The Lying Detective (Sherlock Holmes X OC)

SIX- I Don't...Want To Die

"I don't want to die," Sherlock repeated, a little louder and firmer.

"One more for luck."

"I don't want to die. I don't..." Sherlock said, tearfully, but he paused as Culverton took a few steps closer to his bed and leaned over him. All Sherlock could think about was Anita. He couldn't leave her. He just got her back and he wasn't ready. He wanted to grow old with his girl. Sherlock wasn't ready to die because he had something to live for. He had his Anita.

"...don't want to die," Sherlock finished and Culverton leaned closer until his face was only a few inches above Sherlock's.

"Lovely," he said in a soft intense voice before smiling and straightening up.

"Here it comes," Culverton commented and he reached a finger to the control panel next to the drip stand and pressed the button twice. It beeped noisily each time and Culverton pressed another button and started to press it repeatedly. Sherlock stared at him in anguish. He didn't even get to say goodbye. Culverton slowly walked around the foot of the bed, asking,

"So tell me: why are you doing this? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I wanted to hear your confession; needed to know I was right," Sherlock replied, quietly.

"But why do you need to die?" Culverton pushed.

"The mortuary; your favorite room," said Sherlock, causing Culverton to smile slightly.

"You talk to the dead. You make your confession to them," Sherlock explained. Culverton sniffed, straightened up, rubbed his nose and turned towards the chair, shaking his head.

"Why do you do it?" Sherlock questioned.

"Why do I kill?" Culverton clarified as he sat down in the chair and rubbed his fingers against each other, "It's not about hatred or- or revenge. I'm not a dark person. It's...killing human beings..."

Culverton lowered his head and chuckled quietly, nearly silent, for several seconds.

"...it just makes me...incredibly happy," he finished and Sherlock gave him a tiny smile. Culverton's smile slowly faded and he breathed out a hard breath through his nose before standing up and walking to the bed and leaning his hands on the blanket.

"You know i-i-in films when- when you see dead people pretending to be dead and it's just living people lying down? That's not what dead people look like," Culverton said as he shook his head. Then, suddenly, his gaze and voice became more intense.

"Dead people look like things. I like to make people into things. Then you can own them," he stated before huffing out a laugh and straightening up.

"You know what? I'm getting a little impatient," Culverton commented and he bent down to the foot of the bed, pressing a button on the side. The top of the bed lowered down to a horizontal position. Sherlock looked anxiously over at the door, hoping Anita or John, preferably both of them, would come storming in.

Once the bed was flat, Culverton straightened up and bared his teeth as he looked down at Sherlock, running his tongue along his bottom lip before walking around to the other side of the bed. He straightened the glove on his right hand and leaned towards Sherlock.

"Take a big breath if you want," Culverton whispered to him. Sherlock, frightfully, lowered his gaze to Culverton's hands.

Sherlock gasped in a breath as Culverton laid his right palm over his mouth and pressed down hard, before pinching Sherlock's nose shut with his left fingers. Sherlock started to wither under him as Culverton pushed his hand down on Sherlock.