Arbatian Mental Institution

Ch.8 Mystery Meat

Gil leans back in his chair and sighs, "You wanna go first Lola?"

Lola begins to speak when they hear, "Lunch is ready ya pricks!". Looking over they see Lenny yelling with his hands cupped around his mouth. He stood by the doorway to the kitchen as staff came out with trays. Surprisingly the food didn't smell too bad.

A staff walks by dropping a blue plastic tray with three bowls on it. Each one containing chunks of meat in a gravy substance.

"Where are the forks?", Kiel asks. Lola and Gil giggle to themselves and dig their hands into the bowls and begin to shovel the food into their mouths. Kiel looks around to see everyone doing the same thing. He stares down into the bowl and decides to do the same.

Taking a bite the meat is kinda rough to bite through but he ends up tearing through it. He swallows it and nods his head saying, "This ain't too bad. What is this?"

"Mystery meat. Don't ask.", Lola replies with liquid streaming down her chin. Kiel's heart pounds as he imagines licking it off her neck for her.

Lenny walks through the double doors to the front desk.

"Special delivery Mrs.Cranston", Lenny puts a tray down with two bowls of meat on her desk. She looks over and places down her paperwork. "Well it's about damn time I've been having withdraws. Who punched their time card?"

"Some asshole with mommy issues and Patricia from Wing B. Don't worry you got the hearts the others got the rest."

She licks her lips and leans in inhaling the sweet aroma.

Back in the recreation room, "So you wanna know what we did huh?", Gil asks. Kiel nods his head chewing on a tough piece of meat. "Well you ever heard the expression, 'Id die a thousand deaths before' so and so?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I said it one time and I'm paying for it. Had a cousin of mine on my moms side, real bad blood. We hated each other, fought many times over the years growing up. Fucker was a chain smoker went through four packs a day. Caught up too him and just in time. Cancer took away his lungs. On his death bed he wanted to see me. Asked me to make amends, told me he wanted peace or some shit. I told him i'd die a thousand deaths before that happened. He died a few minutes later. Family blamed me somehow. I didn't care, he was a prick. Well anyways when I got home his psycho sister was there. Knocked me over the head with a bat when I walked in, caught me off guard. I woke up laying on a symbol made of sand with candles lit. Some real dark mojo shit ya know? I was tied up and gagged. Apparently she was into some weird stuff and held a grudge against me. Muttered some words that sounded made up and left."

"Are you being serious?"

"Gets better. She tossed a knife at me and smiled as she walked out. I was able to roll over and scoot back to it. Cut myself free and tried to find her but she was gone. Even her house was empty like no one lived there. Anyways so I go home and drink myself to sleep, old remedy for pain since my head felt like a mule kicked it. And that's when it happened. I woke up in like another dimension or world. This creature dressed in a black cloak was there smiling. I was tied to a wooden table with straps. It pulled a lever and poured boiling oil on my body. My body burned as I cried and screamed for mercy. The oil never ran out. It lasted for hours. When I thought I couldn't take anymore he smiled once more exposing his fangs and said one thing to me. One thing."

Leaning in Kiel asks, "What did he say?"

"He said 'One down', 999 to go', I woke up in my bed screaming. I could still feel the oil cooking my body. Thought maybe it was a hell of a nightmare but it happened again and again. Each time different. I've been burned, stabbed, buried alive, dismembered, cooked you name it. So far I have about 265 left. But good thing from it, my body has been through so much physical abuse that my nerves have been damaged. See it happens in that world but in ours it still affects me. To the point I'm immune to pain now."

Kiel stares in shock for a moment and realizes they must be pranking him. He looks to Lola waiting for her to laugh but her face doesn't change. Maybe she's just good at playing jokes?

"You're joking right? I mean that can't be true that sounds crazy."

"Lola help me out here dear.", Gil asks.

She swallows the gravy from the bowl and wipes her mouth with her sleeve before getting the bowl and putting it against the table edge. She looks around then lightly hits it with her fist until one side begins to crack. She hands it to Gil who then bites down onto it breaking it in his mouth.

He chews on the glass as his gums bleed out. He grips the bowl breaking another piece off and points the sharp end sliding it down his left forearm. His arm splits open like a knife through tender roast. He flexes his arm showing the muscle twitch through the open gash.

"Proof enough for ya? Can't feel it kid."

Kiel spits out what was left of his food and starts to gag while coughing. Gil and Lola laugh before a staff yells at them to quiet down.

"That's fucking sick man! How are you able to do that?!"

"Told you, I'm immune.", Gil begins to eat again as if nothing had happened. Blood leaks out onto the table and his lap.

Kiel looks at Lola and asks, "Is this real? How is that possible?"

Lola smiles and says, "Ain't heard nothing. Wait until you hear this."