Dear Beth,
It's me, Emily. Listen, this message is URGENT.
Do you still have the package I gave you at the funeral? The one with Dad's manuscripts?
I was wrong about what I told you. He wasn't planning to write a book at all. If you haven't read them already, don't. Throw them out, burn them, I don't care, just get rid of them. If you have read them, then get rid of them anyway. Forget about them. They're just the ramblings of a crazy man in the last days of his life.
But I looked.
It's just a cough, don't worry. I'm okay. I haven't been sleeping well, but Doc says that it's normal. And as for what I see, it's probably just lingering dreams.
But either way, just... ignore the journals. Please.
Don't go into the forest, it's dangerous. Besides, there's nothing there.
There's nothing out there, so stay away.
Emily Bowes
Beth stood and followed the doctor down the hall, clutching her handbag nervously.
"She's in here, Mrs. Francis. Are you sure...?" The doctor trailed off, hand on the doorknob of a plain door marked with 106.
Beth nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak. The doctor sighed and opened the door, following Beth inside. There was a soft, horrified gasp as Beth finally saw what her sister, strong little Emily, had become.
During her stay in the mental hospital, Emily had become unhealthily pale, skin seeming to take on a greyish tint. She was skinny and fragile, and looked like she was composed of powder and paper. One breath, a word spoken too loudly, would blow her into bits and she would float away. But the most jarring aspect of her appearance were the bloody bandages wrapped around her now-empty eye sockets. The doctor had already told Beth what happened.
Emily had been docile for most of her stay, but two weeks ago she had flown into a panic, shrieking and writhing and tearing at her hair. She had required sedation and restraints to calm down, but when she woke up she immediately became terrified again. In an attempt to make her sleep more comfortable, one of the nurses had loosened her restraints. In a burst of strength upon waking, Emily had wriggled out of her bonds and gouged out her eyes with her thumbs.
Beth shivered as she gazed at the withered, unfamiliar creature that lay on the bed. She turned abruptly to face the doctor. "Is there anymore paperwork to do?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes, a little. Come with me." He left the room.
Beth followed and was about to cross the threshold when there was a hoarse whisper from behind her.
"He's here. Close your eyes, it's your only chance."
Beth felt an inexplicable sense of dread at the words, but she turned anyway.
Just for a moment, she thought she saw a thin figure, cloaked in black, standing outside the window and looking in. It almost seemed like it was looking at her, through her, although it lacked any distinct features. But that was impossible. Emily's room was on the third floor.
