CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST NIGHT
1123 Words
Hospitals are never truly quiet. Even in the dead of night, there’s always something—machines breathing, distant footsteps, the faint hum of electricity crawling through the walls. But that night… Something was wrong.
Harith lay still on the hospital bed, eyes wide open. He didn’t dare close them. The room was dim, lit only by a weak overhead lamp that flickered every few seconds, as if struggling to stay alive. Shadows stretched unnaturally along the walls, thin and trembling.
Watching.
Waiting.
He kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. Because the moment he looked away… He knew he would see it again.
The man in the corner. At first, Harith tried to convince himself it was a hallucination. The doctor said it could happen.
“Your brain is adjusting,” they told him.
“Visual distortions are normal.”
But hallucinations don’t breathe. And that thing… Was breathing.
Inhale.
Slow.
Deep.
Wet.
Harith swallowed hard, his throat dry.
“Just sleep…” he whispered to himself. “Just close your eyes…”
But his body refused. Because every instinct inside him screamed. If you close your eyes… it will move. The clock on the wall ticked. Each second louder than the last.
12:13 AM.
The light flickered again. And this time.. He couldn’t stop himself. Harith turned his head..The corner of the room came into view.The man was still there. Standing exactly where he had been before.
Too still.
Too straight.
Like something pretending to be human.
Its face remained hidden in shadow, even though the light was strong enough to reveal everything else. That alone… Was wrong. Harith’s chest rose and fell rapidly.
“Who are you…?” he whispered.
No response. The man didn’t move. Didn’t blink..Didn’t breathe—
Inhale.
Harith froze. It wasn’t the man..The sound came from somewhere else. Behind him. Right next to his bed. Harith’s blood ran cold.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
He turned his eyes toward the side of the bed. Nothing. Just empty space. But the air. Felt heavier.
Closer.
Exhale.
Warm.
Against his cheek..Harith jerked violently, nearly falling off the bed.
“No—no—no—”
The curtain beside him swayed slightly..But the windows were closed. The breathing stopped. Silence returned. For a moment… Everything felt normal again.
Then, The man in the corner… Moved. Just a little. His head tilted. Harith’s heart nearly stopped. Because this time...
He saw its face.
Not clearly.
Never clearly.
But enough.
Skin stretched too tight. Eyes too deep. Mouth slightly open. As if it was trying to remember how to be human. Harith squeezed his eyes shut.
“No… this isn’t real… this isn’t real…”
But the moment darkness covered his vision. He saw it even clearer. Right in front of him. Closer than before. Its face inches away from his own.
Its breath...
Rotten.
Cold.
Harith screamed and opened his eyes. The room snapped back.
The man...
Gone.
The corner..
Empty.
Silence.
He gasped for air, his entire body shaking.
“It’s not real… it’s not real…”
But something deep inside him whispered
It is.
Time passed. Slow. Painfully slow. The clock now read 2:47 AM. Harith hadn’t moved. Hadn’t blinked more than necessary. Hadn’t dared to look anywhere except straight ahead.
Until. He heard footsteps. Soft. Dragging. Coming from the hallway outside his room. Relief washed over him.
“Someone’s here…”
The footsteps stopped at his door. A shadow appeared beneath the gap.
“Hello?” Harith called out.
No answer.
The door creaked open. A nurse stepped inside. At least It looked like a nurse.
White uniform.
Neat hair.
Head slightly lowered.
“Can you help me?” Harith said quickly, desperation leaking into his voice. “There’s something wrong—”
The nurse didn’t respond. She just stood there.
Not moving.
Not breathing.
Harith’s voice faltered.
“…hello?”
⸻
Slowly... The nurse lifted her head. Her face was wrong.
Too pale.
Too still.
Her eyes...
Empty.
Black.
Like holes.
Harith’s stomach dropped.
“…you’re not—”
The nurse’s lips twitched. Then stretched. Into a smile that split too far across her face. And suddenly. She was right beside his bed.
Too fast.
Impossible.
Harith recoiled, crashing into the headboard.
“How did you—?!”
The nurse leaned closer. Her face inches from his. Her black eyes staring straight into his. And then. She spoke. But her mouth didn’t move. The voice came from inside his head.
“You can see us.”
Harith froze. Cold flooded his veins. The nurse tilted her head.
“He sees us.”
Her voice changed. Layered. Like multiple voices speaking at once.
“He sees us.”
“He sees us.”
“He sees us.”
The room grew darker. Harith’s vision blurred. Not from tears. From movement. Behind her. Dozens of shapes began to form.
Standing.
Crawling.
Hanging from the ceiling.
All watching him.
All smiling.
All whispering the same thing—
“He sees us.”
Harith screamed.
“STOP—!”
⸻
The lights exploded. Darkness swallowed everything.
Silence.
When the lights flickered back on. The room was empty.
No nurse.
No shadows.
No figures.
Just Harith.
Alone.
Shaking.
Morning came like nothing had happened. Doctors entered. Nurses followed. Bright light filled the room. Everything looked normal. Too normal.
“Did you sleep well?” the doctor asked.
Harith stared at him.
Long.
Silent.
Then...
“…how many people came into my room last night?”
The doctor frowned.
“…no one.”
Harith’s stomach dropped.
“No nurse?”
“No.”
Silence.
“Are you sure?” Harith whispered.
The doctor nodded.
“Your room was monitored all night.”
Harith’s hands began to tremble. Because he remembered something. Something he didn’t notice before. When the nurse stood beside him… Her reflection. Wasn’t in the mirror.
That night. Harith made a decision. He would pretend. Pretend he couldn’t see them. Pretend everything was normal. Because if they believed he could see them… Something inside him knew It would get worse.
The lights turned off. The room fell into darkness once more. Harith lay still. Eyes open. Heart pounding.
Minutes passed. Nothing happened.
Silence.
Relief slowly crept in. Maybe it was over. Maybe—
“Good…”
The whisper came from the darkness. Right beside his ear.
“Pretend…”
Harith’s entire body froze.
“We like it… when you pretend.”
Slowly—
Very slowly...
Something cold… Wrapped around his wrist.
Tight.
Unseen.
Unmistakably real.
“But we can still feel you looking.”
Harith’s eyes widened. Because in the darkness. He wasn’t the only one awake. Something was lying beside him.
Breathing.
Smiling.
Waiting.
End of Chapter 2 🔥
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