Page 51 of Twisted Heathens
Eli doesn’t release my hand until we’re back in Oakridge.
Sweaty, bloodied, and satisfied.
Eighteen
Kade
Hurricane by Halsey
Clocked in for my usual Monday shift, I’m tapping away on my laptop with anticipation. I check to make sure the warden’s in her office before I pull up Brooklyn’s records. Moral considerations aside, I could easily lose my privileges for this. But I need to know what happened in that basement. Brooklyn’s become a ghost, nobody has seen her all weekend and I’m losing my mind.
I checked out Phoenix and Eli after our very first interactions, knowing I had to do something to help them. Not everyone that comes here is a criminal, nor are they all court sanctioned. Some are just plain crazy and of particular interest to the shrinks.
Technically, Nix was threatened with jail time for dealing drugs if he didn’t attend here and clean up his act. The bipolar diagnosis spared him that unpleasantness, along with the fact that he was an unstable mess at the time of his arrest.
Eli’s the most innocent out of us all. It’s not what he did, but what others did to him that led him to Blackwood, after years of bouncing between different facilities, the most recent of which was Clearview.
“Kade? You got that list for the Christmas market trip?”
Mike comes to a halt at my desk, leaning on his elbow. The deputy warden is a bit overbearing, but he’s decent enough. A damn sight more approachable than the warden herself, Elizabeth White. She oversees business and spends most of her time in board meetings, but she is the real authority around here. The shrinks are just her lapdogs.
“Sure, I’ll get it for you now. The one in early December?”
“Yep. We need to start making arrangements. Liz is on my case again about rewarding those with good behaviour.” He rolls his eyes dramatically. “You coming? I put your name down, could use the help.”
Shrugging, I bring up the lengthy file and glance over the details. It’s a small list, very few have spotless records and no disciplinaries. Phoenix’s name is on there, much to my relief.
“Why not. My exams should all be done by then anyway,” I decide.
Mike beams at me. “Gets you out of this place at least.”
I sneak a glance out of the corner of my eye as Mike fiddles with his phone. His head is partially turned, so I have a chance to glance over the other names listed. It’s an alright group, no one too difficult or dangerous. Naturally Hudson and Eli are nowhere to be seen.
“You get the names from the shrinks?” I ask casually.
“Yeah, we had to get security clearance. Liz approved them already, barely looked at it,” he complains with a frown. “Damn woman is more interested in her emails than actually doing something meaningful around here.”
I hum a response, pretending that I’m getting ready to print. A tempting thought forms in my mind when I hear that it’s already gone through the warden. Heart hammering, I type another name at the bottom, changing the automatic status from red to green to indicate that she’s low risk.
What could possibly go wrong?
Brooklyn will be with us both, away from the suffocating surveillance at Blackwood. I’m fucking ecstatic just thinking about it, hungry for any opportunity to get her alone. Even if she won’t talk to us right now, we’re not all like Hudson. I have to earn a second chance from her.
“Here you go.” I give him a professional smile.
“Thanks, Kade. You’re a good lad.”
Mike collects the paperwork and wanders off back to his office, leaving me to return to my sleuthing. It was easy enough to get into Brooklyn’s records, perks of the job and all. Not being a genuine patient has its benefits, even if I did sign away my freedom for the privilege. Nobody can understand why I volunteer to help out, but there’s a reason for it.
I like to know what I’m getting myself into.
Control is power in this world.
Brooklyn’s record photo is a scary sight. Limp, unwashed hair and hollow cheeks frame her dead eyes. Even worse than when she came back from solitary. It’s backdated by ten months, from her first admission to Clearview. I scroll down, trying to glean as much information as possible while stifling my guilt for invading her privacy.
Brooklyn West, 20, Female.
Presented in an acute phase of psychosis — schizophrenia and personality disorder. Assessment needed immediately, case assigned to R Zimmerman for triage.