My eyes flutter open and my ears attune to the soft buzzing of the operating light above me. I try to lift my head but my entire body is left completely paralyzed. I watch in horror as a nurse approaches my body with a scalpel. 

“Making the first incision,” they call to the other nurses surrounding my operating table. To my relief, they notice the way my eyes dilate from the bright light. Leaning into my ear, the nurse whispers, “You think we don’t know you’re awake?” 

Just before the first incision is made, a knock sounds at the door.