The Visit

“This girl sure is strange…” I whisper, squinting but still seeing almost nothing in this opaque darkness.

I return inside, arms full.

Now I’m alone in the hotel hall, drowned in silence, as if all the life that was running around before had vanished without a sign – just like Sarah leaving me behind.

Things keep confusing me. Not that I’m impressed or terrified by this dried-out finger – I’ve seen worse, things that would make a kid cry if they saw them in the back of my shop. I won’t sell them. They’re my treasures.

I peer into the wide-open box. Inside lie the finger and the prominent ring – a wedding ring for someone with a big ego. No normal person would wear such a diamond every day.

“Maybe I could add this to my collection?”

I rush to the far corner of the hall, facing the wall to hide the box from the potential receptionist coming back from break… maybe. I don’t know where she is, but not here, that’s for sure.

I set my stuff down, pull a small plastic bag from my backpack, and grab the finger with my bare hands. Fragile – one wrong press and it would crumble to dust – I slip it carefully into the bag, stash it back, making sure nothing can crush it, and wipe my hand on my trousers. Disgusting and full of germs, but whatever. I’m not about to put this hand in my mouth.

With everything is in place, I head to my room and sleep.

In the morning, one thought fills my mind.

“I need to know more… and without a phone… let’s go to the cybercafe!”

I leave the hotel, abandoning the box’s remains – nothing compromising anyway. A heavy feeling presses on my chest, urging me to stay, but I ignore it.

I push through the crowd outside and finally reach the cafe. Inside, it’s a gamer’s dream: rows of computers, people playing, food stalls, a futuristic vibe – disturbed only by smashed keyboards and the smell of hot dogs.

But I’m only here for research. Thanks to whoever runs this place for the free internet.

“More victims are being found. This killer is serious business…”

I skim news and websites about previous victims – their info, investigations, anything useful.

Not the slightest lead. Nada. So I go all in and dive into some… darker websites.

“Found it!” I shout in joy – too loud, judging by the confused looks around me.

I apologize and return to work. On a strange website, I find a list of the previous victims, personal info, and the circumstances of their deaths. All dead… except one marked alive.

“Married woman… left hand missing… bleeding… abandoned hangar… now in hospital XX, room XX.” I whisper, reading carefully. “It’s the only hospital here. If she survived, she might help me out of this mess.”

I close my tabs and rush to the city hospital, heading straight to her room. No time to waste when your life is on the line.

Inside, a pale woman sits on her bed. Her left hand is replaced by a bandaged stump – proof she’s the one I'm looking for. She stares at me, not surprised, almost happy. I sit beside her.

“What is it for? I already took my meds today, though you don’t look like you work here.” She says softly.

Despite myself, I feel at ease. The words flow, and I tell her everything about my case without leaving out a detail.

“Exactly how they did with me…” She murmurs, stroking her chin. “I don’t even know how I’m still alive. They left me in the hangar to die. Unfortunately for them, I’m still in good shape… mostly.” She chuckles, showing her stump.

I answer with an awkward laugh.

“But be careful. I'm not proof there's always a way out.”

“Do you know how I could escape this?”

“I don’t even remember their face, so I don’t know if I can help…”

“Yeah…”

“I shouldn’t have gone there alone… They were waiting…” She whispers, eyes on her stump.

“So there’s one thing: don’t be alone in strange places.” I note to myself.

“Just before the attack, the killer’s voice echoed everywhere, demanding an apology. But for what? It made no sense… Why ask me to apologize before killing me? I couldn’t understand anything!”

Tears stream down her cheeks. I offer a tissue, but it’s useless as the flow only intensifies.

“My husband… I screamed his name, but also that I loved him… that I didn’t want to die… that I’d do anything, become better… that I was truly attached to him. I didn’t know why, my feelings were pouring out like a cascade. He was all I could think of as death approached…” Her throat tightens with pain, tears seeping into it in an attempt to drown her torment. “And in this white hospital room, I kept wondering what I could’ve done to deserve that… to be asked to apologize.”

Silence settles over the room. She stops speaking, her tears fading. She swallows painfully, ready to reveal something that will cost her a lot, and I’m prepared to hear it all.

“You’re truly a good person for listening. Not like me – I wasn’t good to begin with. Years ago… I cheated on my husband… but I regretted it immediately. I don’t know why I did it, and I never did it again, which made me forget for a long time… But now… since the attack, my marriage means nothing to anyone, even to my husband, who told me he doesn’t love me anymore… I don’t understand why… and now I’m all alone… but I loved him deeply. And yet, my ring – the only proof of the one I loved and my past life – has disappeared.”

She lets out a long sigh, which I understand as the end of her sorrow. She has finished emptying her bag.

“If I’m thinking correctly, maybe unconsciously remembering what she had to apologize for and showing her true love made the killer spare her, leaving her only with an injury this bad as punishment. Simple deduction. I could be wrong, but I hope not.”

I stare at her as she calms down, but her body suddenly trembles and a terrified laugh escapes her. She raises her head and looks at me with bloodshot eyes, as if a switch has flipped inside her.

With her remaining hand, she suddenly grabs my shoulder, locking it firmly and hurting me despite her lack of muscles. Incomprehensible sounds burst from her mouth – maybe words her mind can’t form anymore. But the confusion doesn’t last long.

“But… but… but that wasn’t worth killing me, right!? I am right, am I!? Tell me I am right!” She shouts, louder and louder, her voice echoing through the room, yet no one comes. “I didn’t have to die for this… and now I’m just without my hand and hated by everyone! You understand how that feels? No, you don’t! You can’t comprehend what I’ve gone through, you miserable shopkeeper!”

I try to grab her wrist and twist it to free myself, but nothing works. Even with all my strength, she doesn’t move an inch. I’m stuck, listening to her fury, my ears almost bleeding as her strident voice is as sharp as a knife. I’m scared. I don’t want to die here.

The room begins to darken – or maybe it’s just my mind. I don’t know. Her laugh echoes inside me, the sunlight outside turning red. Documents whirl through the air, slicing my face.

Blood streams down, my body trembles, I don’t know what to do. It feels like she’s penetrating my soul to devour it. I’m about to throw up.

“Apologize! Apologize for what you did!” She freezes for a second, the rage vanishing only to surge back. “No… that’s not right! Don’t apologize! Go alone and die like I will! You don’t deserve to escape unharmed while I’m like this!”

She closes her mouth and a swallowing sound rises, as if something were being brought up from her stomach to her mouth. Her cheeks puff like a pufferfish. My heart skips – I’m completely frozen on my seat.

Suddenly her mouth opens and a torrent of blood mixed with vomit pours over me. The texture and pestilential smell invade my mouth and nostrils. I throw up in return.

I feel numb. My eyes can’t linger on anything, and I can barely catch the incoherent words spilling from her.

Fortunately, her grip loosens. In a burst of courage, I grab my backpack between my legs, open it, and pull out a small orb the size of a marble. I straighten up and wait for her to open her mouth – which she quickly does while screaming.

She’s surprised by what’s put inside but swallows instinctively. She clutches her head, then instantly falls back onto the bed, sound asleep, releasing my shoulder.

The next second, the atmosphere returns to normal. The obscurity fades, the sunlight is no longer red. Only vomit and scattered documents remain.

I stand up, nearly losing my balance, my legs weak from having nothing left inside me. Still, I pull the finger from my backpack, slip off the ring, and crush it over the bin until it turns to dust, leaving no trace.

I place the ring in the woman’s hand and close her fingers around it.

“It’s yours, not mine. Keep it and remember what you’ve done and what happened. I’m not here to judge you, and I know how it is to be attached to wonderful objects, so keep it as a memory – or throw it away if you want. I won’t care much.”

With difficulty, I leave the hospital, encountering no one. Luck or something stranger? I don’t know. My staggering steps make walking hard, and though I crave food, I have no money to waste.

I wander through crowded streets as the moon begins replacing the sun in the sky.

I torture my mind, trying to remember what I could have done to be ordered to apologize. Where did I go wrong? A headache builds, yet I stay lost in thought, barely noticing my surroundings, eyes fixed on my feet.

“I just have to avoid deserted places, unlike that woman. That’ll give me time to figure out how to escape this killer. If only I could go grab a few things from my shop…” I lift my head and look around. “Where am I…?”

Completely deserted. A dark alley, filled with garbage, unknown to me – and I’m alone.

The more I grasp situation, the more panic crawls through my body. The wind whistles in my ears, my breathing turns ragged. My eyes dart everywhere – I feel something is here, something is coming. My heart won’t stop. I panic. I’m going to die for real this time. It’s over.

Suddenly, I hear someone coming. Footsteps approach – light, yet unbearably heavy – followed by a woman’s sharp, terrifying laugh sinking into my ears.

She’s getting closer. For me. I’m sure of it.

I glance around and spot a door along the alley. I rush to it, try the handle – open. I slip inside and shut it fast.

Pillars everywhere, flickering neon lights, nothing else. A vast, deserted hangar reeking of mold and dust.

I don’t linger and press my weight against the door, hoping she won’t come – or will give up.

The footsteps stop right behind it.

Panic swells inside me, my heart about to burst. If this lasts any longer, fear alone might kill me.

A violent force slams the door open, throwing me to the ground. My barricade was useless.

A figure steps through while I hold my breath.

Then I see her – the person I know, or think I do.

Moonlight kisses her back as rain begins to fall, giving her an imposing aura.

I can’t be wrong. I’ve seen this face countless times. But that terrifying smile… never.

“Sarah…?”