Haunted by the Past (Original)

Chapter 69

Without wasting time, I went back into my room and opened the patient cupboard to find my meager belongings. Unfortunately most of my clothes didn't survive the accident or Emergency Room, but I did find my socks and sneakers, which was better than nothing at that stage.

After slipping on my footwear, I snuck out of my room and across to the double doors at the end of the ward, desperately trying to hold the back of my gown closed. Thankfully I still had a working memory of the hospital layout from breaking in recently so getting to the elevator and down to the ground floor wasn't too much of a challenge. The next step was to find clothes so I wasn't running around Raven Hill in just a paper gown, shoes and socks.

It wasn't my proudest moment, but I peeked around the staff area to check that it was empty, then snuck into the locker room and rummaged around for spare women's clothes to use. If you had told me a few weeks ago I'd be stealing from a bunch of nurses, I might have been offended that you would think that lowly of me, but there was I taking a spare shirt from one locker, spare leggings from another locker, a sweatshirt left on a bench, and someone's Mets baseball cap tossed on top of the row. None of it was my size, but it would have to do.

The next step was getting out of the hospital. Given it was the middle of the night, going through the front would've been suspicious, so my best option at leaving without notice was slip through the Emergency Room and hope no one bothered to look at me twice. Thankfully as I pushed past the double doors for the ward, I was greeted with chaos once again.

Weaving between patients, their families and the various staff of the hospital, I spotted an unattended purse on a side table while its elderly owner was resting with an oxygen mask on. Again, not my proudest moment, but I slipped my hand in, pulled out her wallet and pocketed a couple of twenties. I felt horrible for doing it, but I needed to get back to civilization and walking back was out of the question.

Slipping her wallet back into her purse, I spotted her phone in a flip case. Checking to make sure no one watching, I pulled it out and opened it. I was greeted by the most adorable shih tzu on her lock screen and immediately my heart sank. Being an elderly person's phone, I had hoped her passcode would be something easy like 1234 or 1111, but then I noticed a little bit of yellow sticking out behind the phone. Examining the back of the phone from within the case I found a little post-it with the number '5225' written on it. While it was technically a victory, my heart twisted as I successfully unlocked the phone. Quickly I shoved it into my pocket and dodged out of there before my conscience could stop me.

Turning the last corner, the glass double doors of the exit came into view, but commotion in a hallway to the side got my attention. A patient sitting on a gurney had vomited all over the floor, but it was the orderly holding their hand that had me disgusted. Henry's eyes met mine and the corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly as he helped the patient clean themselves up. I immediately darted for the exit, walking as fast as I could, eventually giving up on restraint and breaking out into a run, ignoring the searing pain of my not yet healed ribs.

As soon as I crossed the threshold, I was met with clear, brisk air and immediately I felt like I could breathe again. Feeling free for the first time in over a week, I kept on running down the driveway to the road with no consideration of how I was going to get to Bailey Creek from the hospital. However though, as if by divine intervention, a public bus squealed most wondrously, coming to a stop only a few paces away from me. The message from Heather was clear – 'Save Cameron!'

As soon as the doors opened, I jumped on, bumping into a passenger exiting. The driver eyed me suspiciously as I handed them one of my stolen twenties. After he gave me my change, I shuffled to the back, stumbling a little as the bus took off from the stop. The bus was mostly empty aside from two other passengers, too lost in their own worlds to notice me.

Plopping down in the back row, I took out the phone I had stolen and was greeted by the shih tzu once more. I really needed to find a new lock screen image fast for the sake of my conscience, otherwise the dog was going to do me in. It occurred to me that I didn't actually know Eli's phone number; he had added his contact for me. However, I knew my number and I knew he had it. As strange as it was, I sent myself a message that I know he would read.

'Stole phone - call me!'

A couple of minutes passed and I started to worry he didn't see it or worse, he thought I was someone else, but then the phone started to play the instrumental version of 'Yellow Submarine'. The other passengers gave me disapproving glares while I accepted the call.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Where the hell did you go!?" Eli asked in a panic.

"I thought you were watching," I frowned.

"I've been busy!" he defended. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on a bus heading back to Raven Hill," I assured him.

"What? Why?" he questioned accusatorily. I started to think he was unaware of Cameron's situation.

"Well Cameron was marked and I heard on the cop's radio before he left my room that there was something big at Bailey Creek going down so I figured it has to be related," I explained.

"I know, Dani. That's why I've been busy. Tell me you're not planning on going there."

"Ok, I won't," I pursed my lips innocently.

"Dani!"

"It's Cameron! Heather's brother!" I exclaimed.

"For crying out loud, you were hit by a car only a few days ago!" he argued very sensibly.

"Oh let me just tell Triple-6 to wait a few more days until I'm good and ready," I said most obnoxiously.

"Don't you dare go into that forest!" he yelled.

"You going to stop me?" I taunted.

"I know you're currently on bus number 218. I've hacked the CCTV on the bus and I can see you. I will stop the bus, Dani," he threatened.

I gestured rudely at the camera on the ceiling of the bus, "I'll just go out the emergency exit and walk the rest of the way. You don't scare me!"

"Dani, if you go into that forest, then I will come after you. If the police see me, they will arrest me. Is that what you want?" he changed directions with his threats.

"He. Is. Heather's. Brother," I gritted my teeth, trying my hardest to keep my voice down. "I owe it to her."

Eli sighed, "No, Dani, you don't owe her anything."

"I'll never be able to face her if I don't!" I snapped. "It's bad enough that he was even marked in the first place! If we hadn't gone to his place, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Ugh, fine!" he groaned. "But you are not to step foot into the woods until I get there!"

With that, he hung up on me, not giving me a chance to say another word. Leaving me speechless, I stared at the phone in a daze until I realized my stop was approaching. Pushing the button to signal the driver, I stood up and made my way for the exit. As I waited for the door to open, I took a deep breath to recenter myself, repeating my mantra in my head – 'No more deaths.'