Disclaimer: I do not own Scrubs, and probably never will
Disclaimer: I do not own Scrubs, and probably never will. However, I do own this particular plotline. PLEASE DO NOT STEAL!
Author's Note: Ah, yes. This is exactly what I've been waiting for! Since, I've been a huge fan of the show Scrubs for quite some time, I've been waiting around for a good Halloween episode to air. But there hasn't been one! So, to speed up the process, I decided to write my own episode.
Please forgive me if this sucks. I just got bored one day and decided to do a Scrubs/Saw crossover. The humor of Scrubs is still going to be intact, but the thrill and suspense of the Saw movies will also be present.
Enjoy! Please read & review! Thanks. )
My Nightmare
Chapter One
Turk
There wasn't much too see as Chris Turk fluttered open his eyelids and cautiously peered around the room. He was lying on his very own bed in his apartment. Everything in the room appeared to be in its proper place. So why was he feeling so uneasy about something?
He attempted to push himself up into a sitting position, when a sudden jerk pulled him back. What was that? He wondered to himself. What the hell is going on?
Turk analyzed his body carefully, wondering what could have possibly gone wrong. His chest was bare, which wasn't unusual, considering that he usually slept in pajama pants and nothing more.
A quick glance at the digital clock confirmed that it was only eight o'clock at night. What could he possibly have been doing in bed so early? The last place he remembered being was at the hospital where he worked. He had a scheduled appendectomy for three-fifteen in the afternoon. Had Turk ever performed the procedure? He couldn't remember. And if he had, at what point in time did he drive home from work? Turk couldn't remember that either.
A heavy feeling of dread was beginning to slowly creep across the young surgeon. He was normally so organized, so focused. Turk took his job very seriously, so it was a big disappointment that he was feeling so absentminded.
He tried to sit up once again, but something still restrained him from doing so. Turk looked down at his arms and let out a gasp of horror.
The heavy chains that were clamped tightly around his wrists jangled loudly. He had been bound to the headboard by his arms.
Turk pulled with all of his might, trying helplessly to free himself from the chains. But it was no use. Every time he jerked them, the metal cuffs dug painfully into his skin.
"Help me! Please!" He cried out, not really expecting anyone to hear him.
For the next few minutes, he continued to struggle against the chains. With a disgruntled sigh of defeat, he finally let his head fall back against the wall and closed his eyes. Turk had no idea what was happening to him, but knew that it couldn't be good.
Turk squeezed his bed sheets so tightly that his knuckles turned white. A sudden image flashed through his head. He could see himself, many months later, still chained up in his apartment. His hair had grown longer and the beard on his face suggested that he hadn't shaved in a long time.
His eyes flew open almost immediately. No, Turk, He thought to himself, you will not let that happen to you.
There was just no way that he was going to stay chained to his bed forever. Turk wasn't about to give up without a fight. That was one of the main reasons he had become a surgeon in the first place.
"Help!" He called out again. "Please, somebody, help me!"
One of the neighbors has to hear me shouting, Turk told himself, these walls can't be that thick.
"Help!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small object resting at the foot of the bed. Turk squinted and soon discovered that it was a tape recorder.
Curiously, Turk began moving his feet, trying to move it closer to him. The tape recorder had to be a clue of some kind, since neither him, nor his wife even owned one.
When he had kicked the object close enough that he could reach, Turk carefully extended his index finger and pressed play.
"Hello, Dr. Turk," the deep voice rasped, "I want to play a game. As a skilled surgeon, you are forced to literally take your patients' lives into your own hands. Throughout your entire career, you have either saved lives or taken them away. You understand that the slightest mistake can result in death. Take this into consideration as you begin your first task."
Turk cringed at the sinister message he was listening to. He really didn't want to hear any more, but knew that he had to pay attention if he wanted to escape.
"As you can probably tell," the voice continued, "the chains around your wrists are the only things keeping you from escaping. There is a key that will free you but in order to obtain it, you have to agree to cooperate. If you are released and fail to keep your end of the deal, prepare to face the consequences. Live or die, it's your choice."
He shuddered in fear as the recording ended. Live or die? I don't even want to think about death right now! I have a wonderful family that I'm supposed to be taking care of!
Turk suddenly froze, remembering his wife and baby girl. They needed him. If he died right here, who was going to provide for them? He instantly knew what he needed to do.
Tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he took in another deep breath. I'm doing this for you, Carla, He decided, I'm doing this for you and little Izzy. I'm gonna make it out of here, I promise.
"Alright, I'll do it," He said out loud.
The wall behind him suddenly began to vibrate. The noise was so close to his ears that it was deafening. For a second, he thought, Oh, shit, I made the wrong choice. It's all over. I'm dead meat. Sorry, ladies. I wanted to make it – I really did.
Turk closed his eyes and waited to be executed. When nothing happened, he looked around. The wall had stopped moving and the room stood silent again.
"What the -."
That was when he noticed the small compartment in the wall that had been opened. Something small and shiny was resting inside. Turk leaned closer and examined it. Yes, it was definitely a key. And it would free him from his prison.
There was just enough slack in the chains that allowed him to reach up and grab the key. His fingertips tingled once he had it in his hand, the smooth metal surprisingly cool to the touch.
It took Turk less than five seconds to unlock the chains. He got up and stretched his arms out, momentarily forgetting how good it felt to be free.
For a few minutes he just stood there, enjoying the fact that he had made it through his first task alive. Whoever had captured him in the first place and chained him up must have had a good reason for doing so. And Turk knew he was about to find out.
He slowly crossed the room, unsure whether it would be safe to open the bedroom door. The person who was behind all of this, obviously enjoyed mind games. He probably found enjoyment in toying with people's heads. This was a good enough reason for Turk to be wary of every possible thing that could go wrong.
Like the man had said on the tape, "The slightest mistake can result in death." Turk knew that and he practically lived by it. While working in a hospital for the past seven years, he had witnessed more deaths than most people experienced in a lifetime. He had gotten so accustomed to watching people die, that he hardly ever thought twice about it. But now that his own life was on the line, Turk was seeing death in a whole new perspective.
Turk pressed his right ear against the door and listened for any strange noises. However, the rest of the apartment stood still and silent.
He reached down and gripped the door knob tightly in his hand. With one precise motion, he turned the knob and threw the door open, quickly dodging to the side. Turk had expected something to come shooting out at him.
When nothing happened, he instantly felt stupid for acting so dramatic. But remembering his new theory on life and death, Turk felt better. He would have rather lived an exciting life even if he died tragically, as long as he knew he had been happy.
Turk padded through the doorway and into the next room. He noticed a bright red arrow painted on the floor just outside his bedroom. It was pointing into the kitchen/living area. He made his way through the empty apartment and stopped when he stood in his kitchen.
"Okay, man," He called out, even though no one was there, "what do you got planned for me now?"
He noticed a sheet of yellow paper sitting on the counter. Two inches away was another tape recorder.
Turk raised the paper to his face and read the message aloud to himself.
"One moment can save a life. Another can take it away. Be careful with your next task. Time is of the essence."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Turk let the paper flutter out of his hand and onto the floor. He picked up the tape recorder and pressed play.
"Congratulations, Turk. If you are listening to this, it means you have survived your first task. Pretty easy, huh? Well, I promise you that number two won't be as simple as the first one. Head on into the living room to begin your second task. And good luck."
Turk spun on his heels and wandered into the living area, still holding onto the tape recorder, even though it was useless to him now.
As he neared the couch, Turk noticed that the TV had been turned on. But the screen was all fuzzy, like there was a bad cable connection.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he felt something tickle his feet. Turk gazed down at the floor and noticed that he had walked right into the path of a cord and had triggered some sort of device resting on the top of the television.
There were a few short clicking noises, before the TV went blank. It suddenly turned back on, revealing a pale-faced clown puppet that Turk was sure he had seen somewhere before.
"Now for your next task," the clown began, speaking in the same gravelly voice that had been on both tapes.
The screen suddenly changed, revealing a nearly empty room. There was a person sitting in the middle, curled up in a tiny ball, as if trying to keep warm.
"You might recognize this man as John Michael Dorian. Or as you call him, J.D. This guy is your pal, your close friend who you met back in med school. The two of you have been inseparable ever since. You even got hired at the same hospital."
Turk tried to force back the tears that were trying to push their way out of his eyes. This sick freak had gotten a hold of his best friend. Poor J.D, he thought, I'm sorry he did this to you.
"You guys sure looked out for each other, like brothers. Several years ago, you even took out his appendix when he needed the surgery. J.D. trusted you with his life, and you did not disappoint him," the voice went on.
The curled-up man on the screen twitched and went limp again. Turk watched his friend just sit there, motionless and he knew there was nothing he could do to help him.
"Since you have already proved that you can save him, I have no doubt in my mind that you can do it again. Which is why this time, it is not up to you. J.D. has to save himself."
The evil-looking puppet returned to the screen.
Turk's nostrils flared in anger. How dare anyone mess with his friends!
"Do not worry, Dr. Turk. You still have an important role in this game. As his best friend, it's going to be your job to coach him through his own task. But in the end, only he can save himself."
Turk gulped, not wanting to hear any more.
"But J.D's task cannot begin yet; first, you must go back to the place where it all began. You spend an average of seventy hours a week at this location. There will be a series of tasks waiting for you there. Once those are completed, your final task will begin."
The clown paused and narrowed his eyes at Turk.
"But don't forget. You have exactly an hour and a half to finish the other tasks. If you do not complete them in the allotted time, J.D's task will start without you and you will be unable to help him. I'm sorry to say that for this particular scenario, time is not on your side. So, choose wisely. You only have ninety minutes."
The TV screen turned fuzzy and then it went blank.
With trembling fingers, Turk reached up to scratch his waxed head. His closest friend in the whole world had been captured as well. And if J.D. failed to save himself, Turk would be forced to watch him die.
Turk walked over to the TV and noticed a walkie-talkie taped to the side of it. He pulled it off and examined it. There was another message taped to the back of the small device.
"How many janitors does it take to change a light bulb?" Turk read to himself.
"What the hell does that mean?" He said out loud. Then the gears in his head began turning. It must be some kind of trick question, Turk decided. Whoever is doing this wants me to lose by over thinking the question. Boy, am I too smart for this!
Turk took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever would come next. "The answer is one. It takes one janitor to change a light bulb," He said.
"Hehehehe!" Came a high-pitched giggle that sounded like it belonged to a small child.
Turk's eyes flew around in every direction, trying to find the source of the laughter. He had never before been afraid of his own apartment, until now.
When nothing else happened, Turk let out a sigh of relief and glanced down at the walkie-talkie in his hand. "Now what?" He asked himself. Turk tried to push in the talk button, but nothing happened.
That was when he noticed the screen was flashing a message: Please choose a channel.
Turk furrowed his brows. What channel was he supposed to turn it to? There were no instructions for that part of the puzzle.
He turned the small device over and over again in his palms, desperately trying to find another clue. With no such luck, he hurled the walkie-talkie across the room. It landed on the sofa with a small thud.
The chilling laughter pierced through the silence of the apartment once again.
"WHO IS THAT?!" Turk howled. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!"
His hands flew up to his face and he dug his dull fingernails into his cheeks in anger. Turk didn't even know he was crying until his palms were soaked through. He wandered aimlessly around his living room, trying to stop the tears.
"How many janitors does it take to change a light bulb?" The offending question echoed in his mind. "The answer is one. It takes one janitor to change a light bulb."
And just like that, Turk's own light bulb went on in his head. "One!" He shouted. "That's the answer!"
Turk raced over to the couch and snatched up the walkie-talkie. Using his left thumb, he pressed the button that said, "Channel One." There was some static, and then J.D's familiar voice sounded through the speaker.
"Hello, hello? Can anyone hear me?" J.D called.
The surgeon pressed the talk button. "Hey, buddy. It's me! Are you alright?"
There was a long pause. "Turk!" J.D. exclaimed, "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure, J.D. There are a lot of weird things going on tonight. But are you sure you're okay?" Turk asked.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just don't know where I'm at."
Turk's eyes wandered over to the television screen. The same bare room was visible again, however, the camera angle didn't show any sign of J.D.
He pressed in the talk button again. "Hey, buddy. Can you see where you are?"
"Yep. I'm in this strange room. It almost looks like an abandoned warehouse or something."
Turk sighed. "You're not tied up or anything, are you?"
"Nah."
"Great! Now take a lap or two around the room," Turk instructed. He lowered the walkie-talkie and focused his eyes on the TV.
Before long, there J.D was. He first appeared in the bottom right corner, and could been seen skipping the perimeter of the room. Turk instantly felt a surge of relief.
"Nice, man. You can stop now."
"What was that for?" J.D. asked.
Turk rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, I can see you through the TV in my apartment."
"No, way! There must be some kind of hidden camera somewhere," J.D. pointed out.
"Definitely."
As much as Turk wanted to find out where his best friend was, he knew that it wasn't part of his job to know. All he needed to do was help J.D save himself. How he would do that, he didn't know.
"Hey, man. Hang in there. I'm coming to find you," Turk spat into the walkie-talkie.
"Okay, Turk. I'll be waiting."
Turk switched the power off on the communication device and scratched his head in annoyance. Even though it was a total lie, and he no intention of searching for his friend, Turk didn't feel bad for fibbing. It wouldn't make things any easier if J.D. started freaking out, and Turk knew giving him a false sense of hope would keep that from happening.
All of a sudden the TV buzzed and the screen changed again. The evil puppet's face appeared for the third time.
"Careful, Turk. Time is ticking away. Don't forget, J.D. is waiting for you." The raspy voice reminded him.
"I know that!" Turk screamed. "But what am I supposed to do now?! There are no more instructions!"
But then it hit him. The clown had given him instructions already. But he must not have paid attention.
Turk scampered around the living room, in search of the TV remote. He finally found it underneath an empty popcorn bowl. He quickly hit rewind, and watched as the puppet began moving backwards at high speed. When it looked like it was at the right spot, Turk hit play.
"First, you must go back to the place where it all began. You spend an average of seventy hours a week at this location. There will be a series of tasks waiting for you there. Once those are completed, your final task will begin," The puppet said.
Turk hit pause and wracked his brain. A place where it all began. Hmmm. Where am I at seventy hours a week? "Oh!" It had suddenly come to him.
"Sacred Heart! I'm at Sacred Heart Hospital seventy hours a week." Turk realized.
And that is where everything began, he thought, that's where I met my wonderful wife, it's where I befriended Elliot Reid and all of my fellow surgeons. It's where my actual wedding was held, and where my baby girl, Isabella Turk, was born.
With another small tear sliding down his cheek, Turk suddenly felt an extreme sadness. All of these years he had taken the hospital for granted. He only saw it as a living hell, because that was his place of employment. But, now, looking back on the past seven years he had spent at Sacred Heart, he was finally realizing how many wonderful memories that place held.
But remembering all of these events also gave him a sense of hope. As long as he remembered what he was trying to achieve, Turk would have no problem guiding himself through these tasks. A psycho may have been trying to mess with his mind, but Turk didn't care. Nothing was going to stop him from saving his friend.
Turk proudly marched over to the door and pulled his jacket off the hook. Once he was bundled up, he threw the apartment door open and stepped out into his doom.
Note: I hope you all enjoyed that one. The next chapter should be up in a week or so, but maybe longer, since I'm working at a haunted house starting tomorrow. Please bear with me if I cannot update soon enough. I will eventually post another chapter, even if its not for another month. Thanks for reading & feel free to review!
)
Up Next:
Chapter Two
The Todd
