About Last Night

Under The Knife

As Theo lies on the operating table, he begins to feel very nervous, almost unbelievably anxious. If he thought clearly, he might even be able to scare himself out of the surgery. But the medical staff pumped so many fluids into his system and gave him so many pills to reduce the swelling in his brain that he's barely thinking straight.

Theo lies there as he watches the team of doctors and nurses scurry from one station to another. His brain feels as though it is wrapped in cotton, his mouth drier than the Sahara Desert. He listens as the team leader begins speaking to him.

"We are about to begin." She says in a very soft-spoken voice that is almost a whisper.

She puts the anesthesia on Theo, and he slowly drifts off to sleep. His brain stops feeling all pain and emotion; it's like he's in a bottomless dark pit. He struggles to not fall asleep, and eventually, he succumbs.

The team leader whispers to the rest of her staff, "Instruments."

The team responds by handing her several scalpels and other instruments that she needs for the operation.

She whispers to one, "Gag reflex."

Putting a dirty cloth in the patient's mouth. The patient struggles slightly but then stops moving altogether.

"Heartbeat?" she asks.

One of the nurses places a metal object near the leader's head. It makes a "blip, blip, blip" noise.

The leader begins to cut into Theo's skull with the assistance of another nurse. Theo suddenly wakes up, his brain clearly feeling all emotion and pain once again. But it's too late. The anesthetic wears off after several minutes, but Theo's brain is so scrambled that he is still paralyzed. He just twitches slightly, unable to speak, see, or hear anything.

A nurse walks over and says, "His vitals are dropping."

The leader continues cutting as the rest of the staff tries to keep Theo alive.

"His brain is swelling. We need to keep cutting until we reach the cerebellum." She says as she cuts several more times.

Theo's body twitches a bit and then goes completely limp.

The leader says, "He's dead."

Theo wakes up in his basement and shuts off his computer.

"I have to stop reading all these No Sleep posts," he says as he gets up to stretch. He walks upstairs and pauses at the bottom of his stairs as he hears his television playing a news report.

"I turned that off before I went to bed," he thinks as he walks into the living room. He pauses again, hearing the words coming from the TV.

"The missing arm of the girl Alice that was found mutilated four months ago has been found after a team of divers searched the sewer drains. Along with a pair of gloves that are believed to be those of the killer. Another update on the murder of Ben Higgins; a torn jacket was found near a park bathroom. If anyone has any information or seen anyone during that time, please contact the police."

"Theo?" his mom says, walking out of the kitchen. "Why are you just standing there?"

"Uh, just listening to the news," Theo says as he sits down in one of the chairs in the dining area.

His mom laughs and says, "You going to try to find a new girlfriend?"

Theo pauses and says, "I don't know if I want one."

"What's wrong with you?" she says with a laugh as she pours herself a cup of coffee.

"Nothing," he smiles as he takes a sip of orange juice. "I'm just tired, I guess."