Chapter 41: The Asylum

"Please tell me where we're going," I pleaded, for what felt like the millionth time.

Caspian flexed his jaw. "You'll know soon enough," he told me and rested a hand on my thigh. Him driving with one hand made me nervous, but I didn't say anything.

"We're here." Caspian stopped the car, parking sideways across two parking spaces.

He climbed out of the driver seat and opened the door for me, I climbed out and examined the place he had brought me to.

It consisted of a number of different buildings each marked with a letter, like what you would see in a hospital. The buildings were covered in dark stone cladding that was stained darker with age in some places. A tall hedge surrounded the area, blocking out the outside world. There were many windows, but they were all covered with wooden planks like they were trying to keep whatever was inside locked firmly in; or whatever was inside was too terrible for the faint hearted.

I gulped nervously. "Where are we?"

"The mental asylum. Caspian held my hand in his as he walked towards the spiked gates. The second he said 'Asylum' I knew why we were here.

"Caspian Gray," he told the security guard, who squinted his eyes, probably wondering why two teenagers would come to this place. "I was here yesterday," Caspian continued.

The security guard looked through his papers, found the page he was looking for and ran his thumb down the length of the paper until he found Caspian's name. "You know where to go?" he asked, scratching his balding head.

Caspian nodded his head.

The guard pressed a button and the metal gates separated, allowing us access to the asylum.

"Let me do the talking." Caspian squeezed my hand and led me towards the building that was labelled 'B'.

The inside of the building was just as gloomy as the outside. The walls were painted a dull grey that showed uneven holes, I assumed this was where people had hit the walls in anger. People rushed around with syringes in their hands, not even protecting themselves from the injection needles that they held close to their faces.

"Back so soon?" a lady at the front desk asked, as she smiled widely at Caspian. She looked like she was a couple of years older than us. She had curly, honey-coloured hair and an olive complexion. She leaned forward on the desk, allowing her top to fall forward, exposing her breasts that looked more like large balloons. I wish I had brought a safety pin; loose interpretation of the word safety, it wouldn't have been very safe in my hands. "Can I help you?" She bit her lip, flirting shamelessly with my boyfriend.

"I'm here to see Brody Herim," Caspian replied. "The same as yesterday." There was a hint of annoyance in his voice, which pleased me.

"Certainly." She stood up and swung her butt from side to side. I tried not to laugh at her shallowness; Caspian had made it clear he wasn't interested. Looks like the saying 'Never give up' was being taken a bit too far.

Soon we arrived at a steel door that was the same as all the others. We entered a room that was devoid of life, the big lump on the single bed was silent and didn't even stir when the door creaked loudly on its hinges. The room had a stagnant smell, like it hadn't been cleaned in days. Caspian walked up to the bed, just as the receptionist closed the door. Leaving wasn't an option and the thought of staying made me sick.

"Is she gone?" The lump shifted on the bed, causing the bed to bend downwards. The rusting frame almost touched the floor.

"Yes," Caspian confirmed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small packet that held nothing, save from a piece of material that was folded so many times it bulged and strained against the constraints of the plastic packet.

The man on the bed straightened up, until he was standing directly opposite to Caspian, their feet almost touching. I moved to Caspian's side, worried that the insane man would hurt him. I don't know how I intended to protect Caspian, but I was willing to give it my best shot.

"You look exactly like her," the man said, reaching out to touch my face. I cringed as his scaly hands scanned my cheekbones. His eyes were so dark that the irises blended with the pupils. His mouth was thin and when he smiled his lips cracked and his yellow-brown teeth were visible. This explained the bad breath, which was hard to ignore since he was so close to me. His head was shaved bald, and there was not a hint of facial hair anywhere. Even his eyebrows were gone, giving him a ghostly appearance. He looked like something out of a horror movie.

Caspian grabbed his roaming hand and twisted his wrist painfully. "We had a deal."

"As if I could forget," he laughed, even though Caspian had the perfect opportunity to break his hand.

"Tell me what you know," Caspian ordered, dangling the transparent plastic bag out of his reach.

"Give me the bag," Brody Herim replied, the smile not slipping from his face.

"Talk first."

"No," he stated. His skeleton-like face portrayed no emotions.

Caspian sighed and handed over the packet, watching as Brody shredded the plastic and pulled out the violet scarf that lay inside. He pressed the fabric to his face and inhaled deeply. "Debra," he whispered. His eyes were closed tightly, as if he was trying to remember something that was long forgotten.

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