I've recently gotten back into writing after a long bout with both writer's block and depression, and I'm excited to start working on this story again, and writing in general. I'm sorry that it's a short chapter, but I hope you like it, and I'll try to continue to update as much as I can! Thanks for reading!

The orderlies stood several feet away from us down the hall, watching our every movement. Suddenly I began to feel like I was in one of those stupid westerns my father used to make me watch; who would make the first move?

Draw first?

Unfortunately, our only weapon was the keycard, and that wouldn't do much against the two brutish men unless we condemned them to death by a thousand little plastic cuts. But I doubt they'd tolerate that for long, as long as they'd let us stand here and stare at them while the rest of the place went to shit, so I grabbed Cora's arm and ducked down the hall to the right, swiping the card and slipping between the doors as they opened.

It was all a matter of guessing from here on out; Mendel nor the others said anything about Gary or where they were keeping him, and it's not like they had a directory on the wall for where all the patients were located.

But maybe they would in an office? Or something of the sort. A log book, computer, anything that would make this easier than running through the maze of hallways blindly, hoping we'd eventually stumble upon his padded room.

"Talk to me, girl. I need to know what you're thinking," Cora said in a hushed voice.

We both crouched down behind a wall, hidden behind a stack of chairs and tables. If we were still, no one would see us, and that would give us a moment to come up with some semblance of a plan.

"We need to find a nurse's office, or something like that. I don't know where they're holding Gary, so maybe they have it written down somewhere on a chart or—"

Sweat.

Suddenly my senses were flooded with the smell of rank musk, and…anger? I could smell it as much as I could feel it, roiling through the pit of the stomach of an orderly that passed by. It radiated off of him like a bad cologne, and I pinched my nose, pressing myself against the wall and hoping silently for the scent to dissipate.

How was that even possible? I'm beginning to think I belong here as much as the rest of these lunatics.

"You good? You look like you're gonna puke," Cora said, grabbing my shoulder.

I shrugged her off. "I'm fine. Must be the meds that doctor gave me. They didn't sit well. But never mind, let's see if we can find something."

We crept out from behind our hiding spot and followed the same path the orderly took just a moment ago. It started to feel like we were in the ass end of the asylum; there was nothing here but stacks of crates, linens, and dirty mattresses stacked up on the floor.

The area was silent, save for the rattling of old pipes and the hissing steam that escaped them. Not even the idle chatter of their walkie talkies could be heard. For once, we were alone in this place.

On the far end of the room, an office sat, empty, lit by the dim glow of a small desk lamp. I could see stacks of files on the desk, papers and folders scattered about. Perhaps this is what we were looking for.

I urged Cora on toward the end of the room, and rushed into the office, locking the door behind us. It smelled like the man who had passed us moments ago; sweaty and dirty, and full of a near stifling rage. I took a breath and began looking through the papers, knowing we couldn't have long to do so. If his scent was that strong, he was likely close. I hoped not, for our sake.

The papers were useless, full of nothing but orders for new cleaners, replacements for different parts of who gives a shit; nothing that would help us. I sat down in his filthy chair and ran my hands through my hair. How the hell were we going to find him?

"Look!" Cora pointed. "A list of linen deliveries." She went down the list, reading off names, her fingers trailing down the page. "Gary Smith. Block A, room 2. That's right by the rec-room!"

I groaned. "If we had made a left instead…dammit. Alright. Block A. Let's go."

. . .

We backtracked through the halls, trying our best to avoid the orderlies. Things seemed to have quieted down, but more of them stalked the halls than before. Makes sense when two patients are missing, and part of me was surprised we hadn't been caught yet, but I shoved the thought aside and continued winding down the halls until we reached Block A.

The doors were locked, yet unguarded, so I swiped the card and waited a moment before passing through. It was too easy getting back here. Someone had to know what we were up to.

Was Mendel watching? Sitting high up in his office, viewing us like rats in a maze, so close to the prize. He had to know. He had to show his hand sooner or later.

I looked at Cora. "You first."

"Why me?" She asked, giving me a suspicious look.

"Hey, I was trying to be courteous, but fine. I'll go ahead blindly into the cell block," I said.

I peered around the wall. Nothing. Not an orderly or nurse in sight. It was beginning to make me nervous, how easy this all was. Either Mendel didn't give two shits about how his asylum was run, or he knew and he was planning something, just as we were.

Nothing was ever this easy.

The placard on the wall displayed the room numbers, one through six just to the left of us, and so we made our way down yet another corridor, checking each room for my bastard of a friend.

And there he was, at the end of the hall, second door on the right. I pulled the metal cover away that blocked my view of him, and found him sitting on the edge of the bed. His dark, beady eyes were locked on the wall, his mouth fixed in the most vicious scowl I'd ever seen. He wore a straight jacket, pulled tighter than necessary against his lean frame, and as much as I felt bad for him, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, you sad sack of shit. I finally found you."

His head turned toward me, but the scowl never left. "Took you long enough."

"Oh, I'm sorry, when would you have liked me to break us out of here? Before or after Mendel had me strapped down and drugged?"

"Before would have been nice. Now, can you get in here and take this damned thing off me?"

"Hmm, I don't know. You're being a little rude and ungrateful right now. I think the jacket can stay on longer."

"Oh, go fuck—"

"Can you two save the bickering for later? We need to get the fuck out of here," Cora snapped.

"Alright, alright."

Another swipe of the card and the door to Gary's cell was open. Immediately, he rose to his feet and turned away, waiting for me to undo the buckles that kept him restrained.

"You haven't said please yet," I teased.

"I'm going to kill you," he grumbled.

"And that's supposed to make me want to free you?"

"Will you just take the damn thing off already?" Gary hissed, trying his best not to shout at me.

"Fine," I relented, and tried to make quick work of the buckles while Cora watched the door. After a moment, they came undone, and Gary shrugged the jacket off, kicking it into the corner of the room.

"Let's get the fuck out of here."