The Neighbor

Smasher

      The guy with the raspy voice was at the door, looking panicked, an emotion I didn't expect him to have. So, his name was Smasher. He had a nickname, like Blade. I wonder where they got their nicknames from. Did they give each other their nicknames or did it come from somebody else? Smasher and Blade were certainly some interesting nicknames, they had to mean something, they couldn't have come from out of nowhere. I had a feeling the stories behind these nicknames weren't the typical ones you'd hear, no one gets the name Blade or Smasher without some serious backstory. The list of things I wanted to ask Blade about was a novel at this point. I just hope there isn't a sequel, I'm so sick of not knowing things. I realized I was taking too much time being lost in thought and I quickly put my shirt and pants on as Blade was talking to him.

"They're right behind me. The fuzz is here too." Smasher squinted at Blade, looking at his bare chest. "Where's your shirt man?"

     Blade ignored his question. "Follow us in that car." He motioned to his Corvette hidden beside my car. Smasher nodded and headed that way. Then something hit the car, making a loud thud. I hesitantly looked out the window, afraid of what I'd see. It was the woman who called me her sister. She had the hood of the car lifted up and was trying to crawl into it.

Smasher rolled his eyes. "Hey, get out of there Linda! The ball's inside."

Linda's head popped out. "My sister wanted me to drive."

    Smasher moved closer to her, he keeps his voice even as he speaks. "Your sister needs your help inside." He motioned toward the building. The girl stopped what she was doing and stared at him.

I whispered to Blade, "Should we help him? She seems unstable."

     He shook his head, "He has always been better at calming her down." What does that mean?  I wondered. She didn't seem capable of calming down. How was Blade even connected to this place? I knew it was not the time to ask questions, so I made a mental note to ask him later. I watched Smasher and the lady talk, ready to hop out of the car and help him at any given moment. She never got violent throughout the whole encounter.  

   In just a few seconds, she was jumping at him, trying to kiss him. He held her back and shook his head, pointing at the door. She ran to it as if her life depended on it, not bothering to looking back even once. I put my hand over my mouth, to cover my laugh.

   Blade started laughing too. "Now you know why he's the only one who is able to calm her down. She has a bit of a crush on him."

  "That's sweet. Are they like a thing?" I wasn't really worried about the answer though, my attention was on him putting his shirt back on.

    "No, Smasher hasn't been with anyone since his ex-girlfriend." He watched out the window as Smasher started up his car. "We've got to go. I'll drive." He said as he hoped in the driver's seat.

     I climb up into the passenger seat and look at him. "Okay, but don't get used to driving her. I'm the only one who's ever driven this car."

He laughed, "Don't worry, she'll love me." He emphasized she'll, mocking me.

   "I doubt it, you have a bit of an attitude problem." I watched a few of the residents run after us. They were almost close enough to hit the bumper. I worried we might not make it out until Smasher rolled down his window, yelling out of it.

    Smasher finally got the crowd to disperse. I looked in the background, the police officers were surrounded by angry residents. They were tearing at their clothes. I felt releaved.

   "Looks like the police aren't going to be a problem." I curled my legs up on the seat, making myself comfortable.

"How is that even possible?" He glanced over at my legs.

    I squinted at him. "Must be magic." He scuffed at this. "What happened to his girlfriend?" I hoped I wasn't getting too personal. I knew it was none of my business, but I was too curious about these two not to ask.

"She died." He answered, keeping his eyes on the road. "Car accident."

  "What?!" I gasped. "Poor guy! I can't even imagine what he's going through. No one should ever have to go through something like that."

    "He took it pretty hard. He started hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting involved in things he shouldn't have. He kind of just lost his lust for life, he gave up. He got to the point where he became lethal to himself." His demeanor darkened. "Putting him in this place certainly didn't help him like they thought it would." He laughed coldly.

 I took this in silently. All my problems seemed miniscule to me now. I couldn't even fathom loosing a loved one so young like that. That has to be absolutely soul-crushing. In a car accident too, there's no warning, no chance to say goodbye. How do you get closure from that? Smasher must be hurting so much. He's got to be so strong to deal something like that, I doubt he has a choice but to fight through the pain. Now, he was someone at that terrible place, that must've made life so much harder for him. Now, I see why Blade had an anger in his voice when he talked about all this, it kind of makes you want to smash your head against a wall. Life can be so unfair sometimes. I silently prayed that the poor man catches a break and finds happiness. 

I looked out the window, taking in the scenery because I may never be here again. Where is here? I try to come up with possible reasonable theories about what I saw tonight. The most logical seemed to be a prison of some sort. It was cold and uninviting and the people seemed trapped here. I couldn't imagine anyone want to live here voluntarily. Everyone here seemed to be driven mad. I thought about what it'd be like to live there and it made me wish there was a way that I could do something for them to make them happier. I try to think, maybe there is, but I'd have to know what the place is and how they ended up there. I could do it though, if I put my mind to it. Maybe Blade could help me out. He seemed to be passionate about the cause, he didn't want to be there either. I started to get excited thinking about the possibilities. I was motivated, ready to make a difference. I couldn't move forward without knowing the answer to one important question though.

I face Blade. "Can I ask you a question?"

He smirks. "Sure, but I can't promise I can answer it."

"It's important to me." 

His expression becomes serious and he looks over at me. "Okay, you can ask me anything."

I grab his hand, trying to think of the right words. "What is this place?" I ask softly. It was something that had been nagging at me since I heard of it. I felt I had waited long enough to ask the question. I was comfortable enough around Blade to ask him anything. We'd be through so much, we were bonded in an indescribable way. 

"Do we have to talk about this? It really makes me angry to be honest." He keeps his eyes on the road, his face void of emotion. 

I almost drop it, but for some reason I can't. It doesn't feel right to ignore this conversation. "Please Blade, I'm not trying to upset you, but I really need answers."

Blade tightens his grip on the wheel. "It's called Clementine's Residence and it's not a place you ever want to know." I think he's going say more, but he stops. "Why are you so curious about it all of the sudden?"

"I've been curious, but was waiting for the right time to ask."

"Hmm." Is all he says, taking deep breaths. 

I put my hand gently on his arm, attempting to help him relax. "Is it a prison?" 

He laughs without humor. "Not quite, but it might as well be a prison. Once you get there, they make it impossible to leave and they treat you like your a criminal. It's a terrible place that should be burned to the ground."

I keep my eyes on him, the emotion in his voice taking me back. "Well, if it's not a prison, what is it?"

At first, I don't think he's going to respond, but after a small pause he does. "It's an insane asylum." 

I sit back, speechless. I was not expecting that at all. 

We turned onto the main highway, Smasher trailing behind us.