Sanctuary's Fiend
Chapter 23

The hospital smelled exactly like you’d expect it to smell. I’d never been in one before, but if a hospital was going to smell like something, then this is what I’d have guessed. Antiseptic and disinfectant everywhere. I wondered if I came here enough I could start telling the different antiseptic brands apart. Would I have a favorite acetone?

“Where do we go?” I asked, as me and Johnny stared at the signs, baffled. They were supposed to be directing us to places like ‘Cardiology’ or ‘Intensive Care’ but there were so many signs, with so many different colored lines to follow that it was practically a minotaur’s labyrinth. Wait, was that a real thing?

“I’ve never been here before. No idea.”

“Yeah. I guess supes don’t end up in hospital much.” I gave up trying to figure out which line to follow. “Let’s just ask someone.”

“No, no, we can figure this out.”

“We’ve wasted enough time.”

He sighed an agreement. “Yeah okay, go ask at the desk.”

“I don’t want to. You go ask.”

He gave me a look. “It was your idea to ask someone. But you don’t want to ask someone yourself?”

“Basically, yeah.” I pushed him in the direction of the reception desk.

He returned and we followed the blue line up three floors before arriving at the student in-patients wing. The nurse there told us that was where just about everyone ended up, as it was a teaching hospital, and so it could be free. The downside was you got someone barely older than I was prodding you with a stethoscope every few minutes.

I let Johnny lead the way to Rick’s room. I fell behind him, afraid of what I might see. The nurse said he’d only been moved here from the ICU this morning. Would his head be barely attached? Would he look pale and sick? What if I’d turned him and made him a vampire by accident? Was that even possible? I still couldn’t remember what actually happened. And how was he going to react to seeing me? My heart pounded harder with every step until Johnny hit the open button on one of the rooms. The door slid back and he went in.

I stood frozen by the door, looking in. Rick looked so small and frail in that big hospital bed. Had I drained him of everything? Had he always looked like that? A large bandage covered the left side of his neck. Johnny blocked my view, and started talking.

I heard a croak, then a weak cough, and then a laugh. Rick’s laugh. He could still laugh even after how I’d left him. I had a sudden urge to be the one to make him laugh. Could I ever do that? Or would he hate me now? Maybe he knew. Maybe he remembered everything. Maybe Mr. Anderton had told him all about what I was.

Johnny kept his voice to a low murmur, and so did Rick. I was still stood behind the safety of the wall, clinging to the door frame as if that would protect me if something went wrong, when I heard Johnny say, “I brought her with me,” and move out of the way.

For a split second, our eyes met, and I shuddered. His face looked panicked as he saw me. But then a smile bloomed in his eyes, and he gave a weak wave.

I returned a shy smile and a much more enthusiastic wave than I’d meant to.

Johnny walked out, saying he was going to grab a drink from the vending machine.

I crept round the corner, and once inside the room, kept my back pressed against the wall.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” he croaked. “Come closer.”

I looked around the room nervously. Why did he want me to come closer? I took a careful step. Then a few more. “How are you feeling?” I asked, from halfway across the room.

He lifted a limp hand and beckoned me further forwards.

I took another step. Was this some ploy? A trap, and he had a weapon hidden under the sheets, ready to get his revenge. For a second I realized how terrible an idea this had been. Maybe he knew everything. Even if he didn’t, maybe his dad was about to turn up. Oh shit, Mr. Anderton might turn up any second. I had to look over my shoulder, just in case.

A few more steps, and he said, “Thanks. It hurts my throat to talk loud.”

“Oh. Oh yeah, duhh.” I relaxed a little bit. Of course he just didn’t want to talk loudly. “Sorry, I thought you might have a weapon under there.”

He smoothed the sheets out. “No, just happy to see you.” He grinned at me with what was easily the most pathetic and charming grin I’d ever seen. “Wait, really? Why would I have a weapon? In a hospital. Even in America.”

I closed my arms in front of me. “Do you know what happened?”

“No. I guess I hit my head, because I don’t remember much. But the nurses told me I lost a lot of blood and must have fallen on a gardening tool, or a serrated knife or something. Apparently my neck was pretty torn up.”

I cringed at the thought of what I had done to him, even if I didn’t remember actually doing it. “Is… is your dad around?”

He looked away from me. “No. He hasn’t been in yet. He sent a friend to check up on me though, but he’s busy.” He looked back to me. “Who knew teaching was such a tough gig, huh?”

I smiled nervously. Looking at him, I still didn’t remember anything from when it happened. No flashbacks. Nothing. “How is it?”

“A bit tender. Wanna see?”

I stepped back. “No!”

“Okay. I was only kidding, don’t worry. The nurses haven’t even taken the bandage off yet.”

The thought of seeing what I’d done to him terrified me. But what was worse was that I couldn’t be sure I would be able to control myself. I didn’t feel hungry now, but I couldn’t take any chances.

Chances like coming to see the guy I’d attacked and left almost dead whose dad wanted to literally kill me. Yup, no chances being taken here…

“Are you okay?” he asked me.

I threw my hand to my mouth. Had he seen fangs? Oh God, was it my eyes? I turned around to hide my face.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. The doctors say I’m making a great recovery and I’ll be out of here in no time at all. There’s no need to cry, really.”

I felt the warm tears run over my hands. He’d seen tears, not some vampire monstrosity. I wipe my eyes and turned back around. “Sorry. I just… I didn’t know how badly you were hurt, and it’s such a relief that you’re okay.”

He smiled. “I, uhh, I’m glad… thanks for coming to see me. Honestly, after you ran out on me when we were supposed to study, and then avoided me the whole week, I thought… I’m glad you’re here, is all.”

A week seemed like a long time ago, but yeah, that had been when all of this started. When my life began unraveling. Or, changing, at least.

“No, that wasn’t you. Honestly. It was all this whole… I was having urges that I couldn’t control, and–”

“You had urges for me?” His cute brown eyes widened in joy.

Oops. Why was I telling him this? Oh, and now he thinks I just meant normal teenage urges. Brilliant. I mean, those too, but those didn’t almost make me kill him. I rolled my eyes, and was about to tell him to calm down when Johnny came back in.

He was waving a bottle of water around. “You guys just missed the craziest thing!”

To Johnny’s credit, he did take a second to realise that the room was a bit more emotionally charged than when he’d left. But he powered right through that potential awkwardness. “I went to grab a water, right? But there was a huge queue, and I didn’t want to wait, so I used my glamour to go first–”

“Glamour?” Rick asked.

Johnny froze like a statue. So did I. I hadn’t even realized he’d said it. I’d been getting so used to talking about all of these things, and apparently Johnny had too.

Johnny folded his arms. “Umm, nothing. You know, just, like… I’m so glamorous, you know?”

“Really? Quick question for the American tutor, in that case.” He looked to me. “Maybe there are different connotations, but is it normal for guys to call themselves glamorous over here?”

“Yup,” I said without hesitation. “Totally normal. Nothing weird about it.”

He nodded and seemed amused, but motioned for Johnny to continue. “Yeah, so, I talked people into letting me go in front of them. You know, with my charm and wit–”

“Pretty sure that’s a lie,” Rick said, “but keep going.”

“So I get there and I forgot my money, but there’s this tiny blonde chick hanging around trying to get reception on her cell. No big deal I figure, I’ll just get her to give me the money, right?”

“What world do you even live in?” Rick asked, thoroughly confused now.

“Right. So I–”

“You!” I turned and there was what could only be the ‘tiny blonde chick’ from Johnny’s story, looking pissed as all hell in Johnny’s direction. She couldn’t have been over five three, late twenties, and was wearing a killer dress that I would have to ask where she got it from. And if they did it in black.

“Get out of this room!” she shouted.

Johnny threw his hands up and started laughing, clearly amused by whatever anecdote he had been trying to tell us.

Rick laughed. “Don’t worry, Claire. These are my friends that came to visit. Johnny and Rel.”

Her eyes darted to me, and her hand slipped into her purse. “Rel?”

“Umm, yeah?”

I could see the arm in her purse start shaking, and could smell a sudden rush of adrenaline and fear from her.

“I’m here to protect him,” she said.

“Uhh, everything okay, Claire?” Rick asked. “Rel’s just making sure I’m okay.”

“Making sure there’s leftovers more like.”

What? Was she a second hunter? How did she know? I looked to Johnny, and he had tensed up, ready for whatever might happen.

“Okay,” I said holding my hands up in front of me. “Okay, we’re going.”

Claire stepped inside the room and backed herself into a corner, hand still in purse.

Me and Johnny started to edge our way out, making no sudden movements.

“Woah, hey, guys. What the hell is going on here?” Rick said, trying to sit up.

We all stayed silent, because I think we all knew exactly what was in Claire’s purse.

“Guys, stay. Ignore her, she’s just being weird. Claire, stop being weird.”

Johnny had gotten out, and I inched a toe out of the room. “It’s okay. Let me know when you’re feeling better, okay?”

Rick looked completely confused, but nodded weakly.

Once me and Johnny were away from the room, we turned and ran towards the elevators.

“What the hell was that?” Johnny asked.

“I don’t know! I guess Mr. Anderton told other people he found out I was a Draugr. We need to tell your dad about that kind of thing, right?”

Johnny looked at me funny. “Better tell your dad first.”

The elevator doors dinged open and we stepped in.

After a second, Johnny started laughing.

“What the hell?”

“That was intense!”

I rolled my eyes and shrugged. “Yeah.”

“I need to hang around with you more often if this is what your life is like.”

“You’re an idiot.’

His laughter died down to just leaving a huge grin across his face. “Yeah. I am a bit. But at least I have fun.”

Aww damn it. I grinned back at him. Rick was fine, life was good.

“See!” He pointed at my face. “Yeah, you’re in deep shit, but that rush, am I right?”

I shushed him, but then a thought occurred to me. “Hey, I found what killed that guy in the park.”

“Woah. Okay. Why is your life so much more fun than mine? What was it? How did you replace it?”

“Because I’m way more awesome than you, obviously. And I have no idea what it was, but it stank of death and looked horrible. Even worse than your face.”

We stepped out of the elevator and walked through the lobby. “I think I can replace it again. No. No, I know I can replace it again.”

He looked sideways at me, and scratched his chin. “Hmm. I think someone’s asking for help.”

I punched him in the arm. Except, I might have forgotten that I was now a lot stronger than I used to be, and he fell over into a rack of newspapers. My face flushed with embarrassment as he laughed it off and rubbed his arm. “Damn. You got strong. But uhh, let’s not tell my dad that I fell over, okay? I’d never hear the end of it. Well, actually he’d probably never talk to me again, but same thing.”

As he stood back up, regaining his usual elvish poise, he grabbed one of the newspapers. As an annoyed receptionist came over to shout at us, we ran out of the front doors, into the evening sun.

“Would you look at that?”

“What?” I asked.

He handed the paper over to me. Right there on the front page. Another killing. Same details as last time. In a park, blood everywhere.

“You know what, Johnny? Rick and whoever that Claire woman was, that’s a huge mess I can’t deal with right now. But this?” I jabbed a finger at the newspaper. “This, I can handle. It’s simple. Straightforward. Uncomplicated. I mean, it almost killed me last time, but I hadn’t fed. Now? Now I’m ready.”

He fist pumped the air, because he was the kind of guy that did that, apparently. “Yes! Tonight?”

“On a school night? No way!”

“Are you serious? You care about school? Even with all of the rest of this… ‘life’ happening?”

“Education is important. Besides, I haven’t been able to enjoy a day at school all last week because I was wanting to bite my friends.” I took a moment to think about that. “Okay, yeah, that’s pretty weird. I’ll give you that. But education is very important. And friends. Tomorrow, okay?”

“Whatever. I’ll bring Gareth again.”

“Who’s that?”

“Gareth. He was there when we went hunting.”

“Oh. One of your elf buddies, gotcha.”

“An elf being called Gareth? Don’t be ludicrous! He was the gargoyle.”

“Ooh, that’s what he was? I’d never met one before!”

“Didn’t you, like, say hi, or something?”

“No. It was all a bit rushed.”

“Bit rude, Rel, but okay.”

So the wide guy was a gargoyle. “Why do you want to invite him instead of your elf buddies?”

“First off, I’m enough elf for any freaky looking creature, okay? Secondly, you clearly haven’t seen a gargoyle in action. You’re in for a treat. But then, of course, I haven’t seen you in action either.”

He winked at me and I studiously ignored him.