Chapter 5:
Make Me Bad
Eddie snarled at the security guards approaching him in the corridor; now that the object of his affection was safe, he had to see why he, Eddie Gluskin, were being paged by these monsters. Initially, he walked without a word back to his cell in the male ward, where he was asked to change. As he removed his clothing, he was ambushed and the attack set the man off immediately. Eddie, naked as the day he was born, screamed insults the entire trip to the sub-basement, back to a torture chamber hidden away from a world unaware of its existence. "NO. NO, NOT AGAIN." Just as he'd done every other time, he looked around for an opportunity or some way to escape to dreadful memories Murkoff forced him to relive. Pictures, interviews about those pictures, the images of his childhood sodomy and prior victims. Young women tied, mutilated, murdered, but to Eddie, alive more than ever. "THEY'RE GOING TO RAPE. RAPE!" Everywhere he looked seemed to be an enemy, and then there was one that was unfamiliar. "He's loose! Grab him!" Eddie sprinted towards a wall of glass, separating him from other employees and this one unfamiliar face. "YOU. I KNOW YOU CAN STOP THIS." He pleaded with the guy, whom he appeared to frighten and tearfully, he watched as a guard tensely approached the unaware young man. There was nothing that would save him from this; he had to endure this nightmare, which this time included latex tubing through his throat and various catheters filled with sleep-inducing medication. An itchy sensation began to sift through his skin but with his hands restrained, Eddie fell helpless as he attempted to cope with it until the drugs took effect, soon leading to temporary lethargy.
It was if he had fallen into a vat of times' worst memories, each time forced to relive the humiliation and defeat found in each circumstance. There stood a shadow a considerable distance from his reach, even in his subconscious he felt chained. "Eddie darling…" A woman's voice, full of warmth and a desire to protect. "Mother!" A child's voice howled, a second shadow stepped from behind the other, eyes alive with evil delight. "I'm so sorry darling…." The woman sobbed in tearful regret as both shadows overwhelmed him and suddenly, he was being constrained by a two pairs of very strong hands. Eddie felt like his lungs were giving out on him, his body slowly unwillingly losing control. "Get the camera." The pair of hands at his throat spoke as the other pair drew away to fetch a Polaroid One Step set up nearby on a bedroom stand Eddie recognized. As a matter of fact, he identified every source of mass in the room including the two gentlemen who were dictating control.
Each time the experience had been the same: he fell victim to lucid nightmares or "dreams" as the Massive geeks liked to call it. And each time he would only obtain an obvious awareness to them. He hated the feeling, this deprivation of his childhood. At the time, no other child spoke of such experiences and it appeared to be only an activity adults enjoyed. He was obviously too young to understand its significance and by the time he was old enough to comprehend its benefits, he was already emotionally and mentally fucked by the burden. For Eddie, sex was an option, but there were so many harlequins, the search for perfection fell to trial and error ultimately resulting in one less "whore."
After every session, he would describe his dreams to a doctor hoping to confide personal and scientific growth in exchange for freedom. But now, any freedom at this point was an option, including the chance to get out of the Morphogenic Engine program. He could simply be enrolled in another form of therapy, just as his beloved had suggested. The geeks and patients always spoke of an entity known as "the Walrider," only known to appear after exposure to the ME and Eddie was sure he felt its presence. But he figured that couldn't be enough of a breakthrough. Other patients spoke of a young man named Billy Hope who managed to gain control over the Walrider and the piece of shit geeks spoke highly of him during trivial conversations, enough to corroborate his suspicions. He would tell them that he not only achieved control of the Walrider but that it spoke to him directly by closing his eyes, even subconsciously.
Nonetheless, Eddie was never given the opportunity to see the fruits of his lies, for maybe they actually believed everything he said but the sessions seemed to go on consecutively. As each session progressed, his capacity began to diminish and the rashes on his face worsened from a latex allergy Eddie was unaware of It was only a matter of time before the truth was exposed – their therapy only meant for profit and ego and that he, Eddie, would not leaving there the same man he had been before but instead another one of Murkoff's guinea pigs in a rat race. The shell of a former man remained now in the form of a physically and mentally broken man released back into the world; in his mind, fate had spoken yet again. For a moment during his escape from that cold basement he'd forgotten his purpose, obvious effects of the medication lingering. But there was one thought that remained clear: the last words spoken by a woman's voice, a woman whom he cherished. "Stay alive." Eddie grinned, excited as a child on Christmas as he confidently made his way back to asylum's main floor, examining the ongoing violence. The bloodshed called to him and he yearned to answer, but work always came before pleasure. The couples' attire had to be stitched and their "special places," the sewing room and gym, had to be decorated before he could go in search of his love to bring her back home.
It had all happened so quickly, it took a couple of moment for Chloe to regroup and gather anything she could remember before being thrown belly first into the cement floor of the cell block. Her hands tried to break the fall for her head but her attacker assured damage. "Maybe that's where the blood came from." She muttered softly, trying her best to laugh at the situation but her befuddled daze from medication combined with a possible concussion left her with more questions than a sense of humor. One thing was certain: she literally had the taste of blood in her mouth but Mount Massive's finest would have to settle as a reparation from Murkoff. Chloe wasn't insane but now a blood-lusting patient as her attacking counterpart. With little light and no time to spare, Chloe quickly and stepped out her locker safe haven, attempting to look around for a viable option of self-defense. Anything would do including a fire extinguisher but remembering where she was, searching would only prove futile.
Heavy footsteps were approaching once again. "Fuck! It's like he knows I'm here." Opening the locker again was out of the question leaving her a desk as the lone option. Ragged breathing, plagued by sharp pains in her left rib cage and wheezing from asthma forced her to choose her next breath wisely. He was nearby, she could feel his large threatening presence nearby as he growled in anxious pursuit. "You don't have to hide, whore." He muttered, opening the very locker she had been standing in and watching him slam it in disgust, she took a deep breath she bolted towards the male ward, catching the attention of her pursuer. "I'm coming…" The rattling of his chains grew closer along with the haunting footsteps in an effort to catch up to her and praying through hell to find hope, self-defense and her temporary ally all in existence.
Author's note:
Your patience has been awesome. These last few days have been HECTIC but I expected nothing less from summer time. Nevertheless, I managed to get this chapter out, excuse the shitty ending/chapter in general. It's almost 5 am but it's been days since I put a new series up. I'm aware Chloe wasn't in this chapter much but I felt it was important to set up my interpretation of Eddie's story before I progress. This is after MUCH research and observation. lol. And this of course shall be done with every character, one for depth and two especially if they are key to the plot. More than likely the same will be done with Chris. Again, my interpretation. Might be some holes but I've enjoyed hearing everyone else's conclusion of these characters so discuss away.
Might be another couple of days before another chapter BUT I will promise the next chapter will be twice as long. It's the least I can do after my excessive binge on SF and Orange Is The New Black. xD
Thanks for reading! See you guys next chapter.
- FLCN