I Died 8 Minutes Ago

E I G H T

"May I see your face?" Nate asks politely. "It's just that I admire your work and I really want to put a face to the amazing name you've made for yourself."

For the first time, the figure steps out of the fog.

"It's you." Nate says, with the tone of his voice changing dramatically to a bitter sound.

Nate yells barbarically and his true intentions become apparent when he lurches forward with the knife still in hand that he had from killing the receptionist at the doctor's office.

He screams as he moves forward and aims the knife at his stomach.

TWO MONTHS EARLIER

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Nate screeches, dying to know the truth.

"You know who I am." The mysterious man says.

"NO, I DO NOT! TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!" Nate baselessly threatens.

"Alright." The man says. "I actually want you to see me to make sure that you know who I am before you kill yourself."

The mysterious man finally takes off Nate's blindfold.

"Derrick?" Nate says, confused, as Derrick drops the blindfold.

Nate doesn't know what to think as he looks at him, trying to understand why this man would want to kidnap him.

"The surgeon?" Nate asks.

"That's me." Derrick replies.

"But why?" Nate questions, perplexed about the whole thing.

"Don't play dumb." Derrick says with a bitter tone to his voice. "You know exactly why I have kidnapped you. You aren't Radnor, the janitor."

"Wait, wait, wait." Nate looks around in a state of shock. "So you want me dead because you realize I infiltrated a hospital and disguised myself? I am afraid I don't follow. And how did you find out?"

"No, that's not it, and I simply stayed behind the night you broke in the hospital." Derrick explains as he begins to pace, not paying attention to Nate as he tells his story. "I made it appear that I was leaving long enough to sneak back inside and see what you were up to. I had not heard about you before, I knew something was up. I saw you sneak in and look at bodies."

"Why didn't you report me? Why are you kidnapping me instead?" Nate says, confused.

"Because I knew the domino effect that it would create. Don't play dumb." Derrick says. "You found out about the illegal experiments I was conducting on dead bodies and you could expose me if I exposed you. So this is the only we can do this for me to continue my profession while continuing my research. You will commit suicide...or at least I'll make it look like you did."

Derrick smiles.

"Okay wait." Nate begins to lie. "I knew you were conducting illegal experiments but seeing that I'm going to die anyway, what exactly were you doing?"

"Alright, alright. I don't care." Derrick says with an eye roll. "I'll answer your question since like you said, you are going to die anyway. I'm onto something about resurrecting people and I don't have the means for my own practice so I have been secretly doing it in the hospital, late at night. That's also why it was obvious I hadn't seen you before because I would know."

"Have you made any progress?" Nate curiously asks.

"Yes." Derrick answers. "I resurrected someone for a few minutes but it was not the result I wanted because it was so short and they were almost brain dead."

Nate stares at the ground in awe.

"Please let me go and I won't tell anyone about this." Nate pleads.

"No. It's not happening." Derrick insists. "Are you done yet?"

Derrick rolls his eyes and looks at Nate, waiting for Nate to concede.

"Okay." Nate cooperates with tears in his eyes. "Just get this over with."

Derrick gets his gun out, ready to kill Nate.

"Please." Nate pleads.

Derrick starts to count down.

"3"

A tear streams down Nate's face.

"2"

He puts his gun directly up to Nate's head.

"1"

And the shots go off.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please vote and comment your thoughts below on what you thought of this chapter. :) Don't miss yet another twist in the next chapter!