Chapter 7 - The Truth

  Sarah floated, weightless.

  She was drifting in a sea of blood, the air thick with a sharp, metallic taste. The sky above was a deep red, as though the world itself was bleeding. Her body felt cold and heavy, and the feeling of drowning was overwhelming. No matter how hard she tried to breathe, the blood around her kept pulling

  her deeper.

  Is this how it ends?

  But before she could scream, everything snapped. The red sea, the blood, the suffocating feeling—gone. Sarah’s eyes shot open.

  She gasped, her body jerking upright, her heart pounding. Sweat dripped down her face as she tried to figure out where she was.

  "W-What?" she whispered, panic rising in her chest.

  Her body was tied to a chair. Her arms were tightly bound, and her legs were strapped. The room around her was dark and small, too quiet. It felt wrong.

  Where am I? What happened?

  She yanked at the ropes, trying to break free. Her mind raced with thoughts of the thieves. They caught me. They must have.

  Suddenly, she heard a voice.

  “Hey.”

  Sarah froze.

  "Hey!" The voice was calm but firm.

  “Who’s there?” Sarah gasped, twisting her body to find the source.

  She looked up, her eyes widening as she saw a woman sitting across from her. The woman had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Her skin was pale, almost glowing in the dim light.

  Sarah tried to speak but struggled to find the words.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Where am I?" Sarah whispered, still trying to make sense of it all.

  The woman smiled faintly. “You’re awake, at least.”

  Sarah’s gaze darted around the room again. It was small, just enough space for the two chairs. Above her head, a single lightbulb hung, casting a faint glow. There was a door behind the woman.

  "Who are you?" Sarah asked, her voice still shaking with fear.

  “I am Patient 15,” the woman replied, her voice soft and steady. “And you... You are special.”

  Sarah frowned. “Special? What do you mean?”

  Patient 15 looked at her with calm, cold eyes. “We... we are the Patients. We have all suffered from the same thing as you. But you are different. Just like our king.”

  “King? What do you mean?” Sarah’s voice was thick with confusion.

  Patient 15’s lips curled slightly. “We Patients are numbered by the order of our awakening. From Patient 1 to Patient 21. You... you are the last. The newest.”

  Sarah’s mind raced. “What does that mean? What is all of this?”

  Patient 15 leaned back in her chair, her gaze never leaving Sarah. “Our awakening happens because of what we love the most. The things that drive us. But you...” She paused. “Your awakening was different. You reacted to something none of us expected.”

  “I don’t understand...” Sarah said, feeling more lost by the second.

  “You are the Blessed One,” Patient 15 said, her voice steady. “Just like our king.”

  “Blessed?” Sarah repeated, her head spinning. “What does that even mean? What’s going on?”

  Patient 15’s expression softened slightly. “You will understand. But there are more important things to do r. Right now, you are the key. You are special, Sarah.”

  Sarah shook her head. “I don’t... I don’t understand any of this. Why are you telling me all this? You’ve been watching me?”

  “Yes,” Patient 15 replied. “We’ve been watching you. From the moment your parents died...”

  Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. “My parents? What do you mean? How do you know about them?”

  Patient 15’s face became harder. “Your parents’ death wasn’t an accident. We can’t tell you how or why yet. You need to discover that for yourself.”

  Sarah blinked, trying to process what she was hearing. “You’ve been... watching me all this time?”

  “We were protecting you,” Patient 15 said. “You carry something inside you that we can’t let just anyone discover. It’s not safe. So, we kept an eye on you, guiding you from the shadows.”

  Sarah’s thoughts swirled in confusion. “And the hospital... the job? Was that all part of your plan?”

  “Yes,” Patient 15 said calmly. “We arranged everything. The hospital, the job, the position... all part of the plan. But your awakening... that wasn’t supposed to happen. Not like this.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened. “You controlled everything. My job? You made me believe it was just... just a job!”

  Patient 15’s eyes narrowed. “It wasn’t just a job. It was part of your path. But when that receptionist trusted you, it threw everything off. We didn’t expect him to believe you, to stand by you.”

  “Robert?” Sarah asked, her heart sinking. “He’s part of this too?”

  “No,” Patient 15 said softly. “He’s not supposed to know. We had to fire you before he could learn too much. We can't let outsiders know anything about us.”

  “But why?” Sarah said. “Why me? Why am I special?”

  Patient 15 sighed. “You’re not just anyone. You are part of something bigger than us. You are the final step. The key. But you have a long way to go.”

  “I don’t even know what’s going on!” Sarah’s voice cracked with frustration. “And Dr. Sanchel he.’s part of this too, isn’t he?”

  “Not quite.” Patient 15 said. “We could say that my apprentice, Patient 17 was the one looking after you, He’s been guiding everything from the start.”

  Sarah’s mind raced. “Patient 17? You have been... watching me all this time?”

  Patient 15 nodded. “Yes. You’ve seen him. But you didn’t know him for who he really is.”

  Suddenly, the door creaked open.

  A tall figure stepped into the room.

  Patient 15 smiled. “Ah, there you are.”

  Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t look behind her, but the voice that came from the doorway made her blood run cold.

  “Dr. Sanchel?” she whispered, her voice trembling.