grace under pressure • jerome valeska

CHAP.1: Arkham

  I was in the back of a white truck, my arms bound together by the very uncomfortable straight jacket. I didn't know why I had to wear this. Yes yes I know, I was categorized "clinically insane" but come on! What was I gonna do? Gouge my eyes out with my nails? Well, I guess they weren't really worried about me doing it to myself, more rather towards the people around me. The only people around me at the moment were two police ward guys dressed in white from Arkham. They both sat in front of me. The one to my left was looking at the door while the guy on the right kept looking me up and down disgustingly. Okay, I guess I do want to gouge someone's eyes out very much. 

  He caught me glaring at him. I changed my face to a sweet smile at first and he responded by giving a vulgar expression of his own. I then change mine to my signature twisted smile that could make a grown man gasp in horror. My eyes would narrow and my lips would stretch so wide across my face that it looked humanly impossible. I tested my smile in the mirror once. I think my eyes dilate to pinpricks as well. His disgusting manner stopped quickly and his eyes widened before he jerked his head away from me and watched the front of the truck. I chuckled lowly under my breath before settling back. 

  Soon the truck stopped and I sighed. The doors open and the two men got up and took me by my trapped arms. I looked out of the truck and saw a nurse standing just in front of the me at the bottom, clipboard in hands. A little ladder came from the truck and I forced to step upon it before my feet hit the hard ground below. I looked up and past the nurse to see a large metal sign connected and above the gate leading into the giant building. It read: ARKHAM ASYLUM. How wonderful. Note the sarcasm. 

  I was shoved along the path towards the Asylum and I growled at the man dragging me. He backed off a bit but once again took a grip of my arm. God, I hope they never put me in this horrible straight jacket again. Why do they call it a "straight jacket" anyway? There was nothing straight about it. Ha! I was shoved once more. I looked up at the building as I walked. All the windows were barred up so that was no way of getting out. This place seemed to only have one door. But, I could tell the staff wasn't the best in the world.

  We finally came to the doors and we all walked inside. The hallway was narrow and long. For a while it seemed endless with countless halls and turns but finally we came to what looked like a metal door with a cage inside of a wall on my right. I saw an officer was about to open the door but I looked at the cage, or rather, what was on the other side of it. It looked like some sort of cafeteria with all the inmates at the tables, hunched over their meals. I looked at each inmate. Some dude was nibbling on his toe and I scrunched my face up in disgust. There was a large man with curly hair and a large figure, food hanging out of his mouth, his eyes staring at me. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. I was about to turn away when I spotted a guy in front of him.

  He had the same prison uniform as everyone else, he sat like everyone else, but something about him intrigued me. His hair was red. I could honestly say I have never seen or met a natural ginger and I doubt they let you have hair dye in this place. As if feeling eyes on him, he slowly turned his way to me. His skin was pale and his eyes were a deep green. His expression was blank as we connected eyes. We stared at one another for a moment before the door opened in front of me and I was pushed along. As I walked away, I could feel his gaze hitting the back of my head. 

                                                          |TIME SKIP|

  I had my own room. It was small, it stank, and I had a bed with white sheets that had stains on them that were from god knows what. I had to say though, it wasn't too bad for a broken down asylum. I had been put into the black and white prisoners uniform. It a dress that was a bit big but it was pretty comfortable. I just didn't get why it had to be a dress. Why couldn't I get pants? I shrugged it off and sat on my bed and the hinges made a loud creaking sound. I groaned. I could never get used to creaking beds. I didn't know if it was a twitch or just an annoyance. 

  I looked around my room. It was pure metal and the door was padded. There was one window on the far side of the room and over looking below but it was too stained to see threw and metal bars blocked most of it anyhow. I breathed out a long sigh. I just kept sighing. I didn't regret what I did. Not for one second. But I just wished I hadn't been caught. I wish I hadn't been placed here. I could tell even now I was always going to be bored. But, on the bright side, I wouldn't have a smack to my face or yelled at every moment I was awake. So...that was a plus side. I chuckled a bit. 

  I laid down on my bed, testing it out. Not bad. Actually way better than the cot I was forced to sleep on before this mess. I shifted a bit until I was comfortable and then placed my hands behind my head. I stared at the ceiling, wide eyed. The stink seemed to become normal very quickly and I guessed soon I would not be able to tell it was there. I finally closed my eyes, them becoming very heavy fast. I hadn't slept in what? Two days? I was doing surprisingly well for that. 

  As I closed my eyes, I saw a glimpse of my father. He hit me so hard I passed out. I got a glimpse of my mother. She screamed at me in fury. My brothers. They used long sticks they found outside and hit me to the ground before whipping me with the sticks. I opened my eyes, suddenly breathing very heavily. I sat up fast, trying to catch my breath. I feel tears at the corner of my eyes and I put a hand to my chest where I could feel my heart hammering uncontrollably. God damn it. I hate it when that happens. 

  After having my little episode I roll my eyes and lay back on the bed. Every time I tried to sleep their disgusting faces would enter my mind. Thank god they were dead. Well, three of them any how. I can't believe I let him get away. I got them all but him. Even if those idiot neighbors hadn't called the police, he would have told them anyway. I had started in my parents room first, at midnight, just as planned. I wanted to talk to them before they died. To let them know how horrible at parenting they were, how wrong they were to abuse me all those years. I had gotten an axe out of my father's shed and walked straight into their room. 

  And I found it strange. As they begged me to not kill them...I felt nothing. I thought I would have felt something. Happy. Sad. I just felt nothing. Empty. As I swung that axe, I felt empty. It wasn't until after I saw their bloody corpses, that I felt a flicker of satisfaction. 

  Once I was done with them, I walked quietly to my brothers room. I had silently opened the door. Little did I know one of them was awake. I didn't feel like talking to them like I had done to mom and dad so I swung the axe into the eldest neck. I already had blood on me from before so the amount that spurted on me earlier so it didn't really make a difference. Just as I was about to turn to finish off the other one, I felt a large object hit me in the head and heard footsteps run away. I hadn't passed out as he probably planned but it did take me a moment or two to get up and run after him. 

  I had caught him. We fought for a while. He was older than me, in his early twenties. He was stronger than me but I still managed to get him a nice bruise on his eye as well as an axe swing at his left cheek. He probably had a permanent scar. Good. Sadly, he overpowered me and got out the front door before I could grab the axe and run after him. That was one of the many times I had a cursing fit.

  While I had these thoughts running threw my head, the door to my room opened and I sat up to see a nurse with a blank face enter. She had a clipboard and wrote something down before looking at me with an obviously fake smile. What was it with nurses and clipboards? She nodded at me and I raise a brow. 

  "Today is your first therapy session." She said. I stare at her. 

  "What are you talking about? I've barley been here for three hours." I tell her. Her smile fades. 

  "This isn't going to be problem is it?" She said. I tilt my head. She was threatening me. I slowly stand up and walk forward. I was right in her face now. I smile wide.

  "I don't know...is it?" I hiss. She looked scared a bit before speaking out. 

  "Guards!" She called. Suddenly two men in uniforms where behind her with a white straight jacket in their hands. I groaned openly. They both move past her and force me inside it before tightening it. I growl. 

  "Careful." I warn with a sing like tone. One man flinches and I smile. I didn't know if that would ever get old.