NARRATOR: The recovery room was painted in a stark white. Ide sat in his gown giving a passing interest to the soccer match behind him, the warm tv light was too much for his right eye anyway. He was used to waiting with nothing to do. Even years after the incident he was used to having nothing to do.
NURSE: [shouting] Iiide!
IDE: Over here
NARRATOR: He quickly returned to the office trying his best to ignore the stares. His doctor was still reading his chart when Ide came in.
DOCTOR: Ide, have a seat.
NARRATOR: Ide did so, trying his best to ignore the rush of anxiety.
DOCTOR: How’s life been treating you?
IDE: It’s been fine, I guess.
DOCTOR: Any concerns, heart issues, or fainting?
IDE: No, not really, it all stopped once I started on Luxacot.
DOCTOR: Good news all round then? Well that’s nice to hear.
IDE: Are you okay? You sound like you have some bad news.
DOCTOR: [sighing out] Yeah…
NARRATOR: The doctor stood from his chair to lower the blinds. Turning to Ide he had a hard time looking at him, his eyes never lasting more than a second on Ide’s face.
DOCTOR: [sucking teeth] Wellll, we’ve been hard at work to contact anyone who would be willing to help out, and frankly, no one responded, it appears we are at a dead end. I am deeply sorry…
[sfx. Car door shut, car start]
NARRATOR: Ide sat in the driveway with his car. [sfx. Rain pouring] The rain providing some soft noise for his disappointment. Inside he felt numb, cauterized against hope. Cynically he looked at his reflection, half man, half tiger. His right eye black and dull covered by bright orange fur. His skin seamlessly sown in with the skin of the tiger. From the outside, it was quite the sight. Inside it was painful. The tiger’s skull carelessly mashed with his own. The skin was always so tight on his skull that he could never sleep properly without help. The worst pain came from the stares of everyone. No matter where he went he could never find peace. Of course, no one said anything to him out of fear or pity. Even after being rescued, he was still a circus oddity. He pushed the mirror away, pulling out his phone to text someone before leaving his car. In the soft rain he entered an empty home. On the kitchen counter sat shattered family pictures, on the kitchen floor sat molded food, barely touched by the rats that roamed the house. Ide calmly put something in his pocket before leaving his house. He stopped at the entrance to look at a picture of a happy man holding a young girl. He gave a brief smile before wincing in pain. Looking back at the picture, he placed his paw over the man’s face, pushing it in so hard it cracked. Licking the blood off his paw he closed his door. [sfx. Door slam] While in his car he received a call…
[sfx. Phone ringing, rain quiets]
IDE: [short] What?
NARRATOR: The man on the phone began to scream at him.
IDE: [shouting] I have to, okay!? He took from me, from you!
[sfx. Muffled yelling]
IDE: I’m not doing that. I’m just going to talk to him.
[sfx. Muffled speech, then hang up]
NARRATOR: He sat in silence letting the heavy rain guide him to his destination. [sfx. Rain sounds get louder] When he got close enough he parked his car in their driveway. He pried a window open, slinking into the empty house. [sfx. Window opened] Moving carefully he took time to see the pictures on the man’s wall. He was sitting with a happy wife and child behind a waterfall. Ide moved past the photos and into the man’s bedroom. There he saw the famous doctor, Bause. Pulling the gun from his jacket he placed it softly on the man’s head. [sfx. Gun clicks] He then gave a loud roar of a tiger [sfx. Tiger roar]. The man woke up panicking and grabbing at Ide, failing to pull the gun away. His wife screamed falling out of bed scrambling for their gun.
BAUSE: [screaming] Ide! Please! Stop!
IDE: [disdainful] Why should I?
NARRATOR: Benny’s wife pulled out a pistol from under the bed. [sfx. Pistol clicks]
BARB: [screaming] You put him down!
BAUSE: Barb- honey, put the gun down okay?
IDE: I’m not going to hurt him Barb, I just want to talk.
NARRATOR: Barb looked at her husband.
BAUSE: Barb, please…
NARRATOR: Barb dropped the gun on the floor.
[sfx. Gun drop]
BAUSE: Now Ide, you’re safe. What do you want to talk about?
IDE: Why did you make me!?
BAUSE: What?
NARRATOR: Ide growled, the sound bouncing around the room. [sfx. Tiger growl]
BAUSE: Ide! I don’t know- it was a job, okay? You know this.
IDE: When you saw me on that table you had no qualms?
BAUSE: None, okay none! It was a different time.
IDE: How!?
BAUSE: I was blinded by the money! I regret it every day. Every single day!
IDE: Do you love your family?
BAUSE: What?
IDE: [Tiredly] You know what I said.
BAUSE: [shakenly] Yeah- I do.
IDE: You what?
BAUSE: I do love my family!
IDE: [screaming] I did too!
NARRATOR: [sfx. Gun shot, blood, lighting strike] Taking the pistol to his head he shot himself. His hybrid body fell to the ground. [sfx. Body fallen] Ide watched as his vision got blurry as blood pooled around him. He could feel it warmly touch the scruff of his fur as his eyes fell.