Laid to rest

The sun had started retreating behind the mountains. The corridors of the med school that was usually crowded with students were now eerily quiet. The dropping temperature or the deafening silence wasn't new to Mr. Goodwill. True to his name, Mr. Goodwill was a calm person who led a peaceful life.

He had been working here for 10 years and the job was always the same. Cleaning the apparatus and locking down the place securely. He didn't Complain though. This job paid his bills and that was all he cared about.

He went into the Anatomy lab and removed the skeleton for the glass showcase. It had creeped him out at first, but now it was an old friend. He began the work, humming a tune to himself.

The cool breeze floated into the room ruffling the curtains in the process. Even an innocent noise sounded omnious at night, but Goodwill knew not to let his mind play games. He quickly cleaned the apparatus and put them away.

Finally he took the skeleton and turned towards the showcase. On the glass door, there was a poem written with red ink.

The bearded man is whom we seek,
He who kills to sate his greed...
He who hunts the old and the meek,
And uses them when he needs...

The words looked fresh. The ink was dripping down the glass, giving it a sinister look. But Goodwill knew better than to be fooled. It wasn't the first time the students had tried to prank him. "you can't fool me all the time boys.", he laughed. "what are you poets doing in a med school?", he murmured as he wet a rag and started wiping the words on the glass.

After cleaning the glass, he hung the skeleton inside and headed home. That night he couldn't sleep. The words on the showcase kept flashing before his eyes. 'the bearded guy is whom we seek'.... 'who hunts the old and the meek'..... 'uses them when he needs'.... he convinced himself that he was wasting his time on something stupid. He decided to talk to the Dean about this tomorrow.

Next morning, he spoke to the Dean about the issue. The Dean, an indifferent man in his late 60's warned the students through the intercom and dismissed the issue. Goodwill hoped that this helped.

After that he didn't have the need to go to the lab for some time. After a week he entered the lab again, he hoped that the kids had forgotten about him, and began his routine. He cleaned the skeleton and hung it in. As he closed the door, words appeared on the glass, right in front of his eyes. It was written with the same red ink, and dripped down.

Our fate that you believe to be a lie,
Is the reason that so many died...
Help us find the sly culprit,
And punish him with what we deem fit...

Goodwill was frozen with fear. His mind refused to believe that it was true. He staggered away from the glass and grabbed a wet cloth from the counter. He hastily wiped off the words with shaky hands. But as soon as he erased the words, it reappeared on the glass.

The wind was harsh outside and the lights flickered off, leaving the room dark, except for the moonlight. Goodwill couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed the keys and sprinted out, and locked the room in a hurry.

He sprinted through the hall, his footsteps echoing in the quite night. He didn't stop anywhere on his way home. His hands were trembling and his mind was throwing images into his head. At this point he didn't know if it was real or if it was a sick game played by the kids.

But how did they manage to make the words reappear? The kids were smart, but no one can pull off something like that. It took some time for him to calm down. He decided to think about this in the morning.

Goodwill was never a brave person. He liked to live a quiet life. That was one of the reasons he never married. And he never regretted his decision until now. After a long time, he finally fell into a restless sleep.