Dark Nights

Baby Steps with Big Feet

You looked behind you as you made your way to your usual table in the free time room. Watching as the straightjacket bound Joshua trailed silently behind you. Looking down at his feet, but still stopping when you stopped and following when you moved.

Three days had passed since you listened to him. Ever since then he's kind of been like a second Elliot. A big hulking figure following you without making a lot of noise. Elliot always had loud breathing going on, but Joshua was completely silent.

You pulled out a seat at the table for Joshua since his arms were restrained. and took your usual seat at the table. That left Joshua to your left and the spot that Elliot usually sat in across from you... empty.

A lot of the times you would be chatting Elliot's ear off. But Joshua liked it when the two of you were silently communicating. Like how he and his brother would do many times.

You sat silently in your seat with your legs crossed. Thinking thoughts silently to yourself while Joshua set his forehead onto the hard tabletop.

The sounds of all the other patients doing their own thing became background noise. A sort of ambiance that helped you drift off.

Your thoughts brought you home, what was going on there? How was your family doing? You could not help the thoughts enter your head of your parents and little brother believing what you had been accused of, disowning you and living their lives as if you had never been a part of it in the first place.

That would explain why they had not sent you any letters, or even come to see you. You were sure the Doctor would have told you if something like that had come up.

Or maybe you were just restricted from having any interactions with the outside considering you were an eighth-floor patient. Which meant you were supposedly according to the system one of the most dangerous people in the building.

You were going to go with something like that. As just the thought of your family abandoning you so easily made your heart hurt.

You looked over at your new friend who still had his head down. What about his mother? did she ever try to find her boys? Did he ever think thoughts about his family like you had about yours just now?

Ugg... questions, questions, questions. That was all that was filling your mind right now. That's mostly what had been filling your head for a long time now. Though it was understandable for that to happen when you were so confused, you wanted to stop creating so many questions in your head.

It was making you irritated. Thinking so many thoughts and not knowing what the answers to them were or how to get even a hint of what they might be. You sure were not going to be asking Joshua about his mother only a couple of days after he had started being... you guessed you could say nice, to you.

That was probably a good way to get him to snap and try to kill you right here and now. So then, what else could you occupy your mind with?

Your eyes flicked over to the rest of the crowd. Patients were strewn all around. Lots playing board games on the ground or at other tables. Willy over in his corner by the bookshelf reading. Some patients were simply talking to each other, or the walls. Some were gathered around an old television that broadcasted something very staticky.

It could very well have just been static. You did not know and you really did not really care. You looked over at the guards, some were walking among the patients. Some were leading some out, some came around the corner leading another patient into the room. He was a big hulking figure with curly hair- WAIT THAT WAS ELLIOT!!!