December 27th, 2023
Day Four
"He's dangerous. We need to contain him if we're to keep ourselves safe."
The voice started out as muffled, but slowly became clear as JJ returned to consciousness. It seemed to come from a distance not too far away, but it still required some straining to hear exactly what they were saying.
"How would we even do that?"
JJ felt a surge of energy once he recognized who this other voice was. "Mikey?" Sitting up, he realized after opening his eyes that he was in some sort of medical bed. He would've labelled it as a hospital bed, but the thing was, he wasn't in a hospital - it looked more like a tent. Strange, because he hadn't seen anything like this in the base so far. Maybe it had been set up while he was unconscious.
Looking towards the exit of the tent, he did see Mikey, and was about to call out to him. But then, he noticed someone next to him.
"Carrie." The name alone sent a fresh wave of anger through him. JJ got out of bed, keeping a close eye on her.
"There's killer clowns outside of this base, right? Maybe throwing him out there will both get rid of him, and get them off our backs and guarantee our safety."
"How- how could you even suggest that?" Mikey stammered, exasperated. "Killer clowns are his worst fear! He has nightmares about being killed by them!"
Carrie's face flashed with regret once she realized the reality of what she'd said.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" She shook her head as Mikey calmed down. "I'm getting in way over my head here. An idea like that is way too cruel, and I should've never brought it up. It's just, I'm nervous about his behavior - if he continues to drag himself down the path he's on right now, he'll only become more dangerous and violent. I want everyone here to stay safe, including you. We have to find a way to keep him from harming anyone."
"He has this new idea of isolating me; hiding me away and keeping me for himself until he thinks this base's safety will crumble." Mikey started to explain, his eyes dawning with an idea. "With that, comes with him never leaving the living space he's picked out for us. If it will guarantee everyone stays safe, I could agree to..."
"Are you sure that's something you'd want to do, though?" Carrie asked. "With the possibility that he could get worse, would it be safe for you to constantly be in the same room with him, unable to leave because you don't want to draw him to other people?"
"I could never leave him alone, especially with the state he's in right now." Mikey said, suddenly quieter. "You saw it when I brought him in the house yesterday, Carrie - he's terrified. He's so dead set on the idea that his dream was symbolism for what was to come in twenty days, and now, everytime I look at him, I can see it in his eyes; he can never stop thinking about it. I'm his only distraction. What were to happen if I suddenly left? He's lose himself entirely."
"If you think that would be best, then I won't try to stop you. But what would you do if he turned against you at one point?"
"He wouldn't do that."
"Maybe not intentionally, but people will mental issues can sometimes spiral out of control. That includes people that said person cares about."
"I'll have to take the risk. Leaving him will only make things worse."
"Alright. But remember to be careful, and if things ever get to be too much, you're welcome to take breaks whenever you see fit. Seeing me and Banana Kid is always an option for that."
