CHAPTER 2 — The Truth Inside the Cast
CHAPTER 2 — The Truth Inside the Cast
No one spoke.
The orthopedic cast saw rested quietly in Evelyn's hand.
Its small motor wasn't running.
Yet somehow...
It was the loudest thing in the room.
Daniel looked from Evelyn to Marissa.
"You really think something is inside his cast?"
"I don't know," Evelyn answered honestly.
"But I know one thing."
She stepped closer to Noah.
"No child invents this kind of terror."
Noah's breathing slowed the moment she knelt beside him.
She didn't touch the cast.
She simply looked into his frightened eyes.
"Can you tell me where it hurts?"
Noah pointed to one spot near his wrist.
"There."
"It scratches there."
"Sometimes it bites."
Every nurse exchanged uneasy glances.
Daniel swallowed hard.
Marissa folded her arms.
"This is ridiculous."
"The cast was put on yesterday."
"The hospital already checked it."
Evelyn nodded.
"Did they remove it after they applied it?"
Silence.
No one answered.
She already knew the answer.
"No."
She looked toward the attending physician.
"Doctor... with your permission."
The physician hesitated.
"There are no medical indications—"
"No."
"There is one."
She pointed toward Noah.
"Extreme panic."
"Localized pain."
"And a child consistently identifying the exact same location."
The doctor slowly nodded.
"Cut it."
Marissa stepped forward immediately.
"Absolutely not!"
Everyone turned toward her.
She realized too late how quickly she'd reacted.
"I mean..."
"We shouldn't traumatize him even more."
Evelyn quietly met her eyes.
"If the cast is normal..."
"You have nothing to worry about."
For the first time...
Marissa looked afraid.
The cast saw hummed softly.
A thin white line appeared down the side of the fiberglass.
Noah squeezed Daniel's hand.
"It's okay," Evelyn whispered.
"I'm not cutting your arm."
"I'm setting you free."
The cast opened.
The room leaned closer.
A nurse carefully separated the two halves.
Then...
Something small...
Black...
And alive...
Dropped onto the hospital blanket.
A large venomous centipede curled violently before racing across the sheets.
Someone screamed.
Another nurse crushed it beneath a stainless-steel tray.
The room exploded into chaos.
Daniel couldn't breathe.
Noah burst into tears.
"I told you..."
"I told everybody..."
"I wasn't lying."
His father's knees gave out beside the bed.
He wrapped both arms around his son.
"I'm so sorry."
"I'm so, so sorry."
Across the room...
Marissa slowly backed away.
No one noticed.
May you like
Except Evelyn.
And she wasn't about to let her leave.
