Hearing Voices by E. C. Bell

Author:E. C. Bell [Bell, E. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 9781928025955
Publisher: Tyche Books Ltd.
Published: 2018-09-18T04:00:00+00:00

Marie:

Lunch with Juliette

“HOW ARE YOU feeling, Marie? Adjusting to your meds?”

Nurse Melodie had just come on shift, so that meant we were close to lunch. I’d been let out for breakfast and for group, but still didn’t know if I could believe that Parkerson was actually keeping her word about me being allowed out of my room for all activities.

Not that I was free to roam around wherever I wanted to, of course. My door was still locked when I didn’t have any place to be, but still. Getting out of this room even for a little while was nice. Really nice.

“I feel pretty good,” I said. “Head still spins a bit if I stand up too fast, but other than that . . . not bad.”

“Good,” the nurse said, and smiled. “You must have slept well last night.”

As a matter of fact, the nightmares had been horrendous. If she’d taken even a glance at my round-the-clock video feed, she’d know that. So, I guessed the question was a test. Another test.

“I had bad dreams,” I said. “They kinda broke up my sleep.”

She nodded, confirming my suspicions that she’d seen me. At least I’d passed the test. I hoped. But it meant that the drugs weren’t doing everything they were supposed to do—which probably meant Parkerson would up the dose. Again.

I could barely hear the ghosts as it was. What was I going to do with more of the chemical stew in my system? I wouldn’t be able to communicate with them at all—and then I stopped and thought about that for a moment.

Would that really be so bad?

“Marie?” Nurse Melodie said. “You still with me?”

I smiled, but I really had to work at it. “Absolutely,” I said. “Just wondering what we’ll be getting for dinner, is all.”

“Well, you’ll find out in a few minutes,” she said, and laughed. Held out my housecoat before I could pick it up from the end of the bed myself, and pulled it onto my shoulders. She reached for the tie, but I pushed her hand away.

“I got it,” I said.

“Glad to see it,” she replied. “You ready to go?”

“Just let me brush my hair,” I said. I knew that was another test—at least for Nurse Willoughby. I was determined to pass them all today.

“All right,” she said, and waited with her hand on the doorknob as I ran my brush through my tangled locks. I could feel the static electricity standing some of it on end. I looked like a clown and knew it.

“I wish I could calm it down a bit,” I said. “Any chance I can get a hair tie yet?”

“Unfortunately no, but don’t worry about it,” she replied. “You look fine.”

She was lying. I was pretty sure that the static electricity had somehow made me fail a test I hadn’t even realized was there.

I shuffled my way to the door and waited obediently as Nurse Melodie opened it. Then I shuffled down the highly buffed hallway, to the cafeteria. Shuddered when I realized I was walking just like everybody else there—like we were all frigging zombies.

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