Graveyard Shift

by Michelle Dorey

  GRAVEYARD

  SHIFT

  The Haunted Ones 6

  Paranormal Suspense

  By

  Michelle Dorey

  About This Book

  Serenity Lodge is haunted. Don’t ask the residents suffering dementia if that’s true. Ask the nurses.

  Amanda Ennis is the new nurse at Serenity Lodge nursing home. It’s a dream job after years of the hectic pace in the emergency room of a large hospital. Better yet, she’s on the short-list for an upcoming Supervisor position!

  The only stumbling block to working there is the constant undermining from Linda Harper, a battle-axe nurse. They both want that Supervisor job. Linda believes her decades of experience entitles her to it.

  Working with Linda was the only downside until the new resident, Carmel Turner, arrived.

  Now, shadow people lurk in the hallways. Unseen hands play with the lights turning them on and off. Carmel, a psychic with stage-four dementia, claims she’s even being attacked!

  Amanda never believed in the supernatural until her own chilling encounters. When mysterious claw marks are slashed on Carmel, she can no longer deny their dire presence. Each new incident escalates the danger. But how can Amanda tell anyone? Ghosts? Spirits? If she so much as mentions this crazy stuff, not only will her promotion vanish, she'd lose her Nursing license!

  All hell breaks loose on All Hallows Eve—that night when the barrier separating the afterlife is weakest.

  No one is left unscathed. Not everyone is getting out of there alive.

  ********

  Graveyard Shift is the latest installment of Michelle Dorey’s Haunted Ones Paranormal Suspense, ongoing tales of ordinary people confronting unspeakable evil. Read this taut, fast-paced tale today!

  Copyright 2019, Michelle Dorey

  ISBN: 978-1-988913-17-9

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  072019docx

  Photo Images by Deposit Photos, used with permission

  Cover Art by Juan Padron

  https://www.juanjpadron.com/

  Dedication

  To Amanda and all her sisters in the healing arts. I am in awe of you all.

  Contents

  About This Book

  Dedication

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY ONE

  TWENTY TWO

  TWENTY THREE

  TWENTY FOUR

  TWENTY FIVE

  TWENTY SIX

  TWENTY SEVEN

  TWENTY EIGHT

  TWENTY NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY ONE

  THIRTY TWO

  THIRTY THREE

  THIRTY FOUR

  THIRTY FIVE

  THIRTY SIX

  THIRTY SEVEN

  THIRTY EIGHT

  THIRTY NINE

  FORTY

  FORTY ONE

  FORTY TWO

  Author’s Note:

  Other Books By Michelle Dorey:

  THE HAUNTINGS OF KINGSTON SERIES

  THE MYSTICAL VEIL

  PARANORMAL SUSPENSE

  ONE

  “HELP ME! No! Get away! Leave me alone!”

  Shrill screams pierced the slumber of the nursing home. Courtney jerked upright and peered at Amanda. “What the hell?”

  “Its room eleven—the new patient.” Amanda vaulted to her feet and rounded the counter of the nursing station. Courtney’s hurried footsteps were right behind her. Shrieks at the end of the corridor magnified to a keening wail.

  What the hell was going on in there? Amanda bolted into the room, taking a deep breath as she flicked the light switch. A frantic old lady was clinging with one hand to the headboard of the bed as her free arm waved wildly in the air behind her.

  “No! Don’t touch me!” The elderly woman’s leg thrashed out barely missing the pair of nurses.

  Amanda ducked under the swinging arm and gripped the woman’s shoulder. “Carmel! Easy. You’re safe. You’re having a bad dream.”

  “Help me! Get them off me!”

  From the other side of the bed, Courtney reached to grasp the old woman’s hand, holding it in both of hers. “Hush. You’re all right, Carmel. We’re here. You must have had some crazy nightmare.”

  “Make them stop! Help meee!” The old lady’s hysteria gave way to tears, her hunched shoulders wracking.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Jane Drogan, the other resident of the room, was sitting up in her bed, her sheet bunched under her chin. Taking a deep breath, she plucked her glasses from the night stand next to her bed and gaped at Carmel.

  Ignoring Jane, Amanda continued speaking to the distressed woman, “It’s okay, Carmel. There’s no one here but us. You’re safe.”

  Courtney stroked the old woman’s arm, her voice softly soothing,” Let’s get you settled, Carmel. Would you like something to drink? Water? Milk?”

  Carmel jerked her hand away. She turned to Amanda, “Don’t you see them? They’re there! Cold, cold hands pawing my skin! It wasn’t a dream.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “This is a horrible place. Why am I even here?”

  The plaintive whine in the older woman’s voice tugged at Amanda’s heart. To live such a long life and end up delusional, reduced to hysterical tears was beyond pathetic. It wasn’t all that different from the times she’d comforted her daughter, Kelly when she was a toddler waking from a nightmare. What a cruel fact of life to revert to dependency like a child in your final days.

  “Carmel, you’re here because you need to be. Do you remember Dr. Stone? He admitted you for your own safety.” Attempting to reassure the old woman, when she added, “The first night in a strange place is usually difficult. But Serenity Lodge is a pretty nice place. You’ll get used to it.”

  Jane squawked from the other bed. “It was a nice place. That was when you could get a decent night’s sleep without someone screaming their fool head off, waking the entire country!” The gray haired woman across the room punctuated her remark with a ‘humph’ as she settled under the covers.

  Courtney threw a glaring look at Jane before she continued reading Carmel’s chart. “The doctor authorized a mild tranquilizer if needed.” Her eyebrows arched when she looked over at Amanda.

  Nodding, Amanda said, “It would help you sleep, Carmel.”

  “Give her the whole damned bottle.”

  “That’s enough, Jane. Go to sleep.” Amanda then turned back to Carmel. “First nights are hard. Let us get you some water and a Lorazipam tablet. I’ll stay with you until you go to sleep, if you want. How does that sound?”

  Carmel swiped the tears from her cheeks and nodded. “Okay. But promise me you won’t leave me alone.” She slid lower on the bed while Amanda held the blanket high to tuck her in. “It was so real. There were three of them coming at me. Their eyes were black hollow holes in their face!” Carmel’s eyes widened. “But I knew they could still see me!” Her eyes darted from side to side as she chewed her lip. Loo
king back to Amanda, she said, “They were dead! But they weren’t dead!” Her mouth worked open and closed in a silent scream.

  “You had a bad dream, Carmel.” Courtney had returned from the hallway and now stood across from Amanda. She held out a glass of water and a small cardboard cup with a small blue pill. “Take this. Things will look better after a good night’s sleep.”

  Amanda watched the older woman’s hand quiver as she took the pill and water. She swallowed hard, tossing her head back to wash the medicine down.

  Amanda glanced over at Courtney. “I’ll stay with her.”

  Courtney sighed, “Four more hours till shift change. Now that I’m up, I might as well make the rounds before I go back to the station.”

  Amanda watched Courtney slip silently from the room. She knew exactly what Courtney was getting at. Staying awake during the twelve hour shift was extra hard when you were alone at the nursing station. At least when they were together they could chat and even share a laugh.

  She pulled the chair from against the wall and set it next to Carmel’s bed. The old lady’s eyes shut and she snuggled deeper into the covers. Amanda stifled a yawn. Already, soft snores came from the bed across the room. Jane didn’t have any trouble getting back to sleep.

  Amanda took a deep breath watching the old lady’s chest rising and falling. The relaxation of her face, mouth falling open showed that the pill was already taking effect.

  As she watched the older woman she couldn’t help but wonder, what was Carmel’s life story? Carmel was the first resident admitted without a family member accompanying her. On top of that, her patient file was the thinnest of any new admission; just the basic info, not much medical history even. But then... Carmel was also the first resident admitted by her attending physician, not a family member.

  It was Dr Stone who admitted her. He’d been working at Serenity Lodge for the last three months or so. She had yet to warm up to the middle-aged MD. His stand-offish, detached demeanor rubbed her the wrong way. It wasn’t like he was an awkward genius. Hell no; she had caught a bunch of errors on his part already. This guy probably graduated at the bottom of his med school class.

  Still watching the sleeping woman, Amanda stepped from the bedside. She tugged her sweatshirt tighter over her body, only then aware of the chill in the room. The thermostat was regulated to drop a couple of degrees overnight to aid sleeping but this was colder than normal. It was probably part of the ‘efficiencies’ the new owners of the home were promoting. Amanda snorted as she rubbed her hands over her arms to fight the chill. The ‘efficiencies’ were more like milking every drop of profit, cutting back wherever they could.

  After watching the old lady sleep for a few more minutes, Amanda crept out of the room. She flicked the light in the bathroom off before opening the door and slipping out.

  After a few steps she paused, turning her head, listening hard. Was that a noise coming from that room again? She could have sworn she heard a small thump. She stepped back and opened the door a crack to check. Both women were sound asleep in their beds, Jane snoring like a buzz saw.

  It must be her imagination, brought on by bone-weary fatigue. Plus, four A.M. was the hardest part of a night shift. Once she got over that hump, getting meds ready for the morning and finishing her report would hustle the remaining time along.

  She closed the door and made her way back to the nursing station where Courtney was sitting.

  Amanda settled once more in her chair, shifting the mouse to bring the computer screen to life. All was quiet in Ward Three at Serenity Lodge.

  Even the dark shape hovering in the corner next to Carmel’s bed was quiet, watching the old lady’s chest rise and fall...waiting.

  TWO

  “FOUR DAYS OFF STARTING TOMORROW. I can’t wait.” Courtney stood up and stretched like a cat. The grin she shot Amanda was also feline, as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

  Amanda rolled her eyes and finished entering the final words of her report. “Any plans?” Not like what Amanda would face when the turn around and four day reprieve happened to her. She was barely able to get caught up on laundry during that mini holiday.

  “Sleep, baby. That’s in between movies on the sofa with Whiskers, some wine and pizza. Let’s face it, there’s not a whole lot happening in this town. Thank God for Netflix.” Courtney grabbed the key to the medicine cabinet beside the desk and unlocked it. She stood itemizing with her gaze. If one thing was out of order or missing she would pick up on that in a heartbeat. It was part of what made her the conscientious nurse Amanda respected. “We might need to replenish some of these supplies from the Med Room, hon.” she said.

  Amanda ran her hand through her wavy shoulder length hair. “Med Room’s on the other end of the building, we’re both beat to a snot. Make a note and have Day Shift do it.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Courtney shut and locked the box. “They got twice the staff on Days anyway.” She flopped back at her workstation and made the notes. “You’re back tonight though, right?”

  “Two more shifts for me—if I can survive two nights with Linda, that is.” Amanda handed the meds chart to Courtney and sighed. “I don’t know what I ever did to make her hate me so much. All the other women here are great to work with.”

  Courtney’s mouth pulled to the side and she gazed at her friend. “She feels threatened by you, Amanda. I mean you worked in the E.R. at Mount Sinai, for four years. You’re young, sharp as a tack, while she’s kind of washed up.” She grabbed a bottle of Vicodin and spilled a couple into each of the three white paper cups lined up on the tray. “Plus, she knows you’re going to try for the Supervisor’s job when Liz retires. She was a shoe-in for that job before you showed up and expressed an interest.”

  Amanda rose to help Courtney with the meds, cross checking the chart with what was being doled into the meds cups. “As you know, that job is part of the reason that I came here, Courtney. I just wish you’d warned me that I’d be doing battle with the dragon lady to get it.”

  Courtney laughed, “You would be so much better at being a Supervisor than Linda. Plus, it pays more and with Will...” The smile dropped, “You know with him getting sick and all, you could use the extra money.”

  The corner of Amanda’s mouth rose. “Not to mention Kelly. When she turned thirteen it was like she morphed into a butterfly. Now she needs an entire wardrobe change?” Amanda fell silent for a moment. Her daughter was thirteen but more like she’d turned seventeen, wearing make-up and the attitude. And forget the kids she was starting to hang out with. If she got that Supervisor job, it would be straight days with more time to get the kid back in line.

  “Come on. Don’t you remember becoming a teenager? Yeah, okay things were different back then with not so much social media and all the bullshit that entails but...”

  Amanda stayed silent. Courtney was only thirty-one, a few years younger than she was, but they were eons apart in how they’d been raised. Courtney was from the classic middle class family, replete with family vacations to Disney World and even camping. Amanda had survived her teenage years in spite of her parents.

  The call button buzzed yanking Amanda from her past. She glanced over at the desk. It was room eleven...again. What now?

  “I’ll do a second check on the meds when I get back. I’d better go see what’s up with Carmel. Maybe she had another nightmare.” Despite her efforts to be quiet as she hurried, Amanda’s sneakers squeaked on the polished floor. It was still way too early for the residents to be disturbed from sleep to start their day. Jane was going to be a real witch if Carmel woke her up again.

  When she entered the room all the lights were blazing overhead. Carmel was standing in the small space between Jane’s bed and the window. Jane was still asleep snoring loudly despite the brightness of the room, unaware that Carmel stood glaring down at her.

  Amanda rushed over and put her arm around the old woman’s shoulders. Her hand felt the woman’s bones through the thin nightg
own as she ushered her away from Jane’s space. “Come on Carmel” she whispered. “Was there something you needed? You should be asleep.”

  The old lady’s eyes were dark as a crow’s peering at Amanda. “I can’t stay here. You must call me a taxi to take me home. I don’t know that woman. What kind of hotel is this that you put a stranger in with me? I’d like to speak with the manager, if you don’t mind.”

  Amanda eased her arm around the old lady, steering her over to her own bed. “Carmel, you’re at a nursing home. Dr. Stone...you remember him, don’t you? Your home is gone. It burned down.” She avoided adding that it was Carmel’s negligence which destroyed it—leaving a pot on the stove while wandering off to the store.

  Carmel gaped up at Amanda like she was speaking a foreign language. “What? Who are you? Of course I know Ryan Stone! Please call him for me. I need to get home right now. Ryan will take me home. You tell him Carmel Turner is asking.”

  Amanda took a deep breath. “I’ll speak to Dr. Stone later, I promise. But for now let’s get you settled again. Try to get a couple more hours of sleep.” The sleeping meds should still be working but obviously Carmel was too distraught. She straightened the old lady’s sheets and plumped her pillow before helping her get onto the bed.

  Carmel lay back, staring hard at Amanda. “What is your name? I’ll need to speak to Ryan about this. You’re trying to be kind, I know that. He’ll put in a good word with the management for you.”

  It was hard not to sneer. Of all the people to ‘put in a good word’ Ryan Stone would be the last person to do that. But it wouldn’t hurt to look into what meds he had prescribed for Carmel. Had he referred her to a shrink to see if there were emotional factors contributing to her memory lapses? They obviously had some kind of history together.

  “Thanks, Carmel. That’s kind of you. My name is Amanda by the way. Would you like me to stay for a little while till you nod off again?”

  “No. I’ll be fine as soon as Dr. Stone gets here. Maybe I will catnap for a bit till he arrives. You may go.” Carmel closed her eyes and rolled over onto her side.