Nightmare

It only took Matt about a split second to realize where he should look first, and within minutes he was back in Dr. Baker’s office. It wasn’t surprising when the doctor was absent. The door left ajar and the papers on the floor suggested he had left in a rush, which only made Matt’s heart sink a little more.

“So fucking stupid...” he muttered as he made his way back towards the reception area. If anyone would know where they had gone, it would be Val. Or Johnny...but God knew where he was by now. “I should’ve known this would happen...”

You should have. You should have went and gotten Brian first. Who knows what’s happened now... the voice was back again, chastising him for his carelessness.

“I was gone ten minutes, tops.” Matt mumbled, picking up his pace slightly. Anywhere else, and he would have been receiving some very strange looks for talking to himself out loud. As it was, it was really nothing out of the ordinary to see at a mental hospital.

A lot can happen in ten minutes...

Matt pushed open the door to the reception area, to see Val waiting for him by the hospital entrance. He ran over to her, and cut her off when she opened her mouth to speak. “Something’s wrong, I fucked up. Where would the doctor have taken Brian?”

“Oh...well, the basement, usually. I know where it is, but I’ve never actually been down there. Or the third floor.” Val was wringing her hands. “Matt, this isn’t good...”

“You fucking think so? How do I get downstairs? You go check the third floor, and do you have a cell? Call the cops. This is gonna end today.”

Val gave him hurried directions, and soon Matt found himself descending down a flight of stairs; a staircase which was really the last thing he had expected. The stairs were made of smooth, white marble, and the walls were painted a deep shade of red. The only reason Matt was confident he was going the right way was the drops of blood that had begun appearing again as he continued down.

At the bottom of the stairs was a hallway, with numerous closed doors lining both sides. Instead of the dirty, off-white doors from the hospital, these ones were painted a solid black, with polished golden handles. Matt followed the blood trail, taking deep breaths to try and calm his thumping heart. Years of military training and being in Iraq should have made me ready for anything...what the fuck is wrong with me?

I think you know exactly what’s different this time. The voice sounded smug, and Matt scowled. Finally approaching one of the doors, he was ready to break the thing down when he heard a voices from inside, and paused. One person was quietly crying, while the other seemed to be doing all the talking.

“It’s a pity he had to go and figure things out, isn’t it? Now I had to let him go.” It was clearly Zack’s voice, though he sounded a little hysterical. “First it was Jimmy, now Matt. Why do you insist on ruining everything for me? Every time I think I can find happiness with someone, you steal them away.”

There was a pause, then Brian’s hoarse reply. “I don’t -”

Matt flinched when he heard what was most likely a backhand across the face, while simultaneously grabbing the door handle. To his immense surprise, it turned easily and soundlessly.

“You don’t what? You don’t know how to keep your hands to yourself? I fucking know that, you disgusting whore. Which is why I think we’ll need to solve that problem, permanently.”

Matt swung the door open, and for the second time in about as many minutes, he wasn’t sure what to think about the room he now found himself in.

If anything, it seemed to be some sort of studio apartment. There was a small kitchen area on one side of the room, with a black dresser and matching four-poster bed on the other. A small, framed picture sat on the bedside table. Matt glanced at it quickly, seeing it was a man with black hair and blue eyes; someone he didn’t recognize. The occupants of the room were the focus of his attention anyway.

The doctor was standing over Brian, who was on his knees but leaning heavily against the bed. His right hand was handcuffed to one of the posts, while his mangled left was currently being gripped by Zack, none too gently. Dr. Baker was holding Brian’s arm out straight and upwards. In his other hand was a long, serrated knife, pressed against the outside of Brian’s wrist and already drawing blood.

And for the first time in his life, Matt had no fucking clue what to do.

Both of the other men had glanced over when the door opened, and Zack actually smiled. “Matthew! I didn’t expect you to find us so quickly. You must have gotten some help. You’ve always been fairly resourceful.”

Matt took a few slow steps into the room, so he was only a couple feet away from the actual lunatic and his victim. He was praying - another first - that Val had already called and that the police would be there soon. “What are you doing, Zack?”

When all else fails, keep the weapon-wielding murderer talking.

“He hasn’t learned. It’s been years, and Brian here still hasn’t learned to keep his filthy hands to himself. So, this is only a necessary amputation.” He pressed the knife into Brian’s arm with a little more force, earning a choked sob from the other man as blood began running freely down his arm.

“You don’t want to be doing that, man.” Matt said carefully, resisting the urge to step any closer. “The game’s up, you know? It’s all over.”

“What game?” Zack seemed genuinely confused, and Matt wondered how sane he actually was. “I told you, this is necessary.”

Brian hadn’t said a word, but he was giving Matt a pleading look that made him feel extremely guilty, and he had no idea why.

Because you should be helping him and not just standing there, you stupid fuck.

“C’mon Zack, you know he’s not worth the time. He’s not worth anyone’s time.” Matt switched tactics, and made a point of not glancing at Brian. Even if he was lying, he didn’t want to see the look on the other man's face.

The doctor grinned again. “Well, great! I’ll just finish up here then...” he moved the knife across Brian’s wrist, and it made a dull grinding sound as it dragged against bone.

Matt took another step forward, close enough so that he would be able to reach out and grab the doctor’s arm. “Really, Zack, don’t touch him again. Just let him go, I’ll stay here, and we’ll talk. Okay?”

“Talk about what?”

“Whatever you want.” Matt tried to say easily, seeing the blood run down Brian’s arm and drip onto the floor out of the corner of his eye. Taking a deep breath, he moved a little closer and swung an arm around Zack’s shoulders. “I mean, isn’t that what you want? Just us? I’m here by choice now, after all...”

Zack pursed his lips, staring at the knife in his hand intently for a moment. After what seemed like far longer than the few seconds it had actually been, he pulled it from Brian’s arm with minimal effort and tossed it aside. Letting go of Brian’s wrist, he nodded. “Alright, just let me get the key for the cuffs so he can go.” he turned and made his way across the small room, humming a cheerful tune as he opened one of the kitchen cupboards.

Matt stared after him in disbelief for a split second before pulling his uniform t-shirt over his head and dropping down beside Brian. He pressed the shirt against Brian’s arm and began whispering hurriedly. “Once you’re out go straight upstairs. Val should be back by now, and the cops are on their way, and -” he paused as he noticed Brian’s eyes widen slightly, and heard a sound that a member of the United States Army does not easily forget.

The sound of a gun’s safety being clicked off.