Watch Your Back

Chapter 7

Aaron's head was hazy. He looked wildly around, and tried to move. He only got a few feet before cold metal shackles pulled him back. The room he was in was dimly lit and dark. A stale stench permeated the air. As Aaron's eyes adjusted, he saw that the walls were dirty and concrete. So was the floor. The floor! It was cold and hard, and I no way comfortable. Aaron struggled as the shackles dug deeper into his wrist. The cell bars were rusty and locked, but Aaron couldn't see anything from that distance. Aaron soon heard footsteps approaching him, and a man with a bloody lab coat unlocked the door. He stepped in and chuckled. Aaron tried to scream at the man, but his voice wasn't working. That was when he touched his throat. His hand went right through and touched the wall behind him. Aaron struggled and writhed against the shackles, but he could not break free. That was when he noticed that the man had a bucket, and before he could move, Aaron was soaked in a cold liquid...

"Aaron? Aaron, are you okay? Can you hear me? AARON!" Aaron jumped at the mention of his name, and struggled against the shackles, inevitably punching his dad in the nose.

"AAGH!" His dad flew back, clutching his nose. His mother gave him a firey look.

"Aaron! Why did you punch your dad in the nose?!"

"Aah! W-what? Where am I?" Aaron looked wildly around, only to find his room. The blue sheets were the same, his oak desk to his far left was the same, and both of his angry parents were the same. The nightmarish dream from just a few moments ago had dissipated like steam floating up into the air. So why could he still feel cold liquid on his head?

"Aaron, you knocked the rag off of your forehead!" His mom then rushed over and gently replaced the damp rag on his forehead. Aaron recalled the events leading up to the dream. How had he gotten home? Aaron then remembered his stomach, and pulled up his shirt to reveal a big, purple bruise. Which meant only that he had an internal bleeding. Had he coughed up anymore blood? His memories from the night before were fading fast. He desperately groped at the memories, but they fell like water through his imaginary hand. What had that man been doing? And why was he in Aaron's dreams? Aaron had wanted to discover the asylum, but now he wanted to solve the mystery of the man that habited the asylum's floors. But he had to sneak out again. Wait. Someone was calling his name.

"AARON!! Answer me! What were you doing out in the town square last night?" Shit! How did he get home again? And now his parents had walked right into his plan. Aaron didn't worry about his answer, he was worried about how he was going to investigate the asylum again. But he had to answer his parents, and his excuses were fading fast.

"Uh... I was out walking. For some fresh air." That sentence dripped with lies.

"So then how did you hit your appendix and get an internal bleeding?" His dad asked.

"And get yourself covered in blood!"

"And why is the bread left out on the counter?!"

"How did you get out of the house?" Aaron couldn't take all these questions, and he started to feel nauseous. Literally. He doubled over into his trashcan and threw up. His mom screamed. His dad expressed a sound of excitement and distress that Aaron couldn't quite place. His dad gently picked up the trashcan and carried it out of the room, and his mom followed, and closed the door. Aaron knew it was their signal for him to rest. But he could hardly stay still. He needed a more improved strategy to sneak out of the house and solve the mystery of the man living in the asylum, and the asylum itself.