The police had searched the house high and low for fingerprints and evidence, but there wasn't so much as a hair left behind. A little glass figure had been broken, and there was still the bunny-print blanket left bunched on the couch, but there was no sign of anyone ever having been there. Sera had been found in the bedroom, shaken but unharmed apart from the scrapes and the twisted ankle she had suffered before. She tried to insist that they were just here, but the police dismissed it as a burglary that had gone wrong, that whoever these punks were must have slipped off into the treeline. They would be on the lookout, and would put out a bulletin for information, but other than that there wasn't much they could do.

As soon as he could, Wen was at her side, trying to comfort his frightened friend. He asked no questions of her except to ask if she was hurt, and after the police left if she'd like him to stay with her. Of course, she nodded, though she wasn't able to bring herself to say much about what had happened. Her friend, thankfully, was understanding of this, and he helped her back inside. Her gaze caught on the blanket and the broken glass, but Wen was quick to turn her away.

"You should get some rest, alright? Go lie down, and I'll clean up in here."

Wen gave her a warm smile and a hug, and while it certainly helped to make her feel better her anxiety still nagged at the back of her mind. It seemed her friend could see this, and he offered to sit with her until she was able to fall asleep. And indeed his presence helped - though she hesitated to go inside her room, just having him with eased her nervousness. He took up the chair in front of a stack of boxes still waiting to be unpacked, and she curled under the covers.

Her gaze drifted to the ceiling, where she had seen that man had to bend to accommodate it with his height... The memory unsettled her, and she rolled over and pulled the sheets over her head. It didn't help, though. Her mind was still abuzz with those strange people - what they wanted, what that tall lunatic said, and how they could have just disappeared... it didn't make any sense. She turned over, pulling the sheets over her head. No, she shouldn't think about it anymore... it was over now, surely. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to go through her ritual whenever sleep was hard to come by.

Deep breath in...

She thought of the shots she'll need to take. Summer is coming, there would be some stunning visuals of fireflies for sure...

And breathe out...

There's the migration of various animals, and different plants that bloom around that time...

In...

And of course, things will surely get a little busy at the coffee shop for the summer season...

Out...

And then suddenly a thud shook Sera out of the sleep she had found. She hadn't remembered falling asleep, but she must have, right? But... this wasn't her room. She was on the floor of what looked to be an abandoned building, like a hospital... that thought gave her chills. She had never liked hospitals...

It was dim, but clear daylight filtered in through dirty windows and out of a set of double doors that were open just a crack. She stood, making immediately for those doors - best to get out of this building, perhaps find some bearings... But despite the doors seeming ajar, they don't budge an inch when she pulled on them. Must be rusted in place, she thought as she turned. There must be some other way out...

But before she began to make her way through the structure, she reached into her pants pockets - it seemed that her phone wasn't on her, and neither was her wallet or anything. Except... she had her camera on a strap around her neck. It wasn't her photography camera, either, but a little camcorder Wen had gotten her - Maybe make a movie about the wilds, huh? At least, that was what he said... With no better ideas, she turned it on. Might as well get something recorded of this while she was exploring, maybe it could be evidence if something happened.

She started down a hallway that was open to her - the doors almost seemed ripped off of the hinges... but surely that was just neglect and the elements that had broken it down. There was plenty of graffiti adorning the walls, which gives her more comfort that there must be an exit. How else would vandals have gotten in? All she needed to do was find an open window, or a doorway to the outside...

Though she couldn't help but be curious at the same time, poking her head into various rooms. Most of them seemed to be private patient rooms, with bits and pieces of the occupant's lives left behind. A few books here, broken picture frames there, and in a few there were dolls and toys. Perhaps this was some sort of children's hospital... but how did she end up here?

It was as she had stepped into one of the rooms she was curious about that suddenly a horrid feeling swept over her - she was in danger, and something was coming. Panicked, she did the first thing that came to mind and rushed to hide beneath the bed. She couldn't explain this sensation, just that she was terrified... And that there were now footsteps echoing down the hall.

The sound of footfalls was heavy, thudding with a slow purpose and stopping just every so often. The closer they became, the more her heart raced... until they reached the room she was in. She held her breath and closed her eyes tightly...

The footsteps were muffled by the carpet as they came into her room, and she nearly jumped at the sound of one of her toys being kicked aside. Trembling, she tried to keep as quiet as she could... And only when silence reigned did she chance a look.

The boots stood inches away from her, standing at her bedside. She might have screamed, but her terror choked the sound of fear back. Every detail was ingrained in her mind - the boots were caked with dried mud, and a dark liquid having dripped onto the dirty surface seemingly rather recently; the low breathing that she could swear was in her ear...

Ever so slightly, the edges of her sheets that obscured the underneath to her bed began to raise-

And Sera woke up in a cold sweat, early morning light pouring into her room. For a moment, she stayed as still as she could as her mind caught up with what had just happened. She had... fallen asleep, it was only a dream.

I thought I was done reliving that nightmare... The hospital was new, but she didn't want to dwell on anything from her dream. Best to just forget it...

She looked up to see out of her window, taking in the light of the sun.

Just forget about it all...

A/N: Boy, it's been way too long! I know I had said that I would try to update more often, but there was a lot of stuff that went down in my personal life that I'm still kinda coping with. But I promise, I have not forgotten about this fic! I also have a new one or two in the works, to rebuild my little shelf of fics after I finally cleared it of all the cringy/problematic stuff! Please be patient, I promise I'll have more soon! Merci beaucoup! - J