Page 17 of The Misfits
The distress oozing from his pores is nearly as enticing as the smell of Claudia’s blood. If his earlier distress call didn’t leave me short of time, I’d relish his fear a little longer. Instead, I say, “Call in a false alarm. Tell them you were mistaken, then I might let you live.” This demand is more violent than my first. I don’t like being treated like an idiot, but even more than that, I loathe authority with every fiber of my being, so you can be assured scum like Lee are at the very bottom of my totem pole when it comes to leniency.
Annoyed that he failed to jump at my command, I cock the trigger back to the halfway point. It may even be three-quarters compressed.
“Okay, okay, don’t shoot.” With one hand raised in the air, Lee squeezes the button on his radio as firmly as I am squeezing the trigger. “Stand down, patient was found hiding in the restroom. I repeat, stand down from Code 44. Patient was located safe and without injury.”
The crackling of a radio sounds through my ears, closely followed by a breathless, “Jesus, Lee! How many times have you been told to check their hidey-holes before sounding the alarm?” Bryce sucks in three ragged breaths before adding, “You scared the living shit out of me. We don’t want any crazies running wild with the turkeys this weekend.”
Lee laughs as if Bryce is funny—like he wasn’t standing outside my door thirty minutes ago discussing an appropriate time for Bryce to return unnoticed. A wireless receiver crackles before Lee says, “Yeah, sorry about that. It won’t happen again.”
His promise is more for me than Bryce. He knows I heard their plans to return to my room before daylight. He knows what they were going to do to me.
Just like he knows what I plan to do to him for his stupidity.
“Shall we do this in here or out there?” I drift my eyes to the single glass door separating the criminally insane from the general public. “There’ll be less mess for Bryce to clean up outside.”
Lee’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down before he follows the direction of my gaze. “D-D-Do what exactly?”
I grin. It’s the smile of an insane man. This will only get better when the tangy smell of Lee’s piss filters through my nostrils. I love how cowards lose the ability to control their bodily functions when they’re scared. They piss and shit their pants like babies, which only encourages my campaign to free them from the madness. Stephen cried like a baby when our game reached the final two hours. Lee should be grateful time isn’t on my side.
“Outside it is,” I answer on Lee’s behalf when he continues staring at me like a fish out of water, hopeful he’s misreading the silent warnings streaming from me.
He isn’t, but you can’t blame a guy for being optimistic?
“Hurry up, Lee. We haven’t got all night.” My voice comes out crackly. The surge in Claudia’s heart rate complements my raspy tone. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she was scared.
It’s a pity I know better.
Just like me, she’s feeding off the adrenaline thickening the air.
Lee is all thumbs when he secures an overloaded keyring from his trouser pocket and an employee ID from his jacket. His hands tremble uncontrollably when he scans his credentials into a wall-mounted scanner before twisting his key into the lock.
“Walk through before us to ensure there aren’t any snipers hiding in wait,” I demand.
Lee glares at me like I’m clinically insane. I don’t know why he’s shocked. My paranoia reached fever pitch the instant he became a part of my life. I’m a plotter. I methodically plan out each stage of my life in precise detail. Men like Lee ruin my game plan with their rules and expectations.
When Lee remains bullet-free after crossing the threshold between the clinically insane and normality, I cautiously inch Claudia and me outside.
“Come on, Claudia. No one will hurt you. We’re just going home,” I whisper in her ear when her reluctant steps slow me down. Her hesitance is surprising. I thought the first whiff of fresh air in years would have had her legs pumping as fast as her heart.
Taking my pledge as gospel, Claudia lightens her steps.
She trusts me.
She shouldn’t. I’m not a trustworthy man.
Getting her out of here alive is the most honorable thing I’ve ever done. I could leave her, but the fewer witnesses to my escape, the better. She wouldn’t talk—she’s fucking mute, for crying out loud—but there’s an edge of danger associated with her that warns me to remain vigilant. No one expects a killer with an angelic face and dazzling eyes. That’s how I flew under the radar so long.
I’d still be free if it weren’t forhim.
The thrusts of my lungs turn frantic. Not because Marcus entered my thoughts but because freedom is so close I can taste it on the tip of my tongue. The crispness of a late fall breeze floats across my skin as the crunch of grass underfoot sounds through my ears. Even the brutal clap of thunder above my head can’t detract from the brilliance. It’s been years since I’ve heard such an intoxicating sound. I’ll be fucked if I let anything take it away from me again. I’d rather die than return to being caged like an animal.
After directing my gun back to Lee’s head, I drop my lips to Claudia’s temple. “On the count of three, you’re going to run, okay? Don’t look back. No matter what you hear, you are never to look back. Do you understand?”
The wooziness in my head amplifies when her hazel eyes glance up into mine before she weakly nods. Her trust is addictive, headier than any drug I’ve been given, but her dazzling eyes in a low-hanging moon are even more hypnotizing. They’re remarkably clear for a patient at a hospital for the criminally insane.
“Alright, it’s time for you to go home. Are you ready?”
Ignoring Lee’s warning that state troopers will find her within minutes of fleeing, Claudia nods again. Her determination inspires me. It also has me thinking recklessly. I’m precariously dangling between borderline insane and a mere man. I don’t know which one I’d rather be right now.
