2: SWHB

"It seems that everyday more come in and less come out," the guard said as he twirled his baton in his hand.

    "Yup just more loonies for the state to take care of, seriously this is just a waste of government money," the other said taking a bite of his donut.

    "I suggest that you two shut up, it's the state the pays for your salaries while you get to sit around and do nothing."

     They both looked up and couldn't help but smile when they saw that it was only one of the doctors.

    "Well well if it isn't the famous doctor herself," he smiled as she took a seat next to them.

   "Oh shut up Peter and just eat your donut," he rolled his eyes before taking another bite. "Alright bring up the camera in the controlled area."

    The screen changed from the hallways and corners to the camera that were in the controlled room.

   "Who is he," Peter asked rolling his chair closer to her "James come here," he beckoned for the other guard. "He looks like he's really off his rocker, has he been glaring at the camera since he came here?"  

    "He just came in this morning, he's been uncooperative and even attack two guards along with myself." She press the enter button and the screen changed to the next room "she's new also, sent here for killing her husband and then killing the police officers that responded to the 9-1-1 call."

   "Jesus, so what's wrong with them," he paused for a second "you know up here," he tapped his head with his index finger.

    "So far both of them are uncooperative and vicious so we haven't been able to run any test on them just yet but I'm going to try again in the morning."

    She changed to the next room and briefly looked over all the patients in the controlled room, making sure that they weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. Once she deemed everything was normal she switched back to the halls.

    "Alright, thanks guys, I'm going to be making my rounds keep an eye out for me okay," they both nodded their heads before taking a bite of another donut.

    In the dimly lit hallway she made her way to the controlled section, the soft padding of her shoes echoed in the empty hallway as she continued to descend further and further. Once she reached the first room she slid over the small metal piece and looked into the room, he seemed to be sleeping under his bed that was in the corner, nothing out of the usual. Moving to the next room she checked on each room until she reached the end of the hallway. When she slid open the metal piece there was nobody in the room.

    "Ari are you pressed up against the door again," a giggle rang through the room "Ari you really should be sleeping, you're going to be in a bad mood in the morning and I don't want to hear you complain."

   It was silent for a few more seconds until she suddenly popped up in front of the opening with a mouth splitting grin on her face. Another round of giggles echoed in her room but she just rolled her eyes at Ari's childish behavior.

    "So what are you up," she asked as she watched Ari start to pace around in the room with big steps. "So Ari when are you going start talking to us, you've been here for three years, don't you think it's time that you start to open up," Ari just shook her head rapidly, enough to give on a headache on sight.

    The doctor just sighed softly at the same response she gets, every single night, and slowly slide the metal piece closed. As soon as she took a step away from the door she pause as another round of giggles rang through the silent hall.

    "So are you willing to talk," it was silent followed by the ruffling of fabric "Ari why don't I just ask you some questions and you tell me whether they're true or not," she shrugged unconvinced. "Okay, have you ever owned a puppy," she shook her head no. "Did you live your mom and dad in a house?"

    "No, I only ever lived with my dad," she said lowly which was followed by another giggle "Doc why do you ask all these questions you know the answer to, I know it's all in my file. A girl gone crazy since witnessing the death of her father in front of her eyes and later turned serial killer and kills and tortures her victims the same way her own father was killed." She drummed her fingers on the table and look directly into the doctor's eyes "tragic, so moving on, what do you want from me?"

    "Well Ari it's obvious that you aren't stupid, in fact it seems that you have more of a conscious than any one here."

    "Lies, all lies, please stop with the lies."

   "All I want to know is why did you do what you did in the past, do you think it's necessary to make others suffer as you have?"

    She tilted her head to the left and slowly looked forward again, suffer? Who's the one really suffering here, is anyone truly suffering? She stopped drumming her fingers on the table but instead started cracking her knuckles with her thumb, pushing each finger down one by one. The cracks seemed especially loud since both had stopped talking.

    "Take a chance and never regret it."

    "Ari stop with the bullshit and give me a real answer, is it that you're just a plain psycho that doesn't want to be understood. Do you feel like you're misunderstood? Well even if you are misunderstood no one would know since you never say anything, they'll think you're another psycho that's going to be left here to rot."

     "Psycho? Ouch, words sting don't they?"

     "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up," she yelled covering her ears with her hands.

     "Ari you said it yourself, what happened to you was tragic so why can't you seem to accept the consequences of your actions?"

     "Now or never."

    "You really are like everyone else here, aren't you?"

    You couldn't miss the furious face that was etched on Ari's face but the doctor just ignored it and continued on. With each passing word that would leave her lips her anger would just bubble more and more until she wouldn't be able to stand anymore. With her arms outstretched she lunged off the chair and across the table, with a strong grip her hands wrapped around the doctor's neck. They both tumbled off the chair that she was previously sitting on, frantic hands gripped onto Ari's arm trying to pry them off her neck. With more pressure applied to her neck her choked, trying to take in whatever air her lungs could get.

    Black slowly creeped up in the corner of her vision and everything turned blurry when the door loudly slammed opened, suddenly the pressure around her neck was gone and she coughed violently as oxygen flowed back in. As she laid on the floor she could see Ari being held down by the guards that had rushed into the room, Ari was still struggling against their grips and for a second she actually got free.

    "Such excitement, do it again."

    She lunged at the doctor again but the guards were able to grab onto her but that didn't last long because she was quickly injected with a tranquilizer and fell limp in their arms almost immediately.

     "Doc are you okay," the guard quickly moved over to her as the other guard quickly put Ari on a gurney that was attached with a nurse. "Grab another nurse," the guard said as the nurse wheeled Ari out of the room "Doc are you okay, do you think that you can stand?"

    Nodding she stood up with the help of the guard, it didn't take long for another nurse to wheel another gurney in. The nurse laid the doctor down on the gurney and wheeled her over to the infirmary, as the gurney was wheeled down the hall she looked at the lights as they continued further and further down the hallway. The doors to the infirmary squeaked open and a soon after a mask was placed over her mouth, as more air was forced down her lungs she couldn't help but sigh in relief.

    "How the hell could this happen, are you telling me that all the doors unlocked?!"

    "The lighting hit our generators and the backup was being repaired do so they was nothing that we could do."

     "Do the walkie-talkies still work," he nodded "good, I want you to call all the guards and tell them to arm themselves up to the t with tranquilizes. Tell them to make sure no one escapes, and if they feel it's necessary to tranquilize them."  

    "Director what's going on?  I was in the room going over all my notes and the lights suddenly turned off."

     "Oh good thank God you're here, the power turned off leaving all the doors unlocked even in the controlled area," a look of shock came across her face. "You're the only doctor that even dared come close to Ari so I'm sending you and two other guards with tranquilizers to go after her. As harsh as it may seem we can't afford to let her escape, if she goes into the city I can't even begin to imagine the type of damage she'll create." "Here take the tranquilizers and try to find her as quickly as you can, Tom, Logan, I want you two to go with her."

     With a more than nervous shove from their director the three made their way to the controlled area only armed with tranquilizers and flashlights. Mechanical laughter rang through the halls and the trio froze.

    "James," she looked over at him "I think that maybe Mari," a confused look came over his face. "She's the new patient that was sent in for killing her husband and than the police officers." "I want you to go down that hall and go look for her, she's almost as dangerous as Ari."

    "But what about you? You shouldn't be going after Ari with only two people."

    "James we really don't have a choice right now, we can't afford to have anyone escape from here. Go after her, besides I'll be okay Thomas is here."

    "You got her back," Thomas just nodded. "Alright I'll be back, make sure you turn your walkie-talkies to channel three."

     "James hurry up and go before she gets away."

    "Right," he didn't have to be told twice as he took off down the hall where the mechanical laughter was coming from just minute before.

     The duet moved slowly down the hall and once they reached the controlled area the doctor ran to Ari's room. As expected no one was still in there room, most likely running amuck in the building. The sound of wet feet smacking on the floor soon echoed all around them, it the steps came closer and closer until it sounded as if it were in the same room as them.

    "Mari," the doctor called out once she saw her emerging figure come from the shadows. "Mari," she called out again but instead she continued to slowly walk forward.

    Looking down at her feet she noticed that she wasn't wearing her shoe and the fact that she was bleeding profusely from her feet along with her arms and legs. With each step that she looked more like a walking blood bag that was leaking everywhere, down her arms to her leg and slowly swirling around her foot to the point where she left small puddles where she had just stepped. She took two shuffling steps before she finally looked the doctor in the eyes.

     "Please," she said in a desperate voice, suddenly she collapsed like a house of cards being blown away in the wind.

    Thomas quickly ran towards Mari and brushed her hair out of the way to check for a pulse.

    "Doc she's alright for now but if I don't get her to the infirmary soon she's going to die of blood loss," the doctor nodded.

     "Hurry and take her to the infirmary and make sure you keep a tranquilizer handy," he nodded as he scooped but Mari like she was dead weight.

    I wasn't long before they were both gone and the good doctor was all alone in the dark and empty halls, moving forward she kept the tranquilizer close in hand. As she turned the corner a loud giggle echoed off the walls, it was loud and sounded like something you wouldn't even want to dream of in your wildest dreams. As the seemingly never ending laughs continued to bounce of the walls the doctor already knew it was Ari and her maniacal laughter. With slightly nervous step she followed the laughter until she came to a stop at the abandoned woman's laboratory, the crackling laughter just continued from inside. The laughter only stopped when the sound of glass being broken echoed through the bathroom but it only came out as a hollow noise to the doctor outside.

    "Ari? Are you in here Ari," the doctor called out as she stepped foot in the bathroom.

     Looking down at the floor there were fresh bloody footsteps  contrasting with the white floor. Walking in further glass crunched under her shoes as she went further and further into the bathroom. In the middle of the bathroom stood Ari with her hair in disarray, her knuckles bleeding profusely no doubt from punching all the mirrors that were in this old bathroom, the white dress that she wore was now raggedly torn at the bottom and was stained with random red blotched that didn't seem to have any coordination.

    "Ari," she called out again but she didn't do anything but stand there and let out a small and almost inaudible giggle that still ricocheted off the walls and made it seem louder than it actually was.

     When Ari finally noticed that the doctor was in the bathroom with her she ceased all of her laughter and smiled at the doctor.     

    "Ah fresh meat."

    "Doc," the wide smile was still on her face "so nice of you to join us," the doctor looked down at the shard of glass that was in her hand. "Say doctor," she took a step forward "why is it that  you're so intent on annoying us?"

    "Us," she questioned wearily as Ari took another step forwards. This time she just nodded.

    "Yes us doc, you just seem to be able to get on their last nerves and then they give me hell about it," she kicked at the glass laid floor making more blood leaking from her already scarred feet. "Why is it that they don't take it out on you, why does it have to be me?"

    Turning around Ari walked towards the broken mirrors, the crunching of the glass under her feet echoed in the room. She looked her reflection in the broken mirror, reaching out towards the mirror she touched the broken glass that was able to hold onto dear life.

     "Let's finish the bitch."

    "Doc," the doctor still heard her even in her low voice "I really want you dead."

    Reaching out she grabbed on of the shards of glass that was still able to keep it's place in the frame. Turning around she was ready to lunge at the doctor only to find that she wasn't there. A wicked smirk creeped up on her face, the thrill of the predator hunting their prey was the first thing that popped in her head. Pushing open the first door there was nothing, moving to the next there was nothing again and as she reached the last stall she knew that the good doctor would be in there. The creak of the stall door opening echoed but just the other five stalls there was no one there. Spinning around her eyes searched the bathroom, it was dead quiet, like there was no one there.

    "Kill her, Kill her, kill her, kill her, KILL HER!!!!!"

     A burning, blistering, searing pain bloomed at the back of Ari's head, her hands where the only thing that caught her as she fell to the glass covered floor. With a gasping breath she clutched the back of her head, looking up with her hazy vision she could see the doctor towering over her. Scrambling to her feet she ignored the pain that still prickled under her skin and grabbed a jagged piece of glass that was next to her. Clumsily she lunged at the doctor but with one quick step to the left she was greeted with the awaiting glass. She let out a cry of pain as the shards pierced into her face and arms, slowly she sat herself up and looked at her glass covered arms.

    Pain spread through her face once more as the cold metal made contact with her face, the force threw her back and her body hit the floor. She gasped for breath as her stomach was struck, rolling to her side she clutched her stomach. The pain from the back of her head, her face, and her stomach proved to be too much because as she attempted to stand up she just landed back into the welcoming glass. Gasping for breath she could taste the blood at the back of her throat, the sharp noise of a canister dropping caused her to flinch. The tapping of her shoes echoed in her head until she saw her shoes in front of her face, her face jerked to the side as a swift blow handed on her face.

    Her ears were ringing as she rolled over to her back still desperately trying to breath properly.    

    "You know I actually thought that you would be different Ari," she continued to stare at the ceiling "I thought that you would present a challenge."

    "Come on finish it, finish it already!"

    She let out a small laugh "but it turns out you're all bark and no bite," from the corner of her eye she could see the doctor picking up the fire extinguisher.

    "Stop making me wait, just do it already!!!"

    Before she could even think about moving out of the way the canister greeted the other side of her face.

    "To think that I thought you actually had potential, it almost makes me wish I hadn't wasted so much time on you," now clutching her face she finally began to sob.

     As those salty little traitors rolled down her cheeks she let out a loud gasp for breath, the shuffling of the glass didn't register in her head until a sharp, stinging pain made her retract her leg closer to herself.    

    "It's interesting," she crouched in front of Ari "the body's tolerance to pain is high, the only thing that can determine how much you can handle is solely based on your will." Grabbing her arm she looked Ari directly in the eyes as the glass glided along her skin "the body has about five liters of blood, now if you were to cut your major veins you would surely bleed out in just a few short minutes but what fun would that be."

    Ari shifted her eyes over to the doctor, when the doctor finally noticed her gaze she sweetly smiled and stuck out her tongue. Another small slice was made over her skin, for the first time in such a long time she was afraid. In a situation where she had no control over frightened her to the core. It didn't take long for her vision to go hazy and inky black blotches to slowly spread everywhere.

    "Baby, goodnight."

    You have to make up your mind or be left behind. The choice you have before you is one that the ones before you thought you could not resist. Sometimes they said that this should feel something like fire. But to stay the same, stay the same, stay the same when you can't remain the same feels something like fire. You give what you decide to give until it burns you down, I can't change. Each day your light gets dimmer and dimmer, everything that was ever yours don't exist. Don't say sorry for what you might have missed.

    "Thanks to all your hard work everything went smoothly," she smiled "I don't know how to thank you," the director smiled down at her.

   "There's no need director, I'm just glad that everyone is okay even if Mari did do all those horrible things."

   He nodded in agreement, "Yes to think that she was able to do all that to Ari is beyond me but we can only look forward from now on." He placed a hand on her shoulder "you should go home and rest, I'm sure this has been a long night and you'd would like to just go rest."

    "Well than I'm off," she smiled as she headed towards the door.

    "Yes doc it's time to get some rest, for tomorrow it's a new day."

    She couldn't help but grin, oh how true that is.

_____________________________________________________________-

Oh I long for moments like these, a chance to write. All the truth, the pain, and the events that have happened. Such a fickle thing life can be. I continued to roll with the punches for all I can do is silently endure until I have nothing left. With a smile on my face I'll face the new horizon, face it and smile brighter than the sun.

Your truly, _Yamada_