Ten | newtmas

thirty

    When we reach the solitary section, Vince takes an unexpected right turn down a different hallway. I furrow my eyebrows, looking up at him. But he doesn't say anything, so I keep my mouth shut, knowing we're still being watched by every nurse in sight.

    Once we're down that hall, he takes a left down another hallway that I haven't even been in. There's only one other person down here, and I can't tell if they're a nurse or a security guard.

    When he spots us, my stomach does a backflip. "The patients are supposed to be in bed," he says, mostly addressing Vince. His voice is like an explosion in the quiet of the area, making it all the more unsettling.

    "Trust me, I know," Vince says. "But this kid left something in the crafts room and he wouldn't go to sleep without it. We'll just run in and leave through the solitary hallway so I don't have to bother you again."

    The man nods, then looks down at me with an untrusting stare. He then looks up at Vince and gives him an obviously forced smile.

    "I have my shift change in a minute, so go ahead," he says.

    "Have a good night," Vince says. It kinda freaks me out how easily he lies. It's like he genuinely believes it himself; so much so that I almost believe him myself, even though I'm the subject of the lie. I'm not that crazy yet—I hope.

    Vince opens the door to what I'm assuming is the crafts room and wheels me in, the whole place dark. I open my mouth to start asking Vince what we're doing here, but then my eyes adjust to the light.

    All the words that were about to come out are replaced with one. "Thomas?"

    Vince shushes me, but I'm not really paying attention. I reconsider the theory that I'm still asleep—that one of the medications I take is giving me the side effect of super vivid dreams. But at this point, I shouldn't be surprised that this is reality.

    Thomas is sitting on a table, and he gets down from it once we walk in. He's holding something I can't make out, and he looks at me for a moment before turning his attention to Vince.

    "You got his things too, right?" Thomas asks him quietly.

    "I wasn't born yesterday," Vince says, Thomas nodding.

    "What's going on?" I ask.

    "I don't have time to explain," Thomas says quickly. "I wanted Chuck here too, but there was no time."

    "Thomas, I've trusted you up to this point, but now you need to tell me what you're doing," I say sternly. Blindly following him got me in solitary, so who knows what this will lead to? No, I need real information.

    Thomas takes a deep breath. "I was right. So it's not safe here, and we need to go. Now."

    I blink at him. This is too insane, this is too much to ask. He can't be serious, can he?

    "Be ready," Vince says, before slipping out the door we came in through.

    My anxiety kicks in now, and I wish I wasn't in this wheelchair; that I could run away if I wanted to. To where, I don't know.

    "Why isn't it safe?" I ask, my voice breaking.

    "I told you, there's no time to tell you everything," Thomas says. "What I can tell you is that I can help cure you, and I can save you. But you have to come with me."

    Save me? From what?

    It's only now that I notice the tears in his eyes as he looks at me. His glassy eyes shine in the moonlight, and I can see the desperation there. The fear. I know if I say no to him, he won't take it well. And I don't want that. As hard as I'm searching for a reason to not go, it seems pointless. I want out of here, and if Thomas is right, and it's not safe, maybe it would be the right decision.