I feel tired, more then before. Great, food coma coming on. I should check on George, maybe he's found something.
"Let's go, George needs to know about the food." I grab Chloe's hand and pull her after me. I swear, my minds playing tricks on me. I see reflections in the window of Harley, I hear foot steps that belong to neither of us, I can't shake the feeling she's here.
"George!" I call his name, feeling worse as we get closer to ground level with no response. I burst into the room, scanning it. The first thing I notice is the record player is on. Next, the slouched body in the chair next to it.
"George!" I scream rushing to his side. A chain is hanging out of his mouth, and I pull it, hoping to remove whatever is blocking his airway. It slips out quick enough, but is covered in blood. I can't look at him anymore, so I turn to Chloe. I shake my head and we both rush towards the door.
We run down the tunnel, as if the devil himself were following us. I climb up the first ladder, leading into the cafeteria in the nurses dormitory. I notice I'm still holding what was shoved down George's throat. I look at the pendant, trying to figure out what it is. It looks like a dog tag. I wipe the blood off with my sleeve, reading the name underneath. Nurse Quinn it reads, a small engraving of a marigold next to it. I throw it on the ground, tired of this sick twisted game.
"I just want it to end. It needs to end." I shove my palms into my temples, causing a nauseating pain. Chloe sits in the nearest chair, slowly curling up. She holds her knees to her chest, shutting her eyes tightly. I stare at her, waiting for anything to happen. She looks up quickly, throws her head to the left side of her, emptying her stomach of everything we just ate. She wipes her mouth with the sleeve of Tony's hoodie.
"Are you ok? I mean I know you're not, but..." I can't finish my sentence. Her eyes glaze over and she stares at the dark room in front of her. I sit on the table near her and survey the room. She doesn't say anything for hours, and finally falls asleep. I'm staying up, I need to make sure she's ok. I know something is up with her, the emotions, the vomiting, all out of the norm for her.
"Oh my gosh. Are you pregnant?" I ask. My voice echoes, but she stays asleep. I yawn, feeling my eyes droop. I can't fall asleep, I need to make sure she's ok. I do need to go to the bathroom, I'm sure there's one near. I slip into the hallway, opening the closest door. It opens into a dorm, nicer then the ones in the hospital, but still pretty bland.
Across the small room, maybe a ten by ten, a shut door waits. I open it, hoping to see a bathroom. It's just a closet, clothes still occupying it. I shuffle through them, realizing I could use a change of clothes. I find a romper, the classic heed checkered one. It's a bit big on me, but it's better then my bloody and smelly clothes. I shut the slowest door, noticing another one next to the bed. Thankfully it's the bathroom. It's a nice one, a matching emerald green toilet, sink, and tub taking up most of the room. It flushes, but the bowl doesn't refill.
I go back to the cafeteria and see Chloe still sleeping. I'm glad she's still there. I return to my perch on the table behind her. I don't remember falling asleep, but I guess it's hard to know the exact moment.
I open my eyes, staring at the ceiling. I sit up, still on the table. Chloe is pacing back and forth, looking out the window. The rain from yesterday has joined us again.
"I find peace in the rain." She says turning to face me. How did she know I was awake? I see she's changed into a green tea length dress, I assume she got it from one of the closets. I notice some of the chairs have been moved into a circle. I see a flicker of motion behind the double doors.
"I'm going to walk around." I hop off the table and run to the doors. The door down the hall closes right when I get into the hall. I run after and up the stairs. I look through the port hole that leads down the hall, no signs of life. I rush up the next stairs to find the same thing. I know I saw something, someone. When I get to the next hall I see movement at the end of the hall. I swing the door open and rush after the figure. I burst into a large room. There are tables and shelves lines with plants. Three of the walls are all windows, dirty but intact. It must be a greenhouse. I stay still, trying to find any movement. On the other side of the shelves running down the middle of the room I think I see some of the plants move. I run around the shelves, finding someone standing in the middle of the aisle.
"Harley?" I croak. She smiles, looking absolutely gorgeous. I rush to her and wrap my arms around her.
"I don't care that I'm going mad, it's nice to see your face. I don't know why everything that's happening is. I want to get out of here, but I can't! I just want to be back home with you and mom and dad." I start to cry, getting her dress wet. She rubs my back.
"Don't worry, I'm here baby. I'll keep you safe." She coos, her maternal instincts kicking in.
"But you're a figment of my imagination. And I'm talking to myself." I try to clear my head, the sooner I don't see her I know I'm thinking clearly. She doesn't disappear. She looks older, as if she had been aging in my mind.
"Quinn, I'm real."
"That's what I want to think. I'm going crazy, I'm insane." I close my eyes and take a deep breath, then I smell them. Marigolds. My eyes snap open and I scan the room. I see the bright orange colour reflecting off the glass. Harley eyes follow mine.
"They're your favourite, right? I planted them for you." That's when I notice all the plants seem to be alive, flourishing. They're also my imagination. I really am going mad, seeing things I wish were alive.
"Who was the boy in your locket?" I remember the first evidence we found proving she had been here.
"It's Charlie. He helped me run away and survive out here." She answers after a minute.
"Your ran away? You planned it?" I ask harshly. I thought she had been taken, kidnapped maybe.
"I'm sorry, I had to." She says.
"No you didn't. What would be so important that you had to leave us and not tell anyone?" I shout at her.
"The Russians. This is going to sound bizarre, but they thought I had information for the CIA." She says.
"Is that the best you can do? Wow, I really thought you cared about me enough to tell the truth." I storm out of the green house, and rush down to the cafeteria. When I enter Chloe is standing in the middle of the chairs, talking to the air. I freeze. What is she doing? She doesn't look at me. She doesn't even acknowledge my existence. After another three minutes of her talking, I can't hear everything she says, only tidbits, she turns to me.
"Don't be shy. Come say hi to everyone." She motions to the empty chairs.
"What?" I ask, stepping back a bit.
"Say hello to everyone." She answers, looking at me curiously.
"Chloe, you're off your rocker. No ones her except us." I say gently.
"Ha, maybe you're off your rocker." She snappishly says. I back away, entering the corridor again.
"She's mad, not me. She can't deal with Tony's death, she's gone crazy." I tell myself. I run back up the stairs, towards the green house. I feel hot tears run down my cheeks. Through the port hole of the second floor I swear I see George. He's looking at me and smiling. I stop and stare at him. The floor creaks behind me and I turn. Nothing happens, and when I look back George has disappeared. I imagined him. I'm know I did.
I continue climbing to the green house. Harley is watering the marigolds when I enter. She looks up and smiles.
"Chloe's mad. She seeing people who aren't there. I am too. Now your reason for running sounds reasonable. Did you have information?" I walk towards her.
"No. I'm not sure why they were trying to find me. Charlie was assigned my case, and hod to keep me safe. I was shot at a few times, but he was always there to protect me. He suggested I left and didn't tell you guys or anyone. I hated having to, but it was how I could keep you safe. If everyone thought I was dead the Russians would believe it too." She takes a breath. "You aren't going crazy, I was seeing things the first few days I was here."
"Can you help me escape?" I ask, hoping she knows something that can help.
"I'm not sure. You will get out of here, I'm not sure when though. All the doors seem to have been locked." She pulls some of the dead marigold off their stems.
"So I've noticed." I quietly say. "I'm going to see if I can talk some sense into Chloe." I leave the pleasantly light and nice smelling green house and enter into the musty smelling and dark stairway.
