Chapter 6: The Unspoken Warning
Anika’s heart raced as she followed the nurse back toward the emergency exit, her thoughts already spinning. The bear outside had been calm, almost unnervingly so, but now it was pacing—slow, deliberate steps as it circled the perimeter of the bay. Its eyes, fixed on the hospital doors, seemed to be waiting for something. Or someone.
“Dr. Sorel,” the nurse said urgently, her voice shaking. “It’s… it’s like it knows something’s wrong.”
Anika barely acknowledged the nurse’s words. She had her own instincts to follow, and they told her that the situation was about to escalate. The bear wasn’t just a bystander. It was guarding something—or perhaps someone. It had brought Evan here, and now, it was on edge. She could feel it. The tension in the air had shifted, like the calm before a storm.
As she stepped into the parking lot, she caught sight of the bear’s powerful form. It was still moving in circles, its ears flicking as if listening for something. Its breathing was steady, but the low rumble of its growls was unmistakable.
Anika stopped in her tracks, her gaze narrowing. She couldn’t be sure what was going on in the bear’s mind, but she was beginning to realize that whatever was happening had something to do with Evan. The animal was waiting for someone or something. And the longer it stayed, the more she feared what it might do.
“Do you think it’s dangerous?” the nurse asked, her voice trembling.
Anika hesitated. “Not yet,” she said, though she wasn’t sure if she believed that. “But we need to keep our distance until we figure out what it wants.”
The bear’s growl deepened as the doors to the hospital opened again. Anika’s eyes darted to the entrance, but there was no one there.
Then, a car pulled up near the entrance, a dark sedan gliding through the rain-soaked pavement. It stopped, and the engine cut off with a sharp finality. The doors swung open, and a man stepped out, his face partially obscured by the shadows of the night.
Anika’s blood ran cold. There was something eerily familiar about him. Something she couldn’t place.
Before she could react, the man turned and walked toward the hospital doors, his movements purposeful, deliberate. And just like the bear, he seemed to know exactly where he was headed.
Her gut twisted. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this man had been waiting for the boy to wake up—or that he was somehow tied to the strange events that had unfolded.
The bear’s growl turned into a low snarl, and it took a step forward, blocking the path to the entrance.
Anika didn’t know who this man was, but one thing was certain: he wasn’t here by coincidence. And the bear was ready to confront him.
To be continued…