James Sterling stepped out of the Emergency Room that contained Lily Sterling. He walked down the hall to the vending machines, hoping that a soda would help him stay awake. He was weary. Weary and worried beyond imagination.
His wife was in the E.R., his son was missing, there were police who were inquiring into the accident, and searching for his son. Of course, it was for their benefit, but they wouldn't leave James Sterling alone. What he wanted right now was to be able to look for his son, and watch his wife simultaneously. But since he wasn't able to be in the same place twice, he would be spending the night watching over his wife. James had already been searching with the rescue teams since last night, when the accident happened, all the way until dinner time. That's when he had arrived at the hospital.
He pushed open the glass door that contained the vending and ice machines, and punched in the button for a Pepsi. The price tag showed:
$2.00. Sterling grimaced as he fed the bills into the slot. Really? No wonder our country is in debt... He laughed. His thoughts were wimping out on him, as well as his ability to piece together two sentences. Exhaustion wasn't even a word to describe what he was feeling.
The can got stuck, James promptly shook the machine. Just as promptly, the lights flickered, dimmed, then went out. He looked at it, then thumped his head down on the vending machine. He growled, "Could this night get any worse?" He sighed and turned around. What he saw made him regret his previous statement.
What stood before him, was a disturbing creature that stood about six feet tall. At first glance, it had the appearance of a bear, but on closer inspection, the face was similar to that of a human. It had a flatter nose. Not like the snout of a bear. It's eyes were like those of a human. James didn't know how he knew, but he just felt like they were human eyes. And the mouth didn't show the normal sharp teeth of a bear, they were closer to those of a humans.
James Sterling started at first, then his mind thought this might be a practical joke. When he was about to ask this.. whatever it was, if it was a practical joke, a low, guttural growl emitted from the creature.. He decided that that could not have been produced by a human. Then he noticed another thing, this bear was standing like a human being. Before, he could think of anything else. The Alptraum, which was the Aleppian name for this creature, launched itself, growling, at James.
James barely dodged it, as it flew into the vending machine, smashing glass and sending sodas and snacks flying across the room. Sterling rushed to the door to pull it open, but when he exited, it wasn't a clean hospital hallway, it was an entirely different scene that met his eyes.
