Night Walkers - Halloween 2023

Chapter 25

I gasped for air as I jerked awake, sending waves of agony through my body. I took a deep breath, as I scanned my surroundings. I was lying on a thin mattress; my neck and shoulder were wrapped in bandages. A thin blanket was covering my legs from the waist down. There were IV tubes stemming from my arm and a heart monitor beeped annoyingly beside the bed.

I was in the hospital; Alive.

I was sure I died in that forest. The last thing I remember is the faces of those hideous monsters and the pain I felt, as their teeth tore into my flesh.

I vaguely remember the feeling of being lifted and floating. At the time, I thought it was my soul being taken away to wherever it was supposed to go; but now it must have been someone carrying me to safety.

My eyelids grew heavy. As I was about to doze off, a familiar figure entered my room.

"You're awake." His voice was a sweet melody to my ears. He sat in the chair beside the bed and scooped my hand into his, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Amellia. I broke my promise to you. I wasn't there to protect you."

"It's okay." My voice was faint and hoars. "I'm just glad you are here now."

"I love you, Amellia."

"I love you too, Carson."

He flashed his sweet smile I treasured so dearly.

Then a nurse entered my room. "Oh, you're awake. Who are you talking to, sweetie?"

"My fiancé, Carson. He came to visit."

The nurse gave me a look of confusion. "There's no one else in here with you."

"He's right here." I turned my head to look at Carson again and to my surprise, he was gone. No trace of him was left behind, not even the feeling of his hands around mine. "He was right here." I corrected.

"A hallucination, probably. You have quite the infection raging through your body right now." The nurse explained.

"How long have I been in here?" I asked.

"Three days now. You have been unconscious through them."

"Oh. Has Carson not come to visit me at all?"

"Sweetie, it hasn't been safe for anyone to leave their homes these past few days. Since whatever General Williams and his men did, the Nelemec have been extremely active; even during the day."

"Really?"

She nodded.

The room fell into silence once more. Outside the window, the sun was beginning to dip down behind the trees, preparing to hand us over to the horrors of night. The curfew sirens began to blare, and the nurse seemed to tense in her place, as she finished checking my IV fluids. The sense of dread filled the room, threatening to suffocate the two of us. The nurse dismissed herself from my room, as the sirens ceased, marking the official beginning of everyone's living nightmares; or according to the nurse, intensifying everyone's living nightmares. Hopefully, everyone is safely locked away in their homes until morning.

Moments later, loud footsteps slapped against the floor in the hallway, as someone ran towards my room. Then a familiar face peeked through the doorway.

He approached my bed, chest heaving as he took in deep breaths after running. "Hey. I can't believe you're alive. When I heard what had happened, Skyler and I thought for sure we had lost you." Roland stated.

I smiled a weak smile. "I told you; I'm going to die when I'm old and grey."

He chuckled. He sat in the seat beside my bed and gently took my hand into his. His smile faded. "I'm leaving tonight."