Room 207

"We need to feed her," said the head nurse, Steven, who looked around the circle of anxious nurses, praying they wouldn't get chosen. Steven's eyes wandered the room until they finally landed on me. Shit.

"You," his finger pointing at me, "Sandra- Susie, whatever your name is, your assignment, feed the patient in room 207" he commanded. Before I could speak up, another nurse, a tiny Asian lady in her mid 40s interrupted, "But Steven, she's newly joined, you know the protocols, we can't send-" "Then let her learn! That's how we become pros right? She's going to work here, why restrict her?" He spoke up, his stern voice silencing the room. None of the other nurses even dared to question him, much less even look at him. I mean who wouldn't be scared of a 6ft guy with a blond buzzcut and the body of Thor.

I took the tray of food and walked along side Steven. Is the patient that bad? I mean I have dealt with patients who bite and spit just because they didn't want to eat their medicine but hey, that's my job. What is so scary about this patient that even Steven won't do it?

Room 207 was unlike any other room in the faculty. It was at the dark end of a narrow hallway, behind very secure looking bars. But even the door behind the bars were made of metal. ...What are they keeping here ?

I look back at Steven, confused, "Wait why-" he nudged me forward without even letting me speak. I stood infront of the bars waiting for Steven to navigate the controls. Suddenly the bars lift up with a loud rusty creak. They haven't fed her in a long time.

He patted my back before pushing me in and shutting the bars down. The metal door was unlocked now. I look back at Steven for assurance in which he gave me back a very reassuring thumbs up saying, "I'll be outside if anything happens." ...If anything happens ?

I stepped into the room which was quite dark. Very dark. There was a small tube light on the left wall, barely lighting the room. It was bright enough to see more than twenty tally marks engraved on the wall. On the right wall was a small bed.

There sat our patient, who's features weren't visible. Her frail body slowly got up, getting off the bed and coming towards me, dragging her shackles.

"Good afternoon, I'm your nurse for tod-" before I could complete my sentence, she pounced on me. The tray left my grasp with a loud clash as I got pinned down to the floor. She took the plastic knife that laid on the ground and stabbed me.

I stay lifeless on the floor, lying in a pool of my own blood. A screech sound, like a chalk to a board, echoed in my ear as I took my last breath.

I now know what the tally marks meant.