Jack lay in the hospital bed. Darron had dragged him there a couple of days ago when he fell down the stairs after passing out. It had finally come out into the open that he had a brain tumor, and there was nothing anyone could do. Everything in the past few days had become very blurry and filled with staggering pain. He could not eat, he could not sleep, and he could hardly think. Jack did not want to die this way, he would have been glad if Xander had killed him that day on the couch.
He took a deep breath and grimaced. He loathed the smell of hospitals, all they reminded him of was weakness and death. Weakness, the one thing he feared more than death. The past few moths at Darkwood had been nearly unbearable. At every turn he was shown how weak he was in comparison to those with power, and he hated it.
He reached for the remote to the TV, that sat on the table, but could not quite touch it, and when he did, he accidentally pushed it away. He groaned. The show was a special on the "paranormal". A bald doctor sitting in a maroon chair talked with some news reporter about his theories. The reporter addressed him as Dr. Miller.
Jack shook his head. So many people searched for things like that. Aliens were high on the list, and then there were people like the ones at Darkwood. Jack was not sure about the former, but he had experienced the latter first hand. It made him laugh to think that he knew more that Dr. Miller. But he stopped laughing when the pain in his head increased.
A bird hopped into his room through his half open window, a little robin. It flew onto his bed and chirped at him.
"Go away," Jack grumbled. He reached again for the remote, and this time, successfully grabbed hold of it. Then, he threw it at the bird, pathetically. It did not even come close to hitting it. But the bird lit off his bed and dropped to the floor. And then, to Jack's surprise, grew up into a human. Karma.
"Oh, please tell me I'm hallucinating," Jack moaned.
A broad grin slowly formed on Karma's face. "Sorry lover-boy," she said silkily. "I'm the real thing."
"What do you want woman, can't you just let me die in peace?" He asked.
She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and slid onto the side of his bed, not bothering to push her skirt down. "Oh Jack, do you really think I'd miss this? I like to see too it that my work gets accomplished."
The pounding in Jack's head filled his ears. What is she talking about? He wondered. "Work?"
"Mmmm yes, my work," she put a hand on his leg. "Your little tumor is a gift from me."
Jack weakly tried to push her hand away, but failed miserably. "Is this about breaking up with you? Man, I knew something funny was going on when I went right after I broke up with you I found out that I had this stupid tumor."
"It's more than just breaking up with me Jack." Karma sighed as if she were bored. "It's that you're a vermin, I loath vermin. They disgust me. However, your little relationship ender did push me to my decision."
She slid her hand up his chest and let her long nails glide over his neck. Goose bumps rose up on his skin. He swallowed hard as the pain worsened. Just like their relationship had always been. As she warmed up to him at the same time she had something destructive in mind.
He took her hand and pressed it onto the bed. "Stop," he said hoarsely.
Karma leaned in closely, grabbing his chin. "I had you once baby, don't think I couldn't have you again." She let go of his face and then stood up. But instead of leaving she reached down to touch his forehead.
Everything went black and the air stopped in his throat. As he slipped into the darkness he vaguely remembered the sound of the heart monitors screaming and pounding feet entering his room.