I'LL HAUNT YOU

CHAPTER ONE - FIRST MEETING

"You? Get caught up by not paying attention? That's odd!" exclaimed Brendan Knight, when he suddenly showed up, holding a strawberry milkshake in his hand. Brendan walked up to his desk, across from Mark's desk.

"Come on! You know how nosy I am as a person. Spill the words, Mark," demanded Brendan amusingly, sitting on his swivel chair. He was the only one who was unashamedly enough to keep bothering Mark ever since they rolled in the same medical school. And then they became friends eventually, thanks to Brendan solely because of his nonstop efforts.

"I—I just saw something. Or to be precise it was... someone...?"

Brendan, who was his only closest friend, raised his skeptical left eyebrow at Mark's unclear answer. And he won't give in just like that. He needs more answers. Obviously.

"Who?" Brendan softly interjected his question again, sipping his milkshake through a straw and looking up to stare at his friend. Mark wanted to say further, but he abruptly stopped, petulantly shaking his head afterward. It was certainly absurd, even at the thought of it.

"It's nothing. Just forget about it," proclaimed Mark, gaining the heavy sigh of Brendan. Usually things again. Mark was a reserved person. Rarely talked about himself or even hard to share his mind with others.

"Okay then. I'll forget about it for now. But serious talk—if anything bothers you... You know you can count on me, alright?!"

Mark nodded to that. It was his regular response toward Brendan. Or most expected things he used to act if anyone said that to him. But it trailed his mind on the previous sight that he accidentally saw this morning.

Maybe because of the nervousness on the first day, Mark thought afterward, chasing out a crummy built inside of his mind.

***

4:45 am, remotely past midnight, and almost reached the dawn, but Mark was still concentrating on his on-call day. All-guard even after he's taking a quick break from coming on-call all night. Mark was left alone, accompanied by a dim light filling the room. He looked so damnly terrified. It was his first-day on-call!

His friend Brendan had finished his shift and was back already, to bury his tiny head on the pillow. It could be he as well, who ended his shift likewise. But likely Clarice wasn't letting him off the crook and slipping away easily after what happened this morning.

Clarice's brainy and wistful allegation as the senior physician gave him a graceful task as a sweet punishment. Doing an exciting on-call. Although it was only his first day of medical practice, she will expect to hear his upshot about it the very next tomorrow morning. Of course, to have his tale inexplicably in black and white at rounds or pimping the next day.

HRAAAAHH!

Mark shook his head to get him back on track after a slight yawn. Well, he arrived in the early morning to fill up the papers back then. And until now, he was still staying up all day and night in this hospital. He could not be at home just yet, poor him. Whenever senior physicians or high superiors want you to do something well, you have certainly to get it done—period!

"Maybe I could use some coffee," Mark mumbled as he stood up from a seat, taking well his very own suggestion. He strode away from the room. Headed to the vending machine, which served hot and cold drinks. He nodded to every nurse past him by glancing at them, submissively walking aside to get to his destination.

Along the way, he unconsciously perceived the same place where is he seeing that uninvited sight. Subconsciously searched up the same presence he was looking in the earlier morning. None. There'd no one or something to be spotted there.