FicWad

Chapter Seven

My new room was as Dr. Lawrence had said. More comfortable, more normal. There was still a lock on the door, still nothing dangerous laying about but everything else was set up to make you believe you were just like everybody else.

I laid on the bed now, the lights had yet to go out. I stared up at the ceiling, trying to tell myself not to fall asleep. I didn't want another dream, not when there was so much on my mind. I could already feel the wave of sleep passing over me, my eyes became heavy, it was like I hadn't slept in days. I wished then that I lived with one of those families who didn't give a damn if you were asleep, the TV was going on, the microwave was running, the damn lawnmower went off. That was sure to keep me up. But here I was, on the verge of losing my own self control. My eyes slid shut, that sweet feeling of unconsciousness falling over me.

The lights shut off then, shooting me out of bed startled. My heart began to race and I felt sweat caress my skin. A fear shot through my veins and I suppressed a gasp from escaping my lips. I looked out the window and saw that the day was still lit up and my brows furrowed together. Someone had either forgotten the time or my mind was playing tricks on him.

I stepped out of bed, the cold floor sending a dizziness to my head. I reached out, took the door knob into my hand and gently pulled. It gave surprising me greatly. Who the hell had left it unlocked? Or what had opened it for me?

I swallowed harshly and felt a bit of deja vu bite down on my senses as I stepped out of the room and into the halls. These halls were different though, more spacious, a bit more lit, and a lot less rank. I couldn't hear anything that gave a sign of actual human life. No breathing, no snoring, not even the usual crazy talk that patients did. It felt like I was alone, fearfully so. That was impossible though. This floor of the penitentiary was entirely full, patients of all sorts occupied the rooms.

I heard a small whimper, delicate in the dark I tried to tear through. I wanted to ignore it, wanted to get myself safely into my room again but it sounded again and pulled at my heart. Guess my walking towards the sound came from the boyhood dream of being Spider-man. Being the stupid hero all the time never worked out.

It was coming from behind one of the closed door and once I reached it my hands began to shake. If you looked close enough it would probably be obvious that my entire body was trembling. I reached my hand out and touched it to the cold knob before I twisted it and let myself in.

Pitch black and that small whimper coming from one of the corners. I felt along the wall for a light switch and magically I found one. I got an image then of myself dying here alone in this room, one of those nice European endings. Is hook it off and flipped the switch.

Dimmed yellow light filled the room. A bed, a chest, and blank papers taped to the walls. I slowly turned my eyes to the corner of the room where I could hear the whimper and sitting there was a young girl. I thought again about all those movies I'd seen but I had to remind myself that real life wasn't like the movies. Scary things didn't happen in corners of seemingly imagined rooms with children whimpering away. That was all just me playing off fear.

Slowly I crept towards the girl despite all my quiet protestations telling me not to. I lifted my hand to touch her but then the light shut off and we were both drowned in darkness again.

I panicked and rushed towards the door, my palm sweaty as I tried to pull it open. It was locked from the outside. I heard footsteps coming towards me and I turned to face them in the dark. I felt something pierce at me, felt a cold pain shoot through me. I gasped at it, felt for the wound and immediately found warmth. I knew it was blood.

I tried at the door again but still it wouldn't budge. I could hear my own raspy breathing and I wanted to scream but instead the girl screamed. It was a painful scream one that was meant to shatter every part of me but only brought me to my knees. It ached inside of me and then it just stopped. I felt myself losing sense of everything. Felt my own awareness slip away.

Just as I began to black out the lights flickered back on and the girl was still laying there, a knife in her chest, blood pooled around her, and her mouth agape with her prematurely ended scream.