Hidden Malice - plus original artwork (pob-wotw challenge round entry)

"OH MY GOD!" screamed the hysterical mother, upon seeing her youngest son lying on the ground. Wailing, Mrs. Reynolds at least had the presence of mind to find out that he was in fact breathing.

"Dad! Help, it's Greg!" Yelled Don. Then he hid a malicious smile. Don, or the ancient demon Belazarkin, had tricked Greg into thinking that a wasp's nest was actually a bee hive loaded with fresh honey. When they started stinging, the child fell out of the tree.

"Call 911!" screamed Mom, over and over. Luckily she hadn't tried to move her son.

She calmed somewhat when she heard the sirens. The paramedics asked who would go with Greg in the ambulance. She insisted that they all go, despite the limited space.

While she was arguing, her husband got the car out of the garage. He and Don would follow the ambulance. Her discord with the EMT crew settled, she climbed in. Suddenly in shock, she was now silent.

"Your full name, Sir?"

"Casey Reynolds."

"And your son's name?"

"Gregory Reynolds."

"Please fill this out, then you may see your son. His vitals are stable at the moment, we will know more after the initial test results are in."

"Dad, I want to see him too."

"I don't know, Don. Maybe you should wait here."

"But it was my fault. I showed him the hive. We just wanted to get some honey..."

"It wasn't your fault, it was an accident."

Don hid his face as if crying, but in reality he was full of malicious glee. And he genuinely wanted to see Greg's body, with a bunch of tubes sticking out of it. "The frailty of the human body is so entertaining. This almost makes up for being stuck in a kid." he thought with satisfaction.

"You may see him now." informed a pleasant nurse, who then walked away.

Don quietly followed, completely unnoticed. He slipped into the room after the adults. Grinning, he wondered what he would have to pull out or unplug to stir up a little more chaos.

"I wish Taspirin could be here to see this. Despite his current hatred for me, I'm glad I freed him. Together we can sow discord far and wide, just like in the old days." Don thought eagerly.

After watching Greg's parents agonize over their son, Don became bored. He slipped out as quietly as he had entered.

"Now what is there to do for fun around here... Maybe I can find something shiny and sharp to play with."

Wandering around the long halls, he eventually found what he was looking for. An open door, with a patient inside the room.

The elderly man was snoring, and seemed to be having difficulty breathing. There was a vial with a cotton ball, as well as a medical chart by the bed.

"Hmmm.... Unknown respiratory virus. This might be fun too. I'll just take this swab, and the chart too."

Tucking the vial in his pocket, the demon possessed child hid the chart under his shirt. Finding another open door, he saw a middle aged woman. She was awake so he went on.

Finally he found another open door. Inside were two men, both obviously recovering from surgery. One was older, the other in his twenties. Don took the chart belonging to the young man and threw it away, replacing it with the one he had.

Going over to the other man, he noticed the IV bag. Next to it was a bottle of something. There was also a cart with various medications and instruments on it. "This place is awesome!" he thought, wondering why he hadn't gone there more often.

"What shall I play with first..."

Fractal art is my original artwork, edited on Canva to add background and text