The Harvest of Souls

CHAPTER 42

"Anna, look at this," Lélia said, sniffling, pointing to the empty pillbox on the table.

"He's not waking up," Richard said, looking at the ground, still holding his friend's hand while the tears ran down his eyes.

Anna quickly climbed onto the bed and began to turn Vaughan's body on its side, pushing his head off the bed.

"Hold his head, Richard," said Anna.

Richard carefully took Vaughan's head.

"Someone call an ambulance!" Yelled Anna as she put Vaughan's right arm behind his back.

Mila took her MC and started to make the call. Within seconds, she passed the necessary information to an attendant on the other end of the line.

"Help me open Vaughan's mouth," Anna ordered Richard.

Richard, holding Vaughan's head with his left hand, began to try to get his fingers into his friend's mouth. The action was much more complex than he had imagined. Vaughan's mouth was tightly closed. Anna started to help, but only his lips were moving, his teeth still clenched.

"Scarlet, run in the room where I was preparing breakfast. Bring the spoons and butter spatulas you find," Anna spoke, looking back.

Scarlet ran down the hall into the room where the small table was filled with food. She started to throw everything on the floor to make room on the table, but she couldn't find any cutlery. She then desperately began to drag the two chairs from side to side, looking for something lying on the floor. It was then that she saw two baskets leaning against the wall. Scarlet dropped to her knees on the floor and opened the basket that was still closed, finding a rectangular box. She opened the box and found an amount of cutlery; then, getting up with a jump, she ran back to Vaughan's room.

Scarlet hurried across the room and went straight to the bed, climbing onto it beside Anna. Scarlet opened the wooden box and took out one of the spatulas. The black woman took the spatula roughly from Scarlet's hand and inserted it through a small gap between the front of the lower arch and the back of the upper, pulling the spatula like a lever, her fists clenched tightly on the handle.

Vaughan's mouth began to open, and Anna began to twist the spatula sideways, increasing the space between Vaughan's teeth, which allowed Richard to push his fingertips through the gap between Vaughan's teeth and pull his friend's chin down. Richard successfully managed to open a space a little larger than two centimeters. Anna immediately tried to get her hand inside Vaughan's mouth, but there was still not enough space.

"Scarlet, give me a juice spoon," said Anna.

As soon as Scarlet handed her the spoon, Anna carefully introduced it into Vaughan's mouth as far as she could. Richard followed it all openmouthed, staring at Vaughan's face right in front of his own. When the spoon was almost entirely in Vaughan's mouth, and Anna held it with just two fingers by the end of the handle, an intense spasm took over Vaughan, who vomited a yellow liquid directly into Richard's mouth.

As soon as the first spasm occurred, Anna withdrew the spoon from Vaughan's throat and hugged him from behind, using her right hand to put pressure on Vaughan's stomach, who continued to expel liquids from his mouth, still unconscious. Richard got to his feet, spitting onto the bedroom carpet the gastric contents Vaughan had just vomited. Everyone watched the scene apprehensively. Anna continued to massage Vaughan's belly until he stopped expelling liquids from his mouth.

"Let's take him to the reception," she said. "When the ambulance arrives, we'll send him to the hospital."

"He'll be fine?" Scarlet asked, getting off the bed.