Part 7 Nexial (neck-zi-al)

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Monster > Skillet

Hanul

I woke up in a strange room. The walls were not the white sterile of a hospital but rather a warm off white/cream colour. A soft breeze moved the curtains slightly creating a calming swooshing sound. I'm not hooked up to any IVs or monitors but I can hear the distinctive sounds of a hospital outside my door.

I needed to go to the bathroom urgently, getting out of bed was not hard and the sudden cool breeze at my back told me that I was not in my own clothes anymore. As I returned from using the toilet my now sensitive hearing picked up Minho's voice coming down the hall towards the room. Jumping back into bed I pretended to be still asleep.

"Did he wake up yet?'" Minho's rich timber voice ran over my body making my skin itch.

"No Sir, he is still under sedation, the Doctor said he should not wake up for another four hours."

"Keep me posted number 5" Without having to open my eyes I knew that Minho was watching me through the viewing window in the door, the privacy curtain is drawn so that the head of the bed is not completely visible from the door. The longer I felt his eyes on me the more the itchiness on my skin increased, making it hard for me not to move.

After what felt like a lifetime, I heard him move away, I released a breath that I didn't know I was holding, moving my hands up and down my arms to alleviate the discomfort.

The tightness in my chest increased and I had the sensation that something was trying to claw its way out from inside my body. I felt a warm breath on the back of my neck. I knew that this was not possible as I was lying on my back in bed.

Pinching my eyes closed, hoping that it was just a hallucination brought on by the shock of seeing Lilly being taken.

The next huff against my neck was accompanied by a gruff irritated male voice. "Hanul! I need you to listen very carefully to me now"

"Why? Who are you?" I asked aloud.

"You are me and I am you, we are one, but we are two!" the voice answered in my head.

"Okay, cryptic much? Still not answering my question dude." I spoke out into the empty room again.

"You need not speak as I can hear your thoughts."

What the H E L L! Hear my thoughts? I instinctively put up my mental brick wall only to feel it being knocked down effortlessly.

"Silly boy, you need something much stronger to keep me out." The voice laughed with a gruff huff sound.

"Move to a mirror so we can see!" it demanded gruffly.

Hesitantly I got out of bed and started to move to the bathroom.

"Wait! Keep your body shape in the bed so that the guards don't notice that you are out of bed"

I quickly took pillows and lined them under the blankets to look like I'm still sleeping.

In the bathroom, I quietly closed the door and moved to the mirror.

With fascination, I watched as my left eye changed to Emerald green and the round pupil to a vertical slit like the eye of a cat. The image in the mirror kept changing, I could still see my face in the background, but it was faint. I blinked my eyes a couple of times and pinched my leg to make sure I was awake. There in the mirror was a bloody dragon.

Laughing I threw my hands up. Now this, ….. this was most definitely a hallucination. Dragons aren't real, they are only a fairy tale in children's books, a myth, like the one I used to read to Lilly all the time.

Sitting on the closed toilet with my head in my hands trying not to lose my sanity, I peeked through my fingers at the mirror only to see the dragon looking back with disappointment in his eyes.

"Hanul, we don't have time for a mini breakdown."

I removed my hands from my face and took a good look at the dragon. He had the most beautiful Jade green scales and vivid blue eyes. I could not see the rest of his body due to the small size of the mirror.

"Okay, let's say you are real, what is your name?"

A spark of pride could be seen in the dragon's eyes as I asked him his name.

"My name is Nexial! I am... no we are the last of our clan." "We also don't have time for a history lesson, we have to get out of this building as soon as possible, You are going to shift, if you do it in here, we will both be in danger. Will you trust me and follow my lead?"

I felt the clawing and skin ripping sensation again and knew I had no other choice. Nodding my head once, I listened to the plan of getting out of this building undetected.

Returning to bed, I made myself comfortable, playing the waiting game. I looked out the window and saw the pink and orange hues of sunset. Lilly loved the sunset.

Thinking of Lilly made me anxious. I could feel Nexial’s presence trying to comfort me. Our enhanced hearing picked up the voice of a person approaching the room, only to be stopped by Minho.

"Doctor, a moment please." I heard three sets of footsteps moving away from the door down the left hall.

I quickly changed into my clothes and sneakers, bundling the hospital gown, and shoving it under the body-styled blankets. I took my wallet and phone. Peeking through the viewing window I saw that the hall was empty. Looking like I belonged, I made my way to the exit at a steady pace. Before reaching the exit, I heard Nexial saying.

"You need to swap out your earrings for heat suppressant ones, they will hide your sent better."

Returning my normal suppressant studs to my wallet in my pants pocket, I looked around trying to figure out our next step. At that moment I picked up the static crackle of a communications earpiece.

"All units be advised asset A is not contained, unsure of current mental and physical condition. Nightshade 1 please activate the location device on asset A's mobile phone." Recognizing Minho's voice, I knew that they were talking about me.

I felt the movement of the dragon trying to break free increasing. Looking around in the waiting area at the entrance of the hospital.

I noticed a very bored-looking teenager. He had a cap and hoodie next to him; his build suggested a football player. Perfect!

Sitting next to the boy Hanul started talking to him, he found out that the boy is called Troy and he is here with his parents, his oldest sister is having a baby and his phone died.

Hanul took out his phone which was the latest phone of a leading brand. The boy's eyes almost popped out when he saw the phone.

"Wow, mister you must be super rich. That phone cost a small fortune."

Looking at the phone in his hands Hanul pretended to ponder his next move.

"Tell you what Troy, if you help me out by lending me your hoodie and cap you can use this phone, it is my spare one I don't need it right now."

"Mister are you for real! Things like that only happen in movies and Manga."

I laughed at the boy, what he said was true, but I need to get rid of the phone. "Yes, I'm sure, I'm a bit chilly, we had to rush my wife to the maternity ward too, and left my jacket at home."

The boy's eyes sparkled as he handed over the hoodie and cap. As I gave him the phone his mother called him to come and see the new baby. Disappointed, the boy tried to give me the phone back.

"I'll find you inside, I'm waiting for my brother-in-law to bring me something warm to wear, go ahead enjoy."

I waved to his mother when the boy pointed in my direction showing her that it was okay for him to use the phone. Waiting till they disappeared behind the doors, I hurriedly put the hoodie with the cap on, lowering the cap over my eyes. I took all the cash; a photo of Lilly and the number Ken gave me years ago out of my wallet and dumb it in the nearest bin.

Luck was on my side today, a taxi just turned on his vacancy light as I walked through the main entrance. Getting in I gave the driver the location I wanted to go to.

I got out at the edge of the national park and paid the driver.

Nexial spoke up in my mind again, "Hurry Hanul, we need to reach open ground big enough to take a dragon without being seen."

I rushed through the woods as darkness descended, finding that I could see quite clearly in the dark. Ironically the park is called "Dragons' edge". I know there is a big clearing near the cliff.