Mask of Flies Read Free

the scope of the picture.
    “I never dealt with
anything like this before . . . I don’t know if I can.” Rick had
thought he had more than earned his keep caring for the dying
residents of the retirement home. This specific case seemed like a
stretch beyond his hourly wage.
    “Sure you can,” a
deep throaty voice said from the doorway. Jim Haynes, the director of
facility, walked into the small office. It was his first day back
from the honeymoon of his fourth marriage and millionth consecutive
day of being an asshole. “Just do your job. Do what Tony asks of
you. Everyone is so full of excuses today.”
    “Good morning to you
too, Mr. Haynes.” Rick laid the photo on the desk and stood. “I
was unaware you were gracing us with your presence this morning.”
    “Alright Mr.
Soblinski, cut the bullshit. You know the state is cutting back
across the board. It’s the special cases just like Ms. Jane Doe
that allow me to keep suspect gentlemen, like you, on the payroll.”
    “The dermatologist is
in there now running another biopsy on her facial growths.” Tony
stood up from his desk, interjecting himself. “Once he’s done, I
want her joints run through a basic range of motion. She is going to
have to be moved every two hours. Also, at Silver Creek, she
developed a bit of a wheeze. Rick, I’m going to need you to assist
the respiratory therapist in suctioning some of the mucus from her
lungs.”
    “Sounds appetizing.
You’re gonna send Christie in there?” Haynes asked.
    “No. I’ll have to
pull Marco out from the morning exercise for this.”
    Haynes stepped back
towards the door. “It looks like you have a hold of things here.”
He looked to Rick. “I need you to pay careful attention in there.
This is an extreme case, no doubt the state will send somebody,
but if played right, it could be a solid bullet for the expansion of
this year’s budget.
    Rick nodded, and Haynes
walked off to his much larger office.
    “There are a lot of
unknown variables. We don’t really know what we are dealing with
from a medical standpoint.” Tony said.
    “If there isn’t
anything else you want to dump on me, I should get started.”
    Rick made his way over
to Summer Hall, to inventory the supply area while he waited on the
dermatologist. He lost count of toilet paper, and thought of the
liveliest resident of the hallway: Old
Will Sammy was abandoned . . . just like The Jane. Not an uncommon
occurrence.
    Will Samuelsson, a
current patient of Summer Hall, appeared in the lobby of the Oak Leaf
Retirement Community, with nothing but a beat up roll along suitcase,
on Christmas Eve two years ago. Will, being the archetype of a
stubborn old coot, refused to disclose where he came from. All he
would say when asked was: “My family is good for nothing. They
don’t give a rat’s ass where I am.”
    The day after
Christmas, Will’s eldest son, Rich, called and made formal
arrangements for Will to stay at Oak Leaf, permanently. Rich,
apparently fed up with his father’s crotchety- drunken episodes,
decided to dispose of dear old dad asleep in piss on his favorite
recliner. It took Rich’s four year old son to point out that “pappy
spilled apple juice on his pants” before anyone realized anything
was amiss. Rich apparently had a full house of guests, and didn’t
want to be bogged down with in processing paperwork during the
holiday.
    Rick recalled Tony
retelling Will’s story with such disgust, especially the part when
Rich apparently said: “The old fool survived the Invasion of
Normandy, I had no doubt he would make due until I settled up after
the holidays.”
    The sound of a door
slamming shut snapped Rick out of thought. Making his way out of the
storage area, he caught a flash of a white coat turning the corner.
Rick wanted to speak to the dermatologist, but he failed to gain the
doc’s attention, who seemed to be in a mad dash for the exit.
    Guess
I’m up. Rick turned and made his way down the