Sean followed Maria and walked side by side toward the first operating room. Due to Maria having a boyfriend and the hospital being crowded, Sean was very careful to maintain a distance of one meter from her to avoid any gossip.
The two walked in silence until they reached the hallway leading to the first operating room. Maria clenched her hands tightly and her eyes flickered. Suddenly, she screamed, “Ah!”
The corridor lights were sound-controlled, and they flickered slightly upon hearing her scream. After a moment of darkness, the light returned. When Sean snapped out of it, he saw Maria under the light, pale as a wall, with large drops of sweat on her forehead. She bit her lip, making soft sounds like a little kitten.
It was evident that she was in pain! Without much thought, Sean gently reached out a hand to support her arm. “Maria, what’s wrong?”
Maria took a deep breath, pretending to be strong, with tears in her eyes. Despite being in such a miserable state, she still coldly rejected his touch. Pushing away his hand, she said, “I’m fine… I just accidentally twisted my ankle.”
Upon hearing this, Sean instinctively looked down at her ankle. She was wearing a pair of flat white shoes, and the floor was even and obstacle-free. How did she fall? It seemed that she was scared by the malfunctioning light earlier.
“Are you really okay? It’s crucial to take care of injuries. Let me help you to a nearby chair to rest for a while,” Sean suggested. “Then I’ll find Quinn to pick you up.”
This time, Maria still refused his kindness. However, a faint smile appeared on her icy and beautiful face compared to before. “Thank you, Sean, but I’m really fine. I’ll sit by myself over there. You’re about to take the exam, hurry to the operating room.”
What could be more stunning than a cold beauty suddenly smiling? Sean was stunned. But in just a second, he blushed and averted his gaze, reminding himself continuously that she was Quinn’s girlfriend!
With this thought in mind, Sean calmed down. Maria didn’t want to waste time for her exam, so she endured the pain and decided to walk there herself. Although she had a cold and aloof personality, she was still a kind and good girl.
As he hesitated whether to help or not, suddenly, a warm and delicate body appeared in his arms – it was Maria! She somehow fell into his arms.
“Oops, I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to. It’s because of my foot, um… I’m sorry, Sean,” she said in a flustered manner.
“Don’t worry about me. Time is running out. You should go quickly,” Sean replied.
She clumsily left his embrace and stood in front of him with a determined posture. The exquisite and beautiful pale face finally showed a touch of colorful sunset-like beauty.
Sean firmly held her wrist and said indisputably, “With your foot like this, why are you trying to be strong? Don’t forget, as a doctor, you have to stand for hours during surgeries. How can you complete the operation with a twisted ankle?”
After saying these words, Sean suddenly came back to his senses. Was his tone too harsh just now? After all, it wasn’t his place to reprimand someone else’s girlfriend. Sean was relieved that Quinn didn’t see this scene, so he quickly let go of Maria’s hand and resumed his usual silent demeanor.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you there,” Sean said.
“Thank you.”
Since he couldn’t directly touch her hand, Sean came up with a solution – he took off his coat, wrapped it around his hand, and then helped her. This way, there shouldn’t be any gossip.
“Don’t thank me. It’s my fault that you twisted your foot by coming to call me for the exam,” Sean said.
Sean helped her to sit on a chair and then solemnly assured her, “Sit here for a while. I’ll go find Quinn to carry you. I’ll be back soon.”
“Wait…”
For some reason, Maria suddenly didn’t want to see Quinn and disliked hearing that name from Sean. However, Sean had already run off in a hurry, indicating his impatience as he ran all the way. Shortly, his figure disappeared entirely from Maria’s sight; his direction was opposite to the operating room, where Quinn was in the second operating room at the other end of the corridor.
If Sean went to find him, he would inevitably miss his exam, which was crucial.
“Even so, is he still going? He clearly knows how important this exam is,” Maria muttered as she stared at the empty corridor, her gaze revealing complex emotions – puzzlement, surprise, and finally, confusion.
This person… was as silly as described in her diary. But her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a man who was walking towards her slowly. “You’re doing well. You know the next arrangement: take care of the Lawrence family siblings!”
The man wore a white coat, had long hair tied in a high ponytail, and a blue medical mask covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of narrow and sharp eyes. He generously gave her an admiring glance.
“Hmph, do your own business. I’ll handle mine,” Maria said expressionlessly, her eyes showing undisguised disgust when she looked at the man.
A guy who climbed his way up by pleasing women – what qualifications did he have to teach her?
Seeing this, the man touched the ring on his thumb, licked his lips suggestively, and gave Maria a meaningful look before turning away.
“Wait and see, all those who have insulted me and looked down on me will only end up regretting it in the end. Including this bitch!”
Director’s office.
The door was closed, but strange and happy nursery rhymes could be heard from inside.
“Cage seam, cage seam, seeing through the cage gap,
The bird in the cage wants to run out at all times,
In the dawn of the night,
At the moment when the white crane and the tortoise unite,
Who is facing you from behind!”
At this moment, the image of the three little bears on the computer screen had disappeared, replaced by a scene of horror and eerie black and white images. The screen showed a group of children playing and acting, with one child playing the “ghost” blindfolded with a black cloth, while other children sang this song around him.
The game rule was that when the song stopped, if the child playing the “ghost” guessed who was standing behind them, that person would replace them as the new “ghost”. In this game, the children gathered around like a cage, and the “ghost” became the monster trapped in the cage unable to escape.
The low and slow voice in the computer screen spoke in a very melancholic tone:
[In fact, there is another simpler interpretation of this story: at that moment, facing the ghost from behind means having to replace the bird in the cage as the scapegoat.]
The screen gradually faded away…
Whether it was the bird trapped in the cage or the group of children, they all disappeared along with the song in the office where only Cierra remained.
Cierra was scared and cried out, wondering why such a thing would suddenly appear on the computer. The “ghost” inside really looked like a real one, especially when the black cloth fell down, and the little boy had no eyes, making whimpering sounds.
“Mom, come and save me, Cierra is so scared.”
Could there also be ghosts in the office? Cierra didn’t dare to sit in front of the computer anymore. She frantically jumped off the chair and ran towards the door, wanting to escape this possibly haunted room to seek comfort from her mother.
In that moment, Cierra had forgotten her uncle’s advice and only wanted to flee the room that might have ghosts to find solace with her mother. But just as Cierra opened the door, a large hand with black leather gloves grasped the door frame. Through the gap in the door, a tall, slim figure appeared before Cierra.
The person wore a mask, dressed similarly to her mother, with long hair hanging down behind their head, giving the impression of a very tall lady.
Cierra’s frightened heart was suddenly comforted, and she asked with a trembling voice, “Auntie, are you here to find my mom?”