Psychotic

Chapter 23

As my eyes slowly opened, I thought for a moment that all of my senses had gone completely numb. I had woken up to complete and total darkness. It was familiar to me, in a psychotic way. I had seen it before, in my nightmares. "Calm, rational thoughts, Alice." I told myself. "Test your senses." I perked my ears up: Quiet breathing. There were other people here. I breathed in deeply: A slight stench of urine, blood, and rotting wood. We were in the asylum. I moved around, but I couldn't do much. I was cuffed down to a chair. I could still feel a slight pain in my head. Before I could think anything else, a light shut on above me, shining down directly onto me. As my eyes got used to the sudden change of lighting, a few other lights shut on in a circle. There were...exactly seven other people. I knew them all. From my left onwards, it was David, Max, Cole, Macy, Sophie........And Patrick and Tara.

"Alice!" Tara screamed. "You're alive!" She yelled in relief.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm happier that you are!" I answered.

"Your asylum exploded....on the day I visited you, remember?" she cocked her head.

"Yeah...." I whispered, as I recalled the events of that day. "Sorry...." I muttered.

"Hey, Alice." Patrick smiled. I could see that it wasn't a real smile. I couldn't blame him. Who could smile now? Only a thoughtless, careless optimist. I instinctively looked over to Sophie. She didn't really look scared. More.....puzzled. She had no idea what was going on, did she?

"Now, now, that's enough reminiscing time. Wait until it happens." A smooth voice echoed in the room, which was silent again. No one said anything. Everyone was staring at the ceiling, where the voice had come from. No one was in the room but us. We were all cuffed down to chairs. I glanced at Tara. Her face showed pure terror. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open a little bit. She slowly looked down to me. She must have recognized the voice.

"Is it....James?" she whispered quietly. Yes. She recognized it. It was James, she knew it. I nodded, my eyes slightly widening.

"To the one who rejected me.....Ten.........Nine....." Tara's eyes widened even more. She was being addressed. She had broken up with him once he went to court....but the countdown? What was he going to do? "......Eight........Seven......." She looked down, a tear in her eye. She mumbled a soft "Sorry.". "Six.......Five......"

"Alice?" Her gaze was back on me. "I'm going to die, right?" Her voice was a little choked. She smiled a bit, as the tear ran down her cheek. I couldn't lie to her. I slowly nodded.

"I think so." I whispered. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"So be it." She opened her eyes again. "Bye, Alice." Her smile widened a little. She then looked up, and her look hardened. She stared up at the ceiling.

"Three.....Two....." the voice continued. Tara straightened herself a little.

"Come and get me, motherfucker." She smiled.

"One." I didn't know what I expected. Something, of course, but I don't know what. What happened, though, was beyond my expectations. I closed my eyes. A gunshot rang in my ears. A drop of something liquid hit my cheek. I opened my eyes again. A bullet between the eyes. I couldn't see where it had come from. I didn't have to look at what was on my cheek to know it. It was a droplet of blood. My face was stained with the blood of my best friend.