ECHOES OF THE DAMNED (ENG)

CHAPTER V - Birthday Revelation

Matheo paced back and forth outside the hospital, his phone raised high in the air, the dim glow of the screen casting long shadows across his face. The night was eerily silent, the only sound his own footsteps crunching on the gravel. He stopped and glanced at his phone again. Still no signal.

Frustrated, he pocketed it and turned back toward the hospital. A cold gust of wind swept through the trees, causing the branches to sway and creak like ancient bones. He shivered, pulling his jacket tighter around him. Then, his eyes drifted toward the parking spot where he'd left the car.

Empty.

Matheo froze. His pulse quickened. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, but the spot remained empty. The car was gone.

'What the fuck...' he muttered under his breath, heart beginning to pound in his chest.

His frustration bubbled into anger. First, no signal. Now, the car had disappeared. Someone must have moved it. Someone was messing with him. His friends? No. They were inside, and there was no way they would pull something like this. Not now, not in this godforsaken place.

Grabbing his flashlight from his pocket, Matheo flicked it on and began scanning the area. The narrow beam cut through the dark like a knife, illuminating twisted trees, overgrown shrubs, and the crumbling façade of the hospital. But no car.

Minutes passed, and with each one, his frustration grew. He stalked through the parking lot, the beam of his flashlight shaking slightly as his hand trembled with anger. He kicked at rocks, checked around the old building, but the car was nowhere to be found.

Then, the noises began.

It started with a soft whisper, almost like the wind, but there was something else. A voice? Matheo stopped in his tracks, swiveling his head toward the trees. He shone the flashlight into the woods, its beam bouncing off the dark trunks.

Nothing.

The whispering grew louder, joined by a low rustling sound. He whipped the light around again, heart hammering against his ribs. He could feel it-something just beyond the edge of the light, just out of sight, watching him.

His head started to ache. A familiar sensation crept over him, the same he'd felt earlier-his heart pounding unevenly in his chest, dizziness blurring his vision, fatigue like a lead weight pulling him down. His breath quickened as a wave of nausea hit him.

'Not now,' he muttered, clutching his chest, his legs wobbling beneath him. He took a few stumbling steps forward, his flashlight wavering as his body swayed. The whispers turned into soft, mocking laughter, circling him from every direction.

Matheo's vision swimming as the ground seemed to tilt beneath him. The cold air felt like it was suffocating him now, pressing in on him from all sides. His hand slipped, the flashlight falling to the ground with a thud, its beam flickering wildly across the grass. The whispers grew louder, the mocking laughter ringing in his ears.

His knees buckled, and Matheo collapsed onto the cold ground. He gasped for breath, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would explode. Darkness closed in, creeping into the corners of his vision. His limbs felt like lead, the cold seeping into his bones. His last thought before everything went black was a desperate, fading curse.

When Matheo awoke, it was to an overwhelming stench of rot and dampness. His body felt cold, pressed against a hard, uneven surface. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, but the world around him was shrouded in darkness. The only light came from faint, flickering sources around the edges of the room, casting long shadows against the walls.

He was not outside anymore.

He was in the basement.

He blinked, trying to adjust his vision, his mind struggling to piece together what had happened. 'Now what?' he murmured as he slowly sat up, the cold air biting at his exposed skin. Then, he saw them.