5

Paul was sitting once again in the staff room. Ethan seemed like a good kid, unusually quiet for a new patient. And the fact he asked if anything had happened made Paul question if it was a day dream. Was Ethan there? No, he couldn't have been. Paul lay on the grubby green sofa and shut his eyes, wanting a good nights rest.

He was back in the staff room. But it was different. The walls were covered in rust, and the floor was mesh. The sofa was stained with blood, and he could hear screams in the distnace. What kind of dream am I having? It looks like my day dream. Maybe its the alcohol. Paul headed for the door that led into the hallway. It was jammed.

"Whats wrong with this door? Whats wrong with my head!"

He turned on his heels and spotted the door leading to the examination room. Please be open!

Paul slipped through the examination room door quietly. This room was just as bad as the last. There was a gaping hole in the mesh floor, with trolleys strewn around the side of it. There was also a hole in the mesh floor above him.

Paul walked cautiously further into the room. Some of the trolleys seemed to have blood on them. Suddenly a screamed echoed from the hole above him. Paul glanced up and saw a trolley hanging over the edge. Were the screams coming from that? Suddenly the trolley tipped and Paul caught a quick glimpse of a body attached to the trolley. Its face was a picture of agony, its stomach ripped out and intestines hanging around by its knees. It clashed onto the ground, then rolled into the hole on his floor. The screams died into the darkness. Then more screams, but not human ones. They sounded like chimps, screaming with joy. Then the door opened across from him, and in walked that thing from earlier on.

Its tongue hanging down by its jaw, saliva running down its chin, its eyes dark and menacing.

It took a shaky step forward and another, then launched itself across the room, clearing the hole. Paul stumbled backwards, tripping, landing hard on his back.

This is it, I'm gonna die, in my sleep.

Then his hand touched something round and smooth, and as the creep pounced, he swung.

Paul stood above the crumpled heap. It looked like the patient in that room, but that was impossible. The metal pole worked well against his assailiant.

Now to find a way out of here.

Paul headed for the door leading into the corridor. He made sure to keep as far away from the pit as possible, he didnt want to know what was down there, at least not by falling down it. Out in the corridor things were pretty much the same, but made worse by the numerous bloddy handprints across the walls. Also, the flourescent bulbs were red, be it from them coated in blood or otherwise. He walked around the corner to reception, which to his dissapointment had no receptionist. There was a book though. Written in red ink? No, not red ink... blood.

How did I get here? One minute I was taking a nap in the nurses office, the next thing I'm here, being chased by the hospitals patients. No, they arent the patients, they are something worse than that. They arent human. This has never happened before. I've taken plenty of naps in the hospital before. But they are coming, I can hear them screeching for me. To anyone else who ends up in this nightmare, I offer you one bit of advice. Run. Run and don't look back.

Paul placed the book back on the counter. Could the nurse from earlier have wrote that? If so, she must still be here, I have to find her. That means heading to the second floor. Paul started for the lift, but stopped in his tracks. Was that a girl? It looked like a young girl, in a blue dress. He glanced over his shoulder, but nothing. He turned the next corner and saw the lift. Then he watched in horror as the lift doors opened. They know how to use lifts? This is unbelievable. At least I'll die fighting. Paul took the same stance he took when batting for baseball. The doors slid open, but all that he could see was the lifts grungy interior. Then a boys head poked out from the side.

Ethan?

"Ethan! Is that you? It's me, doctor Elliot."

Ethan ran out of the lift and straight towards the doctor, a look of hope in his eyes.

"Doctor, you got to come to the second floor. Theres an injured nurse."

Ethan was pulling at Elliots sleave.

"Woah, hold up Ethan, how did you get here?"

Ethan looked at the doctor, frustration dancing across his face.

"I'll explain that later doctor, but for now, we got to help the nurse."

Ethan ran into the elevator, dragging Paul with him.

A grate smashed down behind them, locking them in the elevator.

"Ethan, tell me, how did you get here?"

Ethan looked into the doctors eyes, Paul couldnt twell what the boy was thinking.

"Its all my fault Doctor Elliot. This is what happens when I sleep, everywhere turns like this, and now its dragging other people here. My mind does things, bad things... Ive hurt so many people, and I didnt think I would here. But this town... theres something wrong with it. Its just made things worse.."

Paul looked into Ethans eyes, and as far as he could tell, Ethan meant what he was saying. The lift came to an abrupt halt, the cage shot open and Ethan dragged Paul out into the hall.

"Come on, I can't let her die. Not here."

Ethan ran on into the dark C ward, with Paul trailing behind him, thinking over what his young patient just told him.