Page 28 of Monsters of Desire and Nightmares of Passion

Then his words dawn on me. He called me “my love.”

I stand, slowly. My legs are like gummy worms and give way. I almost fall on the floor. He moves so fast. His arms… God, he has six arms. They wrap around me.

“Ivy, it’s Khal. I….”

“Let me go. Now.”

I push him away, using the last ounce of energy I have, and run like a woman possessed toward the elevator. My body leans forward, trying to cover the distance more rapidly. Never has a hallway seemed so long. Sweat pours down my face. My heart sounds like a drum inside my already-bruised head. The room keeps turning. I’m not sure which way is up or down. Fear makes me run faster, or this guy just slow?

With my last resources, I finally reach the elevator, only to find the damn door closed. The fire exit is next to it, but I’m too weak to run downstairs in the half-darkness. I’d only make their job easy by stumbling and breaking my damn neck.

I hit the call button, turning my head back and hoping he won’t catch up to me. There he is, walking toward me, slowly. I notice his monstrous appearance. He’s almost seven feet in height. His body is covered with tattoos, intricate motives I never saw before in my life except maybe in my nightmares. The glowing red eyes are not the worst thing about him. His mouth is too large for his face. A forked tongue flicks out of it. Oh, and did I mention he has six arms growing out of his large, muscular torso?

“Ivy, wait.”

His voice sounds like a growl, deep and smoky. My fear is not diminished. Sure, he killed the man who wanted to kill me, but there’s no guarantee that this… this thing will let me be and won’t feed on me or rip me to shreds with his six arms.

“Leave me alone, please.”

The doors to the elevator open with a ping. I slip inside the safe metallic box, praying to all the forces of the universe the doors will close before he reaches me.

“Please, please, please,” I softly beg as snot drips from my nose into my open mouth.

He doesn’t run toward me or try to catch up with me. His movements are those of a confident predator that knows time is on his side. The lion is in no hurry to kill the wounded antelope fawn. He knows his pray has no chance against his superior strength. With my last drop of strength, I manage to push the button for the Psychiatric Ward on Level 8.

The numbers flicker in front of me. My eye and hand coordination is off.

Hot tears fill my eyes. I collapse inside myself and fall on my behind, leaning against the wall of the elevator. The adrenaline that helped me plough through leaves my body and I’m now a shaking, crying heap of sadness. I wrap my arms around myself to stop from shaking. This is not over. I know it. A crazy monster killer is running freely through the hospital. I need to warn people about what’s going on.

What the hell just happened?

The door opens with another ping. I stumble out of the elevator.

“Pegg, help me. Call the police. Help me.”

My voice sounds loud and shrill even in my ears. Patients yell from inside their locked rooms, probably sensing not only my fear, but also the potential danger so close to them.

Pegg races from behind the corner wearing her nurse uniform and a huge smile. Her hair is down even though she always has it in a perfect bun. She takes in the worry on my face and my disheveled appearance. The expression in her eyes change and she rushes toward me. She’s not the type of person who runs, ever. Now she gasps as she approaches me.

“Honey, what’s wrong? What happened to you?”

Her voice calms me.

“Help me, Pegg. Dr. Martin tried to kill me. I almost escaped, but then there was that guy… that creature. A huge monster man killed Dr. Martin. I think he’s dead. Fuck. Then that thing told me he loved me. I’m so afraid.”

As I listened to myself, I start to worry. Maybe I’m having another episode. Maybe I’m losing it. All my dreams lately can only mean one thing—my mind is even more cracked than usual, and my pills are useless.

But how? I’m healed. There’s no logical explanation. Self-doubt and a deep sense of fear fill me.

“Pegg, Pegg. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.” I repeat the words and look at my bloody hands.

“You’ll be fine. You won’t hurt me, Ivy. I know you. Just breathe. This will go away, I promise.”

I shake so hard my teeth chatter and my hands turn into fists. Pegg puts her arm around my chest and guides me to the nurses’ station. This familiar place is like a balm for my bruised mind. I don’t want to be sick again. I don’t want to lose my mind.

“Here, honey.”

I sit on the chair as Pegg closes the door. Since it’s the Psychiatric Ward, we have a way to lock down the nurses’ station in case we must wait there safely in a crisis until help arrives. Pegg moves away from me. I hear the water cooker boil. She returns a few moments later with a cup of tea that smells like heaven. The tea is steaming hot and waits for me in my favorite mug, the one with Johnny Depp, my forever crush.

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