The Hardest Puzzle || Death Note

7-Stop and Stare

Chapter Seven * Stop and Stare -
Two days later the doctors and nurses finally let you out of bed. They only let you walk around the floor you were on, though.
You walked around, Near following behind you.
He'd been with you the entire time, and by now you couldn't help but wonder if this guy even had a life. If he did, it certainly wasn't much of one.
Though you had been a little weirded out by him at first, you were used to it by now. What was a little creepy, however, was how he was able to get around so quickly and quietly.
Suddenly you felt a searing pain in your shoulder, and went down.
Luckily enough, you felt an arm wrap around your waist and slow your fall, so you ended up unhurt.
When you realized it was Near you started to say thanks, but suddenly saw another time and place.
The time was about three weeks ago.
The place was your bedroom.
And in place of Near was your father.
"G-get away from me!" you shrieked, backing up.
Your shoulder rammed into the wall, and pain sharply ran its knife through it.
Trembling, you tried to slow your heartbeat and breath.
You glanced at your shoulder to make sure it was okay. But it unfortunately wasn't, and a small dot of reddish blood could be seen on your small hospital gown's sleeve. It stood out amongst the pure white fabric.
You whimpered.
And then Near was there, holding out a hand to help you get up.
You cautiously extended your own hand towards his.
Once you'd been helped up he abruptly let go, and helped you back to your room, careful to not touch you again.
But in the hallway before the one your room was on, something happened.
You and Near rounded the corner to see a middle-ages man in a wheelchair, being pushed around by a wide-eyed nurse. He looked worn and as if he had been forced to grow a few years older at once, and had a bandage around his abdomen.
The odd thing about the man, though, was the handcuffs slapped on his wrists and the two security guards accompanying him.
You gasped and stopped dead.
Near nearly ran into your small, shaking frame.
You stared at the man who was your father, a murderer, and the one who'd ruined your life all in one.
He looked at you in surprise; then he offered you a worn smile. It was somehow the smile of a beaten man, a smile asking for forgiveness, and the smile of a man when looking at a grown up and married daughter all together.
But you knew of the evil that lurked behind that sad smile. You, and only you, knew it. You knew it too well, in fact.
You shuddered uncontrollably, looking at him.
He couldn't possibly mean that smile, you thought, pulse racing. He can't have changed that fast. It's not possible.
You were frozen, mouth wide and gaping at the man. You gasped for air like a fish above water might, and stood there. You just stood there. Stood.
But when your father opened his mouth to try and say something, you lost it: all your self control, all your straight thinking, all your emotions.
Ignoring the growing, throbbing pain that was your shoulder, you bolted.
You ran.
.........
You somehow ended up on the roof of the hospital building.
You don't know how, or why, or even when you got there; just that you were there.
You silently raced across the helipad, ducked out of sight, and hid behind a giant sign advertising the hospital. You leaned on it, right by the edge, and stared below, not really seeing anything. Your eyes were too clouded with tears.
Why, you thought sadly to yourself. Why does he have to show up now, or even ever? It's just not fair. You deserve freedom. He's ruined your life already.
You blinked hard, and managed to actually see down to the sidewalk.
You looked down and thought hard.
The wind whipped your hair around as you wondered what would happen if you decided to jump.
"If I jumped...What would happen to everyone?" you quietly pondered. "Would my parents feel guilty? Would anyone even notice?"
After all, you were alone, and you didn't have anyone to notice.
Your mind filled suddenly with a disturbing mental image of yourself, laying lifeless on the ground and in a puddle of your own blood.
Ugh.
You shuddered.
"I would notice," Near said solemnly to you as he approached you in an otherwise silent fashion.
Startled and frightened, you turned wildly around.
When you saw him you froze; you then cautiously stood up.
"You might want to choose less-generic hiding places," he said apathetically, sitting down in the spot that you'd just vacated.
You took a sharp intake of breath, and backed away, one slow and shaky step at a time.
The red stain on your gown was slowly widening. It was now about the size of a dollar coin.
You continued backing up, then turned and started to run.
Near stayed where he was, unmoving, as he watched you escape.
He wasn't even the one you were running from; you just didn't want any reminders of this sick game. You didn't want anybody like him here. It would only prove the harsh reality that your parents were killers, and that you were alone in this big, wide world.
Because that's what this all led to. You. Alone.