Twitch, Twitch, Step

       It was only at 2:36am that the feeling had finally returned to Joel’s limbs, and he had even managed to cut the restraints holding him down, using the knife he had hidden under the mattress just a day earlier. Twitch, twitch, step. Twitch, twitch, step. He was making his way to the door, careful not to make any noise. Twitch. Twitch, step. He was limping, his leg numb from his last attempt at escaping this prison. He was dragged back to his cell by two tall large powerful demons. Kicking and screaming, he begged them to let him go, and his leg got caught on the frame of the door. The room was small and dark. The only light coming in was from the dim hallway through the windows on the eastern wall. Joel dreaded those windows, the glass panes took away what little privacy the room provided, and did nothing to prevent him from catching a glimpse of the monsters, passing by every so often to haunt him. Even when they didn’t come for him, he could feel their glares, piercing through his skull. Twitch, twitch, step. He turned his head to look at the clock hanging on the wall, 2:57am. Contradictory to common knowledge, he knew the monsters came out less at night; the later and darker, the less likely he is to encounter one. He was almost there, and that night, he decided to use the windows to his advantage, looking out for any of the monsters roaming the hallway; it was empty. Twitch, twitch, step. Joel stood in front of the white door and took a deep breath, gripping the cold metal handle until his knuckles turned white. He shakily twisted the handle. Click. His eyes widened, realizing tonight he might finally escape. Opening the door, he peeked through the gap, the hall was still clear, so he took his first step and kept walking until the end of the hallway, where he stopped. Light was visible from around the corner, he recognized it as coming from the wraith’s room; he’s never seen the wraith, but her voice was something that had been carved into his memory. She always seemed to be talking to someone, but he never heard a second voice. He already made it to this point before, and knew he wouldn’t be caught if he crawled for then next twenty steps, so he did. Twitch, twitch, step. Twitch, twitch, step. As he got up from the floor, he heard the approaching voice of the one he had nicknamed ‘The Reaper.’ She could make him see death with a single touch. He hated her: her touch was painful and pierced through his skin as his body gave out until he could no longer move; if she saw him, it would all be over. With nowhere to hide, he could only press his back to the wall and hope she would keep walking straight and didn’t turn in his direction. She wasn’t alone; she was walking with the monster that haunted him the most, always asking him questions, trying to get him to talk, but Joel swore he would never speak. After they had passed he let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding, and then proceeded to turn another corner. ‘Just a little bit further’ he thought to himself, shutting his eyes as he passed through another hallway, surrounded by tortured voices; some screaming to be let out, others plagued by madness, telling him to stay. He was almost free. At the end of the next hallway he would turn right and then he would be standing at the door leading out of this nightmare. Twitch, twitch, step. He was walking faster now. Twitch, twitch, step. Twitch, twitch, step. Twitch, twitch, step. He had crossed half the remaining distance. Twitch, twitch, step. Twitch, twitch, step. He had never gotten this far, increasing his speed as he came closer and closer to the only barrier between that house of horrors and freedom. Twitch, twitch, step. That’s when Joel heard her, the wraith, her voice came from all around him, and echoed throughout the silent halls; “Attention all personnel, we are experiencing a code yellow, missing patient. I repeat, code yellow, missing patient.”

“Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston West Virginia.” Steve White Technology Thoughts and Ideas, Steve White, 18 Oct. 2010, www.spwhite.com/.