RESTLESS WE WAIT
CHAPTER VI
The darkness was complete. The building was quiet except for the sound of deeply sleeping people within. IT moved restlessly. ITS hunger was overwhelming and IT was ready to feed.
Lights flared and the sudden wailing made IT draw back. Frustrated once more ITS anger boiled over and IT flew to the sky. Rapidly IT flew until the downtown portion of Carson came in to view.
Down IT went and landed on the first hapless victim IT could find. A homeless person, sleeping on a park bench died in the quiet dark of the night. Again IT rose and passed through the town, finding another victim. Three more were attacked and their empty shells left behind for police to find and try to puzzle out.
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On the news the following day coverage of the discovered cadavers made top story. People were huddled around television sets watching the macabre scenes flash across their sets. Fear slowly penetrated the small town and police were begging for the public not to panic and also asking for witnesses to step forward.
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"Hey, guys, come listen to this!" Chet was watching the noon news on Roy's television. The men had met up at the paramedic's home after leaving the station for a much needed two days off.
"What?" Johnny asked as he strolled into the room. "What's that thing?" He peered closely at the small screen.
"It's what's left of a homeless man. They found him laying under a tree in the park just down the road from the station."
"Really?" Johnny asked, raising his brows in surprise. "I heard something about someone else being found at the beach."
"Not just one, three more. This makes number five in two days."
Roy walked in followed by Marco and Hank. "Are you talking about the deaths?"
"Yeah, they just found another body." Chet reached out and grabbed a burrito and began to munch on it. "The news people are calling it a crime spree."
"More like a serial killer," Marco plopped onto the couch and reached over and grabbed a hamburger from the tray Roy placed on the small coffee table. "How's the burrito?"
Chet wiped his eyes and choked slightly, "fine! What's in these things?" he wiped the tears from his face and grabbed his beer.
"Jalapenos, onions, beef, beans and a little chili powder. Oh, and some hot salsa. That's how mamma makes 'em."
Chet swallowed the beer and reached for another of the fiery concoction. "We didn't have these when I was growing up!"
"You're still growing up, a hopeless situation because you'll never get full grown." Johnny grinned at the scowl Chet gave him.
"Shh!" Mike said as the news returned after a commercial break. "Have any of you noticed the proximity of these killings to the station?"
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IT swept through the town. Anger and frustration boiled IT to a maddening rage. Victim after victim fell to ITS evilness.
Two men caught up in an argument never felt the presence of IT when IT engulfed both of them. The coldness entered their hearts and one man ended up dead from a gunshot, the other fell to the ground, dead from an unknown source.
A homeless woman was found dead on the corner at a bus stop. Two teenagers wrecked their car and failed to get out alive, again, due to an unknown cause.
IT rejoiced in the frenzy of feeding, uncaring of the death and destruction IT was leaving behind.
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Meblba sat in her rocker beside the window overlooking the spacious lawn of the nursing home. She sighed in loneliness. A soothing breeze ruffled the curtains at the window and a slight chill entered the room. Melba drew her shawl closer around her old bent shoulders and continued to gaze out the window. She did not see the deeper darkness creeping closer to her.
The light flooded the little room and Melba turned to see who had disturbed her and the darkness. She frowned at the heavy set nurse who bustled around the room getting things ready for the night.
"Must you disturb my silence now?" Melba asked querulously.
"Now, Melba, it's almost ten o'clock and you should have been in bed over an hour ago. You know the rules."
"But my son promised to come see me, and he hasn't made it yet." Melba scowled again and turned away from the nurse. "Just go and turn off the light. I like the dark, it's cooler than the lights."
The nurse sighed. Melba still would not accept the death of her only son. He had died three days before in the sudden killing spree. Quickly she turned back the sheets on the bed and plumped the pillows.
"Well, everything's ready when you are, Dear. Good night. I'll check on you in the morning."
The nurse left with a bustle, flipping the switch to plunge the room back into darkness.
"Don't stay up too long!" and she was gone.
The silence returned and Melba went back to staring out the window. The night had gotten darker and the air cooler. Melba shivered and started when a thin tendril of mist crept over the windowsill. She watched in fascination as the thin wisp grew into a larger blackness. She tried to call out, but the darkness became suffocating and a heaviness settled in her chest.
Her bones began to ache and her breathing grew shallow. The darkness intensified until she gave in and slumped over the arm of her chair. A soft cry escaped her lips and the room was suddenly flooded once more with light.
IT pulled away from the woman and turned on the one entering the room, but left in haste at the light of the figure.
Father Dias heard Melba cry out and entered her room without thinking. He felt the strange intense cold and saw the deep blackness in the room. It appeared to turn on him for a brief moment before disappearing from the light.
Quickly he crossed to the old woman's side and felt for a pulse.
"Daisy, call nine- one-one! Melba's had a heart attack, I think!"
The sound of hurrying feet filled the hallway and soon the tiny room was filled with people who transferred the fragile patient to her bed.
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"SQUAD 51...POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK AT DRYERS NURSING HOME...2445 WEST HARTFORD...DRYERS NURSING HOME...2-4-4-5 WEST HARTFORD...TIME OUT 0230..."
Captain Stanley grabbed the microphone beside his bed and confirmed the call. He handed Roy the slip as he passed by on the way out. Johnny grabbed the slip from his partner and climbed into the squad, still wiping sleep from his eyes.
"Man, a heart attack at a nursing home! Sure hope it's not one of the patients!" Johnny muttered.
"It's a nursing home, Partner. Our older members of the population live there."
"You know what I meant!" Johnny grumbled as he pulled the strap tighter under his chin. "Turn left at this light."
A few minutes later the Squad was turning in to the drive of the nursing home. They passed through a dense shadow and up the curve to the front door. Johnny shivered when they passed through the shadow and glanced at Roy to see he, too, was shivering.
"That WAS just a shadow and heavy mist, wasn't it?" Johnny asked as they unloaded their equipment.
"Well, if it wasn't, I'd hate to run through it again."
"Yeah, creepy."
Melba was laying on her bed wrapped in a heavy comforter. She was shivering and crying. When she saw the two paramedics she cried out in a high shrill voice, "It was evil! It was trying to take my spirit!"
Johnny eyed the old woman, but did not speak immediately. He pulled out the stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. He gave her a smile and patted her hand gently.
"It's okay. We'll take care of it." He had no idea what she was talking about, but she needed to be calmed and he used his best gentle voice on her.
She shook her head and pushed at his hands, trying to get the blood pressure cuff off. She became more agitated as the seconds passed.
"It's outside, now! Just under the window! It's waiting to come back! Please, you've got to do something!"
"Okay, okay, now just lay quietly and I'll check it out." Johnny soothed Melba the best he was able then rose to his feet. He leaned out the window and searched the area he could easily see. Down the drive he could still see the intense darkness he and Roy had passed through, other than that the area was clear. He frowned. The darkness did appear different from the other shadows. He shrugged and turned back to the patient.
"Whatever was here is gone now. There's only stars and lights and shadows." He smiled at her.
Melba relaxed back against the pillows of the bed, "The lights must have chased it off. Oh, thank you!"
Suddenly a wail broke the quiet of the nursing home. One of the nurses left the room on a run. Another wail joined the first and soon the whole branch of the nursing home wing was filled with noise.
"Wonder what's going on," Roy said quietly as he replaced the receiver on the biophone.
"I dunno, but I bet it isn't good." Johnny smiled at Melba again then turned back to his partner, "You want to ride with her?"
"Sure. Maybe we should check to see if we're still needed first?" Roy started to leave the room, but Melba stopped him with a giggle.
"Don't worry about that racket. It's just Old Mister Crankers down the hall. Anytime there's the least bit of excitement he goes to screeching and wailing. Always wakes up the whole wing."
The nurse entered the room as Melba finished the explanation. She smiled and nodded at the two men.
"Melba's right. No emergency. Which hospital will you be taking her too?" the nurse looked at her chart, "We usually use St. Francis, but they're swamped with emergencies from an automobile accident."
"We'll be taking her to Rampart Emergency, if that's okay with Melba, here," Roy smiled at the woman.
"Oh, yes. Are there other cuties like you there?"
Johnny and Roy chuckled at the old woman's spunk.
"Melba, I'll introduce you to the best and cutest doctor there tonight, how's that?" Roy said with a smile.
Melba smiled her acceptance and waved at the nurses as she was wheeled out to the ambulance.
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IT slowly drifted away. A sudden knowing came to IT, and as the lights flashed their colorful red and blue dance, IT knew how to get to the Master.