November 11th, 2019
9:56 AM
The November air greeted his lungs with a gust. His skin immediately feeling frostbite. Numb. Tingly. His black wool coat was barely enough to keep him warm. His lips felt cracked, despite the chap stick he had applied before leaving his hotel room. The scarf he bought from the lobby hung loosely around his neck, his leather gloved hands clasped together in an attempt to get warm. How could anyone live with this cold? He would never understand. All he ever knew was the Texas sun. He almost wished that he had never left.
There was a car waiting for him out front. A sleek, black Cadillac. The engine purred against the bitter wind. The tinted windows gleamed in the sun. Standing out front, was a man. Tall. Burly. He looked like one of those bodyguards that would be hired follow the president around. Short and shaved brown hair. A black suit and an earpiece in his left ear. He showed no emotion as he stood motionless in front of the car. Both gloved hands buried deep in his trouser pockets.
"James?" The bodyguard's voice was deep as he approached the car. His shadow cast upon the walkway, the sun made the brown in his hair shimmer.
"Jimmy," he said. "Jimmy is fine."
The bodyguard pulled out a slip of paper from his suit pockets. His brown eyes narrowed, squinting at the cursive writing. "Liberty wrote James, here." He lowered the parchment just beneath his eyes. He shook his head, already losing interest and returned the folded paper to his pockets. "In any case, I'm Jackson. I'll be escorting you to the facility."
Jackson opened the Cadillac door, swiftly. The warm heat already emitting from the inside. Jimmy could already feel himself being pulled towards it, unconsciously. "Thank you." Jimmy said quickly, as he rushed to get inside of the warmth. The car interior was all leather. Dark. The outside light dimmed from the tinted windows. As he slid into the far right seat, behind the drivers side, he noticed a black briefcase on the floor.
"That's for you." Jackson said as he got into the driver's seat.
Jimmy picked up the briefcase as the car shifted into drive. The world now speeding by the black tinted windows. Inside the briefcase, was a single manila folder. In all capital letters: CONFIDENTIAL, was stamped on the top. Jimmy opened the folder, carefully. His eyes scanning and taking in what was now presented in front of him. It was a patient file.
ELIZABETH ROSE QUINLAN
AGE: 25
DOB: 10/19/1994
HAIR COLOR: DARK BROWN
EYE COLOR: BROWN
HEIGHT: 5'4
WEIGHT: 125 LBS
DATE OF ADMITTANCE: 08/03/2019
REASON FOR ADMITTANCE: PATIENT WAS COURT ORDERED TO 15 MONTHS OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION AT OSTVILLE CORRECTIONAL INSANE ASYLUM. POLICE REPORT STATES PATIENT WAS CHARGED WITH ARSON, TRESPASSING, AND INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. IT IS REPORTED THAT PATIENT PLEADED 'NOT GUILTY' BY REASON OF INSANITY. REFER TO POLICE REPORT #7854639 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
DANGER LEVEL: 6/10
At the bottom of the page, Jimmy noticed a newly printed label. The ink still looked fresh.
DATE OF DEATH: 11/02/2019
CAUSE OF DEATH: OVERDOSE
Jimmy flipped to the second page.
INCIDENT #23589
DATE OF INCIDENT: 11/02/2019
VICTIM WAS FOUND DEAD ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER THE 2ND, 2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 5:56 A.M. VICTIM WAS FOUND ON THE FLOOR IN THE EAST WING DORMITORY HALLWAYS, HOWEVER IT IS INDICATED VICTIM HAD BEEN THERE FOR A FEW HOURS. A 31 GAGE NEEDLE WAS FOUND IN THE VICTIM'S LEFT ARM. IT IS REPORTED THAT THE SYRINGE WAS FILLED WITH HEROIN, BUT IT IS UNKNOWN HOW MUCH HEROIN WAS INJECTED INTO THE VICTIM. A SUICIDE NOTE WAS FOUND IN VICTIM'S OTHER HAND, BUT DUE TO EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY, FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS REQUIRED. PLEASE REFER TO AUTOPSY REPORT #23589, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
IT IS REPORTED, THAT THERE WAS A STRUGGLE. MARKS ON THE DORMITORY FLOOR INDICATING THE VICTIM FOUGHT AGAINST HER ATTACKER, AS WELL AS WITNESS STATEMENTS REPORTING THEY HEARD HER SCREAMING. THERE ARE CURRENTLY THREE SUSPECTS IN QUESTION.
"She didn't deserve it."
Jimmy looked up, startled by Jackson's voice. His mind still analyzing what he had just read. Outside, they were traveling along a road he didn't recognize. Woodlands passing by fast, as the car crept further and further down the windy, never ending path.
"Sorry?" Jimmy leaned over to the side, looking at Jackson's reflection in the rear-view mirror.
"Quinlan. She didn't deserve it." He elaborated. "I used to talk to her all the time. She was one of the few in there that wasn't crazy."
"It says here she was in there for-"
"It doesn't matter what it says on that stupid report." Jackson cut him off, slightly aggressively. "I knew her. She wasn't crazy. And she didn't deserve to die."
Jimmy licked his lips, letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He looked back down to the report in his hands. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Jackson said. "Just find the son of a bitch who killed her."
Jimmy didn't respond, his mind now wandering. Thinking. He was always thinking. Analyzing. He was an impeccable analyzer. His brain was wired differently than others. He saw the world in a different light. He saw people in a different light. It was one of the main reasons he was hired.
His fingers brushed over the papers in front of him, flipping to the next page. He realized then, It was a list of the three suspects.
SUSPECT 1
AMELIA LYNN WEASLEY
DOB: 10/23/1986
DANGER LEVEL: 4/10
(FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUSPECT, REFER TO PATIENT CHART #14571)
REASON FOR SUSPECT: SUSPECT REPORTS HEARING SCREAMING/YELLING ON DATE OF INCIDENT. SUSPECT STATES SHE REMEMBERS HEARING THE VICTIM YELL ANOTHER PATIENT'S NAME, BEFORE THE SCREAMING STARTED. SUSPECTS STATES SHE HEARD BANGING AND THAT THE VICTIM WAS NOT IN HER DORM DURING NIGHTTIME HOURS. SUSPECT REITERATES SHE DOES NOT KNOW WHY OR HOW VICTIM GOT OUT OF HER DORM. SUSPECTS STATES THE LAST THING SHE HEARD WAS VICTIM SCREAMING AND IT APPEARED SHE WAS BEING DRAGGED DOWN THE HALLWAY. SUSPECTS STATES SHE DID NOT SEE ANYTHING MORE, AS SHE WAS AFRAID FOR HER OWN LIFE.
SUSPECT 2
BRITTNAY JANE TENEILLE
DOB: 02/03/1994
DANGER LEVEL: 2/10
(FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUSPECT, REFER TO PATIENT CHART #38274)
REASON FOR SUSPECT: SUSPECT 2 ALSO REPORTS VICTIM CALLING OUT ANOTHER PATIENT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. SUSPECT VERBALLY IDENTIFIES THIS PATIENT AS 'CINDY' (REFER TO SUSPECT 3 FOR MORE INFORMATION). SUSPECT STATES:
"CINDY AND BETTY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN FRIENDS, THEY'VE ACTUALLY HAD A LOT OF FIGHTS AND ARGUMENTS. THEY WERE ARGUING A FEW DAYS PRIOR. I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT ABOUT, I DON'T REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO HER. BUT I DO REMEMBER THAT CINDY WAS UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING. I REMEMBER BETTY WALKED AWAY REALLY ANGRY."
SUSPECT THEN GOES ON TO SAY:
"ALL I REMEMBER WAS BETTY SCREAMING 'CINDY! CINDY!' AND THEN IT GOT QUIET. THEY WERE TALKING, I THINK. BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW BETTY GOT OUT OF HER DORM. THEY ALL GET LOCKED AT LAST CALL. BUT ANYWAY, IT WASN'T LONG AFTER THAT WHEN I HEARD HER SCREAM."
SUSPECT REPORTS THAT SHE DID ATTEMPT TO SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING THROUGH THE SMALL DORM WINDOW, BUT STATES THERE WAS A FOG THAT NIGHT, AND SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING.
Finally, Jimmy made it to the third suspect.
SUSPECT 3
CYNTHIA AURORA VORTEX
DOB: 06/05/1995
DANGER LEVEL: 10/10 - EXTREMELY VIOLENT, DO NOT APPROACH UNLESS INSTRUCTED
(FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUSPECT, REFER TO PATIENT CHART #89521)
REASON FOR SUSPECT: VICTIM WAS REPORTED TO BE LAST SEEN ALIVE BANGING ON SUSPECTS DORM DOOR. IT IS REPORTED THAT THE TWO HAVE NEVER HAD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP AND IT IS OFTEN REFERENCED THAT SUSPECT HAD MADE COMMENTS TOWARDS VICTIM WHICH COULD BE CONSIDERED AS THREATS. IT IS REPORTED THAT SUSPECT HAS A VERY HIGH DANGER LEVEL AND SHOULD NEVER BE APPROACHED UNLESS GIVEN INSTRUCTION. IT IS ALSO REPORTED, FROM MULTIPLE STAFF MEMBERS, THAT SUSPECT IS EXTREMELY VIOLENT. WHEN INTERVIEWED, SUSPECT REFUSED TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION AND WAS VERY UNCOOPERATIVE.
AS OF NOVEMBER THE 2ND, 2019 SUSPECT 3 HAS BEEN DEEMED AS THE PRIME SUSPECT IN THIS CASE
Jimmy sat there for a moment, re-reading the last suspect report, over and over. There was something about the suspect's name that confused him. He had heard that name before, he remembered it so perfectly. The way it rolled off his tongue was too familiar...yet, he hadn't the slightest idea of where he had heard it. Her picture sent him in a daze. Golden hair, tied up into a ponytail, green eyes like the forest outside and skin so pale, she looked like a ghost. Everything about her features was familiar. Why was she so familiar? And why did he feel such a strong connection to her. She was a nobody. A mental patient.
But….
Why did he get the feeling there was so much more to her?
She wasn't smiling, in her picture. She looked miserable. Bags under her eyes, her pink lips turned dowards. There was a glint in her eye. A look that could have been considered as deadly. She stared down the camera, as if her life depended on it. Almost as if she were plotting in her head. Making a list of all those who wronged her. Making a promise in her head to unleash her wrath on everyone who dare try and get in her way….
Jimmy shook his head. No wonder she's the prime suspect.
"James."
His true name is what caused him to look up, jolted from his racing thoughts. He realized then, that the car had stopped moving. Jackson now turned around in the driver's seat, his brown eyes giving him a look that made Jimmy feel uneasy. He sat up straight, realizing, suddenly.
They had arrived.
"Good luck," Jackson said as he got out of the car. He walked around and opened the back passenger side door. As Jimmy slid out, he placed a hand on his shoulder, only for a moment before continuing. "You're gonna need it."
Jackson made his way back to the drivers side, pulling the car way almost immediately. It hit him, suddenly, as he stared up at the black steel gates. The harsh wind whipping around his face, his ears already hurting, his cheeks already numb. He held the briefcase in his hand, his breath heavy from the anxiety building up in his chest. He licked his lips, taking one final deep breath, before pushing himself forward and climbing the stone steps.
Above him, as he passed through the gates, tall metal letters ran across the archway. It read:
OSTVILLE MENTAL ASYLUM
He noticed her, once he reached the top. Waiting patiently for him to arrive. Her thick black hair was tied up into a braided bun. Her mocha skin blending perfectly with her warm colored make-up. A wool white coat hugged her frame perfectly, falling right below her knees. A bow sealing it closed, tied around her waist. White high heeled shoes and matching leather gloves.
She stood tall with pride as she waited for Jimmy to close the distance between them. Besides her, was a man. Much taller than her, and Jimmy, combined. A buzzed haircut, spiked just at the hairline. A square jaw, with five o'clock shadow. Dark brown eyes, like finished stained wood. He was in uniform. A white button down shirt, gray slacks, black dress shoes. There was some kind of patch on both his shoulders, indicating he was law enforcement. A security guard, perhaps. Pinned to the front of his shirt, was a name tag. As Jimmy approached closer, he noticed it read: Estevez.
"James." The women spoke. Her accent was reminiscent to a New Yorker's accent. Her glossed brown lips turned up into a smile. "I'm glad to see you made it in once piece."
"Jimmy." He corrected her, a little breathless as he reached the top of the stairs. "You can call me Jimmy."
"Jimmy." She repeated. She walked forward, meeting him halfway. Her smile seemed pleasant, but her eyes spoke otherwise. She seemed like she was up to no good. She extended her hand out for him to shake. "I'm Liberty. But you can call me Libby."
Jimmy shook her hand, carefully. The briefcase in his other hand suddenly feeling heavy.
"This is Sheen." She continued, motioning to the man still standing tall behind her. "He's our head of security. You'll probably be seeing a lot of him. This place never sleeps."
Sheen only simply nodded silently as Libby introduced him. His persona giving off a very stern and serious tone. He stood so still, he almost looked like a statue. Completely unmoving. Jimmy got the feeling if Sheen wanted to talk, he would. So extending his hand for a greeting, seemed pointless.
"So I've heard." Jimmy responded to Libby, shifting uncomfortably. He always did hate introductions.
"I look forward to working with you, Jimmy." Libby folded her gloved hands together, her eyes digging into Jimmy in a way that made him feel violated. Almost as if she were sizing him up. Like a snake would size up prey. "I trust you'll fit right into our team."
"I look forward to it." Jimmy took a breath, fidgeting, visibly. His voice, low.
"Great. If your ready to go inside, we can get started?"
"Sure, yeah." Jimmy nodded. "Ready whenever you are."
Libby smiled, and for a moment Jimmy started questioning every decision he had made, up until this point. His chest felt heavy from anxiety, as she stepped to the side and motioned towards the tall ominous building behind them. Her voice carried throughout the bitter wind, and somewhere in the distance, he could swear he heard screaming.
"Welcome to Ostville."