No Clue

Forget Me Not

The kiwi boy made his way slowly up the pathway to the mental hospital, unsure of his true intentions. He didn't know what he wanted out of this trip, but he knew that whatever it was wasn't for himself. He walked inside the large oak doors and looked around the marble foyer. The entrance seemed much warmer than he had expected for a mental health institution.

"Can I help you sir?" The receptionist askes as he approached the front desk.

"Yes, my name is Luke Hemmings... I'm here to see uh... Michael Clifford..." he looked around nervously as if he was afraid of being caught.

"Are you family?"

"Uhm... no. My therapist was going to set up an appointment for me to see him... a look in the eyes of your attacker thing, I suppose. I promise I'll try not to upset him..." She put up one finger and pulled out a large book, flipping through the permitted visitor logs.

"Can I see some ID, Mr. Hemmings?" She asked, sticking her hand out. He quickly stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the fake ID he had created. "You look a lot different from your images on the telly," she said, her tone condescending. Calum looked over and saw a security guard slowly walking over.

"Uh... yeah. I get that a lot. I dyed my hair after everything..."

"And got facial reconstruction surgery? Also a tan, I assume?" She pulled out a picture of Luke from the binder and Calum swore under his breath. "Listen, I don't know what you're trying to pull over here, but you have to leave, before I call the police."

"I'm sorry. Luke is my boyfriend..." he said softly. "Honestly, look." He pulled out his phone and opened the album of images of them together. She scrolled through it and sighed.

"You're Calum Hood? The boy who was stabbed?" He nodded silently and took his phone back. "Why do you want to see Michael Clifford?" He sighed as she motioned for the guard to go away.

"I just wanted to look into the eyes of the man who ruined our lives... he kidnapped my Luke... tortured him... nearly fucking killed him. He sent his brother after me... I just want to understand. I want to face him." The receptionist sighed and looked down.

"I'm shredding this," she said, holding up the fake ID.

"Fair enough..." he looked down at the marble floor and took in a soft breath.

"Does your family know you're here?"

"No... no one knows I'm here..."

"Listen... Calum. I can't get you in there today. But... if you leave a number, I'll do my best to get you a visit and I'll let you know," she handed him a pen and paper. He sighed and wrote his number down.

"Thanks," he said quietly, turning to walk away.

"Michael!" Someone shouted suddenly. Calum froze as a patient ran past him and headed for the front door. "Michael! Stop!" A group of orderlies ran behind the boy, trying to catch him.

"Lock it down!" The security guard shouted, running to the office that was beside the doors. Michael pushed his way out the front door right before the bars dropped, cutting the orderlies off. Calum leaned against the desk for balance, feeling his heart beating in his chest. One thought bounced around his mind. What is Michael going to do to Luke?

~~~

Michael sat silently in the rec room, watching the other patients go about their day.

"I need you, Michael," Luke said, sitting beside him. "You need to get to me..."

"How?" He whispered, holding the boy's hand.

"We'll help you get out..." G suddenly appeared across the room, near the pool. He stood behind a woman who had been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder.

"What's he doing?" Michael asked, standing up.

"Remember to stretch before you run," Luke said, doing a few stretches. Michael stared at G carefully, trying to decide what was happening. He waited for another patient to walk by before suddenly pushing the woman into the pool. She let out an ear piercing scream as the orderlies ran over and restrained the young boy who had just walked by. "Go!" Luke yelled, pushing Michael towards the exit. Michael began running as quickly as he could towards the door. He shoved his way through the exit as an orderly finally noticed him.

"Michael!" He shouted, running after him. Michael turned and saw G trip the man, sending him to the floor. Mike ran with all his might into the marble lobby. He pushed past a boy as a group of orderlies chased him.

"Michael, stop!"

"Lock it down!" He slid through the front door and heard the loud clang of the bars behind him. He took in a deep breath of fresh air and made his way towards the front gates. He could see a group of security gathering at the operating office to close the gate, but the door had been locked from the inside, and they couldn't find their keyes. G leaned up against the door of the office before tossing a pair of keys into the field. Michael passed the gates and continued running, hearing the guards chase after him.

"Get the cars, you idiots! He can't run forever!" The captain of security shouted. Michael ducked into an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster, trying to catch his breath.

"Can't stop now, baby brother... come on." Michael looked over and saw G crouching on a fire escape just above him. He hopped up and grabbed the ladder, pulling it down and climbing up quickly. He listened to it return to its place as he ran up the stairs and made his way to the roof. He layed down on the ground and sighed, still trying to catch his breath.

"Don't worry, Luke... I'm coming..."