Scratch

Names are funny things. Sometimes a name is given, without any other reason than it sounds good. Sometimes it's to describe something; sometimes the name is given to warn someone. Scratch Hospital is definitely the third. Nothing about it says friendly...or sanitary. Scratch is the abandoned hospital that kids dare each other to go into. It is the hospital you go into if you want to make your problem worse, if you know what I mean. To sum up, you never go into Scratch.

​I remember the first time I saw Scratch. I was walking home from work. I don't know why I only noticed it then. I've walked this way so many times. It just seemed to stick out this time. I stared at it for a while; the old walls, the decayed sign and the dead trees. Everything about it screamed horror movie. I couldn't decide if it was stable or not either. From the looks of the columns on the corners it would eventually collapse inwards, which is probably why the council didn’t knock it down yet.
Shaking my head I walked home. They should have knocked it down years ago, in my opinion. Even if there wasn’t a danger of it collapsing on someone or into another building, it was still an eyesore. What's more is there is a good chance that some homeless are camping out in it. The poor guys may think they have found a palace, but in truth they were slowly poisoning themselves. Of course, that was just a speculation. I’m sure even the homeless in our town have heard about Scratch.
That was my last thought on it. Scratch was thrown to the back of my mind and I was glad to have it there. I kept walking home and longed for some serious rest. My bed is comfortable, so when I entered my apartments I could almost hear it calling for me. I felt funny that afternoon, so it only increased my desire to lie down in the soft sheets. I closed my eyes and drifted off into a unique sleep.
When I woke however, I found I was no longer in my comfortable bed. I was no longer in my apartment. I was in Scratch, the very place I expected not to wake up in. I don't know how I got there, but I was there, lying in a mouldy hospital bed. I stared up at the decrepit ceiling, hugging a rat instead of my teddy bear.
"Oh," was all I said.
The only thing that really remained from the hospital was the cold, clinical air. I heard sounds out in the hallway. I stared at the door. Focusing on the sound trying to decipher what it was. I soon realized they were footsteps, many footsteps. There are people here, not just me. What is more; they were all homing in on my room. I heard a stampede of shuffling steps collectively stop outside my room’s door.
Someone or something turned the handle in a dramatically slow fashion. It was annoying. The door opened and nobody was there. It was an empty hallway. I was really annoyed now.
"Hey, whoever opened the door can you show some common decency and close it," I ordered the emptiness.
There wasn't an audible response, but the door slowly closed and locked itself.
"Thank you."
I rolled over and tried to get comfortable. There was a pillow, but it was just a sack really. Overused or decayed, I couldn't decide. It would have to do. I closed my eyes and tried once more to find a comfortable spot in bed and fall asleep. I needed my rest; it was going to be another long day at work tomorrow.
As if Scratch wanted to bother me further I was immediately swayed from sleep. Something was breathing on the back of my neck
"Stop it," I told whoever lay behind me. “Or turn around. We’re never going to get forty winks if you continue to breathe on me like that.”
The breathing stopped. I am happy that these people realized when I wasn’t to be messed with. It was something that you never got in normal hospitals. My edge of annoyance still bubbled inside of me so I continued to reprimand my sleeping partner.’
"This is a hospital. You don't just breathe like that. Show some good hygiene," I explained.
My sleeping partner turned over and climbed out of the bed. Despite the door being locked I could hear hem move from the room into the hallway. The fleshy thumps of him or her feet faded into the distance and I smiled to myself.
I finally began to relax. Even the terrible pillow no doubt filled with aged cotton and who knows what else soon became comfortable. I began to slowly drift into a deep sleep. Unfortunately something in my head told me to open my eyes. So I did. The walls began to drip blood. They ran down the walls like a gory rain. A sickening sound ensued from the bubbles that popped in the vile liquid. It was grotesque in every sense of the word and it was the last thing I needed,
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" I shouted sitting up in my bed. "This has to be the worst place I've ever stayed. I'm trying to get some sleep and this is happening; really? A hospital should never have such problems."
The blood receded, going back up the wall and disappearing when it met the roof.
"No way, that's your third strike," I continued. I stood up and walked to the door. "I can understand why this place went out of business. It's an absolute disgrace! Don't expect a good review on Yelp!"
I opened the door and walked out the room. I was back in my apartment. That was an excellent transportation service, but seriously, what a horrible place to stay. You can't get a decent nights rest there even if they killed you.