Facsimile

“...H-haha,” I let out a nervous laugh.

My entire body shuts down and collapses, leaning back against the cold concrete wall. Sweat, tears, and blood mix on my face.

In front of me is what seems to be an ordinary office worker, but his dirty appearance tells a different story. What should be a clean white uniform is covered in blood. The torn black tie, the exposed bleeding leg, I couldn't believe my eyes. His movements are unusual, almost alien-like, like a child just learning how to walk. In his left hand, a crushed cat, its life cruelly taken.

As I look at the man, fear coursing through my body, I question his humanity. W-What the fuck? He just killed a cat in front of a goddamn—

The man instantly clenches his hand, further crushing the cat. A sickening squelch echoes through the air. He releases his strength, and bits of fur, bones, and organs droop from the mound of flesh. It's a depressing and terrifying sight.

Oh shit... I never thought this would be how my life would end. I still have many things I want to do before I die.. I can't even call for help, it's like my mouth won't open.

He remains silent, the intensity of his gaze suggesting I may be his next target.

God, if there's even a God out there, at least let me say goodbye to my friends and family. I don't want to die without any meaningful last words..! I silently pray to any higher power that may exist, hoping for another chance.

“...S-Sir, please d-don't kill me,” after finally mustering up the courage to speak, I attempt to negotiate.

Only for a split second, a twisted smile creeps across his lips. D-Did he just smile?! This guy is fucking crazy!

He stays silent for a moment and suddenly moves. He discards the dead cat from his red hand, throwing it away properly in a nearby trash bin, his action contrasting the brutality he just displayed.

I was just on my way back home from school and ran into a cute cat.. I only followed that cat because it looked like it needed help with something. I'm so sorry... I sob in silence and close my eyes to pray despite knowing there's a deranged man in front of me. I hope you find your place in heaven.

I open my eyes and jolt in surprise as the man reaches out his bloodstained hand and gently touches my messy hair.

“Interesting,” he speaks, his words carrying a hint of curiosity. “Still an infant?”

Has he gone crazy?! What is this lunatic talking about?!

“I-Infant, sir..?” I manage to respond, my voice dry. “What do you m-mean?”

“..I see—”

“Hey! Hands in the air!”

Before he can provide an answer, a voice calls out from behind the office worker. I turn my attention to a man dressed in a blue and black police uniform, relief washing over my face as I realize I may be saved.

Finally...! I'm saved!

The police officer cautiously walks over to us, his taser aimed directly at the office worker, his hands steady but ready for action.

“I'd like to think that this is just some sort of elaborate play,” he mutters, his voice mixed with doubt and concern. “But my gut is telling me otherwise.”

In the blink of an eye, the office worker vanishes.

“What..! How—?” I stammer, confused by the sudden disappearance.

D-Did he..?! What the fuck just happened?!

The police officer quickly raises his taser, suggesting the possibility that the lunatic escaped onto the rooftops of nearby buildings.

“Hey!” he shouts, his face in disbelief and shock.

Without missing a beat, the officer rushes towards me, his attention fully focused on me, seemingly unconcerned with the fleeing suspect.

“Help! Call 911! We have an injured teenager here!” he commands to the surrounding onlookers, his voice cutting through the chaotic air. “Hang in there, kid. An ambulance is on its way. We'll get you the medical attention you need.”

Confusion clouds my thoughts as I attempt to protest. “What do you mean, officer? I'm oka—”

A sharp pain quickly surges through my right leg, and I notice that only my thigh is intact, the lower leg painfully absent.

My pupils dilate and pain fills my body. The overwhelming fear that had momentarily subsided earlier returns, pushing my anxiety to its limits.

An extreme, agonizing pain followed and consumed my entire leg. I cry in anguish, tears streaming down my face, the intensity like nothing I've ever felt before. It felt like the scorching inferno was ferociously burning my right leg alive, and the arctic blizzard was fiercely clawing and biting into my skin. As I continuously bawled my eyes out for who knows how long, my vision slowly fades into darkness until finally, I lose consciousness.

As my senses gradually awaken, I wake up to the strong smell of disinfectant in a silent room, interrupted only by my own breathing and the rhythmic beeping of the vital monitors. The walls shining a blinding white, breaking through my tired eyes, the floor gleaming with cleanliness as if not a single soul has stepped foot into the room at all, and the immaculately spotless bed I found myself resting in. I'm in a hospital.

With a sluggish effort, I pry open my eyes. I see two blurry silhouettes, and as I continuously struggle, the blurred figures slowly take shape, revealing themselves to be none other than my parents, their worried faces etched with a mix of relief and concern.

I address my parents, my voice weak and laden with confusion. “Ugh.. Mom? Dad? What.. What happened?” I ask, my memory hazy and unclear.

“Oh, my son! You're awake! Doctor, he's awake!” my mother calls out beyond the door.

Beside my mother is my father, tears running down his face. “Julius, are you alright? How are you feeling?” he says in a worried and depressing tone.

“...I—”

The door immediately opens, and a doctor enters, interrupting my response to my father. The doctor quickly grabs a nearby seat, and sits on my left, across my parents.

“Oh, doctor!” my mother shouts with a concerned tone.

“Good afternoon, Julius. How are you feeling?” the doctor asks immediately.

“...I'm good, I guess. What happened, and why am I here?”

“Alright, that's great. For what happened, we have no clue. However, there are some officers waiting outside for you, and they're asking if you can provide them a statement to help with this case.”

My father jumps in irritation. “What? He just woke up after 2 days and immediately you're pressuring him with the police?”

I was unconscious for 2 days? Damn, I could've finished my Legendary playthrough of Terraria.

The doctor responds calmly. “I understand your concern. I'm not telling your son to proceed with their questioning, and he doesn't have to do it if he doesn't want to.”

Damn right, I don't. I just woke up from my extremely long coma and I don't want any disturbance. I haven't even properly greeted my family yet.

“I don't want to,” I assert.

The doctor nods. “I understand, I'll tell them that. But when will you—”

“Doc, he said no,” my mother interrupts, cutting off the medical officer.

“...Alright,” The doctor gives up then faces me. “I'll leave you to your parents, Julius. I'll have a word with the agents outside.”

Both my parents shoot the doctor a glare as he exits the room. I catch a quick glimpse of two detectives seated across the door, one absorbed in his phone while the other jumps to attention as the doctor leaves.

The detective who jumped smiled. “Ah, doctor! Is he availab...” The door creaks closed and their conversation is cut off.

My mother sighs deeply. “That doctor is.. something. Anyway, sweetheart, how are you feeling?”

“I feel fine, other than this small recurring pain on my right leg,” I gesture to the spot where I'm hurt. “Couldn't bring it up earlier because that doctor kept interrupting.”

My father lets our a heavy sigh, his expression pained. “Kid...”

“Why, what happened? Is it amputated or something?” I attempt to lighten the mood with a chuckle.

My father's pupils dilate and my mother bows her head, tears streaming down her face as she responds. “...Y-Yes, Julius..”

Wait, what?

“Your right leg is gone, kid. In its place, well, see for yourself,” my father informs me with a sad tone.

My heart races as I process his words. “Gone? My leg? My leg is gone?” I repeat, disbelief evident in my voice.

My mother reaches out to gently hold my hand, her eyes flooding with tears. “I'm.. w-we're so sorry, sweetheart...”

...What? I feel.. somewhat okay with my leg being gone? Why am I not crying like my mother right now? One of my legs is missing, for crying out loud. Why am I so calm?

I blink, a mixture of surprise and confusion on my face. “..Huh. C-Can.. Can I see my leg?”

My parents exchange worried glances, unsure of how to respond to my unexpected reaction. My mother, eyes still brimming with tears, silently nods and reaches for the blanket covering my lower body.

She pulls back the blanket to reveal the space where my leg once was, and I gaze at the empty void with a strange sense of detachment.

“Wow,” I mutter.

My father clears his throat, his voice hoarse. “Julius, this is.. it's a lot to take in. Are you... Are you okay?”

I nod slowly, my expression somewhat thoughtful as I continue to stare at the void of what was once my leg. “Yeah, Dad. I think.. I think I'll be okay.” I reply, my own calm acceptance surprising me.

A moment of awkward silence engulfs the entire room. A short moment that felt like hours.

“...How is Jane?” I finally break break the silence, attempting to lighten the mood.

Both my parents light up at the mention of my sister, grateful for the change in topic, although still concerned over my well-being. They tell me stories of what happened in the past two days, the current happenings, and updating me on my sibling's situation. The conversation went on for hours until the visiting hours came to an end, and they reluctantly bid me farewell due to hospital policy.

I stare at the ceiling in the darkness, the only hint of light being the moonlight entering through the window.

I have time to myself.

Alone in the silence of the hospital room, I try to piece together the events of two days ago.

My parents mentioned a "crazed lunatic killer" attacking me for no apparent reason. They haven't found the culprit yet, which is worrying.

As I lay in my bed, the memories of my encounter with the assailant suddenly flooded my mind like a raging wave. I remember the alley, the figure of the office worker, the poor cat, and the terror that gripped me as I faced him.

A headache followed, a reminder of the trauma I experienced on that day. But beneath the pain, clarity emerges, washing away the fog that clouded my memory.

Shit..! My head hurts. Ah, an office worker and a cat...?

My musings were abruptly interrupted by the jarring ringtone of my phone that my parents left on my desk on my left, breaking the silence of the room.

...Wait, what if that's the killer? Ha, I've seen enough killer-horror films to know that trick. You won't get through me, murderer! I'll just turn it off.

I attempt to turn off the phone, but somehow to no avail. Is it broken? Hacked? I shake my head in disbelief, unable to understand why it won't stop ringing.

The minutes pass, and the recurring noise pierces through the silence of the night. I try to ignore it, but it's like a relentless assault on my senses.

I have had it! This thing is so ridiculously loud I'm questioning the hearing of the other patients who could have been complaining about this noise five minutes ago!

Enough is enough. I reluctantly answer the call, my patience wearing thin. “Hello? Who the fuck are you to call somebody in the middle of the night?” I snap, my voice strained with irritation. “Explain yourself.”

“Get out of that room right now!” a stern female voice is heard from my phone.

I scoff at the audacity of the caller's demand. “What is this? A fucking prank call? Grow up, ma'am. I am not leaving my room,” I quickly hang up, refusing to entertain any further nonsense.

Seriously, what's the deal with people these days? I'll whitelist my phone number tomorrow. Right now, I just need some rest.

Just as I begin to fall asleep, the door creaks open. I irritatingly wake up and my gaze shifts to the figure entering the room.

From the pristine white coat and the shining light reflecting off what seems to be a stethoscope, I realize it's the same doctor who had visited me and my parents earlier. Suspicion eats away at me as I eye him warily, his presence feeling increasingly ominous.

“..Hey, doc? Good evening, or night. What are you here for?” I question, trying to keep my voice steady despite the uneasiness filling the room.

The doctor's stays silent as he strides forward, his expression unreadable. With each step he takes, a chill settles over the room, sending shivers down my spine.

Without warning, his expression changes, the previously calm demeanor he held earlier fading away to reveal a sinister aura. Overwhelming fear runs through my body, similar to how prey feels in front of its predator.

“You know,” he begins, his voice filled with malice. “I would really like to use scalpels to get this over with, but that would make a bigger mess than what I'm about to do.”

Panic grips me as his words sink in, sending a wave of terror coursing through my veins. Every fiber of my being screams at me to flee and escape, but I'm frozen in place, trapped in the clutches of fear.

“What.. What do you mean?” I stammer, my voice barely above a whisper.

A cold smile creeps on the doctor's lips as he looms over me, his gaze piercing through my soul. “You know too much.”

The doctor jumps at me with the intent to kill, and no more than a few minutes of resistance and hundreds of screams for help, he has my neck at the tips of his fingers. He grips tighter and tighter every passing second, my blood escaping and dripping off his arms, turning the bedsheets from a pure white into a crimson fabric.

Fuck..! Seriously, what is happening to my life?! First, that cat killer lunatic, now this doctor is out to get me!

I attempt one last call for help, but the doctor strangling my neck leaves me out of breath as I drift into the deep, dark abyss once more.

...Help me.