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A hefty man in uniform leaned over the steering wheel and looked up to the sky to get a glimpse of the grey clouds that were enclosing the world around them. Soon the rain would begin to fall and the windshield wipers would come to life.
"Goddamn I really hate this weather," the officer said leaning back in his seat. He slowed down the police car as a red light approached in the distance. In his rear-view mirror he could see his only other passenger, whom he could sense feel differently about the rain. "How you doing back there kid?" he tried to spark up a conversation. She had been quiet the whole ride to the station, just staring out the window, mentally escaping.
Toni had her hands handcuffed behind her back and was slouched in her seat; staring at the droplets of water on the glass. "I'm okay" she replied, shuffling her feet. It didn't bother her that he called her a kid, given the fact that she was 22 years old. She figured the man to be a father used to calling his own young adult children by the term.
The light turned and the car slowly accelerated. The rain became heavy, and the man adjusted the windshield wipers to speed. "Don't be feeling too bad about your current situation kid, you won't get a harsh sentence for some petty bullshit. Everyone slips once in a while." He checked to see if she understood where he was getting at.
Toni tried her best not to let her sour feelings show through. She had this conversation before; it was no stranger to her. Being here in the back seat of this police car didn't even feel real. What did I do, what do they think I did? Did I do anything at all? Looking at the cage-like fencing that separated the "criminals" from the front seat made the situation more real. It happened, I screwed up.
His eyes returned to the road, "You know, my son would get into trouble with the law when he was younger. Nothing serious though, in fact, I'm glad it happened because I always love to tell the stories."
Story time... Toni wasn't feeling it, but it wasn't her character to be rude.
He continued, "One night, when he was about 15-16 or so, he and two of his friends were just doing a little midnight driving. They might have been drinking a little, I'm not happy about it but of course I can't scold him for it now. Anyways, they drove by one of the neighbors houses that had a pool in the backyard and decided to park on the front lawn. They all got out and began to strip down to nothing but their willies; leaving all their clothes in the car. They only got to swim around for maybe a good five minutes before a cop pulled up in the driveway, probably suspicious about their 5 star parking job. The kid with the car keys climbed out of the pool and tore the hell out of there, leaving the two of them behind. I got called and had to go pick him up. There he was, sitting on the curb with only a beanie hat to cover up his decency; he couldn't even look me in the eyes when I handed him some extra clothes. I nearly pissed myself laughing on the ride home, but my wife didn't find it as funny as I did. But 10 years later it's always a family favorite to bring up around the dinner table on Christmas."
Toni lightly chuckled; she needed a laugh to bring her spirits up. She should have thanked him for making her feel better, but she decided against it although she didn't know why.
A call blared over the radio," Calling all units in the 11-99 area; we got multiply calls of disturbance, location Beacon Mental Hospital. 176, 179 please copy."
Her attention turned from the window to the radio.
"Oh shit," he whispered to himself with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Dispatch, 176 copy, ETA 4 minutes." He made the next left and headed down a desolate street. "Gonna have to make a quick stop, hope you don't mind."
"What the hell do you thinks going on down there?" Toni asked.
The officer was nonchalant about the whole thing, as if he got calls like these every few weeks or so. "Oh, it could range from a number of things. Like a patient got vanilla pudding instead of chocolate, or maybe they just didn't want to take their shots. I feel for the nurses that work there, I really do. It must be one hell of a job."
Toni couldn't agree with that. If it's their job, the employees would have enough experiences handling situations like that on their own. No need to bring a man armed with a gun into the situation. Something's off, something seedy.
A few minutes passed by before a second call from the radio disrupted the silence, "All units, all units; 11-99, multiple homicides. Beacon Mental Hospital."
Ah, now it became clear.
The officer's eyes widened, his hands were clamped around the small walkie-talkie. He swallowed hard before he spoke into the radio. "Dispatch, 176 copy. ETA 2 minutes." He rubbed the stubble on his chin, taking a deep breath. Given all of his years of experience, this was something he was not prepared for at present. Toni could sense this; she didn't think she was either.
It had become intensely silent.
The sound of police sirens became amplified as they neared the location. Toni could see the glow of the red and blue lights reflect against the dark brick building of impressive size. The Beacon Mental Hospital looked to be older than the city itself, contrasting against the modern architectures surrounding it. And for that, it looked odd yet beautiful.
The car came to a stop at the hospitals gates; the officer was hesitant to enter. There were already 5 units in the area, only empty cars were present with their doors left open. They must have rushed to get inside. He entered the parking lot, stopping the vehicle at a comfortable distance away from the large doors that awaited something horrific.
He unbuckled his seat belt, left hand griping the door handle. He turned around, facing Toni; his face was drained of color. "I'll be right back, kid. I feel bad leaving you here, but it's what I gotta do for now. Understand?" Toni nodded, slowly moving her anxious and sweaty hands that were still constrained. Please take these off of me, don't leave me like this. The officer nodded back, "Alright then."
He closed the door and began to walk across the parking lot, glimpsing at all the cars to see if anyone else was on the site; no one from what she could tell by the look on his face. The mental hospital towered over the man like a demon waiting for its feast. He walked up the steps, and pulled out his gun with forced confidence. He slowly opened the tall old-fashioned doors, checking inside before creeping in. Toni watched him intently as he stepped inside. The doors closed in on him, swallowing him.
Toni feared for this stranger, a kind man. I should have thanked you…
It had become quiet now, only the sound of the rain kept her company. Toni stared at the mental hospitals front doors, waiting… for anything.
For Christ's sake officer, give me something to hope for.
Toni pressed her head against the back of the seat in front of her and closed her eyes, finding comfort in some way. Her ears perked when she heard police sirens from behind. She looked up at the review mirror and could see a vehicle stop in front of the entrance gates. She shifted her body around to look out the back window for a better view. Four people emerged, but only 3 entered the parking lot: two men and a woman. She recognized one instantly, and felt a lump in her throat. Oh shit. She turned back around, biting her cheek nervously.
A man in glasses was checking all of the vehicles, searching for any observable evidence. One by one he would investigate the cars. He found one in particular that interested him. It was the only one will all of the doors closed, and was parked perfectly parallel to the curb; the driver was in no rush when they arrived to the scene. He walked up slowly to the car; hand on his gun with eyes peeled.
He peered inside, and that's when he spotted her. "Sebastian, found a passenger back here."
Sebastian shuffled over to Joseph to see for himself, pulling his large hands from his pockets as he walked. He placed a heavy hand on the hood of the car as he leaned down to examine. He knew right away who it was, even though she kept her face turned away from the window like a pitiful dog expecting a beating. He had hoped she wouldn't be in this exact same situation like he had warned her about. He knocked on the window with a powerful knuckle; she ignored him. "Toni" he called out her name through the glass firmly.
She shrugged her shoulders and let out a weak exhale. You can't act like he's not there. She turned her face in his direction so he could identify her, looking past him to avoid his fierce and intimidating eyes.
"Jesus Christ," a look of disappointment crossed his face before he turned to his partner. "Joseph, unlock the doors."
Joseph gave him an odd expression, but followed his orders. He walked around to the driver's door and opened it, pressing the unlock button.
Sebastian quickly opened Toni's door, grabbing her by the arm as he tried to get her to step out of the car. She didn't budge at first, which annoyed him, but after a few tugs she gave in and stepped outside.
He made her step back as he nudged her against the car; his hand was on her shoulder. Toni stared at the ground, letting the rain run down the back of her neck. She was tired of getting yanked around all day by superior figures.
He's gonna give me one of those lectures. Oh god, give me anything but a lecture.
Sebastian, although a detective, would help the young girl from time to time. Even though he had a family-like affection for Toni, he didn't to care to admit it. The same could go for his partner Joseph.
"You said this wasn't gonna happen again," Sebastian squeezed her shoulder. "What did you do? Be honest with me now, Toni."
She glanced up at him with a sincere look. "It's nothing serious Sebastian. It's just… wrong place wrong time." She tried to slip away from his grip.
He let out a sigh, releasing his hold on her. "I'm trying to keep you out of trouble, not bail you out when you run out of luck and get caught."
Toni nodded. She had let him down many times before, but this time she was defiantly feeling more guilty than ever. "Can you at least get me out of these handcuffs?"
Before Sebastian could answer, a woman entered the conversation. "Detective, this isn't the time. We have work to do."
"Alright, Kidman." He looked back down at Toni with a gentle expression. "What time did you get here? Did you see anything?"
Toni instantly felt fearful again. "We were the last ones to show up before you guys came. The officer I was with went inside only 5 minutes ago. "
The three of them stared at her intently before giving each other a look only an investigator could understand.
Joseph adjusted his glasses. "What are we going to do with her first?" he asked, looking over at Toni.
Sebastian took off walking, leading Toni alongside of him with her hands still restrained. "First, I want to get out of this damn rain."
Toni's drenched grey t-shirt and dark long hair clung to her chest. Sebastian made her stand against the wall next to a plant, telling her more than enough times not to move from that exact spot. Okay, jesus. I get it.
He opened the front door; the strong smell hit him.
Joseph walked up behind him. "Smells like blood."
"All right, stay sharp."
Joseph nodded, pulling out his gun before stepping into the building.
Sebastian looked over at Kidman. "We're going to check it out. Don't let anyone else through this door. "
"I can be an extra set of eyes."
"We don't know what's happening here. You're our backup. And I need you to keep an eye on her."
"Why couldn't Connelly watch her?"
Sebastian grew tired of her bickering. "It doesn't matter who babysits because either way I would still make you wait outside. "
Kidman was about to protest, but kept herself from doing so. She shut the door after him, glancing over at Toni to give her a blank look.
Toni felt uncomfortable and awkward. "Something you want to say to me?"
"Yeah," she put a hand on her hip. "Why is he so nice to you?"
Toni was taken aback by the question. "Well, I've known him since I was 17. He's the reason I graduated high school. He's been an asshole to me plenty of times, but looking back, I really needed him to be. "
Kidman seemed unsatisfied with her answer.
Toni continued, "If you work for him, you're going to need him to be a bit of an asshole too."
Kidman laid off. You couldn't argue with that logic. She crossed her arms and stared out into nothing. "Sorry."
Toni leaned against the wall, joining her in the view. "Don't apologize."
Suddenly, a sharp pain was inflicted on the side of her head accompanied by high pitched ringing; knocking her off balance. As an instinct, she tried to pull her hands apart in an attempt to break free, but she only broke the surface of the skin. The pain was only a short wave, but she continued to shake in fear of another episode. What the hell?
She felt a pool of liquid in her mouth and slouched forward to spit on the ground; it was blood. She felt around with her tongue and identified a small slit on the inside of her lip. Did I just bite myself?
She looked over to her left only to find that Kidman was gone. She disappeared.
"Kidman?" she called out. No reply.
Toni could see that the front doors were slightly open. They weren't before, she was sure of it. I must be losing my mind.
Toni felt a strong force gravitating her to enter the mental hospital. She lined her left eye with the crack of the door. There was a glimpse of an outstretched arm on the floor; stained with red.
Why do I want to go inside? Sebastian said no, but I want to go inside.
She nudged the door open with her knee, opening up a world of nightmares. The large white waiting room was splattered with blood. There were bodies belonging to nurses and patients everywhere; some on the ground, and some seated on either couches or chairs. But their faces all read the same thing: death. Whoever killed these people showed no mercy.
Go inside.
Toni hesitantly took a couple of steps through the doorway. By the third, the loud ringing in her ears and sharp pain took hold of her body again. She clenched her eyes shut, and tripped forward; the white blur of the room quickly transformed into a cold dark atmosphere. She was now clinging to a wall for balance. I went forward…where the hell did this wall come from?
She opened her eyes; finding herself in a moonlit room. She scanned her environment for a moment; a mental patients room. She looked at the half-shut door just a few feet away, it was closing; soon to trap her inside forever.
"No!" she cried out, running towards her only escape. She awkwardly shuffled to the door, pleading with fate. Goddamnit don't you close.
Toni was almost there, just a few inches away from freedom. She wasn't fast enough. The heavy door clicked shut, mocking her effort. Her limp body hugged the cold medal, "No…" she whispered out into the silence.
She lifted her head and stared out of the small window lined with bars, looking out into the long hospital corridor lit from the light of the moon that projected from the large windows that lined the wall opposite of her. Her eyes looked down to see the bodies of three people in uniform, lying in pools of blood. She had too much empathy to handle looking at their faces.
Toni felt empty inside, never before in her life feeling so isolated.
She rested her head against the door, heavily panting from the anxiety. An unnerving feeling was present, but she didn't know what it was until she became silent and listened. Someone was calmly breathing behind her; she wasn't alone in the small room. Toni clenched her hands that were constrained behind her back, her whole body felt tense. Someone's behind you.
She shifted her body; now facing the person who had tricked her. Their eyes met. A thin, sharp featured man stared back at her. His white eyes were striking against the dark disfigurement of his face. He was dressed in a blood stained white cloak that left his chest down to his abdomen visible. Scars and burns covered most of his pale skin, but these injuries were old wounds that had not yet healed.
The man took one step forward, but before the heel of his foot could touch the floor, Toni had already pressed her back to the door; she was terrified. The man could read her easily, and used her fear to his advantage. His dry lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Turn around." He ordered; His voice was deep and confident.
Toni looked up at the man whose figure overpowered her. "W-what?"
All of this was very confusing and sudden. Is this even real?
He spoke calmly, his eyes burned through hers. "You heard me. Do as you're told."
Toni felt numb, this was defiantly real. She gave him a look of remorse before pivoting her feet, turning to face the door once more; the last thing she expected herself to ever see. He's not even going to let me watch him as he kills me. Whatever his method was, she prepared herself for it; mentally and physically. She clenched her eyes shut.
His cold hands reached out to wrap around her thin wrists, his fingers clasping around the metal of the handcuffs. With a swift movement, Toni was free.
No pain, just release.
