Hospitals were supposed to smell like antiseptic and rusting metal coming from operating rooms, but tonight something felt heavy.
Something that lies beneath these thin walls. something that makes wind weep and air thickened.
Like someone didn't belong here...
Detective James Vale leaned over the reception counter of St. Dein Medical center, one of the largest medical facilities. eyeing every movements of patients sitting, staff members talking.
The hallways were silenced by the beeping moniters and murmurs of nurses taking order's.
James, Tapping his pen against his notebook.
he'd been working relentlessly for almost two days, not even resting for a 5 minute nap, Sleeping wasn't a choice either. Exhaustion couldn't even compare to the frustration clawing at his ribs, continuously engraving deep scars that left scattered through his . He felt hot and cold at the same time.
He downed two cups of the strongest coffee he could buy, the bitterness made his conscious feel more awake.
well, Temporarily.
Another patient goes missing.
Another family going in distress.
Another clue going nowhere.
A dead end.
"Its... The Third one this week.... " the head nurse whispered, as if the walls were listening, "She was doing fine when it was her last day just before getting discharged, she even notified us that she already left this morning... How could she be gone by the afternoon? "
James scribbled it down." any abnormal symptoms? "
" She said she felt dizzy, and headache? Which we gave her antibiotics to calm it down! "
Same as the others.
Like clockwork.
"And the mark? " he asked.
The head nurse hesitates and slowly nodded, "yes, same mark, same spot, and same wrist... But apparently the color of her mark were..... Black? very different from others.. " She lowered her voice. " every single one of them.... "
James let out a sigh, filled with restrained frustration.. He'd been testing patients continuously for any abnormal antibodies, illegal substance.. He Even thought it as a curse, but Nothing Can be found. He Already tested the mark, and so far the colors that appeared are, red, blue, orange, and the most recent is black... but the results were always maddeningly normal.
Whatever was happening, it left no trace. and lately, it has been testing James patience, Because every hour this case continues, the more complicated it becomes.
Do the colors have to do anything about them?
Their blood? Illness? The gathered information he currently have are insufficient to make an accurate assumption.
" Do the doctors know anything? " james asked, his face already tired after facing exhaustion for a long time.
She shook her head again.
" We've interviewed the last remaining doctors and staff members here, nobody knows how the marks suddenly appeared..."
Nobody... Or except maybe someone who keeps their tracks in line, someone who knew how to keep it hidden even in the naked eye.
James stood from his seat, and walked towards the surgical wing.
Leaving the head nurse to doubt herself.
It was already past midnight, but this place never slept, Neither did everyone else. James can tell that these past few days, patient's who goes here became more aware, afraid, about who will be the next target. Soft footsteps echoed through the empty halls, only the beeping monitors behind curtains and stretchers that squeaked like a dying animal Can be heard.
Actually, he wasn't even supposed to take this kind of case.
Its the kind of case investigators passed down around like a cursed object, strange, hard to explain and close to what people called, urban legends.
But James had the habit of accepting things he shouldn't.
Maybe fate made him accept such a task?
While he was in deep thought, he unknowingly walked in a corner and nearly collided with a tall figure, who was leaving the operating room 2A, With bloodied scrubs.
Vince Count.
The albino surgeon everybody admired and feared.
The man whose patient's survives with almost 85 percent fatality , the man who somehow memorized every staff members's names, habits, and even their schedules. So much as that all hospitals james visited his name was known.
And always a weird pain in the ass to understand....
" Detective Vale, you seem... a little rusty today.
He greeted.
As he tossed the blood stained gloves in the trash bin, layer by layer, until it reached his sweaty palms.
And walked past James, Like he was just some figure in his perspective.
" Here to stalk me again, Or here to kill my time? " Vince said, as he opens a brand new soap disinfectant before turning on the the faucet, letting out warm water, fogging up the mirror in the process.
His back turned to James.
Not knowing what facial expression the other person is doing.
" Twelve people disappeared this month, though you'd like to know."
James said, taking the initiative to step forward.
"I dont, but go on ask your question's." he said.
James suddenly stopped, and hesitated.
"Then i have a question, about you're patient's. "
This feels weird, like, James felt as if an anomaly is looking through him?
"What about my patients? " he said.
Turning around, closing the distance
between them by a few inches.
" Heart attacks, gun shot wounds etc, you didn't think i would hide my patients in my locker, right? " he added.
Vince height differentiates By a head taller than James, that made him intimidating in the eyes of others. "... Ive checked your post op cases report, most of you're patients had the same exact symptoms of headaches, dizziness, and disappearance more than others. "
"Anesthesia, low blood sugar, high fevers, etc or... are you blaming me for not choosing what my patients supposed to feel?"
" Not exactly, what about the marks? " he asked
Vince paused, but just a fraction of a second
That didn't stop James from noticing it.
He'd been questioning him for 4 minutes now, all the response he received were cold, casual toned answers.
But why did he reacted a little off just by that specific question?
Or is he just being paranoid From stress?
He brushed it off, and let it slide out of his
mind.
The light behind Vince casted a strange glow through his tall figure, his eyes flickered for a second.
"All present, different color, same size and same wrist. " he said so casually as if hed been ask this question for a millionth time this month.
Suddenly, Vince let out a sarcastic laugh.
"Detective, You cant seem to determine wether i would be crazy enough to inject something to my patients without consent, And leave a measly dot behind? " he said.
As a sharply curved crack apeared on his face, his red eyes showing unknown intentions that James couldn't solve alone.
".... you dont seem like a person who wouldn't try to hide a body to a crime scene... " he said, turning his head to the side.
Avoiding the others gaze.
Yet, still feeling the weird sensation throughout his body.
He instead, placed his attention to another figure who was talking to a phone.
Vince suddenly leaned over his ear, placing a cold hand over his shoulder.
"And yet you looked like you wanna prove something to me..." his breath tingled With james mind.
Feeling the abnormal pattern of his
breathing.
Something a normal person couldn't imitate for a long period of time.
A thought crossed his mind again, his documents didn't mention anything about this?
Was he diagnosed with something before his hos document was even made?
He felt something prick at his ears and wrist.
But he brushed it off as just an lousy insect.
Because, so many scenes are unfolding in james mind right now, he cant be bothered to care about his own state, even in this situation, he got more important things to achieve.
"I want answers.... " he muttered, glaring at the walls, as if it has something to do about it.
The strange feeling came back stronger, harder, intoxicating jame's state.
He cant move.
As if someone is holding him down.
He felt hands slowly cover his whole body starting to his lower parts up to his neck, suffocating him.
" Looks like you have to dig deeeper, detective. " Vince stepped back, and whispered one more sentence.
" Maybe you'll find something you shouldn't. "
before turning and walking away.
His white coat swayed in motion, appearing like a ghoul, slowly Disappearing through the fogged halls.
The uneasy feeling James felt finally dissipated along with him.
But just as he was about to breath out a long sigh of relief.
A dot had already started forming on his wrist.
Discreetly... recording everything.
*After a meanwhile.
Back to his car with his assistant, He kept remembering their interactions, how Vince laugh made his body shiver for a second.
How complicated this person acts, as he can both be as playfull, sarcastic, and unknown at the same time.
He can never tell if Vince is lying or not, serious or not, or even dangerous or not...
He had read every psychological books about Phycopath's, serial killers, and every human emotion theories he could get.
And yet he still couldn't solve the mystery behind those red eyes.
Making him speculate Vince's actions , choice of words, and even body langguage.
He suddenly felt a striking headache, stopping his thoughts a halt.
"Can you drive faster? Im in a hurry."
Catching his head from slamming to the headboard In front of him.
" oh -oh pardon, forgive me! " he said, keeping a fast pace legally.
James unknowingly rested his head against the headboard, slowly dosing of to a deep sleep...