Bite Shift

38

I was standing across the street from my hospital. I could tell it was late into the night because all the hustling that usually happens at a hospital was gone. It was dead quiet. Only the occasional siren or car engine broke the silence. In the city there weren't really crickets or bats to hear at night. I stared at the ambulance bay and the entrance to the emergency that was usually reserved for EMS arrivals. Tonight, there was no ambulance so the bay was wide open. The large automatic sliding doors were clear glass and big enough to drive a car through. I knew they were motion activated but, just now, they were immobile. I could see the security station were Stewart would sit when he wasn't doing rounds. Hospitals don't close but some entrances are inaccessible by anyone but staff at night. If you wanted to walk in, you had to go through the ER. That's why he sat there most of the time. I could see that, right now, he wasn't there.

I was waiting for something; scanning the big glass doors and then shifting my gaze to the side entrance where the staff would come out to sneak a smoke or get some fresh air. I felt excited and anxious and mad all at the same time. I felt like I needed to do something but I had to wait for someone first. The longer I stood, the more anxious and angrier I became.

The side door burst open with a creak and a thud, as it hit the wall next to it. A woman stepped out and swung it shut behind her. Her blond hair was rolled into a bun on the back of her head with a pencil poking through it. Her scrub top was a vibrant purple and the bottoms were a charcoal grey. Her bright white nurse shoes stood out in stark contrast to the darker pants. I knew it was Monica but I also felt like I had never seen her until tonight. Her hand dropped in to the left pocket of her top, pulling out a cigarette and lighter. The flame light up her face for an instant as she held it to the long white cylinder in her mouth and disappeared. In the darkness, the bright orange ember flared as she inhaled deeply. She leaned back against the brick wall and closed her eyes.

"She's perfect," I thought. The anxiety was gone and the excitement overtook all feeling.

I started across the blacktop and made my way to the pretty nurse. She was clearly lost in thought and didn't seem to hear me approaching her. A long drag on the cigarette lit up her face and a large cloud of smoke covered her face. It died as she blew a cloud out of her mouth. The closer I got, the more perfect she felt to me. I moved slowly. I wanted to enjoy the show of her and didn't want her to see me. I wanted her to be surprised.

It's her. She has led me here.

Monica turned to face the wall and smashed the small leftovers of her secret smoke into the brick; dropping it to the ground. That's when she looked up and saw me. Her bright smile was the same that she gives to everyone.

"Well, hello there!" She said in a bright, happy tone. It was why we all loved her.

When I was within reaching distance of her, I could smell the recent nicotine and I hated it. Filthy. It sounded so hateful in my head; I was disgusted by her.

The vibrant smile on her face faltered and she started to walk backwards towards the door. She fished through her pockets, likely looking for the badge that would let her back in. Her brown eyes told me that the blonde hair was out of a box and they looked utterly terrified.

"You've come back to me," I said in a voice that sounded far away to my ears. "It was meant to be."

She didn't stand a chance. I had planned everything and knew what I was doing. My arm moved quickly and my grip around her neck was strong. I wanted to crush her throat with one squeeze but, then, it would be done too quickly. Pulling her into the small patch of woods next to the hospital was almost too easy. Her hands beat against me but I was too full of adrenaline to care.