I followed Ms. Morell down the hall, ignoring the repetitive cries of Meredith. 'I can't save you, little bisque doll...' Angels, demons, little bisque dolls... None of it made any fucking sense. I had to get out of this place, before I turned into one of these loons.
"Please take a seat, Artemis," Ms. Morell opened her office door and indicated a chair near the large window overlooking the courtyard. I obliged, sinking into the cushions, reluctantly. I kept my eyes glued on the young woman as she sat primly across from me, smoothing out her skirt with the air of a monarch. She held her self with authority and mystique, while maintaining an air of mystery. It was intimidating. She watched me as intently as I watched her, unmoving and perfectly silent. We sat like that, calculating and sizing each other up for what felt like an hour, but really must have been maybe a minute. She broke the silence.
"Have you been sleeping"
I scoffed. "Seriously? Am I sleeping? I killed someone, have attacked several people, and you want to know more about my sleep cycles? Let me guess, next question will be 'am I fairly regular'?" I rolled my eyes, and leaned back in my chair, fixing my gaze on the tree limb just outside the window. I watched as a small yellow bird pecked at a frayed edge of bark. Ms. Morell watched me quietly.
"You didn't answer the question." She stated. I sighed. I needed to come up with a new plan. My new objective, obviously, would be escape. In order for me to get out of here, without a warrant for my arrest, I would need to give them a palpable reason for my temporary insanity. And that would be easy enough. Obviously I couldn't give them full truths... 'yeah, so I died, came back, have a massive hankerin' for blood, and enjoy long walks along the beach when I'm not indulging my inhuman bloodlust... It's all good, bro...' But, I could give them half truths. Had I been sleeping? Hell no. Why? Because this loony bin housed a screamer.
"No. I have not been sleeping." I gave her my best bored expression before turning back to the window. The bird was gone.
Ms. Morell stood, suddenly, walking to her desk and opening her second drawer and pulled out a small, orange pill bottle. After checking the print, she returned to her seat and handed me the bottle.
"Take two a half hour before bed. I'm giving these to you directly because I know that Brunski has been withholding your meds and he could easily do the same with these. I've been hearing from multiple staff that you appear exhausted both in and out of groups. You're irritable, aggressive, and exhibiting other classic symptoms of sleep deprivation. Do you have nightmares?" I stared at the pill bottle for a moment before shaking my head. Of course I had nightmares, but they were not why I couldn't sleep. Ms. Morell's brow furrowed slightly.
"So you have trouble falling and staying asleep?" I nodded, solemnly. That was truth. The screaming from upstairs was making me feel like my ears would start bleeding at any moment.
"What is it that keeps you up? Is it another patient? Staff?"
"It's the guy upstairs. The screamer. He keeps me up. I honestly don't get how anyone gets any sleep in this joint. It's driving me bat shit crazy."
Ms. Morell shook her head in confusion.
"What do you mean, 'the guy upstairs'?"
I frowned. "I mean the guy upstairs on the fourth floor, who hasn't stopped screaming since the first moment I stepped foot in this god forsaken place. You can't honestly tell me you don't hear it." I smirked and glanced up at her, my smirk fading at the look she gave me. It was one of close scrutiny and confusion.
"Can you describe the voice to me?"
I stared at her incredulously. "You have got to be shitting me. It's the guy! The guy on the fourth floor! I have no freaking clue who he is or what they are doing to him up there, but he has not stopped screaming since the night I arrived. You gotta admire his endurance though. He never stops. Not once." I shook my head in disbelief. Ms. Morell continued to stare at me with obvious scrutiny.
"Do you hear it now? The screaming?" I stopped for a moment, listening. I hadn't noticed before, but it was silent in this room. I shrugged and shook my head. I watched as she strutted to the door and swung it open. As soon as the door opened, I could faintly hear the tortured cries from somewhere above us.
"Do you hear it now?"
I nodded. She frowned and glanced out into the hall, before meeting my confused stare.
"Okay, here is what I want you to do. I want you to lead me to where the screams are coming from." It was my turn to frown.
"Whoa. First of all, you need to get your ears checked, because that screaming is loud as fuck. Secondly, no. Whatever is happening up there does not sound like anything I'd be even slightly interested in. I'm out." I crossed my arms tightly across my chest in defiance. Ms. Morell sighed, but remained rooted in her spot by the door.
"Artemis, I'm trying to help you help yourself. Do I believe we will find a man on the fourth floor being tortured? No. Why? Because that floor has been closed for twenty years. Do I believe finding the source, or what you believe to be the source, will be helpful in you facing your issues head on? Absolutely. Now let's go. Show the way." I stared out the window at the now empty branch, fingering the hem of my scrub top absentmindedly. I knew she was probably right. If she couldn't hear it, it probably meant I was crazy. The screaming was in my own head. But what if it wasn't? I sighed heavily and hauled myself out of the chair and trudged into the now mostly empty hall. I listened as Ms. Morell locked her office door and then strode up beside me.
"Okay, focus on the screams. I'll be right by you the whole time." I nodded, and squared my shoulders. I took slow deliberate steps, listening to the cries as they grew louder with each step.
When we reached the staircase, I stopped. I felt Ms. Morell place a reassuring hand on my shoulder and heard her whisper something about being there for me, but I wasn't listening to her. I was listening to the man. I took a deep, steadying breath and began the arduous trek up the winding staircase. With each step, it felt as though lead weights were being strapped to my legs. It was like climbing through molasses. Cold molasses. As we rounded upon the third floor, I winced in pain, tilting my head to shake the piercing ring starting in my right ear. It was reaching a glass shattering volume. I glanced over my shoulder at Ms. Morell. Obviously she heard nothing, as that was evident in her calm, if slightly curious expression. I continued up the stairs, covering my ears with my palms when it became too much.
It felt as if my brain was going to explode under the vibrations of the cries off the tile floors. Then the stairs came to an end. Ahead of us lay a dark corridor, not unlike the three other corridor below us. The difference being, this one had obviously not been inhabited in a long time. Old gurneys and wheeled chairs lined the hallway on both sides. It looked like something straight out of a cheesy 'killer doctor' film. The overhead lights were out, the only light source, being the windows at the far end of the hall. The windows were merely dots of light at the end of the ominous tunnel. The screaming was reverberating through my head at an excrutiating volume. I dropped my hands from my ears, as they were useless anyway. It sounded like the screams were inside my head now.
"Okay, Artemis. Where is it coming from?" Ms. Morell asked, a slight edge to her voice. I began walking into the dark hall, following the now hollow sound. It didn't sound like a man screaming anymore. Now it was like a train horn. A never ending train horn. I walked until I came to a small corridor to my left. This one was darker than the other. It appeared as though some of the windows had been boarded up. I followed it until I came to a shut door. It was strange because all the other doors were open. I looked at Ms. Morell for confirmation, before reaching for the nob. She nodded and gave me what I believed was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but came out as more of a grimace. I took a deep breath before clasping the nob. But when I did, I immediately released it, clutching my head in pain as the sound suddenly skyrocketed to eardrum shattering frequency. I cried out and dropped to my knees, covering my head with my hands.
"Artemis!" Ms.Morell touched my shoulder. I couldn't respond. The sound was literally killing me. I simply whimpered in response, still clutching my ears and head in agony. Ms. Morell stood, and after a moment of jiggling the door knob, she settled on kicking the door in. As soon as the door opened, the sounds stopped. All sound stopped. A ringing filled my ears. It was like a bomb had gone off near my head. I could hear my breathing. But when Ms. Morell turned back to me, I couldn't hear anything she said. She was staring at my nose and pointing to my ears. I wiped my hand under my nose to reveal a streak of crimson across the back of my hand. I gingerly touched my ears, to find my fingertips stained red when I withdrew them. I looked up at Ms. Morell and smiled. "Told you... I'm not crazy." And then blackness krept up on me, dragging me into unconsciousness.
****You guys have been so patient, I figured I'd put in some extra effort and make tonight a double whammy. Well, I hope you enjoy! Good night, Minions.
************P.S. This chapter is dedicated to HunterJohnHaycraft! I've been promising you a new chapter forever, and you waited so patiently! :)