The Doctor

Chapter 17

"Breaking News!" announced an African American news reporter "A group of threadbare, sick people were crowding a police station a week ago. They claim to be kidnapped victims who were tortured in an underground prison designed as a hospital. The ringleader of this "underground torture hospital" is a middle-aged man with graying red hair named "Dr. Damian Smok". Victims claim that the underground hospital was under a local forest and was twenty feet deep. The victims also claim that they were physically and psychologically tortured, work as slaves and killed if they did not obey this "doctor". They also had their organs illegally removed without consent and shipped to black markets.

Police say that this case is linked to the mysterious disappearance of seventeen-year-old Albina Ratownik and the police pursuit of the two men: Bassett Short and Tomer Pratt. The two men admit that they had kidnapped victims for the Underground Hospital. After a couple weeks, the disappeared Albina Ratownik has been finally found. Police found out that she was one of the kidnapped victims in the Underground Hospital and that she led her fellow prisoners out of that horrible prison. The Ratownik parents admits that they sold her to the Underground Hospital in order to pay for their mortgage bills and the sister finally cracks after a week of interrogation that she took part in this heinous crime by drugging her sister.

The victims showed the police the collapsed Underground prison which was located under what looks like a park but is really a large, abandoned piece of property that is 30 acres long and 20 acres wide. There have been bodies of guards in black armor found as well as dead prisoners that were mutilated, and a blond dead man but the police have not found Dr. Smok or his assistant, Ursela Cici Snynnister. The police are putting on a manhunt for Damian Smok right now. If you see this man, report him to the police, he is very dangerous. Coming up will be how to make the perfect lasagna at your – "

And the television screen had gone black with the press of a button. Albina and the survivors were in St. Bernadette's hospital – a real hospital! Although this time, they were in an actual hospital, the survivors refused to go to the hospital so some police officers and paramedics had to force them to get in the hospital for treatment. Everyone, including Albina, was having flashbacks of when they were in Dr. Smok's hospital also, many poor victims were diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Some ran away when the doctors and nurses wanted to treat their wounds. It was indeed a pitiful sight.

Even for Albina, St. Bernadette's Hospital seemed too familiar however, things did feel different when there were windows everywhere, there were televisions, no locks on doors or bridges. The fact that there were janitors, patients had visitors and that there were waiting rooms also made the hospital seem different. The nice, kind doctors and nurses made the atmosphere seem really caring and friendly. Best of all, everything in the hospital was clean!

When Albina first came, she didn't feel so well, not because of the flashbacks but because of the mysterious disease Smok gave her. It became more dangerous than before because one of the doctors said that during the time she was locked up, the disease was only spreading and that it was weak for some time but then in an unexpected time, the virus made a heavy strike and caused her body to become seriously ill. Luckily, Albina was treated hours after the disease hit her severely (when she fainted in the van). Although it was a new disease for the doctors, they found a way to eliminate it. The name the doctor's gave it was "Dragon's Venom"

Albina was still being treated but every time she went to sleep, she kept having nightmares. The one that came to her the most was of Dr. Smok killing Thomas in a more grotesque, gruesome way. There were also times when she dreamed of Ames being tortured; of Ames screaming for anesthesia when Albina first saw him; and of Ames strangling the guard in the attic-like room. Sometimes she would dream that she was in St. Bernadette's hospital but her sister, Adriana came as a visitor; she would drug Albina and she would end up in an operating bed with Smok as her surgeon. These nightmares were so bad that she woke in the middle of the night with tears running down her face.

That minute, Albina heard footsteps and a tapping of the clipboard. She turned around to see a tall, middle-aged man with graying hair. At first fear struck her, she was going to run out the door try to run out of the hospital but then she took a better look at the doctor and realized it was not Smok.

"You look startled Albina," said the doctor in a kind, compassionate voice "Is everything all right?"

"Yes I am Dr. Schwartz," she answered with a breath of relief "I just thought that you were...someone else."

"I know what you are thinking," Dr. Schwartz said "don't worry you are not down there anymore and I am not the evil doctor. I heard your story on the news and it was terrible that your family did this to you and that you were tortured down there. I feel really sorry that this had to happen to you and other people. You don't have to worry about them now."

"It's fine," lied Albina.

"You know you seem to be getting better and healthier every day. If we hadn't treated you on the day you escaped then you would have been dead in more or less than seven days."

"I am, doctor"

"Good! I think that you will be physically recovered in a month but I am afraid that your pale skin and your gray eyes won't ever change back into their original colors. Also, that scar on your face, the razor has dug in so deep that it won't ever completely go away. "

"Well, that sucks"

"I am happy to see that you are alright," said the doctor "now, I will have to give you another shot to kill that virus."

He took out a syringe from his pocket and went to the cabinets to replace it with a sterilized needle. Albina rolled up her sleeve and held out her arm as Schwartz injected it with blue liquid. The needle drained the blue liquid and Albina slowly started to feel her strength coming back. The man took out the point of the needle and disposed of it. Then he took some medications from the wooden cabinet and handed it to the girl.

"Remember to keep taking two tablets a day." he said.

"I will" she promised.

"Now, before I go, I need to talk to you about something also, you have a visitor." he said as he smiled.

Then, as if on cue, the door opened with a squeak and a woman in her twenties with almond eyes and black hair tied in a high ponytail entered the room.

"Rinko!" greeted Albina as she ran to the woman with a tight hug.

"Albina, I am glad you survived, you were the one who came up with a plan. You and Thomas had carried it out and saved us all. At first, I underestimated you but you proved us wrong. I will grateful for what you did for the rest of my life."

"Really?" she asked as she looked up to her.

"Yes, really" she answered.

"Albina," spoke Dr. Schwartz "I am really sorry to hear what you have been through and everything."

"It's fine," she lied.

"Rinko and I came to tell you that you are welcome to call us or talk to us at any time." he continued.

"And," Rinko added 'I think I just found a new friend – you!"

"Really?" questioned Albina.

"Really," they both said.

A tear slid down the teen's cheek as she let go of Rinko. She did not cry or wail but it was just a silent river of tears. Her tears irritated her still itchy scar and to Rinko and Dr. Schwartz's surprise her face did not turn red. She kept wiping her eyes but the flow of tears still kept coming.

"Why are you crying?" asked Rinko sympathetically.

"It's just that" she explained "I can't believe my parents would actually do something like that to me and...no one has ever been this kind to me like you two."