Under The Wildflowers | ONC 2024

Chapter 8.

Dominic couldn't contain his urgency when their conversation came to an end. "W-what happened?"

Mrs. Norbrooke's eyes softened with sorrow as she relayed the grim news. "A patient was killed last night. His body was discovered this morning when his grandmother came for an early visit. She wanted to see him since he had just woken up from his coma."

"Murdered?!" Dominic's voice shot up, the word echoing through the tense atmosphere of the hospital hallway.

Dread tightened its grip on Dominic's heart as he realized that Key's death wasn't naturally occurring. The reality of the situation had finally begun to sink in with a crushing weight.

Even after receiving confirmation from Crystal's mother, Dominic remained in a state of disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Amidst all the surreal events that had unfolded, this was by far the most unfathomable.

Sure, Key had once claimed to be a ghost, but the revelation of his actual existence had seemed nothing short of miraculous. How could someone who had been in a coma for fifteen years suddenly awaken, only to meet such a tragic end?

"C-can I see him?" Dominic's voice trembled as he posed the question, his desperation palpable.

Mrs. Norbrooke hesitated, her expression conflicted, but the anguish evident in Dominic's eyes seemed to sway her. With a reluctant nod, she agreed, cautioning him that he would only be able to view Key behind a screen. Gesturing for Dominic to follow her, she led him down the hallway.

The mournful sound of wailing reached their ears as they descended the stairs, growing louder with each step they took down the corridor.

"My boy! My sweet boy! How could you all let this happen?" the anguished cry pierced through the air, leaving no doubt in Dominic's mind as to who the voice belonged to.

Dominic observed the scene unfolding before him with a heavy heart. Several nurses attempted to restrain the elderly woman, whom Dominic had deduced was Key's grandmother. She thrashed and screamed, her grief manifesting in a raw and primal display of emotion.

The hospital corridor transformed into a cacophony of howls and hollering as the grandmother's cries echoed off the sterile walls, a poignant reminder of the profound loss that had shattered their world.

Dominic felt his heart splinter into a million pieces, the all-too-familiar ache of grief squeezing him in with a vice-like grip. He knew this pain intimately, having endured the same gut-wrenching sting when he lost his parents.

Helpless, Dominic watched as Key's grandmother unleashed her anguish with every fiber of her being, her wails echoing through the hospital corridor. It was a raw and visceral display that tore at Dominic's soul.

The elderly woman collapsed soon after and the doctors and nurses immediately sprang into action as they rushed to her aid. A nurse approached with a stretcher, her movements swift and efficient amidst the chaos.

Blinking back the stinging tears that threatened to spill from his eyes, Dominic clenched his jaw and forced himself to remain composed. He dared not break down in the face of such overwhelming sorrow, not when there was still so much uncertainty and a multitude of questions that needed answers.

They wheeled Key's grandmother past him, and a small object slipped from her grasp, unnoticed by Mrs. Norbrooke as she shook her head in pity.

Barely discernible on the floor, a crumpled piece of paper lay forgotten. Dominic instinctively bent down to retrieve it.

Approaching the screen where Key lay, Dominic's heart constricted at the sight of his friend, his chest bare and his eyes closed as if in peaceful slumber, just as he had appeared yesterday in the hospital bed.