The man watched Riley struggle against the sheets, his attempt to rise hampered by the IV line and the dull ache in his bandaged head. The movement was slow, painful, and reckless.Riley, ignoring the intense throbbing in his skull, tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed. The effort immediately proved abortive. A searing lance of pain exploded behind his eyes, a blinding, white-hot flash that instantly reduced his desperation to a whimpering agony. He let out a sharp, guttural cry and slammed his hands against the thick white bandage wrapped around his forehead.The man reacted instantly, surging forward and reaching the bed in two long strides. He didn't attempt to restrain Riley forcefully, but instead knelt beside the bed, his voice dropping to a low, soothing murmur.“Easy, Riley! Easy, please,” he cautioned. “You must stop this immediately. Look at you. You’ve just sustained a serious injury; you can’t fight your body right now.”He gently eased Riley’s hands away from

The doctor paused over the unconscious Riley, his mouth turning into a cold smile. He leaned over Riley and extended his hand. With a trained, professional movement, he placed his index and middle fingers precisely on the carotid pulse point in Riley's neck, just beneath the jawline. He kept the pressure light and steady, counting the beats for a full fifteen seconds before removing his hand.Satisfied by the weak but persistent rhythm, a slow, malicious chuckle began to form at the corner of his lips. It started as a low rumble, growing quickly into a clear, echoing burst of derisive laughter that filled the sterile room.He threw his head back for a brief moment, reveling in the sound. After a few seconds, he slammed his mouth shut, cutting the laughter off mid-gasp, his eyes flicking nervously toward the closed door. He listened intently for any sound from the hallway, his heart pounding against his ribs, before relaxing, confident that the thick hospital door had muffled the outbu

The nurse smiled faintly, a tired, blood-smeared smile that belied the terror gripping her throat. She could barely draw in air, yet she managed to let out a final defiance."No matter how much you offered me," she rasped, the words thin and sharp against the pressure of his fingers, "I would never watch my patient be killed by anyone. Not for two hundred thousand dollars, or for three hundred thousand dollars, not even if you were ready to offer me a sum of one billion dollars."The doctor’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief at the mention of the billion-dollar figure, then narrowed instantly in pure rage. He let out a loud laugh, his voice echoing in the room.Instantly, his gaze snapped to the door, checking frantically whether the noise had alerted anyone in the hallway. He pulled the nurse back against the wall, his focus returning to his prey."Then I am going to grant your wish," he snarled, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "I'm going to kill you if you disagree to coope

The nurse watched the doctor convulse. The immediate, searing pain from the injected Viper-Toxin caused him to groan,his mouth falling open, but his larynx failed to produce a coherent word.The nurse stood over him, still fighting for her breath."To hell with your money," she hissed, her voice ragged but burning with fierce conviction. "That money means nothing when weighed against a human life. I will never allow or witness anyone killing a patient in my presence—or even somebody who is not even my patient—without using every means to save them."" It is against my profession. It is against my sacred oath. And it is against humanity in general."The doctor's face, contorted in a final paroxysm of rage and betrayal. He struggled to focus his eyes on her, his breathing becoming shallow and ragged as the toxin began its systemic work.He forced out a few shaky syllables, his voice a guttural whisper scraped raw from his drying throat." Henry Cardwell will surely come after you, Nurse