When We Were Still Human by Vaughn Foster (best ereader for textbooks .txt) 📕

A

Eulogy

for Our Humanity

When We Were Still Human

By

Vaughn A. Foster JR

©Vaughn A. Foster Jr.

Published by

Your Favorite Uncle, LLC

P.O. Box 104

Martins Ferry, Ohio 43935

to Kara

Table of Contents

Part I:  Insatiable

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Interlude

Part II:  A Smile Carved in Blood

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Part III: Paradise

Interlude

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Epilogue

Outerlude

About the Author

1236 A.D.

What I am about to suggest may sound cruel. By the third race, our actions will be considered wicked. I swear on the Creator, inaction would be far worse. In our slothfulness we ignored the actions of Daemon. In our lust and greed for perfection, we let the Natural Order fall. Despite humanity’s weakness, we envied their creativity. When they proved they were beyond saving, we departed and lived as gluttons in the magnificence of Le Ciel. In our pride, we refused to see what was becoming of the world we abandoned, and now in our wrath, at both ourselves and a fallen creation, we shall make amends.

Cleansing this world with fire, and perhaps achieving godhood ourselves, we will start anew.

~Michael. First son of Reign.

Part I: Insatiable

The Angels lie, and you are their fifth transgression

They are coming, but we will save you from the saviors

Close your mind and open your soul

Chapter 1

July, 2019 AD

“It’s okay, sir,” Val soothed, trying to calm him down. The man had been ranting nonstop since he stumbled into the ER, and twenty minutes later, the nurse still hadn’t come back. The real nurse. Not Valerie Stevens. Not the almost-nurse who was still in the middle of practicum. The pile-up on I-72 had scattered everyone throughout the hospital and left Val to attempt to handle the situation.

“What’s okay?!” the patient screeched. He lashed out and yanked her close. A scream started then died in her throat as she fought to break free. “The shadows!” he roared. “Pl-pleas—just let it end. G-get it out of me! I- I would rather die, I didn’t ask for this!”

Val could feel her heart blasting in her chest. Hard enough to rip free of its tendons, break through the layers of rib, and sternum, and pectoralis major until it burst from its cage. She met his wild, pleading eyes. They were looking for something. Safety. Understanding. Belief.

She looked away.

“Sir,” she breathed, forcing the syllable into existence. “Can you please let go of my arm?”

“Oh my god, you stupid girl!” She flinched, expecting him to strike out. Instead, his grip got tighter, if it was even possible. “Can’t you understand the situation you’re putting me in?!”

Val gulped. Any cry for help was locked in her throat by fear. She stole another glance at the curtain, but no one came. The intercom was still barking orders and updates, and she could hear the staff rushing between the other rooms. How had no one heard him? The second the real nurse left, the guy just snapped. The man had gone from whimpering in pain to violent in the blink of an eye.

Sweat poured off his face in sheets. His chest heaved and the stench of cigarette smoke flooded her nostrils.

“I- I understand,” Val stammered, hoping for some stride in calming him down. For a second, his grip relaxed, and she furthered her effort to follow his ravings. “Please, walk me through what happened again.”

He threw her hand aside and grabbed his head in frustration.

“I already told you!” He kicked down on the mattress then winced at the movement. “The nosferatu—”

“Yes, sir,” Val said quickly, stepping around the bed so they were eye to eye. His red jacket was dirty and worn and his face resembled an ashen mask more than it did skin. Whatever was wrong, it was getting worse. She swallowed the bubbling fear; he had to come first. “I’m just not sure what a nosfer—”

“I’m so sorry for the wait,” a man's voice quipped. Tyler, the head nurse on shift, entered the small room with one of the aides—Dillon—close on his heels.

“Good god, finally, someone competent,” the man growled through clenched teeth. His eyes met Val’s with a cold glare before shifting his attention. “You gotta help me, Doc.” He shakily tried to rise to his feet but fell back against the mattress.

The nurse’s presence renewed some of Val’s courage. She glanced across the room and met Dillon’s eyes. He gave her a look that said:

Don’t do anything stupid. Let Tyler handle this.

She contemplated listening. She would have been more than content to just walk out, grab her stuff, and leave Tyler to handle this mess.

Another whimper of pain broke the air, and her attention was yanked back to the man on the bed. She had to stick it out. There wouldn’t be any opportunities to skip over difficult patients in the real world.

“Please, sir, try to stay down,” she said, going to his side. His neck started to twitch and his fingers scratched furiously at the sheets.

“Get it out!”

Val started back, the momentary burst of courage already deceased. Sheepishly, she stole a glance at Dillon. Thankfully, his attention was too fixed on the patient. His legs and shoulders were tensed, but he didn’t move an inch from his corner.

Concern creased Tyler’s brow as his mind seemed to race through the numerous possibilities of what they were looking at. “Can you tell me what’s going on here?” he asked Val.

She handed him the