The Halloween Collection by Indie Eclective

decided on what I want to be when I get
better.”
    “And what’s that?”
    “A surgeon, a real-life surgeon.”
    Dr. Charmaine looked on, shaking her head
sadly. Her patient always said the same thing—every year for the
last ten years. And what had she said in the past about the
dream—she couldn’t recall. But she never failed to bring up
Halloween.
    “That’s nice, Sara,” she finally answered.
“Very ambitious of you.” Then turning to Bess, “You can untie her
hands now.”
    Waiting for Bess to get started, Dr.
Charmaine again focused her attention on the disordered mind before
her. “Sara,” she spoke calmly. “We’re going to loosen your
restraints. You can go to sleep and we’ll be up to check on you
later. Understand?”
    “Okay, Doctor,” she replied, seemingly
oblivious to the tremor over her right temple.
    “Dr. Charmaine,” Bess said. “Come over here,
please. Look at this.”
    The concern in the nurse’s voice brought the
psychiatrist over. After examining the woman’s hands, she looked
up, a puzzled expression forming on her face.
    “That’s strange. I’ve never seen anything
like this before.” Dr. Charmaine gently touched the palms of her
patient’s hands. “Look at these blisters, Bess. It appears as if
she’s been… burned .”
    “How’d she ever do that, Doctor?”
    “I have no idea. We’ll have to get those
cleaned up and dressed.” Then studying the blistered palms once
more, she muttered, “Strange, really strange. Oh, Bess?”
    “Yes, Doctor?”
    “Please tell the cleaning staff they can
come in and prepare the room for the next case.”
    “Sure, Dr. Charmaine.” Bess turned to leave
but stopped briefly, glancing once more at the girl. “You know,
it’s such a shame.”
    Agreeing tacitly, the psychiatrist wheeled
the stretcher-bound patient toward the double exit doors. On cue,
they swung open. Pausing for a moment, she looked into the pained
expression of Sara McCaffe. Dr. Julie Charmaine frowned. As if it
was only yesterday, she could still vividly recall the disturbed
looks on the security guards’ faces as they carried her former
classmate, screaming, kicking, and gouging, from that empty
operating room. What was it that made Sara’s mind snap so
completely ten years ago? Not so dissimilar to all the
others—seemed every medical school class since she’d graduated had
lost a student to lunacy. Scary weird, and on Halloween, too.
    And poor Sara. She still desired to be a
surgeon. Dr. Charmaine gently moved a strand of hair off her
patient’s forehead. The closest she’ll ever get to a scalpel is a
plastic butter knife.
    Pushing the stretcher through the doors, Dr.
Charmaine headed for the elevators, passing right through the tall
masked orderly waiting outside.
    Behind her, the orderly watched doctor and
patient only briefly, before turning away and entering the room.
With scarred twisted hands, he collected the spent electrodes.
Leering, he tossed them inside the melted pumpkin. Then hobbling
out the exit, he purposely made his way to the last operating room,
down past the surgical supply area. Methodically, he stared through
unblinking eyes at every aspect of the vacant room—the surgery
table, the anesthesia cart, the oxygen tank. A disfigured sneer
formed behind the faded surgical mask.
    OR 13 was ready for its next case.
    Tomorrow was Halloween!
     
    * * *
     
    You can read more about Dr. Julie Charmaine and her
strange dream cases in the twisted horror thriller The
Unnatural .
     
    Alan Nayes was born in Texas, writes in California,
and will probably die...someplace else.
    http://www.anayes.com
     

Haunted House

Julia Crane
     
     
    “Finally, we can show our true forms.”
Keegan giggled and shook her hips to make the bells jingle.
    Keegan, Anna and Lauren had decided to humor
themselves and dress as their true forms for Halloween. Keegan
attached exaggerated elf ears, a short green dress and boots along
with the elf hat. She could pass