Outlast the Night

Holy Night

Everything was set for the ceremony. The preacher standing at the alter with his bible in one hand and a cross in the other.  The rows of pews lined up, visitors sitting down or bowing down on their knees, praying that their God will save them all; as they all burn down.  

Father Martin watched on as his disciples hammered and away at pieces of splintered and blocks of wood. Hundreds and thousands of burning candles flicker and drip down on the tiles; creating white pools of candle wax. The hum of male voices echo through the church. The last remaining structure of Mount Massive Asylum that has not yet been destroyed by blood and violence of mad men. How their screams and shouts pounded into her ear drum. The vibrating base of their voices panned down her own body and mind. 

Her vision was swimming with dancing lights above her. Her arms hung down at her side as she leaned over in the pew bench. The Twins have carried all the way from one side of the Asylum to the other will her mind was coming in and out of darkness. Her world was no longer on an axis but rather completely side ways. 

The voices around her grew louder and louder. The smell of smoke invading her nose. Her vision slide around to the front side and saw the black mass moving side to side. The other dots danced around him with louder voices. Her eye sight moved too fast as she was stood up and slammed into another wooden bar. 

"Now my children, Mother has come and now we complete the final step." 

The voices hummed in harmony as the echoes of wood hitting her feet. 

"W- What is going on?" Her tongue crackled in her mouth as she spoke.  

"The beginning of the end mother." A voice rounded over her head, "You will soon bring about a new order into the world." 

Fog in her mind has slowly let up letting her know that this was the top of the Mount Crazy. She was laid down on her side as a child would fall back asleep from a long sermon. The Twins stood behind her as two Goliaths. Everything was upside down through the Looking Glass. Her stomach was turning as the knots on her body. She could the people moving around and talking but not actually hearing or feeling anything. 

Another follower set water and food at her side, but she couldn't reach it if she tried. Instead, she looked down at glass. The vibrations of room left little to move the glass. The mirror of the world around her bounced around in a small plastic cup. The cup found at the cafeteria were she and Waylon would see each other. Or hide in his office or maybe in hers since he could work almost anywhere. And in any position. He would fold his legs underneath each other until his feet were inside his knees. 

Star started to smile as she could see him sitting there with his laptop folding himself into a pretzel and then complaining about how his back hurt. Her smile lifted on her face as she laughed and laughed. Her face and sides were hurting for how much she was laughing. She started to double over. She leaned so far over she feel down on the ground. The glass rolled out from under her; spilling over onto the floor. 

She laughed and laughed and laughed until her body was too tired to laugh. Her eyes watering with too many tears that have poured out of her. Her chest exhaled and inhaled  every breath. Her eyes rolled to the ceiling were she counted the beams holding the roof over their heads. The light of the fire danced in the corner of her left eye. One of the twins leaned over to her and then leaned back. 

Her hearing was coming back with touches of conversation. As she zeroed in the one of the beams, she started to see a black line dance. It twisted one way and then circled around the other way. A faint buzzing sound moved from her ears and then back to the ceiling. She could hear something whispered in the buzzing. It wasn't a sound but a word. A word her mind couldn't piece through but the tone made it something important. 

"Now my children. We begin!" 

A crash, loud sounds of yelling and shouting. Wood crashing and breaking until someone jumped on top of her. 

"Miles!" She screamed as another body landed on top of him. He elbowed the other person in the face and started and drag her away. She was pulled away by her shoulders  which led her to watch Father Martin be set a blaze. She could see him scream as the fire burned through the cross and on to his body. 

Her own scream caught in her throat as Miles pushed out of the church and through the mazes of hallways. She looked over to her side to see the journalist running at full speed with his camera facing the front. The camera was covered in blood from his hand and his hand had blood covering down his arm. Miles paused down one hallway and pushed her into a supply closet. Once the door slammed shut, the pounding of more footsteps followed until the echoed away from the two. 

They were panting; taking giant gulp's of air. The supply closet was nearly empty with the bucket and half of a mop. Star took in Miles in all his mess. While she was still dressed in her formerly white gown and Miles was...

"Miles! Your your your" 

"I know. I know." He showed up his hands with two of his fingers missing on one hand. The bones sticking out in jagged broken cuts. I wanted to be sick. I wanted to throw up, scream and yell but nothing would come out. My body is just over all of it. This place, the people, everything. 

"Miles I wan to go home." 

"We will I promise we will but I just need-" 

"No!" Star screamed. The word stood in the air. A cinder block in-between them. Miles's breathing was slowing down but not his mind. His eyes were in a cloud of confusion. 

"No more Miles. You must have enough information to see how fucked up this place is! How awful and cruel people have become and now everything is so royalty screwed up that it would take an actual army to ericaite this place into nothing! I have seen enough to help you with this proof but from this moment on I am walking out the front and never coming back, with or without you!"   

"But we don't. The only thing I have no here is all these patients and doctors killing each other! It won't matter what we put out there Murkoff will make it go away. I'm not leaving until I can I find real solid proof that Murkoff can not cover up." 

Star shook her head. 

She opened the door and walked back out into the hallway. It was a short walk to the elevator were the entrance to the lobby would be. Miles followed her out keeping himself close as possible. 

It's not fair. It's not fair what happened here to these people. People who needed help and in turn received a lifetime of pain and sufferings all for the sack of a rich asshole. Miles was burning with rage. It's fair that there has been at least one good person in this whole place who wanted to help people and she received a nice big package of 'fuck you' from this place. It's not fucking fair!

"Star wait." 

They paused right at the cross roads. Beside them were the elevators to take them downstairs to the basement were all the experiments were kept. And above them was the entrance to the way out. They could both walk right out the door. Never looking back at the violence's and bloodshed this place gave away, they could work together to bring this place to a court of law and order. 

Or they walk further into the belly of the beast, in with they will only be eaten alive to never be seen of heard from again. 

"Miles, I have a family people who love me." 

"I don't" Just you, I only have you. 

"Miles please." Star couldn't beg anymore. Miles couldn't bring himself to either. 

"Have a nice life." Miles opened the elevator and stepped down into his future. He kept the camera pointed upward to see the last light of a would be future walk away from him.