Demise Game

10. therese's sigh

You awoke to pure sunlight blinding your visage, the walls around you a pristine white.  The smell of sterility infiltrated your nose, clean and crisp and vaguely uncomfortable.  Off to your left, a rhythmic beep! beep!

        It didn't take a genius to know you were in a hospital.

        The bed felt uncomfortable, the covers scratchy, but you felt drained as you tried to come up with the previous events that had led you here.  It's not like you hit your head; while slow as you scrunched through your memory, you were able to remember most of what had happened.

        The book, the elevator game, the demon, Natsume...

        A shuddering sigh left you as you threw your head back on the slightly-flattened pillow, blinking rapidly before you could risk crying.

        Fuck.

        Fuck!

        Mrow!

        Looking over just in time for Shiki to jump up on your bed, you were thankful the cat was here in the otherwise eerily empty hospital room.  Reaching out, he butt his head under your hand, immediately beginning to purr.  Would the nurses kick him out if they found him in here?  You couldn't be certain, but you didn't think animals were allowed in hospitals; still, you couldn't imagine him being kicked out.  He was your much-needed source of comfort right now.

        Thankfully, when the nurse came in, she didn't bat an eyelash at Shiki.  It was like he wasn't even there.  Instead, she was more concerned over you, checking your vitals and asking if you were in pain anywhere.  When she hadn't gotten any concerning answers from you, she patted your cheek, letting you know that everything looked good and that you should be set to go soon.

        And besides your mental state, which felt in shambles, physically you were okay.

        Knock knock.

        Standing at the door were two police officers, aged and looking as if they wanted to be anywhere but here.  The nurse bristled.

        "She just woke up, can't you two at least wait for her mother to get back?"

        Back?  Had your mom stopped by while you were out?

        One of the officers shook his head.  "We have a missing kid on our hands.  The sooner we get this done, the better," was his rebuttal.  The nurse leaned over to you.

        "If they give you any issues, you buzz that button here, alright?" she pointed out the red button by your bed.  "And you ask for Nurse Hirano, alright?"

        You nodded, and after shooting the two police officers a warning look, Nurse Hirano walked on out, sliding the door to your room shut and leaving you at the mercy of whatever interrogation you were going to be subjected to.

        "If you can start by stating your name for our records," the officer closest to the door, with shaved black hair, started.  "I am Officer Ogata and this here is my colleague Officer Terashima."  Officer Terashima was the one that had back-talked Nurse Hirano.

        Giving them your name, you fiddled with your blanket as you dutifully answered the next questions.  The school you went to, your year, any extracurriculars...  All basics, until they finally decided to cut to the chase and ask about the incident.

        "So it looks here that you were brought into the hospital at approximately just before four A.M, after you were found collapsed outside an office building by a couple of your classmates at Tokiwadai Technical School.  About four hours later, the parents of your fellow classmate and club member, A-me, reported her missing."  Officer Terashima leaned forward, lacing his fingers together as he stared at you.  "Now, A-me's parents swear up and down that she never left her room at night.  However, I have it on good authority that she was with you at that office building, which happened to be one her father owns.