Investigator

Chapter 23: Prison Break

Mort coughed as he inhaled more gas. Now that it was right in his face he struggled to breath, he could feel the high coming from the gas. His vision was getting hazy but he pushed onward until he finally found a drop. Mort looked down the shaft and saw a vent at the bottom. It was kinda a big fall, not to mention he would fall from the ceiling, but it was his only exit. Mort took a deep breath and then leapt down the shaft feet first.

Mort fell through the vent and landed on his legs, not in a good way. He let out a whimper of pain as looked down to see some bone piercing through his skin. Mort shook as he felt the bone and pushed it back into his leg. He couldn't keep it quiet and let out a howl of pain and fell to the floor. He held his leg for a minute before finally getting up. Luckily the leg that took most of the fall was the same one he had cut so he still had one good leg to limp on.

Mort made his way out into the hallway and looked around, but the pitch blackness of the halls made it difficult to see anything. Mort decided to just hug the wall and pick a direction to limp in. He had only one place on his mind, his only escape, which was the window. If he could get to it then he could get out and get help.

Mort had been walking for a long time until his legs finally caved in. He collapsed to the ground and his head hit the tile floor. Mort just lied there, his face pressed against the cold floor. His eyelids were heavy, he was exhausted and couldn't keep going. He was done, he was done trying, he was done fighting. He just wanted peace

Mort could hear voices, many different kinds but he could make out just a few.

"Did it feel good Mort? Bashing my skull in?" A whisper said in a voice similar to Tony's.

"Why did you abandon me Mort, I died because of you." Another whisper spoke in the tone of Kevin.

"Come on Mort, it's time to go." A whisper of Wendy said with a cheerful voice.

Mort's eyes were closed but tears were still streaming down his face. The over abundance of voices hurt, it was like ringing in his head and not a single voice said a positive thing, all just criticized him and used guilt. Mort could hear footsteps approaching him. He wanted to move but he was too weak, he just wanted the voices to stop. And they did, along with the footsteps stopping right in front of Mort.

Mort looked up with the little energy he had and saw himself, lumbering over him. He wasn't even surprised, he had already seen so much stuff he didn't think anything about it. His doppelgänger just looked down at him and after a few seconds, finally spoke.

"Damn, you look like shit." His doppelgänger said and then stuck his hand out for Mort. Mort weakly grabbed it and was pulled up to be face to face with himself. His doppelgänger grabbed him by his shoulders and gave an upset look. "What happened to you, actually you know what? I don't want to know." His doppelgänger gave Mort a stern look "Listen, are you really just going to lie there, let them have the win? Get your ass off the ground and get the hell out! If you don't, then you'll die and you'll be back where you started. So get up!"

His doppelgänger let go of him and Mort fell to his knees. The doppelgänger walked past Mort, out of his field of view, humming a cheerful tone that got quieter but more echoey as he walked farther away until it became silent. Mort sat there on his knees, he was blank. His mind was a craze, his eyes were wet and red, and his body felt broken. He was broken. But he couldn't give up, his hallucination was right. He had to get out, he couldn't let them win. Mort used all his strength to get back up on his feet and he used the hallway's wall as a crutch as he limped down. He was using the last of his adrenaline.