Welcome Back to the Asylum
Chapter 1
Home Coming
The crowds were cheering and giving a standing ovation to the graduates as they threw their caps in the air. The football stadium was decorated in silver and navy, the colors of the school and fireworks shot off into the sky. The seniors on the turf were scrambling to gather their diplomas and caps before joining their folks.
Amelia had graduated with high honors and was seated towards the center of the crowd, so getting through the other students was a chore. She could see her excited parents climbing down the bleachers and passing through the waves of rushing students. She smiled when her father embraced her first.
"I'm so proud of you Mia!" Gabe said and held his daughter tightly. Nearby, a very pregnant Willow stood waiting for her turn to kiss her daughter's cheek. Gabe finally let go and Amelia hugged her mother before showing them the diploma she was holding.
"Isn't it nice daddy? I can hang this is my room too since it comes with a little tassel on the back." Amelia pushed the diploma into her father's hand, "I'm gonna say bye to my friends before we go to dinner, kay?"
"Alright, meet us at the car. I need to collect your brother, wherever he went," Willow said.
Amelia bounded away and found a group of her little girlfriends. They were screaming and hugging, making Gabe chuckle. "And just think, we get to do this two more times..." he said as he touched Willow's belly.
"Yup, and it's not far away. The next, oh...seven years and Ryder will graduate. Then little Elijah has seventeen years ahead of him." Willow clasped her hand around Gabriel's, "It's a lot to look forward to."
Gabe placed an arm around her shoulders and took her hand from her belly. He kissed her knuckles and the small gold band wrapped around her ring finger, one that matched the larger band on his. As they watched their daughter celebrate with her friends, they were shaken out of their short lived bliss when someone leapt onto Gabe's back. He nearly stumbled forward but managed to catch the legs of a ten year old boy and hiked him up for a piggy back.
"Hi dad!" the boy shouted excitedly.
"Hi Ryder," Gabe greeted his son and started carrying him towards the stadium exit with Willow in tow. "Where'd you run off to?"
"I went to the bathroom and then I saw Michael from class here. He's watching his brother graduate too. Can Michael sleep over this weekend?"
"We'll see. Everyone's going to be having graduation parties this weekend so Michael may be busy with his brother's."
"Awe..." Ryder whined.
"You're going to be busy too young man," Willow said. "Your sister's party is Saturday night and there's going to be a lot of people coming to our house. If Michael wants to stop by he can. You can bring some of your other friends over too if they want to come."
"Yup," Gabe agreed, "Daddy'll be bringing some co-workers over too. It's gonna be a huge barbecue and lasts all night."
"Can I stay up all night? Please?" Ryder begged.
"Since it's a special occasion, you can try. But I doubt you'll make it through the night," Gabe teased.
The three of them reached the mini van and Gabe helped his wife into the passenger side while Ryder piled into the back. Then they waited a few minutes for Amelia to join them. She was jogging to the car, waving to her friends and former teachers and finally climbed in.
"Ready!" Amelia said and took off her cap and laid it on the seat. Ryder picked it up and put it on to laugh at her.
"Ryder, you're such a pain! Gimme back my cap you little worm!" she shouted and attempted to reach for the hat but the boy climbed over the middle seat and to the back and played 'keep away'.
Willow groaned and looked at her husband, "You sure you want to have a third child?"
"Too late to return him," Gabe said chuckling and patted her belly gently.
There was a bit of shuffling in the back seat as Amelia whisked away her cap from Ryder's head and she stuffed it into her gown to keep him from taking it again, "Mom, are we going to Red Sky for dinner?"
"Yup. We figured you'd like that."
"Yes! Some of the other students will be going there too! Can I sit with my friends?"
"Sure, but we can't stay there all night. We have to put together the finishing touches for your party tomorrow and I'm going to need you to go with your father to pick up the cake."
"Alright, does that mean I'm driving?"
"We'll see," Gabe said and peeked at her in the rear view mirror, "Remember what happened last time you drove?"
"I didn't mean to run over that mailbox..." Amelia muttered and crossed her arms. She leaned back against the seat and started grumbling about how everyone still teased her about her bad driving skills.
Within the following hour, the family had arrived at the restaurant and Amelia caught sight of some of her friends. She rushed over to sit with them and it just so happened that Ryder's friend Michael was there too. So the kids were occupied with their school buddies and Gabe and Willow settled into a large table, seated alongside Michael's parents, Dominic and Jackie. The two families had been friends for years.
"I can't believe how quickly they grow up. It seems like only yesterday that Jackie here delivered Jason." Dominic commented while sipping his glass of wine, "And it's only a few years until Michael graduates next."
Gabe nodded his head, "I hear ya. I remember holding Amelia and having her fit inside the crook of my arm."
"Won't be long until you experience that again, Gabe," Dominic said and grinned at his friend before turning his attention to Willow, "So, three more weeks is it?"
"Five, but you were close. I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore."
Jackie chimed in, "I feel your pain!" she laughed. "I didn't enjoy pregnancy during the last month either. So are you having a get together before the baby arrives?"
"No, we haven't really planned anything because of the graduation and Gabe's promotion at work."
"Oh right, congratulations Gabe! Contracting supervisor! You and Dominic will be working together more often now."
"I even get a corner office," Gabe said proudly and grinned.
"Why is it when you smile like that, I get freaked out?" Dominic teased and patted Gabe on the back.
"Yeah, yeah...demon face, I know." Gabe shook his head and picked up his glass of coke to drink. "I tried to cover a lot of it up with makeup and put in contacts, but doing it everyday gets tedious. Anyways, the city knows who I am and I don't have to worry about scaring anyone anymore so I forgo makeup. Most of the kids think I'm cool anyways and I don't even want to repeat what some of the women have said about my body," he laughed.
"You gotta show me your workout routine my friend," Dominic said and smiled.
There was a sudden commotion coming from the kid's table, catching the attention of other customers. All the graduates were cheering as waiters were bringing around free desserts and placing them on the table. Even Ryder and Michael received one because the staff was kind. The two youngsters gobbled up their treats and continued chattering while the graduates talked about their future plans.
After an hour or so, the grads started to disperse with their families and Amelia strolled over to the table, "Dad, Jason says that his grad party isn't until next weekend so can he come by tomorrow night for mine?"
Gabe looked at Dominic, "Really, no party this weekend?"
Dominic nodded, "Our family couldn't make it out this weekend so we scheduled it for next week. Jason can go party hopping if he wants to."
"Why don't you all come over then?" Willow asked, "Ryder already asked if Michael could spend the night anyways."
"Sounds like a plan. We should be able to get there by four. I'll bring my famous banana bread!" Jackie said.
"It's a date," Willow replied cheerfully. "Gabe and I also invited some of our other friends and coworkers. You'll get a chance to meet some of the other nurses from Georgia general hospital."
"All right. I look forward to it then. Dominic, why don't you grab Jason and Michael and we'll head home. I have some baking to do."
Dominic pulled himself out of the booth, "Yeah, it's about time we get going. We'll see you all tomorrow then." He then shook Gabe's hand and waved to Willow.
Jackie followed her husband after bidding them all farewell, "Congratulations Amelia! We'll see you at the party tomorrow!"
"Thank you Mrs. Angleton!" Amelia replied.
Gabe and Willow scooted out of the booth as well and waved for Ryder. "Let's get home, it's getting late," Gabe said.
"We are making unbelievable progress Joker. In the last seven years, you've shown quite an improvement and at this pace, you could potentially be transferred to a regular state penitentiary," Dr. Blaze said. He was staring at the clown, who remained somber in his seat. "We also decided that we can reduce the amount of medication again except for the chryofreeze of course."
"Mm..." was all Joker responded with. He didn't particularly care.
"On another note, our session today is nearly over. I'll go fetch the orderlies and they will unchain you and escort you to the rec room for activities."
Joker just sat in his chair, peering down at the floor and counting the tiles. Once Dr. Blaze exited the office, Joker smiled. Two orderlies had entered the office and they began unlocking his chains. Then they coaxed him to get up and escorted him towards the recreation center. There the orderlies would remove his straight jacket, not that he couldn't do it himself, but he wanted to avoid drawing attention. Once the double doors to the activities center opened, the jacket came off...
He casually walked across the room and settled down at a card table. There lay a deck of playing cards before him and he carelessly picked them up and started a game of pyramids. He glanced around the room and saw that there were several orderlies strolling casually around the room, keeping an eye on the patients. Every doctor had a different pattern of traveling around the hospital. Joker learned all of them over the course of a month. When the lights went out tonight, he would start his escape...
Three hours later...
Joker had eaten the chicken parmesan and spaghetti meal provided for dinner. It wasn't spectacular food, but it would give him the energy he needed to get out. The orderly that took empty dishes would be coming around soon, and alone. He hoped it wasn't the large blonde brute that typically collected the trays. He waited patiently, his back up against the cushioned wall of his room.
Then he eventually heard a gentle set of footsteps coming down the hallways. It wasn't the blonde guy, that's for sure. Joker rolled onto his side, adjusting his position and crossing his arms to the best of his ability. He was wearing a pair of thick steel handcuffs. It allowed his arms some freedom of movement at night and because he had such good behavior the last ten years, he was finally allowed to be free of the straight jacket when he slept. He closed his eyes and waited...
Eventually the lock on his cell made the familiar clink and the door slowly opened. The orderly stepped inside and slowly tiptoed past Joker towards the table. The man was about 5'7' and 160 lbs, not the largest orderly. He picked up the tray and was about to turn and exit the cell like he did other nights, but he was greeted by a shadow covered, happy face.
"Joker...you surprised me," the orderly said, trying to keep his cool.
"I'm full of surprises aren't I?" Joker replied and he took a step closer towards the orderly, "I have lots of tricks up my sleeve my good man..."
"Back off clown, I'm not looking for any entertainment. It's after ten and all the inmates should be asleep."
"So should the orderlies!" Joker shouted and lunged at the man, tackling the guy to the ground. Joker had his hands cuffed together but he was still able to use them to his advantage and he grasped the orderly by the throat and pushed him into the cushioned floor. He pressed hard on the windpipe, causing the poor guy to suffocate. Joker smiled throughout the entire process and once the orderly stopped moving, he let go and tapped the guy on the face to ensure he was dead. "Wakey, wakey!" Joker said after slapping the orderly across the face. Satisfied, Joker dug through the man's pockets and fished out a set of keys. He tested all of them until he figured out which one would remove his cuffs. They separated from his wrists and he quickly went to work. This was the simplest plan in the world to execute; it was just a matter of not getting caught. He's also used it before in the past, but since he hasn't made an escape attempt in years, he was sure nobody would ever suspect he'd do it now.
Joker stripped off all his clothes and then the corpse's. He would swap them and put on the orderly's white overcoat and hat while dressing the body in inmate clothing. He tucked his long hair into the back of the coat. Then for a finishing touch, he put the cuffs on the orderly and quickly peeked out into the hall. With the keys in hand, he locked the cell door. Joker pocketed them and began strolling casually through the asylum, passing several other employees, but he did not bother them.
It was a breeze getting out after he passed through the security doors to the exit. It was his first breath of freedom in a long time and he couldn't decide what he wanted to do first.
"Hm...definitely need cash and I can use a good workout. Stretching out the ole muscles again! Hah!" He ran across the Asylum bridge connecting to the city and finally caught sight of a small convenience shop. Joker clapped his hands together excitedly and walked across the street. Looks like they had some clothes inside and lots of junk food. He hadn't tasted a chocolate bar in years. Inmate never received any treats. It was all healthy food or nothing. He pushed open the shop door and ignored the cashier for now, even though she greeted him.
He went straight for the clothing and ripped a tshirt off the racks and took a pair of jeans. There was also a few baseball hats and he took a dark blue Yankees cap. Then he took it upon himself to head towards the back of the shop and find the restroom.
The cashier was steadily growing curious of her odd customer and began wondering if she should phone her manager to come in. She saw the man take the clothes and go to the back, probably to change, and expected he'd pay for them when he came out. For now, she waited for the customer to return to the front and continued reading from her magazine. It was getting close to one in the morning. Her replacement wouldn't arrive until three, so she just kept calm.
Once Joker finished dressing, he rolled up the orderly garment and carried them out with him. Next on his list was to stuff his face full of junk food. He skimmed the aisles after grabbing a basket and pushed candy and popcorn into it. Then he took fruit bars, peanuts, slimjims, and several bottles of soda. His basket was overloaded when he brought it up to the cashier. He had no cash to pay for it, but that would come next.
"Hello princess. A fine evening, wouldn't you say..." Joker said to the blonde girl. She couldn't have been older than twenty and he peered at her name tag, "Megan?"
"Yes, sir. Very quiet, will this be...everything?" She eyed the pile of convenience food on the counter.
"Do you have any swiss army knives by chance?" he asked, "I'm gonna need one to open all this junk!" he laughed.
Her nerves settled a bit and even his odd appearance was less threatening. "Not swiss army knives, just basic pocket knives. Is that okay?" Megan asked and she fetched a key in her pocket to open the glass case behind the counter. It had lighters and small knives lining the case. "Any special color?"
"How about purple?"
"I have a violet one here," she said as she pulled the small knife out. She scanned it then handed it over to him, "They're small, but I've seen customers use them for years if they keep them sharp. Megan started scanning each of the items and racking up the total. Slowly the numbers crept up to eighty dollars, not including the clothes he wore. "Would you mind if I scanned the tags on your clothes?"
"Hm? Oh right, um..." Joker said and he smiled. He was playing with the pocket knife, deciding it would have to do for now. He then took off the hat and handed it to her.
She scanned the tag and held it back out to him...but she found that the customer grasped onto her wrist and yanked her forward. She dropped the scanner and gasped as she was pulled over the counter into the stranger's arms.
Joker held the struggling girl tightly and she began screaming. He put an end to that quickly by pressing the knife to her neck, "Shut up princess!" he said harshly into her ear, "Or I will slice that pretty neck clean open..."
Megan quieted down, but her tears were pouring down her cheeks and she didn't like how tightly he was holding her.
"So princess, what's in the register? Tens, Fifties?"
"Two-hundred...in twenties mostly," she hiccuped.
"How about the back safe?"
"I don't know, maybe a thousand..."
Joker then started pushing her forward, "Walk. I want that safe open." He held her arm firmly behind her back and kept the knife at her throat as they moved. Megan opened the back office and Joker finally dropped his hands, "Open the safe." He reached for a small knapsack and tossed it to her, "Load it up."
Megan did as he told her and put everything into the bag and handed it to him, hoping he would spare her and leave. She watched as he slipped the bag over his arms and adjusted the straps to fit.
After he finished, he looked at the girl for a moment and then spotted a large roll of duct tape on the desk nearby, "Well I suppose I should tie you up so I can get a head start..." He picked up the tape, "Turn around, face the wall, hands behind back," he ordered.
She slowly turned and did as he said. She felt him grab her wrists and the sticky tape was quickly being wrapped around them until they were tight. Then he forced her around again and stuck a long piece across her lips before pushing her into the desk. She hit the edge with so much force that the wind was nearly knocked out of her. She slumped over the table in pain and cried out, voice muffled by the tape. It wasn't over though, as she'd hoped...
Joker scratched his chin and grinned. He was really liking his new found freedom and wanted to take full advantage of everything. "Eh...what the hell..." he commented before grabbing the back of the girl's blouse and running the knife along the cotton, splitting it up her back. He did the same to her bra and the elastic snapped apart. At this point, the girl was thrashing against the desk and trying to scream, but it didn't stop him. He wound up reaching around her front and attempted to undo her jeans, but her squirming made it impossible. So to stop her, he yanked on her hair and pressed the knife against her neck once again, "Stop it!" It didn't work immediately and he tried shouting at her again to no avail. So this time, he dragged the blade of the knife across her collar, making her bleed and she let out a muffled scream before falling silent and growing still. "That's better princess. This'll be so much quicker and easier for you if you just relax..." He then let go of her hair and pushed her back down onto the desk to continue undoing her pants.
Once the button separated, he was able to tug the jeans down and forced her to lift a foot so he could remove them from one leg. He then pushed apart her legs using his foot while he quickly undid his own pants. His length stood at full mast as it sprang out and he stroked it a few times, "Been a long, long time...hasn't it?" Joker amusingly said to his cock. He then touch the girl's rear and ran his fingers along her black panties until they settled against her center. Shortly after he took the blade and cut the satin fabric away from her skin, exposing her warm center to the cold air. He drove two fingers into her folds, making her cry again, and began swirling them around until he could feel traces of moisture. He didn't need to work a lot, especially when his thumb connected with her clitoris and began pressing on it. She was sniffling and from what he could tell, begging, likely pleading for him to stop. Her body was shaking and her eyes puffy from crying. He had no sympathy...
After her folds started to moisten up, Joker removed his fingers and placed the fluid on his length to make entry simpler. Then with a quick thrust, he buried his length into the poor girl.
"Sure beats jerking off," he said happily as he began pounding away at her. He would have to make this quick because it wouldn't be very long before the orderlies at the asylum noticed one of their colleagues was missing. He picked up the pace and leaned forward, crushing her body with his own. Her stomach was squashed against the cold desk and her head uncomfortably turned to the side. She could only see a part of his face and hair, but was grateful that she was facing away from him, so he couldn't see her shame. Eventually he leaned back, bringing her with him and put her down on her knees while he continued to fuck from behind. His dirty hands wandered up over her belly and to her breasts, squishing and kneading them. He played with her nipples and tweaked them painfully.
For ten long minutes he fucked her until she nearly passed out.
Joker groaned and squeezed her breasts harshly before feeling the warm release of orgasm strike him. "Ah..." he moaned as he shot his load up into her and continued to thrust lightly until he ran on empty. Then he slowly withdrew and fell back against the wall while the girl slumped forward to the ground. She did not move, likely having fainted.
"Holy shit...that was amazing." He peered at the half naked girl, "Well, at least for me it was!" He laughed and climbed to his feet. He took the girl's keys from her pocket after zipping up his pants and finally left her alone in the office.
His basket of junk food was still right where he left it and he picked that up before toting it outside. So far it was a good night. He managed to find an old hotel still in operation a few blocks away and he rented himself a room for the night, under the old guise Nathaniel Douglas. He relaxed on the lumpy bed and stuffed himself full of chocolate and popcorn while watching tv and some old science fiction film. He drank two bottles of cherry coke and chewed up an entire bag of beef jerky. It was the best night he'd had since...probably that formal dinner with Sera.
Joker was exhausted by three am and decided it was time to crash for the night. He would lay low for a day or two and then begin his search for the lazarus pit.
