climb too high - part 2 (standard:drama, 2035 words) [2/4] show all parts
Author: snyrt	Added: Dec 27 2001	Views/Reads: 2940/2053	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
the second part of a bit of auto-fiction about a sociopath who takes a wrong turn into drugs after seeking treatment.

Part Two 

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"Henry.  Henry.  Wake up."  I open my eyes.  The light overwhelms me, so
I must keep my open eyes limited to slits.  I see Dr. Ericson standing 
over me.  "Henry.  Wake up." 

"Arguhg" I reply.  It is the only sound I can seem to make right now. 

"Henry?!  Are you okay?" shouts Dr. Ericson ecstatically.  He is
absolutely amazed that I'm alive. 

"Yes, I'm fine," I say in a tired voice.  I open my eyes the rest of the
way.  I look around the room.  I'm lying on a bed in a brightly lit 
room.  What's new?  But this isn't my bedroom.  This must be the 
infirmary.  I've never been here before.  Dr. Ericson is looking over 
me from my left, near my shoulder.  Victoria is down near my feet on my 
right with a worried look on her face.  Cruel Gruel is standing about 
five feet from the foot of my bed with a bowl in her hand, it must be 
gruel.  I lift my head off the table.  I see Sheila leaning against the 
side of the doorway with a half worried, half amused look on her face.  
She must find their overreactions quite funny. 

"I think he has food poisoning," says Victoria.  Cruel Gruel blows up. 
Her teeth clench, her eyes squint, and she lets out a horrible growl as 
her body tenses and she begins to shake with anger. 

"Food poisoning?  You think my gruel gave him food poisoning?  How dare
you!"  I see Cruel Gruel lift the heavy, plastic bowl over her head and 
launch it in the direction of Victoria.  I hear a crack, a smoosh, and 
a heavy thump. I sit up.  And swing my feet over the left side of the 
bed.  Everybody seems to be frozen in place.  The room is in utter 
silence.  Dr. Ericson is appalled.  Sheila seems to have lost her 
smirk.  She is horrified.  I look down past my legs.  I see a woman 
with the right side of her head bashed in.  Her eyes are closed 
tightly.  Her arms are sprawled to either side.  A pool of blood 
envelops her body.  Nobody says a word.  The only sound is the nearly 
silent drip of blood from Victoria's head.  Her gray hair is matted.  I 
remember all the times I've wished she would just die.  I imagined that 
I would look at her, and be glad that I would never have deal with her 
again.  I feel pity.  I feel sadness.  It's somewhat ironic that 
everyone was afraid that I was dead, and now Victoria is dead.  Cruel 
Gruel runs from the room in tears.  The realization that she has just 
taken the life of another human has destroyed her. 

"Sheila, please take Henry out of the room and tend to him outside.  I
will deal with this," says Dr. Ericson putting on a front of calmness.  
Sheila looks away from the body as she enters the room.  I scoot down 
the bed so as not to tread on the body, or on the puddle of crimson 
fluid.  As I slide off the bed I turn to Dr. Ericson. 

"See what happens when I come into contact with people?  That's why I
stay away from them.  I'm sorry about this."  I receive no response.  I 
stare at the floor as I shuffle from the room.  Sheila puts her arm 
around me and sobs on my shoulder.  "It'll be okay, Sheila.  Don't 
worry about a thing," I say. 

*	*	* 

Cruel Gruel got taken away yesterday.  She'll be charged with murder and
most likely get quite a bit of time in prison.  What will happen with 
our food?  I sit up in my bed, back in my own room.  I shuffle to my 
closet and put on the canvas suit.  I walk to the door.  I am more 
rested than usual.  I press the button to be released.  I hear the 
click of shoes coming down the hall.  A strange feeling runs up my 
spine.  I no longer wonder if Victoria is about to show up at my door.  
I no longer dread seeing her face.  You'd think that the place would 
seem friendlier now that we've gotten rid of two of the meanest people 
in the world, but it just feels eerie.  It's a bit too nice now.  Like 
some sort of crazy happy land, where people get to talk to bunnies and 
eat marshmallow pies while frolicking in a fountain spewing out 
chocolate milkshakes.  Actually, I bet there's at least one person in 
this place who's in that world right now.  Man, it'd be entertaining to 
be able to be in such a hallucinogenic state all day. 


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