Welcome to Mount Massive
Mount Massive Asylum has never been what you would call a "welcoming place". What with it's next to nowhere location, it's less than friendly staff and, worst of all, it's patients. Of course, I collectively ignored all these traits when I was hired as an orderly. I mean, a job is a job and being a twenty something straight out of med school meant I definitely needed the money. I took the job in 2011 and have been trapped ever since; working everyday for the past two years under contract.
I felt I had made a deal with the devil and that devil went by the name of Jeremy Blaire a.k.a. Asshole McGee. You could say Mr. McGee had me under his thumb, but on a very rare occasion I didn't mind his tyrannical presence.
To be perfectly honest, the only thing that kept me going were the patients I looked after in the female ward. Sometimes they made more sense than the rest of the people in the asylum and it worried me that I was going a little loony myself. I loved those old bats and from what I could tell they enjoyed my company as well.
Sometimes when the asylum got a little too dark and depressing I felt obligated to shine a little light on their day. Being the painful optimist that I am I would often play music for them or initiate arts and crafts or even take them out for a stroll inside the asylum gates. It wasn't much, but they seemed to appreciate my gestures.
I tried so hard to keep my smile bright for my patients, but over time the weight of the asylum deteriorated my happy disposition and it was getting harder and harder to be positive. I was annoying myself with my constant state of hopefulness.
Quite recently, I was transferred away from my patients and into the male ward. It felt like I had entered a whole new, terrifying world. Apparently, my transfer was brought upon by an outbreak in the female ward meaning all the women had to be evacuated. It was strange to say the least and although my suspicion continued to grow the orderlies were forbidden to ask any nosy questions. I knew it was best to just keep my mouth shut.
The male ward was uninviting to say the least. The patients had not seen any kind of TLC in a long time. They spat whenever I walked into the room, they cursed whenever I came too close, and they broke nearly everything I offered them. If they couldn't break it they'd throw it back in my face. They drained every cliché happy thought I had ever stored away in my head.
Except for one soul. His name was Eddie Gluskin and he was indeed a charmer. I still remember our first encounter. I was making my way around the male ward introducing myself to anyone who would listen and I saw Eddie sitting alone; staring out the window. I introduced myself as the new orderly and he took me by the hand and kissed it only to be restrained by security.
He more or less sparked my attention, so I took the liberty to skim through his file. "Serial murderer." "Mutilated multiple women." Okay, maybe I was going crazy. Still, he was the only one who had shown me any sort of kindness and I had a feeling he would be my only "friend" in this rat hole.
He was good company, but I had to remind myself to keep a safe distance away. These men were not like their lady counterparts. They could rip me to shreds. To be fair, I was a tall girl, but I was still no match for them and especially not Eddie.
He was extremely tall and built almost to a T. He was lean, but his patient outfit still screamed against his muscles. He looked like he could have been a swimmer before he came to the asylum.
I would try not to stare, but holy shit was it hard. His tuft of dark, black hair was always slicked back against his pale skin which contrasted with his bright eyes. Oh, and his eyes… they were almost too blue to be true. Of course, I'd always catch myself thinking these insane things and mentally slap myself for being an idiot.
Whenever I was free I would occasionally visit him in his room, security at the ready, and we would exchange stories or I'd give him activities to do. Recently, I brought him the latest crossword puzzle from the village down the mountain, but what he really liked to do was talk and boy, did he talk.
My theory was that he just liked the sound of his own voice, because, I swear to God, when you got him started there was no foreseeable end. Though, his stories were so far-fetched that they were almost hard to hear, especially after reading about what happened to him as a child. Nonetheless, I would let him ramble on for hours about fishing with his Father and going to the city with his Mother. I felt a tiny bit of sympathy for the guy, but he was a murderer. I had to remember that.
Today was his birthday and I spent the majority of my day searching each and every thrift store for a present he might like. What I really wanted to buy for him were a few cassette tapes since he loved to sing. On late nights I would catch him humming from the inside of his room when he was supposed to be asleep. It would break my heart when I had to tell him to stop so the other patients could rest.
On hour three of my search I finally came across an old cassette bin. After much digging, I was able to find a dusty recording labeled "American Quartet"; Eddie's favorite ensemble group. The heavens sang to me as I held it in my hands. He could gripe at me no longer for playing my music which he thought was too "vulgar" for a lady. After claiming a few more tapes, I rushed out of the store, hopped into my blue Honda, and raced back up the mountain.
The sun boiled intensely through the open windows of the asylum; baking everyone inside. As I stepped into the men's ward I could smell the thick perfume of male bodies. Another thing I missed about the female ward was being able to breathe through my nose. Luckily, Eddie's room always smelled pleasant.
He smiled brightly at me as I knocked on the door frame and entered the small room; security lacing the door behind me. I kept the cassette tapes behind my back just out of sight to gather his suspicion.
A smirk played on his lips and he rose an eyebrow teasingly, "What are you hiding from me, you minx?" I let myself smile as I revealed his presents. His eyes widened as he took them. He stared at them with an intensity I hadn't seen before. I could only guess what kind of childhood story he was making up in his head as he held them.
"I'm sorry I didn't have time to wrap them. I knew dinner was soon, so I hurried into town before the store could close. Do you like it?" I asked; admiration still apparent on his face. He held the tapes every so gently as if a single wrong move would break them.
"This is wonderful. I haven't listened to American Quartet since I was a boy. My Mother would often play them for me on her old record player; a reward for having finished mowing the lawn. Then we would sit back and drink ice, cold lemonade until it grew dark or until Father came home from work. Thank you so much, Elizabeth," he smiled and stood up; arms wide, welcoming me in for a hug, but I knew I couldn't return it. It went completely against regulation, so I smiled back at him and he eventually lowered his arms looking a little defeated.
"Well, let's pop it in! I want to have a listen," I said. He stood from his bed and we walked out to the recreation area. Sitting alone in the corner of the room was an aged cassette player, because, God forbid, Jeremy Blaire buy the patients a nice CD player or even a TV.
Eddie slid the tape in carefully then wiped the dust off on his pants. Static scratched it's way out of the dirty speakers and for a second I panicked. Was something wrong with the tapes? Suddenly, music filled the room. The music was terribly old, but it was rather catchy. It was then accompanied by a four part chorus which Eddie seemed to know quite well.
Eddie started singing along with the unfamiliar tune; his voice soft, but rich as he effortlessly sang the melody and he slowly strode toward me. As he began to reach out, security jumped to attention; hands on their nightsticks, but I gave them a short shake of my head.
Eddie took my hand and we started dancing slowly. Security once again slumped back into their docile state. I only hoped that they still had their eye on Eddie just in case he tried anything.
We both kept a safe distance between us; at least two phone books apart, but I was still close enough to feel the intense heat that radiated from his body. The electric fans that surrounded us were pointless for I could still feel a steady stream of sweat drip down my back. It was unbearable, but Eddie didn't seem to mind. His stare never faltered as it beckoned me to look directly back into those blue, blue eyes. We continued to spin around and around and with each passing twirl I fell deeper into his gaze.
"Turn that shit off! I don't want to listen to pussy music!" A variant screamed as he pounded his hands against his head. A twitch of anger flashed across Eddie's face and it brought me out of my trance. The variant screeched again, "Turn it off!" The man charged toward Eddie and I like a bulldozer. Eddie pushed me to the floor with a solid thud and tackled the man immediately. His hands wrapped around the variant's neck like a snake choking the life out of prey. Veins had become visible on Eddie's neck while his face went beat red from rage. Security tried to pull the huge man off, but it was to no avail.
The only thing I could do was watch in horror as Eddie literally choked the life out of this man. I wasn't able to speak or think. All I could do was watch.
When they finally managed to pry Eddie from the other variant it was too late. The man's mouth gaped wide open like he was forever in shock and a thick, purple bruising had already formed along the neckline. His eyes remained open; lifeless and terrified. Only then did I realize how dangerous Eddie Gluskin truly was.