Awaken Ye Demon [On Hiatus]

7.

I went straight to the hospital from work and called my parents on the way to let them know what had happened. Mom might have been more humiliated than I was.

I sat in the E.R. for a while, watching lots of people coming and going dying or in pain. It filled my emotionally disturbed mind with something else to think about.

"Norah Gardiner?"

I looked to the doctor that stepped through the swinging doors. She held a clipboard and looked a bit disturbed by what she read.

"Right here," I said, equally disturbed.

She waved me to follow, and I did, all the way down the hall to an empty room where she sat me down. "So I'm a little confused." She took up a rolling stool and set the folder on her lap.

"I know. The other day I ran into these guys carrying acid." I pointed to my torso. "I got a lot of burns and stuff, but since then things have been weird. I, um, for instance, today at work I got a chill up my spine and ... I screamed. I couldn't stop it either. I screamed for a good minute before I slapped myself to make it stop."

She blinked at me like she didn't believe it.

"It gets worse," I said, lifting my chin. "After I screamed, I vomited on my boss. It was weird. I threw up a lot and I only ate a piece of bread and a donut."

"A lot?"

"It poured from my mouth like a projectile at first. It shot. It shot from my mouth."

"I have to ask, do any mental disorders run in your family?"

"No. Please, I swear, I'm not insane. I mean, maybe. But this all happened. You can confer with my boss."

"Have you heard or seen anything strange?"

"Well," I started but paused, reluctant to tell her of the voice I heard. "Yes. Um. I heard a voice," I pointed to my head. "But it was in my head. I heard it in my head."

"What did it say?"

"Let me out."

"I see."

"I know what it looks like, but before you call it schizophrenia, or dementia, or whatever you think it is, why don't you check things out?"

"This all happened after the acid incident?"

"Yes."

"Okay," she said, bowing her head. "I think your mind is struggling to process the incident and is acting out, so to speak."

"What? Like PTSD?"

"Yes. Would you consider a psychologist?"

"I mean, I will but can you run any tests?"

"What do you imagine we'd be able to run?"

"Blood tests? Cat scan? Maybe I hit my head."

She sighs. "Why don't you speak to a professional first? If this is just shock, it will be better to avoid greater expenses."

"You're right. Do you guys recommend anyone?"

"I don't usually set things like this up, so just between you and I, my wife specializes in PTSD. I can give you the address to her office, see if she can fit you in? I just ... I understand."

Eagerly, I nodded. "Yes. That's great. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Let me just give her a call and I'll get you the address. Wait here."

The doctor exited the room.

I sat on the bed, strumming my fingers on my thighs, thinking about what I wanted to eat for dinner when I heard a shuffle. I looked up from my lap, tilting my head to the side.

The cabinet shook.

I have time, I thought. Sliding from the bed, I walked to the cabinet, crouched beside it, and pulled it open. From the darkness of the cabinet, a horned beast leaned out. Its eyes were bright yellow and its skin scaly and red.

It spoke something in gibberish. Somehow I knew it was Latin.

"What—" I reached forward, hands slapping its chubby little cheeks. "—the hell?"

I screamed and fell away from the door, hands flat against my chest.

The demon shrank back into the shadows of the cabinet.

Terrified and equally curious, I threw myself forward only to find the back of the cabinet. I clawed at the edges, stabbing my nails into the wood to no avail.

Tired, I slid to my knees and stared into the empty cabinet.

The door swung open fast. "Are you alright?!" The doctor asked, eyes wide as she found me kneeling in front of the cabinet.

I looked up from the cabinet. "There was a monster." I shook my head and climbed to my feet. "I really need to see her."

"She's agreed to see you. Here's the address." The doctor clapped a hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"Thank you."

I took the address, and the whole walk to the car, I wondered if that little monster was trying to tell me something.