We Feel Like Dead Ends

Jack sipped his can of Pepsi and stared out the scummy window of the fast food joint as Jenna and Soupy chatted. He wanted to pay attention to their conversation, he really did. But it was tough to listen to anything but the beating of his own heart as it yearned for Alex’s pulse alongside it. He longed to run down this road and into his best friends arms. Being so close to his other half gave him goose-bumps and made him shiver with anticipation.
Just down this road, He mused. (And over a barbed fence and through locked doors and past many trained security guards, but I mean, pretty fuckin’ close.) Just down this road. I’ll find him.
Hopefully, Alex missed Jack just as much as Jack missed him.
“I really don’t think it would be in your best interes-“
“And we don’t give a shit.” Jenna interrupted Dan sadly. Her voice could’ve been mistaken for as angry, but the look in her eyes showed how dejectedly she meant it to come out. “I’m sorry, mate, but this is important.”
Soupy sighed. He half regretted starting this talk with the kids; he should’ve learned that teenagers were bad news.
“I’m only trying to help. You’ve got to wait things out a bit.” And he meant it. Jenna grimaced and shook her head at him. She pushed her empty tray away from her and stood up.
“C’mon, Jack.” She lifted up her bag and swung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go.” She walk away without looking back. Jack turned his stare away from the window and looked at Soupy, smiling apologetically. Soupy’s expression was one of understanding.
“It’s okay, Jack.” He said quietly.
“Maybe it will be.” Jack replied, standing up and grabbing his bag.
“Jack…” Dan’s voice had a warning tone. “Please remember what I told y’all.”
“I will.” He muttered as he left.

The pair sat in the truck. Jenna had driven just out of the McDonald’s parking lot and instead stopped at the side of the road a bit further down the street. She pulled the keys out of the ignition and sighed. They thought for a minute.
“That guy had a point.” She finally said. “I hate to admit it, though.” Jack laughed a little under his breath.
“But we’re still going to do this.” Jenna said firmly.
Of course they were still going to do it. They had driven away from their homes and slept under the stars and listened to old, scratched CDs for a reason. And even if Dan had changed one of their minds, the other would not stand for it.
“…Yeah.” Jack said, his voice soft. “While you two were talking… I may sort of come up with a plan.” Jenna turned to face him and grinned.
“Spill.”

~*~

“You ready for this?” Jenna asked, walking with gentle feet.
Hell fucking yeah. He thought.
“Of course I am.” He replied as he crouched down.
They were at the borders of the institute. Jenna’s sources had been right; there was a tall barbed wire fence surrounding the large property. The truck was parked a 5 minute walk away. Jenna and Jack had trudged in past the security guardhouse, eyeing the cameras and slowing down to read the sign (it announced ‘South Baltimore Mental Rehabilitation Center: A Safe Environment For Recovery’, and then below in smaller print, hidden under scratches and graffiti, ‘Do Not Trespass’.) Jenna had giggled at that last part as they intended to do exactly what it warned against.
Past the guardhouse, the fence began.

The fence would be a problem. They could tell that from first glance. Twice as tall as either of them and topped with curls of spiked wires. The gate was obviously controlled by the guard in the guardhouse, and he had not seemed like the kind of guy to let two teenagers in. Jack pressed his hands up against the fence and stood as close as possible to the hospital as possible. He dug his feet into the dead winter grass at the edge of the metal wire, standing on his toes. Jenna sat cross-legged on the ground beside him and gazed intently into the property.
“Hey, Jack?” She said. Jack acknowledged her with a hum. “The grass in there is… alive.” Jack squinted. And it was true. Although it was the beginning of January, and everything was dead and crisp, the grass within the barrier was (not green, but…) soft. The blades rustled a little in the cool breeze, and Jack pulled his sweater around his shoulders as he shivered.
Surprised at the life in the grass, he looked closer.
They were right outside of a garden. Yes, a garden. There were skeletal trees with bony hands reaching towards the sky, dusted with frost. A twisted hedge wrapped itself around the edges of the yard, pressing up against the fence in some places, leaves that held on to the rough branches tightly poking through the gaps. A couple evergreen bushes were scattered around. The garden was quite big; the main field they were looking into branched out into pathways through vine-ridden trellises. And beyond all that, there was a white stone building.

Jack almost yelped in excitement.
“Jenna!” He exclaimed, rolling on his heels and nudging her with his elbow. “There it is. It’s in there.”
“Of course, Jacko.” She grinned back. The aussie moved up to the fence to join him, and hooked her fingers in the wire. “I just wonder… how is everything in there still alive?” She mused softly.
Jack didn’t care. Well, he did think it was a bit odd, but insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
“They probably just want to keep things nice so the patients aren’t surrounded by dead things.” He said.
“It’s amazing though.” She whispered.
“I guess.”
“It honestly is-“ Jenna halted. Her eyes widened and she turned her head slowly to look at Jack, who stared back, concerned. She gave a quick nod in the direction of the garden.
There’s someone there. She mouthed.