Josephine, filled with anger and the sense of fight or flight struggled violently against her restraints.  She kicked in futility and wiggled about like an undulating worm.  Dirt was kicked up in small clouds and it littered her dress and put a fine layer of grit in her hair that itched against her scalp.  But, she didn’t care.  She wanted freedom.  She wanted away from this awful man and his sickening view of the world.

“The hell you are! Let me go!” She shouted in rage and frantically moved around on the ground. She tried to pull the ropes apart but they were bound tight.  She attempted to rub them against nearby rocks but they were far too thick to even sever.  Her skin began to bleed as the ropes continued to dig into her burned flesh, red and throbbing.

“I will not,” his voice reached her ears like a cruel death sentence. “Your time has come.”

--

After Roana had searched the woods with the doctor and found nothing, she returned to Conversion Town.  She had nothing to show for her adventure but bruises and bumps.  Now that she had been moving around, the pain had dulled but every once in a while it still reminded her of tumble by shooting from her wounds and discomforting her when she moved too suddenly or in a way that her body didn’t like.

Despite this, she traveled to Red’s house as she promised to try and help ease his mind.  If anything, she was checking in with him to tell him that she was alright. After everything that had been happening, Roana felt that she owed him the peace of mind that she could not bring him with Josephine’s disappearance.

Red opened his door to see her and felt a huge sense of relief.  The last thing that he needed was for Roana to turn up missing or worse.

“I thought you may want to know that I’m alright,” Roana noted her condition first.

“I’m glad!” Red placed a hand to his chest in relief. He was so happy that nothing happened to her. “Man, I thought the ghost got you.”

What happened to Josephine had been reeling through his head, like a motion picture on repeat. The haunting screams, how he ran through the graveyard, covered in the perspiration of fear, the guilt he felt when he realized that he left her to the ghost’s devices. It haunted him and filled him with worry.  The last thing he wanted to do was see Roana possessed or killed by some evil specter.

“No,” Roana’s tone turned serious, “it seems I have much bigger problems on my plate.”

“Like what? Talk to me.” Red didn’t like the sound of that.

“Do you remember that legend about the mad plague doctor?” She asked.

“Oh yeah! Sure I do. I was into that before I found out about the ghost…but why are you bringing that up?” Red was into urban legends and the one about the mad doctor had been of particular interest due to an incident in his past.  It was more of a mystery to him than an enigma that he wished to prove the validity of.

In fact, given what he knew, it very well could have been true.  He had a hunch on who the mad doctor could have been, but he didn’t want to bank his theories entirely on his past.

The fact that Roana brought it up now caused a familiar nostalgia to bubble up in his being – a feeling that he had been trying to repress. Red couldn’t help but feel very on edge about where this could be going.

“He’s more than a legend.” Her voice took on a dark tone. All of what happened at the abandoned house came flooding back to her at that moment, and a flash of the silhouette of the figure that pushed her down the stairs invaded her psyche.

“It’s…real?” Red was a little surprised that she was confirming one of the legends that she, not long ago, was discounting.  “Roana, you don’t usually go along with me so something must have happened. What was it? Where’s Josephine? Is she okay?” 

When she was confirming his urban legends, he had reason to worry. What did she know?

“I…don’t know,” Roana turned her head away.  It pained her to know that she couldn’t give Red an answer that would put his soul at ease. She wanted so badly to say that she knew where Josephine was and that she would bring her back safely, but she couldn’t lie to anyone about that.

“What? You mean you haven’t seen her since the graveyard incident? What have you been doing all this time?” Red thought that she would have at least seen Josephine. Why was she not diligent about all of this? Josephine couldn’t have gone far! He knew it!

“I’ve been searching for her. I even brought someone with me to search but we both turned up with nothing.” Roana was a little irritated that Red would think that she wouldn’t look hard for her friend.

“Not even clues?” There had to be something.

“I was told a few things by the person who’s helping me.” It was all Roana could give him.

“Oh?” Red wanted to know.

“Do you remember that legend you told me about the plague doctor who wore a mask with red lenses and went around killing people?” Roana decided to bring that up again, due to its relevance.

“Yeah, what about it though? Didn’t you tell me that you didn’t believe that?” This was the point that Red was trying to establish prior, and why he was so caught off-guard by her rhetoric towards it in the first place.

“I’ve seen proof that it is real.”

“You have?! Where!?! I want to check it out!” Red’s voice flared up in a mixture of excitement and horror.  He wanted to be a part of this.  He wanted to know what was going on in the bigger picture, and he wanted to know if his speculation regarding the mad doctor was correct.

If the mad doctor was who he thought he was, then they had a whole different problem on their hands.

“There is a grave marker at a particular house and beneath it lies the body of a boy killed by the doctor. A girl told me about it. She claimed to be his sister, and the one who helped me search for Josephine confirmed it. He claims to know of this plague doctor and I believe him.” The doctor had no reason to lie to her, nor would she think that he would.  Everything they had investigated held truth, and Red needed to be aware of it.

“Who is the person helping you search? You never told me.” Red wondered if he knew whoever it was.  He wanted to thank them for helping out, because they didn’t have to. Whoever this person was, they were going out of their way to help them.  It was commendable.

“It’s the plague doctor. He saved me from being attacked by Josephine.” Roana said.

“So you saw her?” She didn’t tell him this.

“I went to look for her after the events of the graveyard and I found her in her bedroom but she…there was something wrong with her.  She had a wild look about her and she kept saying that she would send me to the great beyond. She must have knocked me out because I had horrible nightmares…and when I woke up, a plague doctor was staring down at me. I am unsure how he got into Josephine’s house but he has shown disregard for people’s privacy by entering unwelcomed.” Roana’s tone morphed into one of exasperation. “Perhaps he strolled in.”

Honestly, that enigma of a man was like a lost dog that just traveled wherever it wished, even if that meant going inside of someone’s house.  Roana decided that when they got to know each other enough, she would try and cure him of that nasty habit.  He was going to end up getting murdered if he didn’t stop that.  Not everyone in Conversion Town was so inviting to the beaked doctors.

“And he’s helping you? Are you sure he’s a legit doctor?” Red saw the warning signs from that one mention.  Why would Roana trust someone who just strolled around aimlessly and disregarded people’s belongings and privacy? He sounded like a vagrant to him.

“Yes, in fact I’m only here now because he had a patient to attend to.” Roana knew that the two of them would still be talking if that weren’t the case.  They got along quite well and they had a lot in common.  Despite his odd eccentricities, she enjoyed his presence.

“Have you ever seen him treat anyone?” Red wanted proof. He needed to hear something to know that this doctor wasn’t a fraud.

“I haven’t, but he’s offered to teach me what he knows. After we solve the mystery of Josephine’s disappearance I’m sure he’ll show me his craft. I bet he’s good at what he does. He’s quite knowledgeable about the subjects he knows about.” She could tell by the way he spoke, by the subjects that he spoke of and the standards that he set for himself that he had vast knowledge of his profession.  In fact, he reminded her of her mother and uncle with the things he had known.

“You trust this guy?” Red was very cautious of this man.  He seemed shady.

“I do.” Roana was completely confident in her decision. “I believe he knows what happened to Josephine and the mystery behind the murderous plague doctor.”

“I have a weird feeling about all of this.” There was something about this doctor that made Red feel on edge.  He’d never even seen him and he thought the doctor had all the makings of an insane homeless man.

“It’s merely because you don’t understand it. You know nothing of the man who helps me-“ Roana began, but she was cut off.

“How much do you know about him?” She acted so confident in this guy that she just met.  Red was confused at why she was defending him so vehemently.

“Enough to trust him and train to be his understudy,” Roana didn’t care if Red was suspicious.  Red wasn’t spending time with him to know what he was truly like.  She was the one who sought him out, day after day.  She saw more than most. Not to mention, he saved her life from the mad doctor and she couldn’t just let that slide so easily.

If he didn’t show some regard for her then he would have left her unconscious in the midst of the looming trees to die.

“I wonder what Tuscany would think of all of this?” Red mused aloud.  She was the bishop’s daughter and if anyone could tell him about news across town, it would be her.  He couldn’t assist Roana and this weird doctor, but he could gather intel.

“Do I need her rite of passage to accomplish my dreams?” Roana was angry.  She didn’t understand why he wanted to get someone involved that would rather see her dead.  She despised Tuscany and didn’t know why Red would disrespect her by bringing that horrible girl up.

“No, I just thought she would be upset, you know, about Josephine.” Red knew what he was talking about.  Roana may have hated her, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t need to be aware of the fact that her friend was missing.  It was cruel to withhold information from someone who cared about Josephine just as much as they did.

“Then tell her yourself.” Roana spun around; her wavy hair brushed across her skin and caused her flesh to tingle. “I’m busy and I don’t see you helping.”

“Hey, don’t get so defensive.” Red tried to calm the angry girl down.  He didn’t like it when she was like this.  Roana could turn from kind to cold on a dime and it did more than unease him. “I’m trying to help.”

Roana folded her arms across her chest. “Then act like you trust me to do my job.” She shot coldly.  She didn’t need Tuscany, or her mother, or anyone!  She knew what she was doing and so did the doctor.  The fact that Red kept questioning her like she was some sort of irresponsible child wiggled under her skin like a parasite.

“I do,” Red argued. “I can’t even tell my mom about any of this because I wasn’t supposed to be fooling around at the graveyard. She tells me to keep my ghost stories to myself or I’ll get accused of witchcraft.”

As much as he loved all of the paranormal stuff that he was into, he knew that he was taking a risk by being involved in it.  If anyone saw him, then he would hang high and he was quite aware of that.  His parents were worried about him talking too much in a fit of overexcitement.  Redway felt very isolated and alone in his beliefs, and the fact that he was discouraged from talking about them made him feel worse. In the past he had people who would listen to him and now it was only Roana and Josephine.

He had gotten in trouble many times by both his parents and ‘family’ when it came to hanging around areas that death occurred in and exploring things that he really shouldn’t have been.  Red had a dangerous hobby and they tried to keep him from it as much as they could.

However, it only allowed Red to explore it more than ever and push his limits.

“It’s best to be cautious in situations like this.” Roana’s voice was quieter, less angry and more sorrowful.

“I know.” Red looked down. “I just get excited and I feel like I have to tell someone, you know? I’m glad that you listen to me, Roana.”

Thank the heavens she didn’t judge him and even believed in paranormal entities like he did.  She was a good friend for not limiting or persecuting him for his opinions.  He appreciated her far more than she would ever be made aware. 

Red was madly in love with her, but kept his distance. He wanted nothing more than to protect her from people who were scummy, and that doctor was in his crosshairs if he dared to so much as lay a finger on her.  Those doctors were bad news and nothing good ever came from any of them.  He knew this for a fact.

Roana sighed and turned to him. She rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled gently. “That’s what friends are for, Redway.”

“What are you going to do if you find this man?” Red wondered if Roana had even thought about all of this past the searching aspect of it. He wanted to make sure that she had a Plan B, otherwise she would be walking right into the maw of the beast.

“I trust the doctor.” No matter what Red would say, her opinion would not waver.

“What if he gets you by yourself? I’m really worried about you. I don’t want you to end up dead.” Red had an intense fear of Roana being taken from him by the cruel hand of death, like others in his life.  So many people close to him had passed and he wasn’t going to sit by while another person was yanked from him, by a doctor of all things.

She could at least offer for him to go with her.  It would have made him feel better.

“There is no guarantee that he didn’t kill Josephine.” Red needed to concentrate on other things instead of her.  He knew that she was alive, he didn’t know if Josephine was.  She was the one who was truly in danger. Red should get his priorities straight.