Chapter 1
The moment his eyelids fell, the visions began.
Little Todd Casil was in a room. Surrounded by piercing white walls. He could barely discern between the floor and the ceiling it was so bright. Todd suddenly felt the old feeling of dread creep into his stomach.
Todd took a step forward and immediately fell through the pallid floor. As he descended, the white dissolved into black. Suddenly, he stopped falling and realized that he was sitting on nothingness.
"Mommy? Daddy? Where am I?" whispered Todd, a hint of panic in his voice. He began to feel his way around, only grasping cold air.
Then he heard the noise. A quick, pounding sound of footsteps, drawing closely towards Todd. He held his breath as the footsteps stopped in front of him. Todd heard a sharp intake of breath directly above his huddled body and then felt something touch his leg. Cold, long fingers slid up his body then stopped at his face. The hands cupped Todd's round face in their grasp and touched his face almost affectionately.
Todd's hot tears slid down from his red eyes and landed on the arthritic fingers. He could hear the far away sound of water dropping continuously on tile floor. The slender fingers then began to grasp harshly. The long fingernails dragged across Todd's pale skin leaving deep slits on his cheeks.
Bringing in as much air as he possibly could, Todd screamed.
"Quick! Give him a dose of Dilantin, stat!" cried a low voice.
Hands, millions of arthritic, sticky hands were on him, pushing him down on the ground. Flashes of light flittered over Todd's eyes. Masks, eyes, gloves. A pain shot up through his left arm and then everything disappeared.
The soft sound of a constant beeping awoke Todd from his restless daze. His eyes flickered over towards his left and saw a machine with swirling lines and flashing lights. Todd sat up and felt something pull against his arm. He looked down and saw an IV stuck in the inside of his left elbow. He quickly pulled the tape off then delicately reached for the needle and pulled it out slowly. It was amazing watching the long needle leave his soft skin; it was like magic.
Todd tossed his short legs over the side of the hard bed. He sat there, his leg dangling a few feet above the cold tile. He listened to the noises and whispers around him. A moaning began from the room next to his.
Breath escaped from within Todd's mouth.
'Is this what it will be like for the rest of my life?' thought Todd, jumping down from the flat bed. His feet felt immediately like blocks of ice when they touched the freezing tile floor. He bent down on the ground and carefully pulled up the overhanging sheets, covering underneath the bed. It felt unbelievably humid below the bed. Todd squinted and finally saw his slippers.
He reached his small arm as far as it would go and grabbed the slippers. Todd scrambled away from the bed as fast as he could, his breath hitching in his throat.
The slippers he held in his hand were given to him a week ago. As he first entered the room that would be where he slept, ate, and thought, a set of clothing and slippers were waiting for him on the simple bed. He was told to put them on and to leave his regular clothes neatly folded on the bed to get picked up later. Todd asked if Shmee would be there soon and he was told that he would. Shmee never came.
Todd let the slippers drop to the floor and slid his feet between the soft material. He reached the steel door and pushed forwards. The door pushed towards the outside and Todd took two steps out of his room. He looked left then right. A few people were walking through the hallway. A doctor briskly walked past Todd and turned down a corner at the end of the hallway.
Todd instinctively tightened his hands around each other, wishing that he had his stuffed bear. He started to walk towards left when a shriek entered his ears from a room across from his. Todd watched as the doctor that had walked by him before came running back and swiftly entered the room. The door banged against outside wall. Todd could see a man on a bed within the room. His arms and legs were flailing, his hands crippled in a claw-like manner. White foam dribbled down from the man's mouth. The man's eyes were wide open, but somehow Todd didn't think that the man could actually see anything.
The door swung inwards and Todd got a glance of the doctor trying to hold the man down on the bed, reaching under the bed to find brown leather straps. The doctor started to reach into his lab coat pocket when the door swung again. For a brief moment, the door pushed outwards again and Todd could see the doctor slamming a needle into the man's arm. The man turned towards the doorway, saw Todd with his blank eyes, and smiled.
________________________________________________________________________
A shadow curled tighter within itself upon the splintered floor. Every other moment a soft scream could be heard beneath the floorboards. Dark eyes clenched shut, making swirls of clear light underneath the eyelids.
"Why are you here?" said a rusty voice.
Two orbs of light appeared within the shadow. A figure stood up from the darkness and stalked towards the sound.
"What do you mean? Why is anyone here? Who or what gave permission to create such creatures? So many questions have been asked and you assume that I know the answer?!"
The man reached out with sickly yellow fingers and curled them around the small plastic figurine. He brought the toy close to his face and stared, waiting for an answer.
"No, Johnny, that's not what I meant. I was wondering when you were going to leave. You said you were going to go weeks ago," said the Bub's Burger Boy figurine.
"Oh," said the emaciated man. His grip upon the figurine lessened and put it down on a steel table. Crossing his arms over his chest, Johnny whispered, "I am. I just needed to take care of some things first."
The hollow toy stared with unseeing eyes, "Go then, if your things are taken care of."
A low growl escaped the man's throat as he stomped his foot down.
"Do not tell me what to do! You are nothing but a stupid, evil, plastic...thing!" Johnny screamed, his pale face becoming flushed.
"Come on, boy. You know you want to leave. All that needs to be done is to walk through that door. The door right there, to your left. Turn, walk through it, Johnny," said the wide-eyed toy.
Eyes slit, Johnny spun around and stiffly walked away from the figurine. He walked to a corner of the room and crouched down on the floor.
"You can't stay forever, Johnny. You know you have to do this."
Johnny pulled his knees under his arms and stared at the intersection of the two walls. A small insect, it's antennae wavering, scuttled along the wall in front of Johnny's black eyes.
"Hello, Mr. Samsa," whispered Johnny. The bug frantically darted across the broken wood. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to kill you today." Johnny reached out with his slim fingers and clasped his hands around the cockroach. Johnny sat there, with the creature between his palms, and thought. Why did he want to leave? What vacation did he need? Does he really want to go or is some other force telling him that he wants to? So confusing.
The cockroach squeezed through Johnny's fingers and crawled across his hand. Johnny looked down at the bug. He gently grasped the bug between his fingers, stood up, and placed the cockroach in his inside coat pocket.
"Let's go."
The moment his eyelids fell, the visions began.
Little Todd Casil was in a room. Surrounded by piercing white walls. He could barely discern between the floor and the ceiling it was so bright. Todd suddenly felt the old feeling of dread creep into his stomach.
Todd took a step forward and immediately fell through the pallid floor. As he descended, the white dissolved into black. Suddenly, he stopped falling and realized that he was sitting on nothingness.
"Mommy? Daddy? Where am I?" whispered Todd, a hint of panic in his voice. He began to feel his way around, only grasping cold air.
Then he heard the noise. A quick, pounding sound of footsteps, drawing closely towards Todd. He held his breath as the footsteps stopped in front of him. Todd heard a sharp intake of breath directly above his huddled body and then felt something touch his leg. Cold, long fingers slid up his body then stopped at his face. The hands cupped Todd's round face in their grasp and touched his face almost affectionately.
Todd's hot tears slid down from his red eyes and landed on the arthritic fingers. He could hear the far away sound of water dropping continuously on tile floor. The slender fingers then began to grasp harshly. The long fingernails dragged across Todd's pale skin leaving deep slits on his cheeks.
Bringing in as much air as he possibly could, Todd screamed.
"Quick! Give him a dose of Dilantin, stat!" cried a low voice.
Hands, millions of arthritic, sticky hands were on him, pushing him down on the ground. Flashes of light flittered over Todd's eyes. Masks, eyes, gloves. A pain shot up through his left arm and then everything disappeared.
The soft sound of a constant beeping awoke Todd from his restless daze. His eyes flickered over towards his left and saw a machine with swirling lines and flashing lights. Todd sat up and felt something pull against his arm. He looked down and saw an IV stuck in the inside of his left elbow. He quickly pulled the tape off then delicately reached for the needle and pulled it out slowly. It was amazing watching the long needle leave his soft skin; it was like magic.
Todd tossed his short legs over the side of the hard bed. He sat there, his leg dangling a few feet above the cold tile. He listened to the noises and whispers around him. A moaning began from the room next to his.
Breath escaped from within Todd's mouth.
'Is this what it will be like for the rest of my life?' thought Todd, jumping down from the flat bed. His feet felt immediately like blocks of ice when they touched the freezing tile floor. He bent down on the ground and carefully pulled up the overhanging sheets, covering underneath the bed. It felt unbelievably humid below the bed. Todd squinted and finally saw his slippers.
He reached his small arm as far as it would go and grabbed the slippers. Todd scrambled away from the bed as fast as he could, his breath hitching in his throat.
The slippers he held in his hand were given to him a week ago. As he first entered the room that would be where he slept, ate, and thought, a set of clothing and slippers were waiting for him on the simple bed. He was told to put them on and to leave his regular clothes neatly folded on the bed to get picked up later. Todd asked if Shmee would be there soon and he was told that he would. Shmee never came.
Todd let the slippers drop to the floor and slid his feet between the soft material. He reached the steel door and pushed forwards. The door pushed towards the outside and Todd took two steps out of his room. He looked left then right. A few people were walking through the hallway. A doctor briskly walked past Todd and turned down a corner at the end of the hallway.
Todd instinctively tightened his hands around each other, wishing that he had his stuffed bear. He started to walk towards left when a shriek entered his ears from a room across from his. Todd watched as the doctor that had walked by him before came running back and swiftly entered the room. The door banged against outside wall. Todd could see a man on a bed within the room. His arms and legs were flailing, his hands crippled in a claw-like manner. White foam dribbled down from the man's mouth. The man's eyes were wide open, but somehow Todd didn't think that the man could actually see anything.
The door swung inwards and Todd got a glance of the doctor trying to hold the man down on the bed, reaching under the bed to find brown leather straps. The doctor started to reach into his lab coat pocket when the door swung again. For a brief moment, the door pushed outwards again and Todd could see the doctor slamming a needle into the man's arm. The man turned towards the doorway, saw Todd with his blank eyes, and smiled.
________________________________________________________________________
A shadow curled tighter within itself upon the splintered floor. Every other moment a soft scream could be heard beneath the floorboards. Dark eyes clenched shut, making swirls of clear light underneath the eyelids.
"Why are you here?" said a rusty voice.
Two orbs of light appeared within the shadow. A figure stood up from the darkness and stalked towards the sound.
"What do you mean? Why is anyone here? Who or what gave permission to create such creatures? So many questions have been asked and you assume that I know the answer?!"
The man reached out with sickly yellow fingers and curled them around the small plastic figurine. He brought the toy close to his face and stared, waiting for an answer.
"No, Johnny, that's not what I meant. I was wondering when you were going to leave. You said you were going to go weeks ago," said the Bub's Burger Boy figurine.
"Oh," said the emaciated man. His grip upon the figurine lessened and put it down on a steel table. Crossing his arms over his chest, Johnny whispered, "I am. I just needed to take care of some things first."
The hollow toy stared with unseeing eyes, "Go then, if your things are taken care of."
A low growl escaped the man's throat as he stomped his foot down.
"Do not tell me what to do! You are nothing but a stupid, evil, plastic...thing!" Johnny screamed, his pale face becoming flushed.
"Come on, boy. You know you want to leave. All that needs to be done is to walk through that door. The door right there, to your left. Turn, walk through it, Johnny," said the wide-eyed toy.
Eyes slit, Johnny spun around and stiffly walked away from the figurine. He walked to a corner of the room and crouched down on the floor.
"You can't stay forever, Johnny. You know you have to do this."
Johnny pulled his knees under his arms and stared at the intersection of the two walls. A small insect, it's antennae wavering, scuttled along the wall in front of Johnny's black eyes.
"Hello, Mr. Samsa," whispered Johnny. The bug frantically darted across the broken wood. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to kill you today." Johnny reached out with his slim fingers and clasped his hands around the cockroach. Johnny sat there, with the creature between his palms, and thought. Why did he want to leave? What vacation did he need? Does he really want to go or is some other force telling him that he wants to? So confusing.
The cockroach squeezed through Johnny's fingers and crawled across his hand. Johnny looked down at the bug. He gently grasped the bug between his fingers, stood up, and placed the cockroach in his inside coat pocket.
"Let's go."