Death: The Awakening

When the clock struck midnight, I turned eighteen. It was my birthday—but not my real one. None of us knew our true birthdays. The day we were found at the orphanage doorstep, or wherever the nuns picked us up, became the day we were forced to celebrate. And once we learned what kind of place this was, that day became the worst reminder of all. The silence of the night pressed against me. The old clock on the wall ticked louder than usual, each sound echoing in the empty dormitory. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my reflection in the cracked mirror. "Such bad luck..." I whispered, my voice barely audible. The mirror reflected not only my face but the faint shadows of the room. Behind me, the door creaked open. Katherine stepped inside, her presence soft and familiar. She walked toward me, her smile gentle, as if she carried light wherever she went. "Happy birthday, my dear Lou," she said warmly, picking up the hairbrush from the vanity. "Look how fast time flies—you're eighteen now!" She brushed my long dark hair with slow, careful strokes. Katherine was the eldest orphan here. She had lived through more than any of us, and somehow carried it all alone. The children from her batch had vanished after being sent to the administration. Rumors said they were never heard from again. I often wondered how she managed to stay kind after everything she had seen. A cold touch against my neck pulled me back to reality. I looked down and saw a necklace—its pale blue stone and small diamond gleaming like crystal in flowing water. "I found it in your box in one of the nuns' offices," Katherine explained softly. "It might be from your parents. It's beautiful, so don't lose it." From my parents? I sneered. Because of them, I am in this place that I could describe as hell. I frowned. "But... aren't you afraid they'll find out you sneaked in?" She only shrugged, sitting on my bed with a calm smile. "They already did." "What?!" I shot up in shock. "Shh! Don't wake the children," she whispered, glancing around. "They caught me, but they let it go. I wasn't punished, so don't worry." You weren't punished for now but I know they will once everything is settled. Her words sounded casual, but I couldn't shake the fear. Katherine was more than a sister—she was like a mother to me. If the rumors were true, I couldn't bear to lose her. The speaker on the wall suddenly buzzed, breaking the moment. That is the sign we take the Vitamins, a suspicious one that we take every midnight. Katherine smiled again. "Let's wake the kids. It's time for vitamins."  I clutched the necklace tightly, unease twisting in my chest. Something felt wrong. --- We lined up as usual for the midnight vitamins. The dormitory smelled faintly of medicine, mixed with the dampness of old wood. The nuns moved down the line, their faces stern, their eyes cold. The pills were small, white, and tasteless. They claimed the vitamins helped us sleep soundly and stay active during the day. But I had a feeling they were something else. When it was my turn, the nun glared at me. "You..." she muttered. I ignored her, swallowed the pill, and showed her my tongue. She nodded and let me go. "Goodnight, everyone. Sweet dreams," Katherine said, tucking the children in before leaving. I felt a sting in my eyes, and my body suddenly weakened. That was the side effect. I felt sleepy. Not in my will, I closed my eyes and everything went black. --- Earlier, I had faked swallowing the pill, hiding it under my tongue and spitting it out during bathroom break. I smirked at my cleverness as I arranged my pillow under the blanket to look like I was asleep. Then I climbed up to the air vent above my bed—a perfect hiding spot. The air vent was dusty, the metal cold against my hands. My heart raced as I crouched inside, waiting. Footsteps echoed outside. I covered my mouth as the nuns entered, accompanied by a man in a tuxedo and hat. "Choose which one you like," Sister Elizabeth said. My blood ran cold. Choose? Like we were objects? All this time when we were asleep, we were chosen by strangers like we were in an auction, for what? He walked back and forth choosing kids wisely. Then he stopped by a boy just near my bed. The man lifted the boy onto his shoulder like a sack of rice. My body shook with rage, but I stayed hidden. They carried him into the administration office. I followed quietly, slipping inside after them. But I was shocked when I saw the room wasn't an office at all—it had three doors. I panicked, unsure which one they had entered, and chose one at random. Inside, I froze midway. Katherine was chained in the center of the room. Wounds are visible in her skin that I think made from the whipped and I knew who was behind it. That Nuns.. "Katherine..." My voice cracked as tears filled my eyes. For the first time, I cried and I felt pain in my chest as I saw her. When she heard me, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at me weakly. "L-Lou? What are you.. doing here?" Her voice cracked, she cried, struggling against the chains. I bit my lower lip and looked around. I couldn't just let her like that. I spotted a key hanging near the door, grabbed it, and unlocked her restraints. But before I could speak, she gripped my shoulder tightly. "Why are you here? I already told you earlier everything's going to be fine. And now you are here your life might be in danger. Go back to the others, right now. I can handle this." She was out of breath and stood up on her own. "You knew?" I was confused. She just looked at me. So she knew? She had kept it all secret. The nuns, the man—they were selling us. She was about to leave but I stopped her, "I'm coming with you," I said firmly. Her eyes widened in fear when she looked at me. "No! It's too dangerous." She looked around nervously, as if someone might walk in at any moment. "Whether you like it or not, I'll find out the truth. And reveal everything, I'll tell the police about what they are doing. This is human trafficking!" Her face saying what the hell is she even saying? I pushed past her, opening another door. It led to a back alley. Shadows loomed, and a white van sat in the distance. Katherine pulled me into behind a trash bin just as whispers approached. "Stay quiet. No matter what happens, don't scream," she whispered. I peeked out. The nuns were smiling, standing with the man. He removed his hat, revealing scales along his face. Suddenly, a piercing screech filled the air. My body weakened, ears ringing painfully. Katherine tried to calm me, she said something but I couldn't hear her. When that sound disappeared. "Lou, you're bleeding." She looked at my ear and wiped the blood from my nose. I was just about to breath calmly but then came another sound—bones cracking. I peeked again and froze. The man was changing. His flesh stretched, nails grew long, his mouth widened into rows of sharp teeth. A faceless monster stood before us. Cold sweat slid down my face. I wanted to scream, but no sound came. Because of fear I accidentally knocked over bottles, the clatter giving us away. I looked at her and panicked. "K-Katherine... what do we do?" My voice broke. She bit her lip, eyes darting. "Run. Take the kids away from here—!" Her words were cut short as the monster hurled her aside. Grabbing her just like an object and throwing her to the side. I saw how she flew on the wall and covered her with debris. I slowly looked above when a shadow covered me. My breath hitched as I saw its gaze locked on me. It lunged, but then I felt something cold against my neck. My necklace glowed, light spilling out. Strength surged through me, like an embrace. But it was just for a second. Everything turned white. The last thing I remembered was collapsing to the ground, my eyes closing as the light consumed me. What happened that night could never be forgotten.