Mile

rvingly clear. The rhythmic beeping of machines mimicked the frantic beat of my own heart. The surgeons, their faces obscured by masks, moved with pr

odstream. My eyelids grew heavy, but a strange awareness clung to me. I felt the pressure, the dull ache, then the sharp, piercing pain as they drilled into my hip bone. My body throbbed, even thr

quiet. A nurse, her face kind, was checking my IV. "The procedur

d Kelvin? Where are they?" My voice was weak, but my urgency was palpabl

edure, ma'am. And your brother... he's been moved to another facility. Mr. Reed

to call Dayton, my trembling fingers fumbling with the bedside phone. No answer. I called again. Stra

oment, staring at the sterile ceiling, then a fierce resolve ignited within me. "Call the police,"

arrowing tale. My bruises, my broken arm, the bone marrow extraction scar, and the chilling vid

devoid of any activity. But the remnants were there: medical equipment, empty vials, chilling data logs showing Kelvins's d

a tuneless, repetitive melody. He didn't recognize me. His mind, once so sharp, so vibrant, was a shattered landscape. He look

down my face. My brilliant, aspiring scientist brother, reduced to this. He h

ered irreversible damage from the experimental drug. The analysis of the residue in the vials revealed it was a neurotoxin,

aduation, his proud smile, his excitement about medical school. All of it, stolen. A burning rage, cold and absol

priced lawyers, fought back with a ferocity that matched my own. They denied everything, spun tales of my instability,

sing side, their demeanor one of calm superiority. He looked slightly thinner, his eyes a little more haunted

story, my own suffering, the cold, calculated cruelty of their actions. I presented the

ear case of a disgruntled ex-lover attempting to extort my family. Ms. Miles has a history of erratic behavior." He th

cried out, unable to hold back. "You know what

uced a document, crisp and official. "Furthermore, Your Honor, as you can see, this is a signed consent form, from Kelvin Miles himself, agreeing to participate in a cu

. Or what looked like it. A sickening replica. My he

cLean family's reputation, their philanthropic endeavors, their s

e. The judge dismissed the case. They had won. Again. They ha

mphant smile spreading across her face. Her eyes, filled w

y, and together, they walked out of the courtroom, leaving me in the ruins of my failed attempt at justice. The world outside their gilde