The Devil Walks Among Us; Book l - Completed 4/21/22

Hallway Madness

"How'd it go?" Big John smiled, greeting the return of his sister. 

"It went well. I think there may be a change happening," She replied, hugging her brother. "How's everything here? Did you get the horses fed last night while I was gone?" 

"Yes, Little John fed. You know I don't like horses." 

"You mean you're afraid of horses." She corrected. 

"Whatever you say," He chuckled. "Come inside and get something to eat and we'll go out later to feed your precious horses." He teased. 

"O-Okay, I'll be there in a second. Dr. Sartain is calling me," She stuttered, sliding the accept call icon on her phone to answer is call. "Hello?" 

"Ms. Harris, I have a question." 

"Go ahead." 

"Did you give Michael a photo?" 

"Yes, of my horses. Why?" 

"Do not give him any personal assets of yours. He harmed one of our security staff not too long ago." 

"W-What? What happened? Surely it's not because of the photo of my horses I gave him." 

"I think that's what it was. They went in to retrieve him for the outdoor time we give our patients in the afternoons and one of the guards had picked it up from his desk to look at it and that's when Michael attacked." 

"Let me stop you right there. It sounds like one of your guards provoked him by touching his belongings."

"No, it's because you gave him something of yours and he has become attached. Just don't give him anything. He doesn't need to know who you are outside of work." 

"I'm not arguing with you about this. I told you from day one that I wanted to do things my way. I'm taking my time with him and it seems that I have an interest for him to look into. When I left I mentioned I had to get home to feed my horses and that's when he looked at me. Obviously I harnessed an interest, so I left a photo of my horses with him. I don't see the issue." 

"As you wish. I request that doesn't happen again. Don't make friends with him. Clearly, he made friends with you-"

"No, he didn't want someone touching something of his. Simple." 

beep, beep, beep...

"Old bastard." She grumbled, seeing that he had ended the call. 

oOo

The following week, Mia arrived back to Smith's Grove for Michael's third session. She arrived with the intention of giving Dr. Sartain the cold shoulder for their brief argument the week prior. Performing the usual routine of showing her badge and bag to security, she made her way to check in with Dr. Sartain at his office, but was baffled at how he stood in the hallway with two security guards, a clipboard in his hand seeming to examine the dozen patients chained in a line against the wall, one of them being Michael. "What's going on?" She asked, approaching Dr. Sartain. 

"Just routine, is all." 

"And what is routine?" 

"S.T. is what we'll call it for now. We don't want our patients to know what it is before they're endured." 

"Have they had it before?" She continued to question. 

"Yes."

"Then surely, they know what it is. Now tell me." 

"Electroconvulsive therapy." He answered. 

"Shock therapy? Are you kidding me? That can cause Conversion Disorder down the road! That's no way to study a patient. Do you think we're back in the seventies?" She scoffed. 

"I don't recall you having the authority to have a say in the practices I do on days I have with my patients." 

"Yeah? And I don't recall you having a session with him today and nowhere in my plans does any of it involve in shock therapy!" She argued. 

"Simmer down. If you keep this up, there won't be any plans for you to continue further." He said sternly, handing his clipboard to one of the guards before attempting to put his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back. 

She pursed her lips as she forced his hands off of her, "You know what? Fuck you and your so-called plans. That's no way to treat a patient and you know it. By the time I'm done, I'll have your diploma hanging above my fucking toilet." She pointed her finger at him, watching his jaw drop at her language. 

"It's not what you think it is, Mia-"

"You don't have the right to call me by my first name." She growled as she turned to walk away, making brief eye contact with Michael, seeing his face clearly for the first time. She was struck. How could a man so normal-looking be labeled as such a killer? 

"I don't think you know who you're messing with, Ms. Harris." Dr. Sartain warned, breaking her stare at her patient after a few seconds.

She broke her eye contact with Michael, turning her head to look at Dr. Sartain, "Don't be so sure about that." She commented, turning back towards Michael to see him staring into her. "I'll see you at noon." She assured him at a whisper, walking down the blank white hallway, stopping in her tracks to see a familiar color scheme crumbled into a ball in the floor next to a trash can. Picking it up, she opened it to see it was the photo of her horses she had given Michael.