Carvings

Chapter 11 ✪

*Next morning*

"Brayden?" Bick called out.

"Yeah?" Brayden replied back. He was in the kitchen finishing up a bowl of Golden Puffs that he took an addictive liking to.

"I've got some bad news" Bick said as he walked in. Brayden put his spoon down and awaited the news. Bick didn't look happy.

"Dr Higgins has left the asylum."

"What?! How?!" Brayden shouted. He got off his stool and stormed  over to Bick.

"Well, I went and phoned the Hellington Asylum to check up on our 'dear relative' but the lady said that he left a few days ago. Some relative offered to take him in. But they couldn't tell me what relative and where he is now because it's confidential" Bick explained. Brayden huffed in frustration and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair.

"But didn't you say we were his relatives too?" Brayden asked.

"Yes, I mentioned that, but they said that we would have to find out ourselves. They couldn't be the ones to disclose the information. Some stupid policy apparently" Bick huffed. Brayden grabbed hold of his cereal bowl and hurled it at the wall. It smashed and shattered into a million pieces. The pieces fell to the floor, an impossible puzzle never joining together to be complete ever again. 

"Brayden!" Bick shouted. The young boy was breathing hard, cheeks were flushed red. His chest heaved up and down.

"I-I'm s-sorry" he murmured in a daze. Bick saw the state the boy was in.

"It's fine, I was sick of that... bowl...anyway." he said and steered Brayden back to his room. Brushing up the broken pieces he threw them in the bin silently mourning the loss of his bowl. He went up to check on Brayden to see him sitting on the swivel chair and checking something on the internet. He frowned.

"What  are you doing?" he asked him. Brayden looked up.

"Just trying to see if I can locate Dr Higgins" he answered.

"You won't be able to find him like that," Bick told him, "I'm serious Brayden. It's useless". Brayden sighed. He knew Bick was right.

"Then what do I do?"

"Well... do you remember anything from when you were with him?" Bick asked. He sat down on Brayden's unmade bed. He ignored the bed creaking worryingly as it held his weight.

"Of course I do, darkness, isolation, injections, experiments, hatre-"

"Something that can help us track him down, I meant" Bick cut him off.

"Oh well um, no I don't think so" Brayden admitted sadly. Bick sighed.

"Well that's a bummer" Bick brushed his hand into his hair. Brayden froze. An old memory tickled the back of his brain. An image of a man with Dr Higgins when he was younger fizzed up but died down. He frowned as he tried to stir up the image again, a sense of nostalgia growing in him as the image at the back of his head slowly attempted to become clear. The image was of a stranger whom was observing Brayden and peering at a clipboard. Brayden remembered eyeing the man constantly out of curiousity and suspicion. 

"Wait... Bick say that again" Brayden said getting up. 

"I just said... that's a bummer?"

"That phrase. I remember it vaguely. Some guy used to say it. He used to come in with Dr Higgins during my experiments, inspecting me. When there was no change in my reports he always used to say that" Brayden said to himself

"Who used to say that?" Bick asked, curious as to what Brayden was on to.

"Doctor... it was... Doctor Wainright!" Brayden announced, snapping his fingers in delight.