“Ally, grab your bag, it’s time to go!” Mary called as she headed outside to start up the old Volkswagen. Ally grabbed her backpack, which had the list of things to pack provided by Lamb in it, from her bed before bending over and scratching Lily behind the ears.
“It’s going to be okay girl, I got this,” Ally reassured the oblivious animal, before swinging her bag on her shoulder and headed out to the passenger side of the vehicle and sat down, placing her bag between her legs. Ally had plenty of time before this trip to consider what she was going to do. On the one hand, she didn’t want to meet the headless hog farmer if she could help it, on the other hand, she wasn’t entirely sure how her future was going to be affected by the contract.
Initially she had considered running away after signing, but then she had the thought that if she did that it would lead to her meeting the boar, as the prophecy went. She considered just refusing to go, and asking to void her signature on the contract if that was legally possible, but once again, she wasn’t sure if that would just seal her fate. Finally, she decided she’d go, if only because the facility she would be going to would be in Indianapolis, as opposed to anywhere near Hazelwood, meaning that for now she would have time to figure out a plan.
Ally’s mom had been directed that on the final school day before winter break, she was to bring Ally to the high school at six ‘o’ clock PM, and they were already turning off the Golden Highway and onto the country road that led to the High School. She stared down at the school lights as they approached, the sun already having set as the days had become short at the start of the winter months. The lights sparkled, like brilliant diamonds in the winter chill, and the crescent wax moon shown in the night sky like a halo. Ally felt surreal.
They pulled into the back of the High School, where the student parking was held and there was now a large black van without windows waiting for them. Ally stepped out and approached, wordlessly and silent as she prepared her mind for whatever was to come. Her mother looked at her with worry, “Ally, I know your nervous, but I just want you to be happy.”
“I know mom.”
The driver, a gentleman in his early thirties and brunette stubble stepped out and waved, “Good evening, are you Mary and Allison?”
“Yes, are you the driver for Lamb?”
“That’s correct. Before we begin, I must check your bag, just for safety’s sake. Need to make sure no contraband is brought in.” Ally nodded and handed the backpack, which he set onto his hood and began sorting through it. “Everything’s here. Now, just to be sure, you understand you can’t bring your cell phone with you.”
“Yes, sir,” Mary said politely.
“Good. Don’t worry, she can use the onsite phone from 1600 to 1800 everyday, though she’s limited to fifteen minutes so that the other patients can have a turn as needed. Visitation hours for Sunday were included in your pamphlet, still have that?”
“Yes, sir. Just… I need you and your people to help my daughter, please.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am, your daughter is in good hands. Now if you would,” he nodded for Ally to step into the back of the van, and Ally walked to the backdoors, which he opened. There were four seats there, and no windows so that she could see out. Everything was heavily padded, with pictures of different leafy and verdant landscapes dyed into the fabric.
“Great view,” Ally said sarcastically.
“The facility we’re taking you to serves as a mental health crisis center, some of the patients aren’t necessarily coming willingly, and some of them freak out with too much stimulation, so we do our best to keep the room low stress. Ally nodded to acknowledge and sat down in one of the chairs, pulling a seatbelt out and strapping herself in. The man shut the door, and she figured it likely automatically locked. The van started up, and she was surprised how smooth the ride was, he wasn’t kidding when he said they tried to keep stimulation low.
Ally found herself nodding off, and soon she was waking up in the clearing where she had first met the masked beast, surrounded by cats and dogs staring at her with those vibrant sapphire eyes. She looked around in confusion and called out. There was no answer.
“Status of the four test samples?”
“All of them have been picked up and are on their way to the testing site. We’re timing their arrival for 2000, and test sample four at 2030. Forced manifestation is on schedule for 2100.”
“Any unusual behavior?”
“Test sample three has fallen asleep, and her DMR readings are through the roof.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re checking her baseline from in the van, and its ten times higher than any we’ve seen in other test samples, even those that have been marked.”
“… Interesting. Let’s see what our masked friend has in store for us.”
“Sir?”
“Nothing, just musing out loud,” Randolph smiled. Intriguing.
Ally woke up and yawned, the dream was fresh, but she was bothered by the fact that this time she had never seen the creature, as she had wanted to ask it some questions. Instead, she was surrounded by the animals, and when she tried to step out of the clearing their population was so dense that she was unable to push her way through. The event was made all the more eerie by their silence and unblinking eyes, and somewhere in the back of her head, she suspected that the masked being had been aware of her presence this time and made a point to keep her confined.
The vehicle had come to a stop, and she heard the engine turning off followed by the familiar popping and cracking of cooling metal before the backdoor opened up and the man said, “We’re here.”
Allie jumped out and looked around, surprised to see they were already inside of what appeared to be a garage, with an empty workbench and sleek walls, seemingly brand new and made of what appeared to be metal or ceramic, it was hard to tell with its shiny white paint job. “Follow me,” the man ordered, and Ally followed him while he carried her bag with him into a door that led into the facility.
They walked through a long hallway with glass displays showing a variety of different artworks, some were paintings similar to the images from the van, others were sculptures of bizarre shapes and sizes, that befuddling modern style where it was difficult to quite pinpoint what the object was or what purpose it could serve, organic and basic in shape, all at the same time.
At the end of the hallway was a door with a curved handle, which he opened for her and gestured for her to come in. Ally did so and was surprised to see a large white room that looked incredibly expensive, looking more like a state-of-the-art billionaire’s home than it did like a hospital. There was even what looked like a white grand piano. There were a series of couches in the middle of the room with two other people, teenagers like her, male and female, sitting down already who stood up to greet her.
She gathered they must be the other patients, as neither wore clothes of nurses or doctors, instead wearing sweatpants and hoodies without strings, as they had been instructed so that there was nothing that could be used as a rope or noose. Ally didn’t want to think about the events that had led to these instructions. “Over here, we need to check you in before you join the other patients,” called a nurse from behind a round egg-shaped desk.
Ally sat down, and she went through her bag again before setting it aside and taking Ally’s temperatures, blood pressure, and other baseline medical measurements. Finally, she asked her to walk to the bathroom behind the desk where she would be required to strip for inspection, just to be sure she hadn’t snuck in any contraband once again. The woman assured her that it was for hers and the other patients’ safety and was included in the waiver she had signed.
Ally sighed, before stripping down and the nurse inspected her, before commenting, “Sorry, that bra has a wire in it, and isn’t allowed. You’ll have to forfeit it, and we’ll return it at the end of your stay.”
“Am I supposed to go braless?”
“We’ll provide some adequate undergarments for you. They’re a little itchy, but they don’t have a wire and will provide support.”
“…”
“Allison, please, we’re here to help you.”
“Fine.”
Allison finished changing and put her clothes back on, with the exception of her shoes and socks. Instead, they provided her with blue gripper socks, which had a little white star pattern on the bottom of the feet made of some material that held onto the otherwise smooth floor. The woman put her bra and shoes into a bag, emptied out her backpack and through that in the bag as well, and handed her what she had packed, some spare clothes and hygiene items. She then threw her items into a locker in the room and hung a lock on it, before escorting her out the bathroom and telling Ally to follow her.
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The female patient was sitting on one of the couches but turned and saw her and waved. Ally nodded at her in return before following the nurse around the circular room to one of what appeared to be a few rooms adjacent to it. She entered and saw two beds with nightstands, one already made, with the other having hospital sheets neatly folded on it. A bathroom was attached to one of the ends of the room with a bathroom and shower. There were no doors, though the bathroom was oriented so no one could see inside from outside the room.
“Go ahead and set your things down here,” the nurse looked at her watch and scowled, “You can make your bed later. For now, let’s introduce you to the other patients.” Ally tossed her stuff to the foot of the bed and followed the nurse back into the main room and joined the other two while looking around.
There was a boys’ room as well, from what she gathered, also without a door. Other than that, there were no other entrances to the impressively large main room. She counted the doors again in her head, four in total. The hallway she entered through, the bedrooms, and the bathroom she had changed in with lockers. It did not occur to her for a second how inadequate the facilities were, and how could she? She had never been to a mental health facility before.
She noticed cameras at regular intervals in the room, covering every angle from almost fifteen feet up, the round walls making it impossible to scale up to the lenses. There was a black skylight in the center as she craned her neck, and she was surprised to see the moon in it, and a distant orange glow that seemed… familiar. She cocked her head to the side, it was like the lights she would see in the direction of the city of Indianapolis, visible for miles out. But they were in Indianapolis, why could she see it from here?
“Good evening, I would like to introduce you guys to your fellow patients. This is Allison Thomas. Do you go by Ally?”
Ally responded to the nurse with a yes.
“Ally, this is Brandon Reese, and Melanie Madison. They’ll be with you during your stay here,” Brandon waved his hand half-heartedly before crossing his arms and refusing to get up from the couch. He had long greasy hair, with whispers of a goatee beginning on his face. He looked bored and apathetic, and he refused to make eye contact with Ally or the nurse.
Melanie, on the other hand walked over enthusiastically and gave Ally a hug, causing her to jump a little in shock, “Hi, Ally! You can call me Mellie, it’s great to meet you.”
Ally didn’t go for a hug back, but did manage to say, “Nice to meet you too, uh, Mellie.”
“You can ignore Brandon, he’s being forced to be here, and has made it clear he doesn’t want to make friends.”
“Hm,” Brandon grunted.
“I on the other hand, came here voluntarily. They told me that this would be a great opportunity for me to get resources that will set me up for success for me and the…” Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head, “That’s enough about me though, why are you here?”
“Depression.”
“Oh, that’s… Oh,” the spark in Mellie’s eyes dimmed a little with sympathy before she continued, “Well know while you’re here I’ll be here for you. You and I are going to be good friends, I promise you.”
“Sure,” Ally said with a noncommittal shrug. Great, she was dealing with some preppy cheerleader or something. Just what she needed, some bubbly girl who didn’t know the first thing about hardship or anything else. Ally couldn’t even begin to fathom how an energetic girl like this ended up here, and if she was being honest, she didn’t care. At least Brandon looked like how she felt.
Ally turned towards him, not paying any heed to the nurse as she walked away and stepped out into the hallway leading to the garage, but Brandon’s eyes followed her, and he raised an eyebrow in slightly curious confusion. “So, Brandon, how’d you get forced here?”
“Why’d the nurse leave?”
“What?”
“The nurse. She left.”
Ally looked around and realized he was right, and at the same time felt aggravated he had blown her off, “Yeah. And?”
“Why would they leave three teenagers, one suffering from depression, another a druggie, and the third… Honestly, I don’t know what’s wrong with you yet, Mellie. But why would they leave us alone in a room together?”
Mellie proposed, “Maybe she went to the bathroom?”
“Bathroom’s over there, she left towards the garage.”
Ally asked, “So what if she left us alone? We’re all old enough to take care of ourselves.”
“Yes, except we’re at a mental health center. Where people are often suicidal, violent, or worse.”
Mellie pointed out, “Well there are cameras over there.”
“Twenty-three paces.”
“What?” Ally was getting more irritated by this guy’s condescending attitude.
“Twenty-three paces to get through the hallway. There were no other doors in the garage besides the closed garage door, and the one leading into the building. No rooms had doors leading to anything even remotely resembling a monitor room. That means between wherever they’re watching us, and reaching us, would be at least thirty seconds, probably more. Do you know how much damage we could do to each other in that time?”
Ally took a step back, “Go ahead and try it.” She felt a chill running down her spine.
“I’m not going to do anything. I’m just saying they shouldn’t be leaving us alone like this. It’s strange.”
“I’m sure you’re overthinking things Brandon,” Mellie said, before putting on her bubbly personality again and saying, “How about this? We do icebreakers. It’ll be fun!”
Brandon looked at the two young woman, shook his head, and said, “Whatever.” As soon as he was done the door to the hallway opened, and a new gentleman, dressed as a guard, escorted a new party in, causing the three to stare at the newcomer.
He was young like them, likely a highschooler, but there was an air about him of confidence and superiority, as he stared from his brown eyes at the three patients, his skin dark like bark, and hair in well kept dreads. He wore expensive clothing, starting with black silken slacks and matching vest, a yellow tie, and a white shirt underneath. His shoes were shined to a mirror finish, and he looked very upper class, and more importantly, he was completely outside of the dress code required for the hospital. “Who are these people?” he asked in slight confusion.
The guard didn’t respond to his question, instead gesturing to the piano and saying, “If you would, my boss would like to assess your talent before we begin.” The young man looked at the three, and then to the piano, and with practiced cordiality said, “Very well, but I expect answers afterwards. I thought this was a music camp.”
“Play.”
Mellie, Ally, and Brandon had all stood up and were looking with intrigue and confusion at the pair, Brandon eyeing the gun at the guard’s hip, taking note that he was armed with lethal force, but was without nonlethal options. Brandon’s hair started to rise on his neck.
The man sat on the piano bench, raised the fallboard, and began playing a beautiful melody. Melanie eyes opened wide as she saw his hands dance gracefully across the keys, moving so smoothly and rhythmically like she had never seen before, mesmerizing her as beautiful notes rang across the room, just as the door to the garage opened again.
Ally turned back to the door and tilted her head as the nurse, along with several others, led what must have been twenty dogs into the room from leashes. They were followed shortly by men carrying animal crates that contained cats. They took the crates to the desk to open, and the dogs were released from their leashes and swarmed out into the room, taking particular interest in Ally. These must be the therapy cats and dogs Ally gathered. She began to pet them and looked into a beagle’s face as she realized all of them had blue eyes, that while faint, were ever so slightly glowing.
“Aw! Look at these cuties!” Mellie exclaimed.
“Their eyes…” Ally said.
“What about them?”
“They’re glowing!”
“They are beautiful, aren’t they?”
“No, they’re glowing!”
“What are you talking about?”
Ally looked back at the beagle’s eyes, which had turned brown. “I… you’re right, they are beautiful.”
The three pet the animals while the black gentleman continued to play, unaware of the motor in the piano becoming energized, even as the last of the nurses left the room with the crates and headed back into the garage.
The music was interrupted by a loud thunderous crack, followed by a scream of unbridled pain as the pianist’s hands were smashed by the fallboard even as they were playing. The three patients jumped up in shock and stared at the man, unable to see his hands pinned underneath as he groaned and pulled at them.
Brandon stepped forward to help, still confused about what was happening. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He froze in fear as he turned slowly to see the guard had pulled out his gun and had it pointed steadily at him in two hands. “The three of you stay right there.”
“What have you done!?” the pianist cried, as he continued to get his hands free of the contraption.
“Failure.”
“What!?”
“I made you a failure.”
“What are you talking about!?” the man screamed while pulling uselessly to break free, his voice cracking in panic.
“Tell me, what do you think your family will do when they find out all your fingers are broken? Do you think daddy will still take care of you? No, we’ve researched you and your family. We both know that without your musical career, you’re nothing!”
“Oh, God!” The man cried as he continued to try and break free. The guard stepped over while holding the pistol aimed at the three patients. He kicked the leg of the piano and the fallboard opened up even as the man continued to pull, causing him to fall over and a couple of the dogs to come over and sniff at him as he struggled to pick himself up without using his hands.
“Stand by the others.”
“What is this!?” Mellie cried out desperately as the man sniffled and made his way to them. Ally got a look at his hands and had to turn away while covering her mouth in quiet horror. Where the fallboards had shut on his wrists were deep cuts, and each of his fingers were mangled, disjointed, and fractured in numerous positions.
The guard ignored the question, instead pressing a button on his earpiece and asking, “Are they marked?”
Someone spoke from the other side, and the man nodded grimly, before turning to the four and saying. “I’m sorry, but there is more at stake tonight than your lives’. Even so, I know how unfair this is. You’re all failures. A musician who will be disowned by his family for his disfigurement, a depressed girl failing all her classes, a pregnant woman who knows she will make a terrible mother, and a drug addicted loser who will likely grow up to be a convict. And unfortunately, that makes you ideal targets for the blessing…” As he spoke, he made his way back to the door leading to the exit.
“I really am sorry. I wish there was another way, but at least know you’ll be dying being more than failures. There is purpose to your deaths.” He opened and shut the door behind him as he exited with that last statement, leaving the three patients huddled around the musician, all breathing hard and eyes wide in panic.
“What just happened?” Mellie breathed in horror.
Ally looked up into the circular skylight, even as she was processing the words the guard had said, into the orange glow of what appeared to be Indianapolis was, and realized where they were. “This isn’t Indianapolis. We’re in Hazelwood.”
The musician growled in pain and fear, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The headless hog farmer of Hazelwood is coming.”
“…” said Mellie.
“…” said Brandon.
“… What!?” said the musician.
“Sir, I don’t think we should proceed.”
“I know… but we must capture him now.”
“The control group though, test sample three is changing all our results, and we don’t know how it’ll affect the capture.”
“I know, but this is our chance.”
“Sir, manifestation confirmed, he just stepped out of the woods.”
“Sir, please, if we’re going to stop the experiment, we need to do it now.”
Randolph cursed, even as a manic smile spread on his face, “Continue as planned. We’re capturing Subject Omega tonight.” He stared at the screen indicating the DMR values of the three test samples. They had all risen as expected as soon as they had injured the musician, creating four grouped up failures for him to target. But Allison Thomas’s DMR hadn’t doubled, as was the normal indicator of being marked. It had risen a hundredfold, and was rising still, approaching levels on par with Subject Omega. Who knew what would happen when those two met?