Spellbound: a Tale of Magic, Mystery & Murder
Page 51
CHAPTER 48 -THE RESURRECTION
The policeman was just walking into the clinic in Santiago as the clock over the reception desk heralded the noon hour. After a brief conversation with the woman at the desk, he was directed to the consultation room. But, even as he turned from the desk to deliver Boy's message, the aide was entering the small room where Luis was resting.
The young woman poked her head around the door. The patient was still sitting up in bed where the doctors had left him. "Time for lunch," she announced, wheeling in the cart. She lifted the plate's cover, releasing savory smells into the little room. "Look here," she continued, coming up beside Luis and smiling. "Everything good."
She broke off at the sight of him. There was something wrong with this one. He looked like a mental patient. Was he dangerous? The aide observed him and, when the patient made no overt moves toward her, she relaxed. She lifted a little of the seasoned goat stew onto a spoon and brought it slowly to Luis' lips. "Try some of this," she coaxed.
Luis obediently opened his mouth. The woman fed Luis the tidbit. "Good?" she asked. As Luis began to chew, he tasted salt. A strange look came over his face and his eyes grew wide. He reared up violently. The woman screamed and jumped back, sending the bowl clattering to the floor. She kept screaming.
The clinic's quiet atmosphere was shattered and the staff froze. Patients crossed themselves and huddled in their beds. The officer brandished his weapon. No one else moved. Some listened. Some prayed.
By now the terrified aide would have dashed, screaming, from the room but, as she turned to go, her foot slid in the spilled stew. Her feet flew out from under her and her head struck the edge of the bed. And the screaming stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
Out in the lobby and in the corridors, the unnatural silence hung in the air. Everyone paused, listening and waiting for what would come next. As seconds ticked by and nothing happened, people began to move about.
And then Luis screamed.
People put their hands to their ears to blot this last sound out, for it was more terrifying than the aide's screams. Long, drawn out, electrifying, renting the air. It was a howl to be heard forever in their dreams.
In the small room, Luis threw back his head and wailed, again and again, in horrified anguish.
# # #