Master, this servant feels obliged to inform you that there were remnants of another soul attached to your own. Is this something you do often?
‘That’s a whole other thing I would rather not go into,’ I say, sitting up on the lino flooring. ‘Where are we?’ The fluorescent lights shine offensively into my eyes.
Not sure, Master. I believe it may be a memory.
A memory?
A trolley comes hurling towards me, a nurse following sternly behind. My legs fumble against each other, scrambling to get out of the way. The creature, resuming its cat form, darts after me. Still in a daze, I look around. Nurses and doctors float through the hallways, phones ring and a familiar sterile scent of cleaning products wafts into my nostrils.
‘This hospital – it’s… I know this place.’
When I consumed half your soul, your mind brought us here.
Clambering up against the wall, I steady on my feet, still watching the chaotic buzz and murmur of scattering feet and machine beeps.
This servant is healing you as we speak. The ice demon seems to have put you in a form of stasis. This is convenient for us.
Looking down at my tattered and blood-stained dress, it’s a wonder no one in this hospital has said anything.
‘They can’t see me, can they?’ Testing the theory, I walk out into oncoming nurses, obstructing their path. They pass through me, unphased. ‘How strange.’
This is not real. It is inside Master’s mind.
‘Oh. I guess that makes sense.’ I look down at the eerie creature camouflaged in its feline appearance. ‘Do you have a name? I’m guessing we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. I should know the name of the creature I just dealt my soul to.’
A name? No, we do not have names.
‘That’s somewhat problematic’
How so? I have never needed a name before.
My brow furrows. ‘You don’t really expect me to call you creature or servant, do you?’
This servant has no qualms against being called so; additionally, this servant does not advise you give it a name –
‘It makes me uncomfortable when you refer to yourself like that. How about Nero?’ I suggest, pleasantly surprised by my own choice. ‘It’s quite fitting; a black cat called Nero.’
I would be honoured, Master. Any gift from you is a blessing but really, I do not advise –
‘Nero, it is then. It’s decided. Can we work on the whole Master thing though? That also makes me uneasy. I already have to tolerate Xander’s fixation on the word.’
Nero remains eerily quiet, large pupil-less eyes taking in my every movement.
As you wish. This servant accepts the name Nero. Nero will resume its true form. The creature’s voice gravels out dark and sinister, a deepness that sends a small shudder running down my spine. Regret starts to unearth in the back of my mind. Should I have really sacrificed my soul to this being? I don’t even know what it is.
The lights in the hospital flicker, static energy buzzing through the silence.
They fail, small sparks flicking to the floor in a frenzy, eventually leaving the hospital in a shade of half-darkness. The bustling people disappear, evaporating from existence in the narrow halls. My breath catches in my throat, held frozen in place from the nightmarish scene in front.
Black mist drifts out from corners. It circles through the floor, swirling around my feet. A deep dread spreads through my entire body. What have I done? What have I given this creature permission to do? I can sense the darkness growing beside me. A monster looming just out of sight. Its long claws scratch on the lino. Black bones of fingers curl out in front of it. The body cracks and snaps as it folds out, bones grinding against teeth, joints unhinging against fur and skin.
I don’t dare look over. My eyes fixate directly ahead on a crack in the wall, unflinching and unmoving. Fear paralyses every limb; nightmarish screams fill my mind. This is not like the frightening creatures back home; it won’t go away if I don’t look at it.
‘I think you will serve me better in the form you had before,’ I say, my voice impersonating its best callous and unfeeling tone. The creature stops, retracting its limbs.
As you wish, my lady.
The mist slowly retreats back. The hospital lights flicker on. The room fills with chattering as the same scene plays out among the nurses and doctors. The stern nurse with the trolley turns the corner and comes hurling past again. I keep my eyes on the wall, unable to look over to the being that had felt so paralysingly evil.
Is this better, my lady?
I manage a glance. A small familiar black cat with two tails. I nod, still unnerved.
The cat’s white eyes stare at me inquisitively. I hold his stare. ‘So why are we here?’
Nero doesn’t do much more than shake his head. Even he doesn’t know. I breathe in deeply. There has to be a reason. I move towards the calendar on the wall. It’s that day. I pause. That means – this is… My feet move on their own, twisting and turning around corners that I still remember like the back of my hand. Too many sunny afternoons spent in these narrow halls of sterile white. Nero strides closely behind.
I halt at the heavy grey door, an amused laugh under my breath.
C. Ashworth. This is it.
I push the door open gently. It creaks.
And there she is, another me. She sits by the bed, holding Great Gran’s hand tight. I was the first one here that day; the only one that was able to see her off. My heart races, my breath heaving in and out of my chest. This is that day. The day that started everything. The hallucinations. The demons. My otherworldly adventure. Nothing was the same since that day.
‘Close that door for me, would you, Siara dear? It’s letting in a draft,’ Great Gran croaks through her strained voice. I flinch as my past self gets up and closes the door behind me. I move out of the way even though I know she can’t see me. Siara returns to her side.
‘It’s almost time,’ she says, her voice barely a whisper. ‘The days tend to sneak up on you when you’re my age.’
