The Sanatorium

Chapter Thirteen

"Jupiter! Wake up!"

Jupiter groaned and sat up, creaking with pain. Her head was painfully throbbing at the spot where the nurse hit her. She was lying down on a hard metal platform hanging down from chains from the wall.

They were still in their original robes, Jupiter realized, as she leapt down from the platform. Wolfie was standing below her, her face full of worry, and that was when Jupiter realized where they were.

It was pitch black outside of the cells, but inside of the jail cell where they were was lit by a single torch, attacked to the stone brick wall. There was another suspended metal which was where Wolfie possibly lay as well. The cells were very tightly together so nobody could squeeze through, and there was no gate at any wall, but a wooden trapdoor at the ceiling which was the only way out, but there was no way to climb up there.

"I think I know what this place is," Wolfie whispered, shuddering, and Jupiter saw terrified fear in her eyes.

"What is it?" Jupiter asked, and then something came into her head, "Oh."

They exchanged glances.

"We have to get out of here, or it will be certain death," Jupiter said urgently. She grabbed the bars and leant back, trying to pull them apart. Of course they never budged, not even a tiny bit. Wolfie heaved herself up a platform, grabbed the chains and her feet clung onto the chain, but they slipped and she tumbled to the ground. There came an ouch and she crouched down at the wall corner, sulking.

"They will send the spiders on us tonight," Wolfie hissed, "Think of something. Unless the spiders are nice and help us escape, it is a big possibility we are done for!"

They tried the whole day, and when the night bell struck Wolfie clutched Jupiter in fright.

"We are done," she whispered in horror, as something clanked their way in, dropped from the trapdoor above. They huddled in the dark corner, despite how spiders can see in the dark. But then this spider stared at them, his red beady eyes staring, before he stepped back, dark shadow still coming out of him.

The spider made a motion. He was bending himself as low as possible, low enough for Jupiter and Wolfie to climb on, right below the trapdoor where he was dropped down. He was blinking his red eyes at them, nodding at the top.

"An evil spider wouldn't do that," Wolfie said.

"Even if they're pretending, evil spiders cannot pretend as nice ones! They're whole soul is complete evil and cannot think of good things they can do!"

Wolfie fell back and clutched her chest, gasping. She grinned and the spider smiled back. Although the spider couldn't talk they could tell what he was saying.

Escape.

They climbed up the spider's huge back and he lifted up to his highest height, tall enough for Wolfie to reach up and force open the trapdoor with a crowbar she found dropped in front of the cell. They nodded at the spider before scampering out of the trapdoor. They found themselves in the main hall of the Sanatorium.

"What now?" Wolfie whispered, "The doors are sealed shut, of course!"

"But the windows aren't!"

They scurried as silently as they could up the stairs to the main window, and looked down. Just as coincidental as it was, there was a large river right below the window, enough space between the Sanatorium and the river for Jupiter and Wolfie to land in the river safely.

"Are you sure about this? Isn't it just going to put us in danger of being hunted by nurses again?" Wolfie whispered, narrowing her eyes down at the river.

Suddenly the same nice spider came running up at them from the stairs. He gave them a look, wringing his arms at the window. Then he came for them and they leapt out of the way in surprise, and then he grabbed the crowbar from Wolfie and managed to open the window silently, with the help of one of his stingers as he stuck it into a lock and fumbled with it. The window swung open and a cool breeze swept in. Jupiter shivered and looked down at the river.

"You'll be saving me right?" Wolfie peered at Jupiter sternly, "I can't swim."

"Of course," Jupiter nodded. She glanced back and mouthed 'Thanks' to the spider as he waved with an arm. Then she leapt down the window.

Her heart plunged as she hurtled down towards the river. She curled into a ball as she landed, with a loud and huge splash. A moment later, Wolfie dived in, and she was struggling, frantic bubbles bubbling out of her mouth, and Jupiter had to drag her up to shore. Wolfie coughed for a moment, shivering in her now-wet robes and slick hair. Jupiter's robes were heavy and wet and freezing from the river.

"Our luck though," Wolfie said after a while, smiling, "Out of all the spiders that were going to be dropped in to finish us off (I really thought we were going to be finished off for good), we got a nice spider to help us escape."

"Why does it have to be us that has to get ourselves into these traumatic situations," Jupiter muttered, shaking her head.