ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ғᴀᴄᴇᴅ ᴍᴀɴ
Solitary had a whole fucking entourage lining the halls. They eyed me with weird looks as the two orderlies passed me off to them. I stuck my tongue out, it was rude to stare.
The cell I was placed in smelled of piss. The urge to vomit from the rancid stench probed my body; it wasn't as if this cesspool could get any worse.
"Yoo–hoo." A voice startled me. I careened my neck around towards the source; a brick had been pushed out of the wall dividing this cell and the next, a body was visible beyond the hole.
Curiously I wandered over. Upon me sticking my head in the opening the body bent down to meet my gaze. It was the man from before, the one with the white face.
"Hi'ya." I whispered.
His dark eyes lit with an indiscernible emotion. "Nice to see ya again."
I inclined my head in acknowledgment. Something urged me to ask, "Did you kill the fucking mayor or something?" The stranger let out a laugh. I bristled, recalling Devin.
The laugh was cut short as the man breathed in deeply, then said quietly, "Maybe. Everything else that happened has been very interesting."
He stopped talking and I drank in the smell of piss.
"Say." The man spoke again. "How would you like to have the honor of being my eyes and ears? You know — mingle with the crowd, a little snooping." We met eyes again through the hole. He grinned, raising an eyebrow.
The idea passed through my mind but it didn't catch. Bluntly I put, "Fuck off."
His mouth rippled as his tongue ran over his teeth. He forced breath from his nostrils and turned his gaze towards the ceiling, smacking his lips together. "Listen girly — all this," His shoulders went up and I got the idea he was gesturing around the cell. "could be gone." He paused, letting his words hang in the air. He continued, enunciating each word in a gravelly voice, "I'm not staying here long and the stage needs to be set — if you'll spread the word you'll have a ticket out of this–" He grumbled, eyes darting around wildly. "place."
The notion of getting out of Arkham was something I never teased myself with. What reason would I have to leave? Although now that I had the opportunity to — to go outside, to see the leaves change, to breath fresh air — I found myself inclined to help.
"Ok."
"Fantastic. Now I don't mean to pry but I need you with ah — a clear head, so what's your name?"
It took a second for it to resurface. "Anna Lowell."
Next door the sound of the man chuckling uncontrollably was heard, I could see his body shaking violently when it abruptly stopped. "I'll hook you up with my doc', she's a babe. Get you anything you want — ditzy but head over heels…"
I toned him out. He was rambling on about his doctor; what a weird guy.