Chapter 18: Garber's POV

Garber’s POV

The heart monitor shot up for a minute, and I couldn’t be more grateful that Dr. Anthony was out already.

My arms ached as I peeled the cover cloth off me, only to realize that I was absolutely naked underneath the hospital gown I was wearing. How tacky.

Getting up to my feet felt like I was trying to stabilize a sinking boat in the middle of the ocean, which left me no choice but to hold onto the drip stand like my life depended on it. This, in turn, led to the skin at the back of my palm tearing.

With a groan, I yanked the needle out of my hand and threw it as far as I could, only for me to start bleeding profusely from the spot.

This was one of the times that I hated my life, given how my palms still stung from the mini stitches on them.

I quickly found a bandage to stop the bleeding. It was a messy job at first, and I had to redo it after pouring some antiseptic I found in the bathroom on it and then redoing the patchwork.

“Not bad,” I commended, having done my best before going to the closet and realizing that my mom had packed my clothes like I was going to a party instead of a hospital.

I grabbed black trousers and a black button-down long-sleeve shirt to cover all the injuries on my arm.

I was ready to leave, but I couldn’t use the front door. Thankfully, since I was on the ground floor, using the window didn’t pose too much of a risk.

All I needed to do was find my way out of this suffocating hospital before my mom or the nurses realized I was missing.

I arranged my bed to form a figure before covering the pile of clothes with a cover cloth. With a thud, I landed outside of my room.

I looked around and noticed that I wouldn’t be running into anyone. My only problem was how to find my way out of this maze of a place under the dark skies of the night.

I wandered around until I found a gate. Excited, I trudged forward, walking towards the clear pathway amidst the shrubs growing on the side. I could hear the hoots of owls on the dead tree branches in the distance, but I kept going forward, my eyes on the gate, which I assumed was going to be my destination, until I was just a couple of feet away from it and the gate swung open by itself like it was welcoming me.

And that was when I realized that instead of the gate serving as an exit from the hospital, it was serving more as an entrance to the hospital’s cemetery.

Out of nowhere, lightning struck without any thunder, and a harsh cold breeze that sent chills down my spine blew my baseball cap off.

It was during the brief flash that I noticed what lay ahead of me.

Burial spots and crosses to mark the resting place of the dead.

My heart slammed against my chest, and I didn’t need to be told that I had taken the wrong turn.

I bent, grabbed my face cap, and turned on my phone’s flashlight, which I had been hesitant to turn on because I didn’t want to get caught.

I ran in the opposite direction—anywhere that just wasn’t the cemetery, far from that eerie place—until the sudden horn of a car stopped me dead in my tracks, and I realized that I had somehow made it to the main road.

“Hey, man! Watch where you’re going!” the driver shouted, and I turned to look at the source of the almost blinding headlights to see that it was a taxi.

I couldn’t be bothered to wait for the Uber I had ordered while I was calm enough to prepare my escape from the hospital.

I ran to the side of his car and got in.

“Drive,” I was breathless as I hit the headboard to hasten him.

“Man, you look like you’ve seen a ghost, but where the fuck am I supposed to drive you to?” he asked angrily as other cars behind us started to honk their horns.

I fumbled with my phone, flashing the flashlight at his face in the process as I just scrolled through my messages.

I had no plans to go home, and as much as I’d love to sneak in through Luis’ window again, I didn’t dare to face him this night.

I always had invites to various parties every day, so I might as well just show up at any random one to get some booze into my system and calm my blood.

“Here,” I found a party link and showed him the address on the map.

The driver snorted as he put the address on the GPS and started driving.

“Your money is 100 dollars,” he said, and I just nodded.

At hindsight, that was the most ridiculous amount to pay for a cab, but I was willing to pay even a thousand dollars as long as he could get me away from that dead people’s home.

My heart was still racing as I closed my eyes and sank into the seat.

Brushing a hand through my hair, I let myself feel the aches in my body as the adrenaline faded. "Let me know when we get there," I murmured, my voice drowsy.