The hospital’s cold air gripped Daniel, piercing him to the bone. Emily had been lying in the emergency room for hours, tormenting Daniel with fear and uncertainty. His gaze was fixed on the emergency room door, hoping a miracle would emerge from behind it.
“Please hold on, Emily,” Daniel whispered, his voice hoarse with pain. “Fate can’t happen like this,” Daniel muttered, his hands clenched tightly. “You can’t leave me.”
A bleak future shadowed Daniel, choking him with fear. Seven years of life without Emily had already been torture for him, what if he had to lose her forever? Daniel couldn’t imagine it, a nightmare he didn’t want to live through. He was trapped in grief and regret, haunted by beautiful memories that now felt so distant.
“How is Emily?” The voice, panicked and anxious, startled him. Daniel lifted his head, his eyes filled with tears, his gaze vacant.
Daniel looked up, his eyes meeting Fred’s worried stare. Beside him, a woman, likely his girlfriend, stood with slumped shoulders. Richard, who had just arrived, also looked anxious. Fred had just returned home after a vacation with his girlfriend, but the bad news from Daniel’s call had made him rush back.
“She’s still being treated inside,” Daniel said, his voice hoarse with pain.
“My daughter,” Fred roared, his voice trembling with grief. “How could this happen?” Fred’s face was filled with despair, his eyes filled with tears. Daniel could only remain silent, unable to speak. He felt the same pain, but couldn’t express everything that was bottled up inside him.
Daniel’s gaze returned to the emergency room door. After various tragedies had claimed the lives of those he loved, Daniel didn’t want to lose Emily too.
‘Emily, hold on. Give me a chance to love you again. I’ll treat you better. We’ll take care of Grace until she becomes a beautiful and kind princess like you, together. I want to grow old with you. Don’t leave me,’ Daniel thought.
Behind the door, the doctors and other medical staff were fighting hard to save Emily. They were racing against time, every second was precious. Their skilled hands worked quickly and precisely, trying to remove the bullet that threatened Emily’s life. The surgery went smoothly, but suddenly, Emily’s heart rate monitor showed a drastic decrease.
“Her blood pressure is dropping drastically!” one of the medical staff shouted, his voice mixed with the roar of machines and the whispers of nurses. Tension filled the room, every eye focused on the monitor displaying Emily’s weakening heartbeat. The doctors and medical staff worked quickly, trying their best to stabilize Emily’s condition.
***
Emily opened her eyes, her body feeling heavy and cold. Damp earth clung to her skin, the chill piercing her bones. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep there, in the middle of a dark and silent forest. Tall trees towered around her, like giants watching over her.
“Where am I?” she whispered, her voice hoarse and weak.
She tried to get up, her legs felt stiff and heavy. Memories of the accident swirled in her head, the bullet piercing her chest, the stabbing pain, the darkness. She touched her chest, hoping to find traces of blood or a gaping wound. But her skin was smooth, no scars, no signs that she had ever been injured.
The last thing she remembered was being with Daniel, Sean, Sophia, and Anthony in the warehouse. But how could she end up in this forest? She couldn’t even find anyone here. Where had they gone? Panic began to creep into her heart, cold and chilling.
“What happened?” Emily muttered, her voice barely audible in the silence of the forest.
She had to get out of here. She had to find her way out. Emily got up, her body trembling violently. Her gaze swept across the forest, trying to find a way out. She had to go back. Images of Daniel, Grace, and Fred, their faces filled with worry, flashed in her mind. Her heart screamed, filled with panic. She couldn’t be trapped in this forest, but she didn’t know what had happened to her, how she could have gotten here. This forest was dark, cold, and unfamiliar.
“Please…,” Emily murmured. “Anyone, please help me!”
She continued walking, following a faint path among the trees. The cold, damp air enveloped her body, as if wanting to freeze her in the silence of the forest. But she had to persevere to find a way out of this dark labyrinth.
Suddenly, the faint sound of crying broke the silence, heard from a distance. Hope ignited within Emily. Could there be someone else here? Someone who could help her out of this dark labyrinth?
“Is anyone there?” she shouted, her voice echoing among the trees, filled with hope. Her body trembled, her legs felt heavy, but she forced herself to step forward. “Help me! Please!” Her call came out in gasps, filled with desperate hope.
She continued moving, following the faint path, towards the source of the crying. Emily’s heart pounded, waiting for an answer to her confusion. And then, she saw them, several people standing with their backs to her. They seemed to be grieving, roaring, and their bodies were trembling.
“Wait!” Emily shouted, her voice echoing among the trees. But they were so lost in their grief that they didn’t hear Emily’s voice.
“I lost my family,” Emily said, her voice trembling, trying to pierce the grief that enveloped them. “I woke up and suddenly I was here. Do you know where this is? Please tell me. I want to go home.”
Emily ran after them, trying to catch up. Some of the people remained indifferent, their cries echoing among the trees, creating a heartbreaking symphony of mourning. Emily’s voice, as if swallowed by their grief, received no response.
“What’s going on? Can’t they hear me?” Emily muttered, her voice gasping in panic. She tried to stop one of them, a young woman whose body was trembling violently, her eyes vacant, filled with emptiness.
“You can see me, right? You can hear me, right?” Emily asked, her voice trembling. The hope that had just ignited within her seemed to be extinguished instantly, replaced by a deeper despair. The woman looked at her, but her eyes were empty. She stopped when Emily blocked her path, but the woman didn’t answer Emily’s question. The woman’s face, filled with tears, reflected confusion, despair, and deep sorrow.
“I’m trapped here. I lost my family,” Emily said, trying to explain what had happened to her. But the woman remained silent and continued crying. Emily gave up trying to ask the young woman. She chose to stop one of the middle-aged men who was walking with a slow, heavy gait, as if burdened by grief.
“Please help me! I’m trapped here,” she murmured. But he walked past Emily, oblivious to her presence, trapped in deep sorrow.
“What’s wrong with them? Don’t they understand what I’m saying?” Emily muttered, her voice gasping, trying to understand this strange situation.
“Where am I? What happened to me?” she muttered, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I just want to go home.”