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"What … uh, what did it do?"
"It just stood there I was scared Mr Bear growled at him and he eventually went away"
I had read soet out of handcuffs if you broke the bone at the base of your thumb Or maybe just dislocated it? Either way I’d have to find out if h to do that The issue would then be trying to get the presumably locked door open one-handed Maybe Anna could help
I said, "Okay We have to get out of this place"
"They told us we couldn’t leave"
"Anna, you’re going to find out soon that grown-ups aren’t always right We … let’s just say that it’s better if we’re not here when that thing comes back But if it does, I don’t want you to panic I don’t think it’s here for you, I think it’s here for me"
"Yes, that’s what he said"
"He talked to you?"
She hesitated "Sort of I could hear him I don’t think he had a mouth Like Hello Kitty"
"And … what did he say?"
"I don’t want to repeat it but I don’t think he likes you"
I said nothing
Anna asked, "Do you want Mr Bear?"
"No, thank you"
I pulled my hand as far out of the handcuff as I could, which wasn’t far I could feel the little knob of bone stopping it, two inches down froh, surely it would scrape off that bone, and the blood would lubricate it Be atooI was about to ask Anna what she was doing when it registered that--
HOLY SHIT THAT’S THE DOOR THE DOOR IS OPEN
I sat up and threw aside the blanket The roohts in the doorway, side by side like the eyes of a giant robot that had poked his head up through the floor I was ht, but I squinted and looked to the corner, yelling, "Anna! Get--"
The words died in my mouth The roohts, contained a small bedside table, a toilet, a filthy sink, and one bed Mine
I was absolutely alone in the room
On the floor was a tattered, filthy old teddy bear
Gloved hands grabbeddecontamination space suits, but the suits weren’t white--they were black, and they had pads on the arhs like body armor Their faceplates were tinted, so you couldn’t see the face of the wearer
The cuff was re irons were placed aroundhallway lined with rusting steel doors just like the one I had been yanked through
There were other people here, roused to life by the sound of us passing their cells I heard an old hter ("KATIE!!!! KAAAATIE! CAN YOU HEAR ME??!?") with no response I heard a scraping froet out I heard so for pain pills
At the moment I passed a particular door, a male voice on the other side said, "Hey! Buddy! Hey! Open this door for me Please It’syou"
I stopped
"I’ain to pull uy? Hey!"
No answer froed and howled and wept
The hallway caht, but I was stopped in front of a TV screen that had been mounted on the wall There was a speaker mounted below it, with a "push to talk" button The screen blinked to life and there was a man in another decontamination suit, this one the norency The face behind the clear Plexiglas mask was familiar to me, the neatly cropped silver hair and weathered wrinkles
"Goodtoday?"
"Dr Tennet? What the hell are you doing here?"
A each other’s questions with questions this conversation won’t go anywhere, will it?"
"I’ like shit Why are you here?"
"You don’t remember?"
"Obviously not"
"What do you re people in BB’s parking lot Guts sprayed all overI know I’m chained to a bed in this prison And now my therapist is here for some reason"
"Prison? Is that where you think you are?"
"There are tiny rooms with locks and handcuffs and I can’t leave Call it whatever you want How long have I been here?"
"You honestly don’t re at all?"
"No"
"You’ve lost all memories from your arrival until now? Think hard for oddaoing to have to beg for a little bit more of your patience I’m part of the teaet you well"
He looked down and was doing so notes I down the hall behindto help those people back there?"
"That would be … ill-advised I assure you that the patients who actually need help are receiving it Again, this is not a prison"
"So am I free to leave?"