Episode 2

"Dia's gone..." Yura pointed toward the door where Sister Marni, who had just been floating, was no longer present.

"Yura, what's wrong, dear?" Mother panicked at the sight of my pale face, gasping breaths, and trembling body, still gesturing towards the door. Nurse Rena gently lowered my hand and tried to calm me.

"Yura, relax. Sometimes we can hallucinate seeing things others can't."

I turned around. "This isn't the first time she has shown herself. You know I can see her, it's not a hallucination."

Nurse Rena just smiled, "You have just come through a critical period because of the high fever, it's possible that this triggered our brain to hallucinate and see or imagine something unusual."

"No, that's not possible, I...." I took a deep breath and tried to swallow despite feeling something stuck in my throat. She appeared again, Sister Marni reappeared in the room, now right behind Nurse Rena.

I averted my gaze and closed my eyes.

"Please leave me alone! I need to rest."

Both nurses then excused themselves and left my room. Mother kept asking about what I felt and what I saw, worried about my condition. Slowly, I opened my eyes, looked around, and saw no one but Mother.

"I'm okay, Mom."

"Are you sure? You were just...."

"Very sure, Mom, I'm okay." I tried to reassure Mother that I was all right, although what had just happened truly startled me.

Mother sighed. The sound of a stomach growling, which I was sure came from Mother, could be heard.

"Haven't you eaten?"

"Not yet; I was about to go to the cafeteria to get some food but seeing you like that made me hesitant to leave."

"You should eat first, I'll be right here," I commanded while lifting the hand that was still connected to the IV line.

"I'll be back soon, dear."

After Mother left, I focused on my phone, trying to distract myself. At times like this, I think it's better to choose a shared patient room rather than being alone like this, it's somewhat frightening.

The door creaked open wider; it seemed Mother hadn't closed the door tightly, and the breeze had pushed it further. Absurdly, a call of nature made me curse under my breath.

I wanted to press the emergency button to call a nurse for help going to the bathroom but decided against it, fearing Sister Marni might appear again. Finally, I resolved to go to the toilet unassisted, carefully climbing down from the hospital bed and pushing the IV stand.

Sighing with relief after taking care of my needs and not forgetting to wash my hands before exiting the bathroom, my hand was on the door handle when I heard a voice.

"Help."

I froze.

I tuned in my hearing, trying to think clearly that the voice was coming from outside.

But...

"Help."

The voice definitely came from inside the room, right behind me. Goosebumps stood on end, and a chill ran down my spine as the bathroom suddenly felt so cold. Slowly turning my head as the voice, soft and heartbreaking, called out again.

"Help."

My heart sank to my stomach and my eyes felt like popping out when I saw the figure standing not far from me. It was... Sister Marni. Floating with one foot off the ground, her arm stretched out as if reaching for something.

My mouth hung open, witnessing her apparition, all the more terrifying knowing she wasn't human. I wanted to scream but my tongue seemed frozen, and I struggled to close my mouth. The figure drifted closer, and as it neared, I closed my eyes, still unable to scream. I had never heard of humans dying from being devoured by demons, as far as I knew. But in this condition, the fear was paralyzing.

*Sorry\, Mother. Looks like I have to go first. Wait\, this is strange. Why should I die of fear?*

I opened my eyes.

"Aaaaaa." Finally, I could scream. "Go away, I don't want to die yet."

"Help me." The figure didn't move its mouth but the voice was crystal clear.

"I can't go with you."

"Please, deliver a message to my family."

"Huh." I began to catch my breath, which had been hard to draw since the moment.

"Help me, so I can leave peacefully."

Swallowing, I listened to the plea of the figure before me. While she didn't appear as terrifying as before, she was still a ghost, a demon, or a spectral entity.

"What should I do to help you?"

I listened silently, not looking directly at the figure before me. My body still trembled, and goosebumps remained, though not as rigid as when I first saw her. The figure vanished after I nodded my head, indicating I understood her message. Suddenly, my body slumped to the floor, and I sat down abruptly.

Bang Bang

"Yura, are you in there? Open the door, dear!" Mother's voice was frantic outside.

Still clutching my chest and trying to normalize my breathing, I reached for the door handle and opened it.

"Yura, what's wrong, dear?" Mother asked, embracing me.

I felt incredibly weak, as though I'd been active for days on end without food, though I'd never actually experienced that before. Yeah, it was something like that. Two nurses helped me back onto the hospital bed, including managing the IV needles and tubes that had bled during my tremors. Gazing at the ceiling, my vision soon blurred, and it seems I lost consciousness.

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