Escape Plan

Checking Out

When I woke up this morning I felt a searing pain in my wrist and was about to press the assistance button but on my nightstand there were a few pills and a glass of water so I took them all then pressed the assistance button. The same nurse came rushing in, "Are you all right Ms. Alyssa?" She asked sounding concerned. "Yes I'm fine, how do you know my name?" I questioned. "Well this is a hospital, I have access to many documents regarding you and your medical history since birth." She stated. "Wow." Was all I could say. She probably knew more about me than I knew about me. "When can I go, not that I don't like it here it's just kind of a bummer to be in a hospital." I tried covering my rudeness. "In a few minutes if you'd like, but I have to pack you a small bag to carry around that has your pills and I have to fill out release forms and so do you, and Mr. Jay has to sign a few documents and we have to have a meeting with him so more like two hours, give or take." "Oh ok, well while your doing that can I have breakfast?" "Yes of course, it's the same as yesterday, and it's already prepared." With that she went to get my breakfast. Then she came back and handed the tray to me. "Thank you." I said as I chowed down. "No problem." She replied. When I was finished eating I put my tray aside and took a few minutes to lay in my bed and just think about my life. I haven't had any time to do that for a week now. Then I thought about questions that seem to have impossible answers like why is the sky blue, and how is towel dirty when you come out of the shower? This went on for about an hour surprisingly until my thoughts were interrupted by the nurse bringing me my lunch. I accepted it and ate the ham sandwich and drank the juice box, I also took a few more pills. "Ok Ms. Alyssa" She said as she walked out of her office with papers in her hands. "I need you to sign the blanks, please make sure you read first." She instructed. "Ok" and I started signing blank after blank after blank, It took FOREVER!!! When I was signing, a few words caught my eye. They said, "put you down.". So I read the entire sentence. "If you get a serious injury that the hospital cannot treat we are allowed to put you down." What the hell is this?!!! What does that mean?! Are they gonna kill me if I have an injury?!!!!! I slammed the push for assistance button and the nurse came in. "Done already?" She said In a shocked voice. I wish I was I thought. "No it's just I have a few concerns..." I said. "Ok" "Well you see here?" I said and pointed to the words. "Ahhhh yes that." She said casually. "What does that mean?!" I practically yelled. "Does it mean if I cut my fingers off while cooking and you don't know how to treat it or don't have the supplies to treat it, you're going to kill me?! Let me ask you this, you are running an illegal prison here, and there is a wide variety of jobs here that have a wide variety of injuries that could come with them, and you mean to tell me that you may not be able to treat some of those injuries? Oh but you can kill them 'cause that's the easiest way out huh?! Where do you even get a death serum, or whatever the hell you call it, but you can't get the supplies to operate some kind of surgery?!!?! Un freaking believable!!!!" She bit her lip nervously. "Ummm..." She interjected in the most squeaky voice I've heard in this joint. "That only happens if you sign at the bottom." She said. This make NO SENSE!!! "So if I don't sign, and I get an untreatable injury then what happens to me?! Won't I just die anyway?!!!" I screamed. "Well," She said as she backed up a few steps. "Usually the girls don't read the fine print, some of them need glasses and can't see it at all, so all the girls that have had untreatable injuries signed that line and I put them down, I've never had to deal with someone who didn't sign the line" She said. "You have got to be kidding me! You mean to tell me that you created a contract that basically forces me to die?! I mean when you think about it that's basically what it's saying!" I was beyond frustrated, beyond counting from 50 to 0. "Get out of my room." I said. "I'm afraid I can't do that Ms. Alyssa." she said. "Oh really because according to this contract, you have to!" I confidently stated. "It doesn't say that!" She challenged. Wow she doesn't even know what's in her contract. "Look right here!" I said as I quoted what it says. "If the patient feels the need to be alone or wants to sleep, the doctor, nurse or other people mustn't be in the room with the patient. Unless it is a medical emergency. " I confidently read and I smirked winningly. She left the room saying, "If you need anything press the button." In the most annoyed tone she could muster. I smiled, and continued to sign papers, I had a system with this whole awkward cast thing, hold the paper still with my cast and write with my right hand as usual. Once I had finally finished I pushed the button and gave her the papers and asked for water. As I drank the water I looked at the clock. It was already 3:00pm... Wow. Soon she came back out telling me she was going to drop a few papers off by Mr. Jay's office, and I awkwardly nodded back. While she was gone I attempted to try a mini one handed braid, but it ultimately failed so I gave up, just has the nurse came back in. She went to her office and a few minutes later she came back with a cross body purse/bag whatever you want to call it, with a mini water bottle, my prescriptions, and a laminated slip of paper that read: "Ms. Alyssa is excused from all duties that she cannot fulfill and has a 3 week pass to not wear her identification bracelet." Then the nurse pulled out my prescription bottles that were different colors, she explained that I take one from the pink bottle every time I eat, two from the blue every morning and one from the green at night. I nodded in understanding as she pulled out the slip of paper. "DO NOT SHOW THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS OR THEY WILL FIND OUT YOUR REAL NAME." She said In a stern voice as she pointed to my name. "Only show it to your leaders, instructors, guides, guards and any other adult who might question your bracelet's absence. Don't show it to adult female prisoners, but I'm sure you'll be able to tell the difference between the prisoners and workers." And she winked and smiled, however I didn't find it funny given that I'm a prisoner myself. Then she lead me down a hallway and up the see through elevator. When I looked through it, in a zig zag almost, other elevators were going up and down, and side to side to drop off their passengers. We went into a meeting room with a long table, and Mr. Jay was at one end and the nurse and I were at the other end. "Mr. Jay... Would you like to say anything to Ms. Alyssa?" She asked. This nurse is crazy if she thinks he's gonna apologize! But his words shocked me. "I am truly sorry Ms. Alyssa, I really am, I don't want you to think I am entirely evil and I feel as if we got off on the wrong foot. So I'd like to start over." He said calmly, and it made me wonder if he was ok or not. "Ummmm... Ok" I said puzzled. "Hi Ms. Alyssa, my name is Mr. Jay" he said, friendliness in his tone. "Hi Mr. Jay." I replied. "Ok good." The nurse said. "Jay I have a few papers for you to sign, here you go." And Mr. Jay signed and gave them back. "Ok Ms. Alyssa sign the lines next to Mr. Jay's signature lines." She instructed. I noticed she didn't tell me to read first but I did anyway. Everything sounded normal so I signed and gave the papers back to the nurse. "Ok great, now let's talk mobility, she can get around just fine but she obviously can't do her job so what will be her replacement job?" She questioned. But Mr. Jay seemed to have it figured out and answered almost immediately. "She will work in the announcements room." "What's the announcements room?" I asked. "It's the room with announcements given over the intercom everyday." He answered. "It's quite easy, there is a prewritten script you just say the words." He answered knowingly. "Ok, seems simple enough." I answered. "Well then everything is settled, all papers are signed, your bag is packed and you have a replacement job." She answered. "You and Mr. Jay might want to discuss details, goodbye Ms. Alyssa and Mr. Jay!" She called back as she was walking out the door. Mr. Jay then explained that I would have an earlier breakfast in the mornings before announcements which would take place during breakfast. He told me there were hourly updates and In between announcements I would have a short "break" or I could use the time to rehearse my lines. "Now since you are eating breakfast earlier you have to wake up earlier. So your wake up time will be at 7:30 am and then you will eat in the announcement room. You also have to make a final night announcement which is at 10:00 pm the regular bed time, but since you'll be here you will go to bed at 10:30 pm." Wow I'm losing an hour of precious sleep! Ugh! "So I'm losing an hour of sleep that my body could use into healing my arm?" I said a little ticked off. "Now, I actually thought about that, I want you to be better ASAP, so you will be recieving a weekend long break, so Saturday and Sundays are off for you." Phew! "Oh good, thank you!" I replied joyfully. I can do what ever I want i think. "What should I do besides sleep?" I asked. "Well you could always walk around the place or ask one of my men to give you a tour... It might take a few weekend though." He said laughing, and I found myself laughing as well. I surprise myself everyday. Then he led me to the announcement room to show me the equipment. I saw the wall clock said 4:56pm. Time sure has been passing today. After he showed me the announcement room it was 7:06pm, I mean there was a lot of things, and instructions on how to use stuff. "Do you want your bracelet back or do you want me to hang on to it?" He questioned as we were going up on the elevator. "No, you can keep it, I don't have anywhere to put it anyway." I replied. "Nonsense, I recently ordered stackable nightstands for everyone's bedside. It comes with a drawer and a pull out table for the bottom bunk people who's original top has another one stacked on it." He explained. "Oh well in that case I will hold on to it" If I'm lucky he won't remember it since it's not with him. Then the elevator stopped and the doors opened. He handed me my bracelet as we stepped out, then we were back in his office and he pulled up something on his computer. It was a picture of the nightstands he ordered when they were stacked. "Why do you care about my opinion?" I asked. "Because everyone is going to have one and I want to make sure a representative of the entire body liked them." He answered. "Why do you care about anyone's opinions?" "Well I feel really bad about hurting you, I've never had anyone pass out or go to the hospital for that reason. Even the nurse freaked out when she saw your wrist, heck she started praying!" Wow! That's bad! "My wrist was that awful?" I asked. "You don't remember?" "No. When I have a panic attack and get to the point where I pass out I don't usually remember why I passed out." I explained. "Oh, that's good I guess." He said. "Why is that good?" I asked a little frustrated. "Well it's probably a bad memory so I figured you would be gla-" but he stopped. "May I see your arm?" He asked. "Ya." And I held up my arm with the cast and he looked at it from all angles as if it was some magical futuristic creation. he looked at my upper arm but there wasn't anything wrong with it, or my forearm either but that's where the cast is. I looked at the computer screen and it said it was now 8:12pm. "If I hadn't gotten hurt and I was working right now, what would I be doing?" I asked. "Well, you'd be preparing the kitchen for tomorrow and cleaning up." "For two hours?" I pondered. "Well you have to leave at 9:10 to get back to your dorm and get ready for bed." He explained. "Oh ok." "Want me to show you your entire schedule that you'll be using in a few weeks?" He asked. "Yes that would be very helpful!" This will make my life easier once I get out of this cast. We went back into the elevator and went down a few floors to the dorm. He walked in and went to my bed and took a look at my schedule. "So you are gonna wake up with everyone else and you're gonna get dressed in the bathroom in one of the stalls" and he pointed in the direction of the bathroom. "Then you are going to take an elevator down with a few other people all the way down to the bottom floor where you will eat. With EVERYONE." When we got off the elevator he got in line and showed me how I must take at least one fruit in the morning. "Then you sit with the large mass of people wearing gray. Then once you're done eating you take the elevator back up to floor 67." He said as we stepped In, pushed the button and rode up. The doors opened and he showed me the way to go which was a long walk. We came to a dead bolted door with a keypad. "There's a passcode and a dead bolt because in the past we've had some girls who have gone insane and got a big knife and killed a guard attempting to get out." "Oh. Yikes" we walked in and he took me to a back room which led into another kitchen he said was made specially for my job. On the shelves there were TONS of baking supplies. It was a pastry chef's dream! "Wow! This is incredible!" I said in awe. "Is it enough?" He asked. This man clearly didn't know a thing about baking! It made me laugh. "It's a bakers dream!" I said as I looked at all the supplies and decorating materials. Then across the room In the corner was a HUGE fridge and I opened it, it was full of a baker's essentials! This is great, the only great thing about this place. Then we left after I saw the clock said 9:15pm then I realized I was hungry so he took me to the leader's lounge where there was a coffee pot, a few chairs and tables, a microwave and a fridge I opened it and heated up some lasagna. By the time I was done, I was late getting to the dorm but since I had Mr. Jay with me I wouldn't get in any trouble. We got in the elevator and he pressed floor 87, and we rode up in silence as I looked out the see through glass amazed at how pretty this wretched place is at night.