anything unusual down the hall. It was dark and a single door stood in the center of the hall. There was a small bulb lit above the door. a 40-year-old veteran nurse and mother of three, brushed back long brunette hair from her face and answered.
“I wouldn’t call it a strange thing,” she said.
The group looked to the left and gazed into the hallway till it disappeared into darkness.
“How’s it going?” Said a voice from behind them. A small Latino man dressed in a sharp black suit and light blue shirt approached the group smiling.
“Derrick Adams, Eric Hoyt, Dr. Stein, Nancy Smith and Andrea Alexander,” the man began as he read the groups names off a clipboard.
“I’m Dr. Ruiz and I’ll show you around,” he said, his voice broken with a hint of Mexico.
“Can you call me Andi?” Andrea Alexander asked then added. “Could you tell me what’s down that hallway? No one walked down that way.”
Dr. Ruiz hesitated slightly, “Sure, I’ll called you anything you like. He looked down the hallway and paused.
“There are some storage rooms and other rooms that aren’t used,” he said then turned.
“This is exciting,” said Derrick Adams, a 6-foot, twenty-some, IT specialist. He walked in front of Dr. Stein. Dr. Stein was the oldest of the group. He was dressed in a white hospital smock with the Kingsboro Mercy Hospital logo sewn onto the left breast.
Eric Hoyt was the last of the group. He was a large man with a square jaw and the posture of a ‘Last Action Hero’. He looked over his shoulder one last time before the group disappeared around a corner.
“Coming up is the Administration hall,” said Dr. Ruiz. “Human Resources, Finance, Research and Development and the Director’s office are in this hallway.”
The group passed the hallway. A thirty-year old man stood just outside a doorway watching the group passed. Derrick Adams threw up a hand and waved. The man returned the wave.
“You know him,” Hoyt asked. He was gruff. His statement was short and accusatory.
“He’s my cousin. He got me the job,” Derrick Adams said with a smile.
“Up next is the patient hallways,” Dr. Ruiz said. “The patients take up the majority of the room in the building. I think its 4 maybe 5 hallways. The conference room is in the last hallway all the way to the right. Walk down there and pick a chair. I’ll meet you in a few.”
Dr. Ruiz turned left and headed down one of patient halls. The group continued down the hallway and turned to the right.
The conference room was a large room, lit brightly, with four tables pushed together in the center of the room. Three black overstuffed chairs were pushed neatly under each table. Nancy Smith and Derrick Adams entered first and walked around the table. Nancy Smith sat on the left and Derrick Adams on the right. Andrea Alexander, Dr. Stein and Eric Hoyt came in last and sat closest to the door.
The group of five sat in the conference room quietly for several minutes. When it became unbearable the women began to talk.
“What brings you here, Andi?” Nancy Smith said smiling.
“A car and about 50 dollars in gas,” Andi said with a pleasant grin that showed a set of perfectly kept teeth.
“I hear you there,” Nancy Smith replied, “the price of gas is outrageous.”
“How about you guys?” She asks.
“Well Nancy,” Derrick Adams begins man full with confidence. “I just came from a technical college outside of Detroit. I finally got my degree. This is my first job outside college.”
“Good for you Derrick. How about anyone else?”
Dr. Stein stared at the table as if ignoring everyone else sitting in the conference room. Eric Hoyt just looked at Nancy and grumbled something unintelligible.
“Guess not,” Nancy said with some disappointment.
The room door opened and Dr. Ruiz stepped in. A beautiful woman, in her 30’s, followed him. She had red hair that fell over her shoulders and a slim manicured face.
Dr. Ruiz stood in front of a large white board and the woman stood confidently beside him. She was dressed in a mauve power suit. She held herself like a woman on a mission.
“This is Dr. Rebecca San Marino,” Dr. Ruiz began. “She is head of Research and Development and your introductory rules and procedure lecturer.”

Dr. San Marino, an accomplished woman, was single-minded in her endeavor to achieve ‘great things’. She pursued each project with the vigor of a lioness. She became head of Research and Development within 6 months of signing her application. She secured her reputation with the Department of Defense assignment. The assignment will net The Company up to 25 million dollars if successful.
“Welcome,” Dr. San Marino began with a pleasant smile, “The Company is a multibillion dollar research facility. We research experimental drugs for private enterprise and for the military. There are several procedures that must be adhered to. If not it will result in immediate termination or worse, criminal prosecution.”
Dr. San Marino emphasized the last two words, obviously attempting to make a point or a threat. The group responded with little interest. Dr. Stein looked forward but seemed lost in thought. Eric Hoyt seemed uninterested and the other three were in various stages of boredom.
“First procedure is patient care,” Dr. San Marino began.
“The patients within these walls,” she said this as she spread her thin, tan arms outward, “are in the process of a medical study for Cancer. These patients are accessible and will be your main focus. Each one of you has their own job in regards to these patients.” She placed her arm back to her sides and began to walk from the front of the room toward the door.
“Patient care is our number one concern. The other concerns are employee attendance and ability to do your jobs,” she said this, accentuating her words venomously, as she passed by Eric Hoyt and Dr. Stein. Both men sat up a little straighter and stared forward. As Dr. San Marino walked slowed around the table and toward Derrick Adams the men followed her with their eyes. With Eric Hoyt and Dr. Stein paying attention, Dr. San Marino explained the attendance procedures, pay schedule and hours. After this she dismissed the group and they filed out into the hallway.
“She’s a ball-buster, ain’t she?” Derrick Adams said to Eric Hoyt with a slight smile.
“She’s a tough woman,” Eric Hoyt replied then added, “I’ve met my share of tough women.”
“I bet you have,” Derrick Adams stated, “Uhm, what are you doing here? What’s your job?”
“Security,” Eric Hoyt said.
“Oh, well sure. I should of know that,” said Derrick Adams.
Eric Hoyt smiled. It was a warm smile that indicated there was more to him then what he seemed to put on.
The group began to disappear throughout the building, each person going to his, or her, superior. Derrick Adams stayed next to the door of the conference room. He had not been told who to contact and where to go. Dr. San Marino and Dr. Ruiz were inside the room discussing rumors about some project.
“How could you accept a project like that?” Dr. Ruiz asked.
“How could I not,” Dr. San Marino replied.

This is what I got….
Title: The Kingsboro Chronicles
7 Monsterous stories

1. With these stories I would like to put together a collection of stories that builds knowledge of the town of Kingsboro.

2. I want to create a town of utter terror. I want to know how people deal with such an awful situation.

3. I want to create a fan base for future novels…ie… The Zombie Epic.

4.
I need to select 7 stories
i.
The Voodoo Priestess
ii.
In Service of Him
iii.
The Restaurant
iv.
The Mermaid
v.
????
vi.
????
vii.
????
This is what I need:

I need an Introduction/Forward. I need a narrator for the entire collection. I have the stories down but I cannot think of anything else.

Chapter 1– New Employees
The long dark hallway just inside the entrance to The Company was quiet at 7:59. As the seconds ticked by the darkness prepared for the new day.
8:00 began the workday. Seconds after the clock struck 8:00 the only door opened and the light illuminated the hallway in front of it. Seconds after that the florescence lights above the hallway lit up and the day was beginning.
There were 200 employees working for The Company. Today was nothing different. Today was, though, the first day for five employees.
Derrick Adams, Eric Hoyt, Dr. Daniel Stein, Nancy Smith and Andrea Alexander walked through the dark blue door and into the nondescript hallway. They stood off to the right and against the wall away from the door. The remaining employees filed into the building and walked past to the right.
“Did you noticed noone walked to the left down this hallway?” Said Andrea Alexander, a blond woman, taller then most women. Andrea was a confident newcomer to the nursing field. This was her first job.
Nancy Smith, a 40-year-old veteran nurse and mother of three, brushed back long brunette hair from her face and answered.
“I wouldn’t call it a strange thing,” she said.
The group looked to the left and gazed into the hallway till it disappeared into darkness.
“How’s it going?” Said a voice from behind them. A small Latino man dressed in a sharp black suit and light blue shirt approached the group smiling.
“I’m Dr. Ruiz and I’ll show you around,” he said, his voice broken with a hint of Mexico.
“Before we leave,” said Andrea, “what’s down that hallway. No one walked down that way.”
Dr. Ruiz hesitated slightly but then said confidently, “There is some storage rooms and other rooms that aren’t used.”
Dr. Ruiz turned and walked toward the right.
“This is exciting,” said Derrick Adams, a 6-foot, twenty-some, IT specialist. He walked in front of Dr. Stein. Dr. Stein was the oldest of the group. He was dressed in a white hospital smock with the Kingsboro Mercy Hospital logo sewn onto the left breast.
Eric Hoyt was the last of the group. He was a large man with a square jaw and the posture of a ‘Last Action Hero’. He had a 4-year degree and a nursing certificate. He looked over his shoulder one last time before the group disappeared around a corner.
“Coming up is the Administration hall,” said Dr. Ruiz. “Human Resources, Finance, Research and Development and the Director’s office are in this hallway.”
The group passed the hallway. A thirty-year old man stood just outside a doorway watching the group passed. Derrick Adams threw up a hand and waved. The man returned the wave.
“You know him,” Hoyt asked. He was gruff. His statement was short and pointed.
“He’s my cousin. He got me the job,” Derrick Adams said with a smile.
“Up next is the patient hallways,” Dr. Ruiz said. “The patients take up the majority of the room in the building. I think its 4 maybe 5 hallways. The conference room is in the last hallway all the way to the right. Walk down there and pick a chair. I’ll meet you in a few.” Dr. Ruiz turned left and headed down one of patient halls. The group continued down the hallway and turned to the right.

First thing, first: I need a name for this novel. Zombie Epic just doesn’t do it.
Second thing, second: I need a name for the company. I can’t just call it The Company.
They do live near the town of Kingsboro, probably in Michigan since I live here.
Anyways, here is my first edit of the Prologue.
P.S. The original version is still posted on the blog. Just back out of here and scroll down.

PROLOGUE
An intern, dressed in a light blue hospital uniform, pushed open the door to the executive break room.
“Dr. Ruiz!” he shouted, “something has gone terribly wrong.”Dr. Tony Ruiz sat in a large overstuffed chair in the far corner of the room. He stood and quickly tossed a large cup of stale coffee into the sink of the break room. The intern immediately turned and ran out of the room. Dr. Ruiz followed. The two men ran down the long straight hall from the executive break room to the administration offices. The men passed the administration offices and stopped at a set of double doors. The doors stood partially open. The large wooden doors were pointing outward toward the men. A large man lay in a pool of blood. The pool extended from under the man to an adjacent hallway to the right. The man’s head and shoulders were out of sight.
“What happened,” Dr. Ruiz asked.
“I don’t know, the patient was acting fine but then began to get sick. He fell to the floor between the doors then began to seize.”
“Where were you taking him?” Asked Dr. Ruiz suspiciously. The intern began to smile then sat a large hand on the hallway wall. His hand was larger then normal. His fingernails were yellowish and long.
Dr. Ruiz felt everything about this intern was wrong. His large hands, wide smile and overly muscular features spoke of a soldier not a medical intern. There were rumors of a Defense Department project downstairs.
“Something about soldiers,” Dr. Ruiz thought.
The intern stood quietly thinking, his smile quickly fading. He seemed to be searching for an answer. A shiver of fear wiggled up Dr. Ruiz’s spine as he became more confident that the intern was a patient from downstairs. The experimental ward was locked down. How could’ve this man escaped.
“Thank you for letting me know about this. I’ll take care of the rest,” Dr. Ruiz said. “Why don’t you go lay down? You look unwell,” Dr. Ruiz added quickly then realized that what he said was a mistake.
“Why do you want me to lay down?” Said the intern. A snarl appeared and grew upward like a thick red infection. Dr. Ruiz then noticed the intern’s large teeth under the thick lips.
“I just figured you were in shock and could use a rest.”
“No,” the intern shot back, “you just want me to fall asleep so you can experiment on me.”
The snarl fell from his face. The intern held his lips together tightly and his face began to redden. Dr. Ruiz noticed the interns large hands began to clench. They looked like large meaty hammers under his wrists.
“I don’t,” Dr. Ruiz began as he tried to find some identification on the young mans chest. “You’re not going to try anything on me,” the young intern shouted while hitting his chest firmly with his hammer-sized right fist.
“Are you a patient?” Dr. Ruiz asked.
“No, I am a doctor,” said the young intern defiantly beginning to approach Dr. Ruiz.Dr. Ruiz was still frightened, but took a boxers stance. He was a champion boxer at Kingsboro High School a few miles away. Of course, this was nearly 30 years ago. The intern stepped forward and Dr. Ruiz stepped back, not wanting to fight.
“What are you doing?” The intern said pointing at the man within the doors, “Aren’t you going to help this patient?”
“I need to know how you escaped from Ward 26,” Ruiz asked as he backed away a few more steps. He was going to lead the intern into one of the room within feet of the door.”I didn’t escape,” shouted the intern. His face continued to redden and his large red lips practically disappeared. Large yellow rotten teeth bared like a dog about to attack. ”You are going to hurt yourself,” Dr. Ruiz warned. Attempting to dissuade the intern from attacking. “I am going to hurt myself?” The intern exploded. He stopped approaching and stood angrily shouting. ”You experiment on us.”
“You hurt us.”
“I’m going to worry about hurting myself.”The intern rushed Dr. Ruiz, leaving little time for Dr. Ruiz to land a punch. Dr. Ruiz fell into a gurney sitting against the hallway wall. With his left leg and arm twisted within the legs of the gurney he was helpless to defend himself. The intern approached with a murderous look that could frighten even the heartless. Dr. Ruiz tried desperately to free himself as the intern bent over him and raised a meaty fist to bring down upon him. From somewhere near, Dr. Ruiz could hear footsteps sprinting toward him then a grunt and a crash. A large attendant had tackled the intern and they were wrestling upon the floor. Dr. Ruiz freed himself and quickly stood. He wanted to help the attendant who was having a terrible time restraining the intern. ”Get out of here!” shouted the attendant after he landed a crushing blow to the interns face. ”I can help you,” shouted Dr. Ruiz.”No, get out of the hospital. Go…,” the attendant said as he finally seemed to have the upper hand. He had managed to work the intern into his belly and held the young mans arms under his own. The attendant stepped upon the interns back like a mountaineer at the peak of a mountain. ”Go, damnit,” the attendant demanded. Dr. Ruiz turned and began toward a hallway. An awful crack and groan made his stomach wretch and he wanted to turn back but didn’t.