Sinister Ego : Dangerous Minds

10. Father

I followed her down a long hallway. The walls were the same, that blood red color with the language neatly scrawled across it, and that powdery substance still completely covering the floor. My shoes were now submerged in it, the pure white color taking over my solid black converse. But I payed no mind to that, I just walked on, followed her as we made our way through the hallway. It really was very long, almost unnaturally so. Longer than any I had ever walked through, even my school's. It never ended. Or maybe it just seemed that way as anxiety gripped my mind, ruling over every circuit. My cursed curiosity was doing the same. Maybe that was why I kept walking forward, kept making my way further and further into this unknown place.

"W-what is-"

She stopped walking the second I opened my mouth, slightly hunching her body downwards towards the floor. She was breathing rather heavily, and I could feel a strong sense of urgency erupting from her exhausted body. I took a shaky step backwards, then another. And another.

She turned on me violently, maneuvering her feet and body at an extremely fast rate. Had I blinked, I would have missed it. She stared at me dead in the eye, a flaming undertone visible in her pupils. Her lips pressed together in a thin line.

She slowly removed them from each other.

"Shut up. Shut the fuck up."

"W-wh-"

She took a heavy breath, then continued in a low whisper. "From this moment on, you don't say anything. This is so, so important. Do not mess this up."

I widened my eyes and mouth, jolting my head in confusion. It all came rushing to me again. All the questions. Where was I? What was happening?

Who was she?

Who was she, really? That beautiful girl I had once crushed over behind the counter at Burger King. That seemingly innocent woman who had caught me staring. I thought of all the documentaries I had seen on TV about horrendous occurrences involving seemingly normal people. Anybody could be insane. Anybody could be a murderer. Anybody could be plotting your downfall. No matter what they looked like.

I took another step back, and this time she lunged at me, pulling at my sides, nearly making me topple over onto the powdery floor. I shook my head as I regained balance, looking down at her frantic face.

"You aren't going anywhere," she said, her voice ridden with paranoia. "You're following me, Ricky. You don't know how important this is."

I felt a fresh bead of sweat drip down my forehead. Rubbing the top of my head, I realized my whole scalp was completely drenched in it.

"Who are you?"

She didn't yell at me. She didn't lash out, didn't tackle me to the floor for opening my mouth. Instead, that fiery undertone shifted, and I saw in its place what almost looked like sympathy.

"I'm nothing that you aren't, Ricky. Now, I promise, everything will be ok. Just follow me."

She turned around and went.

********

We stopped at a metal door. Her urgent aura had returned, all traces of sympathy now cast aside. This was the place. This was the place she had been running to. The place she had been leading me to. Whatever was behind this door was the place she had deemed 'so, so important'.

I shook my head, feeling like I was about to vomit. What was about to happen? I wasn't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be sitting in a sanctuary with her,  listening to choirs sing and preachers preach. I was supposed to be at a normal church, enjoying my time with her. But instead, I was scared and confused.

Her hand rested on the doorknob. She hesitantly stared at it, looking determined but frightened.

With a sigh, she turned it.

******

Cold, grey stone walls. Powderless, grey floors. Two shelves.

A desk with a man behind it.

That was all that occupied this bland room. It didn't seem to belong here, in such a cryptic building.

The only thing even slightly interesting about it was the man situated behind the desk. He was wearing only a white cloth over his groin, and his eyes were closed. He was dangerously skinny, ribs completely visible through his skin. He was also bald, making him bear an uncanny resemblance to Ghandi. He was just sitting there, not doing anything. Something about him didn't quite feel right. He gave off a horrible vibe. I instantly didn't trust him.

She began walking closer to him, beckoning me to follow. But I stayed firmly put, right next to the door.

The man's eyes snapped open, revealing intelligent black eyes. His thin lips curled into a smile, and he spoke.

"Hello, Catherine. How are you doing? Is this the special recruit?"

She returned his smile. "I'm well, father. And yes, this is Ricky."

"Good! Very good! You've done well, my child, just as I knew you would."

She smiled wider, looking relieved. "Thank you, father. Do you have a uniform for him?"

The man laughed. "I do, don't worry. We can't have him looking so out of place forever. They're in the sleeping chambers."

"Would you like me to show him there?"

"It would be a great help if you did. Bring him to talk with me later."

"Yes, father. I will see you again shortly. Goodbye, father."

The man nodded. Almost as soon as she was finished talking, his eyes snapped shut again, and he was back to doing nothing. In a matter of seconds, I found myself back in the hallway.

"Thank you for being so cooperative, Ricky. You know, not making things hard. People always want to do that. It's really helpful."

She paused, looking as if she was thinking about something. She opened her mouth again to speak.

But I didn't care.

As quickly as I could, I bolted down the hallway, the image of Rory's car the only thing on my mind.