SEBASTIAN WESTBROOK is the pseudonym for an unassuming young undergrad from the UK, just starting his adventures in writing. He enjoys RPG video games a little too much and spends more time on them than he should. When he can peel himself away, he reads fantasy fiction in the main, but also enjoys the horror genre, particularly movies.
SHADES OF PAIN
by
Sebastian Westbrook
Things hadn’t been the same since Doctor Nizo had started working at Villanueva hospital, fifteen kilometres outside of Caracas. Viktor had heard about her from other staff members whilst arriving for his patrols as they passed him to head home. Marta Nizo had very unconventional methods when it came to “treating” her patients. She would visit those who were declared as having no chance of recovery, and hum them a soothing tune. Nothing more. Shortly after her visit, the patient would miraculously recover. Viktor had heard about the blind old woman who’d regained her sight, the little boy with forced drug addiction that recovered a few days later, the young woman with broken wrists leaving good as new, and a middle-aged man whose aggressive tapeworm had seemingly disappeared overnight. Despite the unexplained nature of this method, the hospital kept Doctor Nizo on for her efficacy, describing her as a “beacon of hope for the hopeless.”
However, not everything that came with Doctor Nizo was good. Viktor had noticed weird happenings on his nightly patrols since she’d started working there. He’d hear the odd footstep that wasn’t his, or cries and groans with no discernible source. He’d find trails of odd, clear slime but they always ended abruptly and lead to nothing. He’d also occasionally see lights flickering suddenly when he walked under them, which never failed to startle him. These odd occurrences were becoming more and more unnerving to Viktor. Walking around the dark hallways of a quiet hospital at night looking for potential hazards was unsettling enough without disturbing sights and sounds to keep him company. He’d notified electricians and janitors of this, but none of them found anything abnormal, even when he gave them specific locations where he’d stumbled into something strange.
One chilly night, Viktor arrived for his shift and heard more gossip about Nizo. Apparently she’d helped a kid with selective mutism speak. Whilst Viktor was happy for the kid, he couldn’t help but groan a little. Everyone wouldn’t shut up about Doctor Nizo as if she was some goddess of health and wellness. She wasn’t. In his eyes she was a witch doctor at best with some unexplained ability to cure people. The hospital ignored suspicion in order to reap the benefits, namely payment of bills. How was it that no one but Viktor felt that her methods weren’t the slightest bit sinister? Was anyone else present when she performed her siren’s song? What else did she do? There had to be more to Nizo’s miraculous ability to cure. Regardless, Viktor wasn’t in any position to interrogate her unless she became a danger on his shift.
He began his patrol and was welcomed by the usual unnerving noises. However, as he continued his route, the noises seemed to grow louder. He’d also noticed another slime trail that seemed to trace his entire route, and the flickering lights were more frequent that ever before. Viktor felt his heart racing and his hairs standing on end. Despite the constant freaky happenings he’d been experiencing, this was on another level. He felt a sense of dread, and wanted nothing more than to turn tail and bolt.
Viktor reached the intersection of the hospital that connected all the wards on that floor. In the day, it was filled with the sounds of indistinct chatter amongst staff and footsteps moving from ward to ward to treat patients, but at night, it was a silent, empty void. The trail of slime ended here, but Viktor could hear footsteps and groaning coming towards him.
What he was met with was worse than anything he could have imagined.
A humanoid creature was slowly shuffling towards him. Its head was lacking in facial features, aside from a mouth that appeared to be sealed behind its skin and two gaping holes where its eyes should’ve been. There were syringes in its back, sticking out like spines on a porcupine, although not as numerous. Its arms ended in stumps, but the stumps had writhing tendrils sprouting from them with long, pointy teeth.
The creature groaned, muffled under the layer of skin covering its mouth. Viktor turned to run. Thankfully, with how slowly the creature moved, he thought he could get away without a scratch. Yet as Viktor began to run, the creature outstretched its arms and the writhing tendrils let out a furious, pained cry as they attempted to grapple Viktor. No matter how fast he moved, Viktor could always feel the gnashing jaws of the tendrils inching ever closer. He suddenly felt them wrap around his arms, the teeth digging into his skin, making the grip of the creature’s tendrils even harder to break free from. Although still standing, his torso was fixed in position. With its prey restrained, the creature slowly approached, using a remaining tendril to pull a syringe from its back. Viktor’s heart was pumping out of his chest as he heard the footsteps of the creature drawing slowly closer, still unable to see its approach. He felt the needle of the syringe go into his shoulder, and he fell unconscious.
Viktor came to in one of the hospital beds, daylight streaming through the window. Standing over him was Doctor Marta Nizo. She seemed relieved that Viktor had finally come to, but Viktor couldn’t feel any sort of comfort in her presence.
“Viktor, thank goodness you’re awake. You collapsed last night while on patrol,” Nizo explained.
“Don’t give me that, witch! This has to be your doing!” Viktor spat back. He was convinced what he’d seen was tied to her. Syringes: an addict saved. Eyeless sockets: blindness cured. Broken wrists fixed: the arms of the creature ending in stumps… “That thing. You summon it and it takes their pain!”
Nizo responded calmly. “Oh dear, you are ill, and your mind is restless. Let us take care of you; we can help you to forget everything.”
Then she began to hum her sinister, soothing tune.