P.I.E. Operation: PARASITIC

VIII: Hospital Break... OUT

Sorry if this is badly written; I don't have much experience in the way hospitals work. My excuse is that the Venturian characters live in a twisted world, anyway ;)

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It was 3 A.M. in the Ghosttown Hospital. Johnny Toast woke up with a start and found that he couldn't get any sleep. He was too focused on wanting to know that Johnny Ghost was fine.

His replacement clothing was stacked on the table in the corner of the room.

Toast grabbed his shirt, shorts, shoes, socks, and the scarf that Gertrude somehow finished and delivered before 3 O'Clock.

It was a black scarf glittered with little felt P.I.E. symbols, and it made Toast feel special.

He pretended to use the restroom but instead undressed out of the hospital gown, redressed into his clothes, and threw the gown over top of his regular outfit. The people in the hall wouldn't notice blue jeans sticking out the back of his gown... right?

"Johnny, are you okay? I heard you get out of bed." Toast heard Gertrude outside of the bathroom. She sounded tired. "It's 3 in the morning, and I thought you were leaving around 6. It's bad enough how early you're going already, so you better not be doing that now, you little rascal!" She said playfully, as if Johnny were her own son (although they were around the same age).

"I, um, well..." Johnny started. "I'm all right, Mama Gertrude. I just had to, uh, use the restroom. I'm promise I'm not leaving just yet." Behind his back, Toast crossed his fingers.

"So then, are you asking me to leave you alone right now?" Gertrude yawned.

"There's nothing wrong. It's just a matter of privacy. So please, if you will..." Johnny stated politely enough.

Gertrude yawned again. "Alright, Johnny-boy. I have to get my coffee anyway--I can't fall asleep on the job... See you!"

"Uh, see you later..." Toast answered quietly.

There were footsteps moving outside to the hallway.

"Okay." Johnny sighed. Sorry Gertrude, he thought. I hope you understand I can't wait any longer... My friend's life is at stake!

Toast slowly walked over to the bathroom door and creaked it open. Just as noisy as the doors at all the haunted houses I've been to. Doesn't anybody fix these things? He thought.

Picking up his backpack of things ready for a hunt, he peeked out the door. He only saw a few people--Mama Gertrude at the end of the long hallway and some other doctors who had been in his room earlier were near her--and luckily there was only one person going his way: to the stairs.

Johnny waited until the other doctors had already entered their elevator. He knew running would attract the attention of the one near him but he decided to take the chance.

He ran.

Sure enough, the doctor detected Johnny's movement. "Where are you going?! Come back here, you're not part of the staff!" The doctor began chasing after Toast.

"Getting lunch, lad!" Johnny yelled back in a lower tone.

"Wait, number 124! We deliver your lunch!" The staff member set off an alarm as he went after Johnny.

"No time for that, you hungry git!" Toast yelled back over the buzz of the alarm. "I mean... Sorry!" He didn't feel nice when he called people unpleasant.

More quick footsteps were approaching. Johnny looked behind himself in a rush of panic and curiosity.

He was being followed by a mob of four assistants, a fifth being Gertrude holding a coffee. She looked ready to pass out; her cup was wobbling back and forth in her exhausted grip. She was wobbling back and forth as well.

That's strange... Wasn't she just going downstairs a few moments ago? Johnny thought. It also seemed she had no idea what was happening, considering she was falling behind the others from walking.

It was then that Gertrude wearily looked up enough to see Johnny staring back at her, getting farther and farther away.

Johnny blushed uncomfortably and looked away, realizing she had noticed him. Oh no...

"Wait!" Mama Gertrude balanced her coffee and literally leapt over the four assistant nurses. It was technically a game of leapfrog, except the ones to jump over were moving at a fast pace.

Gertrude was so tired, but she couldn't just ignore Toast running from a bunch of staff...

The staff members instantly toppled over in a heap like a football team chasing after the ball.

Johnny knew in that instant-- dare he even say it--he was toasted. He figured Mama Gertrude was basically on his tail with her weird boost of energy.

He felt a hand grab his shoulder. Gertrude grasped onto his arm to stop him, if only for a second. She smiled creepily widely, but she started to huff out of exhaustion. "Wait... *wheeze* for me..."

She held her hand up to her chest and nearly doubled over, accidentally throwing Johnny down in the process from her hand still on his shoulder.

Gertrude breathed deeply one more time. She let out everything in one fast breath. "Sorry, John. I was just trying to come with you. I know you fibbed with me earlier, but that's then and this is now, now go, go, GO!" She cheered.

Toast was about to talk, only ending up with "But I--" before Mama began dragging him along the remainder of the hallway. He scrambled to his feet before he gained a severe rug burn.

"Mrs. Acachalla?" One of the standing staff members called out, confused.

She stuck her tongue out at the male nurse.

"You can get fired for this!" He yelled back.

"I'm too good for Boss to fire m-Waaa!" Gertrude was cut off by her clumsiness.

"Gertrude?" The man could be heard faintly.

"Oh--Mama Gertrude?!" Johnny was surprised by the nurse's sudden fall. He rushed down the stairs of which she toppled over.

The Acachalla family member was down for the count after hitting the back of her head on the railings, which were the total opposite of plush. She slumped down halfway through the staircase.

"Uh, uh--Gertrude! Wake up, Mama Gertrude!" A crowd of bystanders stared over at the two, but didn't seem to want to help.

Johnny continuously tapped Gertrude lightly on the face. "M-Mama Gertrude, come on-"

"Oh, I'm back! Hello!" Gertrude sprang up all bubbly in Johnny's unsuspecting face, almost making him fall backwards just the same.

The nurse who was recently calling Acachalla out stepped out to the top of the stairs.

This time, it was Johnny who began dragging Gertrude in the direction of the exit. She stood to her feet as fast as she could and they both ran through the cafeteria. It was truly a madhouse.

They knocked over the tens of tables and hundreds of chairs spread about the cafe, tripping quite a few times. More late-night bystanders stared as they toppled plates and chairs,and occasionally food out of the way of tables.

The original four nurses and now a few waitresses were meters away, tripping over the furniture the two escapees originally knocked over.

The door was now at Gertrude and Johnny's grasp. In a matter of seconds of the alarm blaring its awakening honk, the two friends leapt through the automatic double doors to the outside world, where they knew the staff wouldn't keep chasing.

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Thus, the search for Johnny Ghost begins...