Okay, Y/N, you've faced down burglars, survived getting stabbed, and dealt with the demands of three of the most intense women in existence. You can handle one creepy kid. It's just a week in the hospital. How bad could it be?
Turns out, it could be really, really bad.
=Day 1=
After my spine-chilling encounter with the mysterious little girl, I barely slept. Every creak and shadow in the room made me jump. I kept imagining her standing at the foot of my bed, staring with those empty eyes. When morning finally came, I was relieved. Bright daylight should've banished the night's horrors, but the memory of her warning—"This place… it's not safe"—lingered like a bad smell.
Breakfast was a tray of bland oatmeal and watery juice. Delicious. As I poked at the food, trying to muster some appetite, the door opened and a nurse walked in. A regular, non-creepy nurse. Thank the stars.
"How are we feeling today, Y/N?" she asked with a cheery smile.
"Like I was run over by a truck, then stabbed, then haunted by a ghost," I muttered. "But other than that, just great."
She chuckled, clearly thinking I was joking. If only she knew.
As she checked my vitals, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Every now and then, I'd catch a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. But when I turned to look, nothing was there. My paranoia must be getting the better of me. Great, now I'm jumpy and sleep-deprived.
When the nurse finally left, I decided to distract myself with some good old-fashioned Netflix binging. But as I settled in, I couldn't shake the sensation of being watched. My eyes kept darting to the door, half-expecting the little girl to reappear.
By the time lunch rolled around—another tray of hospital cuisine that looked like it had seen better days—I was a nervous wreck. I needed a distraction. Badly.
I had just started to relax, convincing myself that last night's encounter was just a painkiller-induced hallucination, when she came back. It was late afternoon, and I was trying to nap (emphasis on trying) when I heard the door creak open. My eyes snapped open, and there she was. Same patient's gown, same tangled hair, same unnerving stare.
"Uh… hey," I said, my voice shaky. "You again."
She didn't reply. Just stared. Like a creepy porcelain doll coming to life.
"Look, if you're going to haunt me, can you at least do it during visiting hours?" I joked, trying to keep my voice steady. "I need my rest, you know."
She took a step closer, her bare feet making no sound on the cold floor. My heart pounded in my chest.
"Okay, seriously, what do you want?" I demanded, sitting up as best I could without pulling my stitches.
Her lips parted slightly, and she whispered, "You need to leave."
My mouth went dry. "Leave? I'm in a hospital. Kind of hard to just get up and go."
"Bad things happen here," she said, her voice barely audible. "They're coming."
"Who's coming?" I asked, but before I could get an answer, she turned and walked out, disappearing into the hallway. I stared after her, my mind racing. This was officially too much. I needed answers.
=Day 2=
Determined to get to the bottom of this, I started asking around. Nurses, doctors, even the janitor who cleaned my room. I casually brought up the topic of a little girl in a patient's gown. Most of them gave me blank looks or told me I must be mistaken. There were no children in this wing of the hospital. Great. So either I was losing my mind, or something really weird was going on.
Miko and Lisa visited again in the afternoon, and I decided to confide in them. Maybe they'd have some insight.
"So, I've been seeing this creepy little girl," I started, as casually as one can say such a thing.
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Creepy little girl? Like, a ghost?"
"Possibly," I replied, shrugging. "She keeps telling me this place isn't safe and that bad things are coming."
Miko's eyes narrowed. "That's... unsettling."
"Understatement of the century," I said, rolling my eyes. "But seriously, I'm not sure what to do. I can't exactly just leave the hospital."
"Maybe it's the painkillers," Lisa suggested. "They can make you hallucinate sometimes."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But this feels too real," I said, shivering at the memory of those empty eyes.
"Well, we can do some research," Miko offered. "See if there's any history of hauntings or weird stuff in this hospital."
"Thanks," I said, feeling a bit better knowing they had my back. "And maybe bring some charms or something next time. You know, for the ghosts."
Lisa laughed. "Sure, we'll have a ghost-busting kit ready."
=Day 3=
Miko and Lisa returned with some interesting information. Apparently, the hospital had a bit of a dark history. There were rumors of a tragic fire in one of the older wings years ago. Several patients, including a young girl, didn't make it out.
"Great," I said, feeling a shiver run down my spine. "So I'm being haunted by a fire ghost?"
"It's possible," Miko said, looking serious. "But why would she be warning you?"
"That's what I don't get," I admitted. "She said 'they're coming.' Who's they?"
Lisa frowned. "Maybe there's more to this. Maybe it's not just about the fire."
We spent the rest of the afternoon brainstorming possible scenarios. Maybe the hospital was built on an ancient burial ground (cliché, but possible), or maybe there was some kind of secret experiment going on (cue the conspiracy theories).
By the time they left, I was exhausted but felt a bit better knowing I wasn't completely alone in this. Still, the sense of dread lingered. Something was definitely not right in this hospital.
=Day 4=
The next day, I had more visitors. Arlecchino and Kafka dropped by again, bringing more flowers, chocolates, and a basket of pastries. As much as I appreciated the gesture, I was starting to wonder if they were trying to fatten me up for something.
"How are you feeling, Y/N?" Arlecchino asked, her tone polite but distant.
"Better," I lied. "But, um, have you guys ever heard of this hospital being haunted?"
Kafka raised an eyebrow. "Haunted? Not that I'm aware of. Why do you ask?"
I hesitated, not sure how to explain without sounding crazy. "Well, I've been seeing this little girl. She keeps warning me that this place isn't safe."
Arlecchino's eyes narrowed. "A little girl?"
"Yeah," I said, shifting uncomfortably. "She said 'they're coming.' I don't know who she means."
Kafka and Arlecchino exchanged a glance. "We'll look into it," Kafka said finally. "In the meantime, try to rest."
"Easier said than done," I muttered as they left. Great, now even my bosses think I'm nuts.
=Day 5=
I was a paranoid mess. Every shadow, every creak made me jump. The little girl hadn't returned, but her warning echoed in my mind constantly. I kept expecting something terrible to happen, but the day passed uneventfully. Almost too uneventfully.
I tried to distract myself with TV shows and books, but my mind kept wandering back to the girl. What did she mean by "they're coming"? Who were "they"? I needed to find out, but I didn't know where to start.
Miko and Lisa visited again in the afternoon. They brought me a small potted plant, saying it might help brighten up the room. It was a nice gesture, but I couldn't help but feel like it was a futile attempt to cheer me up.
"How are you holding up?" Miko asked, her tone gentle.
"I'm hanging in there," I replied, trying to smile. "Just... on edge, you know?"
Lisa nodded. "We did some more research. There were a few other incidents over the years—strange disappearances, unexplained deaths. Nothing concrete, but definitely creepy."
"Great," I said, feeling a chill run down my spine. "Just what I needed to hear."
"We'll keep digging," Miko promised. "And if you see the girl again, try to get more information."
"Yeah, because talking to creepy ghost children is totally in my skill set," I muttered.
=Day 6=
The sixth day started like any other. Breakfast, check-up, trying to relax while failing miserably. But as evening approached, the atmosphere in the hospital shifted. It was subtle at first—a drop in temperature, a feeling of being watched. But then things started to escalate.
I was lying in bed, trying to read a book Miko had brought me, when I heard it. Footsteps. Slow, deliberate footsteps, echoing down the hallway. My heart rate spiked as the footsteps grew louder, closer. I wanted to call for a nurse, but my voice seemed to have deserted me.
The door to my room creaked open, and I held my breath. The little girl stood there, her eyes wide with fear. "They're here," she whispered.
"Who's here?" I managed to croak out.
Before she could answer, a shadow moved behind her. Tall, menacing, and definitely not friendly. The little girl turned and ran, disappearing into the darkness. I stared at the shadow, frozen in place.
The shadow stepped into the light, revealing a figure in an old-fashioned nurse's uniform. But her eyes... they were empty, soulless. "You shouldn't be here," she said in a voice that sent chills down my spine.
"Uh, I'm a patient," I stammered. "Kind of supposed to be here."
"Not anymore," she said, stepping closer. "You need to leave."
I scrambled to get out of bed, pain shooting through my side where the stitches were. The ghostly nurse reached out, her hand passing through the bedrail like it was nothing. I bolted for the door, ignoring the pain, and ran down the hallway.
The hospital was eerily quiet, too quiet. The lights flickered, casting ominous shadows. I had no idea where I was going, just that I needed to get away. But as I turned a corner, I ran straight into another ghostly figure. This one was a doctor, his eyes just as empty as the nurse's.
"Leaving so soon?" he asked with a sinister smile.
"I'm just, uh, going for a walk?" I said, backing away slowly.
He advanced on me, and I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I turned to see the little girl, her eyes wide with terror. "Run!" she screamed.
I didn't need to be told twice. I sprinted down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest. The ghosts were everywhere now, appearing out of nowhere, their empty eyes following my every move. I burst through a door and found myself in the stairwell. I started to descend, but the steps seemed to stretch endlessly, like a nightmare.
Finally, I reached the ground floor and stumbled out into the lobby. It was deserted, the front desk empty. I ran to the exit, but the doors wouldn't budge. Panic set in as I pounded on the glass, desperate for escape.
Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed me from behind. I turned, expecting another ghost, but it was Miko and Lisa. "Y/N, what's going on?" Miko asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Ghosts!" I gasped. "We need to get out of here!"
Miko and Lisa exchanged a quick glance, their expressions shifting from concern to something else. Something darker.
"Of course, Y/N," Miko said, her voice too calm, too measured. "We'll get you out of here."
Lisa's grip tightened on my arm, her touch icy cold. "You've seen too much. We can't let you stay."
My heart sank as I looked at them. Their eyes had changed—dark, empty voids, just like the ghosts I'd seen in the hospital. Panic surged through me as I tried to pull away, but their grips were like iron.
"No! Let me go!" I screamed, struggling against them.
"You belong with us now," Miko whispered, her voice echoing eerily. "Forever."
I thrashed wildly, desperation giving me strength. But it was no use. Their grip tightened, pulling me closer into their cold embrace. My vision started to blur, darkness creeping in from the edges.
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed, and I was jolted awake by a sharp pain in my side. I gasped, my eyes snapping open to find a nurse standing over me, her expression a mix of concern and annoyance.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice breaking through the lingering fog of my nightmare.
I blinked, trying to clear my head. The hospital room came into focus, and I realized I was back in my bed, drenched in sweat. "I... I think so," I stammered, my heart still racing. "It was just a nightmare."
"You were thrashing around pretty badly," the nurse said, adjusting the IV drip. "You're safe here."
Safe. The word felt hollow. "I'm scared," I admitted, my voice trembling.
The nurse gave me a sympathetic look. "It's normal to feel that way after what you've been through. Try to rest."
As she spoke, a movement caught my eye. Standing behind the nurse was the little girl, her eyes wide with fear. My heart leapt into my throat.
"There!" I shouted, pointing. "Behind you!"
The nurse turned, her expression shifting to irritation. "This again? Y/N, there's no one there."
"But I saw her!" I insisted, my voice rising in panic.
The nurse sighed. "You need to calm down. There's no ghost, no little girl. It's just—"
Before she could finish, the "little girl" stepped forward, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. The nurse rolled her eyes. "For heaven's sake, Sarah, stop scaring the patients!"
I stared, dumbfounded, as the "little girl" let out a giggle. "Sorry, couldn't resist," she said, her voice surprisingly mature.
The nurse turned back to me, her tone exasperated. "This is Sarah. She's a patient here with dwarfism. She has a habit of pranking people."
My jaw dropped as Sarah stuck out her tongue playfully. "Gotcha good, didn't I?"
Relief washed over me, and for a moment, I just stared at her. Then, all the fear and frustration bubbled up, and before I could stop myself, I grabbed a pillow and smacked her right in the face.
"OW!" Sarah yelped, stumbling back. "What was that for?"
I glared at her, my hands trembling. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? You made me think I was losing my mind!"
Sarah rubbed her cheek, looking more shocked than hurt. "It was just a joke!"
"A joke?!" I snapped, my voice rising. "You don't mess with people like that, especially when they're in the hospital!"
The nurse stepped between us, her expression stern. "Alright, enough. Sarah, you need to stop these pranks. They're not funny."
Sarah pouted but didn't argue. "Fine. I'll stop."
The nurse turned to me, her tone softening. "I'm sorry about that, Y/N. She's been warned before. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Thanks," I muttered, sinking back into the pillows. "Just... keep her away from me."
As the nurse led Sarah out of the room, I closed my eyes, willing my heart to stop racing. No more ghosts, no more nightmares. Just a mischievous kid– Er, woman with a dark sense of humor. I could handle that.
Or at least, I hoped I could.
I sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall. Just one more day in this place, and then I could finally go home. "Tomorrow I'll be out of here," I muttered to myself. "Back to the mansion, where at least the scariest thing is the awful security."
The thought of returning to the mansion brought a small, tired smile to my face. Sure, it had its quirks and its dangers—like the apparently subpar security that had led to me being in the hospital in the first place—but at least it was familiar. At least there, I knew what to expect.
I snuggled back into the pillows, determined to get some rest. Tomorrow, I'd be back in my own bed, dealing with real-life problems instead of creepy "little girls". And honestly, that sounded like heaven compared to this.
With that comforting thought, I closed my eyes, hoping for a dreamless sleep. Just one more night. I could make it through one more night. And then I'd be back home, where the only thing I had to worry about was keeping the mansion in one piece. Well, mostly.
As I drifted off, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. "At least at the mansion, the only thing I have to fear is the dust bunnies and the occasional stabby burglar."