Timebomb

Chapter 1 -The Call-

A young man by the name of Daniel Beton sat in a coffee shop, reading the newspaper as he sipped his coffee. He came across an article about a patient at Bridgemont Asylum going rogue. The thought sent shivers down his spine, that second his phone rang. He looked at the unknown number, it related to the number in the article. He hesitated to answer, "Hello?" he asked into the device.

"Hello, is this Doctor Beton?" The woman asked, sounding slightly panicked.

"This is, who am I speaking to?" Daniel put down the newspaper, and sipped at his coffee.

"I am Doctor Specter from Bridgemont Asylum, we need your help with a patient here." She seemed hesitant with her words. He looked down at the article, knowing the issue. "We have taken acknowledgment to your experience, hoping you can help us calm this patient. By the way, you will not be working alone on this, his usual therapist Doctor Hanson will be assisting you." The doctor notified him. Daniel looked at the newspaper once more.

"Of course, when do I need to be ready?" He asked, stroking his mustache.

"A car will be at your house tomorrow at 10 a.m sharp." She hung up before he could ask how they knew were he lived. He put the phone in his pocket before finishing his coffee and paying. He walked out of the coffee shop, getting into his car. He drove home, not being able to take his mind off of the patient. What could they need me for? He parked his car in the drive way and went inside. The house was quiet, like usual. An old Saint Bernard lumbered into the room, towards his master. Daniel knelt down, petting the loyal companion.

"Hello Titan." He greeted the dog. He stood going into the kitchen. Titan walked over to his pillow and plopped down. Daniel went up to his room and sat at his desk, staring at the wall. He wondered about the job, about the dangers to come. He looked over at the door as the sound of dog tags rang through the silence. Titan stood with a squeaky toy in his mouth. Daniel sighed and pat his lap, the dog walked over and dropped the toy before sitting down next to his master, laying his head on Daniels leg. He pet Titan's head before picking up his phone and calling his neighbor. "Hello Ms. Beasley, could you watch Titan for me while I'm away?"

"Of course Doctor Beton, for how long?" She asked, Daniel paused and thought. He sighed and looked down at his old friend.

"I don't know, hopefully just until sometime next week." His response made him rethink his decision. He shook his head as Ms. Beasley accepted the request. Daniel said his thanks and hung up and stood, getting a duffel bag from his closet and packing some clothes. He thought for a minute before, grabbing a pistol and some ammo. "This is crazy..." He mumbled as he left the bag open on his bed, going into the bathroom and grabbing some things that may be needed. When he walked back into his room seeing Titan laying on his bed. Daniel placed the things in his bag and zipped it closed. He laid down on his bed, Titan groaning and laying down and licking the man's face. Daniel smiled and pushed his face away.

He sat up, remembering his has an appointment today. Standing up, he heard the doorbell ring. He walked down to the door an answered it, leading his patient to his office. Titan following closely behind.

Later that night, Daniel sat alone eating dinner. The thought of the asylum making him feel anxious. He stared out the window at the darkening sky, thunder sounded and lighting flashed. Daniel sighed and cleaned up his dishes, taking a quick shower and returning to his desk and rescheduling some appointments. He laid down onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He slowly slipped into a troubled sleep.

The next morning, Daniel woke up at eight and dressed. He brought Titan over to Ms. Beasley's and went through locking every window and door that lead outside. He sat on the couch, listening to the rain fall and waiting for whoever was picking him up. His duffel bag sat next to him, the house silent without the old dog. The doorbell sounded and he stood, opening the door. It revealed a beautiful young woman. She had her red hair pulled back in a ponytail and she had dark bags under her bright blue eyes. "You must be Doctor Daniel Beton, I am Doctor Liliana Hanson. Pleased to meet you." She stated holding out her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." Daniel responded shaking the woman's hand. They walked to the car and put his bag in the trunk before climbing into the backseat with Liliana. They sat in silence as the car was driven away from the house, rain beating against the window shield.

Liliana sat looking out the window with her hands neatly in her lap. She glanced over at Daniel, he stared out the window with his elbow on the arm rest of the door and his chin rested on his hand. He looked over and Liliana quickly turned her head the other way. Daniel laughed and continued his blank stare at the monotone world outside the car window. He sighed and closed his eyes as the car left town and went forward into a bank landscape. "Well, after this little road trip, it's just a short helicopter ride to the asylum." Liliana spoke, breaking the silence. Daniel yawned and stretched, Liliana looked at the clothes he was wearing, a black shirt, a suit jacket, and jeans. "Very professional Doctor." She laughed.

"I'm not going to wear my work attire all the time, I'm going to wear something comfortable and call me Daniel." He smiled, looking over.

"Lily, and whatever you say Doctor." She replied teasingly. They laughed and plunged into an awkward silence. Daniel smiled at the woman next to him, he looked up at the smirking driver and leaned forward.

"What are you smirking at?" He asked the man. The driver laughed before replying to Daniel's question.

"Nothing, you two just make yourselves comfortable." The driver replied, Daniel sat back and looked forward at the never ending road. He frowned remembering the situation at hand, he realized that he would probably never see Lily again after this. He shook his head, removing that thought from his mindset.

A few hours had passed and Daniel opened his eyes, seeing that they were still on the road. He looked over, seeing Lily asleep and took off his jacket, laying it over her. "Two more hours to the airport." The driver spoke quietly, getting a nod from the doctor. Daniel sighed and looked out the window at the town they had arrived in, wondering why they had to go so far from his town to go to an airport. He shook his head at his stupidity, realizing that Bridgemont Asylum was on a secluded island and for a good reason. He had remembered reading about the patients that get brought there, serial killers, people who truly believed that they were a god. He shivered not wanting to believe that this was real. Maybe this is just a dream.

The two hours passed with ease. The black car pulled into the parking lot of a building. Daniel looked up the helicopter, suddenly feeling nauseous. Lily woke up and stretched, handing Daniel his coat back with a smile. They got out of the car and were lead to the running helicopter. They were greeted by a man in a black suit. "My name is Elliot Lloyd, welcome doctors." The helicopter lifted off the ground, Daniel took a deep breath. He looked out, seeing the storm clouds had followed them and his anxiety grew. Something told him that something was going to go wrong.