I said regular updates but what I meant was "I promise I won't forget about this story please don't worry." This is short and late and I am an ass.

Thank you for reading and sticking with me through this stupid wait! Here ya go!

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"Check outside," Dr. Arden instructed. He he'd brought a wheelchair upstairs and put Thredson's body into it so they could wheel him to the crematorium. Mary Eunice had been unresponsive, staring blankly at the wall behind Thredson's desk, and he'd spent a few minutes trying to shake some life back into her. Eventually she came around, but she was still silent and mechanical in her movements.

Now, she peeked out of the office door to check for any oncoming guards. She looked back at him and nodded, the signal that they were in the clear, before stepping into the hall. Once Arden had wheeled the body out, she shut the door behind them.

They walked in silence to the service elevator, passing no one. This wasn't strange to Arthur. He had often entertained the eerie thought that the asylum did what it could to cover up the evil deeds that went on inside it.

They exited the elevator and entered the cremation room. He locked the door behind them and wheeled the chair up next to the furnace.

"This will take some time," he said, grunting, as he lifted Thredson onto the sliding platform. Mary Eunice stared silently. "We'll have time to move his car and all of his personal belongings from the premises while he bakes. He'll be nice and crispy for a while and then he'll be gone in about two hours."

"Don't say it like that," she said softly, still staring vacantly at the body.

"What?"

"What you said, you made him sound like an object—like you were… like you were baking a cake instead of burning a person. Don't do that," she mumbled.

Arthur looked at her curiously.

"Why do you suddenly have such an attachment to him?" He knew there was probably jealousy in his voice. He'd seen the state of Thredson's desk while he was in the office. The papers had all been pushed aside, leaving one clear space in the middle. It was a big enough space for a woman to sit. All sorts of ideas had flashed through his mind and he'd struggled to push them away. Now her strange behavior brought them back.

She had switched back to silence, not so much ignoring the question as being absorbed by her own thoughts. Arden tried again, this time stepping in front of her and blocking her view of Thredson's body.

"Sister, why do you care so much about him?" She started and looked up at him. "He was a criminal and a murderer and a lunatic. He was barely human. Why do you insist on giving him any respect at all?"

It took a moment for Mary Eunice to understand all of what he said, but finally her face twisted into an expression of disbelief.

"You were all of those things and more. So am I. What right do you have to tell me that I can't mourn him?" Arden opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him, speaking quickly, with a quiet fury he'd never seen. "I murdered him, Arthur. I manipulated him and made him trust me and I watched him cry, thinking he had found someone to understand him, and then I held him against me and felt him screaming as I ended his life. He died afraid and knowing full well that he had been lied to in the worst possible way. But I did it because I had to." She paused and took a breath, trying to calm her anger. When she spoke again, the edge in her voice was gone and she sounded defeated. "He may not have been a good person, but he was still a person."

Arthur watched her as she stepped around him and moved towards Thredson. She carefully smoothed down his hair and straightened the collar of his shirt.

He saw her close her eyes and mutter what sounded like "God's work" before stepping away from him and flipping the switch on the side of the furnace. First, the flames roared to life. Mary Eunice waited, caught up in their bright flicker for several quiet minutes, and then hit the next switch, sending poor Oliver into their depths. The metal door slid shut behind him and she turned away.

Not knowing how to react, Arthur said nothing. She stood in front of the door with her back to him.

"Let's just finish this."

-x-x-x-x-x-

The next morning, Mary Eunice visited Lana.

"What happened? Did it work? Is he-" Lana stopped her questioning when she saw the nun's face. She looked exhausted. There were circles under her eyes and she walked as though she was trying not to collapse. "Are you all right?"

"Tired," Mary Eunice dismissed, sitting down in a chair beside the bed. She knew if she sat on the soft surface she might sink into it and never get up.

"Long night?" Lana asked. Mary Eunice frowned at her obvious question. "Right. Sorry."

"I didn't get to sleep much, but it's done."

"Done? Are you sure?" Lana felt excitement fill her. The thought that Thredson could be permanently gone was almost too good to believe. Mary Eunice nodded. Lana couldn't contain herself; she laughed out loud and then clapped her hand over her mouth. Tears of relief welled in her eyes.

Suddenly, she threw off her blankets and climbed out of bed. She wrapped her arms around Mary Eunice and whispered, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Ms. Winters!" Sister Lenore raised her eyebrows from the edge of the curtain. "You certainly seem to be looking better." Lana let go of Mary Eunice and stood fully, nodding.

"I do feel much better," she said. She smiled back at Mary Eunice. "I think I'd like to leave the infirmary today if that's all right."

"We'll check you over and if everything checks out you can go back with the other patients." It wasn't the perfect change, but to Lana anything might be better than sitting in that solitary bed all day. "Mary Eunice," she said, noticing the state of the girl sitting in the chair, "you look dreadful!"

"I'm okay, Sister," she assured, standing quickly.

"I don't believe you and I'm sure Dr. Arden would be furious if he saw you in this state." Mary Eunice stepped forward. She didn't want to be sent to her room when there was still so much to do. She was tired, but she had to keep moving.

"Please, Sister-"

"No, Mary Eunice. I want you to get some rest. Now." The older nun fixed her with a stare, daring her to argue again. Mary Eunice mumbled out her obedience and left—Lana calling out another thank you behind her—with no intention of going to bed.