The Nightmare In The Hospital

Saya's comment: Hail to thee, my blog readers! Here's a long waited-for new story! For those of you who have kindly written me emails I thank you wholeheartedly and I also apologize for not having been able to reply.

As always this story is not about myself. I'm only translating a story which was originally written in Japanese.
Please excuse my lousy English. As you know English is my second language, I'm not a professional writer, I don't have much time, and the original text itself is not well-written (which doesn't help). So if you have any complaints regarding my language skill I suggest you keep it to yourself , to the grave. Haha.
Well, anyway I hope you still enjoy reading it! 

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Not sure if this is going to be scary.
About two years ago, along with three friends (A, B and C. All girls) I went to an abandoned hospital famous for hauntings.

It was clear from the moment we stepped in the building that there was something very wrong with the place, since the cold air permeated inside despite it being a hot summer day. I felt goosebumps prickle my skin.

For a while we kept walking around, going up from floor to floor, until we reached the in-patient ward.
There was a nursing station on the same floor and as soon as my friend A saw it she remarked, "I just saw someone there."
That was the beginning of it all.
We began to feel scared but we had come to test our courage and none of us felt like turning back to go home yet. We decided to divide up in twos and continued with the exploration.

I paired up with A and we chose to explore around the nursing station.
And we were just messing around with the stuff there when A, looking pale and shaking, tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I saw a shadow following B just as she went in one of the rooms at the end of the corridor." And immediately after that she asked me, "did you hurt your shoulder?"

Puzzled, I looked at my right shoulder and some muddy water was smeared all over my white T-shirt.
Because it was one of my favourite T-shirts I got annoyed and answered A in a sharp tone:
 "Hey, you did this when you tapped me on the shoulder just now!"
A looked surprised and said, "what? I never tapped you on your shoulder!"

I got scared and shouted angrily at A saying, "stop pulling my leg at a time like this!"
But A answered straight-faced, "when are you talking about? I swear I never touched you."
Beginning to feel scared for real, I suggested that we call B and C, quit the game and go home.

A too seemed scared and said that even going anywhere near the room into which B and C had disappeared was out of question; and so we figured we could just call out their names from where we stood.
But no matter how many times we called we didn't get their answers back.
I was also reluctant to go near the place after what I heard from A about "the shadow" following after B. Also my right shoulder felt strangely heavy and painful.

Then A asked me, "shall we try her mobile?" And she tried calling B. A moment later we heard a ringing tone coming not from the corridor where B was supposed to be, but from the corridor opposite of it.
It caught us totally off guard and that alone was bizarre enough but to our horror the person who answered the call was a stranger, and unmistakably a man. I heard A start pleading into the phone, asking again and again to let her talk to B.

In the end A gave up with pleading and hung up. She said to me, "may be we should just go home by ourselves..." It was then that A told me about the strange man who had answered her call.

We were almost hysterical as we rushed down the stairs.
Once we were safely out of the hospital and back inside the car again, we began to feel more relaxed, and I said to A "do you think we should call C?" And this time I tried C's mobile.

Immediately I heard C's voice at the other end of the line:
"Hey where's B? She just disappeared. Are you two together? Don't tell me I'm the only one left behind! No way!"
She sounded unexpectedly cheerful and we breathed a sigh of relief. We told her to get out of the building and come over to us as soon as she could, and then we tried calling B again but there was still no answer.

We pulled our car up in front of the hospital gate and waited for C.
Sometime later C appeared, walking unsteadily on her feet.
"I looked everywhere but there's no sign of B! I tried her mobile but she wouldn't pick up. I think something is up. What shall we do?" C spoke excitedly as she came closer to the car.

We got her into the car and she told us what had happened to them in the hospital. According to C, just as the pair entered one of the rooms at the end of the corridor, B somehow started poking at C's back repeatedly, forcing her to look back over her shoulder. But when C turned around B had already disappeared. C guessed that B had lost her nerve and gone back to where A and I were.

And after receiving our call, C started looking for B on her own. She then heard a man's voice from the lavatory and being a brave girl she opened and checked every cubicle in there but could find no one.
She kept yelling B's name but got no answer and so she decided to come out, not knowing what else to do.

We were discussing about what steps we might take next, when we saw B come dashing towards the car, wailing.
It was such a relief and we opened the door to let her in but she wouldn't get in and only stood there, crying and raving.
"Just what were you thinking? All of you, ignoring me like that! Do you know how many times I called you? And you were planning to go home without me!" Having shouted thus she suddenly fell down on the spot.
We were in a total panic as we called the ambulance.

B was carried to the hospital where she died of a stroke. They said it was too late, but that seemed strange considering that she was only 26 and that she was treated immediately after she fell.
The paramedics also asked me "what happened to your shoulder?" That made me examine my right shoulder again. Then I realized that what I thought was dirty water was actually some sort of darkened blood.
And I also noticed that C' back was covered with numerous similarly bloody hand prints.

About a year after the incident C died of leukaemia, and still a half year passed before A too died in a car accident; and now I am the only one who is still alive.

I just had a stroke this May which had left me paralyzed on my right side, and I am still in the hospital for rehabilitation.
But my mind is at rest. Before I was admitted into the hospital I was nearly driven mad with fear but I feel strangely at peace now that I am actually inside the hospital.

I wonder if hospitals are protected by some unseen force. It's very strange.

I no longer have to be plagued by those nightmares I used to have when I was at home.
I am no longer tormented by the shadow I used to see when I looked in the mirror.
Now even the idea of staying in the hospital forever seems like an appealing one to me.

I feel sorry for the other three, but I think I will survive.

Comments

MB said…
Good to see you again, Saya! I missed your posts!
Oh that's nice! A comment!

Thank you dear.
Tia said…
My dearest Saya-chan, beautiful comeback!Now that school has started and the final year is up, seeing you again is one of the best omens i could get! i was so worried of your absense that i thought that..(HOW DUMM OF ME) Sadako was to blame but i couldnt come up with a better explanation than you being super busy with university and chores and your personal life. Please stick to us faithful and weird followers of yours! Welcome back!
Thank you Tia! Very sweet of you leave a comment on this humble blog of mine.

Yeah I'm alive, thank God!

I'm busy but my personl life isn't as colourful as you might imagine! Haha.

Good luck with your school work, and wish me luck as well if you can!;)
Tia said…
Good luck Saya-chan! you have my best and most positive of wishes!
Red said…
Welcome Back Saya, we've missed you
Thank you sweet Tia, I need it!lol

Thank you Red, that's very nice of you to welcome me back!
Simon said…
YOUREBACKYOUREBACKYOUREBACKYOUREBACKYOUREBACKYOUREBACKYOUREABACKAYORUEAFBAIFBHSDFKSDBVGDKFBGVSDFG

yaaaaay
Steve said…
Glad you're back!
Wow, have you been drinking, Simon dear? You sound a bit unintelligible to me!

I doubt I'll be able to stay here for long, but I thank you nevertheless!

(I reposted this comment because I wrote "intelligible" at first when I actually meant"unintelligible." Looks like I'm the one who needs sobering up!)
Steve dear, I'm glad I am able to bring a little happiness into your life.
Anna said…
Yay! Saya is back! :D We have missed you and your stories <3
Simon said…
No, I'm just happy to see you back. Why have you been busy so lately? Have you forgotten us D:? I hope not. Do you know when a new story will be up? I have all the time in the world (Not really, but you know what I mean). Sorry if I'm pestering you with too much questions, I just <3 you and your stories :x
Anonymous said…
Wait, is there a twist to the story? Is something in the hospital protecting the main character? Did the others die because they weren't protected by a hospital? Will the main character die when she gets out of the hospital?
Root said…
I think I found your blog through threestepsoverjapan and I'm loving these spooky stories.

Here's my true spooky tale...

The house I live in right now is a place I bought from my folks and it's in a nice quiet neighborhood. The only problem is that at night it's a little too quiet and it can be a bit creepy. Oh, and also my folks used to run an antique business out of the house so even though they're gone I still get phone calls from people for them and even more annoying automated faxes that sometimes come in the middle of the night.

So... This happened around the time that the US version of The Ring came out. I rented the dvd and watched it right before I went to bed. Not a smart idea. Because as I'm laying in bed thinking about that cursed phone call that comes right after you watch that video...

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! My heart just about exploded in my chest! So I stumble out of bed, in the dark and answer the phone...

SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAH AGAIN!!! It was one of those @#$%!ing AUTOMATED FAX MACHINES!

Anyways. Glad you're still posting! Keep the cool stuff coming!
Sachi Goripanda said…
WELCOME BACK, SAYA! I really missed you and these amazing stories. I hope you're here long enough for Halloween. ^^
William said…
It's is a pleasure to hear your words again, Ms. Saya. This was a particularly good read and I thank you for the time you took to bring it to us. Be safe.
Anonymous said…
I love you.
Anonymous said…
Yay Saya's back! :D
Moa said…
Welcome back! Great story, as always :) Keep up the good work, and happy halloween! (It's not halloween yet, but I really get in the mood with your stories!)
Unknown said…
Aha! I'm glad I decided to keep checking this page, instead of abandoning it.
Welcome back!
And just in time to get me excited for Halloween too, marvelous.
Writing to you in chronological order:

@Anna - Thank you dear. How sweet of you!

@Simon - Yeah why have I been so busy lately? That's the question I've been asking myself. Why am I always runing out of time without feeling like I've accomplished anything? Is it because I don't plan out my life properly, like Napoleon Hill tells you to?

Fortunately I went out and got myself a new organizer yesterday. That hopefully will sort out my problems. XD

@Anonymous - I dunno dear. It is a very puzzling end, isn't it?

@Root - I'm a real chicken, so I can relate to your story!XD

But surely you didn't watch The Ring movie on your own? If you did then you must be a braver person than me!

threestepsoverjapan? Hmmm I've never heard of that!

@woomobile - you sound so sincere, my friend.

@Sachi Goripanda - hello again dear. I hope to post more stories too!

@William - oh, good old William. Thank you sir.

@Anonymous - I love you too, sweetheart. Shall we get married, cause I'm still single.

@Anonymous - Yes, I' back! Such a surprise, innit?

@Moa - Happy Haloween to you too dear! Have fun!

@Garret - Oh never abandon me dear. I'm really a lonely person. lol. Happy Halloween!
Tani said…
Saya san!! Welcome back! I'm so glad to see you again!! I missed your stories and I was so worried that one of the ghosts you write about had got you. ;__;
Don't cry, Tani sweetie.Sorry to have made you worry!XD

I just don't feel right when I'm doing things that are not related to my study. I can be really Puritan-like. What a boring person I am!lol
Debbie said…
Saaaaaayaaaaa! You are back, how cool is that? Now I'm gonna run around with a huge smile all day long... :->
Anonymous said…
i missed those stories.
and add them steadily ô___ó
Debbieeeeeeee!Yes!I'm back!
Oh I'm glad I can make at least one person smile by my cheerful little story!XD
@Anonymous - Oh!We seemed to have posted at the same time! What a coincidence!
Aoi said…
Saya, I'm overjoyed to see that you're alive. or at least your spirit is still here with us.
@Aoi - I know. Resting in peace doesn't seem to be my thing. lol
Anonymous said…
....Saya. Are you really a ghost after Sadako killed you? ;o
I deleted my last comment by mistake but never mind!

@Anonymous - don't be afraid! I won't be appearing to you to scare you!:p
Picklegod said…
Great story! The ending is oddly peaceful. My interpretation is that her friends' spirits are protecting. The shadow (whatever it is) tried to kill her with the stroke, but her friends were able to intervene and lessen the damage.
Picklegod said…
Sorry, my previous post should say "protecting *her*". You would think a college student would know proper grammar. :P
@Picklegod - that's a nice and kindly interpretation, dear.

Oh don't worry about grammer! I think no one would have noticed your mistake if you hadn't pointed it out! I mean you must have noticed how odd my English can be! I should be the one who is embarrassed! lol

Anyway good luck with your college work dear. Don't come here too often it might lower your spirits! lol
Picklegod said…
Why thank you, Saya.
You have nothing to be embarassed about either. Your English is great- better than a lot of people on the Internet actually! ;)
You know Picklegod, when I get sweet comments like yours, I begin to think that the world is not such a bad place after all!lol

Thank you dear!;)
Anonymous said…
Anonymous stands here in the lone wind, not loved by Saya.
@Lonely Anonymous - my friend! I love all mankind! And that must include you, unless you are an alien!!
zetagear said…
welcome back saya we missed you
Thank you zetagear!
How very kind of you!
Anonymous said…
Saya,

I'm a native English speaker, something of a grammar Nazi, and I just thought you should know that I think your English is wonderful. You shouldn't apologize for it; I know many native English speakers who can't write as well as you can. =)
Anonymous said…
This one really creeped me out but it was quite awesome :D