Reflections of the Damned

Past (1)

Lara's chest heaved as she crouched in the corner of the record room, her trembling fingers gripping the cool metal of the knife she'd found in a drawer. Her heart pounded so loudly she was sure it would give her away.

The dim light flickered above her, casting shifting shadows on the walls as footsteps approached. Andy's voice echoed from the hallway, calm yet dripping with malice.

"Come now, Lara," Andy cooed, her tone mocking. "You can't hide forever. You know how this ends."

Lara clutched the knife tighter, her knuckles white. The cold realization of her situation washed over her—this wasn't a fight she could win. Andy wasn't human. She wasn't even alive, not in any way that mattered.

But survival wasn't about fairness. It was about taking every opportunity, no matter how slim.

The footsteps stopped just outside the door, and the knob turned slowly. Lara held her breath, her body coiled like a spring.

The door creaked open, and Andy stepped inside, her shadow stretching unnaturally across the room. Her eyes scanned the dimly lit space, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Where are you, little lamb?" she said softly, her voice like silk.

Lara lunged.

The knife plunged into Andy's forehead with a sickening crunch, the force of the blow knocking her back a step. Andy let out a guttural scream, her hands flying to her face as her knees buckled.

Lara didn't wait to see what happened next. She ran.

Andy's scream echoed through the halls as Lara raced down the stairs, her vision blurred by tears and fear. Her bare feet slapped against the cold, hard tiles, her lungs burning with exertion.

Behind her, she heard Andy's voice, now a feral growl of rage.

"You think that will stop me?" Andy snarled. "You're only making this worse for yourself!"

Lara chanced a glance over her shoulder. Andy was standing in the doorway above, the knife now in her hand, her skin knitting itself back together as if the wound had never been. Blood dripped from her fingers, but she didn't seem to care. Her eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, and her smile was anything but human.

Lara turned her gaze forward just in time to stop herself from colliding with a group of nurses who emerged from a side corridor. Her heart sank as she skidded to a halt, their appearance more grotesque than she could have imagined.

Their mouths were smeared with blood, ropes of intestines dangling from their jagged teeth. Their smiles stretched unnaturally wide, eyes glassy and empty. On the rolling bed before them lay a mangled corpse, its chest cavity torn open and its organs missing.

Lara's stomach churned, and bile rose in her throat. One of the nurses tilted her head, her eerie smile widening as she locked eyes with Lara.

"Well, well," the nurse said, her voice sweet and unsettling. "Looks like we've got a live one."

Lara stumbled back, her mind screaming at her to run, but her legs felt like lead. The nurses began to advance, their movements slow and deliberate, savoring her fear.

"Such pretty skin," one of them crooned. "It'll look lovely stretched over the walls."

Lara snapped out of her paralysis and turned on her heel, bolting in the opposite direction. The nurses' laughter followed her, distorted and echoing unnaturally.

She heard the clatter of the rolling bed being shoved aside as they gave chase, their footsteps unnervingly fast.

Lara's breath came in ragged gasps as she reached another door. She flung it open and dove inside, slamming it shut behind her. Her hands fumbled for a lock, but there was none.

She pressed her back against the door, her chest heaving as she tried to calm her racing heart. The faint sound of footsteps outside made her tense, but they soon faded, leaving her in silence once more.

The room was dimly lit, much like the rest of the hospital, with faint rays of light filtering through cracked blinds. It was small, cluttered with dusty medical equipment and scattered files.

Lara's eyes darted around, searching for anything she could use to protect herself. But as she stepped further inside, her gaze caught on a figure sitting in the corner.

It was a man, his back to her, his shoulders slumped as though weighed down by the world. He was faintly transparent, like the figures she'd seen before.

"Hello?" Lara said cautiously, her voice barely above a whisper.

The man didn't move.

Lara took a hesitant step closer. "Who are you?"

He turned slowly, and Lara's breath caught in her throat. His face was gaunt, his eyes hollow and filled with sorrow. His suit was tattered, his hands trembling as they clutched a photograph.

"She took everything from me," he said, his voice a broken whisper.

"Who?" Lara asked, her voice trembling.

The man's eyes met hers, and for a moment, she saw something familiar in them—an echo of her own fear and desperation.

"The Patron," he said, his voice trembling with both rage and sorrow. "She promised salvation. But all she brought was despair."

Lara's hands clenched into fists. "What did she do to you?"

The man held up the photograph, his fingers shaking. Lara stepped closer, her heart pounding as she saw the image. It was the same sunny park, the same blurred faces.

"She took my memories," the man said, his voice cracking. "She twisted them, made me forget who I was. All for her precious City."

"What does this photo mean?" Lara demanded, desperation creeping into her voice. "Why am I in it? What does it have to do with all of this?"

The man's form flickered, his features distorting. "You're part of it," he said, his voice fading. "You're part of the tether that binds this place. And if you don't stop her…"

His words cut off as his figure dissolved into nothingness, leaving Lara alone in the room.

Lara stared at the empty space where the man had been, her mind racing. The photograph in her hand felt heavier now, as though it carried the weight of the truth she was desperately trying to uncover.

Her fear warred with a growing determination. She didn't know what the Patron had done to her, or why she was tied to this place. But she knew one thing—she wasn't going to let this hospital consume her.

The faint sound of footsteps in the hallway snapped her back to the present. Andy was still out there, hunting her.

Taking a deep breath, Lara steeled herself and slipped out of the room, determined to find the staircase and uncover the truth before it was too late.