By midday of the following day,
the blazing sun at the center of the sky struck the hospital windows, where the smell of disinfectants and medical tools lingered in the air.
Inside Room 3B…
Detective Robert sat directly in front of Gabriel.
He had taken off his jacket and placed it on the bed. He looked at Gabriel seriously.
"Gabriel… what the hell happened?"
Gabriel sighed, looking down at his lap for a moment, then back at Robert.
"Believe me, I don't know either. All that happened is that Dr. Harris shot his brother directly, then at me and Ethan, and we defended ourselves."
Detective Robert leaned forward.
"Dr. Gabriel, Dr. Harris was shouting another story. He even had a mental breakdown, and he's currently being evaluated by a specialist."
Gabriel fell silent for a moment as the lamp above them began to flicker.
He placed his hand on his injured arm with a sigh, speaking without looking at Robert.
"Robert… you're a brilliant detective. And I think you know that what Dr. Harris is going through is shock from what he did."
"Yes, that may be true, but Dr. Harris kept muttering strange words the whole time."
"Like what?"
"His niece and… you."
Gabriel's eyes widened for a brief moment—barely noticeable—before returning to their coldness.
Gabriel raised his hand, gesturing toward his injured arm, and looked directly into Robert's blue eyes.
"He said 'his brother,' then tried to kill me. He is not stable—physically or mentally."
"But Gabriel—"
TAk-TAk-TAk!
The knocking on the door interrupted Robert.
Pain shot through Gabriel's arm as he leaned his body toward the door and said,
"Come in."
The door opened slowly. A young woman entered—bronzed brown skin, wavy hair, confident features.
She walked in enthusiastically toward Gabriel, ignoring Robert's presence completely, extended her hand, and said confidently:
"Mr. Kraus, right? I'm Zara Reign… freelance journalist."
Gabriel smiled politely and extended his hand to shake hers.
"Nice to meet you, Zara."
Zara smiled eagerly, pressed the record button on her phone, placed it right in front of Gabriel, and asked:
"Mr. Kraus, the incident in your neighborhood was horrific. Everyone wants to know how all of this started."
"…"
Gabriel stared at her without blinking.
He placed his hand on her phone, stopped the recording, and said in a neutral tone:
"I don't have time for this."
He looked over at Detective Robert, his leg shaking violently.
"I want you both to leave. I need rest."
Zara was shocked by the sudden response. She let out an awkward laugh.
"Ha… can't we at least discuss the incident a little?"
"…No."
Zara lifted her camera and pointed it at Gabriel.
"Will! At least a picture?"
Gabriel looked at her with one half-closed eye, while the nurse was already in the room checking the IV.
He looked at the nurse tiredly.
"Please… take her outside."
The nurse nodded with a smile, stood in front of Zara, and motioned toward the door.
"Please… outside."
"But—but!"
"Let's go."
The nurse pulled Zara out by her arm. Zara tried to resist and raised her camera upward, turning toward Gabriel.
"At least one picture!"
"In another time, dear."
The nurse dragged Zara outside. Zara shoved the nurse away and snapped irritably:
"Let go of me… Ugh… you ruined my work!"
The nurse sighed in exhaustion and muttered as she walked away:
"Journalists…"
Zara stomped her foot angrily.
"Why—agh, this is the fourth time this week!"
She walked through the corridors ranting and swearing under her breath. Her eyes suddenly froze on nothingness, as if she remembered something important.
A joyful smile broke on her face. She quickly checked her phone.
"Yes, I remember! That guy wasn't the only injured one. There was another young man with him. But… where is his room?"
Zara hurried through the hallways until she reached the reception desk.
One of the staff greeted her with a smile.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
Zara leaned forward, placing her arms on the desk, and asked:
"Hi, I just wanted to know the room of the patient who was brought in yesterday."
The employee raised his eyebrows as he checked his computer.
"Alright… the patient's name?"
"Ethan. He came in with a gunshot wound."
The employee stared at the screen for a moment.
"You'll find him in Room 24 on the third floor."
Zara was about to jump from excitement. She glanced at his name tag.
"Thanks, Tyler, you're the best!"
And she immediately darted across the hallways.
Meanwhile, inside Room 24, Ethan was lying on the bed, eyes fixed on the white ceiling with no purpose.
He slowly shifted his gaze toward his injured thigh and muttered:
"It should've been a side graze… not right in the middle. Sigh… I hate how much I liked that."
Tak-Tak.
Ethan glanced lazily toward the door, placed the pillow over his face, and didn't respond.
The door opened. Zara looked around the nearly lifeless room.
"Ah… hello. I'm Zara, a freelance journalist, and I was hoping to interview you regarding last night's incident."
Ethan slowly removed the pillow from his face without looking at her.
"I'm not in the mood for that… Zaira."
Zara let out a small laugh, sat in the chair across from the bed, and raised her phone to record.
"It's Zara, not Zaira. And also… look at me so we can talk properly."
"Uhh… alright."
Ethan sat up with difficulty due to the pain. The moment his eyes landed on Zara… he froze.
Zara looked around awkwardly, cleared her throat, lifted her phone toward him, and asked:
"So, Mr. Ethan… how did Dr. Harris start shooting last night?"
Ethan rested his head on his hand with a playful smile.
"Nice hairstyle."
Zara's eyes widened for a moment. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear without realizing it.
"Mr. Ethan, I'm just—"
"Just call me Ethan, sweetheart."
Zara pulled her legs inward and swallowed slowly, trying to hold herself together as she looked into Ethan's overly confident eyes.
"As you wish… so, Ethan, how did last night's incident begin?"
"…"
"Uh… Ethan?"
Zara's breathing grew slower, the air in the room growing heavier.
She bit her lip, waiting for any response, but he didn't even try. He just stared.
Zara stood, hands clasped together, muttering:
"Alright… I think I should go."
Ethan watched her as she left, smiling, his tone playful as he waved.
"See you later, sweetheart."
Zara shut the door firmly behind her and whispered to herself:
"That guy is weird."