by Rick Kueber
The beast let out an audible screech of triumph when it collected Maddie's soul. It remained in the room, reveling in victory over her frost covered body, before taking her spirit to the lowest level of the Infirmary where it had collected the lost souls together to reign over them. In this dank and dreary place where the old boilers were located and the mice gathered together to take shelter from the harsh Ohio winter, it instilled in them, once again, its power over them, and easily swayed them to believe this was their eternal home. Most of the souls it had taken were discarded paupers, and it was all too simple for them to be persuaded that they were outcasts, loved by no one, claimed by no friends or family in death, and so detested their bodies had been buried carelessly into unmarked graves in unnoticed cemeteries.
Maddie believed that this eternal hell was her penance for the wrongs she had done in her life, and did not fight for her peace. She did quickly scan the room of lost souls for the boy, and she found solace in his absence.
Harold heard the cry of the beast as it took Maddie's life and soul. With a fear of being called out for his part in her abuse, he shot down the iron stairwell. His shoes made a loud echoing racket as he clambered down floor by floor, searching the corridors until he found Edgar, his partner in the night's evils deeds.
“Somethin's goin' on in Madison's room. If she gets too loud, somebody's gonna find her in there...she might tell 'em what happened.” He nervously spoke in a hushed tone.
“Right...” Edgar said, looking side to side, checking the ward for activity. “Let's go.” The men climbed the spinning staircase swiftly and took care to not be noticed. Reaching the fourth floor, Edgar watched for the night guard while Harold fumbled through his large ring of countless brass keys. When he located the correct key, the two men crept over to her door. The key was silently slid into the lock and with a quick jingle and a metallic snap, the lock gave in to the desires of the orderlies. With ease and care, the door opened slightly. Frosty air escaped through the opening, and an overpowering sense of fear and death overtook the two.
“Princess... are you awake?” Harold whispered.
“Can you hear us? May we come in, your Royal Maddness?” Edgar asked politely, not realizing he had called her by the cruel name used so many times in the past.
A sub-zero chill and silence was the only reply. Nervously looking over their shoulder again, the men slipped into the room, closing and locking the door behind them. Striking a match to light an oil lamp on the wall, the air filled with the smell of sulfur. The men rubbed their hands together to warm their already numbing fingers. They found Maddie's frost covered form, curled up in a fetal position and frozen to her bed sheet. Approaching the piece of furniture, they began to realize their worst fears.
“It's awfully cold in here princess... you alright?” Harold said to her, placing his hand on the curve of her shoulder. He felt the blood drain from his face and a deeply sickening feeling turned his stomach.
“She okay?” Asked Edgar.
“Dead...she's frozen stiff.” He choked out, while his mind raced with the current and future consequences of their actions. “We can't take the blame for this... What are we gonna do?” Edgar asked. “It's over... we deserve what we get.” Harold whimpered. “NO!” Edgar almost shouted. “Help me... I got an idea.”
Edgar grabbed at Madison and began to peel her away from the bed sheet. Unwillingly, Harold began to help, but the moisture had frozen the sheet to her icy blue flesh and bits of skin and chunks of flesh tore away from her, frozen to the sheet, like fileting the flesh away from the skin of a catfish. She had been so drenched and frozen so solidly to the sheet, Edgar snapped both of her arms trying to release it from her grasp. When their effort had finally freed the sheet from her frozen and now mangled body, Edgar opened the window.
“Give me a hand Harold.” He motioned Harold to grab the lower half of Madison while he pulled her upper body and head away from the mattress like ripping a piece of Velcro from its counter piece. Even without the presence of the beast, Edgar was such a twisted individual, he nearly laughed when he lifted her from the bed.
“Looky here, Harold. Her hair is frozen stiff just like she's still laying on the bed.” He pointed out the morose feature, which only weakened Harold's knees.
The two men had no trouble carrying the tiny woman to the opened window where her glaciated corpse was tossed out. Her head hit first, snapping her neck completely backwards, and the rest of her body crushed into the icy snow with the sound of several popping bones.
“You think they'll believe she killed herself?” Harold questioned Edgar's plan. Edgar unlocked the wardrobe and pulled out a hat and scarf. He studied the situation before carefully dropping them out the window and watching them land in the snow just feet away from Maddie.
“There.” He said smugly. “She tried to run away twice before. Now they'll just think she was escaping again.” He left the window open. “Now let's get outta here before somebody sees we're missing.”
The two orderlies looked over the room carefully, and wrapped the flesh dotted sheet as tightly as they could. Being as silent as possible in the predawn hours, they cracked the door open ever so slightly to spy into the hallway for unwanted onlookers. The world of the Infirmary was asleep, and the two sneaked down into the subterranean level of the building.
“Damn it Harold, it's cold as heck down here.” Edgar expressed his surprise. “Somethings off. You think the boiler needs coal, or is broke down? It feels spooky down here... Maybe everybody's froze to death.” Harold replied, as his face began to pale again.
“You are the biggest sissy I know, Harold.” Edgar shot back at him. “We ain't dead are we? The halls weren't cold were they? It's probably just the Mad girl's room. Now, fire up that incinerator and let's get rid of this evidence.”
“Right.” Harold splashed a bit of kerosene on the sheet and tossed it and a few bits of a broken chair into the incinerator. Striking a large wooden match, the sheet and wooden pieces were consumed in the fiery pit. Returning upstairs, Harold placed a new sheet on Maddie's bed, and returned her pillow and blanket. He was confused to find the room was once again warming, though the frost of winter still crept in through the opened window.
The local authorities, with the assistance of head officiant of the Infirmary, concurred with the story of the night shift orderlies, and the newspaper story confirmed the falsified facts.
A shallow hole was arduously dug in the hard, January earth, and her remains were hidden in one of the countless unmarked graves. As fate would have it, she did not remain there long. Two days had passed when two young gentlemen arrived in a horse drawn wagon to exhume her cadaver. The beast and Madison's spirit looked on while her corpse was loaded onto the wagon and began to pull away. Madison stepped up, spooking the horse for a moment, when the evil entity whispered a terrible thought into her consciousness...
“You do not belong... you have been lost your entire life... unwanted... an outcast.” Suddenly, so many thoughts flooded back to her. Her family had been outcasts in their home town and were forced to leave. When she feared it would happen again, she betrayed her only friend, but that only made her fears worsen. To save her family the heartache of being run out of another town, she took it upon herself to run away... but her family did not come looking for her, even though she had stayed in the woods near their home for several days. Then something terrified her, and she ran farther and farther away. She wandered for a very long time, searching for a place to fit in. When she thought she had found a friend, that did not end well either, as the boy died in her arms on the steps of the infirmary. Everyone she had ever loved either died or had forgotten about her... except for the beast. Every place she had tried to call home, she had been forced to move on from...except the Infirmary... and now, her body was being taken from it.
The horses pulled the wagon onto the main road and when they began to trot at a quicker pace, Maddie's spirit flew in front of the two horse team screaming. �
�Nooooo!”
The horses spooked causing the wagon to overturn and one of the men to be dragged down the road. The other man was overtaken by the beast and scrambled to hide Madison's body in the ditch, covering her in a thick layer of snow.
“Don't leave me here!” Madison's specter called out to the Infirmary attendants who were returning to the warmth of the building, not even noticing the incident.
“Lost again...” The beast whispered to her. “You belong here with the other souls... you belong to me.” She stayed with her corpse in the ditch waiting to be found, but when the days passed, and no one came, she returned to the confines of the infirmary... she returned to the beast... and there is where she remains to this day...
“And I think that brings us up to date with everything we know, everything we think we know, and a few things I am assuming to know.” I sat back, drew a deep breath and met the eyes of everyone, one at a time.
Chapter 12 Hidden Gems
My eyes caught Hilary's last. A blank look was on her face, and her eyes were wide with pupils dilated and black. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. We all looked at each other, shrugging shoulders and raising eyebrows when Hilary stood up silently and disappeared into the other room.
“Where's she going?” I directed my question to Mike. “Hell if I know.” He stated bluntly, looking over his shoulder to the doorway she had exited through. Hilary quickly returned to the living room with a notebook and file folder in her hand. She quietly took her seat again and began to fumble through the files and documents. She stopped suddenly and fondled the page in her hand nervously.
“How did you know?” Four simple words was all she said as she handed me the photo copy of the newspaper article. ***EXCITING RUNAWAY*** Serious Mishap to Medical Students Who Were After Material For Dissecting Purposes
“This was the 'new discovery' I was telling you about. It tells all about the wagon accident when two med students came to get Maddie's body to dissect for studies at the local Medical College. It is almost exactly like the story you told... even about them losing her body in the ditch and not returning to get it.” Hilary explained. “So... how the hell did you know?”
I didn't say a word, but looked over at Mike.
“That was me...” He began.
“You shit!” Hilary smacked the back of his head with her open hand. “I was going to surprise them with this new evidence. You've been going through my stuff?”
“No, I swear.” Mike said honestly, but with a smile at her frustration. “I sent it to him with the time line he asked for... it was a dream I had... remember when we all went to the Infirmary, and the next morning I told you I had a crazy dream, but then couldn't remember it?”
“Ummm... yeah... but you couldn't remember it, right?” Hilary spouted off sarcastically.
“Nice... good come back.” Jenn smiled, appreciating good sarcasm. “Well, when I was trying to think of anything I knew about the Infirmary, it just came to me...every detail.” He justified the reason to her and it was well accepted that he was being 100% truthful.
“Well, I have a couple of other things to tell you.” Hilary continued, directing her dialogue to me. “There is a reality ghost T.V. show that wants to do an episode at the Infirmary, and they want you and me to join them.”
“Wow... that's cool.” I said deep in thought and memory. Could this have been what Ash was meaning when she talked about someone exploiting the spirits? “Will have to see how it works out, but sounds interesting.”
“The other thing was the boy... there was a psychic here a few years ago, and she claimed that Maddie was haunted by a little boy and took her own life, but I didn't put much faith in what she said. Maybe she was right about the boy, but I had documents that went against just about everything else she claimed about the Infirmary residents, but that story you compiled... I think you nailed it.” Hilary showed her trust in me and my team.
“No.” I disagreed. “We nailed it. There was only a small part of that story that was mine... it’s not my story.” “You put it together, though.” Mike added.
“But we all told it.” Katie clarified.
“You're right Rick... and Katie... and Mike.” Jenn began, and I expected a smart-ass remark. “We all told it, you put it together nicely, but it's not your story, it never was... It was always Maddie's story."
“Right.” Theo agreed. “And, as great of a story as it is... I just want to point out that it's been dark for a while and we have a lot of work to do tonight.”
“Yeah, and a long drive home tomorrow, so we'd better get this party started.” Katie had a way of lightening the most solemn situations. “I'm ready if everybody else is...” Hilary posed the statement like a question to us all, but turned to Mike as she said it.
“I'm ready.” Mike said. “Anybody want a bottle of water for the road?”
Most of us nodded, but Hilary said, “Just throw a bunch in a cooler and let's go.” Mike handed her the keys to the truck and headed to the kitchen to grab the waters out of the fridge. The rest of us followed Hilary out to the garage. With a push of a button, the automatic garage door opener engaged, making a loud mechanical hum.
“We can all squeeze in the truck if you want.” Hilary called out as she unlocked the truck doors. “We could... but it would be easier and probably more comfortable to drive separately.” Theo said. “We do have a lot of junk in the trunk.”
“Oh my god!” Jenn burst out.
“That was hilarious!” Katie said while I tried to contain my laughter. “Well...”Theo shrugged his shoulders with a grin so huge, his eyes squinted. “... It's true.” At that point, everyone burst out laughing, as Mike walked out of the door, into the garage.
“What's so funny?” He asked with an odd look.
“You had to be there.” I said when my laughter subsided. “Okay, we'll follow you... which way?” Mike pointed toward the end of the driveway, and then motioned to the left. We all loaded into the car and truck and backed out of the long and narrow driveway. Theo backed out and to the right far enough to let Mike get the truck out with plenty of extra room, and with the 'pop' of switching gears, we were on our way to a date with destiny... maybe not ours, but someone's destiny. It seemed like a longer drive this time than it did on our first visit, but it was still a very short trip compared to our long road trip to Hilary and Mike's home. Mike and Hilary made the last turn of our journey with our car-full right behind them.
“Almost there.” Theo's voice was filled with emotion. “Where?” Jenn and Katie yelled out from the back seat and the heads of both girls popped up in between Theo and I, straining to see through the windshield.
“I don't see it.” Katie said disappointingly. “There.” I pointed to the pinpoint of the dusk to dawn light. Their eyes squinted through the darkness to catch a glimpse of history. They glared silently through the windshield as we bumped down the road. The trees were barren, but the hill behind the Infirmary and the direction of the parking lot light kept it hidden in the darkness until we turned in to park.
“Holy crap!” Jenn blurted out upon seeing the massive structure. “Oh.... wow...” Katie said out loud, to herself. “It's kinda overwhelming in person.”
“Just wait... overwhelming is an understatement.” I said slyly as I opened the door, letting the cold come crashing in. We all piled out of the car, and Theo popped the trunk open. Mike and Hilary reluctantly left the warmth of their truck with flashlights in hand, and joined us at the back of the silver-blue Subaru. We had decided to only take cameras, candles, sage and holy water with us. Tonight, we were on a mission, not an investigation.
“Damn it's cold!” Jenn stated the obvious.
“Ha!” Hilary laughed. “This isn't bad.”
“Yeah, you should have been here last time... and it was even colder inside than it was outside.” What Theo said was very true. It was noticeably warmer. Hilary and I shot a look at each other. The memory of nearly freezing to death came rus
hing back.
“You all ready for this shit?” Mike yelled out, making us cringe away slightly. Ready or not, we walked in pairs to the rear entrance of the Infirmary. Hilary and Mike led the way, and Theo and I followed behind Jenn and Katie. Huddled together inside of the pauper's room on the first floor, we made a plan.
“I think I have a surprise for you, Rick.” Mike said with a pleasant look.
“Really? Did you?” Hilary ginned, giving Mike a big hug, and then looking over to me. “That is... if you want.”
“What? What is it?” I asked curiously. “Follow me.” He said smiling, and turning on his flashlight, spun on his heel and headed out of the room and down the hallway. “Where are we headed?” I asked another question, wondering if I would get a response.
“The collapsed area.” Mike said over his shoulder. I could hear gasps, murmurs and whispers from in front of and behind me. My head spun remembering the terrifying moments when my life flashed before my eyes. I wondered what he could have discovered that would be a surprise to me, and what could Hilary have meant by '...if you want.'? I had an expected adrenaline rush when we arrived at the Infirmary, but now my heart was racing excessively. After walking a bit, I could begin to see the rubble, dimly in the distance. I began breathing deeper and more rapidly, unsure if I was ready to face the devastation that I had tried so desperately to escape from on our first visit. What was once a part of the corridor and an outside room, were now a pile of debris... concrete, re-bar, and bricks.
