Chapter 12: The Devil's Bargain
Mom was furious—her mouth stretched wide in a scream, her hair growing wildly, her nose falling to the floor as her lips curled up to her ears. The black pupils in her eyes slowly vanished.
Another ghost.
After the horrors of the past few days, I gasped but didn’t panic as much as before.
I sprinted deeper into the hospital, knocking into people who shoved me aside, staring at me like I was insane.
"Ghost! There’s a ghost!"
I begged for help, but everyone avoided me.
After screaming for a while, I realized the female ghost wasn’t chasing me.
I turned toward the entrance—and met her pale, hollow eyes. She grinned at me before vanishing.
"Hey, kid, you okay? Let’s get you up."
A doctor in a white coat helped me to my feet, surrounded by gawking onlookers.
"Sorry… I must’ve been seeing things. Just woke up, brain’s still foggy."
I didn’t dare mention the ghost again. The last thing I needed was to be locked up in a psych ward.
Just one more day. Survive this, and I’m free.
I steeled myself. No mistakes now.
The doctor studied me, then insisted on running tests.
Against my will, I was dragged for a brain scan, a full-body checkup—everything short of a gynecological exam.
Part of me wished this was all just a delusion.
But fate had other plans.
The results came back clean—just a few scrapes and bruises. Otherwise, perfectly healthy.
"Physically, you’re fine. Maybe a psych eval?"
"No thanks," I said quickly.
"Actually, who’s my attending physician?"
I gave my name.
"Ah, that’d be Dr. Chen Ping."
"Where is he?"
I needed to avoid him.
The doctor smirked.
"That’d be me."
"..."
I took a step back.
The hospital’s crowded. He wouldn’t dare try anything here.
"I feel fine. I want to go home."
"You really think you can leave?"
His smile darkened.
I swallowed hard.
"There are people everywhere. You wouldn’t risk it."
"Wouldn’t I?"
Snap.
He flicked his fingers—and the bustling hospital emptied in an instant.
Another illusion.
"I want your heart," Dr. Chen said bluntly.
"You might as well kill me."
Unlike the mindless female ghost, he seemed rational. Maybe I could reason with him.
"You don’t belong here. Without your heart, you’ll just go back."
"Then tell me—what’s really happening?"
I needed answers. Why had my world turned upside down overnight?
Dr. Chen wasn’t one for small talk.
"Give me your heart, and I’ll explain."
"If I die on your operating table, your explanation’s useless."
At home, I’d had places to hide.
Here? This was his domain.
Unless he let me go, there was no escape.
"Fine. I’ll tell you."
"I know what your note says. But if you follow it, you’ll be trapped here—reliving these three days forever."
"Why should I believe you?"
I’d survived two days by following the rules. I wasn’t about to trust a would-be killer.
He smirked, reading my thoughts.
"You only survived because you broke the rules."
"I didn’t."
I’d followed them meticulously, fixing mistakes when they happened.
"Think harder."