The Lake House

The Final Chapter

The Lake House final chapter

I woke up to the sound of helicopters and news reporters around the hospital; dying to hear the story of what happened in the forest. The detective I had met Yesterday who was put on this case was sitting next to my bed; and seemed bored. He was quite attractive; maybe 3 years older than me. His blue eyes met mine and he smiled.

"Ah. Finally. How are we feeling?" He said in a friendly voice.

I tried to speak but my throat was like sand paper. I couldn't remember the last time I had a drink of water. He seemed to read my thoughts and handed me the glass of water on my bedside table.

I took a big sip, practically sculling the water. The young detective who introduced himself as David Esposito looked at me in awe.

"Thirsty, are we?" He said teasingly.

As he said that a nurse walked in, saw the empty glass in my hand, and grabbed it. "Refill?" She asked rhetorically.

"Where are my parents?" I asked.

The smile disappeared on his young face.

"I have a few questions to ask about--"

I interrupted him.

"Answer my question, detective" I said sternly.

"We don't know where your parents are at this moment. They have not been located yet. We have eyes looking out for them. They seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth."  He said in one breath.

We sat there in silence for a while for me to process the news.

"What do you remember from the last few days?"

I thought for a while. "I remember finding my phone In a shed. Pete's shed."

He stopped me. "Pete? Who's this Pete?"

"A friend of mine. We've been best friends for years."

"Do you think he has something to do with your kidnapping?"

I stared at him for a while, swallowed hard and said, "detective, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a nap. I'm not feeling very well."

He seemed displeased but unwillingly got up and walked out of the room saying, "as you please, miss."

I pretended to go to sleep to make sure he's gone. After a while I opened my eyes and looked around. The nurse walked in with a glass and pitcher with water and set it down next to me. "Do you need anything else?" She asked pleasantly.

"No thanks." I said with a smile.

When she left I looked around the room. I don't recognize this hospital. There was a window to my right and by the view I could tell I was not on a ground floor. I had a needle in my arm that I figured was a drip. A heart monitor was beeping in my ears. I sat up I'm my bed and pulled out all the apparatuses that were attached to me. I set my feet down on the cold hospital floor and stood up. My legs Felt like jelly and I nearly fell back onto the bed, but I regained my balance. My legs were really sore.

Slowly I walked towards the door, trying not to lose my balance. I opened the door slowly and peered into the hall. There was no one in sight.

I quickly shut the door, walked to my bedside table, opened the drawer and got my clothes out. I took off the hospital gown and put on the clothes.

Unmarked I slipped out of the hospital room and into the hallway. I walked past the nurse who was in my room before and looked down. She did not recognize me. I got to the food court and saw the detective enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper. I saw an elevator and impatiently waited for it, being right in the detectives view should he look up. The elevator door opened and I quickly hopped in. There was no one else in the elevator. I hit the "ground floor" button. The elevator informed me that I was on the second floor.

I felt the elevator moving downwards and quickly stopped again.

Someone was getting on on the first floor.

The doors opened and a man got on who I recognized.

He stood next to me facing the doors as they closed. I smiled, still looking at the doors and said, "mission accomplished."

In the elevator reflection I saw him smile at me and said, "good."

"And the targets? where are they now? and May I ask why you were so interested in the forest? snakes aren't exactly my cup of tea." He said.

"Let's just say I had some unfinished business I had to take care of. And as for the targets, they are taken care of. As far as they're concerned I'm the victim here."

The doors opened again. We stepped out and walked in different directions.

We would never speak of this again. That's how the game works.

The end