The Other pulled at the fastenings that held the chains to the wall, but they refused to budge. In the shadows, the stranger hadn’t moved. He watched The Other with a grim smile on his face, as if he were enjoying this struggle. The Other’s jaw clenched. Angling an arm behind their back The Other lurched forward as far as the chains would allow — and then slammed backwards into the wall. The Other knew every bone and muscle in this body. And he knew just how to break them. Pain ripped through Matthis’ body as the joint between thumb and hand separated.

The Other yanked hard on the chains once more. The mangled left hand slid free. Silently, The Other planted a foot against the wall and swung the now free arm.

“What in lord’s name—“ the Doctor's cry was cut off as The Other wrapped Matthis’ injured hand around his throat.

A guard moved towards them, but The Other tightened their grip.

Lapis flayed but could not release himself. As he felt the hand at his throat tighten, he waved the guard to stop. The Other brought Matthis’ knee up, using it to jangle the keys at Lapis’ side.

The Doctor understood. The Other released some of the pressure of their grip long enough for Lapis to order a guard to release the chains.

As the guard clumsily fiddled with the manacles, The Other kept their eyes locked to the stranger. The man hadn’t moved. That uneven smirk still poked out from his hood. As the last of the chains fell away. As soon as the last food came free, The Other leapt forward, one hand still stabbing at Lapis’ throat. Through The Other’s iron grip, Lapis was pushed forward. In front of them, the guard hurried to unlock the door.

As The Other passed through, the stranger’s voice rang out. “Well played, brother. I always enjoyed seeing you in action.”

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Brother. The word echoed around The Other’s mind. Something about the voice triggered unclear memories. Scenes from a past blurred by heavy fog.

The Doctor and his guard lead them down a long corridor, The Other steering Lapis as they went. The Other knew the way out of this place. It bothered them not at all that more and more guards had joined the group, trailing along and waiting for a chance to strike at The Other. It bothered them not at all that the other patients screamed and yelled from behind their locked doors, nor did it bother them that many of the guards following The Other would seen be dead.

The Other was a mind of singular focus and heightened senses. And now those senses were saying to leave, and leave quickly.

They reached the great front doors of the sanitarium. As the guard bent to unlock them, The Other cannoned a foot into his head. The guard struck the ground and didn’t move. The Other grabbed the fallen man’s club, strengthening their grip on The Doctor’s throat at the same time. The small man twitched and struggled for a moment only, and then collapsed to the floor. The remaining guards struck. The Other dodged their blows easily, lunging once, twice, three times. He thought something may have struck Matthis’ shoulder, but The Other felt no pain. In a blink, three guards collapsed to the floor. When the rest fell back, The Other ran. The guards wouldn’t catch them. In Matthis’ body, The Other was rapid. They loped through the gardens, and the carefully pruned trees that loomed like giants in the dark.

The sanitarium was surrounded by a great twelve foot wall. It was no obstacle for The Other. Finding the corner where two walls met, The Other used the angle to power upwards, one foot bouncing up the left wall, the other leveraging off the right. With those two steps, The Other had scaled more than half the wall’s height. It was easy to grip the top of the wall and pull Matthi's body upwards. It was easy to leap from the other side and land without injury.

Yells filled the air behind them, but they were too far away for The Other to be concerned. The twinkling lights of the inner city called The Other forward and they ran until Matthis’ body was on the verge of collapse. Then, The Other retreated into the darkness of the flesh.