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seemingly timid. His eyes also carri ed a burden I couldn’t decipher as a mortal . Athen seemed to notice something too . At least I could ask him later. This mortal thing was tough.
    “We need the Oxford leather s in white,” Arie replied.
    “Nurses, huh?’ the man asked, finding his way to the appropriate shelf.
    “My wife was a nurse,” he replied, his voice tender. “What sizes?”
    As we rattled off our sizes, I noticed At hen and Cyril’s demeanor begin to change. They both took a seat near the cash register and began quietly speaking. In my mortal state I couldn’t hear what they were saying, which was a bit aggravating. Arie looked over at me and wrinkled her nose. She was feeling the same thing as I was. We both tried on our shoes quickly . I could tell she wanted to get over to the guys as much as I did to find out what they were thinking.
    “ So you’ll be working at Valley Hospital?” the salesman asked. “That’s a great place to work.”
    “No,” I replied , shaking my head . “We’re over at Masons.”
    “Oh,” he said slowly. He became quiet and glanced up at Arie and then back at the counter as he packaged our purchase.
    Athen slid his hand on my shoulder, and I knew this wasn’t making him any calmer. “What do you know of Masons Hospital ?”
    The man’s hands began trembling as he placed everything in the bag. Several moments went by before he said anything. Finally he looked into my eyes. The sadness couldn’t be hidden and neither could the fear.
    “You both need to be careful there ,” the man replied at long last. “Many go in and never come out.”
    “ Patients ?” I asked.
    He shook his head . “Workers. ”
    How long had this been going on? My visions made it seem like a new incident, but what if it wasn’t?
    “For how long?” Athen asked.
    “I lost my wife to that wretched place four years ago,” he replied, grabbing a handkerchief out of his pocket.
    “I’m so sorry, Mr.?” I whispered, hoping to be able to piece together who his wife might be once inside.
    “ Tony . You can call me Tony. My wife’s Charlotte. She went in there determined to help the patients , and before long she started confusing fact and fiction. She became so immersed she couldn’t separate herself from what she saw inside those four walls. She became one of them. ”
    “ One of who ?” I asked, my throat becoming dry.
    “The possessed,” he replied. “ She’s gone now.”
    “I’m so sorry your wife passed away,” Arie whispered.
    He shook his head, his lips forming a tightened crease . “Oh, she’s very much alive, if you can call it that.”
    Athen squeezed my shoulder , and Cyril grabbed the bag from the man.
    “Girls, be careful,” he whispered again.
    “Thank you for sharing.” I nodded. “And we’ll be extra careful.”
    The emptiness in the pit of my stomach began growing. How lon g had this hospital been active?
    Out on the street we were all in a daze. If the dark demons had been using this hospital as a front for so long then why only now was I getting the premonitions.
    Athen held my hand as we continued walking down the street. We were expected at the hospital in less than an hour, and now what I really wanted was to act like it never existed. But I couldn’t do that. Those people needed us.
    The sidewalk was beginning to fill up with families. H usbands and wives holding hands; children bundled in their coats staring at the Christmas window displays. The large red velvet bows hanging on the lamp posts began flapping as the breeze picked up. It was quickly turning into a brisk evening, signaling winter had arrived along with the holidays. Seeing the festive mood of everyone around us left me with a sense of hope — a gentle reminder of what I was fighting for.
    “I’m going to be okay. We’re going to be just fine,” I finally said, stopping to look into Athen’s eyes.
    “I know, angel. It’s what you do best .” He smiled as I stood on my tippy