The incessant tapping rang down the darkened hallway. Its neurotic repetition shattered the deafening silence of the asylum. Swift feet carried the slender nun, her ears ringing from the endless bombardment of thoughts and sounds from the surrounding inmates and staff. She rolled her eyes as the tapping grew more furious. Time was almost right to finally pursue one of her bigger interests, but a small inconvenience had come to fruition. Finally she reached Dr. Thredson's office. Sister Mary Eunice pushed down the cold door handle and let herself in, startling the doctor. The tapping instantly stopped.
Oliver quickly looked up, his hand supporting his head on his desk. He straightened his back, trying to resume his professional persona. His appearance was quite disheveled, he had obviously been up for quite some time. His face was tired and dreary.
"Sister, it's quite late. Shouldn't you be in your quarters?"
Mary Eunice smiled, her eyes quickly glancing at the pen in his hand and back to him. She could practically feel the anxiety. He was stressing.
"Well, I could say the same for you doctor." She sat down in the chair in front of his unkempt desk. Papers were scattered across the wooden surface. Some relating to Kit Walker's case, but she could see a few news articles underneath the grueling photos. The only name near the headline was all too familiar. Winters. "Doing some studying hmm doctor?" She pointed a finger at the papers. "You must really be into her to dig through all of those cooking columns." A smirk spread across her face.
"I beg your pardon?" He glanced down at the article on his desk and back at the nun. His jaw clenched just slightly, but instantly relaxed. His eyebrows furrowed, and the nun let out a small giggle. "Relax Oliver. There's nothing to hide. You're about as good of an actor as our dear Dr. Arden. Secrets must come with the profession I suppose." She crossed her legs, her eyes becoming cold. She expected to hear some panicked or suspicious thoughts from the man, but was instead greeted with silence.
Mary Eunice leaned forward and placed her elbows on the desk, her face closer to Thredson's. "So is she the one? Ms. Homoerotic Winters? Is she going to make all of your mommy dreams come true?" Her eyebrow raised. Oliver's face became sinister. He stood abruptly, inciting a laugh from the blonde. She laid back in her chair again. "Oh don't be so sensitive Oliver. Believe me, I'm not the one to take away your little hobby." She checked her nails. "And Ms. Winters is quite decadent, you see, I was thinking of taking her for myself. Now sit down and act like a big boy, I only came here to talk." She waved her hand downwards and Thredson forcefully slammed down into the chair.
"What the fuck?" The breath had been knocked out of him, and he was unable to rise from the chair. His temper was starting to flare, more enraged than frightened by the acts of the younger nun.
"Now now, let's not be vulgar Oliver. Quite unprofessional of you." Oliver's eyes narrowed. "You know, I was quite content with letting you continue your little surgery operations, but now you've stumbled into a little, predicament."
"And what would that be, Sister?" His words were dry, full of bite.
"We have both set our sights on the same young woman. I suppose you did see her first, but let's face it, you're powerless here." She bit her lip a bit. "And only one of us can keep her in the end. Isn't that right?" Her voice infused every word with a bit of sarcasm.
Oliver relaxed. He turned his head slightly, trying to study the nun.
"Plus, I've heard all about your plans for her. Even trying to sneak her out the front door! How disappointed she'll be, since you won't be showing up." She pouted. Mary Eunice stood, walking over beside the doctor. She held his chin and turned his head to face her. "No hard feelings Oliver, but if you're good, I'll even let you live to see what I do to her." She smiled and let him go, walking over to the door, turning the handle.
She smirked at the doctor before gliding out the door, her footsteps echoing away. Oliver slammed his fists onto his desk.
He wasn't going to let some over-zealous nun ruin this for him. Ever.
The day room was eerily quiet, aside from the domineering French tune ringing out from the record player. Lana sat in the far corner of the room, anxiously taking drags from a cigarette. After her conversation with Thredson on the night of the storm, she had been itching to speak to Wendy. The doctor had arranged a meeting between them in the day room, but he was already late. Her nerves were starting to escalate. Her leg kept bouncing up and down. Maybe she was paranoid, but she could feel eyes on her. She turned to scope the room, and met with sinister blue eyes from across the room. She quickly turned back, taking another drag on her cigarette. Sister Mary Eunice had been seemingly omnipresent today. She couldn't help but feel like she was being targeted. But why?
Lana snapped out of her thoughts as a figure quickly sat down in front of her. She breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes setting on the horn rimmed glasses of the psychiatrist. Her leg stopped. He reached a hand out and placed it on her knee. "Good morning Lana."
"Good morning." She gave him an uneasy smile, the feeling of being watched suddenly intensifying. The doctor shifted in his seat, seemingly feeling uneasy himself. He retracted his hand and leaned closer. "There's been a change of plans. I've gone over every exit of this place, and I think I know another way. Do you trust me?"
Lana was shocked. Her throat seemed to close up, and she squeaked out a whisper. "I - how would? I mean...yes." Her voice became almost inaudible. "But what happened?" Her stomach was in knots, and she felt a burning sensation in her back, the unknown gaze boring into her.
"My original plan was to take you through the front door, but an unforeseen problem has made that impossible. Luckily for you, I found a tunnel, buried inside an old broom closet. It's near the-" Lana cut him off.
"I know where it is. I came in through it. We can't go out there. The last time we tried we were... attacked. There are creatures out there." Her voice broke at the end.
"Lana, that's absurd." He turned to look at something behind her. Lana turned to see what it was, only seeing the younger nun exit the day room. The burning sensation was gone. She turned back to look at the doctor.
"Lana, were leaving, tonight. Meet me at the door to the tunnel after dinner, before lights out." He stood and adjusted his jacket. Lana tried to object, but was silenced as he walked out of the room. She watched him leave for a moment, then turned back to face forward, taking another cigarette and lighting it. Her leg continued its movements. She should feel good, relieved even. Shouldn't she?
Oliver walked out of the room and down the hall to his office, he had an appointment with Mr. Walker soon. He passed the young nun in the hall, sharing a brief moment of eye contact. He placed his hand inside his jacket as they passed, feeling comfort in the cold metal of his pistol. He took a deep breath, and relaxed, bringing his hand back to his side, walking into his office, preparing the last of his things before Mr. Walker's visit.
The past few hours had been agonizing. Lana had been avoiding the other inmates, quietly rolling the dough for tomorrow's meals in the kitchen. Her body was on autopilot, rolling and cutting the flour drenched dough systematically. Her head was full of worries. What if I can't get to the closet? What if Jude finds me? How will we get past the creatures? She dazed on, slicing her hand while cutting the next batch. "Shit." She hissed under her breath, clutching the wound in her other hand. She turned around, running into an all too familiar figure. She gasped a bit, stepping backwards, hitting the metal table. Mary Eunice lightly grabbed onto Lana's hands.
"Ms. Winters, this is quite the gash. Here, let me help." Her smile seemed genuine, her eyes much softer than in the day room. Lana nodded her head and followed, Mary Eunice's hands still holding hers.
Mary Eunice had her sit down, grabbing some gauze, a towel, and a bowl of water from the shelves adjacent. The nun knelt down in front of Lana, dabbing the wound with the wet towel, wiping the blood away. "So what were you thinking about?" The question caught Lana off guard.
"What do you mean?" The nun smiled, pressing down a bit harder, inciting a small wince from the inmate. "Well you must have been thinking about something. Not everyone just dozes off and slices their hand in two." She removed the wet towel, and Lana bit the inside of her cheek, not knowing how to answer. Mary Eunice wrapped her hand in the gauze, and after a few minutes of silence, let her hand go and placed her elbows on the woman's knees. "Oh come on, it's just the two of us. What was it?" Lana could see the innocent facade on the woman's face, but a part of her didn't buy it. When she didn't immediately respond, the friendly feel of the nun's eyes turned to daggers. Lana's breathing sped up.
"It was nothing Sister, thoughts tend to come and go as they please nowadays. I couldn't remember if I tried." Mary Eunice smiled and stood up, supporting her weight with her hands on Lana's knees. She held her face close to Lana's. "Right, Sister Jude's treatment for your condition does have that effect. How has that been going by the way? Still feeling those urges?" She had moved her face close to Lana's ear, accentuating the last word with a whisper. Lana let out a frightened gasp, and moved her head away. Mary Eunice stood up fully, looking down at Lana with a smirk. "Maybe you need another session."
Lana's eyes widened, and she stood up, her expression turning into a glare. A surge of confidence ran through her. "You're so twisted, you know that?"
Mary Eunice laughed. "Finally, you've stopped shaking in your boots. I guess you do have a spine after all."
Lana turned to the others in the kitchen, the other nuns were announcing for the inmates to leave, lights out in about half an hour. She turned back to the blonde nun. "I'd love to sit here and be tormented by you, but I'm sure we can do that some other time. Good night Sister." Her voice was gritty and angry. She needed to get out of here. Screw the creatures and screw every Sister in this hellhole. Lana turned and exited the kitchen, following the other inmates. Mary Eunice smiled, walking over to the metal tables. The other Sisters had left, and she picked up Lana's knife, wiping the blood on her habit before pocketing it and walking out.