Chapter 2: Exorcism
“…I can’t believe it. When something so terrifying happened, when Everly had a high fever and needed you the most, you were damn well holding Rachel’s insurance money and drinking that damn alcohol of yours!”
“What else could I do! It’s all because of that kid—Rachel left me! Every time I see her, I think of my beloved Rachel. If it weren’t for the kid, she wouldn’t have gone out alone by car!”
“Shut up!”
Everly was awakened by the sound of a fierce argument.
Her body ached, her head was dizzy, and her throat felt dry, as if it were being roasted over a charcoal fire. Every breath brought a searing, burning pain.
Everly knew she had a fever. Terrified, weak from being a premature infant, and after that nightmarish evening, she had been trapped in a continuous high fever, at its worst even ending up in the ICU.
During that time, she had woken up a few times, but due to the high fever, her consciousness was never fully clear. She only vaguely remembered that stormy, rainy night, trembling in fear in the darkness for what felt like forever. It wasn’t until dawn began to break that the piercing sound of police sirens finally tore through the endless night, the incompetent police arriving far too late.
The scene was cordoned off, bodies were cleared from the hospital, and only a dozen or so survivors, including Everly, were taken by police to another hospital in a neighboring town for temporary care.
The chaos lasted for a long time. When Everly opened her eyes again, she was lying in an unfamiliar hospital room, her small hand hooked to an IV drip, and electrodes attached to her belly to monitor her vital signs.