21.

"A sudden extreme trauma possesses the potential to push a traumatized person over the verge of sanity." Says Dr. William Gaston in his book "The dark side of Psychopathology."

James was running on the stairs, to the first floor, then he stopped when he remembered how he had left the first floor.

Carefully, he looked down from the second floor. The sprinklers had stopped but six inches of water had still collected on the floor (never mind the electricity running in it).

James heard sounds. Constant sounds like a hum or a growl. From the staircase, he saw lights coming up from where the second floor's floor had a giant hole. He walked to the edge, and when he looked down, he refused to believe what he saw. Then he laughed thinking it was a joke. A good one at that. When the laughter is supposed to perk up his one disappeared. His eyes widened as the reality began to sink in through his eyes to the deepest, darkest corners of his mind.

Next thing: he ran.

22.

James was lying cringed in a dark corner on a dark Floor. There were no thoughts, memories, or beautiful flashbacks. There was just horror. What will happen? How will it happen? Will my soul escape my body when pain is unbearable? How much will be the pain? What if I don't die when they're cutting my limbs out? How will they kill me? How will it happen?

There were a lot of crashes, hisses, clanking, stomping, running, groaning, rattling. Soon they'll be here.

James wanted to cry, but somehow, he has lost the ability. In fact, the only ability he seemed capable of was crying. That 25-year-old man was curled up in a corner and was shaking like the rail lines shake when a train is near. His eyes were wide open and weren't blinking as if he doesn't have eyelids. His teeth were clattering so violently that they could be heard from the hall. By the hall are the stairs where a red glow was luminating up. Getting brighter and brighter. James heard it. This is it, he thought.

A splashing giant wave of red lights flooded up the stairs. The plants, the chairs, the desks, the windows, the walls, the ceiling lit up in red.

The walls were echoing from the stomps of those who were on the floor below.

The red glow steered into the room. The air was vibrating with the rattle they made. James closed his eyes tight. The red shine flooded in the room, reflecting on the ceiling, the curtains, the torn back of James's coat, the walls, and the marble floor. The wave sensed his body's heat and flooded over him, consuming him in it's great red shine.

His heart beat rose dangerously high as hundreds of stings all over his body ached his deepest nerves.

Every brick in the room shivered when the monster who was as tall as the ceiling stepped in the room. It passed perfectly by the hole as if it was made for it or made by it. It raised its giant black arm and scooped up the man who has survived for so long in this hell-hole. The giant, from his other hand, grabbed his clothes and pulled, tearing them out. And then threw them on the ground.

23.

The building was 8 story tall. On its roof, a 20 feet tall, unusual antenna stood. The antenna went inside the roof through a hole and a thick glass rod went down all floors, through the big hole in all the floors. In the basement, the transformers and generators were dismantled and thick wires were laid like a spiderweb all around the basement.

The ground floor was full of concrete, debris, glass, wood, pyramids of corpses, pyramids of vivisected hands and legs and heads. Intestines, organs, and pools of blood were splattered at places. The doctor in the wheelchair was preparing the machines for next operation.

Usually the doctor uses the machines, but this man has been running around in the doctor's workshop. Thus, this man deserves special treatment. So, the doctor himself vivisected his arms and legs. But he died when the chainsaw went in his neck.

A procession of nine giants, eleven kids, and a lake of red-light thingies had brought him. They watched him in his last moment as if standing at a funeral.

After all the parts were carefully vivisected, they were brought to the left and right of the great throne like chair. Behind the chair, hundreds of black, thick cords bulge out of it to the wall. Four long, spiderlike, mechanical arms picked up the pieces and sewed them arm-on-arm, leg-on-leg, torso-on-torso, head-on-head on the uncompleted Giant body. Three rows of shoulder-to-elbow-, elbow-to-hand, thigh-to-knee, knee-to-foot, and 7 rows of torso makes for the piece. Only 12 heads are sewed on the head. One head is sewed on the mid of the created torso (for functioning of Giant). It takes 20 human bodies to make one giant. After the body is prepared-hundreds of pipes, from behind, needle in body, targeting each part. Then the giant glass dome comes down around the chair and encloses it. Then the doctor pushes some buttons on his table sized keyboard and waits till the bright green liquid from the needle enters in the body. Then pushes one button and the empty pipes suction back, creating vacuum in it, and the connections of pipes changes from the tank to the hub of wires coming from the wall, lying on the ground like a giant black anaconda.

Then the doctor pulls the lever, and the air around starts twisting in and out of itself. The clouds in the sky, above the hospital, gets attracted and then they crash, producing lightning that hits on the unusual antenna on the roof and travels through the giant glass rod down the seven floors to the glass dome enclosing the Giant.

Inside the glass dome, a sonic boom hurls the air particles at an incredible speed and air inside the dome turns into the tornado of fireflies revolving around the Giant. after a while they turn to dust and settle down. The head on the mid-torso opens its whole black eyes.

The glass dome goes up in the air, and the mechanical hands wrap black cloth on the Giant like a mummy except for the head on mid-torso.

The spider-like hands on doctor's wheelchair brought the metal helmet on his head.

Then the Giant stands up and walks and stands behind the other Giants. The kids and the mice were sent back to their boxes. The Giants walks to the far wall across the experiment theatre which was consumed in darkness like there's nothing here, but the Giants went inside it.

The doctor had his eyes closed and was facing the throne chair, sending his thoughts to the Giants through the helmet.

A human figure tip-toed through the water-filled first floor. Hiding behind the corridor's wall he looked what the doctor was doing. Then when he was sure, he tip-toed on the path between the big glass boxes and the giant machines and black wires and corpses towards the throne chair where the doctor was meditating with his back to him. There were many tables, and chainsaws, and saws around him. On the doctor's left was a white, bloody table and a yellow chainsaw was on it. Its cutting was painted with blood. The man walked by the doctor, without a sound. The doctor's nostrils opened wide.

The man picked up the chainsaw. At once, he pulled the starter cord, and swung it to the doctor's neck, but when he saw the doctor's angry eyes looking in his eyes, he halted.

Then James pulled the chainsaw back and swung it again to the doctor's neck, tearing it off at once. Blood splashed on James's naked stomach and thigh, and his blue underwear. The doctor's head dropped on the floor. Then, James ran to the darkness where he saw the Giants entering.

24.

When, standing on the edge of the second floor, he saw the parade of monsters that the doctor had gathered to hunt him down, he knew this is where he dies.

But returning back he heard mechanical beeps and whirring coming from a room. The room was dark, but the light from stairs made silhouettes inside and he saw a man lying on a bed, and this man was alive and human. Even the room had a door.

A cruel yet hopeful thought came to James. These monsters won't stop until they have him, but do they really know who he is? But sacrificing another man for saving himself would make him no different than a murderer. But does he have any other choice? But does that mean he leaves all his humanity behind and murder an innocent? But he doesn't then he'll die, then what? Would anything matter if he dies? It is still wrong to kill another man! But...But...But...FUCK IT!!!

James set on the floor beside the bed, fighting a mental debate. Then when he heard the ground tremble, he knew the parade has started the hunt, and a voice came from inside him, that said, "There is no one but monsters in this hospital. This man will die anyway. He is certain to die, but you...your death is a choice. You have a chance to save yourself. Your death is your choice."

Then James knew what to do.

He felt a storm of grief and disgust destroying him from inside when he took out the man's oxygen mask and needles. When James felt his heart beat, he felt the worst he has ever felt. He didn't look at his face because right now this is just a body with a beating heart, but if he saw his face then he'll become a man. A man with a life, with a family. A man with people in the world waiting for him to come back home, and then he couldn't do it, then he'd rather kill himself.

On touching his loose skin James thought this man might be old. He felt a joy on touching another human being and a poisonous sadness on what he was doing to him.

He took him up to the fifth floor where he had seen the dispensary and knew it was close to the stairs.

When he dressed this man in his clothes, he had hit his peak and broke down and curled up on the floor. The storm of emotions, mostly pain shook his body. He couldn't do it. He decided he's not doing it. He felt his warm tears on his face and the cool floor below his bare skin. He was waiting for his own death.

He kept lying there, mentally paralyzed, but when the voices rose, he thought, "This is it." And two seconds after that his arms and feet moved on their own and he hid in the freezer. He thought about how that one mouse found him in darkness and brushed against his body, and how the wave knew where to turn when he entered the room. They may be seeking heat, but if they're not? That's a chance he has to take. Nobody promised him that this was bound to work.

25.

The darkness felt big and high. James closed his eyes to walk better. He didn't know long he walked but when he felt wind touch his neck, he opened his eyes and saw a silhouetted square. He ran out and found himself amongst trees. He felt joy surge up his nerves and spread out from him like fragrance. Tears came in his eyes. The sun hadn't yet come up the horizon but he knew the night was over.

26.

When he turned to look where he came from, he saw the big, famous and the only hospital of Pottsmain. Now full of monsters and ghosts. Yet, it was empty, because the dead doesn't count. The hospital was looking no different than that abandoned factory: Old and dead.

In the corner of his vision, he saw the streets and ran.

If anyone had awakened at 3am and had looked out their window, they would've seen an adult running and shouting in the streets, wearing nothing but a blue underwear. They'd think he was some crazy man.

He reached his building, and danced with joy as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. Room no.29. He twisted the knob but it didn't open. It was locked. How can it open without a key, you idiot? Where is the key? In his pants, but oh! He's not wearing any pants. Okay, so now he'll use the key under the doormat.

He pulled up the mat, his key was there. He smiled so joyously at the key and held it with such love that is only seen on a man's face when the nurse hands him his newborn.

He puts the key in the door, and twists it. The door became light and opened. The delicious fragrance of his apartment consumed him. His nostrils opened wide and he breathed in deep. He wants to see his father. He wants to look at his old man who is sleeping so comfortably and carelessly that looking at him it feels that you're in a world full of love and harmony. He goes to his room. His door is open like always. And the bed is empty. On it was a folded note by his new nurse saying: "It's an emergency. I am taking him to the hospital."