Silent Dread
“I’m not an omega,” the words left my mouth in a weak whisper. Though, the haze of my dream was fading fast.
Everything around me turned dark as the rustling trees dissolved into the sharp, rhythmic beeping of my heart monitor.
“No, you’re not,” a woman’s voice danced through my thoughts.
I tried opening my eyes, but the effort only made my eyelids feel heavier. Panic bubbled in my chest, seeping into every nerve as my body refused to move.
"Relax, darling. Just keep dreaming. It’s better that way," the lady cackled softly. Her voice slithered through my mind like a taunt, doing little to comfort me. What kind of sick nurse would play tricks like that?
Summoning every ounce of strength, I croaked out, "Nurse?" The word barely escaped my lips before my body betrayed me again, and exhaustion dragged me back down.
For a few long, suffocating moments, there was nothing but silence. Then I heard it—a wet, choking sound followed by a heavy thud. My breath caught in my throat as a dull dragging noise scraped through the void.
“Open your eyes Harlyn!” My mother’s voice echoed in my head, gentle and comforting yet the alarm in her tone was apparent. “We’re going somewhere now,” she said.
Suddenly, my strength returned enough for me to crack my eyes open. The room was dark but the light outside illuminated on my mother’s face.
I shifted my head heavily to the side and saw my mom standing by the bed, her gaze filled with solemn relief. The sinister nurse’s voice faded, along with the lingering questions clawing at my mind.
What nurse? My thoughts twisted in confusion. It felt like my dream had made its way into my reality and left me momentarily disoriented.
“Mom?” I tried sitting up, but even lifting my body felt too tasking so I sank back down. “I’m so tired,” I muttered.
"Come on, we gotta leave, Harlyn. Dad’s waiting outside," she urged, gently tugging at my arm and I groaned.
I managed to push myself upright and glanced out the nearby window. It was still night—a strange time for a hospital discharge.
"What time is it?" I asked incredulously.
"Time for us to leave, honey," she brushed my hair with her fingers, and I let her. Whatever was going on, I trusted she’d explain eventually.
"Here, put this on." My mom thrust something into my hands—cool, soft leather. "It’s a jacket. It’s cold outside."
Without protest, I swung the jacket over my shoulders to put it on. But the moment it touched me, my body froze. A scent clung to the fabric—sandalwood and sharp, flowery notes. It was him.
Ethan.
The fog clouding my mind evaporated, replaced by an overpowering rush of clarity and something far more primal. The sound that tore from my throat wasn’t human. It was raw, feral.
It was unrecognizable even to me.
“H-Harlyn?” My mom stuttered.
I blinked, the guttural noise fading as abruptly as it had come.“Yes, mom?” I let go of the jacket to fall on my shoulders as I faced her.
She was staring at me incredulously. “We’ll talk about that later, let’s go,” she guided me down the bed.
My feet met a pair of sandals on the floor, and I slipped them on. Without so much as a glance back at the room, we left it—and the secrets it held. But one thing lingered in my mind, refusing to be ignored: the metallic scent of blood that hung in the air.
Someone else was in that room. And they didn’t feel alive anymore.
True to her words, my dad was waiting just outside my room. He wore black from head to toe. An odd sight on the usually brightly dressed man. Taking another glance at my mom, I realized she was wearing the same thing.
It was eerie. It felt like they were dressed to fight.
My dad stepped closer to kiss my forehead and I smiled. “Let’s go, princess,” he gently held onto my palm.
Go where? I wanted to ask, but even in my disoriented state, I could tell now wasn’t the time for questions. Something bigger loomed in the shadows, just out of reach.
I would soon find out if I simply waited.
We hurried down the dark, silent hospital halls, my dad guiding the way with sharp precision. Hospitals usually kept their lights on at night, but this one lay cloaked in unsettling darkness. Any fool would know something was amiss.
Sometimes, I’d pick up the putrid metallic scent of blood again, but I’d brush it off as belonging to a patient. Wishful thinking it was.
Eventually, we reached a back exit and stepped outside. The chilly night air swept over me and I shuddered from the cold. Looking back at the door, it was clear no one else was coming. Meaning it wasn't an evacuation of some sort.
"Mrs. Sage!" A voice called out, sharp against the still night air. It sparked my surprise because I recognized the voice.