The Fire Burns Bright

The Plague Doctor

Emma's P.O.V.

As soon as I pass out the dream begins.

I hear a harsh knocking on the door. I whip my head toward it and see a masked face in the glass window at the top of the door.

"The Plague Doctor is here," my mother says.

"No, no, no," I murmur, biting the inside of my cheek. Then I start to cough. My mother looks at me, her eyebrows crease in worry. The knock comes again, more insistent this time. My mother starts to walk toward to the door.

"No! Don't let him in!" I cry. I find that my whole body is hot. Shrinking deeper into the couch, I stare fearfully at the mask in the window. The mask has a long beak like a bird and glass circles for eyes. While I'm still staring at the mask, my mother reaches the door. Her hand stretches out to open it.

"Don't!" I whimper helplessly, knowing that if I try to get up I'll only fall back down.

"He's not going to hurt you. He's going to heal you," my mother says gently. She grabs the door nob, twists it and pulls inward. The door creaks loudly and I cringe. Then the figure steps into our house and slowly walks toward me. It doesn't speak. It doesn't explain whats going on. It doesn't even say 'hello'.

As it nears me, I bite my tongue to keep from screaming. It carries a wooden stick which it now points at me. My whole body tenses and I press my back into the couch.

"Mom?" I call out for help, looking to where she stands a little more than five feet away. "What's he doing?" I try to keep the tremble out of my voice but fail.

The plague doctor brings its stick closer to me and I hold my breath, squeezing my eyes shut. I can feel it staring at my shoulder where I know a is rash spreading. A disgusting, black rash.

Then I feel the plague doctors stick poke my shoulder, sending a stab of pain through it. My eyes fly opened and I lean to the side to avoid the cold, calculating touch of its stick. This sends me tumbling sideways on the couch. I feel my dress ruffle in my failed attempt to escape. I don't think to wonder why I'm wearing a dress.

I stare up at the plague doctor and it stares back. I try to sit up but I can't. I'm too weak. I try to keep calm. I don't want to show the plague doctor how horrified of it I really am. It tries to poke me with the stick again but I find the strength to kick it away.

"Don't touch me!" I shout but it comes out barely more than a whisper. I swear I can hear the plague doctor 'tsk' behind its mask. Then it turns away from me and pulls something from its black robe. I struggle to a sitting position on the couch as I hear the sound of a box clicking opened. The plague doctor turns around and a small scream escapes my mouth.    

Laced between the plague doctor's pointer finger and middle finger is a vaccine. I knew this would happen. A shudder racks my body and I'm suddenly cold. So cold. 

The plague doctor drops his stick and kneels in front of the couch. It reaches out to me with its empty hand. When I feel its leather glove touch my shoulder, I try to pull away but its grip tightens. Then it starts to bring the vaccine toward my arm. I scream and try harder to pull away. 

Then, both hands are on my shoulders, shaking me. The hand holding the injection is pressing the cold barrel of the vaccine against my shoulder. I can feel it through my sleeve. 

"Emma," the plague doctor says. "Emma, Wake up!"

Confused, I blink several times and then realize the face in front of me isn't a plague doctor. It's Micheal. He was the one shaking me. 

"Emma," he says gently. My eyes fill with tears and Micheal pulls me into his arms. I want to tell him that I don't need him to comfort me, that he can let go, but it's not true. My body shakes with sobs while Micheal holds me close. The memory of the plague doctor dances around in my head. 

"It's okay," he whispers in my ear. I can almost hear the love in his words. "It was just a dream. Your safe now." 

But then I remember, the screechers that were chasing use. I remember the other creatures walking with them. Then it hits me like a brick. The creatures who were walking with the screechers were plague doctors. I know where I recognized it from too. It was on the History channel at the one orphanage where we were lucky enough to have a TV. They're a creepy type of doctor from the time of the Black Death. After we watched that show, I had nightmares about them for almost a year.

Now they'd come back to haunt me in real life.

Explanation as to how they're safe is next chapter.