Flyleaf

7

I wasn't really dressed for hiking, but as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I managed to avoid most trees and other obstacles. Following the tiny road out of town would have been easier but was also what they would expect me to do. I fell into a steady, subconscious rhythm as I made my way north.

The walk was quite relaxing actually, I couldn’t help but wonder what type of life I would make for myself now. A big old house with a white picket fence and a excited Labrador running around in the yard. Sunshine on my face and a vodka in my hand is how I imagined my new beginning.

But then that fantasy got pushed back and slowly pain started, it felt like my head was going to burst, like my eyes would explode. I dropped to my knees and everything turned black, images—like memories— tumbled through my mind: fire and blood, the smell of smoke, the sight of twisted metal and broken bricks all thrown on top of never ending pain. The pictures wrapped around me, suffocating me, until some rational part of my brain worked out that this was not my memory. These images dis not belong to me.

I tried to grab my head with my hands in some effort to lessen the pain but I couldn’t move my hands.

I couldn’t move anything.

My both my wrists had something restraining them from movement. Then I realized my ankles had restrains on as well and no longer was I sitting but laying down on something not very comfortable.

After a few moments, my eyes fluttered open, and in the dim lighting, I could see faces of people I recognized from the asylum. The frog lady, the twins and even the poor bastard whose nose I broke. 

I felt a flicker of consciousness start to take over. My frantic breathing slowed while I relaxed my body. and that was also the moment I realized I was fucked.

I couldn’t understand how this was even possible, I was just outside. I already escaped, earned my freedom and now im here. I knew I wasn’t a mutant who could teleport and I am sure as hell that if someone shot me with a tranquilizer, I would be damn aware of it. But then again I did have a massive headache so that could have been it I suppose.

The guy with the broken nose was looking at me intensely and all I could see was his mouth moving but his voice was sounding rather odd, actually I realized everything was sounding odd. It sounded like I was under water.

“Alice... Can you hear me? Alice say something. How do you feel Alice?” Said the man with the broken nose.

“Is she already fried?” asked fred, scratching his head.

“Don’t be stupid, go tell the superintendent she is awake” snapped the frog face, pushing fred away.

“Say something then don’t just stare at us.” Growled the man.

I tried speaking but it was like there was no air in my lungs to carry the words away, I tried again and again.

“What happened to you face?” I said in a cracked voice, trying to smile as big as I could.

The guy looked pissed off, and I could tell because he turned completely red in the face. It was hilarious. But then the humor I found in it, dimmed a little when I saw him raising his arm with his hand in a very tight fist. I braced for impact knowing it would hurt more tomorrow.

“Beulah! Don’t you dare.”

I recognized the superintendents voice and opened one eye to peak if I was right. The man just stood there even redder than before so I could only assume his name was beulah.

“Are you shitting me! Beulah. Is that your name?”

I laughed so much that the tears were running down my cheeks and my stomach started cramping. To this day don’t I understand why no one else was laughing, a joke like that could never get old.

Yet everyone was just standing there giving me the evils while Beulah stormed out. The superintendent walked up to me and grabbed my face with one hand he turned my head examining it, I wasn’t sure what exactly he was looking for but he seemed to know. His grip was hard and cold and I can still remember how his hands were nothing but flesh and bone.

“Put her in silly Sally’s room for tonight, we will figure out what to do with this juvenile delinquent tomorrow.” said the superintendent while walking out.

The twins came up to my bed and started pushing it out of the room, into a corridor. I just sighed trying to work out how the hell I landed back here when I made such a perfect escape, as I was looking at the ceiling lights pass every two seconds. The twins were talking about something that happened earlier today but I had completely zoned out. Every now and then I could hear some one whaling and with their fists banging against a iron clad door.

“Here you are Alice, this is you room for tonight.” Said fred will an devious smile.

“Yeah Alice, enjoy the rest of your night and be sure to greet your room mate.” Laughed phil pushing my bed into a small room and closing the door with a loud bang. Then there was nothing but darkness... And the sound of a young girl singing

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

She’s dressed in black black black

she has a knife knife knife

Stuck in her back back back

She cannot breathe breathe breathe

She cannot cry cry cry

That’s why she begs begs begs

She begs to die die die...