The man-shaped apparition slowly and steadily grew more vivid within his mind’s eye. It was just as he remembered, with a prominent silvery ragged line across its neck and charcoal black skin. Its tattered regal attire and the crown of leaves and grass on its head matched well with its bottomless soulless eyes to bring out a creepy savageness from within its hazy form.

”Eh! What the hell!”

The next moment, Zachary’s entire psyche stretched taut with tension as he felt the phantom’s gaze land upon him. It smiled creepily, and its chapped lips moved just a bit, seemingly as if it was about to communicate something verbally. But just then, a loud ringing sound resounded within Zachary’s mind and shattered the weird illusion.

The bizarre visions faded quickly, and Zachary woke up with a start. The first thing his foggy mind registered was the loud ringing of the doorbell that was constantly resounding across his entire apartment. The sound was sharp and jarring to his ears, causing him to frown with discomfort.

Zachary stepped out of bed and slowly trekked toward his living room while still in a daze. He labored a bit on unsteady strides and finally made it to the front door. Without even bothering to check who was behind it, he immediately pulled it open in one swift motion.

”Zachary!” A familiar voice registered in his ears as he focused on the slender silhouette standing before his door. “Are you okay? Why aren’t you picking up your phone?”

”Kristin!” Zachary exclaimed, trying to shake off his dazed state. He was startled to see his long-time neighbor and publicity secretary at the door. “Is anything the matter?”

Kristin glanced at him as a tinge of worry flickered across her eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked. “Emily, Coach Bjrn Peters, and a few others have tried to contact you many times today? But you didn’t pick up your phone even once. So, in the end, Emily sent me here to check on you.”

”Many people have been trying to call me!” Zachary’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What time is it now?”

”6:23 PM,” Kristin replied.

”What!?” Zachary’s eyes widened. He was even more alarmed. The whole situation was strange as he’d only napped for a seemingly short while. “How could I sleep for the entire day?”

Zachary opened his lips, about to ask a few more questions. But just then, he felt an intense dizzy sensation impact his mind. His strong legs seemed to be filled with jelly for a moment, and he found it hard to maintain his standing posture.

”I think I might be sick,” Zachary said to Kristin as he supported himself on the doorframe. “I woke up feeling very weak today morning. Then, I decided to sleep, and that’s why I didn’t hear my phone ringing.”

”You’re sick?” Kristin asked, her eyes narrowing. “Or could it be the exhaustion from yesterday’s game?”

”I have never felt this week after any game. So, I’m pretty sure that I’m ill.”

Zachary sighed dejectedly and flexed his biceps. He had been looking forward to continuing his intensive training the following day. But it seemed his health had betrayed him.

”Sorry to hear about your condition,” Kristin said after observing him for a few more seconds. “I’m sure that you’ll get well soon. Let me call Emily first so that she can organize your treatment right away.”

”Thank you, Kristin,” Zachary said, forcing a smile.

”You’re welcome,” she said while fishing out her phone from her jumper pocket. “But don’t stay on your feet when you’re sick. Just settle or lie down somewhere comfortable while I call Emily. I don’t want you to collapse and hurt yourself before the medics get here.”

”Okay, thanks again,” Zachary said and nodded at Kristin before turning around and returning to his living room.

—–

Zachary was surprised by Emily’s efficiency that evening. She was quick to organize an ambulance, and before long, Zachary arrived at St. Olav’s hospital, where he received appreciable care from the medics there. They diagnosed his condition and quickly took blood tests to determine whether he’d caught a grave illness.

But in the end, they figured out that it was just a common cold that had aggravated his post-match fatigue and weighed him down considerably. Nonetheless, the doctors still insisted that he stay at the hospital for observation due to his severe symptoms. They assigned him a bed in the private ward before putting him under IV drip therapy and a few other common cold medications.

About thirty minutes later, when the clock hand was just about to point to the 9:15 PM mark, the effect of the drugs kicked in, and Zachary felt his thoughts slowing down. Before long, he drifted off into slumberland and forgot everything else.

He was out of touch with reality for a seemingly long time before regaining his usual mental faculties. When he finally came to and opened his eyes again, it was already the following morning. Golden sun rays seeped into the hospital room through the enormous window on the opposite wall to illuminate his pale face, and he smiled as his spirit brightened. Even while lying down, he could still feel that his condition had greatly improved after a night of rest.

He glanced around, trying to acclimatize himself to his surroundings, and that’s when he noticed Camilla sitting by his hospital bed. She appeared a bit worn out, seemingly as if she had last slept a few days ago. But that didn’t stop her from looking as charming as ever, especially in her fitting denim jeans and a cardigan sweater that matched the green color of her eyes.

”Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said, looking at him tenderly. “How’re you feeling?”

”Good morning, Camilla,” he replied, smiling back at her. “I think I feel great. When did you arrive?”

”Yesterday night, at around 10:30 PM,” she replied. “But by then, you were already asleep. So, I didn’t try to wake you.”

Zachary smiled, feeling a warm sensation swelling up within him. “Thanks for being there for me.”

”There’s no need for thanks as that’s what I should do,” she said. “As your girlfriend, I should always be there for you during trying times. Isn’t that the way it should be?”

”I think so,” Zachary said a bit uncertainly as he wasn’t sure where she was heading with the train of conversation.

Camilla smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Actually,” she said, “I was a bit hurt after realizing that I only managed to learn about your condition after you had already spent more than an hour in the hospital. And then when I first saw you lying on the hospital bed yesternight, I regretted not being there for you much sooner. But now, after seeing you wake up, all my gloominess has been swept away. I’m really delighted that you’ve gotten better.”

”Thank you,” Zachary said. “Do you know what time it is?’

”Just a moment.” Camilla extended her hand and picked up her handbag from the chair next to hers. She quickly fished her phone from the bag and glanced at the screen. “Five minutes remaining to 9:00 AM,” she said.

”That late!” Zachary exclaimed. He was surprised that a simple common cold had forced him to sleep for more than twenty hours.

”You shouldn’t worry about anything else,” Camilla advised. “Your agent mentioned that she has already informed your coaches about your condition. You only need to focus on recovering for the moment.”

Zachary nodded and closed his still weary eyes. His mind immediately started going over the previous day’s events, and then he recalled how he’d dreamt about the ghostly phantom for the first time ever.

The escapade had creeped him out considerably even in his dreams, and he’d only managed to forget about it after his mind sunk further into a dazed state. But after his condition improved and he gained clarity that morning, the whole train of events manifested in his mind again. He thought about the dream for a few minutes, but in the end, he discarded it as just another weird episode of his life.

He opened his eyes, and his spirits brightened once again. He immediately resumed his conversation with Camilla, and they continued discussing many issues, big and small. They only concluded their talk when Emily arrived roughly thirty minutes later.

”Zachary,” Camilla said after exchanging greetings with Emily. “I have to go now as I have a crucial meeting at work, which I can’t miss. So, I’ll see you later in the evening.” She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek before stepping away.

Zachary smiled. “Enjoy your day. And please hurry up and go. I don’t want you to miss your meeting because of me.”

”Okay then,” she replied, smiling back. “See you again in the evening. Ensure to rest so that you can recover faster. And don’t run off to train somewhere in secret.”

Zachary chuckled. “Don’t worry. I plan to rest for the whole day since I also wish to recover faster.”

”Great,” Camilla said and then nodded at Emily. Without saying anything else, she picked up her bag and made her way out of the room.