Neil was startled to see his brother awake and even more so when he saw the way Alan was looking at him. His gaze was filled with suspicion and something in it made him unsettled. It was as though Alan was trying to delve deep into his soul and uncover the secrets he had ever hidden from him.

"Alan, when did you wake up?" He cleared his throat and enquired gently, trying to ease the unexpected awkwardness in the air. However, all he got in return was silence.

Alan was unbelievably quiet as he kept staring at him. Even though his face was pale, his profound gaze made Niel fidget in his place.

"What happened to you back then, Neil?" Alan did not reply to him. Instead, he voiced out the thoughts he had since the time he had seen his peculiar behavior.

Neil stopped squirming and a frown creased his forehead. He had no idea what Alan was speaking about and his eyes conveyed the confusion he was having, rendering Alan perplexed too.

"Do you not remember what happened before Dad arrived?" Although Alan had just woken up and his throat was dry and parched, he still forced the words out of him, not caring if he sounded hoarse. His curiosity got the best of him and his mind was still reeling in what he had seen since the time had gained consciousness.

"What happened before Dad arrived and what should I remember?" Neil's frown deepened and he tried to recall what his brother was referring to. However, even after trying hard, he could not recall anything, especially the time when his father had arrived to save him and Alan.

"When did Dad arrive to save us and why do I not remember anything?" Neil held his head and Alan looked at him for some time, trying to find out the truth behind his words.

All of a sudden, Neil's eyes widened and his neck snapped towards the side so quickly that Alan was scared he might suffer from whiplash.

"Alan, did Ramin hurt you?" Neil almost leaned forward and if not for his body aching all over, he would have to run over to make sure that his brother was fine.

"What?" Alan could not understand what Neil was referring to. 'Why will Ramin hurt me?' He thought. 'How could he even hurt me when you almost crushed his face? That man must be lying somewhere in the hospital with broken face and jaws. And I don't think he will even think of hurting me or you.'

Alan did not dare speak his mind for he was suddenly suspicious of his brother. Neil was behaving weirdly and now, he did not even remember all that had happened back then. None of it made sense. But this was not the time to think about it. So, he stayed calm and waited for his brother to clarify what he meant earlier.

"Wasn't Ramin about to strike you with the baseball bat? What happened afterward?"

Neil's question did not shock Alan much this time. He had already guessed that his brother had more or less forgotten all that had happened. Since this was the scenario, he had no reason to reveal the truth to him. Currently, his brother was vulnerable and he did not know when he would return to his monstrous self.

So, Alan stayed silent, thinking of a possible way to divert Neil's attention from the question. Everything had a time and this was not it for him to speak to Neil about his bizarre circumstance. He had to wait until they were discharged or at least until Neil was calm to bring up the matter.

"I am fine, Neil. Ramin did not strike me." Alan stated calmly although he was anything but calm. His heart was pounding madly in concern and fear. He was worried for his brother who had no recollection of all that had happened with them after he became a different person altogether.

"I think I should call the nurse. Since I have woken up, I need to inform the doctor." Alan's attempt to change the topic worked and Neil's gaze softened.

"Yes. Dad was here until now. He left with Doctor Wallace." Neil smiled at him and pressed the bell to call the nurse.

However, even after waiting for long, the nurse did not enter the ward and Neil glanced at his brother who was equally as confused as him. Again, Neil pressed the bell, only to meet the same result.

"What is happening? Where is the nurse?" Alan tried to push himself. However, he was too weak and aching all over to even move a little. His condition was no worse than Neil's. So, he could only lie down and wait.

"Also, where is Dad? Why isn't he here yet?" Neil added and stared at the door.

Right at this moment, the door opened and in entered their mother who was carrying a thermos with her. Emily was pleasantly surprised to see her sons awake. At the same time, she was baffled at not finding Jarett anywhere.

"Alan, Neil. How do you feel?" She placed the thermos on the table and took the chair in between the two beds, excitement and relief evident on her face. A huge boulder had been removed off her shoulders on seeing her sons awake and well.

"We are fine, Mom," Neil replied while Alan nodded.

"That's good to hear. That's good to hear." Emily wiped her tears as she stared at her children who right now lay on a hospital bed.

"Mom, please do not cry. We are not....."

Alan had barely begun speaking when the lights in the room which had been switched off, started flashing all of a sudden, startling everyone. Emily jumped to her feet in shock while the two boys who were in no condition to move just looked around with their eyes wide open.

"What is happening? Why are the lights...."

The glass jug on the table beside Neil's bed burst the next moment, the water in it spraying all around and Emily screamed at once. Instinctively, she moved towards Neil to shield him from whatever was happening.

One by one, the lights that had been flickering all the while stopped as a frighteningly loud thunder resonated outside the hospital, scaring the wits out of all the three in the ward. Out of the blue, the bright sky turned dark and a coldness unknown to them spread around them.

"What the hell is happening?" Emily as she held Neil in her arms. "How did the weather change this suddenly when there were no traces of dark clouds when I left home?"

Instinctively, Alan looked at Neil who had his eyes fixed out of the window. 'Is this in any way related to Neil?' He wondered, his frown deepening when he saw how dark it had become in an instant. This was not natural. Definitely not.

The room lit up with a bright flash of lightning and thunder rattled the windowpane. But it was not the thunder that perturbed Alan. It was the cloud of darkness hovering above Neil's head he had seen when the lightning illuminated the room for the brief moment that sent chills down his spine.