Devil in White

Chapter 1

"You're an asshole, Ballard."

"Never claimed I wasn't. Still doesn't stop you from getting on your knees."

Positioning his hair back to its original form and grabbing his papers, he leaves the woman standing there in shock.

Although, his journey was short lived.

An unfamiliar face ran straight into his chest, scattering his papers across the floor. "Oh my god!" Anastasia squealed as she squatted down with him to gather his things, "I am so sorry. I have no idea where I am, and I wasn't paying any attention."

He watched as she quickly tried to help him, her words jumbling together in an attempt to apologize. Her hair and shirt were soaking wet, but her makeup remained intact. It must have been raining. "It's quite alright, Miss?..."

"Oh! I am Anastasia," she held her hand out. Hesitating for a split second, he grabbed it, accepting her introduction.

"Anastasia," he repeated, enjoying the feeling of her name on his tongue. "And, you must be Peter."

He looked down at her with a confused expression. "How did you know that, Ms. Ana."

She flinched at how quickly his tone changed, nearly missing his use of a nickname. Feeling like an idiot, she began to stutter out, "Oh, I-I'm sorry. That must've sounded s-strange. Your badge," she gestured at the name tag on his belt loop. "I didn't mean to seem rude."

Shaking his head, he instantly interjects. "No need to apologize. It wasn't rude at all. You mentioned you didn't know where you were going? Where is your destination?"

Anastasia struggled to look away from his piercing blue eyes. There was something behind them that she couldn't quite put her finger on. And she couldn't tell whether it was a good feeling, or a bad one. "Umm, I have an interview with Dr. Brenner at," she glanced down at her watch. "Shit! Five minutes ago."

"An interview?" Henry couldn't help but to be confused. Brenner never allowed outsiders to work here. Everyone who did was highly aware of what happened in these walls. And this girl seemed too... polite. Too soft to work in a place like this. "I'll lead the way."

Henry started walking towards the direction of the office, the young brunette trailing beside him. "Thank you."

He glanced down and noticed her fingers fidgeting together, her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip. "Nervous?"

Her eyes glanced up at him, and that was when he noticed the chocolate color in them. Dark and luscious. "Very. I kind of need this job."

"What are you applying for?"

"Umm, nurse. I saw an application that this place needed one. Although, there wasn't much of a description."

Ah, nurse. Yes, he had ran off the last one. The idiotic girl had developed feelings that he didn't reciprocate. And he wasn't exactly nice about it, either. "Yes, our last one left suddenly. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Reaching the end of the hall, he gestures towards the closed door with the name, 'Martin Brenner' plastered on it. "Good luck."

Her smile shined bright at him, giving him an overly ecstatic, and slightly uncomfortable side hug. "Thank you so much, Peter! I hope to be working with you soon!"

Knocking on the door, Brenner's voice sounded for her to come in.

As the door closed behind her, he caught a quick glimpse of a glare from Brenner. Good luck, indeed, young Anastasia.

Walking away, his mind clouded with thoughts of the sweet young brunette with brown eyes. And as he regarded her innocent demeanor and her pleasant tone, only one thought came to mind. He wanted to destroy her in the best, and worst of ways.

"You're late, Ms. Hawking." He mumbled as he gestured to the seat across from his desk.

"I am terribly sorry, sir. The storm did a number on my way here." His eyes casted over her appearance with a slight smile. "I can see that. No worries, I'm glad you made it. So let's start with the basics, how long have you been a nurse?"

Playing with her nails in her lap, she began her description. "I have been in the line of nursing for 5 years now. I worked at the Hawkins hospital for the last 2 years, and nursing homes the 3 years before that."

"And what made you leave the hospital, Ms. Hawking?"

Her breathing caught in her throat, trying her best to calm her mind. She knew this question would get asked, and she had made it apparent to practice this discussion over and over. Yet, nothing was coming. "Ms. Hawking?"

"Pardon me, sir. I was thinking of the right words. To say the least, there were complications with another doctor there. I chose to leave."

He made what had seemed to be a troubling expression. "I see. Well, from your experiences, I see nothing wrong with hiring you. However, there are certain rules that will need to be followed. They mustn't be broken."

"Rule 1 - You clock out at 6 PM every day, no earlier, no later. We have an evening nurse who will take over after your shift ends.

Rule 2 - Do not wander throughout the halls, this place is a maze, and there are certain restricted areas that are not to be entered. During your first week I will assign an orderly to help you learn your way around.

Rule 3 - Absolutely no personal relationships with patients or co-workers. It creates a toxic environment and will cause immediate termination.

Rule 4 - Under no circumstances do you go to the third floor. It is a forbidden area, and only for those who carry a red card.

If you follow these rules, there will be zero complications. Any questions?"

"Nope, it seems pretty standard for a science lab," she nervously chuckled.

"Well, welcome to Hawkins Laboratory. Your shift starts tomorrow morning at 6 AM. Try not to be late, Ms. Hawking."

Her cheeks flushed as she shook his hand. "Thank you so much, sir."

Gathering her things, she left his office and headed down the hall. "Okay now... where?" She mumbled to herself as she attempted to remember how she got there to begin with.

"Down that way, Anastasia."

She gasped and whipped her head towards the direction of the voice. "Oh, hey." She giggled, walking towards him. "Something tells me that you're going to have to help me a lot with that."

"Ah, so you got the job?"

"Yes, I start tomorrow."

"Congratulations," he smiled down at her. "Here, let me help you out of here."

Placing a fingertip to her shoulder, he guided her around a couple of corners until they found the elevator she came from.

"Just out of curiosity, what's on the third floor?"

Henry looked down at her in silence, his eyes darkening. "Dr. Brenner is adamant about discussing such things. It's best not to ask those kinds of questions, Ana."

She felt a shiver creep down her spine. "I'm sorry, Peter. I won't ask again. I'll see you tomorrow!"

He watched as her figured faded in front of him, disappearing out into the storm.

"I can't wait."

AHHHHHHHH. THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE SO GOOD, YOU GUYS. I CANT WAIT 🖤🖤🖤🖤