We're Fine

Page 51

"It's so disgusting in here." A young woman's voice complained as she opened the stall next to ours.

Please don't catch us, please don't catch us, please don't catch us, please don't catch us!

"You'll get used to it." An old woman grumbled and walked into another stall. I let out a quiet breath and hoped we were safe as long as we didn't move or talk. "Things don't change around here unless they're getting worse." She added.

No shit.

"I thought so. I seems like every patient I see is more insane than the last." The younger woman spat. I didn't know if that should make me angry or if I should agree. The patients I worked with certainly were out of their minds and Adrian is no exception. After all, he did kill two people.

"They're all filthy vermin that don't disserve to live. They don't act human so we don't treat them as such." The old woman hissed heartlessly. I subconsciously gripped Wendy's arm tighter, only stopping when she patted it with her own. I patted her arm back as an apology.

The two women ranted about their "filthy patients" who sounded more like unemployed slaves for a while longer before moving out of the room and an agonizingly slow pace. Once I knew they were out of the room I stepped down onto solid ground and waited for the door to whatever hell was lower than the basement to close. It wasn't until it finally did that I breathed.

"I have to check out what's down there. If I don't Adrian will only come back and he'll go alone. Wait in the hall for me." I told her, feeling proud of myself for having gotten this far without a misstep. Of course, it would never be too late for that.

"I'm not staying in the hall alone!" Wendy exclaimed and I assume she was looking at me like a mad woman. She was probably right to. I've apparently lost it.

"I won't be more than a minute. I've just gotta see if what I'm thinking is true." I said and pushed open the stall door.

"And what exactly are you thinking?" There she went, getting all ticked off over nothing. So I had a hypothesis that was probably right. How am I the bad guy? Like they say, don't shoot the messenger, but what do people always do. That's right; they shoot the messenger right between the eyes. I didn't need Wendy's kill shot.

"Wendy, just shut up and wait in the hall before you get us both killed." I ordered in annoyance as I pulled her out of the disgusting, dark bathroom. I ignored her whispering harshly at me as she hid around the corner and I crept soundlessly down the steep, narrow set of concrete stairs. The ends were jagged and broken on most steps and I had to be very careful descending them. At the bottom there seemed to be a step missing entirely because there was an unexpected drop off.