𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐜𝐢 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐭

Breathing Through The Phone

In the 2 years working at the children's hospital, Y/N is really starting to reconsider her position. It's just past midnight on a Friday and she's making her rounds, checking in on the children on the first, second and third floor. The entire week has been filled with really unsettling occurrences and she can't shake the feeling that something isn't right.

For starters, Sally has been telling her more and more about her friend. Nothing in great detail, just how he's friendly and she can often hear her giggling while she's surveying the second floor at night. She said he looks like a tree and his long branches sway in the cool spring air.

Then last night, something rather concerning happened. Sally was screaming for Y/N around 3AM, crying to her about her awful dream. Her 'friend' was being nasty to her, whispering evil things. Sally refuses to repeat what it told her.

Tonight, Sally was rather afraid to go to bed. She told Y/N to draw her drapes but then completely went back on her statement when the room became pitch black. She needed the moonlight so she wouldn't feel scared but she hated the trees visible from her bedroom. She begged Y/N to stay with her until she fell asleep, which took about 30 minutes because they kept giggling together.

Once she was finally out and Y/N completed the first round of the night, she goes downstairs to the first floor where most of the other staff were. Most doctors work in the day, leaving Y/N with a few nightshift ones. Her least favourite is this crotchety hag from the nurses department. She treats any physical ailments exhibited by the children here. Sally sometimes experiences reoccurring mild concussions from the blunt force trauma inflicted on her by her uncle and often has to deal with this witch.

Nurse Sandra Snyder is nearly 60 and has no patience for anyone. God knows why she decided to work with children. Y/N feels like Sandra doesn't really like her because she's a young doctor, only 25.

She greets Sandra who's sitting at her desk in her medical office. It looks like ones at doctor's clinics.

"You mustn't stand in my doorway like that, Y/N!" She scolds as she turns around, jumping with fright. "You remind me of the kids around this place who don't know how to knock and say hello."

She turns her snotty little nose up before she finally directs her attention to the young woman loitering by the entrance.

"My apologies, Nurse. I wanted to talk to about patient Sally Williams?"

"We've went over this just the other day, dear." She sighs, pushes her glasses up to rest in her salt-and-pepper grey hair. "Sally is a disturbed girl. . . It's normal for her to have delusions. You as a psychiatric counsellor should know that better than I."

"Yes, I understand that but I believe there's something greater happening here. She's seeing this man in the woods or something and it's freaking her out. She refused to sleep tonight unless I stayed with her." Y/N says, taking a seat in the other chair in the office. She looks at the clock hanging over the door frame, 4:30AM.

"When you were in her room, what did you see that seemed out of the ordinary?" She says, a frown on her thin lips. This lady really needs so Botox, the lines on her forehead are plentiful and deep. She'd be more approachable if she didn't look like such a bitch.

"Well, nothing but—"

"Then that's your answer, honey." Sandra smiles bitterly at the young counsellor before standing up and packing up her belongings. Her shift really ends at 6AM but there's another male nurse lurking around here somewhere who can take over for her. Y/N never bothered to talk to him as he seemed a little creepy. He looks like the type of guy to grope a woman and claim it was accidental.

She can say she tried now. She promised Sally earlier that she would talk to someone about what's been happening. Y/N wants Sally to know that her experiences are valid and she is believed, trying to renforce the idea that what she says is important. Her parents never believed her when she repeatedly accused her uncle Jonny of molesting her so she needs to work extra hard to redeem her trust within herself.

It's awfully disappointing to not be taken seriously and Y/N feels terrible about how she'll have to tell Sally that her complaint was brushed under the rug like dust when you're too lazy to sweep.

Y/N and Sandra exit her office together and part ways after bidding one another goodnight. Suddenly, as she's walking back to the front office, the phone on the main desk rings. The receptionist isn't here to answer calls at night so Y/N has been having to pick up the phone.

She gets nervous whenever the phone rings, worried it's the same person who's been calling the last few nights. They say nothing. She often hears gentle breaths coming through the line.

She answers the phone, "Hello, Fallacious Care: Children's Psychiatric Hospital. How may I help you?"

Silence. Breathing. Giggling.

"Hey —whoever this is— that's been calling the last few nights, you're taking up space in the answering machine so why don't you knock it off?"

Nothing.

What is this, some sort of joke? Y/N doesn't have time for this. "What happened, kid? You found your mama's phone book and decided to mess around with some numbers?"

She assumes it's some dickhead kids as they often get random phone calls like this, but that's her wishful thinking. These calls seem different. Deliberate.

"I know it's not a school night and all but I think you should hit the lights and go to bed. It's way past midnight, isn't it time for you to—"

"Go. To. Sleep. . .?" The line goes dead, cutting off the start of a wicked laugh. What the hell was that? That was no kid. Not even a teenager. The voice was deep and manly, sending a sickening chill up Y/N's spine. Thankfully her shift is just about to end and she can clock out.