The Vile Ones

by GubbinsMcGee

Two paths combine when Daniel Grayson and Ellie Brockwell, a doctor and a patient at Brahams Hospital, are both sucked into a living nightmare. Grayson, a level-headed and analytical man, is frustrated by the case of Ellie's death. As he begins to understand Ellie's insanity, he is plagued by the vision of his missing child, realizing that there may be another world inside his own.

1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Winter

It was snowing outside. Sitting in the parking lot of Brahams Community Hospital in a space marked with his name, Dr. Daniel Grayson watched heavy snowflakes gather on his windshield. With the car's engine off, the air inside was slowly growing cold. Daniel felt gusts of wind rocking his vehicle side to side as the freezing gale whistled between perfectly-lined trees leading to the hospital entrance. It was early in the morning and Dr. Grayson had been called in for specific purposes, but he almost considered starting his car and going back home.

With a sigh, Dr. Grayson unbuckled his seatbelt and shoved the car door open, stooping down for a moment to grab his laptop case. Just as he slammed the door shut against the angry wind, his eyes were drawn to a fourth story window. Inside, a young nurse was folding sheets and placing them on a metal trolley, completely stripping the room and everything inside of it. She glanced out the window with a tired stare, saw Daniel, and turned to say something to another nurse. Too late to go home now, Daniel thought.

The yawning staff members at the front desk chattered quietly amongst themselves as Dr. Grayson entered, brushing snowflakes off the top of his blonde and gray-streaked head. One of the women murmured a 'good morning' to him, to which he responded with a nod. On a normal Wednesday, Daniel would head straight for his office, check his email, and then take a look at his schedule for the day. But today, he made his way first to the fourth floor.

By the time that Dr. Grayson arrived at room 416, the patient's body had already been removed from the premises. The patient in question was only under his care for a short amount of time—a week at most—but had been a resident of the Braham's Community Hospital for almost a year. Her file said "schizoaffective", "severely anxious" and "detached from reality" among other things. In the brief time Daniel Grayson had known this particular patient, she hardly uttered a single word to him. Of course, Grayson was not a psychologist. He was a doctor of medicine; and this particular patient, with her habit of forming open wounds even under constant surveillance, was his latest failure.

A pretty young nurse with an unhappy look on her face met Dr. Grayson at the door to room 416. "They're gathering her things from her room back in the Psychiatric Wing," she said as she nodded towards two of her co-workers who were walking in the opposite direction. "I'm sorry we didn't call you soon, Doctor. There wasn't any warning. She was fine one minute and the next…"

Daniel gave the nurse a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I know," he said solemnly. "Just let me know when the examiner has a clear cause of death, alright?" He reached toward the door and pulled away a slip of printed cardboard just under the room number. The name "Brockwell, E." was written across it like a welcome mat for friendly guests, only there were never any guests. The girl was a mystery. It was clear to Dr. Grayson that she would now stay a mystery.