Delivered to Eternity, An Alesta the Vampire Book Page 2

  Cindy left but Father Mac Namara remained for a while. He sat down at the desk and wrote in his little notebook. Alesta stood by wondering what it was he was writing. He looked so focused and intent. He was handsome for a Priest. Not the type she pictured to be in the Priesthood. She stood beside him and laid the death packet on the counter. She ripped open the top and pulled out the paperwork. It had general questions, such as time of death, patient belongings, was the family present, and minor details. She began to fill it out. She could feel the Priest watching her. She looked over at him and he quickly looked away. The chill came again.

  “Is it cold in here or is it just me?” he continued to write.

  “Father, I think it’s just you. I feel warm.” He smelled good too, she thought.

  “Alesta, did Mr. Hastings say anything before he died?”

  “Well he spoke of a dream. He was in the woods; there were branches in his face. He sounded scared. Why?”

  “I am just curious. Working here, do you think people know when they are going to die?” He looked at her, this time he held eye contact.

  “I think some do and some do not.” Alesta stared; she could seduce him very easily. She could feel it. She had never tasted a Priest before. She wondered if anything bad would happen. She quickly put the thought away. What was she thinking? She was due for her top-up very soon. Don’t let hunger get the best of you. She disconnected from him. He looked away, and abruptly stood up brushing her arm with his.

  “I must go now.” He scurried away like a little mouse.

  Alesta peeked into Monica’s room and whispered. “Monica are you in here?” She got no reply. She peeked into the next room down, “Monica, where are you?”

  There was still no reply. Alesta stood quietly and tuned out the beeping and bongs of the monitors she sifted through the voices in the rooms and around the critical care ward. AH HA! I hear you, Alesta thought.

  Alesta headed towards the break room. She could hear Monica giggling. She opened the door. The break room was small, with a big round table in the middle of the room and an old refrigerator. There was a view outside to the back of the hospital. The walls were scattered with news bulletins and hospital announcements. Monica was standing with an apple in her hand and smiling at Dr. Mooney who was sitting with an open newspaper in his hands.

  Monica freckles and all turned towards her. “Alesta, there you are, I was a wee bit hungry.”

  “Come here.” Alesta tugged on Monica’s arm.

  “Would you excuse me Dr. Mooney?” Monica said.

  They exited the small break room and Alesta pulled Monica into the corner.

  “Monica! What are you thinking, he’s married and isn’t he a bit old anyways.” Alesta laughed.

  “Oh come on you! I saw you looking at the Priest. You’re worse than I am.” Monica giggled.

  “Bloody hell then. What will we do?” Alesta shook her head. “Come on now. I’m off to break if anyone’s looking for me. Right!”

  “Yes, I better get back then.” Monica took her last juicy bite.

  “Trouble maker!!!!!” Alesta teased just wishing to enjoy that apple.

  “Okay, enjoy your break. I’ll help you when you get back.”

  Alesta walked down the hall towards the double doors. Mary was planted at her desk as usual. She had short brown hair in a bob cut, pink skin, lightly wrinkled. She never took holidays. She didn’t walk around much unless there was an emergency of some kind. Alesta gave Mary a nod and pressed the silver button to open the automatic doors out. The elevators were ahead but she took the stairs instead. Alesta descended down to the morgue and through the underground maze. The lights on nightshift were dimmed to save electricity. There was only the glow of the green exit signs pointing the way out. The dungeons of St. Michaels Hospital held the morgue, the lab and the blood bank, a perfect place.

  Rule number one she often reminded herself; don’t eat the patients. Tonight she would have packaged red blood cells, not as tasty and as fresh but did the trick. The blood bank was inside the lab. She cloaked herself so that no one could see her. Invisibility was one of her gifts, passed onto her from the Count. She pushed on the door to the lab which slammed behind her.

  “Jesus! That door scares the piss out of me.” Jeff, the lab tech looked up almost dropping the test tubes in his hand.

  “Yes, me tae. Sometimes I think this place is haunted. Have you noticed that it only does it at certain times and not every day? I keep forgetting to ask engineering to look at it. Still this hospital is old. I don’t even know how old. The morgue creeps me out the most, the smell. One time I was walking down the hall and one of the transporters was pushing a dead body down the hall. As I passed a grey arm fell out from under the sheets,” added Steve the other lab tech, sitting in a black high-backed computer chair.

  “Don’t remind me mate. Sometimes I don’t think we get paid enough. Am bettin on the lotto!” said Jeff. He placed the lab tubes in a holder with many others.

  Alesta watched them from the corner. She knocked over a glass that was on the counter next to her. Steve and Jeff jumped and both of them burst out laughing.

  “See what I told you Jeff, they are listening to us.” Steve placed his hands behind his blonde head.

  “Enough of this talk; let’s get back to it now. Turn on the radio would you? It’s way too quiet and you’re a right bore.” Jeff walked over to the tube system and pulled out the next set of labs to be done.

  “I’m a bore…..you…..och aye…..”

  Alesta continued through the lab, music playing too loud. Those two are so much fun to bug she thought. Processing machines sat all over that would conduct different lab tests. The equipment was worth millions. At the other side of the lab were more double doors that lead to the blood refrigerators. She passed through them quietly as to not alert the lab techs.

  She opened the refrigerator doors to the blood that was to be discarded. The hospital only kept large amounts of O negative blood in house, the universal donor to be used in case of emergencies. If a patient needed blood and it was not an emergency it was ordered and then stored in another refrigerator. The units ultimately expired and from these piles, Alesta would feast. The techs discarded the blood at the end of the shift in biowaste and didn’t pay much attention to it once it was expired, before then a careful log was taken for the fresh units. Blood was very hard to come by at times because willing donations were low.

  Alesta took out a couple of cold 350cc units and warmed them between her hands. She pulled off the rubber cap on the end of the unit and began to squeeze out the thick blood. She couldn’t gulp it down fast enough. Her lips reddened, her cheeks blushed, and her breasts heaved. A drop spilled off her ivory white fang and hit the floor. It was heaven in a bag. She had a couple more units and then decided that was enough.

  The music droned away behind her as she left the lab, and passed the morgue, on the way to the stairwell. She had another five minutes left on break and made her way out and back to the main building, another quick twelve flights up and she was on the roof. The rain had stopped, just a cold, crisp wind, the lustrous full moon in shades of blue. She walked to the edge. Tiny lights of little houses scattered the dark horizon. She looked to the west, trees covered the lowland hills. Through there was her domain. To the east lay the town of Alexandria, it would be quiet on a Wednesday night. The odd car passed through the High Street. She turned and went back down the stairwell with no echo of her footsteps.

  Alesta re-entered the ward. She looked at Mary, still sitting there, writing on her clipboard.

  “Alesta, I need you to take this form and read it, sign it, then give it back to me please.” Mary handed her a half pink piece of paper.

  “What is it?” Alesta asked.

  “It’s the new hospital policy on infant abduction,” Mary replied. “Oh and take one to Monica too.”

  Alesta looked at the document. It read:

  St. Michael’s Medical Center

 
Infant Abduction Protocol

  Effective April 1st

  In the event of an infant abduction:

  “Code Pink” will alarm over head.

  Be on guard of all exit signs on your unit.

  If you encounter abductor try to block but avoid self harm.

  Call hospital operator to alert of location, number 888.

  Get good description of abductor.

  Sign_________________________________ Date________________

  Alesta looked down to the end of the hall; Monica was standing looking at the monitors while pulling her long red hair back. She walked towards her and handed her the pink sheet.

  As Monica read it she sighed, “So we have to let the bastard pass, with the baby. I understand but it would be so hard to not try and stop him somehow. The hospital doesn’t want to pay for us if we become injured. Though, I think it would be worth it to save a baby.”

  “I agree with you,” Alesta said as she signed the paper, “but do you really picture Mary up there getting off her arse and doing something. I know she’s good with codes and patients.”

  Monica looked concerned, “Alesta, Mary can move it. I’ve seen her in action. I know you’re mad at her for scolding you about being late, but she’s the Matron for a reason. Anyways, these abductions rarely happen, once every ten years and we just had that one last month, so we’re covered, no worries there.” She signed her slip. “Give me yours and I’ll hand it in.”

  “It happened a month ago and we’re just now getting this pink slip. Takes them a while to get things done aye?” Alesta asked.

  “A month is fast. Did they catch the person who took the baby?”

  “I don’t think so, but I haven’t kept up on the news. I don’t watch much television, just too busy here and too busy at the Manor.”

  Alesta went back to her computer station and pulled out the body coverings for Mr. Hastings from the death pack. There were two shrouds, the white inner one and the black outer one. It was always a tricky task wrapping up a body. That is why she needed the help. She pulled them out and went into the room. She made sure that the body was completely disconnected from all of the electronics in the room. It was amazing how man had designed so many machines to support one life. It was no wonder that people only lived into their 30’s and 40’s back in her earlier days. The most expensive medical costs of a human’s life are racked up in their last few months, although she was an exception, immortality, priceless to some. If only they spent that much on preventative measures. She heard Monica coming up the hall with the metal morgue gurney. One of the wheels squeaked away. Monica had a way about her; she walked as though she had not a care in the world. Her footsteps were light and never too hurried. It was a good demeanor to have when working in such a stressful environment.

  Monica entered the dark room. It was very quiet. “Hey! You ready?” she whispered.

  “Yes.” Alesta looked at her through the dark. Cindy’s small candle had burned out.

  “Alesta, why do you always work with the lights off? If you keep it up you’ll need glasses,” Monica whispered quietly while flipping on the lights. She helped Alesta place the white shroud next to the body. “Here, I got you a blue gown.” She tossed it at her and they put them on.

  “Monica, you know, he can’t hear us, and I like the dark. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.” They both put on gloves.

  Alesta had known Monica for a few years now. They had become good friends through their nursing work. It was easier to bond with people when you worked in extreme circumstances, through shared woes. Monica was predictable and Alesta liked that about her. She was such a tease, she found it amusing.

  “You haven’t tagged him yet.” Monica frowned.

  Alesta pulled out a sheet of name stickers from his chart. She pulled one off at a time and placed them onto three tags. She took the tags and carefully tied one on his right big toe. She crossed his arms like a mummy over the wooden cross on his chest and tied his wrists together with string. She tied the second tag next.

  “There!” Alesta proclaimed. “He’s a wee bit stiff getting.”

  They turned him, on his side and Alesta tucked the white shroud under him.

  “Ahh!” Monica griped.

  There was a SPLAT on the floor.

  “The bile is coming out, quick turn him back.”

  He flopped back on his back, arms limp and Alesta pulled him towards her. Monica pulled out the other side of the shroud and they pulled it over his cold body and emotionless face. Alesta zipped it up over him. Alesta placed the final tag on top of the body. Monica tilted him again and they rolled him into a big black plastic body bag. One final zip and they were done. They paged over head for more help to move him onto the stretcher. Mary came in as well as one of the hospital assistants.

  “Alesta, can you help around the unit when you are all finished with this. I had to give the circulating nurse that admit you were going to get. It turned out as I expected. That nurse has been soooo busy tonight. She might need some help catching up.” Mary looked at Alesta and pushed the tartan frames back up on her nose.

  “Yes of course,” Alesta replied.

  They placed a sliding board underneath the body, pushed the stretcher up next to the bed and slid the body to the stretcher in unison. It landed with a metal clang. Mary and the assistant washed their hands and left the room.

  “Do you want me to go down to the dungeons with you?” Monica wiggled her fingers, “Real scary down there. OOOOOOOO.”

  “No, I will be fine. I have taken enough of your time as it is.”

  “Well okay, it’s nice to escape sometimes. I’m off! I’ll see you when you get back; stop by my room aye.” Monica pulled off her blue gown, which made the hairs of her pony tale stand up from static. She gave Alesta that big old smile and returned to the computer station.

  Alesta left her gown and gloves on and pushed the heavy metal gurney out of the room and into the hall. She gathered all the paperwork and placed it on top of the long black body bag. Nurses looked at her as she passed them. It was always interesting when someone died. They chattered amongst themselves and reminisced about that day they had with Hastings and the look on Cindy’s face when she went home. She passed Mary as she hit the metal button to open the automatic doors out. She squeaked over to the elevator. It took skills to maneuver the heavy gurneys. Alesta did it without bumping into a single thing. The doors opened and she pressed B. This particular elevator was the bariatric elevator. The populations’ waistbands had expanded so much that hospitals needed special elevators to fit them into. Mr. Hastings luckily wasn’t too big; Alesta liked the space to move around. It continued down to the maze and the doors opened with a ding. She got a gust of cold air in her face as she pushed the gurney out. The trip went quick and she pressed another automatic button to the morgue doors. It was dark, with a small fluorescent bulb flickering in the far corner.

  She could feel the dead, her roommates. The morgue is a great place to sleep. First of all it is quiet and your neighbors are dead. Alesta found it almost as comfortable to sleep in as her coffin just lacking a little in softness and warmth, but it saved a drive home from work and a drive back to work after a very busy shift. Her secluded space was never used as the morgue keeper couldn’t reach it. Height was not his strength and neither was sociability. The dead all lay in their metal coffins, lined up in the walls, some placed on tables, waiting to be dissected for autopsy. No souls swam in that room.

  “Hello?” Alesta called out. “Is anyone here?”

  She listened quietly. There was movement coming from the back corner office. The door opened and an old thin grey haired man stood holding a cup of tea in his hand. He was wearing a long white lab coat with a tanned stain down the front.

  “You’re supposed to buzz the bell outside. You scared me. Ah well, my tea was getting cold anyways. What can I do for you?” He sounded as if he had just woken up.

  “I have a delivery.” Alesta lo
oked at him, his name badge read Jim.

  “Ah yes, a fresh one for me to work on. Did the wife okay for autopsy?” he asked.

  “No, she did not want to know the details; she already knew that he had cancer.” Alesta picked up the paperwork and handed it to him. He reached a wrinkled hand up and took them. His nails were yellow and clubbed from smoking too much.

  “Right then if you could push him over here I will need your assistance placing him in the fridge.”

  They pushed the gurney over to the metal wall where all the bodies were stored. He pulled open an empty one. The nasty old rot smell wafted into the room. Alesta peeked in. There were old bodily fluids on the bottom of the wall container. Jim went and got a mechanical lift and hooked chains up to the body bag.

  “Now I am going to lift him up and I need you to pull the gurney away,” Jim said.

  His pressed a green button and the body lifted into the air. He pushed it over the sliding metal table and lowered the body slowly onto it.

  “It looks as though you wrapped this one up well, I hate cleaning up after them when the funeral home comes to get them.” Jim smiled at Alesta. She did not smile back, she just stared off.

  The girl was dead, her soul taken. Alesta had wrapped her up in a woolen blanket and walked the moors.

  The Pete bog wanted to suck them both down and Alesta even considered it but she kept trekking through, all muddy and all bloody, the moon her only witness. The little wooden shamble of a cottage stood peeking out of the mist. She laid the body down at the front doorstep and laid a Scottish thistle upon her chest.

  She laid her head down upon the girl and quietly spoke, “I never even knew your name. Forgive us for what we have done.”

  “Hello? You there?”

  “Ah…..Where do you want this then?” Alesta asked.

  “Just stuff it over by that empty wall there, thanks!”