Chapter 9 - They are Watching

Anna left the hospital that evening with her records.

The words kept repeating in her head over and over again.

Not human.

Artificial.

Not yours.

She stopped walking and placed her hand on her chest again.

She didn't even want to listen to her body.

She decided to be bold enough to observe her chest. She listened carefully, but everything was quiet.

Too quiet.

Anna became nervous and she began to walk.

At first , she walked slowly like she did not know where she was going. The street was busy as usual. People went along with their day to day life like normal.

But everything had changed for her.

She pulled out the small paper that held the records the doctor had given her from her bag. A list of tests. Notes. Observations.

Proof.

She held on to the paper tightly.

“I must go back,” she said.

The hospital was the only place she would find the answers she was looking for.

The same hospital that lied.

Inside a dark office, a phone rang.

A man picked it up almost immediately.

“Yes?”

There was a pause.

Then his expression changed.

“When?”

His tone became sharp.

“Are you sure?”

Another pause.

The man stood up slowly, his face tightening.

“Keep watching her,” he said.

“Do not lose her.”

He ended the call and turned toward the window.

He held his phone tighter.

“So she knows,” he muttered.

Anna was on her way home. When she arrived at the front of her apartment, she became a bit dizzy. But she overlooked it.

She had already trekked quite a distance to get here.

At first, it was just a feeling.

A strange one.

Like someone was watching her.

She observed her environment properly and no one seemed to be watching her. Everything looked normal.

Just normal faces.

Normal movement.

Still, the feeling did not go away.

Her steps slowed.

She turned to her right to observe more carefully.

A man was on a call with someone beside his car. While someone else walked past her without even looking at her.

Everything was normal.

But her chest tightened again.

Not pain.

Just instinct.

Something was wrong.

Anna didn't think much of it.

“It’s nothing,” she murmured.

But deep down, she knew that there was something wrong.

The outside of the hospital wore a professional look. The building was tall and firm. But inside was full of suspicion.

A nurse walked down the hall. She moved quickly like she was in a hurry. She was tensed.She hurriedly knocked at the black door at the end of the hall.

“Come in,” a voice said.

She stepped inside.

“Sir, there is a problem.”

The doctor that sat behind the table looked up.

“What is the problem?”

“Anna. She was able to go to another hospital” she said.

The man stood up slowly.

“Who gave that authorization?”

“Actually sir, She went on her own. No one gave her a go ahead.”

“Well….did they find anything?” he asked.

The nurse hesitated.

“They ran scans.”

The doctor became more interested.

“And?”

“They… noticed something unusual.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

The man walked around the desk slowly.

“How much do they know?”

“Hmm…We don't know,” the nurse replied.

His eyes narrowed.

“That is not good enough.”

The nurse looked towards the floor.

“What should we do now sir?”

The man stopped walking.

His voice dropped.

“Bring her back.”

Anna went inside her apartment and shut the door behind her. She rested on the door for some time.

Her body felt tired.

Not just physically.

Everything felt heavy.

Her thoughts.

Her emotions.

Her chest.

She walked to her bed and sat down.

The room was very quiet

Too quiet.

Her hand moved to her chest again.

Still calm.

Still silent.

But she knew the truth now.

That silence was not normal.

It was controlled.

Artificial.

Her fingers curled slightly.

“I definitely need to go back tomorrow,” she whispered.

She did not want to let this go.

She needed answers.

Opposite her apartment, there was a black car parked.

The engine was off.

Two men sat inside.

One of them held a phone.

“She just entered,” he said.

The other nodded.

“Good.”

His eyes stayed fixed on the building.

“Do not lose sight of her,” he added.

“We cannot afford mistakes.”

The first man nodded.

“Understood.”

The next morning came too quickly.

Anna could not sleep that night.

Anytime she tried closing her eyes, the image of what she saw on the screen would appear.

That shape.

That thing inside her chest.

She eventually got up from her bed and exhaled loudly.

She had her bath, got dressed quickly and stepped out.

Immediately she got to the street, the feeling came back.

She stopped walking.

She tried to look for what was strange around her.

Nothing.

She just had a feeling that she was not alone.

Her chest tightened slightly.

Not pain.

Fear.

Anna had to overlook the pain and she continued walking.

“Those people are hiding something, and I'm going to find out what it is.” she said boldly to herself.

Inside the hospital, the doctor sat in his office with a phone in his hand.

“Is she on her way already?” he asked.

A voice answered from the other end.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

His eyes darkened.

“Let her come.”

He ended the call slowly.

He gave a small grin as he adjusted on his chair.

“Now, Miss Anna, let us see how much you really know,” he murmured.

Anna arrived at the hospital in time. She stood in the parking lot.

The building looked the same.

Clean.

Perfect.

But now she knows the truth.

Something was wrong here.

Very wrong.

She held her bag very tightly because she was really nervous.

Her eyes moved carefully around.

The reception.

The nurses.

The hallway.

Nothing seemed weird. Everything was normal.

But she was not the same person who walked in here before.

This time, she was watching too.

Upstairs, the man received another message.

“She is inside.”

He smiled slightly.

“Good.”

He turned toward the door.

“Make sure the room is set,” he said.

“No mistakes this time.”

Anna walked to the nurse at the reception.

“I would like to see my doctor,” she said calmly.

The nurse answered politely.

“Of course. Please wait.”

Anna nodded and stepped aside.

Her eyes scanned the area again.

Then suddenly, her chest tightened.

Not like before.

This was different.

Stronger.

Her breath caught slightly.

Her hand moved to her chest.

“What is this…” she whispered.

The feeling grew.

Like something inside her was reacting.

Calling.

Responding.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Somewhere in the building…

Something was pulling at her.

And she could not explain why.