The hospital room was bathed in the soft glow of the evening sun. Faint streaks of gold and amber stretched through the half-open blinds, casting long, distorted shadows across the pale walls. The rhythmic beeping of the monitors punctuated the silence, a steady reminder that Daniel was still here—still alive.
His mother sniffled as she wiped her eyes, exhaustion evident in her every movement. His father sat stiffly in the chair beside her, his fingers clenched together, his gaze distant. His little sister, Hannah, hovered close, watching him with wide, worried eyes.
"I'm fine," Daniel said, forcing a small smile that barely reached his lips. His voice was hoarse, weaker than he intended. "Really. You don't all have to stay."
His mother shook her head. "Daniel—"
"I mean it," he cut in gently. "I'll be out of here soon. I don't want you guys stressing. Lenny's staying with me."
Hannah glanced at him, uncertain. "Are you sure?"
Daniel nodded, meeting her gaze. "Yeah. Take Mom and Dad home, okay?"
After a long pause, Hannah sighed and relented. "Alright."
It took a few more minutes, but eventually, his family shuffled out of the room. His mother gave him one last lingering look before she disappeared into the dim hallway. The door clicked shut, leaving only Daniel and Lenny.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Lenny leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, studying Daniel as if he could see the weight pressing down on him. Daniel exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around the hospital blanket.
"Lenny."
His best friend raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
Daniel swallowed, bracing himself. "I need you to be honest with me. I didn't push you earlier because my family was here, but now I need the truth."
Lenny frowned slightly but nodded. "Okay."
Daniel met his eyes. "When you found me… were you absolutely sure I was alone?"
A beat of silence stretched between them. Lenny's face remained unreadable at first, but then… his expression flickered. Something hesitated in his eyes, something uneasy.
"What?" Daniel pressed. "What is it?"
Lenny shifted in his seat. "Look, I—I don't know, man. When I got there, you were on the floor, barely breathing. I didn't see anyone else. But…" He hesitated, running a hand through his hair. "I swear, I saw something move. Just for a second. Like… a shadow."
Daniel's pulse quickened. "A shadow?"
Lenny nodded slowly. "I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me, you know? The room was dark. Maybe it was nothing. But I had this weird… feeling. Like someone had just been there."
Daniel's breath came faster now. His mind raced back to that moment—the hand on his shoulder, the whisper in his ear, the sensation of someone watching him. His skin prickled.
"Did you hear anything?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Lenny hesitated again, his brows furrowing. "No… not really. Just this weird ringing in my ears for a second. Like… pressure. But that could've been anything, right?"
Daniel wasn't so sure. He leaned back against the pillow, his fingers digging into the sheets. If Lenny saw something—even if it was just for a second—that meant Daniel hadn't imagined it. He wasn't losing his mind.
Something else had been in that room with him.
His gaze flickered to the window, where the evening shadows stretched unnaturally long. His stomach twisted. What if it was still here?
What if it was never gone?
Before he could say anything else, his phone vibrated violently against the bedside table, the sound jarring in the heavy silence. Both men turned sharply toward it. The screen was black. It wasn't supposed to be on.
Then, without warning, the phone lit up. A notification appeared.
One new voice recording.
Daniel's throat tightened. He hadn't touched his phone. His fingers hovered over the screen before finally tapping the notification. The recording began to play.
At first, there was only static, crackling like a distant radio signal struggling to tune in. Then came the humming. Soft, familiar, chilling. The exact melody Emily used to hum when she knitted, back before—
Daniel's heart pounded.
Lenny's face paled. "Daniel… that's the same song. The same one from before."
The static in the recording grew louder, distorting the humming into something unnatural, like a voice trying to push through. And then, in a breathy whisper, they heard it.
"Daniel… don't let them know."
Daniel's breath hitched. His fingers trembled around the phone. He glanced at Lenny, expecting him to scoff, to tell him this was just interference. A prank. But Lenny wasn't laughing. His face had gone stiff, his eyes wide with something Daniel couldn't place—fear, maybe.
The phone screen flickered. The lights in the room dimmed for a fraction of a second before stabilizing. Lenny instinctively stepped back. "This—this isn't normal."
Daniel forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow. "It's probably just some glitch. Phones pick up weird signals all the time."
Even as he said it, the words felt flimsy. A poor excuse for something he couldn't explain.
A sudden knock on the door made them both jump.
It was the night nurse. "Everything alright in here?"
Daniel hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. Just… just startled."
The nurse gave him a look but didn't press. "Let me know if you need anything." She left, the door clicking shut behind her.
Lenny turned back to Daniel. "I didn't believe it before," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But something—someone—was in that room with you. And now…"
A sudden chill swept through the room. Lenny shuddered, rubbing his arms. "Did you feel that?"
Daniel barely heard him. His gaze was locked on his phone, where a second notification had just appeared.
New recording saved.
He hadn't pressed record.
His skin crawled as he hesitated before tapping the notification. Another file, another static-filled void, and then—
A whisper, low and urgent:
"Daniel… they're watching."