Natural Order

7

Jack awakes. His thoughts wander for a moment. He thinks about Dr. Wade. He blinks his eyes a few times to wake up. It was a heavy sleep. Jack tries to move. He can't. He is tied to a gurney. He is calm for a moment. Then he pulls to free his hands. Now he feels the rage come in. He pulls harder. Each pull brings more rage. He pulls the straps as he looks down. His wrists are bleeding. He's in the clinic, what appears to be the isolation room. He pulls again, hard, and one hand comes free. He hears someone coming down the hall. It's the sound of soft bottom shoes. It's probably one of the orderlies. He counts the steps to judge the direction. The steps stop. Jack looks around the room. He is thinking, not this time, this time will be different. The footsteps start again. They are coming to him. Jack sees a petri dish on a stainless steel tray in the otherwise empty room. He begins to chew on it. He chews one side of it down to a flat, sharp edge. Jack steps in the shadow behind the door. Keys rattle and turn a lock. The door opens and it's Melvin the orderly. Melvin walks in and immediately sees the empty gurney.

"Awww shit," he says.

He turns to leave immediately, not wanting to deal with this alone. Jack pounces on him like a wild animal. He surprisingly overcomes the larger Melvin. Jack steps on the back of Melvin's knee to bring him down to his level. Then using the petri dish he slits his throat with a horrific sawing motion. It is brutal. Blood is everywhere. The light begins to leave Melvin's eyes and Jack drops him where he continues to bleed out. Jack reaches into his pockets. He grabs his keys and cigarettes and places the petri dish ceremonially on Melvin's chest. Different this time.

Jack begins to walk down the hall to Dr. Wade's office. It's quiet in the clinic. He's not sure if anyone else is here. Melvin must have thought someone was here. He arrives at the office. There is a sliver of light under the door. He opens it wide, but it's empty. He walks in and very methodically searches Dr. Wade's desk. On the desk is a file titled "Jack," car keys, and a mini cassette recorder. He starts to take them. A toilet flushes. It's the private bathroom in the office. Dr. Wade walks out. They lock eyes. Jack is a bloody mess. He puts the items back on the desk.

"Jack... what have you done?" Dr. Wade asks.

"It had to be different this time."

"What Jack? What are you talking about?"

"Is this my file?" Jacks inquires.

Jack picks up the tape recorder.

"What does this thing do?"

Dr. Wade slowly walks toward Jack and the desk.

"Jack, we can fix this. You are very important to my study. I only want to get you back to your mother."

"Mother?" Jack says.

Jack grabs the car keys and looks inquisitively at them.

"Jack, what are you going to do with those? You don't know how to drive."

"You were right. You can learn all kinds of things from watching TV."

"You can't leave, not yet Jack."

Dr. Wade starts to reach for something that looks like a panic button. Jack grabs his hand with surprising speed.

"They won't be coming this time," Jack reveals.

Dr. Wade looks concerned. It may be the first time he has ever looked concerned.

"You never answered my question, Doc. Was it food or coon?

The thing about Barry Manalow is, you don't really know who his fans are. As Jack drives down the road in Dr. Wade's BMW he has tuned out the Barry Manalow that started playing as soon as he started the car. For one reason, he is getting the hang of driving and it has taken all his concentration. For another, he is unfamiliar with how to make the music stop. He finally can no longer take it and pulls over. Jack begins to hit every button on the CD player. Finally the music stops and the CD comes out. He looks at it for a second, finding it interesting. Then he launches it out the window. Before pulling back on the road he pauses a moment when he notices his file that he put on the front seat next to him. The file has a picture of his school laying on top. He then sees the mini-digital recorder and turns it on before pulling off the shoulder of the road. He hears Dr. Wade's voice coming from the device.

"I think I am starting to break through to Jack. I just need to get to the root of his behavior. His mother has been very helpful in providing insight."

Jack rewinds a bit. "Jack's mother has stopped her pursuit for the identity of Jack's father. This would only bring complications to an already delicate situation." Jack rewinds. "The Warden has become uncomfortable with our arrangement. To prove my hypothesis, I must have donors who are violent offenders. He is concerned the mothers may sue if they were to find out. I may have to look elsewhere for suitable sperm donations." Jack rewinds further. "Though I have been given a blank checkbook by the funding agency, it is becoming harder to tie up loose ends. Payoffs are working for now, though I am concerned about taking things to the next level, if need be. The study takes complete priority over everything." Jack stops the recorder.

Jack drives the BMW into the school parking lot. He does a lap around the parking lot and looks around while smoking a cigarette. He parks, gets out and finishes the cigarette. He tosses the cigarette aside and reaches through the partially open window and pulls out a blue scrubs top. He pulls the bloody shirt off. Making a quick switch, he puts the scrubs top on, putting the pack of cigarettes in the breast pocket. He then begins the walk toward the elaborate brick entrance of the high school. Jack takes a moment. He smells the air. It feels good to be outside. The sun almost massages his pale skin. Jack takes a breath and gets back on task.

Jack pushes the doors to the school open and the long main hall is empty, except for a few stragglers going to the bathroom during class. Jack starts to walk down the hall. He looks into the windows of random classrooms as he walks toward the back of the school with purpose. He finds a bathroom at the end of the hall and walks in. He digs in the pack for another cigarette. As he pulls the cigarette out. He hears footsteps coming toward the otherwise empty bathroom. The footsteps make their way into the bathroom. The student walks in what appears to him to be an empty bathroom. He almost seems excited at his luck. Just then, the door swings shut and Jack is standing right next to the student like an apparition.

Jack whispers. "Do you have light?"

"Shit, Jack, you scared the piss out of me," the student says, short of breath.

"You can't smoke in here."

Jack looks the student up and down in a very quizzical way.

"You're also out of school uniform," the student reprimands.

Jack sniffs him and smiles.

"You'll do," Jack confirms.

Jack lunges at the student.