Face The Dark

2. Omega Falls

They drove most of the five miles in silence. With only the occasional small sounds from her mother shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Occasionally Reagan would glance out of the corner of her eye at her. It seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to to initiate the conversation.
The road forked a cemetery rested just beyond it. Left at the cemetery. R's tobacco thick words bounced around in her head. She didn't pay much attention as She turned and headed toward Omega Falls. Her mother leaned as they turned, staring hard as if she were trying to make something out beyond the iron gates and rows of stones. Reagan glanced at her and she met her gaze with an odd look in her eyes.
"I thought I saw an animal." She sighed offhandedly and made a show of nonchalantly sitting back in her chair. A sour taste in her mouth, Reagan turned her eyes back to the road.
A sign began to take shape in my headlights and they slowed as it came into focus.
Omega Falls it read in fancy curvy letters. The sign itself was shaped similar to a waterfall. Home of the Slashing Scythes. Another smaller sign had a whopping population indicator of 500 people.
"We're going to roll up to the hospital and it's going to be a little hut where they heal everything with rocks and incense." Reagan quipped sourly.
Her mother sighed. She knew she tried to deal with her pessimistic attitude the best she could. She had been rather patient with her for the trip this far, but Reagan was starting to get the sixth sense feeling every child felt just before they knew their parent was getting sick of their shit.
"i mean," She backtracked, "im sure their facilities are perfectly sanitary."
"Look, I'm sorry I dragged you on a trip you didn't want to be on but is it too much to ask for a little niceness?" Her mother asked. "i planned this trip for you. To get away from-" she paused in the tiniest moment, "From familiar. You were just saying weeks ago you wanted to go on a trip. Like all your other friends!"
Yeah, She thought sarcastically. To a beach or something. Not butt fuck middle of no where USA.
She sighed, "Im just worried about you is all, Ma." She lied as little blue H signs started to pop up. "we're close now, see?"
She motioned to the little blue hospital sign as they passed and she seemed to give up wanting to talk.
Signs of life started to sprout up in the way of picket fences and houses. Most were dark so late at night. The little green clock on the dashboard said 12:34 am.
As She followed the signs she noticed little grafitti tags. They were all the same. A black circle with a white line behind it coming down at an angle. Little words accompanied the symbol. Too small to read as they drove past.
They passed another cemetery. This one more decorated. It was smaller. More intimate. With a tall iron fence surrounding it. It's gates were padlocked and chained closed. Whoever was buried there obviously didn't want to be bothered.
A small red sign glowed like an arrow at the end of the road. Emergency in big bold letters.
"At least its not a hut." Her mother teased tightly from the passenger seat as a moderately sized three story building came into view. The parking lot was mostly empty save for the cars clustered to the back and a few parked near the emergency entrance.
Reagan smirked as she pulled the car into the space nearest to the door and shut off the car.
As they stepped out of the car She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Casually she pulled her back pack over her shoulder and glanced around the lot. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They were alone in the lot.
They walked through automatic doors into a brightly lit waiting area/lobby area. It's walls were painted a muddy red color - probably not the greatest color choice considering the setting.
Or maybe it's so blood wont show on the walls. The morbid little voice in the back of her head whispered.
Posters hung on the wall, along with a few beaded pieces and a mandella painting or two. A big sign on the wall greeted them;
Omega Falls General,
Established 1917
A friendly and spiritual experience every time!
Her mother glanced at her with a brow raised and She half shrugged.
"The guy at the gas station called this place Hippyville. I guess he was right." She told her.
"Reagan." Her mother sighed as they approached an empty sign in window.
"What? Don't be mad at me. You're the one that's going to get turned into a frog." She quipped.
"That only happened once," a light, squeaked tone interjected from behind them. Startling them both. She turned around to see a rather short woman in pressed blue scrubs. She beamed before adding, "We fixed him of course!"
Different stones fluttered from the many piercings in her ears and the smokey scent of cigarettes rolled off of her. She was probably in her late twenties.
When her mother and Reagan failed to chuckle or speak she chuckled and took a clipboard off the wall.
"Who is the guest of honor?" She asked lightly. Glancing back and forth between them with curious brown eyes.
"My mother." Reagan answered, glancing over at her tired expression. "She's having pretty bad stomach pain."
The nurse's face pulled into a frown. "Well that's no good! Here."
She retrieved an abandoned wheelchair and my mother eased herself into it. Reagan made a motion to follow when the nurse smiled and gestured to the chairs in the lobby.
"You can go ahead and take a seat. We'll get her settled in and then you can come back." She was the picture of happy, bubbly nurse. But something felt off and She could feel the lead weight of apprehension in her stomach.
"It's alright, Reagan." Mother spoke up, "See you in a few..." And after a short pause, "Be strong."
She gave her an odd look as the nurse wheeled her mother away. An odd sense of foreboding weighed heavy on her chest.
It was oddly quiet as She slouched into one of the lobby chairs, tossing her backpack into the seat next to her. She sat for a long moment. Gazing at the different paintings and decorations until her eyes settled on the same little graffiti tag She had seen earlier on the signs in town. It was carved into the side of one of the wooden lobby chairs.
With a slight frown she reached for her backpack, intent on retrieving her journal to sketch the symbol down, when her hand hit wood.
Confused she glanced into the chair beside her to find it empty.
" What?" She breathed, a sinking feeling in her chest as she whipped around again. Where did it go? It had been literally right there!
A small movement near the archyway the nurse had wheeled her mom to drew her gaze and She stared in shock.
A big dog, or should she say wolf, sat there. In his mouth her backpack. He looked at her with an almost amused shine in his sharp eyes.
Instinctively She held her hands up in a whoa kind of way, her whole body tensing up.
" Good doggy," She cooed, taking a small step forward. "Drop it... Drop- hey!"
The dog huffed and retreated further down the hallway toward a set of double doors. She followed with reluctance.
How the shit is there a dog in a hospital!?! Her mind raced as She moved at a brisk walk after the canine theif. She expected to run into some sort of staff member as she weaved around hallways after the dog. Most of the doors were shut. She passed many silent rooms, with only a gentle beep of a heart monitor to indicate occupancy. Not even an orderly or a nurse sat at the abandoned nurses station as she jogged past, whispering fierce commands at a dog that wasn't even listening.
As she turned another corner she stopped as the dog nudged open a door and disappeared inside. As she drew close she noticed the room number.

ROOM 666

I didn't even think there were that many rooms in this place. She thought darkly as she took a moment to calm her nerves. Her anxiety squirmed in her chest and she could almost feel the weight of her pill bottle in her pocket. Her fingers itched to pop off the cap and pop two. But she swallowed hard and reached out with a trembling hand to push the door open.
It creaked open and the wolf like dog sat wagging it's tail at the end of the bed. A little old woman held the strap of her backpack in her hand. The bag sat on her lap. She was so small, with hands so thin it looked like paper stretched over bone. Her face was sharp, with wrinkles that pulled her face into a perplexed frown. Wires snaked in and out of her gown In many places and the whoosh of an oxygen machine created a beat in time with her heart monitor.
Her eyes though. They shined with an inner light so strong they seemed to glow as they made eye contact. Every muscle in Reagan's body hummed with the urge to run. She extended out a hand, beconing her close. She cast a sideways glance at the dog on the floor before taking a heavy step forward.
That's when the room exploded.