Chapter 14: The Woman in Room 307
359 Words
Damian stared at the empty hospital bed.
His grandmother...
...was gone.
"Lock down the hospital!"
His voice thundered through the corridor.
"No one leaves until every floor is searched."
Security guards rushed in every direction.
Doctors and nurses exchanged frightened looks.
Ariana picked up the white rose from the pillow.
There was something unusual about it.
She turned it over.
A tiny silver tag was tied to the stem.
Engraved on it were three numbers.
307.
"Damian..."
She held up the tag.
"I think this means something."
He looked at it.
"Room 307."
The two of them ran down the hallway.
Outside Room 307, the lights flickered.
The door was slightly open.
Damian slowly pushed it.
The room was empty.
Except for an old woman sitting beside the window.
She wore a faded blue hospital gown.
Her gray hair covered most of her face.
Without turning around, she spoke.
"I knew you'd come."
Damian froze.
"Who are you?"
The woman smiled faintly.
"I was your mother's nurse."
His heart skipped a beat.
"My... mother's?"
"I looked after her during the last weeks of her life."
Damian clenched his fists.
"My parents died in a car accident."
The woman finally turned.
"No."
"They were murdered."
Silence.
Ariana felt a chill run through her body.
The old nurse reached into her pocket and handed Damian a small brass key.
It was beautifully carved.
A tiny silver emblem was engraved on it.
"The Silver Key..."
she whispered.
"Your mother asked me to keep it safe until the day you were ready."
Damian's hands trembled as he accepted it.
Before he could ask another question...
A loud bang echoed through the room.
The window shattered.
A bullet struck the wall inches from Damian's head.
"Get down!" Ariana screamed.
The old nurse pushed Damian to the floor.
A second shot rang out.
This time...
The bullet hit her.
She collapsed into Damian's arms.
Blood spread across her blue gown.
With her final breath, she whispered...
"The truth..."
"...is hidden beneath Blackwood Manor."
Her eyes closed forever.
Outside the broken window...
A black motorcycle disappeared into the darkness.
Someone had been watching them all along.
- Writer
