Chapter 15
Mika's body jolted upward with a loud gasp as he regained consciousness. "Sauli?!" He cried. "Where's Sauli?!"
"Whoa!" A nurse and a doctor put their hands on Mika's shoulders and held him down gently. "Calm down, Mika. He's alright and so are you?"
"Where am I?" Asked Mika, breathless from fear and anxiety. "How did I get here?"
"You're at UCLA Medical Center. You were unconscious when your boyfriend Sauli found you, so he brought you to the paramedics, who brought you here. Apparently someone broke into your house and assaulted you and the man who is living with you."
"Sauli's hurt too?!" Mika tried to get out of the bed, but he fell into a dizzy spell and laid back.
"Please," replied the doctor, "don't try to get up. You have a concussion and need to rest. The answer to your question is no. Your boyfriend is fine. His arrival scared away the trespasser."
"But," said Mika with a confused expression on his face, "no one else was in the house when that thing-, I mean, the trespasser, assaulted me. I was alone."
"Oh," said the doctor, surprised to hear that, "well, we have another patient here across the hall from you that the police found in the basement of your home. They questioned your boyfriend about him and he told them his name, which I believe is Adam, and confirmed that was indeed in the house with you when he left." Mika looked down, trying to remember what happened before he passed out, but only flashes of memories came back to him. A claw, a long lizard tail, yellow red glowing eyes, a roar in pain, a window crashing, and a song with lyrics he couldn't place. Was it all a delusion? Was it just an encounter with an intruder? All these questions and more came into his mind as he laid in his hospital bed.
"How lovely!" Said the nurse with a smile. "You have a visitor!" Mika looked to the doorway and saw Sauli standing there with a bouquet of roses. He smiled and gestured for Sauli to come closer. Sauli rested the flowers on the end of the bed and wrapped his arms around Mika, kissing him passionately as he did so. The nurse giggled and the doctor turned away with a bright red face.
"We'll leave you be," said the doctor, "press the red button if you need anything." The doctor and nurse fled the room and left Sauli and Mika in silence, the sound of their lips parting the only thing that could be heard.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Mika," said Sauli, rubbing his boyfriend's chest, "I was so worried. You sounded so...so terrified...I was scared something happened to you. Not to mention that the police hadn't found Adam yet when I brought you to the paramedics-"
"What was wrong with Adam?" Interrupted Mika. "I didn't see him at all. The doctor said he was in the basement, but why would he be there?" Sauli held Mika's left hand softly.
"Easy baby," he said, "The police found Adam unconscious against the basement wall. When he woke up, he gave the best description he could of the man who broke into our house. He said he was in the basement because he heard a strange noise down there, so he went to investigate. He told us he saw the intruder and tried to fight him off, but the trespasser knocked him against the wall, which made him pass out."
"What a story," said Mika with suspicion, "funny how he remembers everything and I only have flashes..." Sauli frowned and gently kissed Mika's head.
"You have a concussion, baby," he said, "The doctor said your memory would be fuzzy when you woke up, but I'm just happy you still remember me." Mika smiled and kissed Sauli's cheek, making him smile lightly. "I'm so glad your wounds weren't that bad. You have a minor concussion and slight bruising on your ankles and all Adam has is a cut on his arm and a torn earlobe." Mika's eyes widened in fright and revelation. His memory began to piece itself back together...
"You pitiful fool," said the beast, lifting Mika off the ground, leaving him hanging upside down, "I almost feel sorry for you." The creature used its index finger to spin Mika around like a windchime in the breeze. "Time to say goodnight," it growled, opening its mouth wide, ready to feast. In a flash, Mika grabbed the earring he saw hanging from the creature's ear and pulled on it hard, tearing the flesh on the creature's ear completely off. The beast shrieked in pain and whipped Mika across the room...
"SAULI CALL THE POLICE! Screamed Mika. "THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE HOUSE!" The creature gasped and began to breathe heavily.
"Oh no," he heard it say, "I can't let him see me like this." Mika opened the door slightly and saw the creature spread its wings and fly out the nearest window, leaving pieces of broken glass everywhere. On its way out, the creature cut its arm on the windowsill, leaving a sliver of blood behind...
"Sauli!" Cried Mika, grabbing Sauli's arms and pulling him close. "Sauli, you have to listen to me, okay?! I have to tell you something really important and it's probably going to sound totally insane, but you have to promise me you'll believe me, alright?!" Sauli looked frightened.
"Mika," he said, trying to break free, "you're hurting me. Calm down, baby. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not that insane."
"I can't relax!" Shouted Mika. "You don't understand! Adam is dangerous, Sauli! You can't trust him!" Sauli rolled his eyes.
"You're doing this now? While you're hurt? I already told you-"
"No!" Shouted Mika, "You're not listening to me, Sauli! Adam is the one who did this to me, Sauli!"
"No," said Sauli, "an intruder did this to you. Adam explained to the police-"
"Adam is a liar, Sauli! He did this to me! He turned into this monster thing and attacked me!" Sauli looked really concerned and scared now.
"Mika," he said, "I think you're delusional, baby...There's no such thing as monsters."
"Sauli, please!" Cried Mika. "You're in danger!" Sauli broke free of Mika's hold and moved away from him.
"I'm going to go now," said Sauli, worry and fear in his tone, "Please, rest. I'll visit you later when your head is in the right place, okay?"
"Sauli, wait!" Mika reached out for Sauli as he left the room. Sauli sighed when he shut the door behind him, looking back at Mika through the window in the door. Mika had his face in his hands, looking down and motioning as if he was crying.
"Everything okay in there?" Asked Angela, who was sitting in the waiting room. "I heard shouting." Sauli frowned and said with a sigh,
"Mika's delusional. He keeps saying Adam did this to him, that Adam is a freakish monster of some sort and that I am in danger." Angela raised her left eyebrow at Sauli, who looked confused. "What?"
"I don't know," said Angela, "I'm just intrigued as to why you didn't believe him."
"He has a concussion," replied Sauli, "The doctor told me he'd be a little off until he recovered, but I didn't expect him to be this off."
"It's a pretty specific delusion if you ask me." Sauli sighed once more and rubbed his temples.
"I think I need a coffee or something," he said, "Too much anxiety in one day for me." Angela rubbed Sauli's back gently and put a small smile on her face.
"Hey," she said, "why don't you go round up Tommy from Adam's room and get two soy lattes down at the hospital cafeteria?" Angela pulled out a 20 dollar bill and handed it to Sauli. "My treat. You deserve it." Sauli smiled and hugged Angela tight.
"Thank you, my friend," he said, "I could use a good latte." Sauli laughed lightly with Angela and started on his way to get Tommy. "Aren't you coming?" He asked, turning his head to face her.
"You go on ahead," she said, gesturing for him to leave, "I'll catch up with you guys later." Sauli shrugged and continued on to get Tommy. Angela opened the door to Mika's room and walked inside.
"Sauli?" Gasped Mika, looking up. Angela shook her head.
"Nope," she said, "just me. Sauli mentioned to me what you told him."
"Oh great," grumbled Mika, "now you think I'm crazy too?" Angela took a seat at Mika's bedside and shook her head.
"Actually, the complete opposite. I believe you." Mika looked at Angela in pleasant surprise, his eyes wide and welcoming.
"You do?" He asked. Angela nodded once more. "But why?" Angela took a deep breath, then began to speak.
"I've...seen things," she said quietly, almost as if she was too embarrassed to speak, "When we were working together, I saw his reflection in a puddle of water. It had horns and red hair and yellow eyes..."
"That's what the monster looked like!" Cried Mika.
"Shh!" Said Angela, putting her hand over Mika's mouth. "Be quiet! If anyone hears us talking about this they'll transfer us both to a mental institution!" Mika nodded and Angela moved her hand away. "Another time," she continued, "he got mad and I saw the walls melt and the door shatter, but seconds afterward it was all gone. I thought I was going crazy, but when I heard that there was a possibility you've seen it too, I knew it was real."
"What are we going to do about?" Asked Mika. "I can't let things go on like this. He's living in my house, leaving Sauli and I in the most danger!" Angela reached into her purse and pulled out a small leatherbound book.
"After the weird instances at work, I googled the visions I was having and after clicking a few links, I was lead to this book. The summary online said it's like some kind of old fashioned monster manual. I looked it up and found out they had a copy at the local library, so I've been reading as much as I can." Angela flipped to a page she had bookmarked with a pink tab. Inside was a picture of a creature with a long spiked tail, black angelic wings, long pointed horns, layers of razor sharp teeth, and sharp claws for fingernails.
"That's it!" Said Mika, slightly excited, pointing to the image. "That's the thing that attacked me!" Angela nodded.
"This book said it's a demon called a Siren. It lures in humans with its hypnotic singing, then kills them and eats them so they can rejuvenate their appearance, disguising their demonic features in a mortal shell." Mika gasped.
"That's why there have been piles of bones everywhere! This thing has been eating them!" Angela nodded once again, this time with a frown on her face.
"Those poor people..."
"How do we stop it?" Asked Mika.
"I haven't gotten that far," said Angela, flipping through the pages, "but I did read something about a weakness."
"That sounds promising," replied Mika.
"Just lemme find it," said Angela. She flipped through a few more pages, scanning each page for something useful. "Ah!" She said, pointing to a paragraph, "Here it is!" Mika leaned in closer, eager to listen.
"Though mostly indestructible," read Angela, "the Siren does have a few weaknesses known to mankind. It is said that if the Siren hears its song played in reverse, the creature will suffer great pain to its eardrums, giving its victim time to attack or escape."
"That'd be useful if we had a recording of the song," said Mika annoyed. "What are the others?"
"It says here," continued Angela, "that the Siren, like any other demon, may be repelled by holy items such as crosses, holy water, or anything blessed by a member of the church." Mika sighed with relief.
"Oh good," he said, "Sauli always wears the golden cross necklace his mother gave him. That should keep him safe for now. Anything else?" Angela read through the rest of the page, but sighed in defeat.
"No," she said sadly, "I guess that's all they have for now. I have your number, so I'll text you if I see anything else that could help. In the meantime, we need to get Sauli and Tommy to see the real Adam. Any ideas?" Mika shook his head and sighed sadly.
"Nothing," he said, "I don't even-" Suddenly, Mika's phone, which was resting on the nightstand next to him, vibrated. Mika picked it up, typed in his passcode, and read the text.
"Hey baby," read the text, "I'm going to visit you tonight at 6:00pm. I'm bringing pizza so we can have a little romantic hospital dinner. Lol. See you in a few hours, my love. Parane pian! Rakastan sinua, Mika. -Sauli." A lightbulb went off in Mika's mind and he smiled bright.
"I think I just got an idea."
"What is it?" Asked Angela, leaning in with intrigue. Mika chuckled.
"Just be here at 5:30 and I'll explain everything then. Bring a handheld audio recorder. We're going to finish this, once and for all."