Chapter Twenty-Five
The hospital was not was Annabel thought it would be; not in the least. For starts, it barely looked like a hospital anymore; at first glance it reminded Annabel for the hospital in the movie "House on Haunted Hill" after it got burned down. Only, this hospital was not as nice as the one in the movie. There was a chain link fence around the perimeter of the hospital that didn't even look like a fence; there was lots of missing links and some of the fence was falling over, scraping the grass. Not that there was much grass; the fence gave way to a "door" that looked like someone had taken hedge clippers and hacked a big hole in the fence. It wasn't like a real door with metal hinges and stuff, it was a hole. The path to the main entrance to the hospital was dirt and was cluttered with rocks, glass, twigs and gravel. Annabel wouldn't want to walk along it in the dark barefoot. The hospital wasn't glamorous either -but I think I already mentioned that- it looked like it was falling apart; the windows were clouded and barred, some where broken and looked as though someone took a sheet of cardboard and taped it over the holes in the windows. There were small holes in the side of the building as well that had ravens nesting in them, which meant the walls were streaked with bird droppings and other things that Annabel couldn't identify.
"Not much of a sight is it?" Carter asked, noticing Annabel's disgust, which she wasn't even aware showed.
"This is Harris Hospital?" Annabel asked, surprised that this hospital could even still be in business.
"Yeah. I can't believe this place is still running but yeah this is it. Just go up to the front gate and tell them you need to see someone, they'll let you in." Carter said.
"You're not coming with me?" Annabel asked, looking up at Carter.
"You're on your own, chica. Count me out, I'll wait here for you though." Carter shook his head.
"Okay." Annabel muttered. "If I'm not back in an hour, come look for me." Annabel said, sounding like Clarice Starling in "The Silence of the Lambs" and knowing it.
Annabel left Carter at the hole and walked down the path, the gravel crunching beneath her feet and the glass cracking. She walked up the front entrance and knocked on the large, thick metal door.
It opened with a groan and an orderly in a white outfit opened the door. "Yes?" She asked, studying Annabel with disgust.
"Yeah hi. I need to visit someone." Annabel said, doing exactly what Carter had told her to.
"Are they expecting you?" The orderly asked.
"No, but it's really important." Annabel said, hoping that they would let her in.
"All right." The orderly said and stepped aside to let Annabel enter. Annabel entered and almost wished she hadn't; the hospital inside was even worse then it was outside. The paint was peeling off the walls and the ground was in bad need of a mopping or some disinfectant.
The rooms were nice, or they looked nice from the outside. There was a single window in the middle of the doors so that you could see inside the rooms; each room had a single bed pressed against the wall and another window against the far side.
"And who are you looking for, exactly?" The orderly asked.
"Clear. Clear something-or-other." Annabel answered, muttering the last part.
The orderly nodded as though she knew exactly whom Annabel was talking about. Annabel guessed she did since there couldn't be many people named Clear in the same hospital; there couldn't be many people named Clear period.
The orderly lead Annabel to the very end of a long hall and pulled eyes from her pocket. "She hasn't had much visitors, in fact she hasn't had any visitors except for a young man who visited her when she first came here but no one has come for a while." The orderly said and unlocked the door.
Annabel slowly stepped inside the room; Clear was seated in a rickety wooden chair by the window. She didn't even turn around to acknowledge that anyone had entered.
From the back, Annabel took in Clear's features; her hair was a dirty blonde color and fell down her back messily. Her skin was fair but slightly tan that showed that it was once tan but lack of sun had made her lose the tan-ness.
"Miss Rivers, you have a visitor." The orderly said.
Clear turned around and tried to hide the look of surprise upon seeing Annabel, it was clear that she had no idea who her visitor was. If the orderly saw this, she didn't let on; without a word the orderly exited the room, leaving Annabel and Clear alone.
"Your last name is Rivers?" Annabel asked, thinking that it was sort of 'funny' to be named 'Clear Rivers'.
"Yeah, ha ha. It was my parent's idea. Can I help you?" Clear asked, her voice seemed to suggest that she was bored but happy to have a visitor.
"I hope so. My name's Annabel, I know that you don't know me but I'm Alex's cousin." Annabel said, choosing her words carefully.
Clear's face remained still but her eyes darted around as though she was working things out. "What can I do for you; there has to be some reason you came here." Clear said, her voice full of emotions Annabel couldn't decipher.
"Yeah, this my be sort of hard to believe but hear me out before you start to talk." Annabel said and begun to tell Clear every thing that happened started with the overhang collapsing and ending with Cody's death.
Once Annabel was finished, the two sat in silence; Annabel hoped that Clear would be able to help her and not think she was crazy.
"I'm sorry." Clear whispered. "I can't help you." She turned her head back to the window.
Annabel bit her lip; her entire trip here had been a waste. And what was worse, Annabel could tell Clear knew what she was talking about and could help her but she chose not to.
Annabel stood up. "Fine, great. I came all the way from Pasadena to see you. I rode a bus for three days and hitchhiked the rest of the way, just to see you and now you won't help me. That's great." Annabel said, her voice dripping with venom.
Annabel walked toward the door and reached for the door handle. She opened the door and was about to step out.
"Wait." Clear said, her voice causing Annabel to turn around.
The hospital was not was Annabel thought it would be; not in the least. For starts, it barely looked like a hospital anymore; at first glance it reminded Annabel for the hospital in the movie "House on Haunted Hill" after it got burned down. Only, this hospital was not as nice as the one in the movie. There was a chain link fence around the perimeter of the hospital that didn't even look like a fence; there was lots of missing links and some of the fence was falling over, scraping the grass. Not that there was much grass; the fence gave way to a "door" that looked like someone had taken hedge clippers and hacked a big hole in the fence. It wasn't like a real door with metal hinges and stuff, it was a hole. The path to the main entrance to the hospital was dirt and was cluttered with rocks, glass, twigs and gravel. Annabel wouldn't want to walk along it in the dark barefoot. The hospital wasn't glamorous either -but I think I already mentioned that- it looked like it was falling apart; the windows were clouded and barred, some where broken and looked as though someone took a sheet of cardboard and taped it over the holes in the windows. There were small holes in the side of the building as well that had ravens nesting in them, which meant the walls were streaked with bird droppings and other things that Annabel couldn't identify.
"Not much of a sight is it?" Carter asked, noticing Annabel's disgust, which she wasn't even aware showed.
"This is Harris Hospital?" Annabel asked, surprised that this hospital could even still be in business.
"Yeah. I can't believe this place is still running but yeah this is it. Just go up to the front gate and tell them you need to see someone, they'll let you in." Carter said.
"You're not coming with me?" Annabel asked, looking up at Carter.
"You're on your own, chica. Count me out, I'll wait here for you though." Carter shook his head.
"Okay." Annabel muttered. "If I'm not back in an hour, come look for me." Annabel said, sounding like Clarice Starling in "The Silence of the Lambs" and knowing it.
Annabel left Carter at the hole and walked down the path, the gravel crunching beneath her feet and the glass cracking. She walked up the front entrance and knocked on the large, thick metal door.
It opened with a groan and an orderly in a white outfit opened the door. "Yes?" She asked, studying Annabel with disgust.
"Yeah hi. I need to visit someone." Annabel said, doing exactly what Carter had told her to.
"Are they expecting you?" The orderly asked.
"No, but it's really important." Annabel said, hoping that they would let her in.
"All right." The orderly said and stepped aside to let Annabel enter. Annabel entered and almost wished she hadn't; the hospital inside was even worse then it was outside. The paint was peeling off the walls and the ground was in bad need of a mopping or some disinfectant.
The rooms were nice, or they looked nice from the outside. There was a single window in the middle of the doors so that you could see inside the rooms; each room had a single bed pressed against the wall and another window against the far side.
"And who are you looking for, exactly?" The orderly asked.
"Clear. Clear something-or-other." Annabel answered, muttering the last part.
The orderly nodded as though she knew exactly whom Annabel was talking about. Annabel guessed she did since there couldn't be many people named Clear in the same hospital; there couldn't be many people named Clear period.
The orderly lead Annabel to the very end of a long hall and pulled eyes from her pocket. "She hasn't had much visitors, in fact she hasn't had any visitors except for a young man who visited her when she first came here but no one has come for a while." The orderly said and unlocked the door.
Annabel slowly stepped inside the room; Clear was seated in a rickety wooden chair by the window. She didn't even turn around to acknowledge that anyone had entered.
From the back, Annabel took in Clear's features; her hair was a dirty blonde color and fell down her back messily. Her skin was fair but slightly tan that showed that it was once tan but lack of sun had made her lose the tan-ness.
"Miss Rivers, you have a visitor." The orderly said.
Clear turned around and tried to hide the look of surprise upon seeing Annabel, it was clear that she had no idea who her visitor was. If the orderly saw this, she didn't let on; without a word the orderly exited the room, leaving Annabel and Clear alone.
"Your last name is Rivers?" Annabel asked, thinking that it was sort of 'funny' to be named 'Clear Rivers'.
"Yeah, ha ha. It was my parent's idea. Can I help you?" Clear asked, her voice seemed to suggest that she was bored but happy to have a visitor.
"I hope so. My name's Annabel, I know that you don't know me but I'm Alex's cousin." Annabel said, choosing her words carefully.
Clear's face remained still but her eyes darted around as though she was working things out. "What can I do for you; there has to be some reason you came here." Clear said, her voice full of emotions Annabel couldn't decipher.
"Yeah, this my be sort of hard to believe but hear me out before you start to talk." Annabel said and begun to tell Clear every thing that happened started with the overhang collapsing and ending with Cody's death.
Once Annabel was finished, the two sat in silence; Annabel hoped that Clear would be able to help her and not think she was crazy.
"I'm sorry." Clear whispered. "I can't help you." She turned her head back to the window.
Annabel bit her lip; her entire trip here had been a waste. And what was worse, Annabel could tell Clear knew what she was talking about and could help her but she chose not to.
Annabel stood up. "Fine, great. I came all the way from Pasadena to see you. I rode a bus for three days and hitchhiked the rest of the way, just to see you and now you won't help me. That's great." Annabel said, her voice dripping with venom.
Annabel walked toward the door and reached for the door handle. She opened the door and was about to step out.
"Wait." Clear said, her voice causing Annabel to turn around.
