The other forever kids were settling into sleep all around her. The noises they made relaxed her and might have helped her sleep, or been funny in other circumstances. Bedtime was always fun back in Nurserywood when the kids settled down after Arthur told his stories. They farted and giggled before drifting off to dreams.
She was more and more wishing she’d behaved, and not followed Mr. Jay. They’d visited Nurserywood as they did from time to time. The magician called it an intermission. He liked to sit and talk with Arthur the giant. And Dawn loved visiting with the other forever kids. But the last time, Mr. Jay wanted her to stay behind because he had to go somewhere important and he had to go alone. But his look worried Dawn so much she snuck out after him. When she caught up to him far from Nurserywood, she’d never seen him angry before. Finally, he calmed and brought her along. “I should have known better, little shadow,” he’d said.
But that was too long ago to help and listening to the settling in noises did make her think about sleep if they couldn’t stop her from thinking about everything else. Meg claimed the Doctor put something in the food so the kids could sleep-and something to help them keep calm because they were all a bit crazy from their unusual lives.
And Dawn had to admit that maybe something like that was going on because she had managed to drop off to sleep quickly each night. Tonight she had hardly eaten because of all the worry though. She thought and listened for a while longer and then for only a minute, it seemed she was caught up in a cozy warm swirl of sleep.
Then the grownup voice in her head whispered: Something moving! Coming this way!
And Dawn opened her eyes and listened. Nothing at first, and then she caught the sound of something-yes, a quiet rustle like cloth or material moving and the quiet whooshing sound of something sliding over something else- maybe shoes.
And she immediately thought of Nursie. Was the awful creature coming to spirit her away? And then she wondered where Meg was, and listened closely, and heard her friend’s quiet breathing on the next bed.
Listen, said the grownup voice in her head. It’s getting closer.
And Dawn tensed up in the bed, her knuckles clenched painfully in the sheets. “Oh Mr. Jay,” she whispered to herself. “Where are you?”
But the question was barely spoken before a dark shape moved beside the bed, and then shifted into the dim back light of the dormitory nightlights.
“Please,” a voice hissed. Dawn saw it was the Doctor, face slick with sweat. “I’ve got to get you somewhere you safe.” He cast nervous looks left and right. “Nursie is coming!”
And Dawn’s whole body went rigid at mention of the name.
The Doctor pulled her covers back and grabbed her arm. She winced when his fingers dug into the area he’d already bruised that day.
“Hurry,” he hissed. “Power is shifting. She’ll kill us both!” And he caught Dawn’s nervous look at Meg. “Don’t worry about your friends,” the Doctor said. “Nursie’s not interested in them tonight.”
And Dawn’s grown up voice was silent, even though she listened for it. Perhaps it was thinking and gauging the situation. Dawn slipped out of bed at the man’s urging and put her slippers on. The whole time the Doctor moved and shifted foot to foot quite nervously. His hand was soaking her arm with sweat, and his fingers twisted spasmodically.
“Hurry,” he said, teeth chattering and in moments they were away-moving quickly between the beds away from the main entrance. Instead, he led her through a door to a kitchen and preparation room used only by their workers.
Dawn thought it was strange passing by them where they sat against the wall in chairs just watching. But it was clear to her that they would not interfere with the affairs of the living: especially the doctor’s business.
They passed through the kitchen. It was dim with low-watt emergency lights-and they came to another door where the Doctor fumbled keys out of his pocket and unlocked it. And they were out in the brightly lit hall and moving quickly over the tiles. It was all dark and so new to her that Dawn could barely tell where they were going.
“You see,” the Doctor said, sweat shone on his forehead, “I couldn’t let this happen.” He shook his head, hand now twisted in the material of her nightshirt. “See, I’m a doctor.” He stopped at a door and paused to unlock it. “And I have a Hippocratic oath and I joined the Prime before he set up the Orphanage in the Tower-before when I worked for Authority.”
He led Dawn through the door and past a curious set of metal tables and instruments. “And I was helping kids, and doing things for kids…”
He nodded and his hands trembled. “Only until,” he said and paused at a heavy steel door covered with rivets, “I came here and saw what the Prime was doing and he can speak…oh he’s convincing. And he outlined his vision for me and I understood.” The Doctor worked a multiple lock with his keys. “And it looked so right in the early days.”
The Doctor paused with his hand on the door. “That was before the Prime wanted to know what made you little people tick-before he had me do things -experiments.” The man shook and his hands trembled. “I’m a doctor and I refused…” he nodded idiotically. “Until he showed me what he could do if I did not help him…” The doctor leaned in close. “He has Powers-worse than death. I know death; I’m a doctor. But this is worse.” His eyes gleamed. “So I helped him.” The Doctor balled up a fist and punched it into his temple, held it there as though he had to push to keep his head from exploding. He sniggered, “And the Principal is quite persuasive too-he helped expand my horizons.”
The he sighed and dropped his fist. “I found a way to do his experiments.” He nodded. “And soon I developed some of my own.” He started pushing the door aside. “Can you keep a secret?” The Doctor’s breath smelled like chemicals. “Going crazy really helped.”
The Doctor pushed the door open and pulled her in. The lights were out. She heard water bubbling, and an electrical hum. “You’re the First-mother after all.” And he turned the light on.
A stainless steel room appeared around Dawn. Glossy and glaring on her eyes at first, she saw cages built into one wall. Forever children tugged at the bars. Some were bandaged; others were missing limbs or eyes. All bore scars and injury on scalps and naked bodies. There were two steps down from the door to a tile floor.
In the center of the room was a low steel table with a pair of forever boys lying on top-wrists and ankles bound and apparently asleep. Dawn was still reeling from the caged kids when she realized the horror of it. Someone had sutured the boys together torso to torso, and their arms and legs at the joints were sewn and bandaged. The skin color varied too, giving the impression of many donors, made them look like poorly made rag dolls.
A silent scream burned in the forever girl’s chest.
“I just thought…” the Doctor said, turning to her, “it would be better if I treated you.”
Dawn screamed and jumped back, her action catching the Doctor off guard. She stumbled against the counter, knocking her head and making her ears ring.
“See whatever I do,” the Doctor chuckled, hurrying toward her. “It will be better than what the Prime plans.” And he leapt for her. Dawn rolled aside, barely avoiding his heavy hands and came up by the door. She jumped for the handle, but it opened.
Nursie stood there, backlit and grotesque without her skin.
“Nein!” the monster shrieked, slapping Dawn on the face. She rolled across the room into the steel cupboards. Nursie turned to the Doctor who froze in his tracks, his lips working to form an excuse or a command, his brow wriggling feverishly. Nursie’s oversized teeth ripped the air as she spoke.
“Der Doctor lie.” She shook her head and gobs of spittle splattered all around Dawn. “Der Prime, hem say, Nursie, NO!” The monster stepped forward-thick, foul fluids poured from her many nipples, left a slick trail on the floor between her legs. “But hem say no Doctor touch girl too. Nein!”
And Nursie grabbed the doctor by the neck. His muffled scream was silenced as she pulled his head and face close to hers. His eyes were wide and disbelieving as she bit down on his face. Her foot-long incisors dug into the Doctor’s forehead and tore up under his chin. The action sheared the man’s face off and exposed his brain in a single bite. The Doctor’s gory body kicked and struggled blindly.
Dawn looked away as blood and fluid sprayed down the monster’s long chest. Nursie chuckled over the spatter of blood, and there was another horrific crunch, and then a vile sucking sound. After a moment, something hit the floor with a bony thump. Dawn tried to shut it out. The forever children in the cages were crying out in fear, and others in encouragement. And Dawn was running so deep into herself that she barely understood that the kids were telling her to run away.
