He hangs up a receiver back onto the phone, even though he hasn't said anything. The line goes dead, cutting off a bit of yelling on the other side of a handful of men, who seem eager to talk to him but he honestly does not care. All that matters is that now they know, and are likely to start heading here right away.

He turns around and returns back to the main room, which is bare and empty. On the tableside is a severed head, its back turned to him -- no eyes to greet him, but instead, a massive hole carved out of the skull from the back, leaving a gaping void. In some contraption next to it instead meant for protection and preservation, lies something tiny. He picks it up and it becomes more clear -- a small devil tumour -- as literal as that can get.

In his other hand, he picks up a belt of tools -- scalpel, scissors, needles, all surgical in nature. And quietly, he steps out with tools and tumour in hand, retiring to an incredibly simple and sparse bedroom. One bed in there, but carts with other medical material, and IV to boot. He lays down with no hesitation, only offering care to the little devil-shaped thing, as fragile as it is. He hooks up the IV to himself and lays down, preparing.

His heart beats fast, but only because he knows it'll hurt, not because of the gravity of what he's about to do. He's far beyond that now, only driven by mad determination and will of a desire that isn't wholly his own. He knows the concept of how this works, drawing on the medical knowledge this body possesses. The IV is only so that he won't bleed out too fast. He cannot anesthetise too much, or else he won't be able to perform the surgery.

He grips the scalpel first, and holds it over his head. The people he called... they should arrive in time. And if not, it won't be the end of him. He starts the cut, stoic. Gets the hammer, eyes closing. Every crack sends reverbs through his head, disassociation settling in, but his hands still work, letting muscle memory take almost a third-person stance as he operates.

Delirium, dream, dissociation, pain melds into a bizarre feverish haze, until, at the least, he manages to implant the little devil into his own brain. And that's when his mad determination, fueled by insanity, finally gives out, and he completely blacks out.