It had been a bright, sunny day out. One of the many that most would experience as a reprieve from the otherwise bitter cold days that plagued this city for most of the year. Few would find today as anything more noteworthy than that. But there was a group of people that had high hopes for today. In one of the larger homes of this city, one that many would call a mansion with its high walls, gated fence, and large acreage of land.

Completely white, the smell of sanitizer and the chirp of many small machines filled the room. If somebody were to wake up inside of it they would have thought themselves inside a hospital. Surrounded by a small gathering of people a young man stick-thin lay asleep. The young man stirred awake.

“Micheal!” One of the girls yelled near his head to the right. She was the first to react to him waking up, nearly falling on top of him in her excitement her red hair covering most of his sight at that moment.

“Thank Goodness he’s waking up,” a girl next to the first said. A measure of relief showed for just a moment before a grimace replaced it as she watched the other girls antics. She let out a loud audible groan and rested her head in her right hand, her thin fingers twirling puffs of black hair. "Hanna give him some room." She said, her blue eyes glaring at the oblivious girl.

The man to Michaels left sighed, “Shauna dear, Hanna is just excited no need to be so harsh we’ve all been waiting for him to wake up.”

Shauna gave him a cold look, “I’d rather the klutz not smother Micheal to death. She’s always like this Luis. I swear to god if he gets hurt...”

The last person in the room next to Luis gave the younger woman her own glare. “Shauna that is no way for you to treat your father or your brothers' friend.”

“Step-Father,” she replied.

Hanna stared down at Michael's face not bothering to respond to anything that had been said, her smile growing wider as his eyes opened. “Good morning sleepyhead.” She said with a smile that would make a snowman melt on the coldest of days her hand gently grasping his.

“Good … Morning? He said looking out his window at the falling sun that had started showing hints of dawn, voice so faint and labored that only Hanna could hear it over the arguing of his family. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

“Like fucking shit, what’s new?” Micheal replied without even thinking.

“Oh yeah, I suppose,” Hanna responded awkwardly.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so negative it’s just hard sometimes with all the pain I’ve been in.”

“Hopefully this latest operation will have fixed that.”

“Hopefully…”

“Micheal, are you thirsty?” Shauna asked slightly timidly, completely different from how she acted to everyone else. “Yeah, a little I guess.”

“I figured you would be, I’ll be right back.”

Daniel watched his stepsister leave her hair bouncing a little to each step so dark of a blue that it was almost black. “She seems to be in a good mood,” Micheal said.

“She calls him brother but refuses to even acknowledge me, Sara.” Luis griped in the background. “Don’t worry Luis she loves you as much as Micheal… I think.” Sara replied.

“Has the doctor came back yet dad?”

“No they are still doing tests at the hospital I’m assuming.”

A knocking at the door. “Come in,”

An elderly but regal-looking man wearing a fashionable suit came in. Have given a bow and his head shined a little his hair shaved down to a point where you almost couldn't see the white in it. His eyes searched the room with the intensity of a man expecting danger, his considerable muscles tense. Behind him came Shauna holding a glass of something.

“Sir and Madam, Doctor Karlov has returned from the Hospital, he is waiting in the sitting room, shall I let him in?

“Of course Reginald, we’ve been waiting for him please let him in.”

“As you say, sir.”

Shauna gave the butler no mind and came beside her brother, doing her best to ignore Hanna who seemed to not even notice anyone else besides Micheal. She handed him the glass with practiced care, waiting to make sure that Micheal had a full hold over the glass before letting go. Her hands lingered at the touch of his. She turned her head as if to hide the slight blush on her face from him.

“Thanks, Shauna,” Micheal said, his voice cracking. A sip later, and a weak grin appeared, "Coffee?" he asked amazed. He looked over to his sister in confusion. “Where did you?” She peeked over at Luis who was still in conversation with her mother, making sure he couldn't hear then leaned over and put a finger to her lips. “I have my connections,” she whispered.

“What is it?” Hanna asked her looking over. “It smells like…” Before she could finish that sentence both Micheal and Shauna had covered her mouth. “Shush.” Micheal hissed. “You should know by now how much my dad hates the stuff.

The sound of another knock broke the conversation.

“Doctor Karlov sir and madam,” Reginald said as he made his appearance. A lean tall, middle-aged man came in with a face that would make a kitten cry. Micheal had been told that he was the best but even so this man was always difficult to deal with. Never had he met a doctor as angry or bitchy as this man and today his face seemed to be even further into his resting bitch face. Micheal couldn’t tell if that meant good news or bad. He had always seemed angry when things were going well, but then again he also was angry when something was going wrong. Hell, the man was always angry.

“Sir, could I speak with you somewhere private?” The doctor asked Luis. “What about Karlov, If it’s about my son you can tell us now.” Luis's phone started ringing at that moment

“Excuse me for a second.” Without waiting for a reply Luis walked out. Micheal could feel his heart feeling like it would tear, “Not again, please no,” he thought to himself. He sipped on the forbidden coffee trying to enjoy the taste. Its warmth filled him and he was thankful to Shauna for it.

“It’s going to be okay Micheal,” Hanna whispered her hand over over his scrawny arm a comfortable warmth in the otherwise cool room.

“I wish I could believe you.” He thought to himself but said nothing.

Luis came back in, “Doctor Karlov I, unfortunately, will need to leave for a flight in a short while to oversee the merging proceedings so I would like you to explain now." The doctor nodded, he may have been an angry asshole but he still understood the hierarchy that he was in.

“I’ll keep it simple and quick then. The good news, Micheal you will not be dying.” The room went quiet, waiting, knowing that that wasn’t what this had been mostly about. “Unfortunately we were unable to stop most of the degradation.”

It hit like a tainted needle to the heart. “So I won’t be able to go out still?”

“To be honest you’ll be lucky if you’re able to move your hand to change the channel pretty soon let alone go out on your own.”

Shauna was the first up, the sound of flesh hitting flesh. “Doctor Karlov how dare you say that!” The feeling of Hanna holding Michael's arms did little to stave away the chill that ran through him.

Doctor Karlov gave Shauna a menacing look, “If you were anyone else I would have you reported for that. Shauna gave the doctor a look of pure and unadulterated spite, the hatred for the man so clear that the doctor stepped back from the sheer intensity of it. "With your bedside manners, I’m amazed that any hospital would suffer you, who gives a damn how talented you are." Sara her mother said nothing and left the room. Her face betraying nothing.

“Doctor Karlov, if that is all you had to say I must get ready to leave,” Luis interjected moving between the two as if to prevent things from getting physical. The Doctor nodded. “My night time nurse will come to relieve the girl of her nursing duties soon for the night, we have some other plans in the works Luis, it will take some time to implement though. I have no intention of letting your son waste away.”

“Or your paycheck,” Shauna said under her breath quietly enough where nobody could hear before sitting back down, her eyes red and puffy as if holding back a dam.

Tears from Hanna dripped down unto Micheal's arm, like icy needles, twisting the inside of his stomach with every drop. Please Hanna, if you start I won’t be able to hold it myself. He thought to himself

The room got silent and both Luis and Karlov left. Reginald stood there like a looming statue eying the doctor as he left disapproval all over his face. “Sir, could I get you anything?” The butler asked Micheal.

“No sorry, I kind of just want to sleep I guess.” He said his throat clenching up from the emotions he was trying to hold inside.

“Milady?” He asked directing himself at Shauna.

“Could you escort our ‘friend’ Karlov properly, the way he deserves?” She asked her face hinting at murder, the butler gave a wry smile and flexed some of his muscles as if they had secret plans as if testing them before the act of wringing the doctor's neck. He bowed and left.

It was completely dark, the sun had long passed since the bad news had been given. The night nurse had come and Shauna had reluctantly left Micheal. He hadn’t minded either way he had been numb, so numb that he felt dead inside. He had refused to eat and instead had turned to sleep.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

His sleep was restless and filled with nightmares, after one particularly nasty one he woke up. Awake; he shivered, violent ones that shook the whole bed with him. He looked up, a TV had been hung above him at the opposite end. The display had long turned off but a small digital clock lay underneath, 2:20 AM was lit in soft blue light. “Why is it so god damn cold in here?” he mumbled but then turned to the sound of something billowing in the wind. A window lay open only visible from the violent struggles of its curtains to be free.

Micheal moved his hand over to a button that was installed to his bed, ready to call the nurse to have her close the window but stopped. He tried to get up, having decided to get it himself. His hand gripped the cold bar at the side of his bed, but his grip wasn’t strong enough and he fell back, intense pain that almost made him yelp.

“Fuck!” He moaned, despair overtaking him. He tried again but it was too much for him. “God damn it.” Tears threatened to push through. He gave up trying to make his way to the window and fell back down into his bed. His eyelids squeezed tight as he desperately held back what he was feeling.

Would my life always be like this?

A burning pit of acid in his chest, the thought terrified of him.

I’d be better off dead.

It seemed so simple, no more doctor visits, no more surgeries, no more false hopes.

I want to die.

Eyes looked around the room with a new goal. The plate of food was still there, a steak knife lay next to it, clean and pristine, a beautifully ornate piece of silverware with an ivory handle as sharp as the day it was bought.

I want to die.

Hands reached out, grasping for the knife. He rolled to his right, chest pressing into the railing that served to make sure he didn’t roll off. The cold metal railing torturing his skin making it feel like it would burn right off from the cold.

I can’t take anymore.

Fingers brushed the wood of the food tray, grabbing a hold of it and pulling it towards him. He felt around ignoring the cold food that still lay on the plate. Then he held it in hand. The effort exhausting, Micheal he nearly dropped it as he collapsed back into his bed but managed to keep a hold of it. Shadows danced in the room, as if with a mind of their own, but Micheal only saw the knife. Even when the wind picked up and all the sounds of the little machines that kept track of him 24/7 had died. His eyes were glued to the knife that he could only see the slightest of. His head dizzy from breathing too fast for too long.

No more.

Or so he thought, until the moment that the cold steel touched his wrist. Frozen terror like nothing he had ever felt before ran through him. Did he want to die?

I don’t want to die.

I want to die.

Die.

No.

Please let it end.

On and on his inner conflict went stuck between the terror and despair, his hand shook. He let go of the knife and it clattered to the floor, the only noise in the now completely silent room. “I can’t do it.” He moaned tears finally breaking free from his control, and he shook.

It took a few minutes of calming down before he realized that there was something off about his room. It was too quiet. The clock no longer said the time. He looked over to the machines to his right, the ones that usually kept a measure of his vitals. Dead, completely off.

Was there a blackout? A single noise broke the eerie silencer. He looked over to where he thought the sound had come from and his eyes locked on to a figure where none had been moments before. Visible only by the moon’s light Micheal could feel the ice in his veins. What was this person doing here? The scent of fresh-turned ground filled the room, and he could see what he could only think of as black snowflakes. “Who are you?” He yelled out in terror.