CHAPTER 27: TWISTED MINDS
"I want you to explain something to me," Maria said as she paced back and forth in Juliet's room, Juliet just sitting on the bed and watching, knowing she was in trouble. "Why'd you think it was a good idea to let Andy in here, especially without me knowing?"
Juliet just stayed silent and looked down without an answer. Maria sighed and stopped pacing, placing her hands on her hips as she regarded Juliet in front of her.
"Yes, I'm rather mad at you for it; you know how I feel about having him skulking around the castle and corrupting you," Maria continued, Juliet looking up this time; annoyed.
"He doesn't skulk, let alone corrupt," she said, the annoyance evident in her tone, Maria just watching and listening to what she was saying. "He just wanted to talk."
"And he stayed virtually all night," Maria said back.
"No matter how much you hate him he's not about to just leave," Juliet said angrily. "Especially if I'm still here and locked away."
Maria looked at her for a few seconds before deciding on what to say.
"Alright well we can talk about this later," she said, her tone far from happy. "I have other places to be and the doctor won't wait forever. From now on you don't let anyone in unless I approve, got it?"
Juliet just gave a nod and Maria turned and headed back out, locking the door after herself.
'~'~'~'~'~
Ash had finally stopped shivering; sure, she was still a bit cold, but she wasn't as bad as she had been. Ronnie continued to lean against the wall near the door; Jinxx still restrained in his seat and not bothering to try and break out.
The doctor had made his presence known a few minutes ago, and he was sorting through papers on his desk to pass the time; he clearly already had a vague idea of what he was needed for today, but as usual he needed to wait for the Queen's orders to do so.
The doctor was in his mid-thirties at least; he was a rather intimidating man. His head was always shaved and Ash was pretty sure he must've done it himself; either way, he wasn't someone she wanted to spend too much time with.
She'd been down here more times than she'd wanted to be, due to one reason or another, and now she was just wondering what the Queen had sent her down here for this time. She had a feeling she knew the reason Jinxx was down here, and it wasn't going to end well.
Her attention was drawn to the door as it opened and Ash held the towel around herself a bit more, feeling a bit exposed still. As predicted, it was Maria who walked in through the door, closing it after herself and giving the doctor a bit of a smile as she came over, standing behind Jinxx's chair and resting her hand on the backrest.
She looked over to Ash briefly before she addressed the doctor who glanced up at her.
"I was hoping you could help me out on a few things," Maria spoke, the doctor still going through his notes and not bothering to even really listen in on his instructions.
"Depends on what you need help with," was the doctor's unenthusiastic response.
Ash knew the doctor all too well; he wasn't quite right in the head and enjoyed inflicting pain and misery on others. Ash just hoped she wasn't in for that today.
Maria glanced over at Ash again before speaking directly to the doctor once more; Ronnie just stayed where he was against the wall and just waited to be told what to do next.
"I need a psych evaluation on Ash and Jinxx," Maria said, Ash just shaking her head and looking down. "Then I have another task for you with Jinxx."
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."