The Story Weaver

The Happenings After

I was a bit of a scary movie fanatic back in those days, and also quite the foodie. Apparently, I ate a lot more food than my friends did, all except for Mark that is. So what was even better was that I often ate their food when I was done with mine, but the downside to that was that I was the runner during movies. I got them food because they all knew I ate most of it anyways. 

That night wasn't much different. About half way through the movie, Mark nudged me in the shoulder and then shoved his empty popcorn container into my arms before nodding in the direction of the exit. I took that as my cue to go get him some more food, so I checked with Tyler and Josh and then left the movie to refill everything. Right as I stood up I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and a feeling of unease seep into every pore of my body, something was off and it felt like the universe was attacking me with awareness of what could potentially be a very bad situation. 

I practically ran down the aisle, through the large doors and into the lobby as that strange feeling of unnecessary panic was fluttering in my chest like a  wild bird that was fighting for an escape. I must've looked terrible because one of the employees walked up to me with a look of concern and asked me if I was okay but Everything was just becoming a blurry mess. I dropped everything in my hands and grasped my chest, trying to force myself to become calm again but I was so out of control at that point that I couldn't. 

That was when I saw it. There, in a dark corner behind one of the vending machines was a tall figure wearing a black cloak. Although my vision was starting to go blank and I was on the verge of unconsciousness I could still see his face, It looked like he was wearing a mask that was made out of a bird skull. He stood there ominously without moving or blinking. No one seemed to see him, they walked past him without even sparing a glance, but I saw him right before I fell to the floor and passed out.

I didn't wake up until the next morning in a hospital bed with an I.V. hooked up to my arm. everything seemed to be moving so slow and my head felt so groggy. it was like everyone was moving through water. The nurse walked in, checked my pulse and my breathing, wrote a few things down on a clipboard and then smiled at me with that awkward smile that medical professionals give you when they don't want you to panic. I was sure at that point that no matter what she told me I wasn't even awake enough to panic over anything anyways so I decided to glare at her instead. She laughed nervously and then glanced at the door quickly. She must've been waiting for something. Finally, she let out a huff of resignation before sitting down in one of the chairs. 

Eventually, I growled loud enough to startle her because let me just be real, I couldn't move a muscle in my body, I could barely register the world around me, and she hadn't said a word to me explaining what the hell was going on or where my cousin was. I growled to get her attention but she just looked down at her clipboard and avoided eye contact with me. 

Suddenly the door to the room creaked open quietly as a doctor slipped in. He looked like he was trying not to make any noise or movement, but he was failing miserably, every move he made looked so awkward and bulky that I couldn't help but roll my eyes. The doctor then asked the nurse about all my vitals and some other random pieces of information. finally, I was able to regain enough coordination to speak properly. 

"What the hell did you drug me with and where is my cousin?" I asked not so politely. All chivalry aside, I was done with the awkward side glances and the blatant refusal to acknowledge my presence. 

The doctor cringed a little before turning around to face me. 

"You have been a bit unmanageable these last few hours so we have given you a pretty heavy calming agent to help you relax."

That wasn't the answer I was looking for.

"What kind of 'calming agent' did you use, and where is my cousin?" I asked, irritation ringing clear in my voice.