All Chapters of The False Prophet of the ER: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Hurry! The patient's vitals are crashing!"The shout cut through the room as an elderly man was wheeled in. His thigh had been mangled after getting caught in farm machinery."Prep for surgery now!"The department head, Melanie Brooks, moved fast. She was already pulling on her mask as she gave orders, calm and precise.The tension in the room and the sight of the man in shock on the bed made me blink hard.I snapped back to myself.Wait… Why was I here? I should be…I looked down at my gloved hands, my whole body starting to shake.I was back?"Don't bother, Dr. Brooks. He's not making it past today."The cold voice hit me before I could process anything else.Astrid Stokes, the intern who had just started at the hospital, suddenly spoke up. Her tone was flat and detached. It was the same line she had used last time, delivered with calm and unquestioning confidence.Melanie's face darkened, and she immediately barked at Astrid. "Is that something a doctor should say? Astr

Chapter 2

"What? That's not possible!"I grabbed my coworker by the arm, disbelief hitting me all at once."We all checked him yesterday. Every one of us signed off before we ended the shift. How does he just die overnight?"He looked just as pale, swallowing hard before answering."Looks like a sudden infection. When Dr. Spencer got there, the old man was barely breathing. The funeral home showed up around four in the morning. He's probably already been cremated by now."My grip loosened.All the strength drained out of me.How… How did he still die?Astrid's voice cut in from the side, light and mocking. "Dr. Johnson, you said I'd never make a good doctor. Turns out you were dead wrong."I felt irritation spike in my chest. I pulled out my phone and called Colin."What happened to that patient last night? Why did everything move so fast? Dr. Brooks and I didn't even get a chance to take a look!"Colin sounded calm, almost detached. "Don't get worked up, Ruth. You haven't seen what A

Chapter 3

What happened with the old man the day before lined up a little too well with what Astrid had said. Now she stood there with that twisted look on her face, warning us again. A few people couldn't help but take it seriously.Still, something about it didn't sit right with me.Last time, we picked the blue bus, and she said that one would crash. This time, I skipped the blue one entirely and chose the green bus first. Suddenly, the green one was the problem too.A thought started forming in the back of my mind.Before I could speak, Melanie shut Astrid down. "Astrid, I already told you yesterday. We don't do this. We're medical professionals. We trust science."With her speaking up, the tension eased. People started nodding along."Yeah, Astrid. You're new, so maybe you don't get it yet. What happened yesterday was rare, but it happens.""Both of these buses are from reputable companies. Nothing's going to happen. Relax."Some tried to reason with her. Others were already get

Chapter 4

At the campsite, the concern about me kept building. Voices overlapped one after another."Dr. Brooks, we still can't reach Ruth!""Yeah, every call goes straight to voicemail. What if something actually happened to her?"Melanie frowned, dialing my number again and again. After several failed attempts, she looked at Colin. "Can you get through to Ruth?"Colin paused, then put on a worried look. "I tried. Nothing. Ruth's just too stubborn. She never listens."Astrid let out a quiet laugh. "No need to keep calling. Just check your phones. You'll probably see the accident in the news soon enough."Someone snapped back immediately, irritation clear. "What's wrong with you? Ruth might be strict, but she's always looking out for us! Why are you talking like that?"Astrid's expression shifted, playing hurt. Colin stepped in right away, frowning. "That's enough. This isn't all on Astrid. Ruth's got a temper, too. If she had listened to us yesterday, would we even be in this situation

Chapter 5

One of my colleagues recognized the brake line right away.A few more stepped in to take a closer look. It didn't take long for them to see it had been cut clean through.I lifted my head and looked straight at Astrid. Her face had already gone stiff."Go on. Explain."Her lips pressed into a thin line. It took her a few seconds before she forced something out."I don't even know what that thing is. What are you trying to say?" She found her footing mid-sentence, her tone turning sharp. "I just know when someone's going to die. That's it. What, do you think I sabotaged it?"I let out a quiet laugh. She looked like a cat with every hair standing on end."I didn't accuse you of anything. Why are you so jumpy?"That line made a few people exchange looks.Colin stepped in the second he sensed the shift. "Maybe this is exactly what Astrid was warning about. Ruth caught it in time, so nothing happened. That's a good thing. It's probably just an accident. Let's not fight over it."I

Chapter 6

"Do you still not get it? If Ruth is moved out of the department, everyone else will be safe. You'll all live. I'm doing this for the whole team!" she went on. Seeing how frantic Astrid looked, I let out a sharp, unimpressed laugh. "No one here is stupid. Who's going to take your word at face value? Stop talking nonsense."She stared at me, eyes burning. After a long pause, she laughed coldly. "So you're just going to let yourself drag everyone down with you?""That won't even hap…" I started to say it would never happen, but someone cut in, calling my name softly."Ruth, maybe we should just trust Astrid this once. It's only a reassignment. It's not like you're getting fired. You can come back after things settle down."I turned to her, stunned. "You believe her, too?"As the words left my mouth, I noticed a few others lowering their heads.Of course. As long as it didn't involve them, they could stay detached.The moment their own interests might be at risk, even if it was j

Chapter 7

People from other departments, who didn't know the full story, looked at me with regret when they heard I quit.Still, no one said much.The moment I stepped out of the hospital, I noticed a man at the intersection nearby, lighting candles in a small metal tray.Something about him felt familiar.I walked closer.It was the old man's son, Joey Wheeler.He kneeled there, lighting candles one by one, quietly muttering under his breath."Dad, I miss you so much… They gave us money, but that's not enough. We still deserve answers. I'll find out what really happened. I promise."His voice cracked.When he looked up and saw me standing there, he flinched hard."Hey, what are you doing? Who are you?"I glanced at the candles, then crouched down beside him and set a few of my own next to his."My name's Ruth Johnson. I was the lead surgeon on your father's amputation."His eyes went wide.The next second, his expression twisted. He grabbed my shirt, yanking me forward."You're t

Chapter 8

Bang!The department door was forced open, slamming against the wall.Before anyone could react, Astrid took a hard slap across the face. The force sent her crashing straight to the floor."Who the hell did that? Who hit me?"She clutched her cheek, cursing as she tried to get up. A crowd poured in behind the man, flooding the room in seconds."You think you're getting back up?" The man who hit her stepped forward again, ready to swing."Astrid! Are you okay?" Colin rushed in, instinct kicking in as he tried to shield her.It didn't matter. They were badly outnumbered. Within seconds, Colin lay sprawled on the ground, taking hits from every side. His cries gradually turned hoarse."Are you still trying to protect her? I'll beat you into the ground!"Melanie's face changed. She stepped forward and shouted, "What do you think you're doing? I'm calling the police!"She hadn't even finished when she saw me standing behind the crowd. Her expression tightened."Ruth? What are yo

Chapter 9

I stepped forward under everyone's stare and laid it all out plainly."Colin killed that old man first, then cut the brake line. The goal's obvious. He was helping Astrid make her so-called countdown look real.""I didn't do it! Why would I help her? What do I get out of that?" Colin pushed back immediately, still refusing to crack.I didn't argue. I reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and unlocked it.A few taps later, I opened his banking records and held the screen up for everyone to see. It showed multiple deposits from a private hospital. "You should have plenty of these, too, Astrid. You said you had no motive. Looks pretty clear to me," I went on. Astrid flinched, taking a step back on instinct.The officers moved in and searched her. They quickly found what they were looking for.With the evidence laid out, the police didn't hesitate. They cuffed both of them on the spot.As they were being led out, Colin looked dazed, like he still hadn't processed what w

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