Cursed with an Alpha Soul | Werewolf Romance

Chapter V - Empty Promises.

The faint, monotone beeps from the heart monitor echoed throughout the room. Different machines with colored cords and flashing screens tracked Ella's vitals as she laid motionless on the hospital bed. She wore a green and blue flower hospital gown over her basic undergarments. White gauze bandages wrapped around different parts of her body, the biggest one wrapped around her head covering a large gash she had taken to the side of her head. Dark red, dried blood stained her skin where she had been cut. Ella had been unconscious from the time she blacked out in the forest, and she hasn't woken up since. No sound, no movement. Some of the hospital staff debated if she had suffered such a bad head injury that she wouldn't wake up again.

The minute Ella was rushed into the hospital, she was quickly taken for emergency stitches and scans. The man who had rushed into the emergency room holding Ella in his arms disappeared shortly after she was taken, leaving the doctors with no understanding of what happened. He left no contact info for anyone to ask him. The scans baffled the doctors. She had no internal bleeding, no brain swelling, no broken bones, no concussion, and no torn muscles – only cuts and bruises. From the amount of blood that had soaked her clothes and stained her skin, doctors thought she had gotten lucky. But the question still stood, why wouldn't she wake up? The hospital didn’t know who she was, which left them with no one to contact. It was an old high school student who worked at the hospital that recognized Ella and called Ben, who had been awake all night playing video games.

After hours of chaos and numerous tests, Ella was moved to the third-floor recovery unit of Memoria Hospital. It was silent, only the faint beeping from different monitors and quiet chatter between night shift nurses could be heard. Nurses spent hours looking over her scans and reading her initial report, shocked by how she seemed so untouched. The soft chime of the elevator dinged as the large, black metal doors parted. Out rushed Ben, squeezing himself through before they were fully open. He wore grey sweatpants and a bright orange sweatshirt he had put on backwards along with his black backpack that clung onto him. His eyes frantically looked around as he spun in circles, trying to find which room she was in. The nurses at the desk watched, confused about where this kid was going.

"Excuse me can I-" the tall, red head Nurse spoke, standing from her chair. "Parker! Ella Rose Parker where is she?" he asked, his body slamming against the counter as he ran to them. "I’m sorry we don’t have anyone under that name on this floor sir." the nurse asked, looking over her chart of patients. Without any information on Ella, they had her listed under Jane Doe, a name hospital staff gave to unknown patients. "Yes uh, no- the girl brought in two hours ago?" Ben couldn't stand still, his leg bounced constantly, and hands shook slightly. "Visiting hours are between nine and four. The time right now is four seventeen in the morning. You'll have to come back in the morning." She said, starting to reach for the phone to call security. The large wooden door to Ella's room creaked open as one of the nurse technicians stepped out. Ben's head turned, getting only a glimpse of Ella's face over the man's shoulder before the door closed. He began walking towards the door but was pushed back by the gentleman. His name was Harry, he graduated from the local high school two years ago but was one of Ben's neighbors. "Nancy it's okay, I know him. I called him about room 304". Harry was a large man, an ex-football player that was at least four inches taller than Ben. He had recognized Ella when she came in, from the numerous times she would come over to visit Ben and they had shared a few basic conversations. "Fine,” the nurse said, “but afterwards you come tell me her name and info so we can update her file, Harry.”

"Ben. Hey, calm down." Harry said quietly, Ben's eyes darted back and forth between his neighbor and the door to Ella's room. "What's wrong? I- Is she going to be okay?" Ben asked, his voice cracking from the stress of Ella's unknown condition. "They don't know" Harry said truthfully, glancing at his supervisor who gave him a warning look. Harry couldn’t release any detailed info about her, it was hospital policy. Ben froze, his eyes staring into Harry's. He looked like he was going through shock at that moment. "Partially, because they don't know what happened to her. When she was brought in, she was unconscious, no one knows how she got like this. She lost a lot of blood, but something else is going on with her." He sighed walking past Ben and down the hallway.

Ben glanced back and forth between his neighbor and Ella's doors a few times before deciding to follow Harry. "Wh- wait what do you mean?" Ben questioned, looking like a small child as he followed behind his towering neighbor. "Look, I'm not supposed to tell you anything,” Harry stared down the hall ensuring they were far enough from the nurse station so they wouldn’t be heard, “so listen because I'm only going to say this once. Afterwards you're going to go sit in front of her door on that bench and not ask any more questions. If I catch you anywhere else, I'll throw you out myself, got it?" Ben quickly nodded, agreeing to the conditions. "Yeah okay, but what if..." Harry glared at Ben who stopped himself and nodded quickly. "As far as we can tell, she's fine. Yeah, I mean, yeah, she's got a few scrapes, but doctors don't know why she hasn't woken up. Her scans are picture perfect, and bloodwork is normal. I'm sorry, but that’s all I know." With that Harry turned and began to walk down the hall, disappearing into another patient's room.

Benjamin stood in the middle of that cold, silent hospital hall not knowing what to think. Would she ever wake up again? If she does wake up, is she going to be different? Will she remember him? What happened? If he went to the party, could he have stopped this from happening? Could he have protected her? Slowly, Ben stumbled back to that leather bench that sat outside room 302, across the hall from Ella’s room. Every time a nurse would enter, he would see her for a few seconds until the door closed behind them. Resting his black backpack next to him, Ben sat there silently. Thousands of thoughts rushing through his head, all what if's and how's. 'Please wake up Ella, please be okay'. While Ben's world stood still, frozen with unanswered questions and uncertainty, Ella drifted into another. One that no one could understand and one she would never be able to explain. It wasn't death or any type of afterlife, but something else, it was somewhere in between. Her body lay motionless in that hospital bed, but her mind was somewhere else.

Ella groaned, feeling her body ache in different spots and her head throbbing. Slowly, she rolled to her stomach, pushing herself up to her hands and knees. Her hands rested against the cold, dusty cement floor. The last thing she could remember was rolling down a hillside in the forest, striking her head, then everything went black. Ella let out a cough, trying to clear the itch in her throat. The dry dust floated up around her from her breath. Dark, almost black, blood dripped from her mouth landing on the cement between her hands. Her eyes moved upwards as she wiped her mouth, looking around, trying to figure out where she was. The room was empty, the only light coming from the moon shining through the boarded-up windows. The trees outside shook from the violent wind. The woods didn't look familiar, the trees were different from the spruce and pine she was used to seeing. Ella was in a house, deep in an unfamiliar forest. Standing on her feet, Ella made her way to the window trying to find anything familiar. Her hand pressed against the glass; it was freezing cold. The temperature took Ella by shock, pulling her hand back swiftly. Brown, thick dust covered her palm, leaving her handprint on the window.

The sound of quiet laughter caught Ella's attention, she turned to see a door across from her that she hadn't noticed before. Dim candlelight flickered in from under the door. She could hear children laughing watching as their shadows danced in the candlelight when one would run past. Ella grasped the doorknob, slowly twisting and pulling it open. The doorway led into a tight hallway with wooden walls. Candles sat upon small posts nailed into the wall to light the way. Slowly, she walked down the hall listening for anything or the laughter she had just heard. "Watch out!" A young voice called as Ella was shoved aside. Two young children ran past her, one chasing after another. Both boys wore denim overalls and button up shirt underneath with no shoes. "Hey! Hey!" Ella shouted, following them down the hall and around the corner. The hall led into a large open area. The home and furniture were old, not like it was falling apart, but as if it was from the 1800s. All the lights were candles, there were no light bulbs or any form of electricity. All the furniture was made from wood and animal hide. There were no televisions or electronics. The room was silent besides a dying fire that crackled and popped in the brick fireplace along the wall. Besides it stood one of the boys who had ran past her, his long blonde hair was tied into a bun and hands pushed into his overall pockets. His back was towards Ella as he stared out one of the large front windows.

"Uh hello?" Ella called out walking towards him slowly. The young boy looked over his shoulder, smiling at Ella, as if he had recognized her. He quickly ran to her, grasping his hand in hers and pulling her towards the window. Ella was shocked at the strength this young boy had, seemingly pulling Ella effortlessly. "Look! Look!" He said, pointing out of the window. Confused, Ella gazed out the foggy window. Snow had begun to fall from the sky, sparkling as the moonlight hit it, then sticking to the wild forest grass below. The sight brought Ella a feeling of peace, it was a break from the confusion and fear she had felt since she awoke. The longer she stood there the more the home strangely began to feel like her own, providing her with comfort and a feeling of safety. She looked down at the young boy beside her. Deep dimples sunk in his cheeks as he smiled big at her. His small hand wrapped around Ella’s holding on tight. She watched as his bright blue eyes faded to black then to a bright yellow. Ella watched in shock and confusion, it reminded her of how her own had changed in the party bathroom.

"Your eyes are like mine." Ella whispered. The young boy giggled "No! Mine are yellow, yours are red. Duh." He shook his head, laughing. She could see the reflection of her own red eyes in his small black pupils. Ella couldn't help but laugh at the smart comment. "You're definitely right Thomas". Ella froze as the words left her lips, she was stunned, never had he told her his name, but somehow, she knew it. She knew it from just looking at him. The smiling boy turned back to the window as Ella stood in confusion. Thomas’ smile faded to confusion and his eyes flashed back to the stunning blue they once were. "Who's that?" He asked. Ella glanced out the window. It was silent, there was no one that she could see. Her red eyes slowly scanned the forest looking as far and wide as she could, but still nothing. Ella’s focus not only affected her sight but also her hearing. She could tune out the sound of the crackling fire, the sound of Thomas's breathing, and the sound of the fast wind. She waited in silence, then there it was. The soft squeak of a rubber boot against the forest ground as it snapped a twig. Ella's eyes went towards the sound, trying to find the person. She could see as one slowly begun to walk out from behind a tree. Her grip tightened on Thomas’ hand, feeling protective over the young boy. There wasn’t just one. Slowly more began to emerge from behind the trees. All wore button up shirts and long work pants. Ella’s eyes focused on the one man who wore a large black hat, she had a feeling he was in charge. Reaching over his shoulder he pulled out a rifle, the other men followed. The man c****d it back and aimed right towards them.

"Get down!" A female's voice screamed as they lunged at Ella, grabbing her and pulling her to the ground. Ella’s grip on Thomas’ hand was lost as she was tackled. The windows of the house shattered, spraying glass into a thousand small pieces. Bullets flew into the house, smashing everything they encountered. "Stay down!" The voice demanded, the smell of gunpowder and fire filled the air. Ella could hear the men shouting from outside as they rained bullets into the home. She couldn't understand why they were here, why they were shooting at the house. She heard leaves crunching as one of them came closer to the home. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as a brown glass bottle flew in through one of the broken windows, a cloth that was shoved into the top had been lit. "Run!" Ella screamed, scrambling to her feet. The bottle smashed into the animal fur rug, fire quickly spreading. Ella grasped Thomas who was curled up beside her. Quickly scrambling to her feet, Ella followed the woman who had shoved her from the window.

"Who are you?" Ella demanded to know, coughing as the smoke began to fill the house. The lady opened one of the doors trying to find them an escape, nearly dodging as a bullet whizzed past her head and crashed into the wall behind her. She slammed the door closed and looked at Ella "Renee." She answered, her eyes were red, identical to the ones she saw on the night of the party in the hallway, but different from hers. Ella's eyes were red, but an orange ring circled her pupil. "Keep going!" Renee yelled. As they ran down the hall, Ella looked into one of the open rooms. Through the broken glass of the window stood one of the men. Hatred and anger swirled in his eyes as he pointed his gun towards her. Suddenly his body was knocked to the ground by a large, dark figure. He screamed in pain, shouting for help as blood splattered onto the glass. "Come on!" Renee shouted, snapping Ella out of her trance.

Dense, dark smoke filled the air, hindering their vision. As she turned the corner, Ella could no longer see the woman, but she saw the back door of the home. Releasing Thomas’ hand, she reached for the doorknob. It was scorching hot; the metal's fire hot temperature burned her hand leaving her palm blistering and red. She dropped to her knees, looking at her hand that was shaking in pain. Shots continued to spray into the house from all directions. The door Ella knelt against was kicked open, sending her flying onto her back. In the doorway stood the man with the hat, a deep scar traveled down his right eye onto his cheek. She watched as he raised his gun and fired, without any hesitation. Ella rolled to her stomach, looking down the hall, and saw who the bullet had hit. "THOMAS!" Ella screamed; she could see the bright red blood soaking his overalls. All the noise was muffled; she could feel tears streaming down her face as she stared at the child who slowly fell to the ground. "Ella!" A quiet voice yelled. "Ella!" They screamed again. Renee ran from around the corner, stepping over Thomas's body, and running to Ella. Ella’s eyes did not leave sight of the boy lifeless on the ground. She paid no attention to the fighting between Renee and the man who stood over her. Renee dropped to her knees in front of Ella after fighting off the man. "You need to wake up Ella!" She said shaking her, her glowing red eyes staring into Ella's. "Ella! WAKE UP!" She ordered.

Ella awoke quickly looking around, she could feel her heart pounding. She was out of breath, throat burning with the taste of smoke, and tears soaking down her cheeks. She was back, sitting in that hospital bed. No cabin, no dead Thomas, and no Renee. The room was empty. Multiple machines stood on either side of her bed with different cords connecting to her. Part of Ella wanted to believe it had all been a crazy dream, but deep down she knew it was real. Alarms from the machines beeped as Ella began to pull off different stickers and cords that connected to her, including her IV and heart monitor stickers. Ella glanced at the monitor as she ripped off the stickers across her chest, it read a heart rate of 285 before a 'disconnected’ message popped up on the screen. She hissed feeling pain in her hand, glancing down she began to unwrap the gauze that circled over it. Just as the last wrap came off, she saw the dark red blisters across her palm, the same ones from her dream. Her skin was screaming red and moist with discharge. Shakily Ella began to reach to her palm with her other hand.

She watched as slowly the blisters that looked as though they were going to pop disappear back into her hand returning to the unharmed skin from before. She slowly opened and closed her hand, wondering if she was going insane. She ran her thumb over her palm but felt no pain. Nothing but her normal skin. They were gone. There was no pain, no redness, no blisters... nothing. Her skin appeared untouched. A monitor that had been hooked up to Ella began to beep loudly, alerting staff that it had not sensed anything for over a minute. One of the nurses walked to Ella's room, assuming that it was just a sticker that had peeled off and needed to be reconnected. She stopped in shock, seeing the girl stare back at her from the bed. She gave a soft smile before popping her head back out the door towards the other nurses. "Get the doctor. She's awake."

It was not long before the doctor and his nurses arrived at Ella's room. Machines were moved out that was no longer necessary. The doctor sat on the edge of Ella's hospital bed, staring at her in wonder. He was astonished that someone who came in with so much visible damage did not have a shred of internal issues. He could finally speak to the girl of many mysteries. "Ella, can you tell us what happened? What is the last thing you remember?" His thick accent asked. Memories flooded back to her from the night before. The party at the Willis home, how awful she felt. She remembered the bathroom, hitting her head on the wall, and what happened to her eyes. She could easily remember bumping into that person in the hallway, she still had no idea who that was. Then the forest and waking up in the house.

"I-" Her hoarse voice took her back, she let out a cough. One of the nurses quickly handed her a water cup, but Ella denied with a shake of her head. She cleared her throat, swallowing a few times, then tried again. "I was at a party last night and..." Ella debated on what to say, how much of the truth she should let out and what she should keep to herself. Until she knew what was going on, Ella didn't want to involve anyone she didn't have to. "I got drunk, so I don't remember much, but a group of us went into the woods," Ella began to make up as she spoke, "While we were walking, I lost my balance and fell down a hill. Must have hit a few trees or rocks on the way down. Last I remember I hit my head on something hard then woke up in here." She watched the doctor, afraid that he wouldn't believe her story. He showed a caring smile and stood from her bed "Well, you had some nasty cuts that needed a few stitches, but besides some bruising you don't have internal injuries, so we don't have any reason to keep you here. I'll get an order going for some pain meds you can pick up at the pharmacy on the way home and we will get you out of here in an hour or so, okay?" He explained, turning, and walking towards the door. “Any questions?” he asked, glancing at her once more. Ella, although she had many questions, shook her head, and watched as he left. Ella was relieved, the doctor either believed her or did not care to do any more work.

As the last nurse exited the room, Ben slipped in before the door closed. Ella was shocked to see him, not thinking anyone would have known she was here. Worry was written all over his face. "Ella." He sighed in relief as he rushed to her bedside, taking a seat next to her. "Hey Ben." Ella smiled at him, taking his hand in hers. "My god I'm glad you're okay. I didn't know if-," "Ben! Stop it, I’m okay! Just some stitches and a little sore, but I'm okay." She reassured him. Ella didn’t want him worrying any more than he had to. She knew her boyfriend too well. She knew that if he had any suspicion that she wasn’t telling her something he wouldn’t stop until he had answers. "You promise?" He asked her. Ella glanced at her hand, one that only a few minutes ago had scalding burns all over, and back to him with a smile. Part of her felt that she should tell him, but she didn’t know what exactly to tell him. Ella told herself she would tell him when he needed to know and when she knew what was going on, but until then she would just tell him she was okay. "I promise."