Obscurity

Chapter 25: Shock

Alma

As the heavy door that separates the units latches shut, Chris lets go of my arm. I draw my hand up to the spot where his grip had been and I rub it. I stand there, back against the door. I press myself as hard as I can against the door. I don't want to go any farther down this hallway.

"Follow me." He says in a more level tone than he's used all day with me.

I shake my head. "No. I'm not going with you." My voice trembles.

"There are two ways to do everything in this place, Alma. I'm sure you can guess what I'm about to say, but here I go anyway. The easy way and the hard way." He ticks the two options out on his first two fingers.

"I'm not going any farther." I growl at him.

"You're making a choice right now as we speak, Alma." He warns.

I slide down to the floor in a sitting position against the door. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I stare him down.

"I'm not going."

"You will. One way or another." He traipses down the corridor and faces the right. He's saying something to someone I can't quite make out. I bury my face in my knees.

Wake up, just wake up. I tell myself in between hurried breaths. I realize all too quickly this isn't a dream.

Two muscle-bound men in white scrubs accompany Chris back to my end of the corridor. I squeeze my knees tight, willing myself to magically become heavy enough that these two buffoons can't pick me up.

Chris points at me and they're both on either side of me, seizing my arms and lifting me to standing.

"If you won't walk, we can accommodate you." Chris says, a smug tone overtaking his voice.

The two male nurses carry me while I kick my legs and shout. My throat hurts from screaming, and I'm certain I will not have my voice for much longer.

We travel the corridor to what I guess is a nurses station. This unit nearly mirrors the one I just came from. The only difference that I've noticed this far is I don't see any other patients.

Chris stands at the observation desk and scribbles something on a clipboard. He looks up at me and flashes a toothy grin.

"Are you aware that you are not running the show now?"

"Chris, just let me go back to my room, please?" I beg.

"I think a tour of Secondary is in order, Alma." He interrupts my sobs to inform me.

I try pulling my arms free of the buffoons, but it's no use. I don't stand a chance in hell against these two, three if you count Chris. I'm completely at his mercy. I don't like it one bit.

"I think we will show Alma the electroshock therapy room first, what do ya say gentlemen?"

My mind goes frantic. I kick my legs hard. Every muscle in my body tenses. It feels like my muscles and every bone in my body are screaming for me to run. I can't run.

The buffoons show no emotion and simply nod to Chris. I don't know what's more terrifying, the fact they show no emotion or the fact they blindly follow whatever he says.

Just as we are turning a corner into a new hallway, Chris's pager goes off. He reaches for it and examines the code on it.

"One moment please." He says casually as he backtracks to the observation desk of the nurses station. He picks up the telephone and punches in some numbers.