SOUL SNATCHERS

CHAPTER 6

"We're here, Rose, we're here!" The man gently shook Rose's shoulder.

Terrified, Rose continued screaming with her eyes tightly shut, pushing the man away from her.

"Rose, it's me, Dad," he said again. She could hear her little brother, Julius, crying and calling her name. Fear held her back from opening her eyes.

"Rose, what's wrong?" Her mother's worried voice reached her, and she saw her mother holding Julius outside the car. Rose was still sobbing and screaming desperately.

"Rose, calm down. We're here now," her father reassured her, his arms bleeding from the scratches. Rose cautiously opened her eyes and saw her father. She closed them again, still trembling, but then she couldn't resist embracing him tightly. Roland held his daughter close and comforted her.

"Shh... Father's here now. No need to be afraid; it's just a dream," he said, looking at his wife with a smile.

"You'll be alright now. Calm down," he added. Rose clung to her father, still scared but finding solace in his presence.

"It's just a dream, ate Rose, a very bad dream, like the ones I have in my room," Julius said, approaching his sister. "Mom said they're not real, so don't be afraid. I even kicked a monster hiding inside my closet," he added, trying to console her. Rose looked at her little brother and smiled. She gently touched his face and nodded.

Edna, her mother, held her daughter tightly and then cupped her face, kissing her forehead. Tearfully, she asked, "What's wrong, Rose?"

"I... I saw the woman, the woman from the accident... she was taken by a shadow," Rose said, her forehead glistening with sweat as she stared outside the car.

Edna chose to ignore what Rose said and tried to comfort her. "Okay... all you have to do now is forget about that dream," she said, hoping to ease her daughter's anxiety.

"No, Mom, it's real. I even saw the man who died instantly in the accident; he's here, that's why I screamed in fear," Rose explained urgently. Edna glanced at her husband, Roland, who merely shrugged.

"Alright, guys, I need to go to the hotel's front desk to check our reservations," Roland said, breaking the tension, and stepped out of the car.

"Rose, it's just a dream, okay? They are not real. Maybe you've been watching or reading horror stories with your friends again, isn't it?" Edna tried to soothe her daughter.

"No, Mom, you don't believe me, do you?" Rose replied, her voice tinged with frustration.

"Rose..." Edna said gently, caressing Rose's face.

"Fine..." Rose unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her backpack, and stepped out of the car. Edna was taken aback by her daughter's sudden change in attitude.

"What's wrong with her, Mom?" Julius asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Rose's not feeling well, sweetie," she replied, trying to calm her youngest son.

"Hmm... maybe she needs my medicine to make her feel better," Julius suggested with innocence. Edna smiled at her son's thoughtful gesture and followed Roland to the hotel's lobby.

Meanwhile, Rose stood near a lamp post in the hotel's parking area. She unzipped her backpack and took out her cell phone. As she turned it on, she noticed a flurry of messages and missed calls from Karl. She read and replied to each message and then dialed Karl's number, waiting for him to answer. While waiting, she glanced around the area and saw her mother unloading their bags from the car, while Julius chatted away. Guilt washed over her for her earlier behavior towards her mother; she couldn't fathom why she had acted that way. With a sigh, she refocused on her phone's screen and noticed the time: 9:23 in the evening. Just then, she saw Julius walking towards her with his innocent smile.