Read with BonusRead with Bonus

CHAPTER 4: Confinement

"Let me out of here."? I yell, while fighting the nurse in my manic state as she tries to give me some medicine in a blue bottle.

Looking up at her, I could swear that she looks like the red-haired woman but older, with grey hair.? I try to sit up, but they have me tied down with leather straps for a 72-hour involuntary psychiatric hold.? The room I am in is stark, white and the lights are those big round operating room lights that hurt my eyes when I look up at them.

Trying to think of anything I possibly can to get out of here, I resort to begging.? "Please, I need to get out of here.? I suffer from White Coat Syndrome and if you keep me in here, I will go crazy.? I can't be around all these doctors if you expect me to be able to calm down."

I remember when I was little, my older brother died because a drunk driver swerved over on the sidewalk.? He hit him while he was picking up my ball.? My parents drove to the hospital behind the ambulance, and I watched them wheel him in on a gurney with thick red blood dripping off it.?

We didn't know it at the time, but he had already died.? It all horrified me so much that from then on whenever I saw a doctor, I couldn't be in the same room, or I would go nuts.??

"Please, please."? I keep begging, but she ignores me and tightens my restraints.?

When she turns around, I see the woman's black eyes and know right away that she has caught me.? Sheer panic seizes control of me, and I pee myself.? Scared and humiliated, I soften my voice and ask, "Can you at least let me change?? I just peed myself.? I can't stay in this place, or I really will go insane."? With absolutely no feeling in those lifeless cold eyes, I stare at them again and find myself fading away.??

The next time I open my eyes, an older doctor is staring at me while he checks my vitals.? He looks down at his phone and checks something before speaking to me.? "Hi, I am doctor Vidales.? You have completed your 72-hour hold so we can no longer keep you legally, but I suggest that you get some therapy.? You seem to have a lot of ongoing issues regarding your brother's death, even though it was over 20 years ago. You may leave, but I want you to wait for your sister to come get you.? She has promised to keep an eye on you for the next few days."

Smiling, he leans over to me and shakes my hand firmly, saying, "Please wait for the nurse to give you your paperwork before leaving with your sister."

Nodding, I sit up and notice that I am still in my original clothes, but I have been cleaned up and no longer smell the stench of urine on me.? Feeling admittedly a bit better, I scooch to the edge of the bed and sit there till the nurse comes in.? Waiting, I glance around the room and notice one thing, I can't get out unless someone lets me out.? When the younger blonde nurse arrives, I flirt with her a little after she discharges me and then my sister comes in.

Walking over to the bed, Tara gives me a big hug and then a deeply concerned look before she says, "Let's get out of here.? I need to talk to you, but not in ear shot of the doctors."? She gives me a fake smile as she looks over at the nurse and wraps her arm around mine to help me up.

Once we get to her SUV and we are in, she turns to me.? "What on earth was that about?? I got a call three days ago and they said that you were having a manic episode.? That a cop brought you in saying that you were screaming, I saw the red-haired woman.? Who is this person?"

Swallowing hard and not wanting to answer the question, I quietly sit there and stare out the window.? "Jason.? Damnit, what is going on?? Are you on drugs or are you going insane?"

I turn to her and say, "Neither.? At least I don't think so.? The woman I picked up that night did something to me.? Ever since then, I have been seeing her everywhere.? It's like she is haunting me."

"Well, I hate to admit it but it sounds like you have lost touch with reality little brother.? If you keep this up they will admit you for good.? Do me a favor and if you see her again, don't say anything about it."

Not wanting to go home because of the strange feeling I am getting, I ask her, "Can you please take me to the hotel over on 80th?? I don't want to go home tonight.? I am still freaked out about it all."

She hesitates, but then says, "Alright, but only if you promise to behave yourself.? The doctor said that I have to keep an eye on you, and I can't very well do that from the hotel room."

"Sure, I promise."? I say with a straight face, even though I get the feeling I will be seeing the red-haired woman before the night is done.??

Tara drives me to the hotel, and I check in while she waits for me.? I feel like such a jerk because she has her own family and kids and now, she must worry about me too.? When the front desk gives me my key, she walks me up to my room and then she leaves for home.

As I open the door, I feel a sense of ease when I see that it is pretty much all one room except for the bathroom, which I immediately check out upon entry to make sure the coast is clear.? The room kind of reminds me of the 70's, with the wallpaper they have up and the style of lamps in the room.? Sitting down on the brown suede chair next to the bed, I start to relax and grab the remote off the end table.? I turn on the flat screen T.V. and look for something good to watch but end up settling for an old episode of my favorite show.?

Bored to tears, I sit back and think about everything that has happened.? This thing must be a monster, otherwise it wouldn't have such an effect on me.? Perhaps, it drained my life force or God forbid, my soul.? I stop thinking about it for the moment and watch the show, but the more I try to forget it the more I start to worry.

Noticing a laptop on the desk just before the door, I get a brilliant idea.? What if she has done this before?? Maybe someone has reported this besides me, and they blew it off.? If they have, there must be some record somewhere of it.?

Sitting down at the desk, I turn it on and wait for it to boot up.? When the main screen flashes, I get excited and can't wait till all the apps loads.? Eventually, the page shows the search engine and I click on it.? Typing in monster disguised as a red-haired woman, several searches come up in the surrounding local area.? Surprised, I scan the page.

Reading through the results, I settle on just one after laughing hard at some of the people who post these things.? The last one I click on opens and on the page at the bottom there is a blurry picture that looks a lot like her.? Sitting back, I straighten up and inhale deeply.

"What in the hell is it?"? I mutter as I barely speak aloud.? Afraid that if I say it too loud, it might just show up behind me.

As I lean forward again to read the rest of the page, there is a link to a man that says he knows what it is, so I click on it.? Going directly to his email address, I type a short email.? "Please contact me right away.? I believe whatever this is, is after me now."?

When I hit send, I expect it to take days before I hear back, but before I get up from the computer to watch T.V. it dings notifying me that I have a message.? I hover my cursor over it and hesitate.? Maybe this guy is a quack?

Deciding to see what he says, I click on it and the response pops up.? It reads, "You can't outrun it.? It loves games, especially hide, and seek so whatever you do, don't try to hide.? When she catches you, she will make sure that you and your soul will never be seen again."

Hitting respond, I email him back.? "My soul?? Is that what she did to me?? Do you know what it is called?"?

I hit send and after a few seconds the computer dings again and this time the email reads, "It's the Soul Eater.? Surviving off our souls, she gets everlasting life and the only way to get yours back, is to kill her.? She has been around for thousands of years and will continue to take people's souls unless someone stops her."

Typing one more reply, I send it and a notification comes up, "Unable to send.? Please try again."

Scratching the back of my neck, I get an eerie feeling and when I look up at the vanity mirror over the desk, I see a dark figure standing behind me.? Too afraid to turn around immediately, I hold my breath and then I hear it.? That all too familiar sound.??

Standing up as quick as I can, I knock over the chair as I bolt for the door and open it.? Launching myself down the stairs, I make it out the doors of the hotel and into the busy street.? People honk at me, but once again it all feels like a bad dream.??

A man steps out of nowhere and grabs me.? Pulling me into his car he gets into his side and says to me, "I am surprised you are still alive.? I could feel her a mile away and if we aren't careful, she will get us both tonight."

Pulling out into traffic, he extends a hand to shake.? "I'm Fritz and I do believe that we were just having a nice little chat.? I am sorry that I had to cut it off so suddenly, but she showed up at my house and I had to leave.? Then I knew it would be coming after you too.? I pulled your info from your email and then I was at a standstill, till I felt it again.? I am just glad I got to you before someone hit you.? By the way, what did you think you were doing?"

Confused, I ignore his question and ask, "So she did this to you too?"

He nods and then I ask another question.? "If all it takes is killing her to get your soul back, why haven't you done it?? How would someone go about killing a monster like that anyway?"

"Well, you have to get it off guard and then cut its head off.? I only know because I read a lot and when it first started torturing me.? I found any information I possibly could about it.? Now, I am going to have to drop you off up here now that we have talked but remember don't look into its eyes and never hide from it."

He pulls along the curb and says, "Now go, because with the two of us together she will surely be coming any time.? Also, remember it's a game to her.? She already has your soul. It just loves to make us be in misery."? He motions for me to move and when I step out, I realize he has dropped me off at my sister's house.

Making up my mind to hunt it down and be done with it so I can get my soul back, I walk up to my sister's house and say hi.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter