Sarah looked up, her brow furrowed. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice weak and confused.
"I'm Chloe, your sister," she replied, offering a strained smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her voice immediately took on a dramatic, worried tone. "Oh, thank God! Mom and I have been beside ourselves with worry since the police called us. We didn't know what to think."
Sarah stared at her, searching for a flicker of recognition. The name "Chloe" didn't even register a tiny bit. Sarah just nodded. Chloe's presence, though seemingly comforting, sent a shiver of unease down Sarah's spine. She couldn't explain it, but something about the woman felt… wrong.
Sarah pressed her, trying to grasp any thread of her past. "Tell me about us, then. We're sisters—were we close?"
Chloe moved closer, her voice thick with feigned sincerity. "Oh, darling, we were inseparable! The best of friends. You, me, and Mom—we're a very close, loving family. That's why this is so hard."
"And my father?" Sarah asked, remembering the emptiness she felt.
Chloe's face clouded over with a well-rehearsed sadness. "Our father passed away when you were nineteen. It was sudden, and it devastated us. It's part of what made the three of us so dependent on each other."
"What about Ethan?" Sarah asked, hoping the name would spark something. "Who was he to me?"
Chloe's expression hardened for a moment before she quickly covered it with sympathy. "Ethan Evans. He was... a good friend. Just a close friend from work. We'll tell you all about him later."
Chloe then dropped the bag she was carrying on the small table next to the bed and said, "I've brought you your favourite fruits; let me peel an apple for you." As the blade flashed under the fluorescent light, Chloe turned to Sarah, her smile oddly fixed. "Do you really not remember anything before the accident?" Sarah, acutely aware of the knife in her hand, replied, "No... I can't remember..."
After peeling the apple, Chloe went outside and called her mother, Caroline, and invited her over. "Mom, she doesn't remember anything. We're safe... for now. Just stick to the story."
Half an hour later, Caroline entered her hospital room, her features similar to Chloe's but a bit older. She carried herself with an arrogant grace and dignity. She approached her bed and took her hand. "My dear, how are you feeling? Chloe told me everything. Don't worry, we'll take good care of you."
"Who are you?" Sarah asked.
The woman's face crumpled, and she let out a dry, theatrical sob. "I'm your mother, darling. Don't you remember me?" The performance felt fake, a practiced act of grief.
"I'm sorry," Sarah said, a quiet sadness in her voice. "I don't remember." She's my mother. Why does it feel like I'm lying to her? Why don't I trust her? If we were so close, why do they feel like strangers?
Soon after, Dr. Miller came in to check up on Sarah, and the nurse notified both Caroline and Chloe that visitation hours were over.
After they left, Sarah fell asleep.
She had an unusual dream: she was walking down a small path somewhere through the woods, running away because something was chasing her, but her legs were weak and she fell down. As she fell, she saw Ethan's dead face covered with leaves next to her and got terrified. She tried getting up and walking again but she kept falling until a man showed up. She didn't see his face because he was in the shade, but he had reached out for her hand. She gave him her hand, and then he took her into his arms and started walking while carrying her. She felt safe—she thought, I didn't have this feeling in a long time. She asked where they were going and he said, "Home, Sarah, we're going home." Then she looked at his arm... His arm was bleeding, and she screamed, saying, "You're bleeding!" but he kept walking and carrying her.
She woke up from her dream, sweating profoundly. It took her a while to come back to reality. She was crying... Who was that man in my dream? Where's home?
Nurse Brenda entered the room a few minutes later and saw her looking distressed. She came closer, placed her hand on her head, and realized that she had a high fever. She quickly administered medication. Soon after, exhausted by the fear and the lingering fever, Sarah fell back into a restless sleep.