Chapter 038

"You- You're lying." I gave a nervous chuckle, "you were only nine or ten years old. A- A child is not capable of such a thing."

"Well, I was a child then. But I was also a patient from the psychiatric ward." Raphael said, watching my reaction while he towered over me.

***WRITER'S POV***

TWELVE YEARS AGO...

In the sterile corridor of a psychiatric ward, lined with closed doors. The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting an eerie glow.

Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps echoes down the hallway. That was Raphael, a nine-year-old boy, his hospital gown billowing behind him as he sprinted towards freedom.

"I have to get out of here," Raphael said, breathless and eyes wide with exhilaration.

He heard footsteps and almost panicked, "I thought no one was supposed to be out this late?" he thought to himself.

Raphael darted around a corner, finding himself in a deserted reception area. He spotted an open window and rushed towards it, his heart pounding in his chest.

With a surge of