To Outlast Your Never-Ending Career

Chapter Five

 "Alright, Frank. That concludes our session. Since a spot has been... cleared, I will see you tomorrow afternoon. Until then, remember people are friends, not food. Maybe get to know some of your peers. Goodbye." A short, chubby guard takes Manera away to his cell. It has been a few hours since Y/N had lost a fresh patient. It wasn't uncommon. A good majority has been taken.

Suddenly, a few screams were heard outside of the office. Y/N slowly opened her door before quickly slamming it shut. Outside, she saw security without their heads, doctors without their organs, a dark mist stalking the hall. Worst of all, she heard other rooms alerting employees to evacuate, while her speaker still wasn't working. Y/N knew she should leave, but something about the smoky figure told her body to hide under her desk. No, that was a stupid idea. She looked around her room. No windows... but there was a vent. She began to move a chair to the vent when her door slammed open. I should have locked that! Her thoughts were flooded with fear.

"L/N? Is that you?" She turned to see who the somewhat familiar voice belonged to.

"Park?" His face lifted. He shut the door and walked over to her, his camcorder lowered.

"Man, am I glad to see you." The reunion was cut short as some grunts were heard from the other side of the door. Y/N tossed the loosely hanging grate and climbed through, followed by Waylon.

Under the vents, the two heard talking. Y/N paused to listen. They were saying something about a radio in the prison block... Who would waste their time to go all the way over there when they could just leave?

"Prison block it is..." Nevermind. Park is that kind of person. He takes out a pen and begins writing something. Though unsure where he kept the pen and paper, Y/N doesn't question it. Writing must be something that calms his nerves and, honestly, she thinks it's great he has something to put his thoughts into.

They finally get to the end of the vent and hop down. Y/N can't see anything since the room is pitch black. How did the electricity already go out? She wondered, but it made sense if it was always like that. Like how her speaker was always broken and no one bothered to fix it. It seems a bit silly to still be thinking about that, but she figures it must help her ground herself. She grabs onto Park since his camera has an infrared mode. He pushes something out of the doorway but jumps a little. She is confused at his urgency until the door opens, casting light into the room. A patient stood beside the two, raising his fists in the air. She shut the door behind them and they walked through the creepy room. Y/N wanted to talk, so she wasn't left with her thoughts and her eyes that played tricks on her.

The hall outside surely didn't do anything to calm her nerves. The red whirling lights shining across the clear plastic walls sent an eerie mood. The clumps of pink and red at the end, the putrid stench it caused, brought bile through Y/N's throat. Worse, she realized she might need to help Park.

"Waylon, are you alright?" She whispered. He swayed disorientedly.

"I'm-I'm fine. Just... The images, they keep coming up. At random times." Realization hit her. Her eyes traveled down his body, finally seeing the orange jumpsuit.

"You're a patient? Since when?" She drew back slightly.

"Since I sent an email to an investigative reporter to blow this whole place up." The two walked in silence.

"I'm surprised he left you alive." Y/N finally says. They turn the corner and enter a room. She ignores the sound of Park closing the door. She notes the two steel lockers in the room as places to hide. Cowardly, true, but survival is survival.

Her attention was swiftly brought to the front of the room as banging was heard against the glass. The man who was guilty of the action noticed her uniform.

"Help me, please! I'm a doctor, too! I need to get home to my..." She was tempted to press the button to let him out, but Waylon's presence beside her made doubt stop her. "I was... I am a patient like you. I stole these clothes from a dead body I found. You gotta let me out. Just... press the button right there and we can escape, together, the two of us." The man's story changed, she noticed. Her co-workers seemed to underestimate the intelligence of the patients, and that was her biggest issue with them. Waylon seemed more confident than she felt. Her eyes widened as he pressed the button. Now I look like a jerk, she thought.

Unfortunately, what was waiting on the other side was a well-built patient. Y/N tried to turn Waylon from the oncoming attack, to shield his eyes from any more trauma.

"All of you. Doctors and liars." Y/N glanced towards the decontamination chamber, only to see the patient had left. Fear gently crept its way up her back. Was he on their side of the purifying room? Well, it didn't really matter if he was. He could be reasoned with, right?

Waylon had enough of the room and grabbed Y/N's wrist, pulling her down the hall with him. She might have put up a fuss if they were in a different situation. But right now, his speed was what she was relying on. They entered the decontamination chamber in silence. The gas that filled the air caused the girl to cough. Oddly enough, she worked there for two years and still couldn't handle the fumes. She expected Waylon to at least look concerned, but he just plowed ahead.

The hall ahead didn't look any better. Y/N jumped as a doctor ran out of the darkness.

"H-hey! Sir!" She tried to get his attention, hoping he was normal.

"He's one of them! Lock them out. Now!" The two ran to catch up to the doctor.

"Seriously? He locked the exit? Why??" Y/N exasperatedly shouted.

"I don't blame him, after everything we've seen," Waylon added, walking off to a doorway on the right.

"What? The patients are people, too." She rushed to catch up with him. "Besides, you have a doctor escort. So why--" Waylon was holding onto a document, which so happened to catch her attention.

"From: j. blaire@ murkoffcorp.us.com " She read over the email. Her heart rate picked up.

"Gosh, I am so sorry, Park. Mr. Blaire is such a..." Y/N noticed the breath he was holding. She wished she could help him.

"Hey now." She grasped the man's arms, turning him to face her. "We'll get you out of here. There is nothing he can do to them once the news of this place spreads, you hear?"

"I don't need you to comfort me." He pushed her off of him, searching the rest of the room before exiting. Y/N sighed.

"If you don't want it, know I do. It... I don't know, it kind of helps me to feel like I can help you." She sluggishly made her way to the male, who was now climbing onto the top of the plastic hall. "Oh, come on. I'm wearing a dress!"

"I mean, you could stay there. Vulnerable. Alone." His words only flustered her.

"I was only complaining," She climbed up after Waylon. "Skirts were not made to do this..."