The Psychopath Maker

Chapter Fifty-Two

Lucas hated that place. The white walls, locked doors, group sessions, and all-day gray uniform made him regret his anger fueled the need to kill. The recreation room he followed Troy to was identical to the one he spent months in playing checkers with the kleptomaniac that stole jewelry and the limb it was adorning.

"We should get back." Lucas urged looking back at the blinding white hallway behind him. He turned back around watching Troy feed a dollar into the vending machine.

"Chill." Troy pressed three buttons after the machine ate his money. "It's just the rec room. Not the lobotomy lab. I want a bag of chips." The spiral barricade in front of his potato chips started to pull back and his mouth watered, then the lights went out. "No!" He pounded on the machine.

"Okay, it's time to leave." Lucas moved toward the hallway.

Troy shook the machine, "I'm not leaving until I get my $1.75 worth."

"You're cheap." Lucas huffed out as he fell onto an overused fabric couch. He widening his man spread and folded his arms. The racket Troy was making while trying to shake his snack a loose was a little consoling to Lucas, giving way to a silent yawn.

The dark was blinding but he could still see a figure passing in front of him. His eyes narrowed as his forehead furrowed. Breathing shallowly, he witnessed the dark figure approached Troy. His brain urged him to say something to Troy but his jaw wouldn't move and his lip stayed glued.

"Don't just stand there breathing down my neck." Troy barked shaking the machine a little harder making the bag of chips lean forward. "If you help me, we can find Chi and your nemeses faster."

The figure stood behind Troy. It reached an emaciated limb toward Troy, "I knew you'd come for me."

The hollow voice startled Troy. He whipped around. The figure took a step toward him; its fingertips grazed Troy's skin. Troy jerked back, hitting his body against the machine. His bag of chips clunked to the bottom, "What the hell." Troy held his hands up hoping it'll keep away the being he couldn't see. "I came for honey barbecue." He slowly shuffled to the side, keeping his back against the machine.

"You belong to me. You're mine!" It yelled lunging toward Troy.

Troy stopped trying to be subtle and took off, pounding feet to tile but he wasn't fast enough. The banshee pounced on him. Troy screamed, trying to swat it off his back, but it still clawed at him as a tomcat dropped in water, tearing his shirt to shreds. And then it stopped. A loud thud made Troy turn around even though his back was stinging as he slept in an ant bed.

It wasn't some supernatural creature but a girl, a girl with brown eyes, black hair, and a white dress. And she looked harmless laying limp on the ground. Then his eyes followed fell on the pair of sneakers and trailed up.

"Lucas!" Troy breathed out as a cold breeze brushed over his back. "Thanks."

Lucas dropped the metal lamp, "Can we go, now!"

Troy skittered around the rabid girl and bolt out the rec room with Lucas close behind him.

*****

Isabeth and Faith were at the last door in the hallway with gray brick walls. A small light hung over each one of the seven black, metal windowless doors. She held up a key and made sure the number engraved in it matched the numbered placard on the door.

"Seven." Isabeth clarified holding the key under the faint light. "The last shall be first, right." It was what Faith suggested as they entered the hallway and Isabeth went along with it because she wanted to buy a little time before actually opening a door.

Faith nibbled on his lip as Isabeth shakily slid the key in the lock. She twisted the key and the lock clicked so loudly it could've woke the dead. Free of its deadbolt the door cracked open.

Only their breaths could be heard. In. Out. In. Out. The pounding of their hearts throbbed in their ears as the blood rushed through their slender veins. Isabeth and Faith were so close to the hallway wall one would they were apart of it.

The door crept back. More blackness leaked from the hollow doorway. Isabeth and Faith locked arms, holding tight to each other.

A hand, pale as paper gripped the doorframe. Then a foot, as white as snow, tapped on the concrete floor of the hallway. A second later the other foot hit the ground and brought with it a body covered in gray sweats and a head full of blonde hair.

A pleasant smile poured across the colorless face with blue eyes that could be mistaken for rhinestones.

"My saviors." He spoke with a deep voice that made Isabeth shiver. The girls cowered closer together as he took a step closer to them. He stopped moving and rested his hand on his heart, "That hurts, but you shouldn't fear me." 

He sniffed the odorless air with closed eyes as if roses were being pumped through the ventilation. Then he opened his eyes again, peering at them intently, "It's not as if you're..what I need." He pointed to Isabeth, "You're an A." Then he pointed to Faith, "And you're an AB." 

His arm elegantly fell back to his side. "I'm an O." He weakly shrugged. "So, you're safe...for now." He walked towards the door, using the wall to hold him up. "Until you open the other door."

 He laughed menacingly. "The next two... they don't talk much."