Crazy Girl In Crazy World

Freedom, In the Dark

Along the mists of time she travelled. And was there. There...

Outside. Outside of the building. Almost time to go in. Standing at the fence, looking out to the expanse of the horizon, just a peaceful field and a loving forest. Of the trees, as old as the trees. They speak to me. I know.

"Hey, Freak," said Alice. "We've gotta go in now." She paused a moment, standing next to Crazy Girl, looking out over the land as well, flashes of lightening and rumbles of thunder in the distance. "Looks like it's gonna be a big storm."

"Something bad's going to happen," Crazy Girl replied.

Alice chuckled. "It always does here."

"No. That's not what I mean. Something horrific will happen. Something will happen, that if you think you're crazy now, you'll be even crazier after. And the worst kind of crazy...insane with grief."

Alice was quiet. She had never seen her friend like this before. She was surprisingly level-headed, but this was a shocking change. "What are you saying?"

Crazy Girl pulled a handful of pills from her pocket. "Why drug me? Why? What did they not want to me to remember...to consider? Why am I here? And when I stopped their madness, I remembered. Alice, there are far more serious problems here than just that a person is crazy." Crazy Girl threw the pills through the fence, out into the wilderness. "The grass can have my defeat. It won't happen again. I was tricked before, oh yes, but I am patient and learn from my mistakes."

Alice, slackjawed with surprise, stared at her good friend. Oh no, she's gone off the meds. Oh god, this is horrible. "I...I don't know what to say. I...uh...They give you it for a reason, to make you better...."

"Not if they want to subdue you. Not if they know that you know. Oh, not us, the flesh and blood who do their bidding, but the shadows in the night that whisper deviousness in their ears."

"Hey, you two!" came a call from the door. "Better get in here!"

And then lightening struck the building. The power went out suddenly and door to the building locked. Inside, through the thick tempered glass came the eerie glow of emergency lighting. Alice looked at her friend. She was glaring at the door. "Whatever happens," she said quietly, "I want you to know that I've always appreciated your kindness."

"Ok everyone!" the orderly, clearly nervous, yelled to seven or so girls that were trapped outside. "I'm sure that we'll be able to get in before it rains. Just sit down and be patient." Just then, a loud crack of thunder sounded, and the occasional raindrop multiplied and became a torrent. Meanwhile, a security guard showed up at the door, and he was trying to open it.

Alice looked at her friend, who was sitting calmly with a stoic look on her face. "They will shoot through the door," she said.

"They don't carry guns," Alice replied. Crazy Girl smiled.

The rain pelted them as they waited. Alice felt nervous. This was taking too long. Way too long. "Don't they have some kind of override for the door?" she asked no one in particular. "We're going to get sick sitting out here."

"There are worse things to get," Crazy Girl said.

The security guard tried to rouse someone on his radio. He looked puzzled. He left in a hurry, running down the corridor and turning the corner in a frantic run.

"Alice, the people on the fifth floor, they're in the locked rooms, correct?"

"Yeah," Alice replied. "Why do you want to know?"

"Is there anyway to get them out?"

"I don't know..."

"It's a long way down from the windows, I suppose."

Alice stared at her. "What? Why are you saying this?" She paused, and much quieter, asked, "Do you know what's going to happen?"

Crazy Girl did not reply.

Suddenly the hallway went dark. Then the beam of a flashlight appeared, bouncing crazily down the corridor. It was the security guard, motioning to the orderly to stand clear of the door.

"Get against the wall!" the orderly yelled as best he could over the thunder. Everyone lined up against the wall as Crazy Girl thought Almost like an excution, which would have been preferable to this.

Shots rang out and the glass of the door shattered. The orderly grabbed a chair and started pounding on the door, as well the security guard trying to kick out the glass. "You can't come in here!" the guard shouted. "The place is on fire. The lightening fried it! I'm going to go back and see if I can get people out!"

"I'm going with you," the orderly shouted back, disappearing into the darkened cavern.

"I'm going in there," Crazy Girl said to Alice.

"You can't, you'll die!" Alice exclaimed.

"That will remain to be seen," Crazy Girl replied. She went through the door. It was smoky and terrifying. The darkness did not phase her. She trotted down the corridor, following the wall, her mind issuing commands to her body. Go Right. Down to the stairway. Open stairway door. Go up stairway. Fifth floor. Out of stairway. To the locks.

For a brief moment, the electricity flickered. Ah, the backup. The electricity flickered again, and Crazy Girl saw the big, red "Emergency Open" button. And as the lights flickered again, she pushed it. The hallway was suddenly filled with the sound of locked doors opening, reverberating eerily down the hallway. These walls held in the most insane of the insane. And in an instant, the electricity came on, and she saw smoke pouring through the now opened doors. What the hell? she thought.

"There's a fire in the building!" Crazy Girl yelled. "All of you have to get out of here!" She ran a little down the hallway. No one answered. The hallway was quickly filling with smoke. Then it registered: there were no other personnel up on this level. They would have noticed her. She frantically ran into one of the rooms. Smoke was pouring in from the vents. She saw a person laying in the bed. I think I know her. Lilly. "Wake up!" she yelled, trying to rouse the girl out of the bed. And then she stopped. No...movement? No, that wasn't it. She touched the girl again.

I don't feel anyting coming from her. Crazy Girl checked for a pulse. There wasn't one.

Suddenly a scream echoed in the hallway. Crazy Girl ran out. "I'm over here, where are you?" she yelled. "In here!" came a slightly muffled noise. The air in the hallway was now thick with smoke. Crazy Girl dropped to her knees, and starting crawling in the direction of the voice. "Keep yelling!" she called back. "Over here!" the voice responded. "You're getting close! I can hear you! Oh, god, please, please help me!"Crazy Girl found the room. A young girl was huddled on the floor, laying, sheets over her mouth. She handed Crazy Girl a torn portion of a sheet. "Follow me out," Crazy Girl said. They made it back to the stairway, which was clear of smoke.

"What the hell," Crazy Girl said after removing the mask. "Why is it so fucking smoky up here?"

"The vents," the other girl replied. "These ones are linked to basement. Right after that lightening strike, smoke started pouring in. Everyone ran. They left us."

"Shit. That's horrible. C'mon, run down the stairs, we have to get out now."

"That's not the half of it," the girl said as they ran down the stairs. "They drug everyone at night. I don't take it, but they don't know that. I guess now they will."

When they got to the first floor, it was even more thick with smoke. On hands and knees, they crawled their way down the corridor to the hallway with salvation on the outside. Halfway to the door, Crazy Girl hit her hand on something.

"Oh, my god, it's the security guard!" she exclaimed. "We have to help him. Here, take his flashlight, I'll try to drag him to the door."

"You won't be able to," the other girl said.

"She's quite right, you know," said a hissing voice above them. The girl looked up and froze, backing away to the wall. The sight of the creature scared her. His pallid skin looked like it was covered in sores, the slimy smile that spread across his diseased lips revealed yellow and rotting teeth.

"Shut UP you little scummy beast!" Crazy Girl yelled, as she pulled off the guard's boots. She looked up at the other girl. "Ignore him. He can't hurt you." The girl sat against the wall, frightened and frozen. Crazy Girl stepped over to her and grabbed her. "DON'T pay attention to him," she yelled. The girl's gaze shifted over to Crazy Girl. In a small voice she asked, "You see him too?"

"She knows who I am," the hissy voice said.

"Stuff it," Crazy Girl responded.

Crazy Girl grabbed the guard's arms and dragged him along the floor. She heard a shout from outside, "Oh, thank god!" She laid the guard down, went over to the door. "The security guard is right there," she said to a person outside. There were now more people out there, many huddled against the fence. "Get him out, I'm going back, someone else is in the hallway." She ran then, away from the protestations of the people at the door.

The creature was now leaning down to the girl, speaking in soft tones. The hallway behind him was glowing yellow, the fire consuming as much space as it could. Crazy Girl kicked him. "Go away, motherfucker," she said. Turning to the girl, she said, "You have to get out of here. Now. Just run down the hallway, the door's open."

"What about you?" The girl looked so scared and lost.

"I've been waiting a long time for you," the creature said. "Now, you will take the punishment that is yours, and yours alone."

To the girl, Crazy Girl whispered, "Just go. Don't worry about me. I've got a score to settle with this little beast."

"Going to fight, eh?" he said.

"You don't fuck with me, and your kind should know that. I am but energy. Without the shell, I am complete."

The girl's eyes widened. "You...you're glowing," she whispered.

"Get out!" Crazy Girl said. The girl got up and ran.

Crazy Girl walked up to the creature. "Go on, asshole. Do your worst. Do you think I care? It is all just merely pain, and pain? Ah, that is what I am used to."

The creature laughed. Crazy Girl shoved him. "Laughing at that, are you? Don't think I'm tough enough? Ha. I've died a thousand deaths, and will die a thousand more. You can torture me all you want, but it won't matter. It won't matter because whatever you could do to me is less harsh than what I've done to myself. So fuck it. Kill me, and I will be invisible, and in the unconcious realm, more powerful. So go right ahead, you fucker."

He took a step back from her. She suddenly realized that the smoke was very thick, that there was fire brewing not far from where they were standing. She started coughing. I'm going to die here, and better a crazy hero than a fool. She laid on the ground, gasping for air. All I wanted was love, was peace, was everything. Now I will be gone. Who will come for me? An aunt? Uncle? My grandmothers? I am passing out, will it be like they say? Will I see my life before me? Her hand reached out...and touched something. The world went black and as she lay with one more shred of conciousness left, she thought Now I drift to the heavens and stars....