Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SAW! If I did, there would've been a SAW X (10)

This was just what he needed. His sister was slaughtered last year; he killed the man responsible with a fake trap last week; Jigsaw may be right on his tail by now; and his car broke down in the middle of a storm, so he had to walk a mile or so home.

Just fucking great.

"Should've brought my damn umbrella." Mark mumbled to himself as he kept walking on the sidewalk. It was technically his fault anyway. He was in such a hurry to get to work on time that he forgot to check the weather channel or ask Jackie if the weather would go bipolar, like always.

The cold rain showered onto him, making his hair and suit soaked. The view before him was pitch black besides the occasional flash of thunder, illuminating his path for a split second. A loud bang followed seconds after the flash. Hoffman reached for his currently holstered gun as a reflex while he stopped in his tracks.

He sighed, either in relief or disappointment, as his hands went back to his sides. "Just the thunder." he said to himself, as if to calm himself down. He never understood why he was so...jumpy. The last time he was like that was when he was in his early thirties, when he made the mistake of watching a horror flick in the middle of the night.

Maybe it's the rain, considering that he was always more jumpy when he was freezing his ass off. He didn't know the answer. He just wanted to get home where it's warm and dry. Not to mention not so lonely-feeling. There was no one there but him. Not a single car drove by. No one passed him on the sidewalk. Maybe there were people there. He just didn't see them.

Hoffman continued walking foreward as a flash of lightning lit the way. He hoped the rain would stop soon, since he was shivering so much.

But he didn't feel that cold.

Concerned, he sat on the drenched wooden bench beside the sidewalk for a moment. His heartbeat was irregular, and he didn't know why.

As his shivering began to cease, he stood, planning to move on. But as he got to his feet, the energy seemed sapped from them, his legs growing weaker and weaker. A throbbing pain developed within his chest. He began to see small specks of light, appearing to be stars. He couldn't even feel the ground anymore as he fell.

(Several moments later)

Hoffman's eyes fluttered open, no longer feeling any rain fall on him. He didn't see any, either. No rain, no thunder. Why he didn't notice it wasn't his main concern.

A woman, possibly in her thirties, sat on the bench beside him. She looked at him with worry in her eyes, just staring at him laying on his back on the cold, wet cement.

"You're awake," she said, her accent a fresh German, "Thank God for that."

"Who the hell are you?" Hoffman said as he sat up, "And what happened?"

She stood from her bench and walked towards him as she said, "I am Rebecca Mage."

"Mage? Aren't you from that family of psychics?"

"Ja, I am." she kneeled to meet his eyes level, "And about what happened, I saw you laying on the sidewalk. I checked your pulse and there was nothing, but you were still breathing."

"So I had a heart attack?"

"A fatal one, ja. But I saved you."

"You-" Hoffman couldn't think of anything to say at that point. There was no way he could be saved from a heart attack unless he was in a hospital. There's no way she could be a doctor. He said the only word he could muster in the situation, "How?"

Mage pointed a finger at his chest and said, "I gave you a new heart."

A new heart? It couldn't be it. He didn't see a single blood stain on his shirt under his blazer.

"I can feel your doubt," Mage said, "I didn't give you an 'actual' heart. I gave you eight orbs."

"Eight what?" Hoffman said with disbelief and doubt in his tone.

"Orbs." she responded, "One of them holds a small creature that keeps track of your system. Don't worry, it's harmless."

"What about the other seven?"

"Those are the orbs that, when together, function as well as a young, healthy heart."

"Really." Hoffman said, sarcasm very noticable in his voice.

"Ja. But there is a downside."

Silence. Not a word was spoken. Even the howling winds silenced themselves.

"You seem like a quick learner," Mage said as she stood, "I'm sure you can figure it out." She walked away.

Hoffman stood and dusted off his now filthy pants. He looked at Mage as she walked away from him.

"Crazy bitch." he said as he turned and walked off.