short suspense story

Call me Crazy

“Hello, David can you hear me?”

His voice pulls me out of my head, my eyes refocus from some distant world and my attention is again on the white coat in front of me.

“Try to pay attention, you still have a few months here, lets try not to make them too painful.”

He doesn’t care, his voice doesn’t even try to hide it. I feel all his anger and regret, he doesn’t believe a word I say, he can’t see the evil that’s out there, he doesn’t believe in the good I’ve done.

“You’re deemed a threat to society David, even when your time is up if I feel you are still a danger I can keep you here. Do you understand..? Good now look at these and tell me what you see.”

He turned the first card over, the black blobs swirl and form a face. She stares at me and I see through to her soul, she isn’t human, only I can see it though that’s why I must be the one to end her.

“I see a pretty butterfly.”

My answer seems to please him, I must be getting better at hiding my sarcasm.

After being escorted back to my private quarters I felt the need to reconnect with reality and my true purpose. Tapping on the ceiling vent I called down Allan, who nimbly dropped from the tiles above. So young, sometimes I forget that, he’s been with me from the beginning, even sneaking into this place. He doesn’t deserve to learn this at such a young age, this is my burden. But I’m still thankful for his presence, he makes this tolerable.

“How was the interrogation this time?”

“Manageable, although sometimes I find myself falling for his head games, start to lose sight of why I’m here.”

“You mean the demon? Don’t worry about it, I hear our last assault left her pretty messed up, supposedly she just stopped using the wheel chair.”

“Ya well when I’m finally out of here we can make sure she needs a casket, don’t think shell ever stop needing to use that.”

Footsteps clink along toward us, so Alan quickly shot back up into the vent. A woman in navy scrubs passed by and flashed a smile at me as she passed, I smiled back involuntarily, she seemed…interesting.

At night this place can seem like an entirely different place, the walls with their dark cushioning act as a screen of horrific puppet shows the branches play. I watched a man bob over a sleeping figure, coiled in his hands a rope was bound. The sleeping shadow breathed deep; chest rising, rope falling, body shifting, rope pulling, mind working, rope tightening, arms scrambling rope rising legs extending rope rising body spazing rope rising, body still.

They all walked around, absorbed in their fantasies shaking and clutching themselves, gathered in the lobby like cattle. Throwing around words like suicide, in this crowd only two significant individuals existed, myself, and this new demon, only we knew the truth.

“Hello David can you hear me?”

His voice pulls me from reality, eyes glaze over and he regains my attention.

“David I want you to know that this was a suicide, nothing more, I don’t want any of your delusions scaring the others.”

I was expecting some sort of, “wasn’t your fault” type of comfort.

“No delusions.” I replied

That day I was visited by the navy scrubbed nurse, her fingers were smooth and she smiled a lot. After taking my blood and doing some sort of test she left.

Night had fallen and Alan was taking his watch for the night, my eyes were heavy but before I could let them rest I was shaken by a scared little boy.

“He’s back.” Was all Alan muttered.

Slowly, so as not to call attention to myself, I rolled over, I saw across from my room a glistening. Light danced across the fork hanging lightly in his hand, the other removed a gag laid lightly across the sleeping victims face. Finally a rope draped across each arm holding them outstretched, as the rope tightened the man awoke, realizing his situation he began to scream out only to have the gag quickly secured, his scream turned into a muted grunt.

I was at my door intoxicated by the moment, fork catching the light, thrashing man being towered over by a monster, arms struggling, eyes bulging fork racking forearm opening legs pounding flailing, striking. The demons head snapped back on impact only to straighten with renewed rage, blood engulfed the strapped victims forearms as the glistening prongs etched there path across.

“Help!” My voice found its way through my throat and screamed for the man. Frantically wailing I called out to all who would listen and soon started a riot of noise.

Guards, Nurses, Doctors all half asleep came rushing, smacking into each other and walls until they found the sleeping mans body. Blood still warm and slowly cascading to the floor. All others had fallen silent, but I continued on.

“The monster did it, he bound his arms and cut his wrists! Look his arms and mouth were bound!”

My doctor stepped out of the tomb, clearly distraught, his anger pierced through the crowd aimed straight at me.

“No.” He replied, shaking his head and stepped aside, showing the room devoid of all my evidence, only the fork sparkled on the ground.

“Do you understand me David, you’re not fit for society, your not fit for this institution, your outburst sent many of the others back months worth of treatment. I’m transferring you to another wing more suitable to handle you.”

He had my attention, I understood what was going to happen. A monster was going to unleash itself upon prey already trapped. This ending is unacceptable.

He rubbed his cheek as I got up to leave drawing my eyes to the beginning formation of a bruise…

Sitting on my bed I turned to notice Alan sitting next to me.

“So is he our monster?” His voice seemed older.

“He’s got the bruise in the same place as the monster got hit, he was the first one to leave the room, we never saw the killer go? I’m convinced, just kill him and end this.” His voice now seemed too high.

“I think your right, waited to long last time, maybe we can get him if we strike earlier.”

Getting up I waved to two men calling out

“Can you take me to see the doctor, I have something I need to speak to him about?”

Just one walked over.

“You know we can’t…”

Instinct took over, hand shot through the bars grappling his uniform, pulling it closer till his face made impact with the bars. Letting his body crumple, I retrieved his card and swiped it through the lock, unleashing myself upon my prey.

Alarms were already going but I was already gone. Sprinting I dodged guard after guard, turning a corner one surprised me causing a reflex of fists to shatter his nose. He fell fast.

Entering his office I quickly barricaded the door shut behind me. The hammering mob could not stop me now. Back now to the door I scanned the room looking for the quivering little “man.”

My feet crept forward, the light dimmed, my hand descended upon a pen, a hand wrapped in cloth descended upon my face, everything went black.

I awoke strapped to a table, eyes were still swimming. Suddenly I snapped back and realized where I was, my muscles all strained but the restraints were to much.

“Chloroform, rag must have been soaked in chloroform. Only thing I know of that would do something like that.”

Alan sat beside me, he seemed faded though.

“Oh your finally awake, good.”

She smiled at me and I smiled back.

“Thought you were about to do my job for me.”

I just kept smiling at her, her face was soft, her smile warm, the blade was cold, my throat wet, her eyes joyful, my vision blurry, her skin was warm, my heart stopped beating.