Arbatian Mental Institution

Ch.7 New Friends

"Dinner time maggots! Get your worthless asses up!", Lenny bangs the night stick on the doors down Wing A. Other guards mimic his lunch call in Wing B, C, and D.

Stopping at each door to unlock it he gets to Kiel's and swings it open.

"Here you eat once a day, dinner time. If you don't wake your lazy ass up you eat this fucking stick for dinner and you stay in your room. You hearing me boy?", Lenny stands in the doorway blocking the exit. A dim light hangs behind him casting a shape of darkness across Kiel's eyes.

Cracking his crusted eyelids open Kiel looks around the room trying to gather the information being shouted at him. Realizing he dozed off he jumps up and tries to think of a response to the broken words he heard.

"Yes sir.", he responds. Not knowing completely what he agreed to, he knew enough to just say yes to the staff when they talked.

Lenny grunts and sneers his sewn lip, he moves onto the next door as Kiel comes out.

Clients move out like drones in single file towards the recreation area. They have done this enough to know not to step out of line.

Kiel walks into the room along with others as they begin to scatter out like roaches under a light bulb finding tables to sit at. Kiel looks around the room. He sees a woman sticking her finger down her throat gagging herself, vomit spills on a table as she bends down to lick it up like a starving dog.

Another table a man is rocking back and forth with his cock in his hand as he mutters ramblings. His eyes fixated on a stuffed teddy bear in the corner, his hand jerking back and forth as if the thing was gonna fall off if he lost grip.

Kiel rubs his stomach wondering if he should even eat, a sour stench of piss and God knows what else lingered in the air like a poison. How am I supposed to eat in here?

He scans the room for an empty table. A man crawls across the floor next to him scraping his knees against the tile floor. A girl sits in the corner with her legs folded, her blonde hair tied back as she looked out the window.

"Down the rabbit hole! Haha it made me do it! The white rabbit! Off with her head the queen would say!", she screamed random outburst throughout the rest of that period.

Kiel looks around starting to feel more uneasy when he catches sight of a cute red headed girl. Her hair messy and stuck together looked like a flame dancing around her head. Her skin was unwashed and oily, but in here what could he complain about? She was beautiful regardless of her unkempt appearance. Kiel felt his heart sink.

He decides to approach her as she is sitting alone and looks more sane than anyone else here. Swallowing a lump in his throat he begins to head over as another guy sits down next to her.

"Mystery meat today again, you eating?", the man asks. Lola shrugs her shoulders, "Might as well were all going to Hell anyways. What's one more sin?"

Kiel slowly steps forward and clears his throat, "Um excuse me? May I join you?"

The man sitting at the table pushes a chair out and nods his head. Kiel slumps into the chair not realizing he's burning holes into Lola with his eyes. She turns towards him and catches him staring.

Kiel feels his cheeks grow hot as he looks towards the guy, "Um thank you for letting me sit here. This place is unbelievable. How does that Lenny guy even work here? Guy is evil."

The man chuckles and says, "Just wait until you really get to know him, he's a genuine sweetheart that man."

Lola giggles and extends her hand towards Kiel, "Names Lola, this here is Gil."

Extending his hand out Kiel responds, "Kiel, it's nice to meet you.". He fixates his gaze upon her eyes. His soul begins to swirl in a dance of joy as she looks back and smiles.

"So what you in for Kiel?", Gil asks.

Snapping out of it he looks at Gil, a large man with what looked like leather skin. His eyes looked so hollow, like something inside him died long ago.

"Um honestly I don't remember? I think I hit my head or something I just remember coming here. Everything before that is kinda fuzzy but comes in pieces like someone changing a channel on a TV with bad reception. I thought it was a dream I mean how does a place like this even exist?"

Lola responds, "This place exists because of us. We all have done something to earn our spot here."

Gil nods his head without speaking. The stubble from his double chin scraping against his chest.

Stumbling over his words Kiel chokes, "You guys seriously think we deserve this? How?"

"Hold up there Saint Kiel, just cause you don't remember don't mean you're innocent. You see that girl over there yelling about the 'white rabbit and the queen' over there?", Gil points to the blonde haired girl in staring out the window. "Her favorite book was Alice In Wonderland. She had mental issues but parents wanted to keep her home with them. Read that book every damn day. One day she started dressing like Alice, died her hair and spoke like she was in a fantasy world. Parents thought it was cute and bought her a pet rabbit. One day they had to run errands left her alone with little brother. They came home found the living room covered in blood. Cut off her brothers head with a rusted axe, killed the rabbit on top of that. Was laughing saying the white rabbit told her to. You still think we deserve sunshine and hugs?"

Kiel turns away from her and rubs his stomach, "This place is..just dark. I'm sorry but saying you guys earned your place, may I ask what did you guys do?".