Jameson Collins could only move his eyes and mouth. “I think my nurse is trying to kill me.”

Sebastian looked up from his book, surprised. “Wow, you’re awake. Thought you were in a coma.”

“Feels like it.”

“Why? You seem to be getting good treatment.”

“Good? Pinch me the hardest you can right now.”

Confused, Sebastian got up from his seat, walked over to his friend and pinched his arm. Despite being pinched hard, Jameson showed no reaction. Instead, he asked, “Are you even pinching me?”

Sebastian tried again with no avail. “I don’t get it.”

Jameson groaned. “You don’t see it? I’m paralyzed. Haven’t eaten anything or gone to the washroom ever since the accident. This ‘treatment’ doesn’t make sense.”

Just then, his nurse entered the room, holding the same tray and syringes that Sebastian had seen at least two or three times.

“Yay,” Jameson said in a fake cheery tone. “My seventh injection today.”

Before Sebastian could ask why, the nurse shoved him out of the room without a word. She must’ve been annoyed by his presence now. He sat down and tried to continue reading his book, though he gave up moments later. There was too much in his mind right now.

First, it was strange that Jameson’s mother hadn’t come to the hospital despite being contacted several times. Second, why was Jameson being treated like this? Dr. Smith had said it was only a minor head injury since his car accident wasn’t too bad. Third, why did it seem like he had seen the nurse before?

***

“Injections?” Dr. Smith frowned as he looked up from his papers. “What are you talking about?”

Sebastian blinked. “My friend, Jameson. He’s having several injections and…he’s paralyzed, I think. Why? Didn’t you say it was a minor injury?”

Dr. Smith frowned even deeper. “Sebastian, what are you saying? Injections? Paralyzed? I told Thomas to give Jameson the l-”

“Thomas?” Now it was Sebastian’s turn to be flabbergasted. “Who’s Thomas?”

“The nurse I assigned for Jameson.”

“But…” Sebastian’s mind raced a million miles per second- wasn’t the nurse a female? Or did he see someone else?

“CALL THE POLICE! DR. SMITH!”

Before Sebastian could react, he was tackled from behind, making him crash against Dr. Smith, who almost lost his balance and caught himself before he hit the ground. “Mark! What-”

“DOCTOR! PATIENT 256 IS MISSING!”

“Who’s- oh. WHERE ON EARTH IS THOMAS?”

Sebastian pressed his ears to block out the noise and curled up against the wall, trying to process whatever was going on around him. People were running, alarms were blaring, doctors were screaming, his mind was spinning…

***

When the police sent him home, Sebastian decided to check on Jameson’s mother. When he reached Jameson’s house, he rang the doorbell, expecting someone to open the door. Instead, he heard a scream from the first floor window: “HELP!”

Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat, not believing what he’d heard. Jameson! That was definitely him.

He was in his house this entire time?

A wave of panic rushed over him as he tried to think of way to enter the house instead of the locked door. This house-

Sebastian’s eyes lit up. The back door!

Before he knew it, he was in Jameson’s backyard, entering through the back door and dashing up the stairs. He halted in the first floor’s small corridor. The silence sent shivers down Sebastian’s spine. Which room was Jameson in?

Thud.

Sebastian froze. Was it from his right?

Without thinking, he burst into the room to his right, only to find Jameson on the bed, still in his hospital gown, with the same nurse standing next to him. Except this time, her mask was gone.

Hesitantly, Sebastian took a step back, his heart sinking. There was no way-

“Hello, Sebastian,” Jameson’s mother, Mrs. Collins[T2] , said kindly, her hands fixing a syringe. She looked at Jameson, whose mouth was shut by duct tape. “Care to help?”

Sebastian’s mind was racing again, taking another step back as Mrs. Collins slowly approached him. “Won’t you give me a hand, Sebastian?” she asked, her familiar face beaming with warmth.

He could run out of here and inform the police. However, his legs were not following his mind’s commands. It was only taking him several steps back. Alarms went off in his mind as he watched the pointed syringe grew closer and closer...

Smash!

He had backed into a shelf, making an antique flower vase fall and shatter on the ground- or at least, that was what he assumed. Since he was too busy staring at the syringe, he hadn’t seen it fall. What he did see, though, was Mrs. Collin’s reaction to it.

She was distracted!

Instinctively, he grabbed Mrs. Collins’ wrist, heart hammering, and jabbed the syringe into her neck. He watched, frozen, as her eyes widened, her mouth forming an O. She dropped to the floor like a rag doll and didn’t move.

***

When Jameson was released from the hospital after a week, he told Sebastian and the police what had happened.

“Mom and I…got into a fight,” he began timidly. “She was telling me that I should stay home with her, since Dad’s gone. I refused, because I had to attend university and do my part-time job, which was far from our house.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It wasn’t a big deal until I got into an accident. They contacted Mom and she…well. I didn’t understand what kind of injections those were, but when she took me to our house, she told me that I was going to lay in this bed forever, so that she could take care of me…and never leave.”