Gomorrah

12. A Change

The next day Evan woke up after only getting about three hours of sleep. The trauma of having to basically save his friend kept him up all night, wondering if he would try again. The nightmares did not help either. He saw Levi was still asleep despite it being almost breakfast time. Evan decided against waking him up and would smuggle some food up for him. Evan dressed and made his way down to breakfast with Tick and Patches. Tick looked up from his waffles "Hey, where's Lev?" he asked. "Sleeping, we had a bad night" Evan replied yawning. "Oh? What happened?" Tick asked as patches rolled his eyes and snapped back "Oh just let it be". Evan yawned again and replied "It's fine. He tried to kill himself last night and I just couldn't sleep. He's sleeping now so I'm going to be nice and steal some food for him. I think he's still going to be down". The two only nodded silently, suicide was a common feature of this place. Evan finished his meal and managed to hide some left over apple cider doughnuts and waffles in his pockets. He also smuggled a cup of less watery coffee back to the room. When he got back Levi was starting to wake up. Evan could tell he barely slept judging by the dark circles under his eyes that were still a little puffy. "Well...I guess Merry Christmas and uh I brought back some food". "Oh uh thank you and uh a Merry Christmas to you too". He ate silently with a sad expression still on his face. "Umm about last night...I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I'm shitty for doing that to you" he said as he finished eating. "You are not shit. If I may ask, what happened when you were in isolation?" Evan asked. Levi took a breath "She gave me a shot of LSD, shackled me and put me in the jacket. Afterwards they threw me in a padded room and locked me in overnight I think. I saw things when I was drugged...scary things and...my grandfather...They told me just kill myself...I don't even know what's real anymore". He continued on "I'm also just shattered and I think the drug just made me see the truth that well...I'm always going to be fucking hurting...even now I just see little shadows out of the corner of my eye and I just don't know if it's the drugs or demons telling me the facts". Levi put his face in his paws and held himself together.

Evan skipped the mass much to the disappointment of Angela and went to see his brother Vinny. He was escorted to a waiting area until his name was called by a guard. He was then escorted to a visitor wing that was purposefully kept in perfect order as a selling feature to the family members. Vinny was sitting at a table when Evan was brought in, his eyes widened when he saw how different his brother was. "This is not my brother. Go get an Evan Thomas please" he told the guard. "Vinny it is me. Long story short they operated on me and made me better" Evan said to a now shocked Vinny. "Holy shit Evan it is you. I recognize that voice anywhere. They fucking did this to you? Fucking doctors" Vinny grumbled. Evan said "Hey relax, they made me all better. I feel great". Vinny nearly shouted "No they didn't, they fucked you up more". Evan replied "They knew I'm a dragon and removed that illness. You know where I would hallucinate and see that snake in the mirror. See I'm all better now". Vinny sighed, there was no getting to him. "So...how is the place? I heard you have a new friend. What's he like?" Vinny said changing the topic. "Well the place is not the best..it kind of sucks really. I want to go home" Vinny replied. "I know you do, not until the doctor says so". "Bullshit. She's fucking evil that doctor" Evan shot back as Vinny just shook his head. Of course e knew the head doctor was evil but what could he do? All he could do was show up a few times a year and send his brother things. Evan sighed "Well my new friend is named Levi. He's a veteran and is Russian. He's here for I guess being depressed..." Vinny saw he looked troubled and asked "Is he alright?". This caused Levi to have a mood swing to where he started crying "No. No he's not alright...He tried to kill himself last night...He has no one at all. He's just sad a lot ever since he was put in isolation for fighting with an orderly...He...he was also raped by an orderly that I killed later". Evan put his head in his hands and cried more as Vinny tried to calm him down. "Hey...no..no he has someone...you brother...he would have died". Evan went quiet as his mood stabilized. He was right, if he did not step in he would have died. The image was still fresh in his mind, Levi with his sheets around his neck getting ready to jump off his bed. Levi falling and Evan diving to stop him from dying. 

Levi was escorted to meet with Father Simeon. This was his third visit to Levi and the two were becoming friends. Father Simeon heard Levi's confession which included suicidal actions and suicidal thoughts. "Father please forgive me for all I have done. I'm just so depressed I can't see the light. I feel like I'm going to attempt again and that I'll just be damned for it. I know it's selfish to do and to want. I just can't see the light anymore Father. Please forgive me a sinner" Levi said nearly breaking down. "My son, you were saved from the act by a brother in Christ. Be grateful you have someone to look out for you. The Lord is a merciful God and knows your circumstances and has forgiven you through this act of penitence and through Christ". Levi nodded and did the mass with Father Simeon. When they were done, Father Simeon said "For some time I'm going to be sent to a mission in North Dakota that I will make into a parish so we may not see each other for some time. I have already contacted St. Elijah Church and they are going to try to organize a priest until then. Sadly they are not Old Believer like me but they are fellow Orthodox brothers". Levi just nodded and went back to his cell where Evan was. "Evan...thank you for saving me...I'm sorry I put you through that my friend" Levi said to Evan. Out of nowhere Levi hugged Evan, catching him off guard. "Thank you" Levi said. Evan only said "It's not a problem. I got you". 

Sgt. John tossed the papers on his desk and flopped into his desk. Another suicide attempt was documented by a patient. Levi tried to hang himself according to two patients named Tick and Patches. He was not going to report this to Angela as this would only bring more trouble. "If he wasn't fucking here he would have been just fucking fine. Him and about half those here would be fucking fine without this damn place making them worse" he said to himself and the room. He hated seeing another veteran be treated like filth and ignored. As if being a patient treated like filth was bad enough now said patient served this country. "This is no way to be fucking treated" he said again to the room. There needed to be a change of some sorts. He went through some ideas but none of them worked. He could just let them escape if they plotted something. Look the other way if he saw them. That's all he could do. 

"I just can't bear this place anymore" Levi said as they finished their lunch. Evan said "Same here. I saw Vinny and told him the same thing. A shame we can't just walk out of here and be free to start a new life". They made their way outside to their usual spot near the edge of the hospital grounds. "I wish we could just scale that fucking wall and bolt" Levi said leaning against the tree. "Say...this tree hugs the wall...and it's a little taller than it" Evan said looking up the tree. They looked around, no guard towers or really anyone around them. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Levi said as Evan nodded smiling. "Tonight" they both said smiling.