Chapter 2

Averie woke up lying in a hospital bed inside a hospital with a fractured left arm. All she could remember was her car colliding with a truck that suddenly appeared from nowhere. She was very terrified and fainted after her head hit the steering wheel of her car.

She tried to move her legs and felt relieved when she realized that she could move them. Aside from her left arm, she didn't feel any other pain in her body.

"Who brought me here to the hospital? Was it Marvin? But it's impossible for him to arrive quickly where I am because he just commuted his way back home," she spoke to herself in confusion, as there was no one in the room to whom she could ask the question.

The door in Averie's room opened, and a smiling nurse entered.

"You're finally awake, Averie. How are you feeling right now?" the nurse asked her in a friendly tone. "You're very lucky that you only fractured your left arm when your car was completely wrecked."

"My car was wrecked?" Averie couldn't help but ask. Her car was wrecked, but she only fractured her left arm. Did a miracle happen to her? It seems impossible, but she is living proof that miracles exist. "How did you know my name? And do you know who brought me here?"

The nurse smiled again. "I saw your name on your student ID, and a man brought you here. He left after he heard that you're okay."

"A man? Do you know who he is? Can you call him so that I can thank him for saving my life?" Averie inquired.

"I'm sorry, Averie. As I mentioned earlier, the man left quickly after hearing that you were safe. He didn't even disclose his name, so no one knows his identity," the nurse replied.

Averie fell silent, her curiosity piqued about the man who rescued her. She found him mysterious, wondering if he simply didn't want to share his name with strangers.

"Never mind," she simply shrugged her shoulders. In her mind, she silently expresses her gratitude to him.

"Let me check your arm." The nurse examined her arm to ensure that the bandage hadn't been removed when she moved her body earlier.

"Ouch! It hurts," Averie complained as the nurse tightly held her arm. However, despite her complaints, the nurse maintained her grip. "Ouch! You're really hurting me. What are you—"

Averie's voice seemed to catch in her throat as she looked at the nurse's face and noticed black smoke entering her head. The nurse's grip on her arms tightened even more, and she began to shake her body as if experiencing epileptic convulsions.

Averie's eyes widened as she witnessed the nurse's body gradually transforming into a terrifying creature. The nurse grew taller, her skin became rough, and a thick fur emerged. The once beautiful face of the nurse morphed into a frightening monster, complete with big red eyes and long, sharp fangs.

Averie let out a piercing scream as the nurse, now transformed into the horrific monster, locked eyes with her and emitted a haunting howl. The monster lunged at her, attacking with its razor-sharp, elongated claws. Fortunately, Averie managed to grab the cushion under her head and use it to shield herself from the monster's slashing claws.

With great urgency, Averie quickly got up from the bed and hurled the dextrose stand at the creature before fleeing the room in search of help. To her dismay, the surroundings outside were eerily quiet, as if all the people in the hospital were fast asleep.

"Help! Somebody help me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, desperately hoping that someone would hear her. However, every room was locked, and when she attempted to open one of them, she discovered it was also locked. She raced towards the nurse station, fully expecting to find nurses or doctors there. To her disbelief, the area appeared deserted, devoid of any medical staff. Her spirits lifted when she spotted three nurses in the nurse station.

"What's the matter, Miss? Are you searching for something? Why do you appear so frightened?" one of the nurses asked.

"There's a monster in my room! Please help me! It's going to kill me!" she exclaimed, panic evident in her voice.

The nurses gazed back at her, their expressions suggesting disbelief or perhaps thinking she was insane. They burst into laughter while shaking their heads.

"I believe you're simply experiencing a nightmare, Miss. It would be best for you to return to your room and await a nurse to evaluate your condition," stated the nurse standing beside her.

"No! I refuse to go back! Didn't any of you hear what I just said? There was a monster in my room that was going to kill me," she argued with determination. "There was a nurse who came to assess me but she suddenly transformed into a terrifying monster."

The nurses shook their heads once more, their expressions revealing their doubt and a belief that she may be delusional. Even Averie herself struggled to fully comprehend what she had witnessed earlier.

"I think it would be we give her a sedative to help her calm down," suggested the other nurse.

Averie strongly shook her head. If they injected her with a sedative, she would fall asleep. What if the monster reappeared while she was sleeping and abruptly killed her? She didn't want to die early. Averie longed to experience the warmth of an embrace and the tenderness of a kiss from a boyfriend, so she couldn't afford to die yet. Moreover, her stepmother and stepsister would undoubtedly rejoice upon learning of her death. She couldn't allow herself to die, especially not at the hands of that horrifying monster. Therefore, before the nurse could give her the sedative, she quickly escaped from their grasp.

Exhausted from the frantic escape, Averie paused to catch her breath. Observing her distressed state, a doctor promptly approached her.

"What's wrong, Miss? Why are you outside your room?" the doctor asked concernedly.

Averie feels hopeful again when she sees a doctor.

"Doc, there was a monster—" She suddenly stopped talking to the doctor when she saw black smoke again slowly entering the doctor's body. "Oh, no. Not again," she mumbled in a low voice, her eyes widening.

Averie screamed and ran away from the doctor. She doesn't know where she went. She just ran wherever her feet took her, seeking a hiding place from the scary monster. Why does it seem like the monster is following her wherever she goes? Will the man who saved her from the car accident show up again to rescue her this time?

Averie hides inside the restroom, hoping that the monster won't follow her anymore. She cries out of fear when someone forcefully bangs on the restroom door. She screams and her eyes widen when she sees the monster standing in front of the now-open door. She falls to the floor, screaming again as the monster rushes towards her.

Closing her eyes, she waits for the monster's sharp claws to cut into her flesh, but it doesn't happen. Slowly, she opens her eyes to see what has happened. The monster is gone, and instead, standing before her is the most handsome man she has ever laid eyes on. He is tall with a well-toned physique. He gazes at her with a serious and stern expression, but his seriousness doesn't diminish his strong appeal.

Could he be the person who saved her from the monster? How did he manage to do it? She wants to talk to him and ask his name, but her voice seems unwilling to come out due to the extreme fear she feels. She was about to stand up when her vision suddenly became blurry, and in just a matter of seconds, her surroundings turned dark, causing her to collapse onto the floor.