The Cooinda Cycle: Part Two

The young man entered the room as he did every morning, it was the breakfast routine. Bringing the tray of food and a hot beverage into the rooms of the elderly residents of the care home. But something about this shift felt odd. Like he had done it before, of course he had done the breakfast routine every morning on his shift since starting. There was just something about this shift that felt… unsettling.

As he went to collect the breakfast tray for the lady in room 8, he had seen The Other Guy in the home, sitting and talking with The Old Man that lived here. He was normally on a much later shift, maybe that was what felt off.

The young man tried his best to put it out of his mind, whatever the feeling was it would go away as he got into the rhythm of the shift. Just gotta get it done, he thought.

He entered room 8, the lady that lived in this room was kind enough to him and some of the others, but sometimes could be a bit mean to some other members of staff, she had the fiery temper of a Slavic Gypsy, which is what the young man believed her to be. Possibly even with some Gypsy powers, The Young Man thought.

She was fast asleep as he entered the room, slumped on her rocking chair, with a cup loosely gripped in one hand, and the other having sometime earlier let go of her TV remote. The young man decided not to wake her, and he would just place the tray down next to her, and quietly move on.

Things took a turn for the worse though, when just as he gingerly placed the tray down, having had to lean over her small frame, she stirred slightly, causing her grip on her cup to weaken to a point of dropping it.

“IT’S COOOOOOOOOOLLLLDDD!!”

In one instant the cold water that had filled the cup, poured out over her lap, awakening her with a fright and a scream of factual information about the water. The Young Man, also screamed from the surprise, nearly dropping the tray.

The Young Man was totally freaked, the feeling of unease he had before, skyrocketed. Is it possible I’ve just been gypsy cursed, he thought as he ran towards the back exit of the care home.

He just needed to get out, as he ran he saw The Other Guy running away from the elevator. Something wasn’t right, The Young Man thought. We all need to get out.

He arrived at the back door to the home, just in time to see The Elder Man, another home resident, screaming at The Young Girl, she was out of breath as if she had just run there too. The Elder Man had cornered her.

“WHERE’S NONI!?” He shouted over and over again.

The Young Girl began to cry. The Young Man quickly grabbed her by the hand and led her out through the back door, and away from the home.

They thought they were safe, until the Two Grannies from the home started chasing after them, at a pace that would have been impressive, if not so terrifying.

One of the Grannies kept shaking a doll baby that had all its hair torn out at them angrily, the other seemed to be gone now.

“Up the hill,” The Young Man said, pointing at a sloped area of grass, “It’ll be too steep for them.”

The Young Man, and The Young Girl ran as hard as they could up the steep hill, and started to create a good distance between them and the doll waving Granny.

CRASH! Out of nowhere, one of the Grannies, the one who had vanished earlier, crash-tackled The Young Man from the side, forcing him to the ground.

The last thing he saw was The Young Girl escape over the top of the hill. At least she got away, he hoped.

There was a strange shadow following The Young Girl. He wasn’t sure if anyone else was stuck here, but he realised what was happening too late to do anything, Maybe next time, he thought as things went dark.

The Young Man jolted violently awake. He didn’t know where he was for a moment, until a temperamental kitchen hand passed him a tray of food.

“Take that breakfast to room 8...”

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Read Part Three: