Obscurity

Chapter 67: Your Turn

Alma

Nick pauses briefly during the delivery of the news that Sierra told Chris I hit her in exchange for a shorter stay in Solitary. I bounce my knee out of irritation and impatience.

"So, you see, you were about to get yourself thrown in Secondary for someone who doesn't quite look out for you in the same way." Spencer chimes in during the pause.

"And so you guys think I'm going to take what you say at face value without any proof?" I ask. I'm surprised they think I'd buy such a bullshit story.

"Believe what you want. I just thought you should know." Nick says.

"I appreciate your concern but either way, I don't care. She's my friend, and I don't regret trying to stand up for her." I say defiantly.

I look over and see Spencer rubbing his face with his hands. A quick glance back to Nick and I realize I've had enough of this. He seems disappointed that I'm not pissed off. He may hate Sierra, but I won't.

"I find it disturbing that you'd want to pin me against her, Nick." I say.

He looks up at me. "Disturbing?" he asks quizzically.

"Yeah."

"You can be disturbed all you want. I was just being honest in an effort to show you how asinine it is that you'd sacrifice your freedom on account of someone who probably acted as the catalyst to all of your problems with Chris." He explains in a level tone.

"That's rich, Nick." I scoff.

He nods. "Whatever, Alma." He looks exhausted.

"You hate her. And I feel like that's the crux of all this." I say, and I dart glances between Nick and Spencer.

"Alma, he's being honest." Spencer says in Nick's defense.

"Sure."

"I don't hate her. She just has issues, and I don't like the games she plays." Nick defends himself.

"Every word you say to her is literally dripping with disdain." I counter.

"I don't care. The bottom line here is the day Chris dragged you to the West Hall, she came back EARLY from a 24-hour stint in Solitary. When I asked her what the early release was all about she conveniently decided she didn't want to discuss it." He persists in driving the narrative that Sierra was responsible for my getting taken to Secondary.

I sit quietly. The more he talks, the more I begin to believe him. I mull over the information he's given, the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. The doctor told me there were no cameras in the halls after Chris said there were. The only way Chris would've seen or known about my punching Sierra would have been by Sierra telling him.

"How do you even know she was released from Solitary early?" I ask.

Nick looks me in the eyes,"She said she was given a 24-hour seclusion."

"So?" I ask.

"So, she showed up on the unit somewhere around 20 hours later. By my math, that was an early release. When I pointed it out to her, she clammed up." He explains.

"Hmm." I say, my mind trailing off thinking everything over.

"Essentially, it appears she outed you in exchange for getting out of Solitary a few hours early." Spencer reiterates what Nick has been trying to say all along. I glare at him.

I am at a loss for words. I don't know what else to say to it all. If Nick is being honest, why wouldn't he be? Sierra appears to have double-crossed me. Which does make it ludicrous that I almost sacrificed myself, my freedom, in an effort to intervene on her behalf earlier. I shake my head. No. I just don't believe it.

The lights overhead begin to flicker and dim out.

"What the hell?" Spencer says.

We all look around the room and up at the light fixtures, as if they have the answers to why the lighting is flickering.

Jim pipes up from a couple of tables over, "the electro therapy room seems to be in use."

"The what?" Spencer asks.

"Shock therapy. They're using the machine in there right now. That's what's messin' with the lights." He says nonchalantly.

My eyes go wide. "They're shocking Sierra!" I deduce.

Nick shrugs and Spencer gives me a blank stare.

"How do you know, Jim?" I ask.

"I've been there, done that." He says noncommittally.

The lights stop flickering and we all look around the room. A nurse calls from the observation desk, "no worries everyone. Its just a power surge."

Jim laughs loudly. "Yeah right. Just a power surge. Yeah, from the shock therapy room drawing all the power for a session." He says loudly as he continues to chuckle.

The nurse shakes her head and goes back to her business at the observation desk. Spencer, Nick and I sit quietly. I don't really have much to say. I worry about what Sierra is going through behind the West Hall door.

"I don't see how neither of you aren't concerned for Sierra right now." I say in an effort to break the silence.

"Why should I care?" Nick spits.

"Because she's a fucking human being, that's why." I say through gritted teeth.

"That's debatable." Nick says.

The door at the end of the West Hall opens and at the sound, I jump up and exit the day room looking down the hallway. I stop short when I realize it's just Chris coming back onto the unit without Sierra. I notice two male nurses flanking him, though.

"Oh, Alma. Just the girl I wanted to see." He says with a cheery disposition as he walks my way.

I stand there frozen.

"Come with me please?" He says as he grabs a clipboard from the nurses station observation desk. He starts heading back down the West Hall.

I plant my feet and shake my head.

"I figured you'd be combative. Gentlemen, please?" He nods his head in my direction, and the two male nurses descend on me quickly. They each grab an arm and practically carry me down the West Hall behind Chris.

"Hey, wait up." I hear Spencer say from behind us.

"Is there something you need, Spencer?" Chris asks dismissively.

"Actually, yeah. I need to talk to you."

"Well, it'll have to wait. If you need to talk about something important, like right this minute, see someone at the nurses station." Chris dismisses him again.

"Nope. It can't wait, I'm afraid."

As we reach the door at the end of the West Hall, Chris turns and faces Spencer. "I see what you're doing here. It's commendable and all, but back off Spencer." Chris hisses at him.

My jaw is practically dragging the floor. I cannot believe Chris is carting me off to Secondary. My mind whirls and I can't quite grasp what's happening. My body is frozen, and I can't get any words out.

Spencer takes a step back and puts his hands up in surrender. Satisfied with the gesture, Chris keys the door and the two nurses carry me through it. Chris follows us through, then passes us in the hallway. I hear the door lock click as the heavy wooden door closes behind us. An indescribable wave of panic and dread overwhelm me. I feel like I might pass out.

Chris stops at the nurses station for a moment to fiddle with paperwork and the nurses hold me there in the hallway, awaiting their orders.

"Room 4." Chris says without looking up from his paperwork. The nurses begin to escort me farther down the hallway. I feel my legs shaking and when I look down at my arms they're trembling too.

When we reach room 4, waves of panic rise in my gut. I think I'm going to throw up and the dark fog at the edge of my vision begins to close in. One of the nurses keys the door and as it opens everything fades to black.