The Midnight Ward

Killer? What killer? What side character?

Were the floating words in front of me suggesting that a serial killer was hiding outside my window?

In the lounge, I looked at the words floating in front of me. I was half-convinced I was losing my mind.

I cautiously pulled the curtain open and looked out of the window through the dim moonlight.

Moonlight seeped in, spilling across the grounds below. The courtyard was vast and desolate, with not a soul in sight.

Something was very wrong.

This was no common hospital, but a high-end, luxurious one. The third ward, where I was, was for the more mentally fragile patients. For their protection, the lights would be kept on all night with security guards patrolling without fail.

The lounge was on the fourth floor. Through the glass window, I could see the entire layout of the courtyard. The entire place was smothered in darkness, with not a single patrolling guard in sight.

This was too eerie.

If there were a killer outside the window, the most probable place to conceal themselves would be the air-conditioning unit just beneath my window. They would be visible from downstairs.

I furrowed my brows and pressed the intercom button, summoning the guards. The only sounds that replied to me were the sound of static followed by a shrill tone.

Something was terribly wrong.

Right at that moment, a cat meowed outside, sending chills down my back. Upon a closer hearing, I realized that the meows had a constant rhythm. This was clearly a recording!

I wiped the cold sweat on my forehead and forced myself to calm down. Through the walls, I could hear a faint rustling sound of clothes outside the window. Someone had moved.

At that moment, I finally believed that the comments I just saw were true. There was someone trying to hurt me hiding outside the lounge.

I moved away from the window and returned inside, locking all doors and windows shut.

Then, I moved a huge drawer to the window, blocking it. I quickly called the cops.

At the same time, words started floating in front of me again.

[What? The side character didn't rescue the cat? I take back what I said about her being dumb.]

[Such astute observations, but I remembered that in the original story, she still died in the end. What a pity.]

[There's no choice. Her death is needed to stoke the conflict between the villain and hero.]

Cold dread coiled tightly in my chest. I had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, no one picked up my phone call. Suddenly, a deafening crash erupted from the window. Someone had struck the tempered glass with a hammer.

Shards rained as the window burst open.

I was so stunned I could barely react.

A shadow lurked outside the window. They kicked the drawer blocking the window.

Through the moonlight, I saw a man raising a blood-soaked axe in front of me. He was wearing a mask, but his gaze showed that he was gleaming maniacally.

I opened the door in terror and quickly ran, trying to flee from the place, yet the footsteps behind me got closer and closer.

Soon, he grabbed my ponytail and flung me to the floor. At the last moments of my life, I was still trying to fight for my life.

"Wait! Why do you want to kill me? At least, tell me the reason!"

The man said nothing but merely raised his axe. When the axe landed on me, pain exploded as blood seeped through my white coat.

Right before I lost all consciousness, I saw those strange floating words in front of me again.

[The side character has died such a tragic death. The villain will surely go crazy.]

[My god! How could they do that to my favorite villain pairing? They are so much more believable than the main characters!]

When I opened my eyes once more, the pain had completely vanished. I subconsciously looked at the clock on the wall.

Midnight.

Comments appeared in front of me again.

[Don't open the window! There's no cat outside! It's a serial killer!]

[I'm done. Why is she so dumb? I can already imagine how tragic her death will be.]

[Go and find the villain! He loves you so much! He will surely protect you!]

I quickly retracted my hand on the window latch and clutched my chest, breathing hard.

Had I…been given another chance?