The Bright Road: Purgatory
Chapter One
By: Roger Alderman
A classic blue 1984 Ford LTD sedan
sits struggling to idle outside of the hospital emergency room entranceway. Its
doors are open revealing the interior of the vehicle is coated in patches of
freshly dripping and oozing blood. SARAH, a ghostly little girl in a knee
length tattered nightshirt, emerges from the car and smiles.
Her attention moves to a dark thick
trail of blood that winds through the hospital halls, a trail which ends at the
operating room doors. A woman’s voice echoes its pleas through the hospital,
“No! No! No! Not Again!”
Inside the operating room, JESSE
ABLE’s small body writhes in pain in the center of a whirlwind of doctors and
nurses struggle to save his life. A nurse leads VICTORIA and ROGER ABLE from
the room, as more staff enters to help, “for us to help you need to clear out.”
Victoria and Roger stare helplessly
at one another outside of the operating room. Roger watches in confusion, as
the waves of medical staff moving around them like a whirlwind, “What’s going
on?”
Victoria cries, “It’s just like
before…” Roger embraces her, as she sobs uncontrollably. Additional medical
staff rushes past the couple and into the operating room. Sarah stands at the
far end of the hallway in a devilish silhouette in the morning sunlight, as it
passes through a large window.
Jesse’s terror driven words echo
through the halls of the hospital, “Get away from me! Mom! Dad!” Doctors
attempt to comfort him, “Calm down were trying to help!” Sarah’s demonic smile
shows, as she dances and twirls undetected in the chaos.
Dr. Daily emerges from the operating
room. Roger and Victoria rush to the doctor side with hope in their expression.
The doctor makes short work of their moment of hope, “We did all we could,
but…” Roger turns to Doctor Daily a deeply furrowed brow, as he takes heavy
determined steps towards him, “After everything you have done to him.
Roger stops just inches from the
Doctors face. Dr. Daily instinctively raises his arms defensively between
himself and the dead boys' father. Dr. Daily takes a deep breath before
beginning his plead for understanding, “I told you the infection had spread
throughout his entire body. We have been doing everything we could to help
him.”
Roger grabs and lifts Doctor Daily
by his jacket. The Men slam hard against the operating room wall. Pictures and
the doctors chart fall to the floor.
Victoria places a loving hand on Roger’s shoulder, “Please. Stop.” Roger
shakes his head and releases the Doctor.
Dr. Daily picks up Jesse’s chart and
thumbs through several pages. He stops looking and slowly closes the chart, as
he lowers his head, “He body is exhausted. The Zocyn and Vancomycin had begun
to hurt his body more than help.” He pauses seeing the pain and sorrow filling
the faces of Jesse’s parents. Dr. Daily whispers and lowers his head, “We have
stabilized him for now. You should spend some time with him before.”
The doctor walks away in shame.
Victoria loses her composure and collapses into a heap sobbing. Roger sits on
the hallway floor holding his wife. The doctor pauses and turns to the couple,
“We will get him to a room for you. Sit tight for us in the Waiting room. While
we get everything set.” Roger and Victoria nods and rise. They follow the
doctor to the waiting room.
Inside the hospital waiting area
Victoria sits at a small kitchen table holding her cellphone, “we should call
my mom. She’ll come up here.” An episode of Ghost Whisperer plays on the
television in the room. Roger nods in agreement, “you want me to call her?” A
housekeeper leaves the room after finishing her duties and closes the door
behind her.
A loud alarm sounds surprising the
couple. They leap to their feet and rush to the door.
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