Chapter 4

The symptoms 

Moriah

“Doctor Regina, are you listening to me?” The accountant turned to look at me, visibly upset with my attitude today. I blinked several times. “What did you say, accountant?” I asked as he turned back to his document. “The taxes for this month have already been paid. There are a few bills that will be collected next month. I want to let you know before you notice an absence at the end of the month.”

“Yes, accountant Sanders, thank you very much. I will consider the use of that money next month.” I turned to look behind him again for a few seconds, before returning my gaze to him. “Thank you for everything,” Sanders replied as he bid farewell.

As he walked out of my office, I followed him with my sight, watching in amazement. However, he was not alone. Every day I am filled with despair over this. They are all over the place. There is nothing I can do to stop this. I don't understand what is going on. Neither my medicines nor my psychiatric knowledge has stopped or helped me with these. I have tried to find a possible solution or explanation for my situation. However, nothing happened. 

From the moment I met with patient 571. Hallucinations have plagued me. Whenever I encounter someone, I see shadows accompanying them. They can be seen anywhere, including live television. Always shadowing someone, there is even more than one per person.

I would be ruining my reputation if I talked to anyone about this. Some of my patients have been sent to other psychiatrists. It is unethical to treat them in my current state of mind. Any mistake could occur. I have also cancelled my upcoming interviews with psychiatric institutions. One of them was with patient 571. I refuse to see him again.

There is only one option left, my father. It's time to see him. I won't waste any more time. I am confident that his skills and knowledge will help me find a solution. Because I'm so desperate. Although he has been retired for more than a decade.

I pick up my phone to call my assistant. Carla replied immediately, “Yes, Dr Regina.” 

“Please cancel all my appointments for this month, starting right now. I have an emergency trip to take, and I have to leave immediately.” 

After a few moments of silence, Carla answered surprised, “are you sure? Could you tell me where you are going, in case of an emergency?” Yes, she is right, I don't want to reveal information about my situation, but my responsibilities are something I will never escape.

“Okay, Carla, I will go to France. I have something very important with my father that I need to discuss. I need a one-way ticket today, as I don't know when I will be able to return. Not only that, but I am going to leave everything in your hands. My cell phone will be on all the time, so if you require me, call or text me.”

I knew that Carla had many questions, and of course, concerns, yet she did what I asked. After arranging everything in my office, I shut the door.  There is no need for them to worry about anything since everything will stay the same. After saying goodbye to Carla and all of my employees, I headed home.

At my building, I was greeted by a doorman who opened the door when he saw me. Greeting me as usual, without commenting on why I arrived at a different time today. Changes have never happened in my life. Suddenly, something made me turn around suddenly. Looking behind him, I saw that he had three shadows across his back. Those things gave me a horrifying feeling that I had never felt before. This felt new, never before had I experienced this terrible feeling in their presence till now.

In an instant, I sprinted away, hopped in my elevator, and ascended to my floor.

In two hours, the plane will take off. I cannot waste any more time. There isn't enough time to pack up and leave. Every hour of the day is busy in London. There's a large and a small suitcase, and whatever I forget and need, I can find in any French store.

The house is locked, the taxi is called, and everything is ready. When I arrived at the airport, I declared my suitcase to the airline. Half an hour later, I was boarding the plane. Getting to the LYS airport in France took us two and a half hours.

My father lives in Vienne, in Southeastern France, and his house is an hour's drive from the airport. It's a beautiful road, the whole thing is open country, and I'm here for the second time. Seven years ago, that was a long time ago. My attention was drawn to the shadow following the driver as I admired the scenery. It was immobile for a moment, but out of nowhere, it began releasing smoke. Not only that, it was moving towards me. I shrink on the seat, making myself smaller.

Shadows had kept a strict distance until now. They stayed at the side of their host. Everything has gone from little to more since my situation was getting worse. Initially, they were sensations, then an occasional shadow, then I found them everywhere. As soon as possible, I need to speak to my father about this.

He may not have a plausible explanation, but he is the best option at the moment. Actually, the only one that I have

I was able to see his house from a distance a short time later. It remains the same because my father, like me, is not a big fan of change. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, his house is modern. A lot of facilities are available, and it's very comfortable.

My luggage was left at the entrance by the taxi driver. Then he left after I paid him for the trip. Standing in front of my fader’s door, several minutes passed before I approached and decided to knock. My goal was to make a story that was a little closer to reality. Smoke and shadows sound bad. The door opened and I no longer needed to think.