Short Story.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to sit in a padded cell for weeks on end, being called a “low life physco” by most of your family? Well I, Charlie Puzzle, know it all too well. My padded cell was a load of shit. The only bit of company I ever get was my doctor trying to force my medication down my throat and the nurse, wanting to feed me. I don’t even belong here. It’s not like I was a mass murderer. I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just leave me alone.

I was waiting for my breakfast; I’d been up quite a bit, earlier than I was meant to get up. I’d been awake for an hour, maybe two. It was hard to keep track of time, we weren’t allowed clocks, and they were considered a safety hazard. That always made me chuckle. I wasn’t suicidal…

My doctor would be in first, then the nurse. They always stuck to the same routine; apparently people like me couldn’t handle change.

There was slight rapping at my door and I looked up. She just walked into my cell; I hated the way she always done that. One of the many things I “disliked” about her. She was an absolute bastard though. The way she smiled, it always made me wince.

I looked her up and down and could see her long dark frame, and her little face.

“Good morning Charlie!” She always seemed so happy, I couldn’t stand that. I just grunted in response and lay back down.

“How are you feeling?” I wasn’t going to answer her, I was determined not to.

I raised my head a little bit, and could see her green round eyes staring back at me. Her red hair looked wild; it must be windy outside… It had been months since I’d been outside. I had one thought flash through my head, freedom. I wanted to see a friendly smile of a stranger, hear a bark of a dog, or feel the air cut through my flesh. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed it, until now.

My fist grew into a ball at my side. It flew out in front of me, and made contact with flesh.

My eyes looked down and saw a poor defenceless woman lying on the floor in front on me.
What had I done?
What now, run?
Would I get caught?
What would happen to me?

I stepped around the figure that lay on the floor. I could actually be free. My hands started to sweat and my heart began to pound. I ran along the long, empty corridor until I reached the top of the stair case. My legs were moving so fast underneath me. So this was the effect of adrenaline… Every step was a step closer to my freedom; I prayed to God I wouldn’t fuck it up.

I knew people would be wandering around, whether they were allowed to or not. I looked around me, and I could feel the blood draining out of my face and sweat beads were forming on my forehead.

The only thing I could see was a cleaning closet and the big French doors I’d have to go through to get to the main building. I’d have to think of something quickly because there was a nurse coming towards me. Somebody might have found the doctor by now… I crept into the cleaning closet. It was the best option I had. I felt around for the light switch. There had to be one, somewhere. My breathing became heavy and out of time. For fuck sake, where is it? I wrapped my hand around a cord and yanked it. There was light!

My eyes flickered around for something, anything, which would make me fit in. Was there anything? Then I found it, and old cleaning overall. I ranked it off its hanger and threw the hanger sliding across the floor. I put the overalls on the floor and pulled my white top off and pants. I slid into the tee green pants and t-shirt. It was a bit big, but what did it matter, I’d be free in a matter of minutes…

I peered around the door to check nobody was there. With quite and quick footsteps, I slid through the French doors. The wind tore through my skin. It felt like fucking heaven.

I kept my eyes down, the last thing I wanted to do was to make eye contact. It would be so much easier if I was invisible!

It must have taken me a few minutes to get to the main building, but it felt like hours. My body lead me through there. It was so different to the way I remember it. Everything was just one colour in there, white. Apparently it made ‘people like me’ less angry and restless.

I was so happy when I made it. I was out on the street, something I’d wanted for a long, long time now. It was a whole world away from what was in there. My legs started running beneath me. I kept running until I got to a place that was all but too familiar…

The pier hadn’t changed much since I’d… been away. I hate this place, more than anything, or anyone. But probably nobody would come looking for me, it would be too obvious. The doctor’s face flashed into my mind, she was bound to have a broken nose, at least. I wanted to know if she was okay. Why would I…? That’s the bit I was confused about; I’d hated her for so fucking long. She was such a whore.

Then Casper’s voice came to my mind. The soft texture of it and the way he was always so calm. It amazed me how he could do that, how he could be so calm and try to get me to do the worst/craziest things. I hadn’t heard him in so long though. It was the medication, apparently its ‘good progress’ that I don’t hear him anymore. But it didn’t matter what I want, I misses him, he kept me company. He knew me better than anyone. He was fake, they told me. He didn’t exist.

I strolled down the pier and perched on the edge of a bench. The world passed me by, minute by minute. The air passes through my hair and everything seemed perfect. It was so relaxed, so different to what I was used to.

About an hour went past, but not a lot of people. That was the beauty of it. A bird flew over my head; I followed it with my eyes. It ended up at the side of me, so I turned my body to look at it. A smile crept to my lips. All of a sudden, it flew away. My hands slid into my pockets and I went to turn around. It was her… Why did she always have to know where I was? Stupid fucker, she didn’t care about me, nobody did.

I stood up and started running. Her footsteps were heavy behind mine. I wanted to know how far behind she was, but I couldn’t turn around to see her face, I wouldn’t.

I stopped. This awful, strange thing had happened to me. Why now? I walked on, not believing me eyes. How could he be here?! I couldn’t believe it was him staring back at me. I got to the edge of the pier and lent over. I was sure it was him, more sure of it than anything in my life. But it had to be my mind playing tricks on me. I could see his brown eyes, his stubby little nose and his full lips staring back at me. How could he look so real?

It was my brother, the one I’d killed. I know he was dead; I’d been the one who’d driven the blade into the pit of his stomach. I’d been the one who’d felt his last ever breath on my cheek. He was dead, I couldn’t be seeing him, and I knew that.

“Hi, Charlie.” He whispered.
I stepped back, blinking.