The Endless and Other Stories by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub

5

I awoke three days later in a hospital bed, blinding white fluorescents above me, my arms strapped protectively to the rails of the bed, and Detective Reynolds asleep in a chair beside me; I expected to see your shadow, but you were still gone. I looked around frantically, searching for you everywhere, the heart monitor beeping in response to my panic, but I knew you weren’t here. I couldn’t feel you anymore, that strange sensation gone from my head, and without it, I felt hollow. Completely empty and alone. I started ripping the electrodes off my chest and an alarm went off. Detective Reynolds tried to calm me down and a few nurses came running into the room just as I ripped out the IV in my arm.

I left against the advice of the hospital and despite Reynolds’s protests, not listening to anyone. He drove me home, asking questions that I didn’t even attempt to answer. You said that you had gotten a call from Bea, but her phone was in her car, with no record of having called you or anyone else. How do you explain that? How do you explain knowing exactly where Bea was taken, even though you had supposedly never been there before? How do you explain all the blood? There was no evidence of any footprints other than Bea’s in the area. What aren’t you telling me Miss Bloom? Whatever happened, I will help you through this. Please. He had begged. We were almost to the house at this point, and without thinking I turned to him, interrupting him mid-sentence, and told him everything I knew.

I told him that you came to me the night you were taken, instructing me on what to do and where to go. Told him how when I came to the clearing, you left me and something else took your place. Something awful, something ancient, something ravenous. I told him I was afraid you’d be gone for good unless I got you back. He had pulled over at this point and was staring at me, his eyebrows raised, the corners of his lips downturned, his eyes searching my own, as if he pitied me. I had no use for his pity. Instead, I started asking him questions. How could he explain the absence of my footprints at her campsite? Where was Bea’s body? How could he explain the way my nose bled? Did I fade away for a moment, or perhaps disappear entirely? He had asked where I went, I was sure of it, what did he mean by that?

He didn’t say anything, pulling off the highway and focusing on the road. A sweat had broken on his brow, and he looked uncomfortable, maybe even afraid. We were both silent the rest of the ride home. When he pulled into our driveway, I got out without another word and went inside, where I decided to rest until night came, and I then would go back to the clearing.

The waiting was the worst part.

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