Firstly, I also was once in the same situation and I thought I would die too.”, she said.

“I mean it's quite obvious you would be the same as me considering how sympathetic and knowledgeable you were about my what happened to me.”, He chuckled.

“Yeah, right…..”, she rolled her eyes.

“But I'm curious how did you immediately know I was one of those ‘people’ attacked by those things in a hospital with like thousands of patients?”

“We are moving off topic here… I haven’t even finished what I want to tell you.”, A slight irritation was present in Chelsea.

“Uhh sorry about that.”, he scratched the back of my head.

“Anyways I figured a way to prevent them from approaching me. More specifically, I obtained something that protected me from those things”
Lennox observed Chelsea curiously as she reached to her neck and removed a necklace shaded in silver accompanied by an imprinted shape reminiscent of a ‘Dyson Sphere’. The center was occupied by an octagonal object that spun unceasingly and glowed when it was exposed to moonlight. It was truly beautiful, it seemed to be an archaic, ancient object at first glance that has been present for thousands of years moreover my eyes couldn’t divert their attention from it.

“What…? What is that?”

“I don’t really know myself but I found it when I was being chased by one of those creatures. I deduced it to be a magical artifact, an artifact of the same origin as those creatures.”

“Magical artifacts?”, he said in surprise.

“As much as you may not believe it, this is truly a magic artifact and I believe there aren’t even that many across the world.”

“Wait wait, if what you say is true then those creatures that have chased all our lives aren’t from Hell?!”

“Why would you think they are from Hell?”, she questioned in visible confusion.

“I mean, God must hate us to send those creatures to us. We have been abandoned by Heaven, God hates us. My Father hates Me!!!”, he didn’t see it but his eyes were popping comically as he expressed his insane superstition.

Chelsea chuckled out loud as she swayed her head left and right.
“You are quite religious, huh? But it's none of those things. First, settle down and I'll tell you my theory.”

He calmed down and folded his arms putting all his attention on her.

“This magical artifact is fact an artifact that exists within the Japanese culture. I did my research because when I found it, it seemed so similar to something I once saw in an ancient book. It's a type of [Omamori] and it is an object that protects its wearer from evil spirits.“, Chelsea said. (I didn't use the classical design of the Omamori and instead added my own twist to it.)

“Wait, then those things that have been chasing..”

“Yeah, I have the exact same thoughts as you. Those creatures are from the same Japanese culture but the crazy part is that they exist in their mythology. They are called [Yokai]."

“But why us?”

“Have you noticed that nobody else can see them except us, it also makes sense as to why nobody would believe you because such an absurdity cannot be believable unless one sees it themselves. You told me that you once tried to tell someone about your situation but you were condemned as a crazy person, right?”

“Yeah, I described the creature too but I was immediately identified as someone who is mentally ill.”, he said in anger.

“ I mean I would too if I hadn’t seen it myself. You think anyone would believe a person validating the existence of a thing that is fact non-existence and only fantasy.”

“..”

“Anyways why they chase us specifically has to do with our status of being able to perceive them as well. I think this ability we have to see these creatures and spirits implies that we have a certain affinity to that plane of existence which makes us targets.”

“We are like the Sun in the Darkness.”, he said softly under his breath and contemplated her words.

“Yes, exactly like that..”, surprise was clearly evident on her face.

“ So that thing around your neck acts as a mechanism that helps us blend in with the darkness.”, he said.

“Exactly and it acts as a shield when the wearer is exposed to those creatures or spirits.”, she said as she nodded.

“Mmm..., I assume there is a catch."

“It can only be active for 12 hours a day and then it goes into hibernation and the wearer has to wait for another 12 hours before it activates again.", she said

“Then how would've you helped those other 4 people if there was such a limitation.”, I asked.

Chelsea touched the octagonal object at the center of the object with her right index finger as it faintly shimmered in a white hue which she then slowly retracted and thereafter approached me and touched my forehead.

The white shimmer faded in a few seconds and I felt weird at that moment. A refreshing feeling soon permeated through my entire body giving me this illusory perception of inexplainable comfort and safety.

“I've shared a portion of the object’s powers with you but the cost is that it can only now be active for 6 hours a day and we will have to wait 18 hours before it activates again.”, she said.

“I see.., So you didn’t do this with the other 4 because if you did, the time with which the artifact could remain active would be too minimal and you would be exposed almost constantly.”

“Yea…”, she said

“You wanted to live just as much as anyone else, huh?”

“..”

“It's understandable. Who doesn’t want to live? All of us want to live. You obtained an artifact that can preserve your life, it's only natural to not share it. And either way, your selfish decision led me to meet you and have the hope to live for another day. That’s my fortune.”, he smiled slightly as she remained silent.

“Anyways when you are exposed how do you protect yourself?”, he asked with slight curiosity.

“In the moments of exposure, I perform a ritual by placing down inscriptions around my apartment which act as protective barriers to prevent them from coming although every time I finish laying the 5th inscription my body grows incredibly weak for some reason and I can't do more.”,

“Did you figure out why that happens?”

“Unfortunately no but my theory is that we have a sort of energy within us that helps us see these creatures and somehow I can access it to create and allows us to perform these actions through this energy. I believe it is also the reason we are targets.”

“ I see”, he sighed in bewilderment. What Chelsea told him was so much to digest. The fact that myth is real and exists in their world and coming after them is quite something. Crazy to be exact.

“Also, We need to leave the hospital in about an hour and get to my house if you want to live”, she said as stood up from her seat, she noticed he didn’t finish the food she gave him so Lennox quickly devoured what was remaining and suddenly the door opened. Jon walked in.

“So you did it, huh”, Jon said with a helpless smile.

“Yeah.. he may be of help to solve this whole mystery and I didn’t want another one to die."

“I see.”, he said with a contemplating gaze

“We have to leave now though, can you help me out Jon?”, she asked.
Jon sighed in slight trepidance, annoyance quite evident on his face as he walked out the door and returned with a wheelchair.

“Let’s move.”, he said.

“Thank You.”, Chelsea said in true gratitude before moving towards Lennox and then proceeded to wrap her arm around my waist which allowed her to lift him off the bed and place him in the wheelchair in one single moment. Lennox was quite surprised by the strength she possessed but most importantly was her pungent scent reminiscent of sweet lavender infused with the essence of subtle yet gentle vanilla. Such a heavenly odor couldn’t have come from a mere mortal but an angel sent by the Father himself. A treat indeed.

“Why is he face like that?", Jon asked.

“ I don't think he even knows his face looks like that.”, Chelsea chuckled.

Their comments brought Lennox out of his thoughts and feelings. Based on how they were looking at him all funny he thought he had a stupid look on his face worthy of a teenager who has never made contact with the opposing gender in his life.

Chelsea reorganized the bedding, dusted the sheets, and folded the blanket in a neatly rectangular shape thereafter she closed all the windows, moved the seat back into its original place, and finally collected the utensils used to eat the food she made. She walked towards Lennox and began pushing the wheelchair as they all left the vicinity.

The group entered the hall and immediately they saw the walls were all painted in a blue and white color which matched the carpet below. Doors of a somewhat monochromatic color filled Lennox's periphery vision. Such a contrast threw him off a bit but he didn’t think too much about it.

Usually white is the theme in all hospitals since it represents purity, innocence, healing, and beginnings. It is biased toward positivity, so seeing a monochromatic color being used is just a bad omen.

“There shouldn’t be any trouble, I already informed the reception. I guess they readily agreed because they couldn’t find his family which made things quite convenient for us.”, Jon said.

“Thanks for all this. I owe you one.”, she said.

“How about a… date ?”, Jon said softly.

Chelsea immediately grew stupefied. She looked at Jon as he turned his head her way with a serious expression.

“You…, I see. Your feelings never changed, huh?”, she said in a self-decrepit smile.

Jon stood there in silence and the atmosphere grew awkward in an instant. Lennox took another look at Jon and he was slightly above average in the looks department, he had jet-black silky hair gelled to achieve its silky and shining effect, sharp eyebrows, and eyes that matched his extravagant hair. He had a near-symmetrical face but a slight scar on the left extremity of his forehead that rendered that correspondence invalid but he looked manly because of that defect and the impression he gave was one of reliability. His attire corresponded with Chelsea’s indicating his occupation as a doctor as well. His European aesthetic was quite clear from a single glance and he seemed slightly built although this was based on his assumption because of the scar impression. He looked cool to Lennox.

Chelsea then moved forward with the wheelchair and he followed next to her. He looked ahead of me and Lennox's voice sounded out,
“Hey man, Good job.”, he said out loud which caused Jon to stiffen momentarily.

Chelsea chuckled as she turned left at the end of the hall and entered another but the larger section where they approached an elevator, entered it and proceeded to the ground hall in silence.

When the elevator opened again they saw many nurses, doctors, and surgeons moving around at every instance. They all seemed to be in a rush as they entered their respective halls. To their left were glass doors and from the absence of light it was evident it was nighttime as only subtle moonlight shone inside the proximity.

Chelsea led us to the receptionist and the women there looked at us with a smile.

“Is this him?”, she said.

“Yes, he is the one I mentioned earlier.”, Jon stated.

“Alright… just fill out the
here.“, she said and handed a few documents to Jon as he took a pen present on the desk and began filling them out. She then looked up and noticed Chelsea behind Lennox.

Hey… Chelsea, how have you been?”

Chelsea’s exotic eye color was quite known to everyone in the hospital and everyone could immediately notice her just by looking at her eyes.

“I'm good, what about you Amanda?”,

“Just kicking it up here at the desk as usual you know. At least for now until I finish my degree then I can finally do something more with my life”
“I congratulate you in advance, then. ”, Chelsea said with a smile.

“I can't wait!!!!! We should celebrate when I graduate. I and a couple of friends have organized a small get-together and we thought we should have you there, think you can make it?”, she asked.

“I'll think about it and text you. Is that okay?”

“Definitely, it's not happening now anyway.”

“Done.”, Jon finished the documentation and proceeded to lead the group outside the premises.

“See you soon, Amanda.”, Chelsea stated as he left pushing Lennox in the wheelchair

“Bye!!!!”, she said enthusiastically.

“Oh and Jon don’t forget my piece of advice!!!”, Amanda shouted at the departing Jon who heard what she said and slightly blushed in embarrassment.

They finally left the building and Lennox took in a breath of fresh air. It was his first time being outside since that incident and so he took in his surroundings, he could see that they entered a car park which had subtle hints of green around its periphery but mostly tar inscribed with paint to show the ins and outs and where drivers were supposed to park their cars. There was a gentle breeze that pervaded the scenery, neither too vigorous nor too tranquil. It simply set the tone of the atmosphere which Lennox quite enjoyed. We moved down the ramp specifically for wheelchair patients and thus made our way to a metallic grey Audi RS3 with black-hued rims which surprised him considering such cars are quite expensive. A realization dawned upon Lennox, they were doctors!! Being able to afford such luxurious cars isn’t something out of the ordinary.
Jon removed the car keys from his left chest pocket and tapped a button which made the car make a beeping sound as the taillights and front lights flashed momentarily.

“We should be able to make it in time so we can perform the ritual”, she said.

“Alright”, Jon said.

They moved to the car and both Jon and Chelsea helped Lennox to the backseat of the car and thereafter entered in the front seats. Jon sat in the driving seat, Chelsea in the passenger and immediately he pressed the Start Engine button. Thus, they set off.

We soon left the Hospital and entered a main road leading to a 4-way intersection where we stopped since the traffic light had turned red. There were no other cars present except theirs and Jon contemplated jumping the traffic light but resisted the urge to do so. An eerie silence settled ever more noticeably subsequently all 3 individuals began to feel an uncomfortable chill rush down their spines which immediately awoke them alert.

The traffic lights all suddenly died out and a blackout instantaneously occurred. The moonlight that beckoned good faded into nothingness and an ever terrifying darkness coalesced around the trio entrapping them from the outside world.

They looked straight ahead of them and what they saw was the personification of terror and fear. It was a
humongous skeleton that blotted out the sky, its hollow eyesockets were the representation of an abysmal purgatory alluring its victims to visit the nether realm. Screams of agony, pain, resentment, and the wrath of what could be observed as dead people within its appendages and bony structure occupied the trio’s auditory canals leading them into shock.

Their bulging eyes and sweat-stricken clothes made it evident that they were terrified .. Truly afraid of that creature.
A rattling sound made by the friction of its jaws clashing suddenly blended in with already devilish melodic cacophony as the creature slowly approached the car subsequently a green swirling luminescence was made prominent in its abysmal eye sockets.

“How…….?”, Chelsea’s lip quivered. The confidence she had in her magical necklace crumbled.

“Wh…at is… th…a…t th…i…ng”, Jon attempted to make out words but his sheer terror couldn’t allow it.

“Why….?”, Lennox only had a single utterance.