Kate is obviously panicking. She practically yells my name, and looks up at me as if I'm about to disappear.
"Daniel, Daniel are you ok? I heard the shot and you were over there and-" She runs her hands up and down my chest checking for wounds. I have to concentrate on keeping my heartbeat down.
I step back and shake my head quickly trying to clear it. I put my arms out in front of me to keep her back.
"I-I-I'm fine Kate. Or at least I think so."
"Hold on a second. That bullet is still in the air. Oh Daniel. You're far from fine."
"But I'm whole Kate. I'm fine, my body is fine."
"Your mind isn't. It's obvious that I'm a hallucination."
"I suppose I know that."
"So why am I here? And when did this delusion start?"
"I- I don't know."
"You don't know which?"
"I don't know either. It all seems so real."
"It always does doesn't it?"
"I suppose so. Do you remember picking me up from my house? Did we ever leave for this place? Or am I wandering my house like a mad man right now?"
"Daniel, I'm your delusion. I'm inside your mind; I remember what you remember. I'm not exactly a reliable witness."
"I suppose that's true."
"So let's try the other one. Why am I here?"
"I think you're here to help me solve the puzzle."
"What's the puzzle? I don't see a puzzle here, I just see a room."
"A room that's frozen in time."
"Still not getting the puzzle part."
"I have to start it moving again."
"I see. You have to end the stalemate."
"Yes. Yes. The stalemate."
"Well what's causing it?"
"I don't know. My mind I suppose."
"Your mind or your emotions?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your fear Daniel. It's not just you and that bullet that are at a stalemate."
"What are you talking about?"
"You and me Daniel. It's obvious we're attracted to each other, we like each other, so what's causing the stalemate?"
I know my face is that of a dear in the headlights, but I can't seem to fix it.
"I- Wha- Why are we talking about this now?"
"You tell me! I'm part of your head!"
"I- I- I need to solve the puzzle."
"Fine!" She flings her arms in the air and brushes past me. She begins to walk purposefully toward the bullet suspended in the air.
"Kate! Kate what are you doing?"
"I'm solving the puzzle for you Daniel." She winks with the knowledge of my subconscious.
She crosses the room and stands in front of the bullet. Immediately everything starts to move. Now I'm the one panicking. The room is moving in slow motion, the bullet millimeters at a time, but still closer and closer to Kate's heart. To my heart. She's part of me.
"NO! Kate stop! Get out of the way!"
"Why?"
"Because it will kill you!"
"And why would you care?"
"Because I care about you!"
"Not good enough."
"Because you're my friend!"
"Still not good enough."
"Because you're my student and my partner and one of the only people who have stuck around for me who are real!"
"NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH. DANIEL!" The bullet is inches from her.
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"
She steps back and the bullet slows so it's barely moving.
"There we go." Her voice is softer and understanding.
"Don't scare me like that."
"But fear is the only thing that will motivate you. It's what motivates everything you do. You're afraid. You're afraid of me leaving you, you're afraid of me pitying you, you're afraid of me not loving you, but most of all you're afraid that I do love you. And of course, you're afraid of that bullet. You're afraid of that bullet, or some other bullet, because there's always one moving toward me. Just like this one."
They both stare at the bullet, still gliding ever so slowly.
"You're afraid of me, because I chose to work in law enforcement, because I'm always in danger, and you can't always save me."
I step towards her and put my hands on either side of her face.
"You terrify me Kate Moretti."
I lean down and place my lips on hers ever so gently. She reciprocates the contact, rising up to the balls of her feet to compensate for the height difference. I pull back after a moment and she smiles warmly at me. Then she steps away from me and starts to walk the room again.
"Of course your fear is also what caused this hallucination in the first place."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at the bullet."
I do, and notice for the first time that it has once more stopped.
"You saw you were in danger. There was a gun pointed at you, there was a loud noise, there was utter chaos. Your mind compensated."
"So that would mean this delusion started when the gun was fired." I breath a sigh of relief. I haven't been out of my mind since before we left, or when we entered the building, or anything like that. I'm always afraid of suddenly realizing I haven't been in reality for a very long time.
"Probably." Kate replies. Her face is chagrined though.
"What's wrong now?" I ask.
"It started after the bullet was fired Daniel. Time can't actually stop, and that bullet has one possible trajectory."
"Have I-"
I practically choke.
"Kate have I been shot?"