Five Night's at Freddy's - The Horrific Remains

Chapter 6

Arthur pedaled his vintage bicycle, Ruby, through the stone archway at the base of the drive leading up to Heracles Hospital. The archway, like much of the hospital itself, was engulfed in thick, green ivy. The bicycle's antique balloon tires chuffed at the moist pavement; spitting fallen leaves in their wake. A black SUV passed Arthur, and the little boy in the back seat turned to stare, watching Arthur until the SUV rounded the drive's curve for the columned entrance of the imposing medical center.

Arthur knew that he and his bicycle Ruby could always make a striking picture. Arthur was a 57-year-old man, even if he looked older than he really was. This was due to his thick wavy hair having turned mostly gray when he was 37 years old, and deep emotions have carved lines on his face. He had wide-set brown eyes that he believed to be boring and simple, even if others saw them as being gentle and warm. Arthur was also short and slight. His mouth curved upward, even when his face was expressionless. He had thick gray brows and a slightly weak chin. Arthur was also wearing a long, flowing black cassock. He also wore a satchel, which was slung across his body. Of course, Arthur didn't have to wear the long, flowing black cassock that fluttered out behind Ruby, but he liked wearing it. It buoyed him, made him feel like he was being lifted by angels' wings. Or maybe he just thought it looked good, in which case he needed to do better with the first deadly sin. Ruby was evidence of that as well. A priest didn't need a fully restored 1953 bicycle with gleaming chrome fenders and shiny red paint, but a priest could enjoy what he had, couldn't he? Ruby was a gift from a dying man. How could Arthur refuse to accept her? Arthur smiled to himself. The truth was that neither his nor Ruby's appearance interested him much. He was really just a meek man who allowed himself a couple of indulgent flairs because they made him happy. The second Arthur arrived at the hospital; he wondered why Mia had called him so urgently. What had happened? Why had Mia sounded so horrified?

Arthur Walked into the hotel, going underneath the statue of Cerberus and entering into the hospital as the sun began to rise. At the curved desk at the nurse's station in the hospice wing, Arthur saw Mia standing, seeming incredibly stressed and anxious. Mia was a young woman with her blonde hair pulled into a taut ponytail. She had a square face with a wide mouth, lively blue eyes, and bright makeup. Mia's hands were small and soft, and she was wearing a dark blue nurse's uniform. Her face was pale, as if the blood had been completely drained from it; it was if Mia had seen a horrific, demonic ghost. In that moment, Arthur said a silent prayer for Mia, which he hoped would protect her and help her to return to normal life after this incident, before walking up to her.

"Are you okay, Mia?" Arthur asked. Mia startled before turning to look at him. Arthur could tell that there was a reason for Mia being so on edge. Mia spoke up, but it was very brief.

"It's good to see you again Father Blythe, and I'm really not," Mia said, quickly; there was a sense of urgency in her voice. "Follow me, quickly..." Arthur quickly followed Mia down the wide hall. As they passed open doorways, Arthur occasionally glanced into rooms when he felt moved to do so. Some rooms felt heavy and somber, and Arthur said a prayer for the patients and families in them. Some rooms felt ebullient, sometimes even effervescent. The people in those rooms didn't need Arthur's help—they understood the truth of the journey ahead. He prayed for them, anyway.

"You can never have too much support," Arthur would always say. Mia stopped in front of a room, suddenly. Arthur watched push open the door while he glanced at the number by the door: 987.

"She was brought in here 30 minutes ago," Mia explained. "I called you to be a calming presence... but you should know, she's in a near-critical condition." Before Arthur could ask, Mia opened the door, and Arthur's eyes went wide with shock, horror, confusion, and fear. In the room, he could see a woman, apparently asleep in a hospital gown laying the bed. Nurse Ackerman was hard at work, cleaning the woman's wounds, which appeared almost fresh. Her skin looked sallow and pale; she had lost a lot of blood. Blood was cleaned from her face, a line of black stitches ran from her forehead to her cheekbone, splitting her eyebrow. The woman had short, brown hair, and an already pale complexion made worse by the blood she had lost.