Chapter 7

Dr. Crane and my two orderlies brought me into a small room. It held a strange odor of freshly opened plastic and something else, something I didn't recognize. I managed to escape the plight of the straightjacket yet my arms and legs are now strapped onto a cold metal table. A strap rests over my forehead, prohibiting me from turning my head. I use my eyes to examine the room. Large machines rest against the walls as they beep quietly. Out of my peripheral I see the door opening as Dr. Crane steps in, shutting the door behind him. He's holding a small syringe in his hand.

'Great.'

He grabs a metal chair and pulls it swiftly beside the table. He sits down and examines my face. Crane leans in so close that I can smell his expensive cologne. A single tear escapes and rolls down my cheek. I tremble in fear of what to come.

"Everything you've wanted to say to me. You're going to say freely now." He speaks as he uncaps the syringe, flicking the tube then tapping the vein in my arm.

"Please don't."

He cocks his head to the side, perplexed of my sudden submission no doubt. Yet his expression is unreadable. The tip of the needle hovers just above my skin. Crane places a hand over my forehead and gazes into my eyes. I watch his eyes gleam as he notices the obvious fear that dwelled within my own. I knew that's what he wanted, what he expected. He smiles at me, I know it isn't genuine. He is pleased because he knows he's won. Hand still placed on my head he brushes my skin with his thumb. Remarkably, I manage to suppress a shudder.

"Let's see what you have to say, shall we?"

'Dear God no!'

I barely feel the sharp, cold sting of the needle. But I feel the warm rush of the fluid through my veins as it disperses throughout my entire body. It's honesty flooding within me, clouding all my logic and reasoning. My mouth is a loaded gun. I feel drunk. My body is relaxed yet my mind is panicked. The tips of my fingers and toes are cold as my spine breaks into a frigid sweat. I close my eyes tightly and draw in a distressed breath through my nose, sucking nervously on the bottom of my lip. I open my eyes to see Crane's curious yet frustrated face.

"There will be none of that." He orders; addressing the physical halt I had pressed upon my mouth. Adherently he is unimpressed by my flipping on the safety latch.

'Fuck you.'

"Fuck you."

'Oh, for the love of God…'

"I'm going to assume that's the drug speaking, so I'll let it go this time." He gently gathers my chin in his hand. "But watch yourself."

'I can't!'

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions Kyra and I expect you to answer them. I have incentive waiting in case you need encouragement. It's not the kindest available. So you had better be willing." He lets go of me.

"Now then…" He settles into a chair, clipboard at hand.

"What are you most afraid of?"

I can feel the drug completely invading my mind, violating its privacy. I am unable to contain my thoughts. But I remember being asked this question before. Answers roll off my tongue freely.

"Having no control over myself..."

"Being completely dictated by another individual?"

"Yes."

"Do I frighten you?"

"You scare the hell out of me."

Crane's expression is nothing short of euphoric. His eyes flutter briefly as he exhales quietly.

"Do you need a moment to gather yourself?" I spit, my mind whirling in disconnection from my body.

"You'll need one if you don't watch yourself." His expression is sharp, dead serious. He moves on.

"Why do I scare you?"

"You're crazier than the people you lock up. Sure, your reputation gives you great respect and recognition but you're doing something else here…you're pretending to help your patients…it's all a façade…"

"A façade is it?" He questions.

"You're pretending to be sane…damn it must be hard…" Mentally I am kicking myself for my unabashed responses.

"You're about to find out just how hard it really is. For the last time Kyra, do not insult me again. Now, let's move on…"

"…what happened to your parents?"

"My mother killed herself and my real father is in a mental institute. I used to live at one of the colleges, until I was brought here."

"You're father is in an institution?"

"That's what I said."

"What for?"

"Paranoia and schizophrenia …"

"Interesting."

"Yeah, if you're psychotic."

"You said your real father. I presume you had a stepfather as well?"

"Yeah, he was a real winner, alcoholic and a druggie. He used to abuse my mom, until…"

"What had happened Kyra?"

"I had come over for a visit and I walked in and he was strangling her…I…jumped on him and tried to pull him off."

"What did he do to you Kyra?"

"He hit me and threw me across the room."

"What did you do?"

"I left."

"Your step father, besides the one incident, did he ever try to hurt you?"

"Only once after, he usually just ignored me. But I smarted off and he beat me."

"What did you say Kyra?"

"He had a few of his buddies over. They were all drunk and doing drugs. I shouldn't have been there but I wanted to know that my mom was alright. I was home from college for the weekend so I thought I'd check on her. She wasn't alright; they had all taken turns on her. She was in her bathroom crying hysterically and shooting up. They made her bleed!"

Crane listened intently. I hear the faint humming sound of a tape recorder. He's taping this. The thought didn't appeal to me but I could not control my tongue.

"I walked back into the room where they were and picked up the phone…Marshall asked me who I was calling. When I didn't respond I remember him storming over to me. He yanked the phone from me and slammed it onto the floor. It shattered. My only hope was shattered. He told me that I better have not been trying to call the police. I tried to get by but he was a big man, he'd dwarf you Crane."

Crane's eyes narrowed coldly. "Continue."

"He picked me up and threw me onto the couch. The other guys…the way they looked at me…I tried to get up but he held me down. He sat down and told me that I needed to stay there until he figured out what to do with me. I said he'd be passed out before then and that's when he hit me. He kept hitting me. The others just laughed, they didn't join but they didn't help. It was all a show to them. I yelled for my mom but she didn't respond."

"The other men, did they try to take advantage of you?"

"Yeah, I don't know how I got away. I just remember driving ninety to get away. I had blood on my hands…it wasn't mine."

"What became of your mother Kyra?"

"She killed herself shortly after…"

"I see. Now, what is your greatest fear here at Arkham?"

'No!'

I bite at my bottom lip.

"Kyra?"

"What?" My mind had wandered away from his voice.

"Answer me." His tone is steady and persistent.

"That…you might take advantage of me..."

Crane looks momentarily shocked then composes himself immediately.

"What would give you the impression that I would…take advantage of you?" He is calm and collected. Yet I catch glimpse at a bead of sweat as it shimmers on his forehead.

'Aside from the mind fucking?'

"Because…you're bent enough to do it…"

"Does the thought excite you?"

"Don't flatter yourself Dr. Crane." I lick my lips. "I'm no slave of desperation…"

"Excuse me?"

"You have to strap down all the girls?"

He stands up from his chair, looming over me. "Are you challenging me?"

'Nope, just calling you out.'

"Have I not been the duration of my stay?"

Crane laughs very quietly. I would not have heard it had I not been examining him so closely. It is not something I expected to hear. I was prepared for a slap or another rough grab at my face. His uncharacteristic response both shocks and frightens me.

"Sharp. What else is in there?" He places his hand on my thigh.

"What makes you tick?" His hand slithers to my stomach.

I close my eyes, unable to suppress a frightened whimper.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

'Like it would make sense if you did…'

"Dr. Crane?"

"Yes Kyra?"

'You'll never have my mind.'

"Where did it all go wrong for you?"

"Trying to unsettle me?"

"Just trying to understand my doctor's motives…"

"Well, to your dismay, I'm afraid that mind games don't work on me. I thought you would have learned that by now. " I watch him bite his bottom lip to mock my disappointment.

He leans in close and whispers a warm breath into my ear. "There is nothing you can do to rise above my will. So Kyra, I am the untouchable one."

'You're heartless…'

I match his gaze as he withdraws and watches me. I lick my lips before speaking. "Must make you feel like you're missing out on something? Knowing that something in your oh-so-superior-mind doesn't commute? That there's something you can't feel?" I take in a shallow breath before finishing my statement.

"It's pathetic." I exhale.

I look up into his baleful, heavy lidded glare. His piercing eyes gaze smugly at me. His rigid posture would prove that my words were in fact affective.

"Well then, perhaps I should show you just how much I don't feel…" Crane left the statement open as he retrieves something from his black suit case that I had failed to notice before.

Crane holds up the unmistakable canvas of a burlap mask. A haphazardly stitched mouth grins malevolently at me. Instinctively I pull at my restraints. 'Holy shit!' Crane places the mask over his head. His striking eyes gleam bright through the holes of the rough material. Then I notice the way he held his right wrist, his delicate but strong fingers curling over some unseen object. He is hiding something from me. I struggle harder against my restraints. Suddenly I calm. 'Keep your head!'

"I'm not in the mood for dress up." My voice is more even and more controlled than I felt.

Crane places his hand on my shoulder. "Perhaps this will sway you…" With that a strong powdery substance assaults my face, invading my nostrils, itching down into my lungs. I cough violently, unable to move my head within the restraints. The burlap skin takes life of its own. The eyes meld into the canvas as the stitched grin morphs into jagged teeth. The mask metastasizes to the face of Dr. Crane yet it shifts from sinister to ghoulish, to demonic. 'Is this what LSD does?' Terrifying sounds take place as the face shifts. I shriek at its abnormality. A sinister expression leans close to my face. Hyperventilating I stare wide eyed at the creature before me. What had happened to the doctor?

"Dr. Crane?" I nearly scream.

"No! Scarecrow." His voice is deliberate and distorted.

I close my eyes, willing the sight before me to vanish. "No. Dr. Crane…what did you do to me…?" I begin to weep as my heart races at inconceivable speed.

"Look at me." The creature commands.

I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Look at me!" The voice booms. When I didn't immediately respond, strong hands clutched the sides of my face and shook me.

"Look!"

I open my eyes.

"What do you see?"