The Face - Chapter 2, Act 1

I suddenly open my eyes and find myself looking at a white ceiling. There is a slight sting pain spreading from my elbow area. I take a big breath, and I look first to my left, then my right. When I see two white beds beside me, I figure out that I'm in a hospital room. And seemingly the source of the pain is a needle sticking up benignant part of my elbow, on the inner side. It seems they're drugging me with random serums. I do not pay it heed, and my eyes fidget around a little bit more until they meet my mother's. Sme smiles at me, but as she is occupied speaking to my doctor, she doesn't come to my side. I assume that's because I seem to be in a good shape, and she looks relieved seeing I'm finally awake. I take another breath, and wait for my mother to pop up near me, while I rest my head on the bed.
Not long after, she appears by my side. 'Honey, how are you feeling?' she asks, with a troubled voice. She seems to have been shocked that to see me in a condition that required me to be transported into a hospital. 'You... didn't wake up no matter what we did, and your breathing seemed problematic, so we immediately brought you here...' she explains to me the situation, again guessing I'm in need of clarification because of my puzzled eyes... I nod to her... 'I'm not sure of the cause, but... I think it was the nightmare, I'm sorry...' I say to her, attempting to relax... she shrugs it off by a slight chuckle, 'Dear...' she chuckles for a bit more, 'If you have power to be sorry, you're okay, you stupid.' and she shoves my shoulder a bit, to show me she was dead worried before, but isn't now. I smile back at her as a response. 'I'm okay.' my words flow out so naturally, that even I come to believe them for a while.
I don't see any windows in here, so this must be the emergency wing which is positioned in the inner side of the building. I take notes in my head, should I get lost, I'll remember which wing I'm in.
...
Then again, I'm not so sure they'll let me get up and wander around pointlessly. I'd appreciate it at the moment, seeing how I'm feeling absolutely good, save for the serum stuck in my cubital.
I sigh to myself, then turn back to my mother who is holding my hand and looking at my face, free of all the troubles she had until now. 'What time is it, and how long have we been here?' I ask to her, like it was a normal thing. 'It's three AM, dear. And it's been five hours since we came here. And they said they'd let you go after the serums were over, and it's the last one. So... we'll leave in fifteen minutes.' then she leans in closer, and kisses my forehead. I smile at her, then I turn back to the ceiling. I observe it closely... and somehow, the sight of The Face haunts me still. I can't get rid of it, even though it isn't in sight now.
I sigh to myself yet again. Fifteen minutes take too long to pass...
But eventually they do. And the doctor comes by my bed, hovers over my head, checks my eyes with the light, listens to my heartbeat and backs off. With the smug ease on his face he utters the words, 'He is good to go, Madam. You can prepare him to depart.' and leaves off to another bed. Promptly a nurse comes by, and removes the needle, and starts taking off the wrap over the bed as I'm getting up. By the time I get up she is done cleaning the bed for another patient, and they hurry down a girl who's having a hard time breathing over to my bed and place her down almost immediately. They start stripping her clothes, and it isn't a sight I dislike at all. She is almost my age, from my judgement, and to top it all off, she looks cute. Heh, I guess it's all my luck to get to see breasts in such a unsettling situation.
I frown as I smile, and with my head looking down, I start walking with my mother's unnecessary support with her shoulder under my arm. I appreciate it, but it isn't required. So I tell her, and she just holds my hand as we walk out of the hospital into the carpark. I see my father preparing the car, and I wave to him so he acknowledges us... but I'm not aware that he already was. In the spite of my awkward wave, he also waves back. My mother opens the back door and I slip in the car, promptly placing myself in a comfortable position behind the first row passenger seat. After my mother also gets in the car, we start the ride.
My father is a relaxed and hot-blooded person, so he drives to home carefully, but with enough speed. By ten minutes, we arrive home. It's a disappointment I didn't check which hospital I was in, but by the distance we've travelled, I have an idea which one it is exactly, since I'm aware of the existences of all the hospitals in our proximity. With that off my mind, I try to ease by looking into the night sky.
...
The sight I do not like. The Face... it's looking at me, as unsettling as it used to be. The eyeholes are empty again... But the aura they emanate is... sinister, as if they want to consume me. They look like they belong to a murderer whose soul is lost forever and has now chosen my petty soul to haunt... for how long it'll take. Maybe until I die. And maybe that soul wants to be free of me. The stupid ideas that occupy my mind actually let me ease up a bit, and I feel more at comfort. I take a deep breath, and try to look angry at The Face.
...
It makes a move. It moves forward towards me, then takes its place again. I'm creeped out, and I realize...
That The Face is indeed alive.
I hardly step into the house. I take my shoes off, throw my jacket off at the hanger, take off my t-shirt, and go into my room to shut off the windows curtain very tightly. I make sure there is not even the least of an opening, then I throw myself off to my bed, wrap my sheet around me, and start sleeping...
Like it will solve anything.
A figure of myself figuring appears before my eyes, and disappears not long after, leaving me to the sweet embrace of sleep.
Or should I say, the suffocating hold of sleep?
For I'm not a least bit calm, and I do not think I'll get rid of the nightmares.
A purple cloud appears around me... The same story... this time...
With no one to help me.

The Face - Chapter 1, Act 1

 ...The sun setting in the distance, I get up from the bench I have been sitting on for almost an hour, pondering... and sweating like I never did before. My face completely absent of any expression but anxiety must scare people passing by me, as I stay really still and don't even blink for minutes before my eyes start getting teary. I gulp down one last time, and mustering every last bit of courage I have left in me, I turn back, and raise my head. What I'm able to see is the face that has been haunting me for days now. I quickly gulp again, and make sure no one notices the time I unusually spend looking at the face. My heart races, as I sweat even more, and I try to gulp down any bad feelings. But it only increases the slight nausea that has been bothering me for the while I've been sitting here. I slowly tilt my head down and, whilst trying not to raise my head to look up to that... face... I start turning around as well. I get on the park road, and start walking in the direction where my home resides. The dubiousness of the circumstances I've been placed in scares me, makes my heart race, and almost prevents me from blinking at all. I can hardly handle the darkness devolving over me as I shut my eyes down. I feel as if that face stares into my soul whenever I close my eyes, even easier than when I'm resisting its gaze with the power of my own.

Feeling helpless and restless, I decide all I can do is walk back home, and upon entering, I feel a little bit at ease. I sit down by the flats door, and breath heavily for a moment to gather my thoughts together. Not as easy as I think this is, it allows me to get on a train of thoughts. I force myself to get up, and look back, at the ceiling. Fortunately, nothing is there. Then I slowly go through all the rooms, carefully examining every and each wall there is, then finally settling down on the thought that the face was... indeed something that belonged to outside, or that I'm safe now that I'm in my sanctuary where I call home. I slowly walk back into my room, sit on my bed, and look out of the window to see the condition of weather... only then I'm struck with the sight of... that lurker, the abomination of a face... I'm startled, and I jump back a little on my bed, my breathing now erratic, and my heart racing, I stand there staring for minutes before I can actually calm down and divert my gaze from the face to somewhere else in my room. I decide I need to clear my head, so I pick up my guitar and start hitting a couple of notes before doing anything.

Quickly I become bored with my useless effort of playing the guitar, I put it aside... and stare at the ground for a few minutes, swallowing all that has happened in the past hours. I gulp down once again, then mustering a little bit more of my courage, I turn right and look at the face as directly as I'm able to. It is... still, as the night that is now befalling it... The face is hung on a tree, there is no expression on it, and seemingly the eyeholes are empty as well. I try to examine the face as thoroughly as I'm able to, gathering what information I can and ease my mind by changing the contents of what has been occupying my mind. The face looks gray, with almost wooden features, it has a nose in the shape of a coffin, a mouth open just as wide to let some air in. And and as I start describing its features, it begins to look less scarier. I start thinking I'll be able to handle the pressure of being stared at, if it's harmless... And, not to mention the face is absolutely still, and has no sign of life. I think to myself that there is no reason to fear it.

I realize that I've been running around the city all day long, and that causes me to become exhausted as to prevent me to keep looking at the face for too long. Since I'm on my bed, I decide to put my head on the pillow to take a nap before my parents arrive home, and with the face engraved into my mind, I quickly fall asleep...

I do not remember waking up... but now I have a vision of... a blurry purple in front of me. It's as if I'm in a puff of smoke that doesn't leave me wherever I go, blocking most of my sight. I try to move my limbs, but they seem to have been binded down. I try to open my mouth to speak, only to find it has been stitched shut. My eyes dawdle around, looking for someone, but I ultimately give up hope as I realize I've been placed in a state of comatose. All I can do is look around in the purple mist, and it doesn't give me any ideas about where I am. Slowly, I can feel the mist moving around me, as if it's trying to leave me, but I'm not allowing it to do so. Eventually it disperses into the darkness that covers me. I am left to stare into the said darkness. Slowly, I can feel a presence closing up to me, but I'm not sure what this could belong to. I turn forward, and I can see somewhat of a more lighter color in the darkness around it, and squinting my eyes I can see...
The Face.
It didn't abandon me... not even in my sleep. Sure, I'm aware of the fact I'm asleep, and surely, I'm dreaming...
...Or that's what I tell myself to calm down. It works for a moment, but the face just keeps peering into my soul, as if it lusts for it, or maybe its downfall...
I feel my nerves getting wrecked, my heart is thumping, faster by the minute, and it causes my vision to also go along with the tempo. The face, just by staring at me, is able to make me feel uneasy... and before I notice it, I'm sweating like rain has poured down on me. And I can't even move my hand to my forehead to swipe off the sweat, as I'm rendered unable to move. The face... it slowly approaches me in silence, and the lack of emotions. I do not feel any sort of anger coming to me from The Face, but it surely is going to harm me in ways I can't imagine.
I start to tremble, like a glass of water beside a railroad.
My mind is in ruins, and I struggle to regain my freedom, but... it's proven futile. The face is almost in my proximity of three meters, but it still doesn't even flinch. Just... floating in the air, coming at me. And it's enough to make me burst into tears. I start crying out of desparation, swallowing me in the incurability of my situation. Feelings that The Face lacks are as if they're swarming me now. I look back in case I see a light of hope... but it isn't there. And when I turn, my nose meets The Face...
...
Moment of silence, then I blink.
My mother is kissing my nose, in an attempt to wake me up without scaring me.
I blink deliriously, sweat covering all my face. 'Honey, are you okay?' I hear my mother's soothing voice... And it's as if she is the angel that has came down from the heavens to save me from my misery... I breathe irregularly, enough to make her worry. Her face saddens, she frowns a little, and kisses my forehead, while swiping the sweat off of it. I manage to utter a few words, 'I'm... I was having a nightmare... I'm... okay.' and she nods her head slowly, but in a refined manner. She understands me, and I can already feel her hand on the back of my head, supporting me to get up without putting any real effort in it. I raise my head slightly, to look at her in a position more closer to one of sitting. She still looks worried, and I feel at fault, so I open my mouth again. 'Please, there's... nothing wrong. Don't frown.' she smiles faintly, to let me know that she's only trying to help me, she shakes her head. 'I know, honey. You're strong enough not to be trifled by a mere nightmare.' Her usual jocose tone... It brings me back to my senses that all it has been was just a nightmare...
I sit straight, hoping my mother will also sit beside me. And so she does. I look to my side, to her face, and find her smiling at me. The sight relaxes me, and I wrap my hands around her, to embrace her tightly. I gulp down, and she kisses my cheek lightly. 'Let's eat dinner, honey.' says she, and I nod in response right after we break up. She gets up and heads to the kitchen, and so do I. But before the leaving, I take a peek back at my window... and suddenly, my eyes meet those of The Face. I'm startled again, but this time I manage to break contact before I get sucked in the madness...
I start helping my mother prepare dinner. And as I cut onions, my eyes get full of tears and... I'm suddenly reminded of the nightmare I just had... I leave the knife there for a moment, and turn back... to look for comfort, while all I'm doing is trying to avoid the cause of my tears. My mother notices my sudden take off, and pats my shoulder, 'I can handle the preparations, so just go ahead and rest.' she smiles. And I don't hesitate in nodding back, then proceeding to leave the kitchen and enter the living room. I let myself fall on the couch, and I look out the of window as my habit dictates.
...
The Face is there. I thought I got over the sudden fears by now... But seemingly I didn't, as I feel the piercing stare of it through the thick glass that intercepts us. I turn my gaze towards my father, who is absorbed in playing his games on the computer... As my attempt to seek refuge fails, I start breathing normally, and eventually, start interpreting The Face... as the observer of my life. I look out of the window once again, and our eyes meet.
...
The Face didn't have eyes.
My sight gets blurry... and I feel my life being sucked out of me.
I pass out.