Yesterday was different.

I've been at work for a week. I work at a residential/dementia home. I worked on the dementia unit yesterday.

The house is a U-shape, with roughly 6 rooms on each side of the walls on the 3 coridoors. Ruby's is number 6. I had been warned about her by my cautious and caustic colleagues.

"Be careful of her nails."

Will do.

"She urinates in her cupboard."

Lovely.

"She's known to bite."

Bite. Sure...

So I walk down towards her room, slowly mind. I tell myself this is because I'm looking around so I recognise the place better. Room 15, John Ashton. Below the number is a photo of ol' Johnny craning his neck and straining his sunken, red eyes. Room 12, Phyliss Sheppard... Ah, I'm not really familiarising myself with my surroundings, there are other reasons I'm taking my time.

The door to number 6 opens.

Walking into the room was like entering a quarantine zone. Even the air felt dead here. Dust and dead skin floated in the sunbeam, as if God's own Dyson vacuum cleaner was facing the window and had been put on reverse. Cups and saucers lay long forgotten about on the window ledge. I could hear the inevitable dripping tap struggling through the heavy silence from the bathroom. I'll have to have a smoke break before tackling in there. Ah, the silence...

Ruby was dead still in her bed, curled up and facing the wall. I couldn't hear her breathing. Entirely unsure of what to do, I edged towards her bed, each moment more aware of my innocence, right until I was leaning over her when I noticed it. The air did have death entwined with it's weightless waves. Ruby had blood all around her mouth and on her bedsheets, but Ruby was breathing. Next to her lay the animal given to the house by PetTherapy, Varley the cat. Varley the black and white cat. Varley the black and white and red all over cat. Laying limp by Ruby's head with knife marks and bite marks covering it's carcass. I had best press the emergency bell.

Welcome to Hill Haven Residential Home.

"She's known to bite..."

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