Anna's Secret (Editing)

Chapter 4: A Dream



Anna was walking on the street in the night. Around her, a mix of people passed by - some deeply absorbed in their phones, others striding purposefully towards their destinations. Her stomach still churns as the horrifying thought of that creepy boy appears in her mind.

After a few minutes.

Anna and her friend, Jessica, both were strolling together. Jessica turned her head to Anna and took a long peek at Anna's costume.

Anna was in a black gown and two long black gloves on each hand. Her whole look was enhanced by a shining silver colour crown on her head.

"Wow Anna your costume looks so lovely," her friend says.

"Thank you, Jess, your costume is amazing too," Anna replied, linking her arm with Jessica's. They had been best friends since middle school, sharing a bond like sisters.

As Jessica excused herself to join her boyfriend, Anna sat sipping her drink, her mind consumed by one thought - why couldn't she recall asking the mysterious boy to restore memories of the eerie box?

Suddenly, a voice behind her made her startle, "Hey Anna, thinking of me?"

Panicked, Anna turned to see the boy without his mask, a chilling smile on his face, blood dripping from his jaws, his eyes an unsettling shade of white.

Frozen in fear, Anna couldn't even speak a word. She stood like a statue as Jessica approached, calling her name with concern, but Anna remained unresponsive, caught up in the horrifying encounter.
"Anna, what happened to you? Why are you standing here like a statue?" Jessica asked, her voice full of concern.

Jessica's voice snapped Anna out of her trance. "Yeah, Jessica. I'm alright," she replied hastily.

"Thank God you're fine. I'm sorry you had to wait so long because of me," Jessica said, relief evident in her tone.

"No problem, but I have to go now. If I don't, my mom will scold me," Anna replied.

"OK, Anna, but if you could stay longer, I would love that," Jessica said wistfully.

They hugged, and then Anna left Jessica's house. She was on her way home when a boy suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Hey! Don't you want to know who I am and why I've always followed you?" he called out.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Anna cried.

"Because you touched my box. I will always be with you," he said in a sweet voice.

"Wait, you mean...," Anna began, her voice trembling.

"Yes, you are right. I'm the lord of hell." As soon as he said this, wings sprouted from his back, and his eyes began to glow like balls of fire.

Anna screamed as loud as she could and then fainted on the road.

When she woke up, she was in a strange place, holding a blood-soaked knife in her right hand. In front of her lay a man, dead, his abdomen a mess of stab wounds.

Anna's eyes darted to an open box on the floor. She recognized it as the same box she had found by the riverside.

She screamed in fear.

Then she awoke from her dream, finding her mom sitting beside her.

"What's wrong with me, Mom? How am I in bed? I remember being on the street, and then I don't know anything," she said, frightened.

"Anna, you were found unconscious by Michael in front of a hotel," her mom said calmly.

"But Michael's uncle was admitted to the hospital. How could he have seen me in front of the hotel?" Anna asked, confusion adding to her fear.

"He told me that he had been released early due to an urgent matter. He was on his way to the office for important work," her mother replied.

Michael, her mother's best friend, worked for the FBI. Anna remembered this from earlier conversations.

Suddenly, memories flashed before her eyes. "I saw the Lord of Hell, but if I tell my mom, she won't believe me. But wait, I was in front of the hotel. I remember coming from Jessica's house," she thought to herself.

"What are you thinking, Anna?" her mom asked.

"Nothing, Mom. I want to tell you why I fainted in front of the hotel," Anna started but was interrupted by the doorbell.

"I'll be back in a bit. You take care of yourself," her mom said, gently patting Anna's head before leaving the room.

As soon as her mother left, Anna quickly got up from her bed, her eyes scanning the room for the strange boy. "Hey! Where are you? Come here, you lord of hell, and tell me what you are doing with me," she shouted angrily.

He appeared before her. "What am I doing? I think you should ask yourself," he said.

"What are you saying?" she shouted back.

"Have you been taking your medicine on time?" he asked calmly.

"Medicine? Why are you asking me about this?" she said, confused.

"I repeat my question: have you been taking your medicine or not?" His voice echoed in her mind, sending her into a flashback.

Two weeks ago...

"Hurry up, Anna! You're going to be late for school. Finish your breakfast quickly," her mother urged.

"Anna, I'll drop you off at school today, so you'll get there on time," her father added in a sweet voice.

"Thanks, Dad," Anna said, smiling.

She quickly finished her breakfast, got up from the dining table, and picked up her bag from the couch. Just as she was about to leave with her dad, her mother's voice called from behind, "Anna, did you take your medicine?"

Anna turned back, "Yes, Mother, I already took it," she replied hesitantly.

"Okay then, bye Anna, have a nice day," her mom said with a smile.

As she walked out of the house with her father, Anna thought to herself, "I didn't take those medicines because I feel so much better now."

Back in the present...

"Why should I take medicine now when I already feel fine?" Anna told the boy defiantly.

"You may not realize it now, but you'll regret it in the future," he said, disappearing into the darkness.

"Why does he care whether I take my medicine or not?" she thought, puzzled. Suddenly, her door opened with a creak, and her uncle Michael entered the room.

"How are you now? Why did you fall unconscious?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I feel better now. You know, when my blood sugar gets low, my whole body starts trembling and sometimes I faint. That must have been what happened," Anna explained. "But why did you suddenly leave and go back home? Why didn't you stay here?" she asked.

"When I dropped you here, I got a call from Joseph. He told me that someone was murdered at the hotel, and coincidentally, you fainted right in front of it. So, I had to go back to that place," Michael said.

As she listened to her uncle, the dream she had seen replayed vividly in her mind. The blood-soaked knife, the dead man, and the open box flashed before her eyes. Her heart raced as she tried to make sense of it all.

To be continued.........

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