"Are you ready to see true darkness?"

Wirt woke up with a short scream, breathing heavy. His hands were shaking. He took a deep breath, starring up to the white ceiling. He was at the hospital. Because of his broken right arm. "This is not The Unknown." He said, trying to reassure himself.

The nightmare was a recurring dream, there rarely was a night where Wirt could escape The Beast. He had thought that he slowly but surely got rid of them but… being in the hospital didn't help.

Wirt had avoided hospitals like the plague. They reminded him too much of the near-death experience. The smells, the sounds, it all brought back the memories of returning from The Unknown. Of having just almost died. Four years, four years Wirt managed to stay out of a hospital. Stupid traffic accident.

He was lucky the doctor said, just a broken arm. Looking at the state of this car, he could have had way worst. Wirt didn't want to stay a night at the hospital for 'observation', but his mom had almost freaked out. This was not the first accident this month.

The series of accidents started on his 18th birthday on the 28th of July. He slipped, falling into a lake. As he hit the cold surface of the water he feared waking up in The Unknown. Luckily that didn't happen. Just a little over one week later a tree almost hit his head.

And now, 20 days after the first accident he was lying in the hospital, even if it was just a broken arm. Wirt laughed dryly. It was almost as if The Unknown was trying to reclaim him. The thought was scarring him, The Unknown was scarring him.

He sat up. The lights in his room were dim, the window gave a beautiful view of the night sky. Wirt stood up, walking towards it. He lifted his hand up to the window, starring up to the dark nearly cloudless sky.

He flinched as he heard something shatter in the corridor. Slowly he turned around and walked towards the door. Slowly he opened it, stepping out into the corridor. It was empty and dark. No doctors, no nurses, just Wirt. Wirt swallowed and turned left. He wanted nothing more than to go back into his room and since there was nothing he could see… he swallowed and walked forward. "I am just going to look around the corner." He said, trying to comfort himself. His voice was barely even a whisper.

He stepped around the corner and stood at the top of the stairs. Somebody seemed to have thrown in a ball through the window. Wirt sighted. There was nothing. He took a step backward, bumping into something. He turned around ready to excuse himself but…

There was no one.

Wirt started to tremble. What was that? Turning around again he looked at the shattered widow again. Nothing. Noone.

Suddenly he lost his footing, stumbling forward. He screamed just before his broken arm hit the glass.

Then everything went completely dark.