Head Banger - Horror Short Story
INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Faint crying is heard from the hallway while MARINA (BMT night nurse in her early twenties) rips wings off the paper butterflies. Her expression is blank until KRISTEN (a fellow nurse around Marina’s age) places a hand on her shoulder, startling her.
KRISTEN
Whoa, easy there.
(laughs)
You okay?
Marina hands her the last paper butterfly that she didn’t destroyed.
MARINA
Could you put this on room four’s door?
KRISTEN
Nathan room? What happened?
MARINA
(tight lipped)
He’s not gonna make it ‘til morning.
KRISTEN
Damn, that’s the third kid this week.
MARINA
They always die in threes.
Marina drops her head into her hands. Kristen takes a moment to pull herself together before adding tape to the paper butterfly.
KRISTEN
I never understood why brown butterflies.
(scoffs)
I thought they brought good luck.
MARINA
Not in this hospital.
Kristen looks down the hall. She can hear muffled crying.
KRISTEN
If you need to talk you know where
to find me.
Marina simply nods her head.
BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. PATIENT ROOM - NIGHT
Nathan (an eight year old boy with leukemia) doesn’t flinch when Marina pierces a needle in his vein. She smiles down at him when she’s done hooking up the medicine, then glances at he’s disheveled parents crammed on a tiny couch
BACK TO PRESENT: HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Kristen trudges over to room 4, the sobs get louder the closer she gets. After pasting the butterfly to the door. A close up is shown on the butterfly, it reads, “Please respect the privacy of this room.”
INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Marina tries not to drift off when she looks down at Nathan’s chart. She brushes one tear away and starts tapping her head with the tip of her pen when her eyes flutter closed. Replaced shortly with the palm of her hand slapping her head.
MARINA
Wake. Up!
She starts slamming her hand hard against her head.
BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Marina yawns, squinting at her chart. She glances at the numbers on the chart and chemo bag she received, but doesn’t realize the numbers are different.
BACK TO PRESENT: INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Marina continues slapping her head until the numbness kicks in. Once that feeling is gone she tries to bang her head again but her hand goes right through her skull, like a ghost. The crying from the hall earlier comes back to ring in her ears.
MARINA
Sh-shut up!
Making out her reflection on the cold steel desk an idea comes to mind. She whacks her head down on the desk, but it goes through, as if nothing happened.
MARINA (CONT'D)
(groans)
- She angles her head toward the corner of the desk and rams it.
- Cut to her actually hitting her head on the corner of the desk, blood soaks in her hair.
- She then stands up to get better leverage, but she doesn’t make a dent.
- Cut to Marina puncturing her skull again, blood drips off the desk.
- She grads her pen, focusing on it’s pointed end and contemplates. She jams it and twists it into her skull. It does no harm.
- Cut to the pen reaching deep into her brain. Getting tangled in her hair and parts of her scalp each time she rips it out.
- The crying gets louder and louder.
MARINA (CONT'D)
(crying)
Defeated she lays her perfectly intact head down on the desk. Turning her face to rest on her cheek.
INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Kristen turns the corner and freezes when she sees Marina. Her eyes are still open when blood drips from her head down to her finger tips. Red stains the floor and desk. Her skull is cracked open
KRISTEN
Holy shit... Marina!?
Kristen runs over to check on her. Glancing at the bloody pen.
KRISTEN (CONT'D)
What the hell did you do?!
(calls out)
Help!
Kristen desperately calls the medics downstairs. Faint footsteps are heard before a few more nurses run over. They stop to stare at the site before them. Kristen answers their silent question.
KRISTEN (CONT'D)
(shaking)
I have no idea. I walked in here and sh-she was like this!
There is silence when the nurses try to check out Marina’s skull until the emergency medics get there. Kristen cries as she holds on to Marina’s hand.
BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. PATIENT ROOM - NIGHT
Marina notices tiny crystals in the chemo medicine bag. Something is off. She stops for a moment and yawns.
MARINA
Huh?
(to herself)
Jesus, you’re losing your mind.
BACK TO PRESENT: INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Marina is shown still resting her head to one side, but alive and breathing. No one is around her as more tears fall down.
BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Marina arrives at her desk, taking a closer look at the numbers one last time and drops her chart.
MARINA
Shit shit shit.
She darts back to her patient’s room.
BACK TO PRESENT: INT. NURSE STATION
The medics lay her down on the floor. Blood runs over her open eyes. It’s too late.
BEGIN FLASHBACK: INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Marina is telling the family about her mistake. Nathan’s family points their fingers at her. She quickly takes out the medication but doesn’t know if it’ll help.
MARINA
(faintly heard)
Sometimes the pharmacy makes mistakes and gives us the wrong formula.
NATHAN’S MOM
(faintly heard)
And you didn’t think to double check?!
Marina is at a loss for words.
BACK TO PRESENT: INT. NURSE STATION - NIGHT
Continues to cut between her being unhurt and bludgeoned to death.
CUT TO:
INT. PATIENT ROOM - DAY
Nathan is still alive and seems completely stable despite his red puffy eyes.
INT. NURSE STATION - DAY
Marina’s perfectly fine head lays on her desk when small brown butterfly lands on her hand. She looks at it as it eventually flies off.
END OF STORY