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| Chapter Four: Emergency Room | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On the roof of a building that was parallel to the run down hospital - Calloway surveyed the surroundings and compared them to his map. A smile crept across his face as he saw the Resting Peace Funeral Home - across the road. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "This is the place - somewhere - in this area - my target hides," Calloway remarked as he put the map away. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Target - amazing how impersonal you get," a familiar voice remarked. He looked over and saw the ghost of Luther floating in the air. "Karma is a bitch you know - all of this will come round to you," he warned. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Calloway growled as he drew the special dagger and tried to cut at the apparition that was safely out of reach - high above the street below. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You will slip up. When you do - when your mind slips - when you forget that I can hurt you. I will put you out of my misery once and for all," he hissed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I've heard that before. So this is where the Giovani have set up camp. Nice set up," Luther remarked. Calloway looked around at the surrounding streets and saw several of pockets of people hanging out in alleys. "Looks like he is expecting company," he added. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Go figure," Calloway added. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Planning on slipping in undetected?" Luther asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "No - he's expecting that. I was thinking something a little more - direct," Calloway remarked. The ghost looked over at him as though he had lost his mind. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A short while later - a dirty ambulance raced down the street. The gangs stationed in the alleys watched as it passed by on route to the hospital then returned their attention to other matters. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The ambulance came to a complete halt by the front entrance. The doors opened as two people carefully wheeled a bleeding Calloway out on a stretcher and brought him in. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Calloway pretended to be out of it as he was moved into the emergency room where several doctors were operating on numerous patients. He fluttered his eyes and seemingly spaced out as they hooked him up to the machines. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Flat Line!" a nurse called out. The doctors did what they could to revive him - but nothing worked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Send him to the morgue - notify next of kin," the doctor stated with a sigh. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He - had no wallet," the nurse stated. The doctor stopped writing and looked at the deceased patient. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Where was he found?" the doctor asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He was cut up pretty bad and staggered out into traffic. Got hit by a car. Driver drove off without looking back," the ambulance driver answered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Anybody know him?" the doctor asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Nameless and friendless. Must have meandered here by chance. What a way to go," the ambulance driver answered. The doctor made a note and then put the clipboard on the bed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Send him down to the morgue for - further examination," the doctor suggested. The nurse sighed as she wheeled the dead body out of the ER. Beside the bed - dressed like a doctor was the ghost of Luther. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Brilliant plan hero - I hope that nothing gives you away," he teased. Calloway remained motionless. "I mean - I have heard that the Giovani have a way with spirits," he added as the nurse wheeled the unmoving body into an elevator. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Another one dead. Some times I wonder if they try to save them," the nurse muttered to herself. Luther quietly laughed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "One of the locals has a conscience. I guess they didn't screen enough when she got this job," the ghost mocked. The elevator doors opened and the nurse pushed Calloway out. Hard to believe we are still in a hospital. I've seen dungeons more homier than this," he added as the nurse wheeled Calloway into a room with several other covered up bodies. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Where ever you are - I hope you are in a better place," she whispered as she left the room that was filled with death. Calloway could sense that she was gone and that there was no one else present - save the ghost - but something inside him - some instinct told him to remain still. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Why stay?" Luther began but stopped. He sensed it too - someone was coming. Like a cloud before a strong wind - he vanished. Seconds later - about three doctors and one of the Giovani entered the room. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The call I got said that a new John Doe came in," the Giovani remarked. The doctors made their way over to the table Calloway was on. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "This one. No friends - no family - no wallet - no identity," a doctor said reading the chart. The Giovani walked over and examined the corpse. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "How ideal - almost too much so," he stated calmly. Just then - Calloway's eyes flashed open. In a blur of motion the vampire flipped himself up. A powerful kick knocked the vampire away from him. Before the startled doctors could even think of reacting. Calloway pounced. In midair - he spun around - drew his daggers - and slit their throats before he hit the ground. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The doctors gasped and choked as they fell dead to the floor. The Giovani shook off the effect of the attack and smiled at the vampire he had been expecting. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You must be the one that Snake sent," he remarked. Calloway seemingly danced his way across the space between them. The Giovani tried to fight - but the skill of the fighting snake was too much for him to match. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Calloway spun his enemy around and pressed him face first against the wall. Making sure that his hand was over the vampire's eyes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I saw the welcoming committee outside," Calloway began as he reached into the pocket of the vampire's suit and pulled out the cell phone that was still on. "Your boy is busy - call back later," he mocked as he crushed the phone in his fist. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You won't get away with this. He knows you are coming," he stated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Surprisingly - that changes little," Calloway stated pushing his captive harder against the unforgiving wall. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Surely you don't expect me to tell you anything," he hissed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I expect a lot of things," Calloway rebutted. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "They know you are here," he said smugly. Calloway chuckled as he pushed the vampire's head even harder against the wall. "You will never escape this place alive," he added. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I have been dead before - and have been dead for quite some time. I would think a stinking necromancer like yourself would know that," Calloway hissed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Kill me - it will get you nothing. You will still meet your final death here you arrogant assassin," he boasted. Calloway quietly laughed as he leaned forward. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I have to wonder how much interaction your family has with the parts and service department has here. In fact - I would bet - that if you were on one of these beds - they might use you like you and your sick little inbred cousins use these poor fools," he whispered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You think to scare me?" the Giovani defiantly spat. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't care if I scare you or not. Fact of the matter here is - I know those that possess the bloodline power your clan has - have need of body parts to do their rituals. Imagine their surprise - when they learn - after mutilating you - that well - you get the picture," he said as he wound up to hit the restrained vampire. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Wait!" he called out. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You have something to say?" Calloway asked. He tensed up and muttered a silent curse. Around him the dead bodies began to stir. "Big mistake death-mage," he muttered as he relentlessly beat the restrained vampire's head. He knocked him down to the floor - but before he could finish him off the zombie-like animated corpses began to attack him. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Arrogance - it is the enemy of the best of us," the Giovani remarked as he concentrated on healing the wounds he had taken. He watched in disbelief as Calloway moved with the grace and agility of a being made of water. Within moments - he stopped. All of the corpses stopped moving - then collapsed to the floor. "Impossible," he muttered. Calloway moved his neck around - causing several bones to crack. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I want you to ask yourself a scholarly question. What is the last thought that runs through the head of the mouse - as the cobra kills it?" Calloway hissed as he dove over and pummeled the Giovani into deep torpor. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In the back of his mind he could hear that people were approaching. They weren't really close - but he could hear their footsteps echoing by the end of the hall. He quickly picked up the slashed up corpses and put them back on their beds. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| He then looked to the doctors he had killed and then at the vampire that was immobile and defenseless. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Not much time," he muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minutes later - a small band of security guards and corrupt police were heading down the hall that led to the morgue. It was then that Calloway - dressed in the Giovani's suit limped out holding up one of the dead doctors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Hurry! Before he gets away! He went that way," Calloway strained - pointing to the hallway to his left. The gathering hurried by - not giving Calloway a second glance. Calloway smiled as he tossed the dead doctor aside. "I really don't like leaving loose ends - but if I play with all of the hired help - the head mouse will bolt," he muttered as he hurried back the way he had been brought. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Not bad killer," Luther remarked. Calloway looked over his shoulder and saw the ghost that vexed him so. "You must know that won't fool them," he added. Discreetly - Calloway reached for his special dagger. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It doesn't have to. It just has to buy me enough time to find my target," he replied. In a blur of motion he spun around slashing at the ghost. Luther raised his arm. Calloway smiled as he felt the blade dig in. Luther staggered back and looked at the predator. "I told you. You would forget," he said as he pounced to finish him off. But before he could - Luther vanished. "Take your time - you have the means of finishing him. It is only a matter of time now," he reassured himself as he forced the elevator doors open and hopped into the elevator shaft. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To Be Continued... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||