Dancing with the Dead ✔

Chapter One - A Nightmare in Casa Nova

Being in a hospital in the middle of the night is like starring in your own horror movie.

The dim alleys, the glitching lights, and the sudden noises waking you up in the middle of the night. Okay, that last bit may be the nurses checking up on you, making sure you're still alive. Still, hospitals at night are downright creepy.

Even more terrifying is having Freddy Krueger in the same room with you. Yes, you hear me right. The man lying on the bed in front of me looks like a living, breathing Freddy Krueger.

Even though he was semi-conscious when he was brought here, he has to be put in a medically induced coma because of carbon monoxide poisoning. That's when I came in. As an anesthesiologist—ahem, anesthesiology resident—it is my job to make sure he stays asleep for quite some time. After all, God knows how painful it must be to be almost-burnt alive.

The man suffers from second and third-degree burns on more than 40 percent of his body. Most part of his face is just patchy red, but the rest—particularly the right side of his face—suffers worse. Parts of his skin are discolored, turning into a mix of dark red and black bean patches. Some yellow blisters cover a chunk of his forehead. His right temple is downright charred while most of his brows are gone. His arms also suffer from the unfortunate; right down to his long fingers, the skin turns crimson red with patches of eschars throughout. The rest of his body—mainly those which is covered by his clothes—has a bit more luck.

He's lucky the injuries don't extend to his muscles and bones. This way, he has a chance to get his face back—after many, many, skin graft surgeries that will cost God-knows-how-much, of course.

Until then, I'm stuck with caring for Freddy Krueger's doppelganger.

After rechecking his vital signs and making sure everything else is good, I leave the ICU with a huge smile plastered on my face.

Tonight has been a huge leap in my career. As a second-year resident, being trusted upon to perform complex surgery like this is definitely a jackpot.

Sure, it wouldn't have happened if Doctor Brighton, the senior anesthesiologist, isn't hospitalized because of food poisoning—which is one of the many reasons you shouldn't have cheated on your wife—and I'm the only anesthesiologist left in this town. But still, it would definitely look good in my resume. And that means more money. And more money means I can cover my student loans a lot faster.

Of course, I feel really sorry for the man. But hey, there's a light in every darkness, right?

A roaring sound is heard as the metal door in front of me slides open. I drag my aching legs out of the critical area. The smile on my face begins to fade as a wave of drowsiness attacks me. My left hand is busy covering my yawning mouth while my right-hand rubs my eyes.

Everything around me still looks a bit fuzzy. A prominent side effect of being in the OR too long. The bright lights inside always succeed in sending me to temporal blindness. My head is still pounding, my neck feels like breaking, and I can't even lift my feet off the ground.

The squeaking sound of my sneakers is the only thing keeping me awake at this moment. I have to force my drooping lids open since the hospital's dimmed lights make me even sleepier. It's a miracle I could finish a surgery in this state.

"Just call if you need anything. You still got my number, right?" a man's deep voice is heard.

Well, that's strange. Usually, the hospital is very quiet at this time of hours. After all, it is two in the morning.

I look around to search for the origin of the voice and my gaze falls to a man standing before the nurses' station not far from me. The tall man's body is wrapped in black from shoulder to toe. Black leather jacket, black leather pants, black boots. My gaze is then drawn to the pair of thick metal chains dangling on his pants. One end of the chain is fastened to one of the front belt hoops in his pants, while the other end is tucked neatly to the pocket at the back of his pants.