Chapter 6 - Unexplained

Miles walked along the corridor with the vision of that day in his mind. Why did he have to inflict this on himself? He wept inwardly. Nick was going through a far worse pain that he was... In a sense. His cowardice was all that kept him from breaking down the barriers between himself and Nick - why should he tell him the truth when it would only destroy all that he had remaining? He felt an icy chill freeze him over, defying the summer sun that shone on him.

"Hey Miles, you okay?"

"I'm fine... I'm just tired," he lied.

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The fuzzy shapes in the room started to come into focus as Nick returned to reality. A pink-haired figure stood over him, holding a bag of grapes. He mumbled a sign of recognition to her.

"Finally! We expected you to be out for a while, but 4 days? Talk about taking advantage..."

Nick finally found enough strength to talk.

"...What are you talking about...?" he sighed groggily.

"You got shot by some guy in an alleyway. The bullet hit you in the chest, a few inches away from your heart, but it looked like he was aiming for the head. You got lucky with me finding you in time before you bled dry - they said you were so close to death they could see you slipping away..."

"Closer than you could ever believe..." Nick muttered to himself.

"Sorry?"

"N-Nothing. Who are you, anyway?"

"Me? I'm Clarissa, Clarissa White. I'm your assigned attorney for the trial once you're up and walking." What remained of Nick's happiness drained away. He had completely forgotten about the murder trial he would have to face.

"It appears that the man who tried killing you isn't around to tell us his motive, but I can't help feeling uneasy about his demise... He was in stable condition when they brought him in, but then his body just gave up - it was as if he had lost the will to live..." Clarissa's face looked truly disturbed. Here she was talking to the man she would have to defend in court and already she was wrapped up in something nobody could explain.

"Anyway, you try to get some rest. I'll be back whe--"

She was interrupted by a panicked shriek.

"Doctor Razura! 5 patients in ward 7 have dropped dead! What the hell do we do?!!"

End of chapter 6