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Chris grunted on the bed where he laid as his eyes struggled to open up. His heart thumped against his chest with a steady beat while he tried collecting memories of the events that led him to his present state. Around him, he could hear the beeping sounds of machines; he heaved and then turned his face sideways to see the table top clock reading 5:19 a.m.

He rolled out of bed and examined his environment, finally realizing he was in a hospital. There was a strong smell of antiseptic hanging in the air as soon as he stepped out of his room into the brightly lit lobby.

"Sir, is there a problem?"

Chris turned to see a lady dressed as a nurse standing in the deserted lobby. She held on to a file and looked at him with questioning eyes which held so much suspicion.

"No, gotta take a leak," Chris answered. She nodded and then smiled back at him before walking into one of the rooms lining the floor.

The toilet was cold and bright; white tiled walls and marbled floor. He walked into one of the private toilets and eased himself in a minute before emerging out and rinsing his hand in the sink. The water was freezing cold and it made his hand stiffen a bit as water ran over it, making him wonder why the hospital didn't have any water heaters.

He had only walked a few steps away before the flowing sound of water caught his attention. He turned back to see the sink already half way full with water. That's strange! He thought, furrowing his eye brows at the sight of the running tap. He turned the knob in an attempt to stop the running water but it didn't work. Frustrated, he tore off a few yards of tissue paper and stuffed the nozzle of the tap.

The sound of one of the doors being closed caused a sharp gasp of shock to be expelled from his lungs for he was certain he was the only one in the room. He bent sideways in an attempt to get a clear view of where the sound had come from. Chris swore under his breath when his ears picked up the unmistakable sound of something moving.

He backed away slowly when he came face to face with a black-as-night cat with tiny creepy eyes. His pulse picked up pace immediately as the creature's eyes remained on him. The devil has finally caught up with me. He hurried off to the door, his heart almost burst out of his chest when he flung the door open only to almost run into an old man standing there with the support of a walking aid.

"I think I saw Tommy walk in here," he said in his time worn voice.

"T-Tommy?" Chris muttered, still trying to get himself together.

"My cat!"

"Oh," he said, almost in a whisper as he watched the cat walk out of the toilet and lay at the old fellow's foot before they both walked away without another word.

~~~

The alarm buzzed again causing Henry to roll to his side. He blindly toured the bed with his hands, in search of his phone which still rang the 6 a.m. alarm. His foot slid out of the covers onto the ground as he sat up on the bed. There was the feeling of depression engraved in his heart, just like it had been for the past few weeks now. Things sure had changed drastically in his life and whoever thought it'll get to this point where his mind was continually occupied with thought of an unseen creature roaming the earth in search of him.

"I really could use some music right now," he said to himself, realizing that he actually missed all the busyness of the hostel he had known as home for the past few months.

He unlocked his phone and opened his web browser, clicked on the search engine and then typed in the words; the Hostel M2 murder case.
His jaw dropped at the results which loaded up on his screen. He swallowed and then clicked on the link to the school's online newspaper which had carried the news; it surely had to be the most genuine source after all.

~~~

"It wasn't a fire, Professor Wells; we both know that for sure." Mr. Parker's voice held so much angst as he tried driving the point home once again to the Vice Chancellor.

"Well, as far as the press knows, it was a fire," the V.C said, "and I hope to keep it that way."

Henry scoffed as he listened to the two men discuss. He sure had to give it to Detective Miles for his way with words, being able to convince the press and now Professor Robert Wells that their attempt to cleanse the hostel had just been as simple as a small fire sure was quite impressive.

"In a week time, the hostel should be fixed and the students can come back in. They'd have their finals and we can all go home and forget about all this, Mr. Parker."

"You're willing to risk the lives of more students to danger?" Henry asked with raised eyebrows, quite unsure of whatever sort of sense the V.C saw in his logic and what he hoped to achieve from all this.
"Well, we did listen to you guys' options and I gave the green lights but what now? We got two more casualties."

"Professor-" Mr. Parker started.

"Look Mr. Parker, I know you're concerned and wish to help, I appreciate that." The V.C walked back to his seat, "you'd be doing a whole lot of good for both of us if you don't interrupt the cops' investigation process."

"The cops," Professor Parker scoffed at the word, "what do they hope to find?"

"I don't know, but school's out for a week and that should be enough time to find a lead." The V.C fell back in his chair, deep down in his heart; he prayed he was pulling the right strings at solving this odd twist of events that had brought his reputation on the brink of being ruined.

Without another word, Professor Parker marched out of the V.C's office with Henry following behind. This was all become harder to imagine as they went along. First was the silly night walking reflexes and then the dreams and now, here Henry was, trying to figure out some paranormal nonsense. Since when did I turn into a shaman?

~~~

"Why on earth did you bring me to this place?" Chris asked as soon as Henry stepped into his room. Henry's lips broadened into a smile to see his friend back to life.

"What's wrong with 'this' place?" Henry asked, hands in pocket.

"It looks more like a vetenary clinic with the couple of cats I've come across already."

Henry giggled at his friend's remarks, "I'm sure you've heard of the word Pet."

Chris only shook his head and then hugged his friend."Please tell me it worked and we got our lives back again!!" Chris said with his eyes full of hope.

Henry didn't reply, rather urged his friend out of the room, they made their way to the second floor of the building with Henry mentally taking note of the room numbers as they walked by until they reached their destination.

Henry pushed the door open, seated there on the bed was Professor Parker and then Marcello lying in bed. There was a large mass of bandage on his head, mostly covering one of his eyes. Scars marked his face, even down to his neck.

"If it's not Mr. Jones himself," Marcello said slowly, snickering as soon as the two friends walked in. Chris turned to Henry and then his Professor, both of whom wore broad smiles on their faces.

"The man laughs? Wait, what's he talking about?"

"The apparition," Marcello answered before anyone could, "it got hold of your body."

"You got possessed and then passed out later on." Henry shrugged at his friend's facial expression of both shock and disbelief.

"B-But wasn't an exorcism meant to send it back?" Chris asked with creased eyebrows. "What does it want?"

"Exactly what it's getting," Marcello adjusted himself on the bed with the help of Mr. Parker. "Torture. That's the reason it's not yet gotten to your soul yet."

There was a moment of silence in the room as all four of them pondered on where this trail would lead to, how this all ends and what their fate and chances looked like.

"I felt his presence here this morning," Marcello said, breaking the silence. Chris gasped.

"That explains what happened in the toilet," he muttered to himself while he thought of the running tap which just won't go off. Hell!! I can almost swear that cat had been possessed by his spirit as well with the way it stared at me.

"We got a lot here on our hands," Mr. Parker started, standing from the bed, "and we don't have much time till Lord-knows-what-happens-next."

"Well, I pulled this off the internet," Henry said, passing his phone over to Mr. Parker. "I don't know but, I have a hunch that the answer's out there. We got a week till all hell breaks loose at the hostel."
Professor Parker scrolled through the content of the post from the school's online newspaper dated several years ago. "You're right, and this could be a start."

"Okay!" Chris sighed heavily, "but can I a least get a burrito before we uhh, start off? You know...just in case."

"We'll need your help Marcello," Mr. Parker said, looking away from Chris and turning to his feeble friend.

"The Lord is our strength and refuge, a very present help in trouble," Marcello answered in a subtle note, "Psalms 46 verse 1."

We're in more than trouble here, Mr. Parker thought, we're in deep shit and God better save us or he'll be hosting a couple of guests soon.

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