Alone

ALONE

Mark awoke on the cold, hard floor of a dimly lit room. His face was covered in sweat even though the room was freezing. He could hear a low hum emanating from one corner of the room. He assumed it was an old air conditioner, though why on Earth anyone would have an air conditioner on in the middle of winter made no sense to Mark. He had no recollection of how he had gotten there. Te last thing he remembered was getting off work and leaving the hospital that night, getting into his car and stopping at his favourite take-away noodle shop for a quick dinner on the way home.

He stood shakily and looked around. He could hardly see anything so he strained his eyes to probe the darkness around him. In one corner of the room was table with a chair and a single piece of paper. Wiping the sweat from his face, Mark ventured closer to the table. He picked up the paper but could make no sense of what was written on it. Suddenly a blinding flash illuminated the room. Startled, Mark stumbled backwards into the table. Shielding his eyes and blinking hard to try and adjust them, Mark looked around the room. Now that there was light, Mark could see the room more clearly. There was indeed an air conditioning unit in one corner. There was also a door on one wall and a large mirror on another.

Mark looked at the paper again but even though the light was now on he still could not understand the message. He sighed and sat on the chair wondering how long he had been in this cold, windowless prison. Mark thought about who would want to keep him here and why. Frustrated, Mark ran up to the mirror and smashed it with his fists. Glass shards fell everywhere. Mark fell to the floor sobbing. His hands looked as though they had been through a blender.

Mark rose and looked sadly at his hands. He ripped the sleeves off his shirt and pain shot through his hands. He wrapped them in the soft material gently but firmly and within seconds, the material was stained red. He walked slowly over to the door and attempted to open it but, as he had suspected, the door was locked. Sighing deeply, he sank slowly to the floor and slept.

When he awoke, Mark stood and examined the paper again. This time though, now that his mind was refreshed and clear, he noticed that the words on the paper where written backwards. Using one of the mirror shards, he examined the note. It read:

Hello Dr Conner.
How are you feeling? If you are reading this then you have figured out my ingenious little trick. You may be wondering who I am and you why you’re here. Well I know you but you may not remember me. And you are here so I can exact my revenge. Chloroform is a wonderfully powerful chemical isn’t it?

Mark was worried. This psychotic freak that held him captive had obviously been following him for a while. Then, just as suddenly as it had gone on, the light went out. Mark’s heart skipped a beat and he could feel his hands shaking with fear. He heard a key turn in a lock. The door creaked as it swung open. Footsteps slowly made their way toward him.
“Who’s there?” Mark demanded.
There was no answer. He called again and this time a warped voice, like that of a person talking into a fan, said “Hello Dr Conner. Or should I say, Mark? You couldn’t save my father from a gunshot wound. You didn’t try hard enough. You couldn’t save him so let’s see if you can save yourself.”
There was a click and Mark felt his heart rate spike.
BANG!!
Pain shot through Marks chest as the bullet ripped through his flesh. He fell to the floor writhing in agony.
“Good bye Dr.” Mark heard footsteps and the door closing. He looked up weakly before collapsing. The feeling of cold crept over him. After a few minutes, he lay on the floor unmoving, in a pool of blood.

THE END?

Yes.