A/N: I'm a day late when I promised I wouldn't be. Feel free to hit me. I've been working on ROYGBIV, which, I believe you might like.
You built me up with your wishing hell
I didn't have to sell you
You threw your money in the pissing well
You do just what they tell you
Repent, that's what I'm talking about
I shed the skin to feed the fake
Repent, that's what I'm talking about
Whose mistake am I anyway?
Cut the head off
Grows back hard
I am the hydra
Now you'll see your star
Prick your finger it is done
The moon has now eclipsed the sun
The angel has spread its wings
The time has come for bitter things
Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar
Chapter Eight: Speak of the Devil
25 Days Left
It's been a month since Quinn was released from the Red Ward. In the morning, I still greet her with my regrets that she hadn't died in her sleep, and she responds in kind.
Quinn sits up and pulls on clothes, and I stand near the doorway, waiting for her. She scurries out before Pyre wakes up and gets her paws on her.
"Hey, guys," she says as she sits down at the table beside Aidan. Thompson's eyes dart to her left hand but he nods an acknowledgement. She presses her lips together. "I don't think I'm in any danger of being controlled by an alien, you know."
"You could be, at any second," Thompson says. "You're not free unless you remove the Mark."
"Is there any way to do that without cutting my hand off? Or scraping all of my skin off?"
"No."
"Oh."
Thompson spoons soggy cereal into his mouth. Quinn just taps the side of her plastic bowl. Aidan has ripped the entire top off of a carton of milk and is dunking his hand in it. I give him his space.
"I've been here for a month and the only thing you've ever talked to me about is aliens," Quinn says, breaking the silence.
"That's all that matters," Thompson says. "It's only a matter of time until they make their move, and you will be my enemy. I promise to kill you mercifully."
"If it comes to that, just chop off my hand," she suggests. His green eyes brighten.
"I guess that would work. Even if you were already under their control, ridding you of the Mark should clear your mind." He actually smiles. Quinn looks surprised for a moment, then smiles too. She looks down at her hands, then reaches out with her right one. He bristles for a moment, but allows her to rest her hand on his own while her left arm stays pasted to her side.
"Aww, this is touching," I mock, peeved at being forgotten. Quinn is too busy making goo-goo eyes at Probe-Boy. I don't understand those creatures. What is the point of needing another person to complete you? If they needed something like that to be happy, why couldn't they be born conjoined with their soulmate? But another example of the painfully stupid humans.
I glance at Aidan. It's obvious he was watching and absorbing this whole exchange, but he hadn't so much as moved. I decide to scoot closer to him, despite the fact that he's still fishing in the milk carton.
When they sit down to their morning therapy session with Jakes, Quinn and Thompson don't seem as buddy-buddy, but they still choose seats by each other. I guess there is some comfort in company, especially when you're both crazy. Pyre hasn't shown up, but Chloe is here.
"Where's Pyre?" Quinn asks.
"She has a visit from her brother," Chloe says. "They got permission to go out for breakfast."
"Indeed," Jakes says. I wonder if he smiles that smile when he's on the toilet. "She won't be joining us for this session."
I take my usual seat on the ceiling and cross my legs. Quinn's eyes flick up to me, and evidently, Jakes notices.
"Quinn? Would you care to tell us about your experience in the Red Ward? Perhaps you've gained some kind of perspective since returning." It's been month since she came back – I'm impressed that the nurses kept him at bay for even that long.
"No."
"Pyre isn't here to save you this time," I observe. She looks up idly, as in thought, but I see her shoot me a nasty look. She slumps down in her seat.
"Although, I did see someone die right in front of my face. That was pretty monumental."
"Have you had any more trouble from these monsters you see?"
The smile is still there.
I believe there's a law that forbids me from killing a human with any other means than with a Death Note. The punishment for that would definitely kill me... instead of just banishing me to the Human World for another year. So I restrain myself.
"What do you mean by trouble?" she mumbles.
"Do you still see them? Do they still influence your thoughts in a negative way?"
"You know, I don't know why I see them. I think you should be able to see them too, because it's not my job to warn you if one is going to hurt you." She smirks and crosses her ankles. I wince.
"If we end up in the Red Ward again because you're being a brat, then..." I trail off, because of course, by now, she knows that I can't kill her otherwise I already would have.
"I think we need to address this part of you that wants to see people hurt by these monsters," the doctor says, leaning forward with his patronizing smile.
"I think you need to shut up. One of these days, you're going to go crazy because there's a monster inside of you. There will be no redemption. You'll destroy yourself trying to get it out," Quinn spits. She stands up and stalks out of the room. "Speak of the devil and he shall come!" she calls from the hallway. I sigh and follow.
She stomps up to the nurse's station and Anna looks up.
"I want to meet the doctor who put me in here as an involuntary patient," she snaps. "I should've done this a month ago. I can't stay here."
Anna looks flustered.
"Of course. You could set up an appointment with him…"
"I need to talk to him now."
"And here I am," says a voice behind us. I turn around and see a short, neat little guy in a white coat. He looks very doctor-y. His name reads Charles Michaelis.
"I'm Dr. Michaelis," he says affably, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He jumps forward and shakes Quinn's hand even though she didn't offer it to him. I snicker.
"I've been here months," Quinn says, looking confused. "How have I never met you before when you've been pulling the strings and telling me what medicine to take?"
"Sorry," Dr. Michaelis says. "I mostly confer with your mother about your affairs, and she instructed me not to directly confront you. She was worried about you getting angry and hurting yourself further. However, it was technically within your rights to know and meet me."
Quinn's eyes darken.
"Don't talk to me about her. She's ignored me this entire time. She thinks I'm nuts."
"Well, medically speaking, you are nuts," I pipe up. She follows Dr. Michaelis over to a sofa and sits down. They both have to maneuver a bit so that they can face each other without getting near the stain on the cushion.
"I want to get out of here," Quinn says flatly, once they're settled. "I'm not crazy. I don't need to be here."
"The reason you are here is because I disagree," Dr. Michaelis says. He speaks over Quinn as she starts to protest. "However, it is your right that you may appeal to become a voluntary patient and eventually leave here."
"Why wasn't I told this before?" Quinn rages.
"You'd need a representative to defend you. And your mother wasn't willing to offer one to you, for reasons of her own. But, technically, you can defend yourself."
"I want to do that," she says immediately.
"Hey, guess what, Quinn," I say. "You're the only person on the planet who doesn't think you're insane. Good luck with your appeal."
"What do I have to do?" Quinn asks, ignoring me.
"I can give you an appeal form to fill out."
"I liked it better when your doctors were jerks," I mutter to myself. I almost got my hopes up. Quinn had a possibility to get out of the hospital? Maybe she would get hit by a truck somewhere in the Human World. But no. She was crazy, and there's no way she'd be let out into the world. No trucks.
"Here's an idea," I say as Quinn is filling out the form on the edge of the nurse's desk. "How about you forfeit ownership of the Death Note and then you'll go back to normal by yourself? You won't need to make an appeal."
"No," she whispers out of the side of her mouth.
"Why not? It's not like you even need the Death Note. The only thing it's done is get you locked up." I float backwards a few inches and roll in midair slowly. She clenches her jaw as she watches out of the corner of her eye.
"Would you stop that? It's distracting."
"Don't deny an all powerful God of Death his pleasures, maggot."
Quinn finishes the appeal form and hands it to a nurse, who slips it into an envelope and sets it to the side. She's walking back to the cafeteria for lunch when the doors slide open and Pyre walks through, along with a young man who looks exactly like her. He's obviously her brother, even before I look up at his name.
"Honey-bunny!" Pyre squeals and charges Quinn. Quinn has apparently wised up to this maneuver in her time here, and sidesteps her at the last moment. Pyre hooks right and comes back around and slams into her from the opposite side. The man she came in with has an amused smile on his face. "This is my brother, Andrew."
"Hey," Quinn grunts as she struggles not to fall over. I watch eagerly as she teeters, hoping she might hit her head on the table and die, but Pyre has her arm hooked through Quinn's and drags her upright. Damn. I got my hopes up again, causing me to tunnel vision in eagerness – Quinn didn't have any remote possibility of dying. God Eyes these days.
"Hello," Andrew greets her. He doesn't think the eccentric situation is unusual. "You must be Quinn."
"You will refer to her as Honey-bunny, or I'll rip out your spine and make you use it as dental floss," Pyre says severely to him. He just smiles easily and shoves his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed. I envy him. He gets to walk out of this place.
But he's still a scrawny short-lived human, so I guess I win overall.
"I've heard a lot about you," he says to Quinn.
"I'll bet," I whisper to Quinn.
Quinn just laughs goodnaturedly at both of us. I assume it was supposed to be goodnatured. Ever since she got back from the Red Ward there's been a weird little demented hitch in it. I knew she was going insane.
Pyre looks between them for a moment, then rolls her head.
"You guys are lame. Okay lunchtime!" and starts dragging Quinn in that direction. Quinn trips over her own feet, unable to walk backwards and just resorts to sliding along the ground behind her.
"You're a klutz," I observe. I look back to see Andrew nodding at a nurse and walking out the doors.
"Appeal?" Pyre shrieks. I wince and dig out a maggot that ran into my ear for cover. "You're leaving?"
"Not yet," Quinn assures her. "But I sent off the form and I'm going to have a hearing."
Pyre slumps down in her seat with a pout on her face.
"Who's your defense? Your second opinion?" Chloe asks. Quinn goes red and I smirk.
"Well…" she says, with a sudden interest in her nails. "I was just going to defend myself."
"Good luck with that," Chloe says wisely and I point at her.
"See? I was right," I say.
Pyre perks up noticeably at this. It's evident to everyone but Quinn that an appeal won't do her any good. Quinn looks angry at their lack of faith in her and looks at Thompson significantly. He raises his head meekly when he realizes she's looking for some kind of confirmation from him.
"If you're let out of the hospital and get controlled by aliens, it'll take longer for me to find you. By then it might be too late to save you just by getting rid of your Mark and I'll just have to kill you," he says in a monotone. Quinn's eye twitches and she scoots over to sit by Aidan, the only one at the table who can't say a word against her.
"Quinn?"
Quinn jumps as Dr. Michaelis appears at her side.
"At your hearing, there will be a psychiatrist, lawyer, and community member present. I'll be the psychiatrist, and your mother has agreed to present herself as a community member."
"I thought I don't have a lawyer?" Quinn asks.
"You don't. Er," he pauses. "Your mother will be hiring a lawyer for your opposition."
"My opposition," Quinn says slowly. "You mean…she's going to be against me?"
Dr. Michaelis nods, but he looks uncomfortable, like he sincerely feels sorry for the fact that she has a less-than-loyal mother.
"Oh," Quinn says blankly. "Okay."
He looks like he's going to say something more, but he just gives an awkward bow-thing and nods at the other patients present at the table before walking away.
"Mommy thinks you're crazy," I simper at Quinn.
Quinn stands up suddenly, giving everyone a glare, then walking off. She dumps her tray and then leaves. I sigh and flick a maggot at Pyre's face. It glances off her cheek and she freaks out, clawing at her face until an orderly rushes over to restrain her so she doesn't rip her flesh off. I wait until she's released (wouldn't want to miss that kind of a show) to follow Quinn.
I find her in her room with the door open.
"Took you long enough," she snaps irritably. "Get a page from the Death Note. I'm going to kill that bastard."
"What bastard?" I say with interest, even though I've seen his lifespan.
"Dr. Jakes. It's his entire fault. He's probably been telling Dr. Michaelis that I'm crazy and shouldn't be allowed to leave."
"Oookay?" But in truth, I am mentally doing the mambo. I'm glad to finally have some entertainment, and I can't wait to see that guy dead. So I fly through the hospital speedily and grab the notebook.
"Here, stupid." I toss it to her and it lands at the foot of her bed. She catches the pen, then leans forward and flips the notebook open. I watch, feeling a dark satisfaction as she scribbles Jakes' name in it. Below it, she writes the time of death to be in the next ten minutes.
"Put it back," she commands, throwing it to me.
"How about a please?" I mutter, and shove it into a wall, opting to keep it in the more permanent room so I don't have to keep flying through the hospital. She walks out the door, and I follow. She almost bumps into a nurse in the hallway. Quinn smiles brightly at her and says she's feeling a bit better. The nurse directs her back recreation lobby, but then the she walks back into Quinn's room, looking suspicious. Oh well. She won't find anything. It's just her job.
"Did you write any special details about his death?" I ask her.
"You'll see," she says. She takes a seat on the sofa and crosses her legs. I stand there.
After a few minutes, Pyre and the rest of the patients walk in from lunch. Quinn smiles at them to show that they're forgiven for opposing her at lunch. Pyre sits on the couch next to her and drapes herself over Quinn's knees.
"It's been ten minutes," I say to Quinn. "What's going to happen?" Quinn nods slightly at the doorway, where Jakes has just appeared. He crosses over to the nurse's desk and leans his elbows on it to converse with them. Quinn turns around and peeks over the back of the sofa to watch, a smile forming on her face.
Jakes turns away from the nurse's desk and looks at the group on the sofas appraisingly. The hateful smile peels his lips but he stops abruptly and puts a hand on his chest. Quinn's eyes have narrowed while her smile widens.
Jakes coughs and tries to massage the pain he feels in his chest away. He gags, then…
"Help!" The nurses look up at him. "There's something in me!" he cries. His shoulders hunch and his eyes look to Quinn. Hers are shining brightly, and I think I see a fleck of red in them before she blinks. Pyre sits up, looking surprised.
"Ooh, I see," I say, nodding. "Well played."
"What is it?" Anna cries, rushing around to his front. She puts her hands on his shoulders. Orderlies rush over. He's gasping and sputtering.
"There's a monster inside of me!" he yells, and grabs Anna's wrists with a desperate fire in his eyes. She looks horrified and tries to get away from his grip. "It hurts, it hurts, it HURTS!" Jakes falls to the ground in convulsions. He rips the collar of his shirt down and scratches at his chest, leaving long red welts. Anna manages to drag herself away; she backs up a few feet. Pyre jumps off the couch and rushes to her side, steadying her. She shudders and pulls Anna back farther, so she can't see the scene unfold.
Jakes is tearing at his chest, arms, neck – vivid red blood on his fingertips, under his nails. I watch as he destroys himself. A few moments later, there's a sickening sound and he seizes up. All that remains is now a raw slab of meat on the ground, staining the white tile and the crisp uniforms of the orderlies.
I watch as Jakes' counter ticks rapidly down to zero and then…
It blinks out.
I look back at Quinn to see if she's going to have another meltdown. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Opens them again. Her gaze is steady and triumphant as she stares at the doctor's corpse.
"Speak of the Devil, and He shall come," she whispers.
A/N: Er. Yeah. That's the end of that chapter...stay tuned. I do recommend you check out ROYGBIV.
Feel free to review.