THE CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS ARE THE WORKS OF AN ORIGINAL FICTION.
Immortality: Tales of the Undead- The Days of My Youth
Ted Williams had been recently investigating his brother's death. As a reporter, he didn't think that the man himself would turn out to be any different that Ted had known before. In fact, the story goes that the man who died on the same deathbed, which Ted had often visited him, was the same person. And that man was Jeff Williams.
Arriving at the cafe, Ted arranged a meeting with a woman named Melissa for various reasons. Because she was a nurse who worked at the hospital, and had been taking care of Jeff for the past few months, due to a serious condition. It was reported that Jeff had a chronic back injury, which he couldn't move at all. And the doctor had said Jeff needs to be admitted for that particular reason. Ted knew the complications alright. But he wanted to know what made his brother aged than a average human. It wasn't possible, unless he met the wrong patient.
But the autopsy proved him right, even though it sounded crazy. Because from the depth of his heart, Ted could recognize his younger brother underneath that old skin. When Ted met him, he was beyond shocked, and couldn't say a damn word. He wanted to confirm the facts that were true. So, the medical examiner had said it was indeed Jeff Williams.
When Melissa finally arrived, she smiled. She sat on the seat, the opposite side of Ted. First thing, he noticed about her was her charm and beauty. No wonder she did a damn, good job at the hospital. Everyone talked about her, including the rest of the staff. Even the patients wanted to see her. But there was a hidden truth behind all this charade, and it made Ted worry about others, considering the fact that some of them had also died of old age. Never he had known about those cases until he found out about his dead brother.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Williams," Melissa said. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. I was just wondering..."
"I see. Well... I'm sorry to hear about your dear brother. I truly am."
Ted didn't say anything. He just looked at her, as if he had never seen her before. "I wanted to ask you questions if you don't mind..."
"Not a problem." The waiter arrived, and asked for her order. She said, "Coffee." Then the waiter left.
"How long you've been working at King George Hospital?"
The nurse knew that Ted was a reporter. But it sounded personal, since Jeff Williams had died a couple of weeks ago. "I would say about 3 years or so."
"I see." Ted sipped his own coffee, while looking at her. "And you've been taking care of your patients?"
"Yes. They actually loved for it. They were truly happy."
"And my brother? Was he happy?"
At first, Melissa didn't answer that question. But she figured that the damn reporter didn't give a damn about her beauty. No matter what they say. Such beauty could be dangerous and volatile as often enough that people would describe her.
The waiter brought her the coffee, and left in silence.
"Yes... I suppose so."
"Hmm..." Ted looked back at the crowded streets of London. He wondered if he could ever get a chance to see the beach that he and Jeff had often talked about. Jeff always wanted to go to that nude beach, which was located in the east side of Scotland. But his mother insisted him that he shouldn't go there. Not even his older brother. After all, she was a religious woman to begin with.
"Listen, Melissa..." Ted said slowly. "I'm not accusing you of anything..." He added to that thought, Probably not yet. "But I need to know the truth. That old man..." He paused.
"Yes?"
Ted sighed. He couldn't explain it. Even as a damn reporter, he still couldn't explain the facts of this strange phenomenon that happened to his dear brother. He even tried to think of a way to explain to his own boss. What a laugh! He could imagine the headlines, bringing forth the terrible news of Jeff Williams. TED'S YOUNG BROTHER DIED OF OLD AGE!
Ted relaxed and then continued, "That old man was my brother. There's no doubt about it. The examiner have confirmed it. And if you don't believe me, I have the report here to prove..."
"I didn't say that I don't believe you, Mr. Williams," Melissa interrupted him. "I was there."
"Oh... Well in that case, you should know which patient were you taking care of. Am I right?"
"Yes, I do know that. I'm very well aware of whom the patient I was taking care of. And it was Jeff Williams. No doubt about it."
There was a moment of silence. Then Ted continued the questioning, "What about the other patients? Has it been confirmed that they also died of old age?"
This time, Melissa didn't answer that question. Because she wasn't in charge of taking care of them. She knew their names alright. But she had other patients to deal with.
"I don't know about that, Mr. Williams. But what I could tell you is that I work at different wards altogether. Sometimes, my memory don't work well enough for me to recognize my own patients. There were times..." She paused and thought for the moment. Then she continued, "There were times that I do get stressed out. We all had that experience. I'm sure you can understand that."
Ted understood her alright. But what he didn't get was how some of those patients had died in the same hospital. There had to be a connection to all this phenomenon, Ted thought. And he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Melissa looked at the reporter, and touched his hand very gently. "It's alright, Mr. Williams. I do feel your pain. And I do understand your loss. I'm very sorry." Then she released him, and looked at her watch. "I must be going now, if you don't mind."
Ted nodded. "It's been nice talking with you, Melissa. We'll meet again soon."
"I'm sure we will," Melissa smiled, and then left.
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The next day, Ted tried to get up from his bed. He was currently living in his apartment. He felt tired already. He didn't know what made him so tired in the first place. Usually, he went out for gym after work. But he didn't do any of it, since his brother's death. He was only focused on the investigation.
He went towards the bathroom, and turned the lights on. He blinked and then...
What in the hell? Ted stared at the mirror for a while, and then looked at his own hands. They were trembling... Oh God... No...
Ted Williams passed out.
End of Volume 4.
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