The Haunting Moments In A Hospital

 There are the moments, I don't often tell. Seriously, those moments literally left me scared. Though I searched for possible psychological explanations, yet they have remained unsatisfactory to me.

Istarted working in a hospital as a practitioner, as I had completed my graduation. For the first time, I had to do night shifts. There were four critical patients amongst all. As a doctor, my job was to make sure that all patients were comfortable. The nursing staff and my colleague at that night was efficient and cheerful. We would always try to keep discussing patients' progress. Whenever we would get tired, we would partake the comforting conversation over coffee to feel refreshed. 

One night I was in an ICU ward near nursing station, checking the test reports of patients and  filling out reports for the case-paper. Meanwhile, my colleague rushed in. With a trembling voice, She said, " You won't believe what I just witnessed, a strange shadow on the wall of  reception corner!" I decided to check that out as no one was supposed to be there except patients, staff and me. Out of the curiosity, I walked over to the wall of reception area. I felt that light from bulb might have created the shadow, she had just mentioned. There was nothing! I took a deep breath and turned around. Out of nowhere, a shadow apparently rose up the wall from ground. It really was strange and spooky..!! I stood there numb for some minutes and then walked back to the ward.

After a long time it was my turn to go for a check-up round. As I was about to go, I heard some horrifying voices. I followed the direction of the voices. As soon as I reached the main door, I saw a man dressed in all black cloth like 'GRIM REAPER'. I couldn't hold him stay put at that moment because it was late night and I was afraid of going out alone. I called the nurse. Untill I got her to that shadow or Grim Reaper, it had been disappeared. We went outside but couldn't find it. 

When we returned to the ICU-ward, one of the patient among those four, was not in the bed. He was bleeding lying flat on the floor with disconnected IV-fluid and machinery connections. He might have tried to get up but appeared like he couldn't succeed. We lifted him back to the bed, cleaned and regulated his IV-fluid and machinery connections. I made sure that he was comfortable. Then I went to the next  patient for check-up and boom!! I found him dead already. I pulled the patient's file and rushed to get the nurse. We called the morgue staff and his family while the nurse removed all the machinery and IV-fluid connections. Then I reverted to that patient who had fallen down. I started checking vitals. Alas...!! I soon realized, he had been dead too.

Beingin the kind of a shock and stress, I felt an urge to have coffee. Just when I walked down the stairs when the Grim Reaper looking shadow caught my attention again. I found it very near to me and before I could think and respond, Grim Reaper whispered in my ear," Just two more guests then I'm done for tonight." Listening to his sinister whisper I yelled and pushed myself away. Then the Grim Reaper with the lightening speed climbed-up the stairs and seemed to enter the corridor and then proceeded to the patient's room, which had two female patients on the life supporting systems. I returned to my senses and started chasing him.

As I reached the door, it automatically slammed and closed. Somehow I opened it. The very first scene, I could see was the open windows which were supposed to be closed at night. I could only take a cursory glance to check if there was anybody who escaped through windows. I turned back towards those female patients, I found them staring at me. All of sudden,  both the patient's monitor started beeping. I casted glance at them and felt as if they had taken their last breath of life. I checked the vitals but all in vein, they were dead.

Bythen, the nurse who experienced those spooky instances came running towards the room. Struggling with her breathing, she held the sight of all this. We darted a glance at each other. Not uttering a word, our eyes shared the horror and spookiness, as if they were agreeing to something unexplainable just happened. The horror had left us mute, unable to speak any of it. Only those sinister whispers were clamoring in my ears.

 - Prajakta JK