Whisper of the Mark

chapter 2

My eyes slowly opened, but my vision was still blurred.

"Ah, my head..."
I touched my forehead with my right hand, feeling the rough texture of a bandage wrapped around it.

For a moment, I was confused, but then the memory of falling down the stairs hit me. My vision was gradually returning to normal. Little did I know, I was already lying in a hospital bed.

"..." How long was I out? I pushed myself up with my elbows, carefully sitting up.

"Thank goodness, you're awake."
Mom stood up from the chair, her worried expression showing how much she had been concerned about me.

I tried to act cool as usual, not wanting to seem weak in front of my family. I'm a strong guy-ouch! My head throbbed again.
"I'm okay, Mom," I forced a smile.

"Yeah, tripping down the stairs and sleeping for three hours sounds totally okay," my older sister Kylie chimed in sarcastically. This damn woman-

"Oh, shut up," I retorted in annoyance but held back from cursing since Mom was still there.

My sister Kylie, 24 years old, is my elder sibling, and my little brother Chris, only 6 years old, is the youngest in our family. I'm the middle child at 17.

Chris climbed onto my bed and placed a coffee-flavored candy in my hand.
"Here, bro. I hope you feel better," he said with a sweet smile, his little teeth showing.

I smiled back and nodded before replying smugly,
"Heh, of course, I'm fine. It's just a little fall down the stairs. No big deal."

Kylie rolled her eyes while Mom let out a sigh.
"Alright, that's enough. Khai, you need to rest more. We're going to step out for a bit. Is there anything you want me to get for you?"

I thought for a moment.
"Hmm... maybe a slice of red velvet cake?"

Mom nodded, and Kylie held the door open for them.
"Bye, bro," Chris said, carefully climbing off the bed. His tiny legs barely reached the floor-little muffins, I thought, chuckling to myself.

I waved them off as they left, and the room fell into silence.

"...."

I sighed, laying back down. My body was still sore from the fall. I tried to recall the scene before I fainted. That shadowy creature from my nightmare-it was standing next to my little brother. Just the thought of it made my skin crawl.

"Maybe I just carried my nightmare into real life," I muttered, convincing myself that it was all just my imagination.

. . . . . The room was eerily quiet. No traffic sounds, no footsteps in the hallway-just my own breathing. It felt strange. Maybe I should try to enjoy the peace and get some sleep again.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, the sound of shattering glass cut through the silence, jolting me awake. I stood up carefully and looked outside.

"Huh... nothing..."
I scanned the empty corridor. No sign of broken glass, no people. It suddenly dawned on me-where were the other patients? Where was everyone?

The odd quietness made my anxiety spike. I closed the door and stood there for a few moments, trying to figure out what was going on. Then, my eyes drifted to the window, and what I saw made me freeze. The sky was red-darker than before.

"Wh-what...?"
Confused, memories of my nightmare came flooding back. This couldn't be real, right?

I tried to calm myself down, convincing myself it was just a trick of my mind when I felt sick. But the atmosphere felt too real. I quickly closed the curtain, not wanting to see it anymore.

A loud banging sound made me jump. I froze, trying not to make any noise. The banging stopped, but then the door was forcefully kicked open.

I immediately crawled under the bed, covering my mouth to muffle my breathing. The same creature from before entered the room, carrying the broken door. Its growls were a mix of animalistic snarls and something unearthly. The creature's long, grotesque limbs moved around, searching the room.

My heart pounded as it bent down to check under a locker. Please don't check under the bed, I silently prayed.

But then its red eyes, scattered all over its body, glanced towards the bed. One eye on its right hand stared directly at me.

"...."

Crap! I crawled out just as the creature smashed the bed. Thank goodness I wasn't under it anymore.

I jumped up, but the creature let out a deafening scream. My ears rang. It glared at me with fury. Without wasting any time, I bolted out of the room.

"Someone help me!" I shouted desperately.

The creature smashed through the wall and chased after me. The hallway turned blood-red. What the hell was happening?!

I pushed over a few tables to slow it down, but it dodged them easily. Damn it!

I took a left turn, looking for the stairs. No way I was using the elevator.
"Please, someone-"

I tripped, hitting the floor hard. My head throbbed again as I touched the bandage. I looked back; the creature was closing in, grinning wildly. I tried to stand, but my body wouldn't cooperate.

The creature grabbed my leg, lifting me off the ground, staring at me with its countless, hollow eyes.
"Let me go!" I screamed.

It threw me against the wall, and I coughed up blood. I struggled to stand, kicking its hand as it reached for me again.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted. A strange energy surged through my right hand, and when I threw a piece of debris at its face, the creature recoiled, screaming in pain.

I didn't waste a second. I forced myself to get up and ran, but I was too slow.

"Please, just get this thing away from me!" I yelled. Suddenly, my shadow stretched out unnaturally, grabbing the creature's legs. My jaw dropped. Was I hallucinating?

The shadow pulled the creature towards the window and flung it outside. I collapsed, panting in relief. But my relief was short-lived-the red sky hadn't disappeared.

Looking out, I saw more of those creatures crawling on the streets below, climbing up the hospital walls. They spotted me and grinned. My blood ran cold.

The windows shattered as the creatures poured in. I had no energy left.
"My shadow, block them!" I ordered, but nothing happened. It was just a normal shadow now. Damn, I was screwed.

Their screeching pierced my ears, causing them to bleed. I collapsed, covering my ears. The creatures charged at me, and I braced myself for the end.

Suddenly, I felt a force push me back. I opened my eyes to see someone standing between me and the creatures-a tall figure wielding a sickle-shaped polearm.

The creatures halted at the sight of this person.

"Find somewhere to hide," the person commanded, voice cold but reassuring.

One of the creatures lunged at him, but he stepped forward and sliced it in half with ease.

"Don't worry, you're safe now," he said, his tone firm.