3. TERROR

Clara opened her eyes slowly. The noise from outside the house was crowded. She woke up and found Jasper still asleep by her side. The guy didn't seem to hear the noise out there.

The woman stood up and came to the window. She unscrewed the curtains and looked outside the house. It was dark and only dimly lit by the street lamp. There was no one there.

Clara frowned. She fell silent as he thought. A voice just suddenly unraveled the focus. Clara walked outside the room, not forgetting to close the bedroom door slowly so that Jasper would not wake up. She stepped down the steps and found someone's shadow from the direction of the kitchen.

"Who is it?" she hissed.

The woman continued to walk slowly. Almost didn't make the slightest noise in her footsteps. Until finally, she stopped when she found an empty kitchen. Again there was no one.

Clara then clutched her stomach. The pain again struck her bottom and Clara knew she had to go back to the room to lay down immediately. However, something staggered the female. Her feet slipped water on the floor and made Clara's body fall instantly.

"Argh ... it hurts!" she hissed, clutching her stomach which felt even more throbbing. "Jasper!!!"

***

The blue eyes opened for an instant. The man awoke as he unfurled the blonde hair covering his face. He stared at a woman who was asleep with medical equipment entangled her body. A bandage was seen wrapped around the top of her head. The man sighed, until finally someone's hand unraveled his consciousness.

"Clara will be fine," said a middle-aged woman.

The man nodded. He looked back at the woman on the bed in front of him.

"Have you eaten, Brandon?" asked the woman.

Brandon Hover, the blonde-haired man shook his head. "I'm not hungry, Mom," he said. "I just want to keep Clara here."

The woman sighed. "Let Mom take care of it. Clara is also Mom's daughter-in-law."

Brandon lowered his head. He looked back at his wife's still-closed face. The woman's hand just now rubbed the nape of the neck again, pouring positive energy on him. Brandon stood up from the chair, not forgetting to snatch the phone on the nightstand.

"I'll go to the cafeteria, Mom," he said.

The mother nodded, then saw her son's footsteps coming out of the nursery. She looked back at the woman who was asleep on the bed. A gasp escaped from her nose.

Already these five months, Clara was declared in a coma after an accident that almost took her life. According to Brandon's narrative, he and his wife had a fight before Clara finally left the house with a car. A few minutes later, the police suddenly dialed a landline number and reported the painful incident.

Until now, Brandon was overwhelmed with guilt. He was always waiting for Clara and hoped that his wife would wake up quickly. The mother knew that her son loved Clara very much even though she knew how the woman's past looked very dirty according to those around her.

Brandon seemed to be playing with the spoon in his porridge bowl. He really had no appetite now and only thought about Clara. His memories of his last quarrel with his wife were rife. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. However, as his eyes opened, Brandon gasped as a hoodie stood by his desk.

"Excuse me, am I allowed to eat here?" The voice of a woman with a tray in her hand.

Brandon nodded, allowing the woman to sit across from him. She was lost in thought again, while the red eyes behind the hoodie looked at her.

"Something that's gone probably won't be able to come back again." Suddenly the woman said and attracted the attention of the man in front of her. "Are you thinking about something that has gone away from your life?"

Brandon was silent. He looked at the red eyes that were slightly covered by the hoodie. "What do you mean?" he asked.

The woman grinned. She uncroached a little on the hood of her jacket, revealing her red eyes and very contrasting white hair. Her face was very beautiful, even more beautiful than Clara. "The eyes can never lie, Sir," she said.

Brandon's eyes was very somber. The man was downcast again and reluctant to eat the porridge. He fell silent, locking the atmosphere on his own area.

One hand of the woman touched Brandon's hand. "Don't be too muted," she said. "You can tell me a story."

"How can I trust you?"

The woman smiled. "Annelise. That's my name," she said. "I came here because my friend is being treated in this hospital. But, I'm hungry, so I'm here."

Brandon nodded. He went back to fiddling with the spoon in the porridge.

"And you?" Anne asked, making the man in front of him look up again.

"Brandon Hover," the man replied. "My wife is being treated here for an accident."

Anne nodded. "Accident, huh?" she muttered. "How long has it been?"

"About five months," Brandon replied. In fact, he is reluctant to get acquainted with strangers, let alone it is a woman. He really keep a distance from others except for his own wife.

"Is your wife in a coma? Why is it so long!"

Brandon nodded, carving out a faint smile. The two were overpowered by silence for a few moments. Anne again devoured her lunch, while her eyes looked at Brandon. The man began to fill the stomach with a mouthful or two. Anne smiled, then drank for a while.

"I've heard stories about the soul of the comatose human being traveling to another world," Anne said, drawing Brandon's attention. "Don't you think if your wife's soul is walking around somewhere?"

Brandon stopped his meal. He looked at Anne. "What do you mean?"

Anne fixed her position. Her two hands folded on each other on the table. "It's possible that your wife isn't really in a coma," she said. "She just left her physical body and went to another dimension of this world."

A gasp escaped Brandon's nose and mouth. The man leaned back with both arms folded in front of the chest. "I've heard of it too," he said. "But I don't believe it."

The white-haired woman rolled an eyeball. "Quite strange indeed. But, what if you proved that yourself?" she interrupted with her piercing eyebrows.

Brandon's gaze was very straight directed at Anne. He tried to guess the content of the woman's mind, but in fact it was difficult to do. He sighed. "Tell me if you know something," he said later.

A smirk was perfectly engraved on the corners of Anne's lips, revealing her sharp and beautiful fangs. The woman winked and nodded. She reached out until Brandon placed his hand on the woman's hand. Anne created a transparent code that made Brandon's blue eyes widen. The man almost moved out of the chair, but undone as Anne gave him a code to keep him seated.

"Let's exchange numbers. Tonight, meet me at the location I assigned to your number."

***