Hey ya'll! I'm sorry for the slow update. I know I promised you I would get this ch. up on Monday, then I said Tuesday afternoon. Well, as I'm uploading this right now, it's almost 11:00. Hey, it's still Tuesday, right?
Thank you's so much for the continuation of the GREAT reviews! They keep me motivated.
And yes, Darkness Takes Over, you're actually about right when you guessed that Freddy was beginning to posses Libby. I'll address this later, but remember Freddy's quote in the first chapter, "We are one in the same."
I hope you've been enjoying this as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Now that Libby has been "chosen" the story will get a lot faster.
Okay…I shut up so you can read, and so that I can go watch Prison Break! PRISON BREAK! PRISON BREAK! PRISON BREAK! The DVDs of season 1were released today! PRISON BREAK! YYEEAAHH!
Too Young
Chapter 5: An Interview and a Coffee
Sophie charged down the unending white hallway, tunnel-vision directing her to a single emergency room situated cruelly at the very end of the corridor. Nurses and off-duty doctors were forced to jump out of her way as she ran blindingly towards her target. Sophie had a fleeting image of herself as a speeding car and everyone else were small critters, scurrying out of the way before they got squished.
Pain-filled screams escaped from the room she was headed for, followed by forceful commands being yelled from gruff sounding authorities. Fear gripped Sophie's heart upon hearing the pain-filled shrieks coming from the very room she was headed for. Determination willed her legs to move faster, propelling her onward at a break-neck speed.
Chaos greeted her as she reached the rooms entrance. The room was in utter disarray: syringes and various medical instruments lay scattered across the white-tiled floor, police officers huddled together in groups along the walls, watching the scene warily and dodging objects being thrown their way in the mad rush.
What grabbed Sophie's attention the most however, was located near the far wall, and was obviously the center of everyone else's attention as well. Nurses and doctors were working together to restrain a wildly thrashing girl. The girl looked somewhat familiar to Sophie, but the wild child in front of her seemed more like something out of a war zone than someone she would know. The girls face was streaked with tears and snot and her hair lay in sweaty matted clumps. Her clothes were torn and ripped, as if she had clawed at them, snagging the threads and nearly tearing them off her delicate body. What shocked Sophie the most though, was the girl's eyes; filled with a primal fear Sophie had never seen before. The child was nearly incoherent, throwing the doctors and nurses off of her and kicking furiously at anyone who dared to venture too close. The teenager was bleeding from several points on her arms, and even from this distance, Sophie could tell the wounds had been caused by syringe needles, which the girl had been able to knock out of her arm before the medical team could inject a tranquilizer. The air was filled with panic-filled cries; cries that contained not only pain but absolute terror which chilled Sophie down to the bone.
It took Sophie several moments to set aside her initial shock, but when she was finally able to shake off her trance, she looked hard into the face of the wild child. With utter shock and disbelief, she realized that the animal-like thing in front of her was none other than her daughter, Liberty.
Shoving aside any thoughts for her own safety, Sophie plunged forward and charged headlong into the may lay. A kick from her daughter sent a tray full of surgical tools flying, causing all within range to scatter away from the scalpels' sharp edges. Sophie was vaguely aware of the prick a small scalpel caused her on her left forearm, but she didn't dare take the time to inspect herself. I have to get to my daughter!
Having crossed the length of the room, Sophie finally reached her daughter's side, doing some shoving of her own to get passed the otherwise occupied nurses. "LIBBY! LIBBY CAN YOU HEAR ME!" She reached out to grab her daughter's shoulders, trying to snap her child out of whatever state she was in. Upon touching her daughter's body, a new surge of screams erupted from Libby's core. She thrashed wildly, blindly scratching the air with her finger nails.
Sophie recoiled from her daughter, flabbergasted that Libby had reacted with such terror from her mother's touch. Libby was terrified; Sophie could see it in her eyes, in the way she was behaving, in the way she acted out to her surroundings. She's acting like she thinks the very air is going to hurt her!
A sudden dread filled Sophie's heart, chocking her and causing her to freeze with terror. Dear God, she thought, she hasn't been attacked again, has she? Instinct kicked in and Sophie again ran for her daughter, thinking of nothing else but to provide protection for her child.
As she once again attempted to break through the strong chain of medical personal encircling her daughter, she was finally noticed by one of the doctors trying to tend to Libby's IV. "Officers! Get this woman out of here!" he shouted at the small group of the Springwood Police officers huddled together near the doorway, as far away as possible from the deranged girl. Not one of the policemen moved, apparently spooked by the odd behavior of the young girl. All of them stared dumbly at him, as if he had spouted two heads. God our police are incompetent! "I SAID GET THIS WOMAN OUT OF HERE! DO IT NOW OR I'LL HAVE YOUR BADGES!" It was an empty threat, but he hoped they'd be stupid enough to believe him.
Yeah, stupid enough alright. Concern for their jobs overwritedconcern for their bodies, and the cops tentatively moved forward. When he was in reach, the burliest of the bunch made a daring leap and lunged for the hysterical woman, tearing her away from the nurses who were doing their best to fight two fronts at once.
Sophie fought hard against the man who grabbed her, not realizing he was a cop and not caring if she had known. Primal instinct had seized her body and all she cared about was protecting her daughter. I have to help Libby! Sophie kicked and screamed, driving her heels into the man's shins, finally succeeding in breaking his hold on her. She turned back around towards her daughter's bed, but was stopped by another man who grabbed one of her arms. Blindly, she clawed at her new assailant, intent on ripping his throat out. More hands took hold of her clawing arm, jerking her away from her prey.
"We're trying to help you, Miss! Just calm down!"
Sophie was vaguely aware of the words as her two captors began to drag her backwards, away from her daughter. She did her best to stop their progress, but the two men held her tightly. "LET ME GO BACK! PLEASE, THAT'S MY DAUGHTER IN THERE! THAT'S MY LIBBY! LET ME GO BACK!"
Her pleas did little to rattle the trained cops. With the last glimpse Sophie was able to steal of her daughter, she saw Libby still fighting with the doctors. Fighting against the ones whose job it was to protect, to help, as if she were instead fighting against deadly and dangerous foes; as if she were fighting for her life. With each others help, the Springwood Police drug Sophie out of the emergency room.
…
"So…let me understand this…you were over in the Nightingale Cemetery when you saw the explosion. You didn't see or hear anything prior to that?"
"No," Neil tensely answered, barely able to keep the frustration out of his voice. Due to the dire medical situation, the police had decided to haul Neil over to the hospital and interrogate him there, so that the injured could be attended to faster. It was late, nearly midnight, and Neil wanted to go home and get some sleep.
"The victim's vehicle was demolished, Mr. Gordon. An accident capable of creating that amount of damage would surly had caused a hell of a lot of noise. Are you sure you didn't hear anything unusual?"
Neil stared intently, almost challengingly into the detective's eyes. "I'm absolutely positive I didn't notice anything, sir." Neil purposely strained the last word, hopping that the cop would get the point and leave him alone. Jeez, no wonder why people never do any 'good Samaritan' deeds anymore. Every time they do, the authorities give them the 3rd degree.
"What were you doing out so late at night, Mr. Gordon? Why were you in an old cemetery?"
Neil couldn't help but roll his eyes. It's still a free country…it's none of your business what I was doing out there. Neil bit his tongue to keep from spurting some snide remark; it wouldn't help his cause to bad mouth a cop, especially a nosey cop like this one. Putting on his best "we both knew it's fake" smile, Neil slowly responded, "Officer, I was reacquainting myself with this lovely town. It's been some years since I was last fortunate enough to find myself in such a friendly community," his smile widened as the last of his sentence smoothly rolled off his tongue.
The cop, obviously catching Neil's sarcasm, sneered up at the material witness. "Yes sir, Springwood is a fine town." He closed his notepad, and straightened up his uniform, "I believe that's all I need for now, Mr. Gordon. Have a pleasant night."
Neil watched as the young cop strutted away, heading off in the direction he supposed he was most likely to run into his superior officer. "Now there's someone who takes his job just a little too seriously," Neil said aloud before he could stop himself. Not that it matters anyway, he thought, there's nobody else around here at this hour. The cop had kept him here at the bleak and empty hospital, re-asking the same questions over and over for hours.
Well, now I can go home and try to put this night out of my mind. Neil turned on his heel, and headed in the direction of the nearest elevator. He waited for several moments after pressing the button, and when the elevator still made no sign of making an appearance, Neil sighed heavily and accepting his fate, walked to the stairwell entrance. I need the exercise anyway.
…
Sophie paced nervously in the emergency wards waiting area, creating a new rivet in the already worn out carpet. Two beefy cops stood right outside the room's door, flanking either side should she attempt to make a dash towards her daughter's room again. She had tried that before, and failed miserably. That had been nearly a half-hour ago, and ten minutes after she had been led to this room to wait for word on her daughter.
Exhausted, Sophie fell into one of the numerous cushioned chairs and reached for some kind of home and garden magazine. The catalog was well worn, and as Sophie read the date on the front cover, she understood why…Summer 1995. She quickly flipped through magazines contents, not really paying any attention to the information it held within its faded pages. She was too nervous, too anxious. And why wouldn't I be? My daughter is down the hall in some kind of post-traumatic shock! What kind of a mother would I be if I wasn't anxious?
She threw the magazine away, finished with its colorful and flowery pictures. The catalog had obviously been put in here to console grieving families while they waited for word of loved ones. She wasn't in the mood to be consoled. She was in the mood to take action.
Standing hastily, not allowing herself to think about what she was doing, Sophie walked with a determined air back to the door that led to the hallway, the hallway that at its end, led to her daughter. She saw the cops outside move to intercept her, but she wasn't about to let them bar her way again. The doctors had kept her waiting long enough; it was time she found out what was happening to Libby.
One of the cops extended his hand, signaling for her to halt, "Now hold it ma'am. Our orders are to hold you here until your daughter has been sedated."
Sophie answered slowly, allowing the cops to take in her malice, "They've had quite enough time to do their job. Now I'm doing mine."
The two officers glanced nervously at each other, as if wondering what to do. They weren't used to being challenged, and so had no idea of how to respond. Lucky enough for them, they didn't have to make a decision for themselves, for right at that moment, a doctor, looking quite stressed, rounded the corner and headed in the direction of the waiting room.
"Officers, it's all right…I'll take it from here," he breathlessly gasped as he approached the small group of two relieved cops, and one disappointed woman.
Taking the opportunity to flee, the cops turned sharply and walked as quickly as possible in the opposite direction while still keeping their dignity. Sophie looked after them, unsatisfied that she would be unable to give them a piece of her mind.
"Sophie Morgan?" the doctor asked as he came up beside her. Sophie saw with some distain that it was the same doctor who had originally ordered the police to throw her out of her daughter's room, almost 45 minutes ago.
She nodded, putting her displeasure to the back of her mind and turning her attention solely to her daughter. "What's happening? Is Libby all right?"
The sweaty doctor motioned her to step back inside the waiting area, not wanting to disturb anybody else who would be in this section of the hospital. Sophie was beginning to hate that room; she didn't want to go back in there. She didn't think she could stand to look at the cream-colored painted walls or the gaudy flower pots holding cheap, plastic imitations of what they were supposed to contain. The room made her feel sick
The displeasure must have been evident on her face, for the doctor made a small laugh, "I understand how you feel, but I promise that everything will be explained if you just follow me." Stepping through first, he offered his hand to help guide her to a nearby chair. Reluctantly, Sophie took his hand, and allowed him to guide her to a seat.
Once settled, the doctor took no time in explaining the situation, no doubt understanding just how scared Sophie was for her child. "Miss. Morgan, your daughter was observed by to elderly by-standers suffering from what they described as, "some sort of seizer." They reported that she fell to the ground and then started screaming and thrashing around, throwing punches and kicks into the air; at nothing in-particular. This stopped after a few moments and she appeared to become fully lucid. That's when she was approached by the couple, when she stood. They report that she was talking and that she told them she was okay and that she was going to go home," he stopped, unsure of how to go on.
"Then what?" Sophie pressed, both grateful that he was concerned enough for her emotions to hesitate in telling the story, but annoyed that he was wasting precious time by being so concerned at something as insignificant as her well-being.
The doctor gathered himself and plunged on, "Then they report that she fell again, fell to the ground. They checked for any signs of life, and found none."
He made contact with her eyes, and saw nothing but utter confusion in them. Her lips parted in a quiet mummer as the doctors words sunk in. Her eyes began to moisten, the tears making her blue eyes, the same eyes as her daughters, glisten and shine.
"By all accounts, Miss Morgan, your daughter died."
The tears ruptured then, spilling out onto her cheek, smearing the make-up that covered her face. She let them fall, not caring about anything other than her Libby at that moment.
"We're grateful that the elderly gentlemen and his wife that witnessed this were actually retired doctors from the Chicago area. They were able to perform CPR until real help arrived.
Sophie covered her nose and mouth with a hand, silently sobbing into her own flesh. The doctor, Sophie realized that she didn't even know his name, silently sat next to her, letting her take the time that she needed to gather herself up.
After a moment, Sophie wiped what remained of her tears away from her face. She swallowed hard a couple of times to clear her throat, and then nodded, "Go on."
"When we got your daughter here, she was…completely hysterical. I'm not sure if there's a true medical term that would explain how Libby was behaving. She was wild…like a wild animal. She was attacking anything and everything in sight, not in aggression," he quickly added when Sophie's eyes widened, "but as in self-defense. It was as if she thought we were going to attack her, and she was defending herself."
Sophie took a deep, long breath. This is too much!
As if reading her mind, the doctor continued, "That's not all. We couldn't get her stabilized. Her heart would start and stop…it did that a couple times…and each time she was revived again…"
Sophie again, angled her head to look at the doctor, who had trailed off from his story. She felt an onslaught of emotions gripping her and they threatened to choke her.
"Each time she was revived…she would scream a scream I've never heard before…something I would've never imagined I'd have heard. It seemed as though there was two sets of voices talking and screaming at the same time."
The doctor stopped talking completely now, and she noticed with some alarm that he had goose bumps running the length of his arms. My God, what went on down there?
After some moments, the doctor had apparently shaken whatever emotion that had gripped him from his mind, "That was actually just minutes before you arrived, Miss Morgan. You saw the rest…she again was acting like a wounded, corned animal; afraid of everyone and everything. I've only seen that kind of behavior in victims of a brutal attack. They don't care who you are, they don't want you around."
Sophie closed her eyes, and was transported to one year ago…a time she had tried so very hard to forget…
She stood suddenly, disturbing the doctor, "I need to get something to eat." She began to walk out of the room, but stopped and again faced the doctor, "Um…sir? May I ask your name?"
"Of course. It's Dr. Waltz, Dr. Tom Waltz."
Sophie stood a moment longer, letting the name sink into her tired brain, "Thank you," she mouthed before turning and heading in the direction of the kitchen.
…
He was going home, and that's all he cared about. He was sorry for the three teens who'd lost their lives in some tragic accident that night, but he was almost sorrier that he had been the one who had been close enough to be the material witness. It was the sole reason he was still here at the hospital at nearly midnight, on the eve of starting a new job.
Neil raced down the stairs, sometimes taking two at a time. Exhilaration of soon being able to rest in a "partly" soft bed overrode the exhaustion that had been plaguing his sore muscles for the last several hours. He couldn't wait to get out of the hospital; he had been uncomfortable in them ever since…
He shook his head refusing to think of it.
He reached a landing and was about to continue his dissent to the bottom floor when suddenly, he ran into something hard; a door to be exact. He flew backwards, the force of the blow temporarily knocking the wind out of his lungs. Reaching out a hand, Neil caught himself on a handrail, stopping the fall that would have left a considerable bruise on his behind.
"Watch where you're going!" he snapped, sure that whoever had run into him was some technician or electrician trying to finish their job so they could go home and also get some peace.
The sight that greeted him, however, was slightly different than he had originally expected.
Hiding behind the heavy metal door as if for protection, with coffee spilled down the front of her shirt, was a very beautiful woman. She had dirty blonde hair, which had been pulled back into a very tight French braid, showing off her long neck. She was dressed in black dress pants, and a white, lacy shirt that a princess would kill for…or at least…would have killed for had it not been for the dark coffee stain that was already beginning to dry.
"Uh…sorry. I guess I didn't see you," was Neil's pathetic apology, as the woman flicked her hands, trying to shake off the little driblets of coffee that was sticking to her skin,
"Gee, I'm really sorry about that, ma'am. I was going much faster than I should have been. It's completely my fault," came his attempt at a better apology.
"No…I mean yes, it's your fault…mostly…but I wasn't really watching when I opened the door," she stammered, not really sure of how to continue. "Are you okay? Can I help you?"
"Thank you for your concern, but you're the one with the smoldering coffee all over you. Do you need a napkin," he offered, fumbling around in the numerous pockets that adorned his outfit.
"Uh…sure…if you have one, I'll use it, thank you." The initial shock of the accident was wearing off, and leaving a thick residue of embarrassment lingering on Sophie's cheeks. She fumbled with her purse, trying to look occupied as the man continued to dig for some sort of tissue.
"I…know I have one…somewhere…Ah! Here, I told you I had one," quickly, too quickly, Neil tore an old, battered and leathery paper towel from his jeans pocket, ripping the already small linen into an even smaller specimen. The both of them looked at the small, tattered and extremely poor excuse for a napkin, both of them wondering what to say next.
Sophie broke the silence first, "Uh, thank you for the offer but…well…this was an old shirt anyway. No really…it's nearly an antique," she quickly offered when she saw the strange man look sheepishly at the ugly blemish on the otherwise perfect dress shirt. "Uh….I really should get going."
"Well, wait a moment…the least I can do is buy you another drink," chimed Neil, all of a sudden not really in a very big hurry.
"Uh, no…no that's all right. I've got enough caffeine in me right now to float a boat anyway. I don't need anymore.
"Are you sure, because they don't cost much."
"Yeah, but thanks anyway," Sophie turned and began walking back down the stairwell. "I really have to be getting back."
Neil watched her for a couple of seconds, then followed, shrugging his shoulders, "If you insist. Where you going anyway?"
Sophie supposed the man was just attempting to make conversation, she hoped that's all it was. Cautiously, she answered, "The ER wing."
"Oh my…someone you knew is in the ER?"
His tone of voice sounded genuine, not faked, not forced. "Yes, my daughter," deciding to open up a bit more.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry ma'am!"
"Sophie," she corrected, feeling a bit odd with being called ma'am. She had always felt that "ma'am's" were for older ladies, people who deserved more respect.
"Sophie? Your name? That's a beautiful name," he commented when she nodded.
"I was named after my mother. So, what shall I call you?"
"I'm Neil Gordon, pleased to meet you," he offered his hand, something Sophie noted, was quite chivalrous.
"Pleased to meet you," Sophie accepted the offered hand, and continued on her way. When she had reached her level, she opened the door and stepped through, waving a goodbye to Neil.
"Oh, I'm coming to," he reached out his hand, supporting the heavy metal door and taking the weight off of Sophie's shoulder.
Sophie eyed him with suspicion, "You're not stalking me, are you?" she asked slowly.
Neil laughed at her joke, but stopped when he realized that she was serious. "Uh…no ma'…I mean, Sophie. You see, I was headed out of here when we…collided up there, and I'm just looking for a way out." He fumbled with his collar, uncomfortable with the direction their conversation had turned.
"Oh…all right," Sophie continued through the door, not looking back at the bewildered man behind her.
Neil allowed her to get several paces ahead before stepping through the door himself; he didn't want to spook her again. He followed down the hall, keeping a respectful distance, all the while looking for an exit sign. They don't exactly have anything marked, now do they?
Just as he was about to give up his own search, and instead hunt down a nurse or someone else to show him the way out, he spotted a bright red neon sign flashing the word "EXIT" in big, bold letters. Relieved, Neil quickened his pace, wanting nothing more than to just leave these white walls.
A panicked scream pierced the corridor, resounding through the entire ER ward. Shocked, Neil turned in the direction of the sound, seeing the woman, Sophie, running down the hall, apparently heading in the same direction. He stood for several moments, letting the scene sink in and wandering what else had gone wrong.
"LIBBY? I'M COMING LIBBY!" the woman cried, almost as panicked as the original scream had been.
All thoughts of not making the woman nervous vanished as Neil took up the chase. Yes, he had just met this woman, but there was something about her that enticed him to follow; as if he was being drawn to her. His long legs carried him far fast, but he was still no match for the frantic mother yards ahead of him.
He saw her round a corner into a room, and seconds later when he had reached it, he too entered the emergency room. Neil didn't know what he had expected to see upon entering the room, but the sight that greeted him was far stranger than what he would have ever imagined.
…
Well, that's the end of ch. 5. Ch. 6 will get really interesting because it will be describing Libby's dreams, her visions of Freddy and the like.
Hope you enjoyed and see ya later!
