Most come in screaming. You can't quite get the ring of it out of your ears. But then some, like this one, come in silent. They concern me more.
The patient lies quite still on the bed, bloodshot eyes staring up at the hard light above her. The skin across her forearms, stomach, chest and face has all been scratched and pulled away. The remnants of it are stuck beneath her nails. Raw muscle, fat and bone is left open to the elements. The rest of her is soaked in blood. It's a wonder she's still alive, let alone conscious.
Like the others, she saw one of the portraits. And I suspect something in the portrait saw her.
Paddy Dobson
24th October 2020