Leon opened his eyes, and the surrounding whiteness stung his gaze so intensely that he instinctively squinted. A terrible pain shot through his head, and nausea followed.
His whole body ached as if he had been run over by a steamroller.
He overheard his parents talking to a doctor. From what he could gather, his life wasn't in danger. He had a concussion and would have to spend one night under observation.
"Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" his mother asked when she noticed he had woken up. She approached the bed and took his hand. "Are you in pain?"
"Mom, it would be weird if I wasn't in pain, considering I fell down the stairs," he mumbled, trying to smile. "I'm all bruised, and my head feels like it's going to explode." He looked at the doctor. "What about my friend? She fell too."
The doctor gave him a reassuring smile.
"You acted like a true gentleman. It looks like you protected her—you're the one who got hurt more."
Leon's father looked at him with pride, but his mother didn't look too pleased.
"Are you going to try and save every girl?" she asked, worried. "Because if that's the case, I'm going to worry about you every single day."
"You should be proud of how well you raised your son," the father stated. "Sure, I don't like that he ended up in the hospital, but I'm glad he has enough empathy to act without hesitation."
Despite the pain, Leon smiled faintly. His father's words truly lifted his spirits.
"I became friends with Nadia on the very first day. I couldn't let anything happen to her."
His father shrugged, but his mother gave him a concerned look.
"I hope you'll still focus on your studies. Remember, you want to get into your dream university."
"I'll get there even without cramming. You gave birth to a smart son, Mom," he said with a soft smile.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to the VIP hospital room. A nervous-looking teenage girl peeked inside. When she saw Leon's parents, she greeted them shyly and looked to them for permission to come in.
"Hello. I'm Nadia. I just wanted to check how Leon is doing. I feel so bad... I'm really sorry he got hurt because of me."
"You don't need to apologize, Nadia," Leon's father said. "You didn't do anything wrong. Just thank our son for having such a good heart."
He gave her a mysterious smile and subtly nodded to his wife, signaling they should give the teens some privacy.
After his parents left, Nadia sat beside the bed and looked at Leon with concern.
"Why did you do it?" she asked quietly. "You can't risk yourself like that."
The boy responded with a gentle gaze.
"It's just a concussion and some bruises. I'll be fine. What matters is that you weren't hurt. Girls are more delicate," he said seriously.
Nadia's cheeks turned pink as she remembered what he had said to Karolina.
"Thank you for saving me," she said solemnly. "Really. Thank you so much."
"Karolina will face the consequences. My parents won't let it slide," Leon replied. "My dad has a lot of influence in this school, since he helps fund it. That spoiled girl will regret what she did."
"My parents were really worried too. They're very grateful to you, but I didn't let them come to avoid making a scene," Nadia explained, hiding the real reason. She didn't want her mother to see that Leon had saved her. Better if she didn't know they were friends. "You should rest."
"If I feel better tomorrow, they'll discharge me from the hospital. I'll return to the dorm."
"Don't you think that's a bit too soon?" she asked worriedly.
"I hate hospitals," he admitted honestly. "I'd leave today if I could."
***
The next day around 4 p.m., Nadia, Natan, and Alicja were waiting by the entrance for Leon's return.
"Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should've stayed in the hospital a bit longer," Alicja said, clearly unhappy with the doctors' decision.
"Oh, come on. They ran all the tests. He feels better, so I don't blame him for wanting to get out. Nobody likes hospitals," Natan replied.
"Yeah, but now that he's in a weaker condition, the hospital is actually safer for him. I'm scared what might happen if he comes back here," Alicja said anxiously. "I'm talking about the General..."
Nadia placed a finger to her lips and bit it nervously.
"You think he'll just get possessed by the demon because he's weak? Is that even possible?"
Alicja looked her deeply in the eyes before saying something that made both Nadia and Natan shiver.
"He won't just get possessed... Leon will still be himself, but the General's influence will grow stronger."
"How do you know that?"
"From personal experience. You just have to trust me."
At that moment, Leon appeared at the entrance. He was smiling broadly, but when he saw their expressions, his face quickly dropped.
"What's wrong? Aren't you happy I'm back?"
"It's not that... We just think maybe you should've stayed in the hospital a bit longer," Nadia said, nervously scratching her eyebrow.
"Why? I'm a bit bruised, but I feel much better already," he replied, then focused his gaze on Alicja. "What did you tell them? I can see they're scared."
"That you're now an easy target for the General."
Leon furrowed his brow, glancing around nervously, as if just realizing he might be watched. Alicja's words sparked paranoia and unease in him.
"I'll be fine, seriously. I won't let that cursed demon mess with me so easily," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "Really. I'm a tough guy."
Natan rolled his eyes theatrically.
"Don't get cocky, or you'll fall flat on your face."
"Oh, come on. I've got you guys. I know you'll protect me to the very end. We haven't known each other long, but in this short time, I've realized how much I trust you."
"You're in for a rude awakening. Even though I like you, I'm not fighting a demon for you," Natan replied, making Nadia laugh.
"Wow, friend of the year. You're all talk," she said ironically, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You jumped into a pond to save him, and you didn't even know him. Stop pretending to be a cold-hearted jerk."
"I told you—I didn't want to be suspected of murder. That's the last thing I need."
Alicja looked at Natan with a disgusted expression.
"I told you we should kick him out of our group. He's not even useful. What do we need someone like him for?"
The sixteen-year-old shot her a hateful look.
"You, spawn of Satan, cursed witch, should stay away from us," he snapped. "You brought all these misfortunes upon us, since you can see them."
The brunette forced a sour smile.
"Careful, or I'll curse you. Every night you'll have nightmares of shadow beings clinging to you like burrs on a dog. I'll make sure you go insane and end up as a vegetable in a psychiatric hospital, surrounded by my invisible friends. They'll torment you until you die."
Natan clenched his teeth in anger, not taking his eyes off her.
"Just try it, weirdo," he warned.
"Can you stop flirting?" Nadia asked unexpectedly, raising an eyebrow. "We don't want to be witnesses to this."
Both of them looked at her, offended.
"Never in a million years!" they shouted in unison, then exchanged glances.
Nadia looked at Leon, who just shrugged. He felt the same way she did—after all, those who bicker, often care for each other.
An interesting pair: a medium girl and a guy who's afraid of ghosts.
***
The uncomfortable bed only now made Leon realize how bruised he really was. It was the middle of the night when he opened his eyes and realized he couldn't sleep.
He slowly got up and looked at his roommates, who were sleeping like the dead.
Quietly, he left the room and walked over to the railing on the upper floor, leaning against it with both hands. From his perspective, the corridors at night felt even quieter and more mysterious than during the day.
His thoughts drifted automatically to everything that had happened in this place over the past hundred years.
In his mind, imagined scenes began to play out: soldiers leading new victims through the main entrance, treating them like trash. Terrified people crying, not knowing what awaited them.
Then came images from twenty years ago. Leon imagined teenagers losing their lives here in the name of the General's twisted revenge.
These walls had seen it all.
The sixteen-year-old jumped when he sensed a presence. He looked to the side uncertainly and saw a middle-aged man standing nearby, staring at him intensely.
Was he a teacher? Or a staff member Leon hadn't met yet? But it was strange—the man was wearing a white lab coat.
Had the school hired a doctor in addition to the nurse?
"Sorry, I know I shouldn't be here at this hour," Leon began explaining. "After the accident, everything hurts, and I can't sleep."
The man with glasses didn't respond. He just kept watching him, slowly moving closer.
"Please don't report this," Leon added uneasily.
"It hurts me more..." the man finally said in a hoarse, lifeless voice. "It hurts so much I can't leave this place."
Leon frowned, not understanding what the stranger meant.
The old wooden clock in the hallway struck midnight. Twelve hollow chimes shattered the silence.
The boy began backing away, sensing something sinister in the man's gaze.
"What hurts you? You're a doctor, you should help yourself," he said awkwardly, inching toward the stairs.
"You killed me. That's what hurts," the man replied in a terrifying, inhuman tone.
Leon panicked and ran downstairs. When he turned around and looked up, he saw the doctor standing at the top of the stairs. His white coat was soaked in blood.
"Now I should kill you..."
It was the first time Leon felt the moisture rising in his eyes – he wanted to cry.The doctor running down the stairs radiated pure murderous intent. His eyes were insane.His heart was pounding like a hammer as he ran through the long corridor, feeling that something was moving just behind him.
He stopped suddenly.In front of him, by the open door, stood the young General. He looked at him with a stern expression.
"Come inside, grandson," he said calmly. "Don't let that revenge-thirsty bastard catch you. I'll protect you. With me, you'll be untouchable."
A feeling of panic overwhelmed the boy's body. He was standing right in front of the open door to the room where the General offered him protection, while behind his back was the revenge-thirsty doctor.
He nervously looked back and stared at the bloodied man, who didn't move – he was just waiting. For his choice.
Somewhere in the distance, a desperate scream from Alicja echoed.
"No, Leon! You can't! Both choices are a trap for you!" she shouted, and the boy began to tremble with fear. "If you enter the General's room, you'll fall under his control! If you refuse, the psychologist will attack you and you'll never wake up! You'll fall into a coma!"
"Then what should I do, Alicja!?" he shouted in panic. "Tell me what to do in this situation! I want to survive!"
"I don't know, Leon…" she whispered with a trembling voice. "You've fallen into their trap… I don't know how I can help you now."
The sixteen-year-old closed his eyes. His only thought was that he couldn't allow his parents to suffer. His mother had already gone through enough when he fell down the stairs. If he fell into a coma… she wouldn't bear it.
At that moment, he was thinking only of his family.
He opened his eyes and walked decisively toward the demon, who was looking at him with a triumphant smile.
"Once again, you made the right decision," he said quietly. "Only this time, you definitely won't betray me…"
Leon crossed the threshold of the door, but turned around for a moment. Alicja was running toward him – her face expressed pure terror.
"No!" she screamed, reaching her hand out to him.Darkness overwhelmed his body as the General closed the door behind them.
That was the end.He chose what he had to.