Flamed Jabberwocky
Flamed Jabberwocky
December 23rd, 1984.
The following event happened two days before Christmas in 1984. Nurse Eloise was twenty-one at the time. She worked at a nursing home called Village on the Green. Ellie loved all of her residents. They were rather fond of her too. One resident, in particular, had his eye on her for good reason.
Ellie walked up to Flat #428 and knocked on the door.
“Mr. Williams! Are you awake in there?” she asked. “I’m coming in to clean your room.” She rested her ear to the door.
“Come in, dear,” an old man said. Ellie opened the door and poked her head inside. The room was so dark but she could still see inside. A man about eighty-eight years old sat up in his bed. His quilt was up to his neck. The nurse walked into the room and smiled.
“Good morning,” she said. Mr. Williams lifted his head.
“How are you today, Mr. Williams?” Ellie asked.
“Dear, what did I tell you?” he asked. The nurse smiled and shook her head.
“You know I can’t,” she said.
“It’s fine. Say it,” Mr. Williams said. The nurse sighed and dropped her shoulders.
“Fine. How are you today, Ollie?” Ellie asked. The old man smiled.
“Fine, darling,” he said. “And you?”
“Fine,” she said. “Anyone coming to see you for Christmas?” The old man shook his head.
“They have to work,” he said.
“What?” Ellie asked as she leaned in closer. He was hard for her to understand at times.
“My family has to work,” Ollie said aloud.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” the nurse said. She helped him out of bed. He shook his head as he waved her off.
“Don’t be,” he said.
“Huh?” she asked. Ellie couldn’t quite understand it. His family barely came by to see him. When they did, they didn’t stay long. But Ollie didn’t mind it.
“They have work to do,” he would say. Ellie wondered what his daughter, grandson, and great-granddaughter did that they were too busy to see him.
“What exactly do they do?” Ellie asked him one day as she walked him around the garden in summer.
“Protect England,” was all he said.
“What does that mean?” she asked. “Like police? MI5? Scotland Yard?”
“You can say that,” Ollie said. She didn’t ask any more questions. Still, she had more questions.
“It’s fine,” Ollie insisted in present day. “They came by yesterday.”
“Oh yes, they did,” the nurse said. “Was it… Eurus?”
“Yeah,” he said. Ellie walked him to the bathroom.
“How is she doing?” she asked as she undressed the old man.
“Good, good,” Ollie said. “She’s busy this Christmas.”
“Protecting England. Right, right,” Ellie said. She got him into the bathroom and washed him down. After she bathed him, the nurse got him dressed and helped him down to the dining hall.
“I heard they’re having Christmas pudding today!” she said with cheer in her voice. Ollie just looked at her. Ellie said nothing as they walked down the hall.
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The rest of the day went normally. Everyone was in the Christmas spirit around the nursing home. The elderly looked so happy. Some felt like they were reliving their youth. Ellie and the other nurses rushed around the nursing home. They had to throw in extra Christmas spirit. Everyone was in a chipper mood.
Well, everyone except Ollie.
He kept his eyes locked on the window. His hand gripped his cane. Ellie turned her head. Ollie had a cold look on his face. The nurse shivered. She had never seen him like that before. Ellie walked over to him from the snack table.
“Ellie!” someone yelled behind her. The nurse turned around. Another carer stood near the snack table. He held up an empty tray.
“We’re out of Christmas pudding,” the carer said. Ellie lifted her chin as his words sank in.
“Oh,” she said. “I’ve got it!” She raced over to the kitchen. The nurse passed by Ollie on the way. He didn’t take his eyes off the window.
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Ellie had the night shift tonight. One of her coworkers was still on maternity leave. Village on the Green was understaffed at the time. So she had no choice but to stay. Ellie would be working until six in the morning.
“Are you going to be okay here by yourself?” the male carer asked.
“Yes,” Ellie said. “All I have to do is walk up and down the halls to make sure everything is all right. How hard could it be?” The carer shrugged.
“Okay,” he said. “Just be careful, okay?”
“Good night,” the nurse said.
“Merry Christmas,” he said before turning to leave. Ellie waved at his back. She turned and walked in to do her rounds.
Meanwhile, something was outside watching the building. It could smell a sweet scent in the snow. It followed the lights. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.
He can see her.
Ellie walked around the halls. She looked out the window with a nervous look on her face. They did say that there was going to be a heavy snowfall overnight. She would have to wait until the roads were plowed. Her car had enough gas to get to the gas station in town. Until then, Ellie would have to be stuck at work. However, she would soon have bigger problems.
Ellie had just walked out of the dining hall when she heard a low growling noise in the dark. The nurse stopped in her tracks and turned her head. The nursing home didn’t allow animals in the building. There was no way that anyone snuck a dog in here. Still, Ellie couldn’t ignore it.
“Hello?” she asked. There was no response. Ellie tried to stay calm. She should probably see who else was around and stay by them. That sounded like a plan. The nurse turned and started to head back to the nurse’s station. There was the sound again. That low growling seemed to follow her. Ellie tried not to look behind her.
Go away. Please leave me alone.
Part of her hoped that it was a prank. It had to be it. Because otherwise…
The nurse looked up at the ceiling. When did it get so dark in here? However, something else caught Ellie’s attention. Lumbering footsteps ran toward her. Something was running not on two legs, but four. No, not four. There had to be at least twenty footsteps running down the hall. The sounds were getting closer. Her heart pounded against her chest. How could she not see something so big running toward her? The darkness made her feel like the walls were closing in. She stepped back when the smell of burnt hair filled the air. Heavy breathing filled the silence. The nurse turned and ran down the hall.
“Help!” she screamed. “Help me!” The growling and heavy breathing drowned out her voice. This creature felt like it was getting closer. Every time, Ellie would look over her shoulder, nothing would be there. Still, she had to keep running. The nurse didn’t know what was going on. A hot breath hit her back. Ellie shut her eyes and ran faster. She just had to get to the lift. It didn’t matter if she could go up or down. The nurse had to get away.
Ellie looked down the hall to see the lift up ahead. Relief flared in her heart. She thought that she was going to cry out in joy. The nurse pushed herself to keep running. However, the footsteps grew closer. The heat grew hotter at her back. A smell of roasting meat filled the air along with the smells of iron and burnt hair. By now, the growling grew louder. Claws grabbed her by the shoulder. She could feel the ice in her veins. Against her better judgment, Ellie turned her head.
Glowing red eyes stared deep into her soul. There wasn’t a body, just the eyes. A scream built up in Ellie’s throat. Heavy breathing made it worse. Hazy whispers filled her ear.
Let go. Let go. Just let go.
Ellie felt herself sinking at first before she shook her head. She wanted to scream no but her voice was choked up in her throat. Still, the nurse didn’t want to die. Ellie tried to will herself to get free as the claws sank deep into her flesh. She tried to get away and scream. The whispering and panting started to build up.
“Ellie!” a voice shouted. The nurse turned her head.
Crack! Bang!
The nurse dropped to the floor. She muttered under her breath as she rubbed at her shoulder.
“Here,” a familiar voice said. A small pill was shoved into her mouth. Ellie looked up to see Ollie looking down at her. His eyes seemed to glow in the dark as they stayed fixed on her. Ellie couldn’t piece together what was going on. The old man held out his hand. She took his hand as her head tried to keep up with what was going on. Ollie pulled her to her feet and pulled her behind him with one swift motion.
“You’re going to want to swallow that pill,” he said over his shoulder. The old man turned back to the glowing eyes in front of them.
“I’ll handle him,” he said. The nurse didn’t say anything as she swallowed the dissolving pill in her mouth. By now, a shadow of black fur began to form around the eyes. The tips of the ears touched the ceiling. Ellie could now see the fangs in the glowing red mouth. Ollie chuckled to himself.
“Preying on an innocent nurse just before Christmas, huh?” he asked. “That’s low even for you.” The beast growled in front of the old man. Ollie unsheathed his cane and swung it in front of the roaring. One. Two. Seven. Twelve. Fifty. He moved so fast for a man in his eighty. Ellie could barely keep up. Ollie sheathed his cane. The beast fell and crashed into tiny pieces on the floor before blowing away into dust.
“Heh,” Ollie said. He looked over his shoulder.
“You okay, dear?” he asked. Ellie stood there wide-eyed and silent for a moment. She pointed to the empty space in front of them.
“W-W-W-What was that?” the nurse asked.
“A jabberwocky,” Ollie said.
“A what?!” she asked. The old man shrugged to face her.
“It’s a beast that comes out only during winter,” he asked. “It’s mainly attracted to lights and the scent of me. Those unlucky to be caught by the jabberwocky are drained and eaten.” The poor nurse struggled to take it all in.
“Why did it attack me?” she asked.
“You were just there,” the old man said. “I suspected something was wrong when I heard the growling and footsteps.”
“When you were looking out the window earlier—” Ellie began to say.
“Yes,” Ollie said. “I knew he was coming here. I felt it this morning when I woke up. I’ve encountered it many times over these decades, you see?” He gave off a dry laugh.
“Heh, I’m surprised that it’s still managed to track me down in so long,” he said. The old man rolled up his pajama sleeve on his right arm. Ellie saw the nasty hoof-shaped scar on his forearm again. She had seen it so many when she bathed him.
“That wasn’t from a horse kicking you in the arm, is it?” she asked.
“No,” Ollie said. “Once they mark you, it will track you down and chase you until they kill you. I guess even after all this time that big bastard is still chasing me.” Ellie held her fist to her chest. Ollie saw the look in her eyes.
“Don’t worry, love,” he said. “That pill I gave will break the connect to the beast before it could form.” He raised his eyebrow.
“Anything else?” he asked. Ellie took a breath and lifted her chin.
“When you said that you and your family protect England, is this--?” she asked.
“Yes,” Ollie said. “Now, could you take me back to bed? I’m feeling tired now.” Ellie quickly nodded.
“Uh… sure,” she said. The nurse took hold of his arm and walked him down the hall to the lift. Ollie turned to her.
“Oh and one more thing, love,” he spoke up. Ellie turned to see a stern look on his face.
“I wouldn’t tell anyone about this if I was you,” he said. “They aren’t going to believe you anyway.” The nurse didn’t say anything as she narrowed. They didn’t speak for the rest of the trip back to his room.
