Chosen (The Urban Legends Series Book 1) Read online

  “Go on. Tell me everything.” He sat back down.

  I cleared my throat and launched into giving him every crazy detail.

  Officer Lopez leaned forward, making a clicking sound with his tongue.

  “What are you not telling me?” I asked. I sat up, trying to peer over at the paper he had been taking notes on.

  He quickly closed it and stood.

  “The man you saw tonight is a lawyer named Ben Ryser who’s been reported missing for almost a week. He’s sick with cancer, which would explain why he looked the way he did. Well, everything but the eyes you described. His wife was the last person to see him this past Saturday morning. He told her he had a meeting with a friend about a will, and that was last anyone saw of him. The receptionist said she didn’t know who he was meeting with because it wasn’t on his calendar. I have no idea why he would be after you, but he traveled a long way to do it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He was from Alabama.” His eyes narrowed, apparently waiting for that piece of the information to settle.

  It didn’t settle well. I blinked, shaking my head. Do I know him from somewhere? I cupped my forehead, searching my memory, trying to find him stuck there. Nothing. I had never seen this man a day in my life. I was sure of it.

  “Isn’t that where you grew up?”

  I nodded. “Yes, but I don’t remember him.” Scrunching my face, I crumbled. Why would anyone be after me?

  Officer Lopez patted my arm and gave it a slight squeeze.

  “We’re trying to find him.” He handed me a card with his name and number on it. “If you think of anything else or see him again, give me a call.”

  I nodded, not bothering to look up as he left. I leaned the bed back, pressing my head into the pillow and pulling the cover up to my chin.

  “I’m going to give you something to help you sleep, sweet girl.”

  I jumped as a nurse came through the door. “The officer told me you might be a little shaken after your talk, so this will help you relax.” With a quick jab, she pushed the medicine into my arm.

  It felt like ice shooting through my insides. I shivered, wrapping tighter in the sheet.

  “Let me go get you another blanket.” She switched the light off before she left me alone in the glow of the television.

  My eyes were heavy, as though concrete blocks sat on the lids. I twisted in the bed, fighting the drowsiness…

  A boy stood near the door. I picked up my head. It wobbled back and forth, feeling too heavy to hold. Coarse brown hair spilled across his powder-white forehead. Heavy shadows fell over his sockets. His clothes were dated, coveralls that were rolled along the ankles exposing a pair of brown shoes. A plaid shirt was layered underneath. It looked thin, practically see-through.

  The medicine kicked into the next gear, forcing me to close my eyes for a moment, blurring any reasoning on this strange boy. I forced my eyes open again, nodding forward. He stepped closer, the smallest of movement, but it brought the light from the television across his face. Solid black eyes. I should have been terrified. Maybe it was the drowsiness. Maybe it was the medicine taking hold of my logical thinking. But I was more curious than anything.

  “What are you?” I managed to get out of my numbed lips.

  He didn’t say anything. He only smiled.

  It shook me to my core. I reached for the call button, but finally fell into the deep tranquil state the nurse had promised before I could.

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  I stirred, wrestling against what seemed like one hundred pounds of thick blankets. My eyes were matted together with crust. I gingerly massaged the area until I was able to crack them, letting the darkness in. Darkness. Licking my dried lips, I shifted, pulling myself into a tight ball. My skin felt as if it were on fire. Beads of sweat rolled down my back and collected on the already-damp sheet beneath me. Where was everyone? It was unusually quiet for a hospital.

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  I looked to the monitors beside the bed. How long had I been out? The deathly silence shattered into a jarring discord as screeches of something that sounded like metal being dragged down the hallway. My muscles tensed. It seemed to be moving away. Gathering my courage, I reached out for the call button and pushed it. Nothing. Radio silence. I pushed it again.

  After not getting a response for the second time, I decided I couldn’t just lie here. I would go crazy alone in the dark. Childish, I knew, but when the darkness had been my enemy for years … well, I did what I could to make sure I wasn’t in it any more. I shoved the covers down to the bottom of the bed and cautiously dipped my feet into the unknown beneath me. Pausing for a minute, I then ripped the things off that were attached to my body. The monitors flatlined. The floor was ice cold and sent a shiver over my hot flesh. I found the metal rail to the bed and pulled myself to standing. I was stiff and aching. Pinpricks stabbed my skull, causing my equilibrium to detour. I fell back against the mattress and squeezed it as grogginess formed. My eyes slammed shut. I focused on making it stop. The room spun as bile rose. I gripped my stomach, pressing it slightly as if to calm it and then swallowed slowly. Weakly, I pushed forward again. Concentrating on the thin line of light spilling in from the hall, I walked toward it.

  My hand rested on the door handle for a second then turned it. Instantly, I was covered in blindingly bright light. I squinted, shielding my face from the harshness of it until my eyes weren’t so sensitive. I blinked rapidly and tilted my head in each direction. The hallway was empty.

  “Hello?” My voice echoed against the deserted walls. I pulled in a deep breath, tucking loose strands of hair that hung over my shoulders behind my ears. My fingers combed through slowly before I dropped my arms at my sides. I had no idea where the nurses’ station was. This place was a maze. Deciding to venture to the right, I stayed close to the wall as I meagerly padded along.

  Upon reaching the door to another room, I paused and listened, evaluating my options. Walk past? Look inside? Cough really loud and hope it draws someone out? I gripped the doorway and stole a quick glance. I repositioned out of sight. No one was in there. No one except the patient. I managed to make out lumps under the covers, but a curtain shielded the body from the torso up. My heart thumped as I turned and went into the room. Step after step, I silently made it to the curtain. My hand clamped over the corner of the sheer fabric and pushed it to the side. I scrambled back a few feet, my hand closing over my mouth to muffle a gasp. Frantically, I fought to slow my racing heart. Maybe I was seeing things. It couldn’t have been what I thought it was.

  Determined to prove myself wrong, I hung my head low and returned to the bed. I stared at the floor for several minutes. Just look. Before I could talk myself out of it, I glanced up. Dark hair splayed across the white pillowcase. High cheekbones with a pink hue radiated against her bronze skin tone. Everything about this woman, the small freckle at the corner of her right eye was the same as me. I was mesmerized and couldn’t tear my eyes off her. I reached out and took her hand in mine. They mirrored each other, long, skinny fingers with short manicured nails. I leaned forward, searching for differences.

  Her eyes shot open, startling me. I backed away but kept my focus on her as she rose to a seated position. Hair tumbled down around her shoulders, falling beneath her breasts. Her face — my face — showed emptiness, bitter vacancy in her solid black eyes. We stared at each other as if we had both agreed to a silent dual. Her mouth hung low, giving me a scare.

  My reaction seemed to please her as the corners of her mouth curved upward. Blackened teeth were visibly on display before me. Her head tilted to the side as black ooze ran from her eyes. She snapped back, cackling, sounding as if the inside of her throat was grated, raw meat. Thrusting forward, she opened her mouth, and blood sprayed and hit me in the face.

  I blinked, desperately clawing at my eyes, which were burning. The hot, smell of infection assaulted me. I gagged. This earned another laugh from the thing bouncing on the bed.
I finally cleared my vision to find her watching me avidly.

  I didn’t wait to see what she would do next. I twirled around, slamming my shoulder into the corner of the wall before bolting out into the hallway. I ran. I rounded the corner and stopped short, feeling uneasy. I leaned over, resting my hands on my knees for support. My hair was soaked with sweat. Drops slid down my face, hit the floor, and made pink-tinted wet spots on the tile. Pink from the blood that still stained my face. I couldn’t stop it. The bile raged up my throat like the natural flow of lava bursting from the earth. I heaved, pain lancing up my sides with each push. I turned and managed to move away from the vomit, then hit the wall. Air rushed from my lungs at the brunt force, causing me to gasp. I descended until I rested on the floor.

  My mouth watered. I swallowed, fighting the urge to throw up again. “This can’t be real.” I pushed my hair back, looking at the wall across from me. “I have to be dreaming.” I wiped my eyes again and stared the stains smeared across the back of my hand. Vigorously, I scrubbed it against the hospital gown until my skin ached. I looked again, this time unable to tell if the pinkness was from my face or from rubbing it so hard.

  I stood once I thought I was able to walk again. Where were all the nurses in this place? Vowing to not go into any more rooms, I started down the hall once again. Each door I passed greeted me with different things. Some were moans, the gut-wrenching pain etched deep in their cries. Some were screams, making the hair on my neck stand at attention. And some were boisterous laughs, which scared me the most.

  A counter came into view with papers lined across the top. A plate of cookies sat on the corner with a pot of lukewarm coffee sitting beside it. Cushioned office chairs were vacant on the other side. Files littered the desk with patient information still pulled up across the computer screens. A drawer on the file cabinet hung open while the microwave in a back room beeped, indicating it was done heating whatever was in it. My heart sank. The feeling of dread knotted heavily in my gut. I stared at the workstation, not sure what to do next. Anger raged through my body. I snatched the pot of coffee off the counter and hurled it against the wall. The glass shattered, raining across the once spotless tiles that were now stained in the brown liquid.

  A deep rumble vibrated everything around me. My eyes widened as things began to hit the floor. The filing cabinet tilted and sent papers everywhere. Sparks shot from the computers as the monitors exploded. Cries screamed out. They weren’t human — more like birds. Thousands and thousands of birds. I covered my ears, trying to shield them from the ongoing noise that continued to grow louder. The lights shut off, sparking the red emergency lights along the top of the ceiling. Suddenly the noise stopped.

  Come to the dark.

  We promise to play.

  Come to the dark.

  It’s where you’ll stay.

  The voices seemed to be all around me, almost lyrical, although I was still alone in the glow of the red lights. They were soft, yet terrifying. The voices of children. The paint from the walls began to peel away like ash being carried away by the wind. The floor beneath my feet cracked, destroying the desk I stood by. I jumped back, avoiding the huge, gaping hole left there. The double doors at the end of the hall began to move inward.

  Dark liquid sprung in from the cracks and rushed under the bottom. A bolt popped loose, which hit the wall with a ping! The doors pressed forward more, bending unnaturally. I turned and ran with every ounce of strength I had. Bang! The doors slammed into the walls as they flung open. The liquid rushed in and filled the hallway. It lapped at my feet, spraying the back of my legs. I gasped for air, unable to stop.

  I darted to the right, down another hall, just as it would have swallowed me. I stopped, the liquid pooling in around my ankles. At the end of the hallway, illuminated in red, was someone sitting in a chair. A cold chill clawed its way up my spine. I knew who it was. The familiar dark hair dangling about the hung head was a dead giveaway. I glanced around to find the liquid still rushing by. I couldn’t turn back. Maybe there was another passageway between us. I sloshed forward, watching her. She sat motionless. As I drew closer, I saw she was bound to the chair at the ankles and wrists.

  The chair began to rock as she started vibrating faster than humanly possible. It became a blur and hard to follow. I steeled my nerves and kept moving. There had to be a way out of this.

  Paint chips fluttered down, landing on my face and gown. I batted them away.

  She screamed so loud it stopped me in my tracks. Her head came up, still bellowing, and looked at me. Her skin began to melt, peeling away. Chunks of charred flesh fell to her lap, exposing pink tissue. Patches of hair dropped around her and floated away in the liquid. One by one her teeth broke, leaving a jagged snarl in its wake. The skin along her arms and legs was now a grotesque mosaic of blacks and browns. An invisible force ripped her from the chair, the bounds tearing deep into what was left of her skin and exposing the bone. She was hoisted about four feet into the air and suspended there as if whatever was holding her wanted me to see.

  I ached to run away. Not to see this. She didn’t deserve that. I didn’t deserve that. Hell, no one did. She opened her mouth and licked her cracked lips with a bloated tongue.

  Come to the dark.

  We promise to play.

  Come to the dark.

  It’s where you’ll stay.

  She chanted the words, but it sounded as if more than one person spoke through her. Out of the liquid, things formed around me, creatures with sharp teeth, wings sprouting from their backs, and slit pupils, which focused on me.

  Tears threatened as fear sank into every morsel of my existence. I twisted. I turned but was surrounded with nowhere to run. The creatures took a cautious step forward with their heads hanging low to the ground. Their backs arched as the wings hung close to their bodies. They were preparing to attack. This was my worst fear realized, to know I was about to die, and there was nothing I could do about it was something I couldn’t bring my mind to fully comprehend. They stopped, dipping low.

  I dropped to the ground, clasping my hands over my head. My chin dipped so low between the fold of my body my neck began to ache. I didn’t care. I welcomed the distraction. In a matter of seconds, I would be ripped apart by whatever these things were.

  Something folded around my forearm. I jerked, but remained in my position. Funny. It didn’t feel like I thought it would. Maybe I had left my body. Maybe being so panicked could take someone away from such an agonizing situation.

  “Ms. McAdams?”

  I held my breath. Was I hearing things?

  “Ms. McAdams?” The person repeated for a second time.

  First, I peeled my eyes opened and peeked through a crack in my huddled position seeing white sneakers with a pink Nike symbol. No dark liquid. No claws. No rotting flesh. Normal shoes. I traced the shoes up to find a nurse staring down at me.

  I blinked, trying to figure out if she was real. She didn’t go away. She didn’t change into some hideous deformity. The brightness of the polished white floor seemed to glow under the florescent lights shining above. Clorox or some type of other disinfectant burned my nose. Beyond the nurse, a few others, all dressed in scrubs, stood staring in my direction.

  “Can I help you back to your room?”

  I refocused on the woman in front of me. Her eyes were wide as she watched me intently. Judging from her stance, she was poised, ready for whatever I might throw at her. They thought I was going crazy. Maybe I was.

  “How did I…” I cleared my throat. It burned with dryness. “How did I get here?”

  “One of the patients saw you stumbling around in the hallway. I think you’re having a reaction to the medicine that was given to you.” She took a cautious step forward. “You’ve been talking, but nothing you were saying made sense. It was like you couldn’t see what was around you. I’ve been trying to stop you for the last half hour.”

  I sat back on my heels, my arms flopping to the sides as a breath
of relief rushed out. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. I was lightheaded with glee. Safe. I was safe. No monsters. No black liquid rushing the building. No paint peeling from the walls. No … no tortured girl who looked like me. I shivered, the image still fresh.

  “Yes, you can definitely help me back to my room.”

  She nodded and reached down a helping hand.

  I was exhausted. Every part of my body was stiff with soreness. “I just have one request.”

  She wrapped my arm around her shoulders and stopped, obviously waiting on me to continue.

  My gaze landed at the end of the hallway where moments before I’d watched someone who looked like me be destroyed. “Don’t give me any more of the meds she gave me earlier.”

  Unfazed by my tone, she laughed. “No. No. Of course not. I’ve never seen anyone have that reaction.”

  I allowed her to pull me along, finally shifting my attention to the onlookers in front of us. The second I met their eyes, they carried on like I wasn’t their daily dose of gossip. Hallway after hallway, we turned down. I had walked all the way across the hospital during my hallucination. At the side of my bed, I detached myself from the nurse and lay down.

  “Now get some rest.”

  She left me alone.

  Silence had never sounded so terrifying. Dread built in my chest as my temples throbbed. I waited for anything out of the ordinary to appear. I groped for the television remote on the side table. It flicked on, blasting out a welcoming distraction of noise. I barely watched it. I tried. I really did. But my peripheral vision wouldn’t allow it. Every few seconds I thought I saw something move, but nothing was there.

  By nightfall, I relaxed. The paranoid part of my mind no longer tugged my attention. It had been the medicine. None of it had been real. I closed my eyes, giving in to their heaviness.

  None of it had been real.

  I wrapped a towel tightly around my torso without bothering to fully dry off. It was hard enough to make myself take a shower, much like how I felt about everything else since leaving the hospital. I stepped forward and swiped the steam from the mirror. I stood staring at a girl who was paralyzed on the inside, shattered from everything she had tried to cover up. I guess wounds truly never went away. They only laid dormant, festering ugly scar tissue until something traumatic ripped them open. I hadn’t been this way since my childhood. My grandfather had taught me to overcome the things I’d gone through. Overcome, but not forget. Something that, up until this point, I thought I’d done.