chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Doctor's Secret

Max's words sent a shiver down Sarah's spine. Edward Grey, heading towards the lake. The very same lake where John had experienced some of his most vivid and terrifying nightmares. A lake that held a dark, unspoken history.

"The lake," Sarah said, her voice a hushed whisper. "John's nightmares..."

Max nodded. "It's a place of darkness, Sarah. A place where many secrets have been buried."

John, his gaze fixed on the ground, his face pale with fear, said nothing. But the tension in his body, the tremor in his hands, told a story of his own.

The woods, normally a source of solace for Max, now felt heavy with a sinister energy. The shadows stretched long and menacing, and the silence was oppressive.

"We need to be careful," Max said, his voice a low growl. "We can't afford to be careless. Not with Edward Grey on the loose."

They turned their backs on the lake, moving deeper into the woods, their senses heightened, their instincts taking over. They needed to find a safe haven. They needed to find a way to get out of these woods.

As they walked, Max, his gaze fixed on the forest floor, noticed something peculiar. "Look," he said, pointing towards a small, circular patch of dirt, its surface smooth and undisturbed, as if something had been placed there and then removed.

"What is it?" Sarah asked, leaning closer. "It looks like…a circle. A circle of dirt."

Max shook his head, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I don't know. But it doesn't look natural. It's like…a mark."

Just then, they heard a voice. A woman's voice. It was calling their names.

"Sarah? John? Is that you?"

Sarah's heart skipped a beat. She recognized the voice. Dr. Evelyn Thorne, the head psychiatrist at the mental institution where Edward Grey had been treated.

"Dr. Thorne," Sarah said, her voice trembling slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Dr. Thorne, a tall, imposing figure, stepped out of the shadows. Her face, usually a mask of cold professionalism, was etched with a mixture of concern and urgency.

"Sarah," she said, her voice a low whisper, "I've been trying to reach you. It's important. I need your help."

Sarah felt a surge of conflicting emotions. Relief at seeing someone familiar, but a deep unease at the circumstances of her appearance. Dr. Thorne, the stoic, clinical psychiatrist, now stood in the middle of the woods, her normally pristine clothes stained with dirt, her face etched with a mix of fear and urgency.

"Dr. Thorne," Sarah said, her voice a whisper, "What's going on? Why are you here?"

"It's about Edward Grey," Dr. Thorne said, her voice a low murmur. "He's escaped. He's not who we thought he was. He's a danger."

Max, his eyes narrowed in suspicion, stepped closer. "What do you mean, Doctor? What's he capable of?"

"He's not just mentally ill," Dr. Thorne said, her voice trembling slightly. "He's something more. He's a danger, not just to John…to all of us."

She paused, her gaze shifting from Sarah to John. "I've been trying to reach you, but I've been under surveillance. They're watching me. They're monitoring my movements. And I'm afraid they might be coming for me."

Sarah, her mind racing, felt a chill run down her spine. "Who are 'they'? What are you talking about?"

"The Whisperers," Dr. Thorne said, her voice barely audible. "They're everywhere. They're manipulating people, twisting their minds, using them for their own dark purposes. And Edward Grey…he's just one of their pawns."

"What's their goal?" Max asked, his voice a low growl. "What are they after?"

"I don't know," Dr. Thorne said, her voice filled with a sense of dread. "But I'm starting to find out. And it's terrifying."

She looked at Sarah, her eyes pleading for understanding. "Please, Sarah," she said. "You have to believe me. We have to stop them. We have to find a way to stop Edward Grey before it's too late."

Sarah, her heart pounding in her chest, knew that Dr. Thorne was telling the truth. She had seen the darkness that consumed Edward Grey, the twisted machinations of his mind. She knew he was a danger, but now she was learning that he was just a part of something larger, something more sinister.

And it was coming for them.