The Hospital

Larry woke up to unfamiliar surroundings.  One word flashed to his mind as his eyes darted around the room: hospital.  Had he been in some kind of accident?  He stumbled over to the nearest mirror for reassurance.  He grabbed his face with both hands looking for gashes or bruising, but there were none.  In fact, he was in his normal clothes, not a typical hospital gown.  And, it was eerily silent.  A hospital would be bustling with workers along with the constant chirping of machines.  There was nothing but the sound of his shoes tapping the tile as he moved through the empty room.  He darted to the door finding it locked.  Should he start pounding on the door?  Was there a reason, any reason, that he was locked in an abandoned hospital room?

         Leaving the door, Larry raced over to the window.  A quick tug on the window confirmed that it was also locked.  He glanced out the window, toying with the idea of breaking the window and jumping out.  Even in the dim light of the room framing his environment in the night, he could tell he was at least eight stories up.  Out of ideas, he pulled his cell phone from out of his pocket.

         “George, George!”  Larry exclaimed frantically.

         “Larry, do you know what time it is?”

         “No, I’m trapped here.  Trapped in a hospital.”

         “A hospital?  Wait, are you all right?”

         “Yes.  I think.  I looked in the mirror, and I don’t see anything wrong.  But, there’s no one here.”

         “In the hospital?”

         “Yes! No one!  I’m locked up in this room, and I’m on the eighth floor, I think, and I can’t get out.”

         “Wait what?”

         “George, I know this is weird, but I don’t know what’s going on.  I’m trapped here, and, and…”

         “Okay. Did you call the police?”

         “And, tell them what, George?  I’m locked up here in some abandoned hospital, and I don’t know how I got here, and, boy, if you sent a S.W.A.T. team lickety-split it would sure be nice!”

           “Oh.  Are you sure you’re in an abandoned hospital?”

         “Yes.”

         “Okay, they just closed the hospital in Jefferson.  You must be there.  Just stay put, I’ll call you when I’m in the parking lot.”

         “Hurry.”

         Larry shoved the cell phone back in his pocket and paced in his tiny prison of a room.  His mind raced.  Why was he locked up in an abandoned hospital?  To what purpose? 

         His thoughts stopped as the door swung open.  He turned around, and he was surprised again, in a night full of surprises.  A nurse glided into the room with a reassuring smile.

         Only it wasn’t like any nurse that Larry had ever seen before.  First, she looked like she just stepped off a runway taking a break from being a model.  Her perfect figure was accented by a tight parody of a nurse’s uniform.  The zipper was playfully down, exposing the tops of her full double D breasts. 

         As she approached, he found himself tongue tied, in spite of himself. 

         “You haven’t changed yet,” she purred, a frown creasing her stunning features.

         “Hmmm…oh yes,” Larry said, shaking his head.  “I was wondering, well, I wanted to know if you could tell me why I was here?”

         She stopped and cocked her head to her side.  “You don’t know why you’re here?”

         “No.”

         She laughed.  “You’re such a kidder.  Roll your sleeve up.”

         When he didn’t move, she moved right in front of him.  Placing her hands lightly upon his shoulders, she guided him down to bed.  She whispered softly in his ear, “Just trust me.”

         She crouched down by Larry, and he watched her pull out a syringe.  Without thinking, Larry smashed his knee into the nurse’s face.  As she toppled over, he bolted out of the room through the open door.

         The stairs or the elevator, Larry had to make a quick decision.  With his heart racing, he didn’t trust himself on the stairs.  The last thing he needed was to fall down the stairs.  He needed to get out of here and meet George in the parking lot.  He slammed the down button calling the elevator.

         The elevator opened, and Larry found himself being pushed backwards onto the floor.  Standing above him was the nurse he thought he left behind in his room.  Same tight nurse’s uniform.  Same stunning features.  Only the nurse coming out of the elevator was completely undamaged.

         “Larry, Larry, Larry.  The things you make me do,” the new nurse said.

         She pulled the gun as quickly as the other nurse had pulled the syringe.  Without hesitation, she emptied the clip into Larry lying helplessly on the floor.  He died instantly, and she didn’t even glance at him on her way to his room.

         Her twin sister had made it up and was leaning in the doorway.  Her nurse’s uniform was soaked with blood, and she held a towel trying to stop the blood flowing from her broken nose.

         “I guess we’re not cut out to be nurses, Sis,” she said.

         “No, but I got the job done at least.  We need to go.  I need to leave one thing, and then we’ll depart.”

         * * * * * *

         George got no answer on his cell phone when he pulled into the lot of the abandoned hospital.  Sick with worry, he went on his only clue and rode the elevator up to the eighth floor.  He would start his search there, and he would open up every room if he had to.  When the doors opened, he found Larry, lying in a crumpled mess on the floor in his own blood.  He knew there was no reason to search for a pulse. 

         George knelt down by his fallen friend to close his eyes.  Pinned to Larry’s shirt, he saw a piece of paper, slightly bloodstained, with a word scribbled on it.  He snatched it and read the note out loud.

         “Gemini?”