equinox

chapter 2: veronica

every night her thoughts weighed heavily on her soul but every morning she would get up to fight another day, every night she survived
- r. h. sin
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I quietly step down the stairs and exit the building, careful to ensure that I was not being followed as I walk down the street.  I'm not eager about today.  Despite that, I have a long day at the hospital, which I am very pleased about.  I believe there's nothing better than saving others.  However, what I dread most will come in the evening, when I have to meet Videl to carry out our plans for the night.  My steps become increasingly faster, until I break into a slow jog. My shift starts in a half-hour and I've never arrived later than twenty minutes early.  You never know when you'll be needed.  I turn the street corner quickly, nearly smashing into a small group of tourists.  The hospital comes into sight and I slow my pace to a walk as I enter the back doorway to the lockers. 

I stuff my backpack hastily into my space; I can unpack it later.  I begin with a thorough scrub and a change of clothing.  I put my hair into a more secure updo and grab my hair net and face mask, putting them on quickly as I walk down the long, white, sterile hallway until I reach the emergency waiting room.  I approach Kevin, our secretary and intern, and wait at the front of his desk as he ushers a teenager with a swollen, bloody nose into the room. 

"Checking in," I say, tapping my fingers on the surface of the desk as I wait for him to pull out the employee book. 

He hands the clipboard to me and I step to the wall as I fill out my name and sign in time.  I complete it quickly and set the clipboard back in its proper drawer while Kevin helps an old woman find a seat to sit in while she waits. 

"Alright, Doctor Ashe," Kevin calls from across the room, "you're good to go in. Doctor Brady has just finished working on a patient and I'm sure he would'nt complain about being released early.  He's had quite the day."

I nod at this and enter through the doorway after the teenager with a bandage over his face walks out, looking absolutely miserable.

    "Hey, John." I walk across the room to my friend, who looks completely beaten down as he stoops down on his stool with a tall glass of lukewarm water.  I chuckle softly.  I will look exactly the same in a few hours.

"I've got the rest of your shift. You're free to go."

He visibly brightens and jumps up from his stool, clapping me on the back as he passes. 

"You're a lifesaver Veronica.  I hope you have better luck than I did today." He exits the room quickly, obviously excited to make his way home. 

Patient after patient comes in: a middle aged man with a bloody gash on his hand (knife accident), an old woman who collapsed in her living room from a stroke, a small boy with his arm bent at an odd angle (broken elbow), and countless other, much more gruesome injuries.  It's awful to think that quite frequently, I have caused the injury of the someone that enters. I shake off that feeling and come back to focus on administering stitches on a little girl's chin. She'd tripped down the stairs and hit the banister, causing the bloody gash.  Poor thing.  I finish her stitches and give her a huge bear hug as she gently steps down from her seat. She seems much less tense as I take her hand gently and let her out into the waiting room to meet her mother.

    Hours continue to pass in a blur until I look at the clock and realize that it's six o'clock.  I've been working for seven hours without any breaks or rest.  Our hospital is understaffed, so I tend to take all of the extra shifts. My heart sinks immediately.  My shift ends in fifteen minutes, and I will have to leave myself behind the hospital doors.  However, I may as well continue to immerse myself in my work when I am able. 

The next patient never comes to see me as I am ushered out by Doctor Isaac taking his shift.  I walk back to the waiting room desk and sign out without waiting for Isola, the evening secretary, to assist me. I exit the room slowly and slump against the wall directly outside the door. 

I begin walking slowly and unwillingly back to the lockers where I let my hair cascade down my back as I pull out the elastic holding it up.  I push the door open and make my way to my locker, opening it violently when I reach it.  The room is empty except for me, so I'm able to take my time getting my things put away.  I grab my backpack, and ensure that my evening wear is still inside before walking out of the building into the dimming daylight toward the dread and darkness that awaits me.

———

    I enter a dark alleyway across town, my heart thumping as I press down a rough molding brick behind a reeking dumpster, revealing a small door directly beside it.  I slip into the trapdoor with agility, adjusting my backpack over one shoulder before I descend down the dim passageway.  The stairs are made of smooth marble, intricate veins running down the steps, all seeming to converge and lead to a black doorway and the end of the hallway.  I press forward until I reach the door, which I push open, revealing a large circular room.  The walls are covered in weapons, each carrying an artillery fit for an army.  I approach my wall, covered in knives of varying lengths and uses, and dozens of deadly guns, among other weapons.  I ease myself to the floor in a sitting position with my back against the wall.  I unzip my sturdy backpack, reaching into its depths for my tight suit.

      My uniform is raven black, with skin tight material covering my petite form up to my neck. The silky stretchy fabric performs as a sort of armor from both weapons and being discovered. I slip it on carefully, the material gliding over my body with ease. A holster rests on my thing, hidden pockets for slim knives line my rib cage. My suit is made to kill. Tonight, it will fulfill its purpose, as it so often does.

Videl enters the chamber with a resounding bang as he slams the twin doors open. I jump up, turning quickly to face him as he comes. He approaches me slowly, walking toward the weapons with an confident saunter, fully aware of the power he possesses over me. I grit my teeth as he reaches me. Videl grabs my face roughly, turning it to face his pitiless glare.

"Time to go, sweetheart," he spat, his voice reminding me of the control he held over me.

He released my face from his harsh grip and pushed me aside as he turned around to exit the chamber. I sighed as he left the room and gathered my things to follow him.  There will be death tonight. Unless maybe, just maybe, Videl is only looking to torture. Whatever, he chooses to do, I will follow. This is the only way I can protect Finn. And to me, he is worth far more than my innocence.

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from the author:

How's that for Chapter 2? I hope you guys enjoyed. I appreciate all of the feedback you guys have for me. Thank you so much for reading!

lady-disdain