Chapter 6

The loud voice outside the room had force Seora to wake up from her sleep. She stares at the ticking clock on the wall across her bed, as it reads 11.17 pm. Slowly she pulled herself away from the bed as she was trying to grasp her reality. She has been sleeping for the last hours, and she couldn't even remember when she had started to close her eyes.

Staring at the empty room, she had realise she was there all alone for the whole day. Nicholas has not make his visit yet for the day. Something unusual. Even when she had told the guy many times to stop coming, he would always do the opposite. She can't deny that she feels comfortable when he was around.

The loud sound coming from the hallway outside has not yet receded. It was almost getting louder every time the clock's needle keeps moving. Curious and annoyed, Seora decided to check the matter on her own. Slipping into her cardigan and dragged the IV poles towards the door frame. She slides the door open, only to reveal a familiar face right in front of her.

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe.

"How ... did you..." Seora couldn't finished her words. She was in shock because she knew the face of the person standing calmly in front of her. She looked over to the empty counter, then to his bloodied hands. She tries to not think what she thought he had done to those people outside.

"You know you can't run away from me." The man's rough but gentle voice finally greeted her ears. She could feel his voice ringing heavily in her brain and she can't seem to understand what is going on. How any of this can happen. The strong gaze from him had made her hands trembled in fear.

Before she could finally realise her current situation, she quickly slide the door frame shut but the man was fast. Seora couldn't think of anything else. She pushed her weight on him and make a run for the exit, ignored all the pain her body had starting to register.

She needs to leave now.

Unfortunately her reflexes were overthrown by this man. He had managed to grasp a number of strands of her hair causing her to fumble backwards. Seora winced roughly to the excruciating pain rooting on the back of her head.

"Don't even think about it." He whispered into her ears as he smirks in satisfaction.

"Let me go, idiot! Let go of me!" She shouted.

But the man was unbothered. Seora starts to think of a plan. Despite the pain, her brain works just fine. She quickly steps backward, reducing their distance and landing a sharp elbow directly onto the man's torso. The man scowl which eventually made him let go of her hair.

Her plan works. 

However, her smile died soon after the man stand straight as if her tricks were like kindergarten to him. He was now glaring at her. Goosebumps running all over her body as their eyes met each other.

She can't leave. She knew if she choose to run, the man surely manage to keep up with her. Knowing the chances are low on her side, Seora still prepared herself. In her fighting stand, she rooted her feet on the floor and ready for the worst case scenario. 

The fight started as the man begin to throw a punch directly to her pretty face, but Seora could predict that and she avoided them, but she didn't see his other hand.

"Urgh!" She squealed to the pain after his hand got into her side. She doubled over on the floor. 

More pain running through her body as she struggling to keep her sanity. She was about to stand back on her knees, but the man had kicked her shoulder making her laying flat on the cold floor.

"Argh!." The pain that she could feel down her spine.

"Hmph!" His scornful smirk had made her wanted to puke. "Your never change. Weak." He mocked her before his hand wrapped around her delicate neck, gripping it tightly. Seora coughed a dry cough. Her hands tried to snap his, out of her throat, but he was too strong.

"Ughh..ahh.." She started to struggle for air. She could feel her breathe has shortened and her eyes had begin to see black spot within corners.

"Die. DIE!" The man said as he gritted his teeth while his fingers keep on pressing onto her neck which she surely had already bruised.

Seora's eyes swelled up due to the pain. Her lungs were screaming and she couldn't feel her legs. While looking at the man, tears begin to fall from her desperate eyes. She was scared. The pain around her throat had made her going numb and she knew it is pointless to fight against him. 

For the last month, she had been thinking what does it feels like to die. She had always wonder how death would feel like on her. She had seen people died in front of her, countless of times.

She used to think the pain of taking a life away could never defeat the pain of her heart. She had always thought that the pain striking her everyday in her soul, could never top the pain she wanted to bring onto herself.

How wrong that was.

For the first time, she wanted to live. Right now, right at this moment, she begin to feel she wanted to feel the freedom of living. Living freely for the very first time. To appreciate her life even more.

She wanted a peaceful life.

With that in mind, Seora gritted her teeth together. The tears were hotter than she thought but she couldn't help it. Mustering every little energy she has left, she took one last breath. Staring straight into the man's eyes. She used to know them but now it looks completely empty. 

"Ji ... JJ ... Jiii ....". She tried to move her hand to the man's face but before she could touch him, her vision suddenly went dark. And the pain she felt suddenly got lifted.

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It was the strong familiar cologne smell that slowly had her regain her consciousness. Her frail body was too stubborn to move. Even her eyes had a hard time to flick open. Nevertheless, at least she now could feel her lungs are filled in with air again. The taste of the air entering her nostrils made her longed for it. 

The same smell from before wafting under her nose. She remembered the smell. Her memories betrays he as her heart grew familiar to the scent. 

Some time had pass before her body begin to response to the environment. Her hearing had come back and she could hear people arguing around her. The voices, were very familiar yet again her neurons working a little slower. Her body had started to move after hundred times of trials. And when her eyes managed to snap open, she realised she was back at the familiar room. The same room she had been there for weeks.

Oh, so as her memories.

"Nicholas?" Her voice came out rough. At least she can still talk even with a little struggle.

Nicholas who was the owner of the familiar scent, let out a huge sighed in relief. His face was telling her he was worried and she could see his eyes are watered.

"Elliot, thank God, she's awake." Nicholas informs Elliot, whose standing at the other side of her bed. The doctor wears the same expression as her friend. Both of them seems too exhausted.

What happened?

Elliot regain his composure before pulling a smile. The kind of smile that would make you feel sorry for making someone worry type of smile.

"How do you feel?" Seora stares at Elliot, looking confused. What's with him? She nodded slowly. Her memories however, kicked in a little slower than it was supposed to. When she saw another unknown figure standing not far from her bed, she couldn't help but getting a little weird. She feels like she had seen him before but she can't recall or maybe slow to process them. 

These memories of her.

"What is going on? What happened?" Seora turned to Nicholas who keeps holding her hand in his tightly, not letting it go. It made her a little worried watching her friend being in this state.

Eventually, Elliot was the one who speaks up. "We found that you were fainted, and before I could do anything, you suddenly stopped breathing." Seora was stunned.

"We did everything we could to bring you back, and your heart stopped for like a minute there. I thought you were dead, for real." She finally loss her words. Before she knew it, the memory of the things that happen before she lost consciousness creeps back into her brain.

And it doesn't help her feeling any better. Her hands had started to tremble.

"But, I survived?" Elliot smile again. "Your body responded to the pressure. I guess your body doesn't want to give you up just yet." Honestly, she wouldn't mind crying in the room, in front of a handsome doctor, or even the hot stranger standing by the corner. She was too grateful.

"Was I..uhmm.." Her free hand instinctively run over her throat.

"Was I injured? Where did you find me? Outside?" Seora bombarded more questions as she was certain of the memories she had just now. "How did you find me? Was I lying alone out there? How about the nurses? Are all of them okay?"

The silence after her desperate queries keeps growing as attention on her become more serious.

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked her.

"Was I not attacked?" Wait. What is this?

"What? You were in your room when you started to have breathing difficulties." Nicholas continued.

"Huh?" Seora was in daze. She was in her room this whole time? She glanced over to the clock across her and her eyes widen in horror. It's a quarter pass 11 pm. That's impossible. She mumbled to herself. Before she knew it, her heartbeat speed up and Elliot notices as he monitors her heart rate by the ECG machine. 

"Wait, he was choking me. He was here, killing those nurse out there before he came to me. His hands.. they were.." Nicholas was fast, grabs hold of her arms tight.

"Seora, no one came. You were sleeping when we came just now." Her eyes dilated.

"What do you mean.. he was there.. I could feel his fingers wrapped around my neck!" This time her voice came out harsher than what she had expected. 

She can't seem to accept that those scary moment was just a dream. There's no way it was a dream. It was too real to begin with.

Nicholas looked over to his friend Elliot, for explanation. The calm doctor only silently observing from the side as he begins to put two on two together. By the way she reacted, Elliot can guess that she's not lying about it. But, nothing really happened.

Besides, the security is tight in this section.

He's confident because of the sudden alarming report he got from Mr. Parker about the security surveillance. 

"Patient Song, nobody could ever get pass through that door. It's highly secured. What ever you have in your mind right now, its probably a nightmare." Elliot tries to reassured her, using the same demeanor he had always shown to his patients.

Nicholas's and Alden changing eyes. With one look, the knew what the other meant.

"Really?" Seora wavered.

"Yes. Affirmative." Elliot firmly said it. He gives her some more advices before leaving the room, not before he talks with the nurse who was in charged.

"Hey, everything's okay? Did someone else came?" Nicholas helped adjusting the bed to Seora's likings. He pulled the blanket closer to her as she waited the woman to answer him.

Seora slowly shook her head.

"Then, what happen? Was it really just nightmares?" 

"I don't know."

"Let's just rest for the night." Seora agreed before letting herself cuddled in between the sheets. Now, she feels a little tired than usual. Drowsier than she felt before, and before she knows it, she's back to sleep.

Nicholas watched her as he waited for the drug that Elliot had administered just now during her pre-panic attacks, come to work. He was reluctant to leave her alone but Alden's staring at him had been bothering him for the passed few times. 

"Hugh had check the securities and all the footages. Thankfully Elliot had doubled up the guards in this section." Alden reported to his partner, trying to instill comfort into him. He knows Nicholas needs one.

They were very sure those guys are Lee's.

After Elliot, Nicholas and Alden came back to the hospital in a rush, the nurses had informed them everything was fine. There was not a single person had asked or came to visit her, claiming themselves as her family.

When they thought her whereabouts were kept well hidden, her health suddenly strikes for the worse. A cardiac arrest was not something easy to deal with. They were lucky that Elliot was there with them. The man was fast to navigate the situation even when Seora's heart was literally beat-less for a minute there.

"Do you think they are still out there?" Nicholas suddenly break the silence between them. The only noise they can hear was the sound from the machine by the bed side. 

"Doubt they would left just like that. I mean, they can be pretty stubborn." Alden scoffed.

"Or stupid." Nicholas continues.

"Yeah, or stupid." Alden repeats.

\

"No, we can't get to her. They had doubled up the security."

"She's there. Positive."

"Back out? Serious?"

"Understood."

The man scowled, throwing his smartphones to the empty seat besides him. He give a long last look at the hospital from a far before speeding across the road.

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yuuki