The Fire Burns Bright

The Ruined Moment

Emma's P.O.V

"Did you rip your stitches," Matt asks again. First, the darn cough drop. Gag. Well, it did work, didn't it? Yes, but he's sooooooo ANNOYING!

I roll my eyes, avoiding his. "Um.... no...." 

"Nice try," he smiles at me. 

Darn. 

"Do you really have to redo them?" I whine.  Kate pats my shoulder. 

Matt frowns. "I'm afraid that the monsters could come back. I know we're short on time."

"Yes! That's right and there's no time to waste!" I shout.

 Just when I'm about to do a happy dance, Matt speaks up again. "However, I can't leave it untreated. I'll have to move quickly. Like you said 'no time to waste' so no funny business, right? I can trust you to play along this time?"

"Fine," I sigh and climb on the table. 

Kate tells me a silly story to distract me, and before I know it, it's over. Mom and Jacob arrive just as Matt finishes the last stitch.  He smiles at me. "Great job! You hardly even flinched this time." 

"Yeah," I agree, proudly. "It wasn't even that bad!" 

Sitting beside me, Kate smiles approvingly. She's cuddling Annie in her lap and gently holding an ice pace against the little girls ribs.  Matt has informed us that her ribs would heal on their own and gave her some medicine for the pain. Every once and a while Kate murmurs softly to Annie, reminding her to breathe. Jacob rushes to his little sister's side and Annie jumps into his arms. Even so, I can't help but think how Annie stole my sister. 

I'm not jealous... you're jealous! 

Mom comes over and gives me a high-five. Then, she hugs me.  It seems all is right in the world but like all the other good moments in my life, something has to come along and ruin it. Michael starts to say something, hopefully to express how proud he is of me but more likely to say something stupid and dorky like all the other crap that comes out of his mouth and presumably fills his goofy head. 

Anyway, I never heard the rest of what he had to say because at that moment a dark figure barged into the room. Matt let out a startled little yelp that made him sound like a kitten. It may have been funny if we hadn't been in danger. The intruder had on a mask that made him look like a bird. My breath caught in my throat. The plague doctor. Dangnabbit! 

"No. No. Nononononono," Michael mumbles, covering his eyes with the palms of his hands as though he could make it disappear; as though it is, as he told me, only our imaginations. 

"Well, hello there," it says in a deep, slightly muffled voice behind the mask. "my patients." I can hear the smile in his voice. It almost sounds friendly. But, no. That's what it wants us to think. It turns to push the door shut behind it. The soft thump makes my heart skip a beat.

I stand tall. "What do you mean 'patients'? None of us are-" My cough decides to return and betray me. I repeat my lie, weakly, "None of us are sick..."

It laughs and with that laugh any hint of friendliness is gone. When it laughs it sounds like a mad man. I'll bet it is a mad man. "None of you are sick, eh?" it sneers. 

"Yes!" I argue, fiercely. "Now, leave us alone! We don't need you!" Then I begin to cough so hard that my eyes tear up. I get the feeling that this creature is somehow causing it. 

"Yeah! Go 'way!" Annie echoes me. I'd give her a high-five, but I'm to busy doubled over on my hands and knees coughing. I can't seem to get a breath in. The tears are blurring my vision. 

"Hah. You are sick, little one. You've got a cough," the plague doctor says to me. "Your brother and sister are sick too. He's got a fever and she's got the rash. But have no fear, children. I will treat it." 

I don't like the sound of that. I think Michael understands because he cries out, "No! Oh, hell, no!" His face is pink and he seems weak. It's clear that his fever has gotten worse. 

Surprising me, Matt jumps out in front of everyone, spreading his arms out as a shield. He jerks his head toward the door. "Get out of my clinic, you fraud! You're not a doctor! Not even close! Leave!" he growls. I've never heard Matt sound so angry. It's so cool.  

But the plague doctor only laughs harder. "No. I'm afraid you are the one who must leave. I can't have you getting in the way of my medical experimentation. Those of you who are too faint-hearted  to let me do my job must leave." 

"Your job?" Michael asks, wide-eyed. He's moved next to me and his hand clutches mine. Both mine and his are trembling. Kate takes my other hand and holds it tight.

"If you don't leave, I guarantee that you will get sick too," the plague doctor said. "Leave it to me. I'll take care of the children."

"Never!" mom and dad shout in unison. 

Annie is crying and tugging on Jacob's shirt. "Make him go away! He's gonna hurt them!" It's sad how much faith she has in him. She thinks he's a superhero when he's only human. 

"We've got to get out of here!" Jacob shouts. " Everyone! RUN!" 

I wonder why no one thought of that before. I try to run but an invisible force is holding me in place. Frantic, I try to fight it but it does nothing. I notice Kate and Michael aren't running either. As soon as the others have exited the room, the door slams shut. Swiftly, a sense of biting betrayal crawls into my heart. They left us again. They don't care. Left. Don't care. 

No. Sounds on the other side of the door cause me to rethink. I can hear someone jiggling the door knob. Fists slambing against the door. Mom is shouting something fierce but I can't make it out through the door.

I have to unlock it. Doors can only lock from one side. If they can't get in then our side is locked. I can unlock it. Suddenly free from the hold, I'm able to run to the door and grab the knob. I try it. I doesn't come unlocked. 

"It will do you no good, child. You are alone," the creature says in dark murmur.  

"No," Michael speaks up, nodding at me and Kate, sharing strength. "We have each other."

"That's nice. Still," the plague doctor continues, grimly. "You are no match for me."