Motionless in Wonderland

Chapter 27: Twisted Minds

The doctor looked up from his notes and directed his gaze to the madman in the chair just in front of his desk. He looked him over slowly as if summing him up before he looked to Maria.

"I'll be coming down with you for the most part," Maria said, the doctor looking back to Jinxx who stayed in the same place and didn't show any signs of moving. "I'd rather talk about it without anyone else around besides the two of you."

Jinxx scoffed; looked like he'd be been listening in the entire time.

"You really think I can't figure out what you're gonna have done to me after your 'reliable' psych evaluation?" he asked. He gave a bit of a laugh and shook his head. "I'm not stupid y'know."

"I never said you were," Maria said back. "But it's a matter between no-one but the three of us; it's no-one else's business so to say."

Jinxx just shook his head and stayed silent now; he knew it was still no use trying to argue back. Either way something bad was going to happen and he was most likely going to end up dead within the next twenty-four hours. Maria looked back to the doctor who was once again summing up Jinxx.

"So you think you can do that?" she asked, making the doctor tear his gaze away from Jinxx and to her.

He gave a nod and looked to Ronnie. "Help me move them downstairs to the surgery."

Ronnie rolled his eyes; who was this guy, thinking he was in charge and could order him around like nobody's business? Maria indicated for Ronnie to grab Ash and he just moved over to where she was, once again grabbing her by the arm and hauling her up.

The doctor came around the desk and to where Jinxx was seated; his expression stone and uninterested as he undid the restraint on Jinxx's left wrist, Maria just watching the entire time. He came around the other side as Jinxx just sat there, the doctor undoing the wrist restraint on Jinxx's right.

The doctor grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him violently to his feet before forcing him to walk with him towards the door. Ronnie held onto Ash and followed, Ash once again pulling against him in the hopes of breaking free of his grip; if she succeeded she'd figure out where to go from there.

Ronnie shot her a look as Maria followed along behind, seeming to find it amusing that Ash was struggling to get out of Ronnie's tight grip; there was no way she was going to be able to, and both Maria and Ash knew it. That didn't mean Ash wasn't going to try though.

Still holding onto the towel slightly, Ash continued to push against Ronnie who just ignored her; it was like she wasn't doing anything at all.

They continued on down the hallways of the castle, following the doctor until they reached a door right at the far end of the castle. Ronnie halted, forcing Ash to halt as well as the doctor unlocked the door, swinging it open violently, causing it to crash against the wall and swing a bit before settling down.

Ronnie pulled Ash forwards again, causing her to stumble a bit as they followed the doctor and Jinxx through the door and down into the darkness; Ash knew the way to the surgery all too well and it was the last place she wanted to go.

The stone steps disappeared as they descended, Maria closing and locking the door behind herself before continuing on down the stairs cautiously so she didn't slip into the people in front of her. Ash wondered why the way to the surgery was always so dark; it was always quiet too, but she was sure there was someone down here being tortured. The doctor spent the majority of his time down here and if he wasn't in his quarters, this was where he'd be, experimenting on some poor soul without care or consent.

Ash heard another door creak open and light was seen from further in front of them; the doctor and Jinxx were clearly a way ahead now. Ash dared a look behind her, only just able to see Maria in the darkness as Ronnie hauled her forwards, the light from the other open door getting closer.

The next thing she knew, they were inside the room, the door shutting and locking behind them. Ash looked around, seeing the shadows of a few human figures behind the crudely made curtains; she was sure they were just sheets cut down to the right size and hung up to allow 'privacy' for the doctor's patients.

Ronnie dragged Ash across the room, the two of them coming to a halt just in front of where the doctor had disappeared to behind another of the curtains. Ash looked to Ronnie who in turn, ignored the look she was throwing his way as Maria disappeared behind the curtain, no light coming from the other side.

"You can't seriously agree with this," Ash hissed, her voice rather quiet, Ronnie lazily glancing at her. "This' insane and you know it; it's inhumane."

Ronnie gave her another sidelong glance before shrugging and going back to looking around the room, someone over to his left screaming.

"Not my call."

Ash sighed, knowing that Ronnie was her ticket out of here; if she could convince him to let her go, she'd be able to go and find Chris and Andy and maybe help them out a bit.

"Please Ronnie, you can't let them go through with this," she practically begged. "Just let me go and we'll never cross paths again; I promise."

Ronnie looked to her, giving a slightly irritated sigh as he scanned her over, clearly thinking. After a few seconds, he just went back to staring ahead of him; there was no moving him now it seemed. Ash groaned in frustration, deciding to try and pull out of his grip again.

Ronnie kept his gaze forwards, increasing his grip on Ash's arm as she tried to get out of it, making her stop struggling and just give up, knowing that there was now no way to get out.

'~'~'~'~'~

"Well, still nothing to say then."

Jinxx just watched the doctor as he moved around over the other side of the small, curtained off area they were now in; Jinxx of course, was stuck in the chair, his wrists strapped down to the arms of the chair.

The doctor glanced over his shoulder at Jinxx as he organised his sharp surgical tools on the cold metal table in front of him.

"Thought you'd be a bit...chattier," he said, his back once more to Jinxx as Jinxx just sat there; emotionless. "From what I've heard, you're quite the trickster; surprised you're not giving me a riddle or something."

Jinxx scoffed.

"Really," he stated, the doctor not even glancing over at him. "Is that what you really think? I'm slightly offended if I do say so."

"Well it got you talking nonetheless; silence is a sign of the clinically insane."

Jinxx just rolled his eyes and fell quiet again; he didn't have time for this...doctor and his bullshit. He had other things to worry about, and this whole experiment wasn't one of them.

The doctor turned to look at him, a slightly amused smile on his face.

"So tell me Jinxx, do you think you're clinically insane?"

Jinxx looked the doctor straight in the eye as he decided on how to answer.

"Either way I'm gonna be diagnosed as insane, no matter what I say," he said in response. "If I say yes, then you'll say I am; if I say no, you'll just go ahead and tell me that I'm in denial. Either way I can't win; so you tell me doctor; am I clinically insane?"

The doctor gave an amused laugh, turning back to face his metal surgical table.

"I guess we're about to find out."