The Hospital

My killer was considerably strong. They had me pinned down on the cold ground, barely able to move or breathe. A razor-sharp knife glinted in the light, held firmly in the hand of my killer. I was gasping for air at this point. The knife edged closer to my throat, the seconds passing slowly, agonisingly, as I waited for my death. Nobody would hear me scream. I didn't even know where my friends had gone. All I knew was that one of the people who I considered a "friend" was about to kill me.

***

Every Tuesday I would have the time to visit the hospital with some of my friends to see my younger sister. My sister's name was Naomi, and she was only thirteen years old. Every week I came to see her, she would look even more frail than the last week. It hurt me, ate away at me, and made me consume most of my time crying alone in my room.

On this occasion, I visited the hospital with Lara, Jamie and Natalie. We were all sixteen, except for Jamie, who had already turned seventeen. My friends, whoever I took with me, would always exchange nervous glances with each other, knowing how hard it must be for me. But they didn't fully understand the pain of it. They would never understand, unless it actually happened to one of them. That was what made me feel so alone inside.

We entered the reception area and made our way over to the reception desk. We checked in as visitors, the receptionist smiling cheerily at us. None of us smiled back. We trudged up the stairs leading to my sister's room in silence. It was awkward, but I appreciated it. I didn't always feel like talking, especially during a situation like this.

Suddenly, I noticed how unusually quiet the hospital was. Usually people would be flowing up and down the stairs, in their own little worlds. There was an uneasy atmosphere, which made a shiver run down my spine, as if tiny spiders were crawling down it.

When we reached the top of the stairs, on the floor my sister was on, I noticed how the lights weren't on. The whole floor was nearly pitch black, except for the glowing moonlight which filtered through the curtains.

"What?" Natalie cried. "Why aren't the lights on?"

I shook my head slowly. I didn't know either.

Suddenly, the lights flickered. The flicker made my heart skip a beat, and my eyes widened in fear. What was going on?

"Maybe the power is down," Lara suggested.

"But this has never happened before," I responded.

I gazed at her, waiting for her reply, but she just shrugged her shoulders. I continued walking slowly, finding my way to my sister's room. Once I had found it, I entered cautiously, and there she lay. Due to the darkness, I could only see the outline of her. But she was there.

She must have heard the creaking of the floor, because she cried out, "W-Who's there?"

"It's me," I replied, smiling to myself.

"Bella," she gasped. "Y-You have to get out of here. Now!" She sounded desperate.

"Why?" I cried. "What's going on, Naomi? Why is the hospital so dark?"

"One of your friends ... they, they are not who you think they are," Naomi panted.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, shocked. "Who?"

Just then, the lights flickered. I could see Naomi's pale face, not just the dark outline of her, and I could also see the blood dripping from her stomach, where a sharp piece of glass had pierced through her delicate skin.

My throat suddenly became very dry. My jaw dropped open, and my eyes widened in horror and disbelief. My head spun as if it had been hit by something very hard. My chest became tight, restricting my breathing.

"Go," Naomi said. "Go, quickly. There's not much time."

"W-What?" I was fighting back tears. "No, no, I can't, I can't just-"

"Go," Naomi repeated, clutching her stomach in agony. She sounded more firm this time.

"Which of my friends did this to you?" I cried.

But it was too late. Naomi was unconscious.

And that was when I was ambushed by someone who I thought was a friend. They pinned me to the ground with great strength. When I looked at their face, it was painted with a sneer.

"I never even liked you anyway," taunted Lara.