One hour. One more hour and I’ll be dead. One more hour, and everything will go black. Oblivion. I’ll be sitting lifeless in the same chair I’m tied to right now. Killed over something that I didn’t do.

But it won’t end quickly. Someone who killed the president doesn’t deserve a quick death. There won’t be a clean shot to cut my life off. No, it’ll be messy.

“Guess you should’ve thought twice before you pulled that trigger,” a man in all black said. A smug smirk spread across his face.

“I didn’t kill him.” My voice was as cold as steel.

“You’re just another desperate coward. At least one good thing came out of all of this,” he said, pulling a pair of black gloves onto his hands. “I get to torture you.” I lost my cool and lashed out, struggling as the rope bit into my wrists.

“What the hell makes you think you have the right to torture me over something I didn’t do?” The smile that was occupying his face was now gone.

“While you were plotting to kill the only ruler in this world, I was off getting trained to torture people. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this moment. So if you’ll just shut up, I’d like to get the party started in here.”

He walked out of the room, each step on the white marble floor echoing.

Terror finally kicked in. It had all seemed like a dream up until now. I was just a normal guy who got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He walked back, now with a black duffel bag in his hands.

“What is in there?”
“Someone’s eager.” The edge of his mouth curled up into a cruel smile. “You’ll see soon enough. Or feel, should I say.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a syringe that had a blue liquid in it. Oh great. I’ve hated needles ever since I was old enough to know what one was.
“That’s it?”
“Huh?” He spun around, raising one eyebrow.
“That’s it? A lethal injection? I would’ve expected something more...flashy.”
“You think this is a lethal injection?” The sound of his laughter filled the room. “Oh no, it’s way more special. I suppose it is lethal, but to your sanity.”
I wonder if he’d been using any recently.
“This beauty isn’t just any old injection. This serum contains L-3 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, CHR, and serotonin. It’s one of my favorites. It’ll cause you to hallucinate your deepest fears. Don’t worry, we’re only getting started. This is just an appetizer.”
He reached back into the bag and took out another object. It looked like a...gun. He took the syringe and put it into the front of the gun. It snapped into place with a click. He lifted the gun and pointed it at my heart. I tried to move in the chair, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Woah, do you really need to shoot the needle at me?!”
“No. But I want to.” He smiled, flashing his crooked yellow teeth. My heart raced.
“In 3...2...”
He pulled the trigger and the syringe whizzed towards me in a blur. I felt it pierce through my skin and into my body. That bastard didn’t even count down to one. The serum kicked into effect almost instantaneously. My palms began to sweat and my legs trembled. The room spun, and my eyes lost focus. My head throbbed, the pounding getting stronger every second. His demonic laugh was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

I woke up in a dark room. The floorboards creaked loudly with every step I took. I reached out, trying to find something to hold onto. I was still dizzy, and my head ached. I felt something cold touch the pad of my right pointer finger. It felt like a light switch. I flicked it up, and a bright light shined down on the middle of the room. I screamed. It was the president, lying on the floor. A pool of blood surrounded him, growing bigger each second. Not again, please, not again. My whole body was shaking and my heart pounded furiously.

I looked up and saw my dad, tears streaming down his face. He was holding a gun in his gloved hands.

“This is for your own good,” he whispered. He ran away before I could say anything.

“DAD! Where are you going? What happened?!” The door crashed open, and men dressed in uniforms burst in.

“Sir, drop your weapon and put your hands up!”

“What? I don’t have a-”

“I said drop it!” What were they talking about? I didn't... The blood rushed out of my face as I looked down at my hands. Sure enough, there was a gun held in my right hand.

“I know what this looks like, but I swear, I didn’t-”

“Drop the gun!” I let go, and it clattered to the ground. I could hear the men whispering to each other, probably deciding what to do with me. One of them pulled out a white cloth and forced it over my mouth. I tried to kick him, but I was already slipping into unconsciousness.
I woke up tied to a chair. The men that knocked me out were all gone, except for one of them. He was still wearing a black uniform, and seemed a lot happier now.

“What are you doing? Why am I tied up?”

“I’m going to kill you sweetie. Isn’t it obvious? But don’t cry yet. You won’t be dead until the end of this hour.” He snapped, and the screen above his head started counting down from 60 minutes.

One hour. One more hour and I’ll be dead. One more hour, and everything will go black...