The Curse of A Lifetime

Chapter 18

SARAH

"Over here," Carter calls me over to the front desk the nurse abandoned a few moments ago.

He slides behind the desk and looks over the paper files. I scan them next to him and he pulls out a binder full of patient names. He flips each page and it comes up empty. I try to use the computer, but you need an ID code to access it.

"There has to be something here, it all can't just be on the computer." I say to Carter, "this is a small town hospital, there should be a chart or two with names and room numbers."

We look again and find nothing, the door to the patient rooms open, "come on," I run over to the doors and hide behind the wall. Carter follows me, right after the nurse walks out, I grab the door and sneak in.

"Holy shit," a long hallway reaches down at least twenty rooms. The lights were dimmed and no one is in sight.

I grab his hand and start to walk, we carefully peak through the windows of the doors and find only two people on the entire floor. "Maybe he is on a different floor?"

"No, I saw his mom come from this floor and this is the emergent floor." He explains.

"Maybe he isn't emergent anymore, so they moved him?" The air is heavy and I feel deflated. We are not getting anywhere. I slide down the wall and pull my knees to my chest. This is just crazy, Soran was right. This is out of our hands now.

The priest didn't come over last week because of out rendezvous as my mother called it. We did chat over the phone and I was told if anything else happens to call him. The other priest from back home is staying with him, he will be here for the time being. My mood is discouraged and has changed completely.

Instead of being upset with Carter telling the truth about what happened, I am now tired and irritated about not finding James. I think we need to go home. "Carter, lets go home." He shakes his head no, "no, we need to find him, I need to see him."

"He isn't here, are you even sure he didn't go home or something?" A light flickers above his head. "No, his mom was here, plus I heard my dad talking to his dad on the phone this morning." The same light flickered again.

I close my eyes and sigh, there is no way I am getting him to leave. I could leave him here, but I would have to walk to my car in the cold.

I glance up at the light and it flickers again, "say something about James." The light has only flickered when talking about James. I have read stories about people being in comas and being able to communicate like sprits. They are half in and half out, kind of like limbo in a sense. I have never seen it first hand, only have read about them.

"Why?" The light doesn't flicker, but the light shines brighter and then dims back down to the original light.

"I have a theory," Carter shakes his head, but says, "I miss James, before all this crazy stuff happened."

The light stays still, Carter doesn't seem to be getting what I am trying to tell him. I don't want to jinx it or scare him away. "What are you trying to get at?" I shush him and he leans back hitting his head on the wall behind him. The light slightly flickers and gives me goosebumps. "James, if you can hear, see, or touch me, make the light flicker again." After I say that, Carter's head shoots up and his eyes bulge out of his head. HIs lips part in disbelief.

"Wait, w-ait, you don't mean he is dead?" I urgently wave my hand, "no, no." I correct myself, "I think he might be in limbo or in a coma."

"So you can communicate with them?" he asks, "even if they aren't dead?"

"I don't know, I have never done it, only heard about it." I tell him. "Earlier, the light above you flickered when you talked about James, and us giving up. I wanted to see if it was him." I explain.