“Adrian, we need to go. Right now,” urges Ruby.
“Yeah… I think you might be right…”
The crazy man charges forward, shoving other inmates out the way. They regain what little focus they had to begin with and chase after him.
“Oh, shit!” I grab Ruby’s hand and we set off running down the stairs, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the two rampaging gangs of maniacs as they meet in the middle.
We quickly come to the circular hub. Ahead of us, the door to the reception area is closed. I see another large group of guards assembled behind it. I have a key, but it won’t do us much good if we’re mobbed the moment we open the damn thing.
I hear a noise behind us and look over my shoulder. My new stalker standing at the top of the stairs with a smile on his face and the shank in his hand, which is dripping blood all over the carpet.
Ruby takes the lead, dragging me off to our right. “Come on — this way.”
“Where are we going?”
“Anywhere that isn’t here!”
We run down the corridor, frantically glancing at either side for an open door, but every one we try is locked.
This is bad. Five security guards, I can handle. They’re slow, predictable, and poorly trained. But close to twenty crazed inmates loose in an asylum who have no issue with self-harming as well as killing — that’s a different thing altogether. I know a lost cause when I see one, and we absolutely would not win that fight.
So we run.
But, unfortunately, we seem to have headed down another dead end…
Shit.
I look over my shoulder and see the inmates stop about halfway down the corridor. They shift back into their slow, demented shuffle. Blood is still dripping on the floor from my stalker’s blade. And from his head wound.
“This is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” says Ruby.
I shrug. “You gotta admit, given you’ve only known me twenty minutes and I’ve only done two things, for both of them to be the dumbest thing you’ve seen me do is pretty impressive.”
I feel her turn to look at me. “You’re crazier than anyone in here, you know that?”
I smile, not taking my eyes off the inmates. “Thanks.”
“Not a compliment…”
“So you say…”
I take a step back drawing level with a door on my right. I glance through the porthole window and see it’s a therapy room of some sort. I reach for the handle and try it.
The door opens.
I grab Ruby’s arm and drag her sideways into the room after me. I slam the door, turn the lock, and pull the table immediately to my right in front of it.
“Okay, that should buy us some time. We need to—”
She hits my arm, interrupting me. She’s standing at my side facing the room. I look at her and see she’s staring blankly behind me, transfixed by something.
I close my eyes and sigh. “What now?”
I turn around and look at the room. It’s a perfect square, maybe fifteen by fifteen. The wall opposite the door has two windows behind metal bars, stretching up from waist height to the ceiling. There are plastic chairs positioned in a circle on one side, and opposite is a row of cupboards running the full width of the room. I’m guessing they have activity equipment stored in them or something.
In the far corner, staring at us with a vacant expression, is a man standing awkwardly and clutching a teddy bear. He’s wearing white coveralls and has to be close to seven feet tall. He’s an absolute fucking mountain…
“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me…” I mutter.
If he were my height, he’d be incredibly overweight, but because he’s so tall, it stretches the fat, spreading it over a larger area, so he just looks big and bulky. His jowls are dark with stubble, and his thick lips glisten with saliva.
He turns his head slowly to look at me and smiles. “Hi.”
His voice low and simple.
I wave silently, trying to remain as calm as I can.
Ruby steps forward, her hands on her face in fake surprise. “My God, it’s you! It’s really you! You’re here to save me, aren’t you? They told me you would come… the man who drinks tea and his friends — they said you’d rescue me.”
Christ, she’s off again…
The big guy looks at her. “I’m George,” he announces slowly. “Hi!”
“George… George… you are the chosen one, are you not?”
“Uh… Hi!”
The mob outside starts banging on the door, urgently trying to break through. The big guy — George — looks oblivious and a little confused.
“We’re going to have some fun,” continues Ruby. “We’re going to play a game of peekaboo with our new friends outside.” She moves in close to him and leans against his chest the way a daughter would with her father, her hand flat next to her face. “Behind that door, the demons come. No, don’t look! Don’t look at their eyes. We must put them to sleep. Let them rest.”
George is completely unaware she’s next to him. He’s just staring at the door. There’s no emotion on his face. There’s… nothing. Just a Vacant sign hanging between his ears. But he’s a monster of a man. Maybe a gentle giant. Maybe a sleeping bear. Whatever he is, I hope Ruby knows what she’s doing…
“De… mon…?” he mutters.
Ruby smiles. “Yes! Yes! Demon! Right outside the door. They need to sleep. They need to rest. Help me, Chosen One. Help me!”
He looks down at her slowly. “Sleep…”
He pushes her away and walks toward the door. I hastily step aside, not wishing to anger ol’ Sloth here anymore than I want to piss off the crazy gang outside.
I move to the back of the room and stand beside Ruby. “Good work.”
“Thanks. Be ready to run.”
With considerable ease, George moves the table using one hand. He yanks the door open, not bothering to unlock it first. The frame cracks and splinters as the lock breaks.
Our view is mostly obscured by his hulking frame, but I hear the commotion outside cease almost immediately.
“De… mon…?” he says again.
He’s met with silence. Ignoring everything else, he strides into the corridor, smashing his enormous shovel-like fists into the first couple of lunatics he sees. I can just about see them hit the floor. The jaw of the one nearest to the door is hanging loose, and their eyes are open and blank. I’m guessing they’re dead.
The noise restarts as everyone’s attention turns to George.
I grab Ruby’s wrist. “Come on, we’re leaving.” We move to the door, waiting for a gap in the crowd. “Okay, now!”
We slip out and set off back down the corridor, running as fast as we can. I have my hand around Ruby’s wrist. She’s doing her best to keep up with me.
We make it back to the door that leads to the reception area. I glance quickly through the window and see the group of guards still standing there. A few of them are facing the main doors, talking among themselves.
The FBI must be almost here, if they’re not already.
“Is there any other way out of here?” I ask her.
“I’m not sure. There’s a basement level, but I don’t know if there’s a back door or anything.”
“Damn it. Well, we need to try — the front door’s not an option. And this place will be swarming with Feds any second.”
“Okay, this way.”
We set off down the corridor to the right. Halfway along is a metal door. I take the keys and start trying them in the lock.
Ruby looks back the way we came, keeping watch. “Will you hurry up?”
I try another key. “I’m going as fast as I—” The door unlocks. “Okay, I’m in.”