The Crow's Call

I truly believe that people who love Mondays are psychopaths, or they are going on vacation starting Monday.

With a coffee in my hand, I finally readied myself to get off the yellow bus at the last stop. The bus with the neat title “Liberium Line Express” was mostly empty for the entire duration of my trip, and considering it was eleven p.m. at night, it wasn’t at all surprising.

“Another night shift Alexandra?” A familiar voice snaps me out of the daze.

The cheerful bus driver Eric knows me well by now. As a man in his sixties, sporting a comfortable uniform of dark blue shirt and pants that fit well on his frame, was still in good shape. I was sincerely impressed by his posture and his lean physique considering his sedentary job. With only three years until pension, I envied the freedom he was going to enjoy. He would talk about how he and his husband would go to an exotic location once he retires. I guess the bus drivers are paid better than I. Or maybe, his husband earned better than both of us.

I smiled at him disregarding the fatigue that was creeping on my eyelids.

“Yeah, yeah, and I got this bad boy here to keep me going.” I winked and pointed at my coffee, but caffeine didn’t do much for me. I had a curious ability to fall asleep like a baby even if I drank liters of it, but I still enjoyed the ritual.

“Speaking of bad boys, how was your date with the guy? What was his name...Colin?” He asked with a curious brow.

I waived the question off with my hand and chuckled.

“Uhh, not gonna happen. And it was Cameron by the way.” I answered briefly.

Judging by the way his dark brown eyes widened, and his bushy eyebrows shot up, he was surprised at my dismissal, knowing that I was looking forward to the date with him. Cameron, at least judging by the text messages via dating app was capable of witty banter, a quality that was rather rare to find nowadays.

“But why?”

“Oh, you know. He is a Scorpio and I am Aquarius.”

I joked at my own superficial reason and in response, he shook his head in amusement. I couldn’t actually tell him that the guy tried to date rape me when he put a drug in my drink when he thought that I wasn’t looking. Eric did have high blood pressure, and even though he possessed a cheerful nature, I didn’t want to worry him with Cameron’s transgressions especially when I was capable of handling such transgressors. So, I may or may not have made Cameron regret his actions when I knocked him unconscious. I also may or may not have tied him to the streetlight behind the bar that we have been to. Naked.

Needless to say, social media was having a field day with the news of such an embarrassing story. Perhaps, out of knowledge of what he did was wrong, he never gave any interviews. Some were sympathizing with him, others made a meme out of him.

“So you mean to tell me you had a blast talking to him for a couple of weeks, but you draw the line at zodiac compatibility?” Eric said as he looked at me via his rearview mirror.

I should have known that Eric wouldn’t take a hint at my reluctance to talk about it. So I countered it with something that I knew he wouldn’t exactly tolerate.

“He “forgot” his wallet Eric. On a first date.” I lied and his curious brows unknitted themselves upon my answer.

“That must have been an awkward situation, so to that, I say good riddance. But you should have just said so Alexandra.” Eric chuckles and refocuses his eyesight onto the road. With a light-hearted chuckle, he opened up the bus doors.

“Hurry up and get back to Maverick. Have a safe drive home.” I waved him off and with a brief smile, he bid me good night and drove off.

The dread of Mondays means little when one has been working night shifts the entire weekend. I don’t think that I will ever get used to them, even if I have been working as a security guard for a year.

Why did I accept the shift to help out my friend?

I already knew the answer. Because I am incapable of grasping the notion of letting people down. The fear of rejecting Esma’s request might cause her to harbor resentment toward me. I hope that the people pleaser inside of me is happy with my high blood pressure and my messed up hormones from the picked-up night shifts, all because my coworkers are unable to plan ahead.

This time, Esma wanted to go to the countryside with her family. She said something along the lines of ”oh come on please, I already spoke to the manager Rey, and he said it’s fine if you accept it".

I did try to reject requests at one point but said manager would add pressure alluding that my not having kids or a husband automatically means that I have no responsibilities or hobbies. It didn’t matter much that I was in this job longer than they were.

For all of my resentment towards my colleagues, I resented my lack of spine even more.

At least the uniform is comfortable; a classic jet black cargo pants and shirt. Beretta 92 gun was secured safely at my belt, and thankfully, I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. I did use my teaser only once, and that was only because some girl tried to rob me at knifepoint on my way back home.

Grey cobblestone embraced the force of my heels in a narrow street. Fountains were shut off, thankfully. I couldn’t bear to look at the way the hand-carved statues were made to look like men pissing into the pool of water below. Not that I had anything against nudity, but a naked man pissing and almost celebrated by being carved out in a statue was a rather grotesque view.

This hectic city, Sisely, is the kind of place that truly gives an impression of endless possibilities to all who come to visit it. During the day, streets would be packed with people rushing to and fro. Strangers with their heads down, some on their phones, and others engaged in conversations that seemed as if it was a matter of life and death. The aroma of street food would linger through the air, mixed with the stench of exhaust fumes, producing a homunculus of a scent.

However, at this time, the chatter would quiet down, with only an occasional drunk group of women and men, or taxi cars driving by. The scenery was almost serene. Perhaps it was the hypnotizing effect of the red light or the flashing neon sign of a nearby pharmacy that contributed to my zoning out on a traffic light.

That state of my consciousness was promptly snapped by something small moving in my peripheral vision. A dark fluffy ball of feathers eyed me with its amber eyes.

A carrion crow?

The green light for passengers turned on, and as it did, I didn’t notice that there were actually people behind me, almost kicking the bird onto the road. I winced in worry and with a shaking hand, I extended my palm to a vulnerable animal.

“Come here, I will not hurt you. Please.” I said with a shaking voice and with a panicked state of mind. As soon as I neared it, I immediately tried catching it, but the animal got frightened so it only made the bird jump onto the roadway. Probably because I looked like a goddamn giant to it. I had no jacket to throw onto it that would possibly facilitate my attempt to rescue the crow. I put my coffee down on the pavement so that both of my hands are free, in hopes that I don’t miss out on an opportunity to remove it from the danger of the oncoming cars.

An elderly couple stood next to me. A beautiful dark-skinned red-headed lady in a burgundy sweater, paired with indigo blue suit pants, and a pale man, wearing a fedora and a black suit worryingly observed it.

“Poor thing.” They pitied the bird, but my focus was on the neatly folded newspapers under the man’s armpit. Perhaps I could use it as a makeshift thin blanket?

“Sir, can you please borrow your newspapers to me? I will give them back to you I promise.”

He nodded, and as if on cue the green light for cars turned on. I promptly took the newspaper and placed myself in front of the cars, using the paper as a means to corralling the small bird back to the pavement.

The cars honked as they bypassed me, but all that mattered was that the frail creature eventually jumped back to the safety of the sidewalk. Using this opportunity, I spread the newspapers around its sleek wings, and as gently as I could, I finally grasped it into my hands.

The vulnerable creature didn’t put up too much of a fight. I was rather thankful for that considering how the sleekness of its feathers did little to prevent it from slipping out my gentle grasp with the tiniest of movements ever so slightly. If the bird was injured, I couldn’t really tell with the darkness of the night, but it must have been considering its odd behavior.

The only time I had the opportunity to hold a bird was with my canary. After ten years of being a part of my family, when he got ill, I learned that no vet actually specialized in birds in Sisely. The vet only prescribed a general analgetic, and I would measure it according to his size. Eventually, I had to put him down to ease his suffering.

The canary still appears in my dreams sometimes, and it’s always free from the cage that was his home.

I walked to the nearby park, where I gently put the bird down to the ground after which it promptly hid in bushes. I returned the newspapers to the elderly couple who were praising me for my bravery, but there was nothing brave about me at that point. In fact, I felt bitterness because I wondered how long had that bird stayed there, vulnerable and unshielded.

My thoughts lingered at the odd encounter long after I parted ways with the crow.

Finally, I made it to the Pemberley Hospital’s entrance. I sat at the front desk, as it was time for my shift to begin. The smell of antiseptic and cleanliness wafted through the air; a smell so familiar by now but never a pleasant one.

I had a split screen of CCTV cameras in front of me and another screen played whatever show there was that night; an attempt of trying to pass the time and not fall asleep. The luxury of watching TV shows during work was exclusively available to us, the night shift.

“You are not the father...” the words of the reality TV show host echoed through the hospital’s empty corridors. The baby blue walls were probably meant to soothe a patient, but I wonder if a color can truly do such a thing. I was utterly alone here, with only a few nurses and doctors somewhere in the hospital.

I let myself think of the unfortunate crow, guilt pushing me to ponder on if I could have done something more for the vulnerable creature. What if I provided a meal to a hungry cat instead? I deemed it strange that no other crow came to attack me or the passengers, considering their protectiveness and intelligence. I considered taking it back home, but how the hell do I take care of a wild animal?

My train of thought was interrupted by glass doors opening, as a tall figure of a man appeared at the doorstep.

The stranger wore a midnight blue cape with golden epaulettes, and if anything it looked like he was dressed for Halloween imitating a prince; intricately designed dark grey vest and proud stature to compliment his mimic of royalty. His shoulder-length jet-black hair, straight and silky stirred a feeling of jealousy inside of me. I would ask what kind of shampoo is he using if I weren’t at work.

The dark figure limped, as he slowly dragged himself to the reception, finally allowing me to have a good look at his face.

His eyes, strikingly emerald green, were neatly framed by his straight eyebrows. As my eyes trailed down the sharp and narrow nose, I could see that he had a scar across his plump lips. His pale skin flushed, possibly from the strain of dragging the leg. He smelled of cedar and pinewood; such a soothing scent. Halloween outfit or not, there was something regal about him.

“Do you need help, sir?” I waryly asked.

The man observed me with a somber look on his face as if trying to decipher my existence, before putting a pleasant smile on.

“I am looking for someone, but I don’t know if I am in the right place.” He said with a deep and pleasant voice. I raised my eyebrows at his question.

“Visiting hours are over I am afraid, but I can call the nurses, and check the name for you if you would like? Is it a relative, or someone in the intensive care?”

Once again the man observed me with a gaze that I could only describe as an intrigued one, but he promptly dismissed it with a shake and a sigh.

“No, I apologize. Have a pleasant night miss.” He smiled courtly and turned on his heel to walk out. There was something captivating about this man, something about his somber look that made me try and prolong our interaction.

“Are you sure that you don’t need that leg checked out ?” I asked.

I couldn’t help but notice a pinch of caution in his eyes, but he masked it with a pleasant smile once again.

“You are too kind. I will manage.”

With that, he exited the premises, leaving me behind with more questions than answers.

What an odd night.

My well-earned rest was rudely interrupted by a call from my manager, demanding that I come over right away. Disregarding my protests, he insisted that I had to immediately come to the office, and I had no choice but to oblige.

“Hello Alexandra, please sit down.”

Rey was a man in his thirties and had disproportionately small shoulders compared to his larger head. Or his head was normal-sized, but the shoulders accentuated it, I couldn’t tell. Skinny and tall, Rey cared about nothing more than his toy race car collection. The manager position took second place on his list of priorities. Family and everything else fell behind. Those who wanted to get in his good graces would contribute to his race car collection, and smart people like Esma did that as soon as they figured out this trait of his. I was too stubborn and proud to suck up to him.

“Uhm, what is this about?” I asked cautiously.

Rey eyed me with his cerulean eyes as he crossed his arms with the sleeves of his grey blouse rolled to the elbows. Catarina a pretty blonde nurse in her twenties, said that she likes it when men wear their blouses like this, and when he overheard her, he hasn’t rolled them down since. It has been half a year of his unevenly rolled-up blouse cuffs and his eerily bulging forearm veins.

“Are you holding out okay? Do you need some time off?”

I scoffed at that, knowing full well that he wouldn’t approve my vacation for at least the next two months. Especially when everyone else would be going on a holiday. Rey was a bad manager but he could read cues of distrust or disagreeing, even though he would usually disregard them if it meant pressuring me into picking up nightshifts. So, he continued talking.

“Look I know that you have taken on several shifts for your colleagues, and we are all incredibly grateful, but please, if it’s all too much just let me know.”

Taken aback by his caring behavior which was highly unusual for him, when it came to me at least, it was my turn to cross my arms defensively.

“Am I getting fired right now?”

He waived off his hand, as if not to alarm me, but his fake overbearing attitude irked me.

“Oh god no. But I want to ask you something. Have you been, I don’t know, hearing voices or something recently? There is no shame in telling me that you are not feeling well, but please, I need to know if you require time off to see a doctor or something?”

I furrowed my brow at his implications. I was burned out for sure, but I wasn’t schizophrenic.

“What is the matter with you? Why are you acting so strange and asking me these weird questions?”

He swallowed at my words as if he was walking on thin ice with me, which only spurred my uneasiness with this conversation. Rey cleared his throat and looked me straight into my eyes.

“Who were you talking to last night?”

Was he testing me to see if I left my seat for the duration of my shift? Maybe he was asking me to probe about the level of negligence or duty towards my job.

“There was only a single person that came in last night around midnight, and it was a man with a limp telling me he was trying to find someone. Why?”

Rey sighed at my answer as if to confirm whatever suspicions he had.

“Alexandra, you were talking to yourself. Nobody was there.”