Little Red

A New Problem

     A soft, constant beeping sound echoes through the otherwise quiet room. You can hear someone quietly breathing to your left. You open your eyes, the bright white light of the hospital shining into your eyes.

     There was a gasp before the person started yelling for a doctor. You recognized Maria's voice. You close your eyes with a wince.

     Soon a doctor walked into the room. After asking many questions and checking that you were alright, he left. Maria, who was standing beside your bed while the doctor was in the room, hugged you tightly. You groan in pain at the sudden pressure on your wound.

     "Sorry," Maria said, pulling away.

     "It's fine," you replied, your voice hoarse. Maria looked at you with a bright smile.

     "Kye, Val, and Ace are alright. Onyx... Onyx didn't make it," she said, the smile on her face turning to a small frown. You looked at her, shocked.

     "What happened?" You asked. She frowned, then started to tell you about what had happened after you left.

     "The car crashed? How did you get away?" You asked softly.

     "When I woke up, I was lying on the roof of the car. Onyx and Val were hanging above me," Onyx said, taking a moment to take a deep breath. She had a sorrowful expression on her face.

     "I crawled out of the car. I saw an RV parked on the side of the road, so I knocked. Luckily the people inside let me in. They told me they had already called for help. Then I waited with them until help arrived," Maria said.

     As she finished a kid ran inside the room. Two men followed behind the young boy. One of the men carried a toddler.

     "Sorry for the interruption. We told him not to barge in like that," The man carrying the child said apologetically.

    "It's all right," Maria said with a smile, before introducing you to the strangers. After that, the man carrying the toddler, who you learned was Joseph spoke.

     "Josh said he wanted to visit."

     "No. It was Jack," Josh said, looking up at Joseph with a pout.

     "Who's Jack?" You asked.

     "Oh, it's just his imaginary friend," Adam said dismissively, giving you a small smile.

     "Jack's real. He's right over there," Josh said, pointing to the corner of the room, next to the door. You look over at the spot Josh was pointing in.

     "I think it's time to go. Sorry again for the interruption," Adam said before they left. They say their goodbyes, mainly to Maria, briefly explaining that they were worried and wanted to check on her. You and Maria sat in silence for a moment, before Maria turned towards you. She opened her mouth as if she was about to speak but stopped herself.

     "Is something wrong?" You asked. Maria shook her head in response. The room fell silent again. After a moment she spoke again.

     "Everyone's doing alright." She paused for a minute, before standing up. "I just thought I'd let you know. I'll come by again later."

     You nodded as Maria walked out of the room. After a few moments, you drifted back to sleep. Over the next few weeks, Maria visited every couple of days. She was later joined by Kye, then Ace, then Val.

     You laid in the hospital bed; glad you would be able to leave soon. After what felt like a long time, you fell asleep.

     You woke up. Not in a usual way, you were conscious, but you couldn't move. With a strong feeling of dread, you lay in bed, trapped. The feeling of being watched was getting stronger by the second, but you couldn't tell what was causing it. Your eyes were closed. Soft, quiet footsteps moved towards you. You felt glad you couldn't see what was there.

     "You can't get away that easily," A familiar raspy voice muttered. 

     The cold, sharp knife pressed against the stitches. In a quick movement, he cut the stitches, then cut the other side of your face, giving you a smile like his. Despite being in pain, you couldn't move. You couldn't do anything. Just as fast, he left. Quiet footsteps went across the room. After another moment, you regained control over your body.