I was sitting at my desk poring over files and dossiers festooned with with runes and appeals to dark powers. Next I knew a syringe was sliding out of my arm as a straitjacket was peeled off of me. And there was sister looking as judgemental as ever.
“You choked,” she said as she threw me my rumpled suit. “Once again you took on more than you could handle.”
“Did we succeed?” There was a long pause.
“They said you did a fair job. Not good. Fair. Enough of keep us alive another year if we’re lucky.”
“You’re welcome.” She kicked me in the shin as I was hopping on one leg to get my pants leg on. I fell over.
“You’re good storyteller but you stink at being an administrator.”
I squinted. I think I had a black eye. “Hindsight…”
An hour later I lit a stale cig as I stared up at the windows of the asylum, he faint spray of pink and orange dawn looking garish behind the crumbling white facade of the austere structure. The muffled screams didn’t faze me. In a second story window, a pale face in a halo of wild hair stared back down at me.
“Normally you’re in a hurry to leave,” she said. “You made a friend in there?”
I furrowed my brow in an attempt to make sense of the memories I brought back from there. The labcoats...the cages...the dancing doll...the hungry maws…
“Yeah, you could say I did…”
“Sad thing is, I think this is a step up for you.” She shoved me into the back of the car and slammed the door. The thrumming of the engine shook the back seat.
“I’m shopping in town next week. I’ll drop you off for a few hours.”
“Thanks Simone…”
“You can never thank me enough…” She slammed the pedal and we sped off.
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