A/N: Oh my freaking God, this took longer than expected :/ Things have been hectic lately my darlings, I moved to England, got sick, finished a nightmare-assignment TWICE (because proff. is a di-Cough) and I'm currently trying to find a decent job, but even with all this, this chapter took waaaaaay longer than I initially wanted :/ I......um....I don't know how A+ quality it is but I did try my best with it, so please forgive me this one time o>___<''o Things pick up from next chapter onward, so please stay tuned for more! Love ya all darlings ! <3
'Sweetie, I just gave you something to help with the pain in your head, so I'm going to inform the doctor to come check up on you okay? When you're ready you can continue your talk with the officers. Alright?'
Nurse Samantha offered you a small, sincere and calming smile, her brown eyes filled with sorrow as she gazed upon your pale face with worry. Her grey curls were a bit tangled from all the times she passed her hands through them in order to calm herself a bit and she regarded you sadly but cautiously, as if she was looking at a wounded but rabid animal; maybe a cow, definitely a cow like the huge ones you saw overfed like there was no tomorrow and they were the last of their kind. What a beautiful feast they would provide.... Wait! What the fuck are you thinking about? It's the yoo-hoo pills they gave you for sure, since you feel just a step away from seeing dragons fly out of the hospital window you were currently staring at; are you drooling? Jesus Christ woman! Oh thank God, it's just the split lip that has opened, nothing more. Too bad Samantha isn't here for you to imitate Valak from the Conjuring for the third time this morning. Yet fucking hell dude, your skull is freaking exploding inwardly and there is nothing you can do to silence this constant ringing.
Whatever the fuck Hood-dude did to you was freaking savage to have you high on hospital drugs by ten in the freaking, chirping morning.
Everything about last night was nothing but a haze of raw fear and pain. Escaping those fuckers, you had woken up a few hours later safely hidden away in the attic but with your opened head bleeding so much it had passed through the wooden floor and dripped down. No sound came from around the house, so making your way carefully down, you called the ambulance and the police. Fast forward a few hours later and you are gazing out the window as the doctor is on his way and the police searched your house. It was painful even to turn your body and the constant ringing in your ears was driving you dizzy with vertigo, so for the most part, you tried your best to remain as still as you could. Beyond the window you were so fixated upon, the unyielding storm was whipping the lands with undiminished power, unleashing all its might onto the unprotected people and drenching anyone that happened to be outside. It provided the perfect coverage for anyone who wanted to get what they wanted.
So vigilantly, you kept your gaze towards the forest on the outskirts of the hospital's premises, keeping an eye open to catch a glimpse of any of those fuckers.
Honestly, after what happened last night and all the marks it left on your skin, you were sure now that you were not going crazy. Everything was real, nothing was on your mind and the wounds and broken into house was the sure proof for it. It felt utterly surreal; like someone was aggressively keeping your head under the water while you struggled for a single breath of the all-too-needed air. Thrusting around, kicking and screaming, shortening your breath even more, dissolving it into bubble nothingness, only to be pulled out of the water in the very last minute. Traces of the battle you gave marred your skin thoroughly enough to prove you had battled the beasts and emerged victorious; so gazing outside the window, you really challenged those motherfuckers to come at you. C' mon Thanos, you'll shove the stones so far up his ass, he'll pick them off his teeth. Where's Deadpool to dramatically look on the camera?! Because now that you had proof they were after you, they'll need all the Winter Soldiers they can get their hands on to keep the police from coming after them. Damn those Francis!
'Miss ______, you're bleeding again!' a voice brought you out of your thoughts for a man-hunt and a very distressed doctor rushed to cover your nose with a clean cloth 'How often do you have those nosebleeds? If that keeps going, we'll need a blood transfusion!' he declared, more to himself than to you, who only raised your hands to keep the cloth steady as the doctor proceeded to examine you even further.
Checking your head and various gashes gracing your skin.
'How bad is it doc? Tell me the whole truth, I probably can't take it.' you joke humorlessly, earning a displeased glare from miss Samantha.
'A severe concussion, various gashes, anemia and nosebleeds that cannot be explained from your concussion; if they don't stop we might have to hospitalize you for a few days. I advice you to remain calm, we're here to help you miss ______.'
'But can't I go home? These nosebleeds aren't too serious and I have to get to work tomorrow!' you explain, swinging your legs above the ground 'I assure you everything's fine now that the police is in my house.' Honestly speaking, hospital visits were all fun and games, but you wanted to get the fuck out of here and take a long bath in the calmness of your house; the police was already notified, so there was no chance in hell for the Hydra Agents to come back.
Instead, the doctor sighs and leans back, pulling your x-ray and examining it by raising it in the air 'You're quite something miss ______. The policemen want to talk to you and your psychologist is in her way. So try to remain relaxed alright? I'll give you something to take the edge off.'
As he finishes his sentence, he pulls out a big-ass needle with a clear liquid within, reaching out for your IV. The moment you see it, your eyes widen and panic mode is immediately switched on; why were they giving you drugs?! Miss Samantha had already given you some! And what does he mean Ackerman was on her way and didn't you already speak to the police?! What the absolute hell was happening?!
Your reaction is immediate 'Hey! I don't need anything, really. My vertigo is slowly going away and the nosebleed stopped!' you pull the cloth away and point at your nose 'See? Everything's fine, so no drugs!'
'You need to remain relaxed miss _____, we're doing everything we can to help you.' he robotically answers you and before you had the chance to make a smack down dive for the dreaded needle, he has already injected the liquid straight into your IV.
Whatever the fuck he gave you, it must have been strong enough to knock out a freaking elephant because almost immediately, you feel your entire body go numb and you would have fallen back if nurse Samantha wasn't there to catch you; with skillful movements and incredible strength you didn't know she possessed, she helps you sit on a wheelchair she pulls right in front of the window, oblivious to the all-out war waging inside your mind. You were unable to move, you were unable to do the slightest movement but move your legs just enough to pull your numb body onto the wheelchair and without controlling it, your body leaned forward in the same deranged way that psychotic patients did in AHS Asylum. Just a step more and Jessica Lange was going to burst though those doors. Your eyes shifted frantically from the doctor to the nurse, who simply –and to your relief- checked a few more things and left, informing you that miss Ackerman was going to be here soon.
If anyone was to see you right now, they would see a catatonic girl who calmly tapped her pointer finger repeatedly, as if she was waiting for something. If they were able to hear your thoughts though, they'd probably be deafened.
It would be the understatement of the century to simply say that all emergency and danger alerts inside your mind had simply gone off; in reality, they were set ablaze and deafened you with how loud they went off, screaming and howling like wounded animals. Yet your body was stuck in an almost catatonic state, unable to be moved, further throwing you into distress and fear; it was one thing to have those Purge-wannabe fuckers after you and it was a completely different thing to have the doctors and people around you turn against you. They didn't believe you; who on their right minds would sedate someone who'd been attacked by murderers, if they thought they told the truth?! So they trapped you here, inside your own body. They were on the side of those fuckers and there was no doubt about it. I mean, everything wasn't exactly perfect back home, but never –ever- had they attacked you out in the open like that; they couldn't reach you there. So that only meant Ackerman's suggestion wasn't that naïve or good-willed as you thought it was. She pulled you out of the comfort of your home and now she's trying to make everyone believe you are crazy and hand you over to those fuckers. She's with them and there's no freaking doubt about it anymore.
Which only leaves you now with a burning question: what next?
First step: calm the fuck down.
Panic was going to lead you nowhere and if you wanted to get the fuck out of Dodgeville, you had to be clever about it. Panic was only going to make you look more like a lunatic and earn you a one-way ticket to Loony-bin, so for now, you had to act like you were truly calm and collected, at least until the dreaded traitor Ackerman came in to check on you. Then you'd only have to play the part they gave you and get out as fast as the first opportunity presents itself.
Which brings us to the second step: getting your body to move.
The sedative was surely coursing through your veins by now and there was no way you could get your hands to any antidote; even if you did, other than adrenaline serum, you knew nothing about drugs so you could as well poison yourself for all you knew. So the next best thing would be to indulge yourself in the silent panic threatening your sanity; it was the best way to keep your heart pumping fast enough to burn through the poison, yet not so good for your mental health. Which only left you with curtain number three: move your limbs enough and repeatedly for the muscles to burn through the sedative. No jokes, it was a slow process and you barely knew how much time you had at hand before you needed to take action, but it was the best you've got until now. And like that, you tap your little fingers against the metallic surface like there was no tomorrow.
You didn't know how much time passed; for certain, you must be sitting here for quite a while, boiling in your own angered blood, by the time a familiar voice you had heard oh-so-many-times reached your ears from the depths of the hallway behind you. Immediately, your heartbeat skyrockets and you thank dark Lord Cthulu for being stuck in this chair lest you jump up and beat the absolute shit out of the voice.
'_____, here you are!' the voice is clearer now and warm hands rest on your shoulders reassuringly before a red-headed woman walks into your field of vision 'My God, I expected you to have a relapse but nothing so... severe!' miss Ackerman gently coos and even if your face is as calm as a cucumber, your mind only screams to get up and slap that traitorous bitch into tomorrow.
She regards every inch of your face carefully, deceivingly sorrowful eyes wandering about your skin and the bruises those fuckers had left behind until they connected with your own (e/c) orbs and you have never felt so beyond yourself with anger. Oh how much you wanted to bite into her exposed neck like a coyote with rabies. But you let nothing out, show nothing but calm passiveness as the psychiatrist sighs tiredly to herself and stands up, looking at someone above your head and passing her hand over her tired face in order to 'recollect' herself.
'Everything is under control gentlemen; as you can see my patient is doing better and poses no threat to anyone.' She announces with a grand motion and suddenly, your foot begins to tap against the floor with a soft 'thud' sound. This was good. Get yo ass movin' gurl!
'You better keep a close eye to your patient miss Ackerman; we're a small town and need no further trouble than what we already got.' A heavy, authoritative and gruff male voice says and Ackerman's grip on your shoulders tightens unconsciously. Instinctively, your brain wants to navigate itself to find the source of the sound, but it was still tough to move and the bright window across from you offered no reflection. The voice was somehow aged though, betraying some notes of tiredness.
'Better rest assured officer.' She coldly responds and for where you are sitting, it is impossible to see her face 'What did you find at her house?'
So the police was here as well huh? Struggling, your numb brain tries its best to keep up with what was happening around you, filing it quickly for future reference; you had a friend or two at high places in police departments so someone was going to get the boot for being absolute pricks.
'We closely examined _____'s house and indeed found one of the windows broken, signs of struggle on the living room along with a considerable amount of blood dripping down from the attic. Few furniture has been damaged in the process but nothing that can't be easily replaced.' The officer informs her mechanically while shuffling through some papers and though you were thankful for confirming the damage made to you and your belongings, something deep inside you is waiting for the other shoe to drop as well.
'If that was all officers, you wouldn't have called me at all. Get on with it please; I have to proceed with treating my patient as soon as possible.' Ackerman urges, mimicking you in tapping her fingers impatiently.
There was a small pause, where you guessed heated glares were exchanged, before a second, younger male voice continued 'There was no sign of forced entry at all; all the windows and doors were locked, except from the main entrance which was wide open. Nothing was stolen, all the broken furniture only had her fingerprints on, no break in from the back door and the window was shattered by a rock which had the 'victim's' fingerprints on it. No one heard or saw anything from the neighboring houses, except the neighbor who called the ambulance for her.'
'All in all, your loony did that all to herself.' The first policeman said, sealing your decision to use whatever resources you had in the police and media to have them collecting garbage by the time you'd be done with them.
Ackerman though, for all her traitorous ass, was having none of that as well 'I'd be careful who I'm addressing like that officer. My patient might be ill at the moment, but she still is a person and I don't think your superior will be particularly happy to know about your views on mentally ill people.'
Her words were met with only grumbles and warnings to keep you away from causing any problems ever again, or they'd have to take drastic measures since this town was 'quiet', 'law-abiding' and 'wanted no people that caused trouble'. After a few more inquiries and a few warnings that they would periodically check on you, they left without further problems; your anger had not subsided at all and by the time Ackerman helped you on your woozy feet, you realized you had regained much of the control over your own limbs. Time to think of a fucking plan and get the hell away from the psychologist as fast as you could, without causing suspicions; if she knew what you were planning, sedation might not be on the course this time and no matter how much you'd rock the white jacket with the jazzhands tied to the back, you weren't ready to wear white just yet.
'How about we return back home ____? I think it'll do you good and I had some people clean it up.' She addresses you with a bright smile that makes your insides turn.
Weakly, you nod 'I'd like that a lot miss Ackerman. Thank you.' You robotically respond, playing your part as well as you could. Still, you can't hold back the stern glare and the pressing of your lips in a thin line, but thankfully, the woman doesn't catch up on that.
Instead, she grabs you gently by the hand and making sure all of your belongings are in place, she navigates you both out of the hospital, thankfully without further unpleasant encounters. Rain continues to pour heavily outside, but the cold touch feels like salvation against your burning hot skin which fights its way out of the sedation; it is easier to walk and think now, while plans start popping in your head like fireworks. Ackerman is completely oblivious still, pulling you into her car and driving off; she was constantly talking to you, saying how beautiful the place here was, how it was going to help you relax and unwind and there were a lot of places to see around here, like the national park and the rivers were people went kayaking. This was going to be good for you, a new start, the beginning of a healthy life.
Only that she was a pretentious bitch who had betrayed you to those monsters coming after you. With your stomach turning, you ignore the little bitch and lean your head against the cold window, throwing her voice into the background noise and piecing together a plan of action. Certainly, you couldn't stay here; there were still a few bucks left in your bank account, so let's just hope it'll be enough to get you out of here. Of course, your car is ready to go –thank you paranoia!- and the only thing you must be careful about is getting rid of Ackerman. That would be the trickiest part of them all, but hopefully, you'd make it with the first try when she was distracted.
'How about we talk about what happened yesterday _____?' her serious voice brings you out of your thoughts as silence descends upon both of you.
Sighing, you keep your eyes on the green wall of threatening trees mixed with rain 'I don't want to; there's nothing to talk about.' You wanted to sound calm, but your voice breaks as coughs erupt from your chest. Daymn, maybe you caught a cold or something.
Ackerman presses her lips together 'It's always best to face our own fears and get to the bottom of every situation. Voicing our thoughts and emotions helps us understand the powers that drive us every single day. For example, the men you saw represent hidden aspects of your personality.'
You highly doubted being beaten into unconsciousness was a hidden aspect of your persona –not even in possible hidden bdsm tendencies– but you were not going to voice your opinion on the matter. Sighing deeply, you cover your mouth to cough a little bit more, before leaning your head back and closing your eyes.
'One of them wore orange goggles and yielded two hatchets; one rusty and the other pretty sharp. Victor-Crowley-dude sure was too alive to be just my imagination.' You bite out to her, fixing her with a glare she ignores, pulling the car to a stop in front of your house.
Now it was her time to sigh and roll her eyes exasperatedly, guiltily avoiding to look at you and playing it off as if she was mad at you; well fuck you too Ackerman traitorous bitch, you're not fooling anyone with all these theatric eye-rolls. And the Oscar goes to Acker-di-caprio-man!
'But it was just your imagination _____.' She spits at you just as coldly 'All these are manifestations of your need to draw attention to yourself. There are no monsters; no hooded people, no masked people, no hatchet-men. You have to come to terms with the neglect you faced in your childhood by your parents. It's okay to be angry. It's okay to feel frustrated. Accept that. But the dangerous men are simply your imagination. They do not exist _______. It's all in your head and –oh my God, your nose!'
It was only natural your nose decided it was the right time to release the blood-Kraken and you barely feel the cold liquid drip down before it's brought up by Ackerman. Bloody fucking hell dude. Even if it took your eye-roll a step further in the dramatic scale and made you look like the girl from the Exorcist or the Nun, you contemplate if you should roll your eyes back and start chanting in whatever Latin you knew, just to fuck with Ackerman. Instead though, you wanted to escape the close encounter of the third type with the psychologist before it turned into fourth type –yes, the butt thing- and stop her from touring around your brain, so you grab a tissue from your pocket and covering your nose you exit the car with a grunt. Thankfully for you, the rain has stopped at the moment and passing by the front door, you walk back on the main road and start walking away, like some sad dude from those cliché rom-coms.
Where's the dramatic music when you need it? Damn you author and your cheesiness, stop watching Sandra Bullock!
'______ come back! You cannot storm off whenever you feel cornered!' Ackerman calls behind you and in response, you flip her off.
'Well watch me ace that shit Roxanne! I'm done with this Captain America-Iron Man: Civil War drama.' You yell back and quicken your step; simply wanting to get away now that you could once again run the marathon, you allow the long road and the trees to surround you with Ackerman hot in your tracks.
'I know things are difficult for you, but only by facing our fears can we rise! Pain is only making you stronger not weaker and eventually, your mentality will get tougher! Accept the help I'm offering you and don't shut me off!' the psychologist yells behind you and this time, there is no mistaking the sharp sound of your ironic laugh filling the electrified air around you, openly mocking her as you turn on your heel and glare straight at her with nothing but sheer anger and frustration. Fuck subtleness; this was all in or lose your flippin' lid.
Still, you keep walking with a backward pace 'Accept your help?! You DON'T believe me Roxanne!' you spit out 'I don't need anyone to pay attention to me, I just want this nightmare to end! And there is a nightmare because my fucking head was almost split open and you keep saying I'm crazy! FUCK, you even DRUGGED ME! Why can't you simply see what the fuck is happening?! People are after me!'
Roxanne raises her hands defensively 'I was only trying to protect you _____, they wanted to admit you into a ward!' she reveals, only for you to scoff mockingly 'And you did that to yourself there was no break-in of the house. Your condition is getting severe ______ and if this keeps going, you're going to lose everything. It's a miracle you even kept your job!'
And the award for the most dramatic and sarcastic eye-roll if the century goes to........YOU!
'You're just a traitor Roxanne; you don't want to help me! Everything was relatively good until you suggested coming here where I'm surrounded by the wolves!' you turn around once again and quicken your pace even more; a little bit further and you'll be running. Away from Roxanne, away from this hell-hole, away from everything that drove you into the edge and gave you a gentle HULK PUSH!
This time, Roxanne yelled at you and for the first time, pain laced her voice 'I'm not trying to hurt you ____, I'm only trying to help you any way I can! You are unwell-'
'I AM NOT CRAZY!' you roar derangely, your voice breaking through the silence of the forest and echoing in the far distance and you feel your head almost ready to explode 'I AM NOT CRAZY! I DO NOT SEE OR HEAR THINGS, PEOPLE ARE AFTER ME FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! YOU'RE ALL TOO BLIND TO SEE AND I'M TELLING YOU YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THAT SOON ENOUGH!'
'______ you-'
Suddenly, her sentence cuts in half.
Your brain fell off balance as it waited for the woman to continue, but in the few nano-seconds it took you to form confusion inside the vast valleys of your brain, a piercing sibilant sound erupts from behind you.
Something is moving.
CRACK!
A squishing sound.
Drip....
Water?
THUD.
Instinctively, your head turns towards the general direction where your psychologist was standing, while time all around you seems to stop as your brain is slowly but steadily turning the sirens of danger on, forcing your adrenaline to course rampant inside your blood and all thoughts to stop instantly. Your e/c orbs search for the older woman and when they do fall upon her, it takes you a while to understand exactly what you were seeing. Only for your blood to run cold.
Roxanne was lying face first onto the sturdy concrete, her beautiful face wearing a dull and ashen expression and her hands desperately trying to claw their way towards you as a pool of blood forms quickly under her and she grows paler by the second; still, your breath hitches and your heart almost jumps out of your chest when you locate the brand new orange hatchet protruding from the center of her back proudly, deeply embedded into her spine and forcing her to bleed to death. The hair in the back of your neck stands up. Your eyes are drawn by a sharp orange glow and the figure standing a good fifteen meters away, tilting his head to the side and watching you like a true predator. Cold sweat bathes you from tip to toe and suddenly, you realize you are no longer alone with the woman. Panic skyrockets inside you and like a wounded animal, you search for any escape routes, frantically searching all around you for the safest route; Goggles is right behind you, holding the other rusty hatchet loosely on his left hand and toys with it, swinging it back and forth. Roxanne is on the floor and by the looks of it she can't be helped. Movement from the corner of your eye draws your attention towards your right, just in time to see Hood emerge from the darkness of the forest, holding a long pipe. Cornered. Facing towards the front once again, you see Mask already waiting for you, hands in his pocket and white mask being nightmare fuel. They found you!
Yet they had left your left side completely uncovered.
Big mistake.
'H......hel...help me!'
As your paranoid and terrified brain forms whatever chance of survival you had and thinking through the possible escape route, a voice beyond the grave calls out to draw your attention. Breathlessly, you gaze towards Roxanne who has successfully dragged her body towards you, leaving behind a trail of bright ruby colored blood. Copper, salt and rust reach your nose and you have to swallow hard the bile that rose in your throat. Numb. You felt utterly and deeply numb, like people do when they finally hear Death calling out for them. All instinct, darkness and thirst for survival.
Fuck this.
'I'm sorry Ackerman, but this is all in my head.' you soullessly say.
No man waits for death.
Without a single glance back, your sharply move to the left.
You simply RUN!
A/N: Until the next chapter, please check out my sister Aria's brand new story https://w
ww.quotev.c
om/story/11326
294/Requiem (put all the link together) ! It is amazingly written and really exciting, it will keep your interest till the last word! :3 Till next time, Stay awesome and have an amazing day/night <3 <3