Eye Contact, page 10
The young woman lowered her head, unable to make eye contact with Gina. “Well, he seemed to have the impression from the reaction of you and your coworkers that perhaps you knew something about this pitiful creature he was talking about. And to be perfectly honest with you, I saw the way you all reacted to his question, and it also appeared to me as if you did know something but were doing your best to avoid the subject. So, Sandy, what can you tell me about that?”
Sandy’s expression went bone white as all the blood seemed to drain from her face. “Please, Sandy,” Gina insisted, “this is very important to me and David.” Then the young nurse stammered, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Mat…I mean...Gina…I mean….You must be mistaken….I don’t know who or what you are talking about.”
“On the contrary, Sandy,” she interrupted, with a sterner tone, “I believe you know exactly what and whom I am talking about. But for some reason, you don’t want to discuss it. Maybe you’re afraid to. Maybe someone has threatened you or threatened your job….I don’t know. But needless to say, I find your reaction at least a little bit peculiar and perhaps to a greater degree very disturbing.” Then she stared hard at the young nurse, making sure the girl knew she would not leave until she got answers to her questions.
Sandy said, “I mean…I think I…I mean….We all…sort of guessed...I mean...had some idea who he was referring to…but…it couldn't be...I mean it was…well….It was…impossible.”
“I don't understand what you’re saying, Sandy.” Gina implored. “What do you mean it was impossible? You are not helping me to understand.”
Sandy looked around the hall as if checking for eavesdroppers then explained, “You see…he couldn’t have seen...who we thought he believed…he saw…I mean….Oh damn, I am sounding like a babbling idiot….You see…the reason we all reacted so strangely…is because…well…because the woman he described...the woman he said he saw…is dead. She has been dead for many, many years.”
Gina almost dropped her dinner on the floor after hearing Sandy’s reply. “What do you mean she’s dead? Are you saying this nurse he claimed to see once worked in the hospital? And do you expect me to believe, although she is long dead, her ghost is still walking around the hospital?”
Both Gina and David were born and raised in Schuylkill County, and although she knew some of the older residents could be a bit superstitious in their beliefs, she didn’t actually think that educated, young, professional women such as these nurses could actually believe in such things. And even if they did believe in walking spirits, what would that have to do with David, anyway?
“Well...no….I mean…maybe….I…don’t know what I mean,” Sandy replied uncertainly. “It is much more complicated than that.” She looked around once again to be sure Nurse Flanagan or anyone else on staff wasn’t listening to their discussion—and especially to what she was about to say next. She led Gina over to a nearby bench, where they both sat down, and she tried to slowly explain.
“See, here is what I know, and this is all I know about it. I have only heard about it in stories told by the older nurses. And, by the way, if anyone finds out I told you this, I will most likely lose my job over it.”
“Not to worry, Sandy,” Gina assured. “Neither David or I will say a word about it to anyone.”
“I certainly hope not,” Sandy replied. “A long time ago, long before I ever started working here, actually before either you or I was born, this area of the hospital was reserved for geriatric patients—you know, sick old people. There was a nurse in charge of the ward named Selma Wiggins. She had only worked at the hospital for a few years and requested to be assigned to the geriatric ward. The administration assumed she requested the assignment because she liked working with old people, and in the beginning they were very impressed with the great job she did. But then after some time, the people who worked in the area began to notice that strange and unfortunate things were happening under Selma’s supervision. Many of the chronically ill elderly people started dying mysteriously.”
“Wouldn’t that be expected in such a ward?” Gina asked, assuming if an area was occupied by chronically and terminally ill old people, death would be commonplace.
“Certainly,” Sandy replied. “But once people began to take notice and the rumors started, people began speculating about how something out of the ordinary might actually be going on. At first, it was just a few people talking. Then a few more. But before too long, the talk became so widespread that the hospital administrators decided to watch for strange patterns to see if something truly was ‘rotten in Denmark’ as they say.”
“To make a long story short, after a time, it was determined Selma Wiggins could be and probably was responsible for many of the deaths. They believed she might have been one of those ‘angel of mercy’ killers—you know, one of those murderers who take it upon themselves to finish off terminally ill patients before their time.”
“Oh my Lord! You mean mercy killers?” Gina wondered aloud. “You are saying Selma Wiggins was murdering her patients?”
“Yes,” Sandy said, “And no matter how well intentioned a mercy killer’s motives might be, it is still illegal and considered murder. And besides, in the case of Selma Wiggins, there were no good intentions or positive motivations. It was not as though she truly felt bad for her victims; in fact, she probably felt nothing for them whatsoever. A sociopath like her is not capable of feeling pity, sorrow or joy for the people they hurt or kill. They are often good at mimicking that sort of behavior, but the truth is they cannot really feel it themselves. The bottom line was she simply enjoyed killing people and used her position in the geriatric ward and the fragile, unpredictable condition of her patients to feed her sick pleasures by systematically picking and choosing people to kill.”
“Oh my God! That is horrible,” Gina said. “I assumed they caught up with her and she was punished.”
“No…well, yes and no actually,” Sandy explained cautiously. “The hospital administrators called in the state police, who put some undercover people in the ward dressed as orderlies, janitors and nurses’ aids to watch Selma and gather enough evidence to arrest and convict her. However, Selma must have realized they were onto her. You see, she was very intelligent and very careful.
“Well, as the story goes, one night, when she realized they were about to close in on her and make an arrest, she went from bed to bed in a fit of insane rage, killing all of the elderly patients in the ward one by one by slitting their throats with a long-bladed knife. Then she set the entire place on fire in one final act of destruction. Unfortunately for Selma, in the confusion, she tripped and fell, injuring her leg. She was burned alive in the fire before she could crawl away. May the Lord forgive me for saying so, but in my opinion, she got exactly what she deserved.”
“Oh my, Sandy. That is horrible,” Gina said. “But I don't remember ever hearing anything about it. And you know we are a small community. You would think a story such as that would have spread quickly.”
Sandy explained, “Apparently the fire was reported in the newspaper, as were the deaths of the patients, but the entire angel of mercy thing was covered up for publicity reasons. Such a thing could have been catastrophic for the hospital. The insurance company took care of paying off the claims from the lawsuits of the families of those who died in the fire, and Selma had no family, so she was just sort of forgotten about.
“All of the bodies except Selma’s had been burned beyond recognition, so almost no one knew for certain about the throat slashing. They found the burned, bloody knife still held tightly in Selma’s hand. Rumor had it that the medical examiner was able to verify all of the victims were murdered before the fire consumed their bodies, but he was forced to falsify the records and apparently sworn to secrecy. Then everything was just swept under the rug. Otherwise the potential lawsuits would have ruined the hospital.
“For a while, there were all sorts of rumors about the fire and Selma, but they all died down before we were born and eventually went by the wayside as well.”
“But what could that possibly have to do with David?” Gina asked, thinking about David’s description of the long-bladed knife the nurse creature held. “Are you suggesting the nurse David believed he saw was actually this Selma Wiggins person? That sounds impossible to me.”
Sandy looked around again to make sure no one was listening. “It sounded just as bizarre to us, and that is why we all probably seemed so shocked. We all have heard about Selma through the years but never paid the story much attention. But the horribly pitiful creature your husband spoke of fit the description of Selma Wiggins perfectly—that is to say, Selma after the fire. If he actually saw what he said he did…well…he may have somehow seen the ghost of Selma Wiggins.”
“That’s crazy,” Gina said. “Has anyone else ever reported seeing the woman before?”
Sandy hesitated, “Well…no…not exactly. From time to time, if the lighting is right, some people have said they thought they caught glimpses of someone out of the corner of their eyes, but when they turned to look the person was gone. Others have reported smelling something bad or smelling something burning, but whenever it was checked out, there was never anything. But no one has ever reported seeing Selma with as much clarity and detail as your husband did. If he did actually see her, then he was the first and only one who ever has.”
Gina thought to herself how David had described the coldness he felt as the horrible specter passed through him and the fowl stench of burning hair and flesh he imagined he smelled. She decided not to mention anything about those particular senses to the young nurse. There was no point in fueling more fantastic stories. Instead, she sat quietly for a moment, looking down at her dinner. She suddenly no longer feeling even slightly hungry.
“I was going to say something to your husband earlier,” Sandy said, breaking the silence. She continued apologetically, “I mean, I was completely creeped out by what he said, but at the same time I was curious as well. However, Nurse Flanagan gave me her look of death, and I knew I had better keep my mouth shut. In fact, I need you to please promise me you won't say anything to her about our conversation or, as I said before, it will cost me my job for sure.”
Absently Gina assured her, “Don’t worry. I won’t say a thing. But this is all so very strange. I can’t believe David actually saw this Wiggins woman. There must be some other explanation.”
Sandy rose to leave. “There might be, and I most certainly hope there is and that you find it,” she said. “But I don’t know what else it could be. I am so sorry, Gina. I don’t know what to say…you know…to help.” Then she looked down the corridor and said, “I had better be getting back to business. I hope I have not upset you too much.”
“No, you haven’t." Gina lied unconvincingly. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” But Gina understood everything would not be fine. How in the name of God could things ever be fine again? Her husband had apparently developed the ability to see the ghost of some horrible murderous woman, and she did not understand how such a thing could be possible.
She thought about David’s situation and what he had been through and wondered if his accident, head injury and coma might have been responsible for his new-found sight. Then a shudder ran through her body as she wondered what else he might see in the days or weeks to come. Furthermore, if he continued to see such strange sights, how could the two of them possibly hope to live a normal life and raise a child under such incredibly horrendous conditions? Whether they were prepared or not, their lives had just irreversibly changed.
When she returned to David's room, she found him in a deep sleep.
Chapter 14
David awoke in the darkness yet again. However, this time something significant seemed to have changed about the black place. Perhaps the change had not been so much with the place itself as it had been with him. For one thing, when he returned this time, he did not seem to fear blackness or feel the need to escape. In fact, the darkness did not seem quite as black or as all-encompassing and suffocating as it had been in times before.
Lying in the darkness, he could still hear the hospital machines running continuously all around him, but they were no longer faint and distant. Instead, he could hear them very clearly, as if they were right next to him. He assumed they were. He felt as though he was only half asleep, lying with his eyes closed yet still completely aware of his surroundings. He could smell the hospital smells as well—not faint aromas, but definite scents. David was able to feel the bed upon which he was lying, below the back of his body and the embracing warmth of a heavy blanket covering him up to his chest.
When he tried to move his hand, he could do so without a problem—not just the twitch of a finger but the raising and lowering of his hands effortlessly. He believed now he was simply sleeping lightly and perhaps dreaming of the dark place that had once held him. He felt for certain he was no longer a prisoner confined with paralysis and unable to escape. He understood he was in control now and could leave this place anytime he chose to return to his Gina. That single thought filled him with such incredible reassurance that all of his fears dissipated into nothingness. Now all he had to do was accept the darkness, rest and be ready to awaken once again. At least he wanted to believe that was so.
After a time, David must have fallen into a much deeper sleep, one brought on by complete physical and mental exhaustion. This sleep was apparently much more intense than he had expected it to be, but it was something he was unable to control. When he once again became aware of his surroundings, terror filled him as the horrifying enveloping blackness returned, and although he was alert and aware, he was once again unable to move as he was before and his senses were once again dulled to almost nonexistence.
“What the hell is going on?” David demanded as if someone would actually answer his question. Just a few moments ago—at least it felt like a few moments ago—he had been awake. He remembered how he had spoken with the hospital staff, Gina and Dr. Radisson. He recalled Gina telling him about his having some sort of car accident and about the condition of his guitar. And with a twinge of apprehension, he remembered his telling her about his encounter with the hideous nurse creature that had so terrified him.
After a few moments he remembered something else, something extremely strange and beyond bizarre, which seemed to pour out uncontrollably from deep inside his mind. His mind flashed back to a time when he recalled walking down a desolate roadway extending out toward the horizon with parallel grooves like those formed by the wheels of a carriage. The road was under a canopy of tall, thick trees and bordered by menacing vines and tree roots, which, as David recalled, seemed to be pursuing him. He also had a memory of a bank of fog closing in on him. David remembered passing through a gateway formed by two enormous sycamore trees, one of which bore a sign promising answers of some sort. Then he recalled a fleshy translucent membrane that appeared behind him after he had passed through the gateway and seemed to have protected him from some type of savage beast living in the fog on the opposite side.
He thought about a field of tall corn he recalled seeing bend backward to form a roadway upon which he had traveled. Lastly, he recalled a road leading down a hill to the ramshackle house and a horrific living dead baby pointing his way toward the house. He envisioned an inhuman creature, which had slid like an undulating puddle of flesh down a set of battered stairs leading from the front doorway of the old house. With complete clarity he recalled the strange creature telling him about how he had changed and how he could now see things no one else could see. He remembered the warning the creature had given him about not making eye contact with any strange beings he might encounter.
David then had a flashback to his encounter with the nurse creature and how unconsciously he had protected his gaze from coming into contact with that of the hideous woman. He had assumed it was because of something his father had once told him, but perhaps he was mistaken. Maybe he had kept his gaze averted because he subconsciously had a faint recollection of the warning given to him by the ghastly creature from this earlier dream. Whatever the case, he understood now how he had changed, why he could see the horrifying nurse and why making eye contact with it or any of the strange creatures he might encounter was something to be avoided at all costs.
He thought back once again to his last memory of what he considered the real world and recalled Gina speaking with the nurse, Sandy, and hearing Sandy tell Gina about the unfortunate history surrounding the evil woman, Selma Wiggins.
Then suddenly it struck David like someone had hit him in the head with a baseball bat. How in the hell could he possibly have memories of Gina speaking with the young nurse? He was nowhere around when they had their discussion. He was confined to the bed in his hospital room and falling asleep. For a moment he wondered if his strange new found abilities would also allow him to see things far removed from his location. Was it possible his co-consciousness could leave his physical body and travel elsewhere to mentally eavesdrop on others’ conversations? Or had it all been just another cruel illusion fabricated by his mind?
Had he been lying in the claustrophobic blackness the entire time and simply dreamt the whole series of events? Had his need to be free of this place become so intense that his mind created an alternate reality so lifelike he believed it to be true? He did not want to think so. He could not possibly bring himself to believe so, yet he feared it might actually be the case.
“Been...long....weeks....” he heard a familiar male voice saying faintly far off in the distance. Listening hard once again, David thought he recognized it as the voice of the person he knew as Dr. Radisson.
