Midnight Hour

The ward I am housed in has the means of vaccinating everyone against the nightmare that is to ensue at the stroke of midnight. This is not a Cinderella tale, so I advice the weary and weak to turn your heads now and walk on --do not read further. The vaccination is through a painful blood infusion. As the nurse empties the syringe into my arm, a wave of nausea and pain envelopes me.
I try my best to fight unconsciousness and succeed only slightly on my own. My heart begins to gallop inside of my chest and I'm forced to slow my breathing in order to calm the beast inside of me. As I begin to slip away, giving in to the pain and sleep, the nurse sticks a small brick of substance in front of my face. The impact of the smell, much like sulfuric acid, invades my senses and I shoot up like a rocket into a sitting stance. I'm awake. I'm alive. Is it over? What is this?

"Wash yourself with this, use all of it, it will numb the pain of tonight."

"Thank you," I say as I look at the bandage adhered to my arm. It has begun, I think as I carry myself to my hall on shaky legs. I walk past Blue, a pure-bred American Bulldog, lounging on a pillow beside the Administrator's doorway; one of the many canines that reside within this structure's walls. My legs come to a halt as I watch the slumbering chest rise and fall, the essence of life flowing through this little beast's body--my mind envisions the ravenous look in Blue's eyes as he rips my arm to shreds with his powerful teeth. My withering flesh falling in chunks, splattering the ground with crimson and fear. My ghastly screams are muted by so many others drifting through the ward.

I cringe and force myself back to reality, clutching the brick of soap tightly.
The clock reads 6:04 p.m.
I hurry onward.

I undress amidst a cloud of steam and the dulcet chorus of water dripping onto tile and down pipework. I let my day time rags fall to the ground, where gentle drops of water soon devour, changing the hue a shade darker. I watch nervously as the cotton gives way to the moisture --much like blood seeping from an open wound. Soon there will be blood everywhere; no inch of cotton will be able to resist. Rubbing the soap over my body has the similar effect as Tiger Balm, my eyes begin to swell and water. The suds send a ripple throughout my muscles as if calming them with a soothing backhand. It'll be alright. You'll be okay. Be calm, be well. Over and over until the last of it has melted away under the water. The timer has gone off and my shower ceases but I do not move. I cannot move until I watch every bit of water disappear down the drain.

I am quick to harness my fear as I dress in my night time clothes, drawing the string on my pant taut and tying it in a knotted bow. On my way to my dorm I am stopped by Miss Lianna as she makes her way to the showers, carrying more towels.

"Emily, doll, be a dear and give the others a bit of a heads up as to what to expect. I prey you'll do that for me. I am a bit overwhelmed with duties at the mome--" her words trail off as she continues to walk, in haste. I give her back an obedient nod as she disappears around the corner. Oh great! Me, the bearer of bad news. I reach for the handle and walk sullenly into my room.

"Em!" shouts Mary as she throws her hand into the air to greet me, "and I thought big Blue had eaten you already!" she smiles even though I can't help but frown.

"Not yet, at least" I retort as I eye the other girls above me looking around the room for solace.

I see little legs dangling from beds. The room bunks about fifteen girls all suspended ten to twenty feet above the ground in hammocks --to avoid menacing night critters. To strangers, these beds prove to be dangerous but we've mastered the art of walking the thin rail in between beds with a graceful ease. I'm up the ladder and next to Mary who has the bed closest to the door.

"I had to.." she says when she sees the stern look on my face. I continue to climb the ladder, feeling the cold metal against my skin --a dull sensation, due to, I suspect, the soap. I've always enjoyed the climb to bed. The biting cold aching my skin as I slink into bed, melting it all away with layers of wool. This time the dullness lingers, such as wool cannot melt away. I lean gravely over my bed and call out to the girls below.

"So.." I cough to clear my voice, gaining the masses attention. Small, curious eyes look upon me. "We've all received the inoculation, which means we'll all be alright in the end,"

Mary climbs into Tesh's bed to comfort her, wrapping a thin arm around the little girl.

"But as everyone knows by now that tonight is the night of our beasts betrayal. It cannot be avoided. It's like clockwork and unfortunately, we're affected the most." My throat has become uncommonly dry and it's like rubbing sandpaper together when I swallow.

"Will it hurt?" asks little Lilly as she clutches her pillow too tightly.

"It will hurt, the soap should help slightly but the inoculation does not protect against pain. This will most likely be the most painful night you will ever experience--"

"Why not lock them all inside of a room?" shouts a girl across the room.

"Because there are far worse creatures than the dogs out there! What do you think they're here to protect us from, huh?" Bites Mary.

"Mary is right. Without the dogs the night critters have nothing to hold them back now. Our biggest concern is them." I pause to rub my shoulder for comfort.

-- to be continued --