"You're uncle's office is right this way, Honey."
I followed the sound of the nurse's high heels on the white tile floor as my sneakers squished with my every step. I grabbed my arms and shook from the cool AC, sending drops of water from my hair. In the distance I heard a scream echo and my ears perked up at the sound; the nurse glanced back at me, reading my reaction.
"Uh, some of the patients…"
"Don't worry about it," I muttered already forgetting about it.
We stopped at a metal double door with bars on its two small windows. The nurse turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, looking at my with her head tilted to the side in pity. She almost looked like she was afraid for me and that should've unsettled me, but it didn't. I was so used to that look, it didn't even faze me anymore.
"I'm sorry about your parents, Ana," She looked into my eyes as she said it, like she really meant it, but given her job..she should be a pro at lying by now, "I have to warn you, this is a very sad place, Child, and I don't think its in the best interest for you to hang around here a lot."
I felt my eyes grow dark and she noticed as she gently took her hand off.
"I think opening the door for me will be in your best interest," I smiled sweetly.
She scowled but pressed the square red button underneath the intercom speaker. We both waited in silence for a few moments before the speaker crackled to life.
"Name and code," A distorted gruff voice said.
"Nurse Pattons. Code six."
"Who's your guest?"
The nurse eyed me, "Ana Arkham."
"…who?"
"Dr. Arkham's niece," I spoke up, getting slightly annoyed.
No wonder it was so easy for inmates to escape, the guards were idiots. There was a long silence and I was beginning to wonder if the door was broken, when a loud buzzer sounded and the locks shuffled and moved automatically. I beat Nurse Pattons to the handle and swung both doors open with some difficulty from their weight.
"Wait now, let me go first," The nurse started but I ignored her as I stepped into the harshly lit room.
It was a huge room with high ceilings with two levels. The inmates heads on the floor level snapped up to examine me from behind their glass wall of their cell. Some walked up and placed their palms flat against the glass, some licked their lips, and some of their mouths moved, but no sound came out.
"Sound proof?" I guessed.
"Bullet proof, shatter proof, escape proof," She assured me, even though I wasn't scared.
"Where's the second level?" I stared up at the empty cells.
"They're off to lunch, first level doesn't go until they're done."
"What about that one," I nodded to an empty cell on the floor level to our right, causing a drip of water to streak down the side of my face.
Nurse Pattons frowned down at her clipboard and then up at the cell number, then down again.
"That's the Joker's cell, well that can't be right…he doesn't go to lunch with the others. He's too dangerous," She shook her head, "He must be in therapy."
She shrugged and proceeded to walk towards the back of the room, I followed. We passed an inmate whose back was towards us. His head was tilted back, eyes were closed, and his arm was moving up and down. The nurse grunted and rapped on the glass with her pen.
"Cut it out, Nigma!" She yelled, even though he couldn't possibly hear her.
He glanced behind him, eyes lingering on me, before turning around and acting like we weren't even there.
"Let's just get you into your uncle's office, Dear," She hustled me into a room along the back wall.
The small room was a cozy waiting room complete with a soft leather chair and couch. I sunk into the chair while Nurse Pattons gently knocked on the oak door with the golden nameplate: Jeremiah Arkham, on it. I could vaguely hear my uncle's voice mumbled something from the other side and then I was ushered in before I could relax.
I stood there as Uncle studied me from behind his desk.
"Why are you dripping?"
He looked at my dripping hair and soaked clothes. I sighed.
"The cab driver refused to go any farther than the gate and he wouldn't let me wait in the car until the rain let up…and you have a long driveway."
"Refused?" he looked over his round glasses at me.
"This place has quite a reputation, I'm sure you know," I attempted a smile.
His lips cracked into a smile as well, "People don't understand what we do here."
Uncle seemed thinner, frailer than when I had last seen him; his dirty blonde hair was receding slightly and his face was lined with wrinkles. Dad looked younger than him, even though he was the older brother. I suppose it took a lot out of him to run this place, to harbor the blame when something went wrong…and something always went wrong at the Arkham Asylum.
"Well I left my bags in the lobby, I hope that's—" My stomach growling interrupted me.
His focus fell onto the papers in his hands as he said, "Wander your way into the cafeteria…the food here is somewhat edible."
"The cafeteria?"
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. We don't allow any of the immediate threats to eat in there…just don't go around flashing yourself about to them."
"Funny, that's exactly what I planned on doing."
He smiled down at his files and papers before I left. As I passed by the Joker's still-empty cell, I had an idea to where he was as I followed the signs and the smells to the cafeteria.
Alright, so what do you think? Please review telling me your ideas on which inmates she should find. More to come soon! ^_^