Rebound: The CEO'S Revenge System

Chapter 6: A Close Call

The sound of the door handle turning was loud. Click.

To Ryan, it sounded like a gunshot.

He was lying in his bed. He was supposed to be in a coma. He was supposed to be a "vegetable," a man who could not move, think, or speak. But he was awake. He had just been reading the blue System screen floating in the air.

Panic hit him hard. His heart started to beat very fast. Boom-boom, boom-boom. If they saw his eyes open, it was over. If they saw him sweating, they would know. They would kill him for real this time.

"System!" Ryan thought loudly in his head. "Help me!"

A blue box flashed in his mind.

[Skill Available: Hibernation Level 1]

[Effect: Lowers heart rate. Lowers body temperature. User appears dead or in a deep coma. Pain is reduced by 50%.]

[Cost: 2 Energy Points]

"Activate!" Ryan screamed in his mind. "Do it now!"

The door began to open.

Ryan shut his eyes tight. He let his body go loose. Suddenly, a cold feeling washed over him. It started in his chest and moved to his toes. It felt like he was sinking into a bath of ice water. His racing heart slowed down.

Thump…

Thump…

Thump…

His breathing became very shallow. He did not need much air. His mind was awake, but his body felt heavy, like a bag of wet sand.

He heard footsteps enter the room.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Those were high heels. It was his stepmother, Clara.

Thud. Thud.

Those were heavy leather shoes. A man. It was Mark, the family lawyer.

Ryan lay perfectly still. He focused on the darkness behind his eyelids. He could smell them. 

Clara smelled like strong, expensive flowers. It was a smell that used to make him sneeze. Now, it made him sick. Mark smelled like stale coffee and cigarettes.

"Look at him," Clara said. Her voice was cold. There was no love in it. "He looks peaceful. It is a shame."

"Is it?" Mark asked. His voice was rough. "Or is it convenient?"

Clara laughed softly. It was a cruel sound. "Very convenient. With him like this, the company is mine. The house is mine. Everything is mine."

Ryan felt a hot anger in his chest. He wanted to sit up. He wanted to shout, "I can hear you!" But the Hibernation skill kept him down. His muscles were locked.

The footsteps moved closer. Ryan could feel their presence right next to the bed. He felt a shadow fall over his face.

"Are you sure he is gone?" Mark asked. "Doctors make mistakes. I have seen people wake up from comas before. If he wakes up, we go to jail, Clara."

"He won't wake up," Clara said. "The doctor said his brain is mush. He is empty inside."

"I want to be sure," the lawyer said.

Ryan felt a hand grab his wrist. The hand was cold and rough. Mark lifted Ryan’s arm and then let it drop.

Flop.

Ryan’s arm hit the mattress. He did not react. He did not tense his muscles. The skill did the work for him.

"See?" Clara said. "Dead weight."

"Reflexes can be tricky," Mark mumbled. "Let’s test the pain response."

Ryan’s mind raced. Pain response? What is he going to do?

He heard a small click. It was the sound of a pen. A ballpoint pen.

"Mark, don’t leave a mark," Clara warned. "The nurses will ask questions."

"Just a little poke," the lawyer whispered.

Ryan waited. Every second felt like an hour. He focused on the darkness. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move.

Then, he felt it.

The sharp tip of the metal pen dug into the soft skin of his inner arm. It was not a gentle poke. Mark pushed hard. He twisted the pen.

Pain shot up Ryan’s arm. It burned like fire. Even with the Hibernation skill reducing the pain by half, it hurt. It felt like a wasp stinging him, over and over again.

His body wanted to jump. His leg wanted to kick. His mouth wanted to scream.

“Hold it,” Ryan told himself. “Think of the revenge. Think of what they did to you.”

He remembered the car crash. He remembered the brakes failing. He remembered Clara smiling at his father’s funeral. He used that hate to freeze his body.

The pen dug deeper. The lawyer was really trying to hurt him.

Ryan did not twitch. He did not frown. His breathing did not change. The skill kept his heart slow. Thump. Thump.

Finally, the pressure stopped. The pen was pulled away.

Ryan felt the stinging spot on his arm throb, but he stayed limp.

"Nothing," Mark said. He sounded disappointed, or maybe relieved. "Not even a twitch."

"I told you," Clara sighed. "Stop being paranoid. He is finished."

"Just a reflex," Mark said, putting his pen back in his pocket. "He is a vegetable."

Vegetable.

The word hung in the air. They thought he was a plant. Something to be watered and ignored. Something with no soul.

"Good," Clara said. "Let’s go. We have papers to sign. I want the transfer complete by tomorrow."

"And the life support?" Mark asked.

"Give it a month," Clara said. "Then… oops. A power failure. A machine error. We will pull the plug."

Ryan listened to their plan to murder him. They spoke about his death like they were ordering lunch.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Thud. Thud.

The footsteps moved away. The smell of strong flowers and stale smoke began to fade.

The door opened.

"Goodbye, Ryan," Clara called out. She sounded happy. "Sleep tight."

The door closed. Click.

Ryan waited. He counted to sixty in his head. He had to be sure they were gone.

One… two… ten… thirty… fifty… sixty.

"System," Ryan thought. "Deactivate Hibernation."

[Skill Deactivated.]

Ryan’s eyes snapped open.

He gasped for air. Huuhh!

His lungs felt like they were burning. His heart began to race again to pump warm blood through his cold body. He shivered violently. The cold from the skill was leaving him, replaced by sweat.

He lifted his right arm. It was shaking. He looked at the soft skin near his elbow. There was a red mark there. A small circle where the pen had crushed his skin. A drop of blood was forming.

He stared at the blood. It was proof. They were not family. They were monsters.

"A vegetable," Ryan whispered. His voice was raspy and weak. "You think I am a vegetable."

He clenched his fist. His fingers were weak, but they moved.

A ding sound rang in his ears. The blue screen appeared in front of his face again. It lit up the dark room.

[Mission Complete: Survive the Inspection.]

[Performance: Perfect.]

[The enemy suspects nothing. You endured the pain.]

[Reward Received:]

[+10 Revenge Points]

[Current Revenge Points: 15]

Ryan looked at the number. 15 points. It wasn't much, but it was a start. He could use these points to buy items, skills, or heal his broken body.

He looked at the door. He knew Clara and Mark were downstairs, drinking wine and celebrating his "death." They thought they had won. They thought the game was over.

Ryan touched the red mark on his arm again. The pain made him feel alive. It made him focus.

"Laugh while you can," Ryan whispered to the empty room.

He lay back on the pillow. He was exhausted. The Hibernation skill had used up his energy. But his mind was sharp. He wasn't a vegetable. He was a hunter waiting in the tall grass.

And the hunt had just begun.