deja vu

I

A skinny man in a dark grey coat sits at his lab table- a dim light shining on his one of the many other tables. He drums his pen against the hard epoxy resin countertop in frustration. He'd been studying this disease for years, why couldn't he find a treatment, much less a cure? He drops his pen and brings his pale hands up to his temples, rubbing his fingers against his growing headache. After a moment of silence, he rolls up the sleeve of his coat to reveal a digital watch that reads 11:39PM. He sighs in exhaustion and begins packing up his equipment into his black leather briefcase.

He walks through the never ending white hallway, occasionally passing a fellow coworker. He was usually one of the last to leave, but his lack of progress was subsiding his patience.

"Schrader! Leaving so soon? What's the rush?" a familiar voice chuckles from behind him.

He halts in his tracks and glances over his shoulder to see the tall man dressed in all black- staring at him, waiting for a response.

"I've completed my work," he lies. "I figured I deserved a break after working nonstop for six years, don't you think?" he turns to face him, challenging the man in black known as Benjamin Bohr, his toughest competitor.

"You discovered the Alzheimer's cure?" Benjamin questions in pure shock; no sign of adulation.

"A treatment," he corrects him, eyes narrowing to the floor. He wasn't one to lie, but Benjamin's constant teasing was getting on his nerves.

Benjamin chuckles at his response. "There's already treatment for Alzheimer's, Schrader," he laughs at his foolishness, attempting to show him up.

"This one is improved" Schrader seethes, turning over his shoulder and beginning to walk away.

"You worked six years for an improved treatment? I don't believe it," Benjamin scoffs, trying to continue the argument, but Schrader ignores him. The last thing he needs is a lecture from his adversary.

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I know this chapter is really short, but I've already written this story and I'm just dividing it up into sections based on the setting. So anytime time passes, the chapter will end. I think I'll have around 5 chapters and all of them will be pretty short, so it won't take too long to read. So if you enjoyed this first chapter, please comment and vote!

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nåon

d e j a v u

kaiiross15@gmail.com

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