Noah was horrified by the hand. He tried to reach it, but his heavy, sick body began to rebel against him. Somehow, he managed to stand and approach the door. When he got closer, he tried to peer through the glass panel to see whose hand it was—but failed.
Suddenly, the hand disappeared. Noah was aghast at its sudden disappearance. As he leaned closer to look through the glass panel again, a masked figure's head suddenly popped into view out of nowhere. Noah flinched so hard that he fell backward. The door slowly opened, and Noah saw the masked figure approaching him—holding two severed heads.
Emma's head.
Ron's head.
Noah's eyes and mouth widened in absolute terror. He tried to crawl backward, but his body froze. He couldn't move a single muscle. Tears flooded his eyes as the realization hit him—he had failed to protect them both.
The masked figure raised the heads and began forcing them toward Noah's mouth.
Noah started choking—
—and then he woke up.
He was lying on the floor. Ahead of him was the door. He pressed the button beside it. Moments later, two doctors and three nurses rushed in and began checking him.
"It looks like schizophrenia caused by an overdose of a specific medication," one of the doctors said.
As Noah listened, his eyes drifted toward the doorway. Someone was standing there. His face was hidden beneath a hospital cap, but his hand gripped a wooden mask with two holes carved for the eyes.
Noah's mind spiraled into panic as memories of the masked figure and Ron flooded back.
"Noah! … Noah!"
The sudden voice pulled him out of the void.
Noah looked at the doctor—then back at the figure. It hadn't disappeared.
He realized with horror that it wasn't a hallucination.
Suddenly, Noah snapped. His mind shattered, and he went berserk. He screamed at the top of his lungs while desperately trying to rush toward the door.
"He's real! He's real! He'll kill all of you! They're the ones who attacked the Freedom Tower—and now we're all going to die!"
The doctors and nurses struggled to restrain him. One nurse rushed out to call security. Noah noticed something terrifying—the nurse hadn't reacted to the masked figure at all.
Before he could process it, dizziness washed over him.
He felt a sharp prick.
One of the doctors had injected him with anesthesia.
————————
Some time later, Noah woke up, still groggy from the pills and anesthesia. He tried to move his limbs but failed. He was seated in a chair, his arms and legs strapped tightly to restraints.
Sunlight hit his face, indicating it was noon. He had been unconscious for a long time.
In front of him sat Vyuk, on a plain chair.
"So, you're awake," Vyuk said. "I'm here to ask you a few questions. Are you okay with that?"
Noah merely shrugged.
"When you were hallucinating," Vyuk continued,
"you screamed, 'They are the ones who attacked the Freedom Tower.' What did you mean by that?"
Noah looked down, distressed.
"I was just… stressed," he replied.
Vyuk, unconvinced, pressed again.
"Listen, your mental condition isn't stable, and the doctors advised us not to pressure you. But you need to answer honestly. If you don't, your life—and Emma's—could be in danger."
Noah clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling beneath the drugs clouding his mind.
"Listen… I'm not in the mood to talk, and I'm hungry. Just leave me alone and inform the doctor."
Vyuk tried again. "Just answer—"
Before he could finish, Noah finally exploded.
"I don't give a fuck! Get out of my cabin! I don't know anything about that attack! If I say anything, they'll kill you and Emma! They're everywhere—I can't risk it!"
Vyuk sighed, still puzzled, and left the room.
Outside, a doctor was waiting.
"Officer Vyuk, I have something for you."
Vyuk raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
The doctor handed him a file. As Vyuk read, the doctor explained,
"Noah's nociceptors—the receptors responsible for sensing physical pain—are weakened and numb. Right now, his elbow is injured by a bullet, likely from the intruders who attacked him, but he isn't feeling any pain. Over time, his nociceptors are deteriorating further. He's lucky the bullet didn't lodge in his elbow, or it could've been critical given his condition."
Vyuk handed the file back.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I want you to inform Noah's loved ones," the doctor said.
Vyuk nodded.
"Alright. I'll let them know."