Deadly Institution

by Holly Copella

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move from the next aisle. Before she could turn, a hand slipped over her mouth from behind. She was forcibly pulled backward and against her assailant. Kate clutched the latex-gloved hand over her mouth and attempted to scream while thrashing with her body. She dug her fingernails into the latex glove, as her head was held immobile against her assailant. She saw the scalpel appear before her face. She again attempted to scream. The scalpel pierced her neck and slashed across her throat. The scalpel was sharp and the cut so quick, she was bleeding profusely before she even felt the pain. As the blood spilled from the gaping wound on her neck, she began to sink. Her assailant swiftly released her, allowing her to collapse to the floor.

  Chapter Two

  Dr. Talbert’s office was located on the second floor of the east wing in Stony Ridge Institution. It was rather lavish compared with the rest of the facility. After all, he was in charge. An elegant, carved desk was proudly displayed toward the back of the large office near the wall of glass overlooking the front grounds. Lights from the quiet town could be seen in the distance. One wall was lined with bookcases displaying every medical book imaginable, while the opposing wall proudly displayed framed degrees. It would appear Dr. Talbert was a very intelligent man. In the middle of the opposing wall was a small fireplace, which added that extra touch of elegance. Dr. Talbert, a distinguished man in his late thirties, poked at the embers in the fireplace then straightened and replaced the poker to the rack. He looked around his office with a deep sigh then glanced at his watch. He scratched his slightly gray hair then approached the large, antique desk. The desk was mostly in order except for several files lying scattered about the top. He sorted through the files, stacked them neatly, and then picked up the vacation request paper near the desk calendar. He stared at Kate Asher’s name and appeared deep in thought. Talbert picked up the desk phone and dialed an in-house number. He straightened and stared at the framed degrees on the wall alongside the fireplace. Someone answered the phone on the other end. He appeared surprised by the voice.

  “Hello? Roseanne? I didn’t know you were in already. Is Kate there? I’d like to speak to her please.” There was silence as Roseanne responded. “Oh, yes, of course.” He sighed and set down the paper on his desk as the woman continued to talk. “No, don’t bother paging her. Just ask her to give me a call when she returns.” He then laughed softly at something she said. “Yes, Roseanne, it’s about her vacation request. Just give her the message, okay?” He hung up the phone and smiled with a look of relief.

  †

  11:50 P.M.

  Jameson walked along the first floor of the east wing swinging his large, baton flashlight and whistling a lively tune. He shined the light into each locked room through the small slide windows as he passed. He finally approached the file room at the end of the corridor and noted that the lights were still on. He appeared amused while smiling slyly.

  “Ready when you are, Mrs. Asher,” he chirped and reached for the doorknob. It didn’t open. He removed his keys with a gentle shake of his head. “Of course it’s locked,” he muttered lowly. Jameson unlocked the door, stepped inside, and looked around. “Mrs. Asher?”

  There was a long, bloody streak along the floor that led down the first aisle of shelves. A bloody scalpel lie on the floor at the opening of the nearby aisle. Jameson’s eyes widened with a look of horror. He uncertainly looked around, appeared apprehensive about entering the file room, and then cautiously took several steps toward the aisle containing the blood.

  “Mrs. Asher?” he gasped softly and clutched his flashlight in a deadly fashion.

  He uncertainly peered down the aisle and saw a redheaded woman in a nurse’s uniform lying in a bloody heap on the floor. There was blood surrounding her lifeless body and covering her white nurse’s dress. A blood-soaked, white mound lie suspiciously just before her body.

  “Oh, my God,” he gasped then looked nervously around the narrow aisles.

  He set his flashlight down on a nearby shelf and quickly drew his nightstick. He hurried for the dead woman then stopped and stared at the blood-soaked straitjacket. The fear was evident in his eyes. Jameson carefully stepped over the dead nurse to reach the phone on the wall. There was a metallic scraping sound behind him. As he spun around with a startled gasp, he was struck on the head with his baton flashlight. Jameson staggered a moment, unable to focus. His nightstick dropped to the floor as he fell against a filing cabinet with a dull, metallic crack. He leaned heavily on the filing cabinet and looked down the aisle. His attacker was gone! The file room door was heard as it slammed shut. Jameson pulled himself along the filing cabinet as blood streaked his face and fell against the wall near the mounted phone. He fumbled with the phone in his trembling hand.

  †

  Dr. Talbert sat reclined in his large, leather chair with his hands folded peacefully across this abdomen. His head rested against the back of the chair and his eyes were closed. His faint snores were barely heard. The ringing phone abruptly woke him from his nap. He leaned forward with a soft groan, glanced at his watch, and picked up the ringing phone on his desk.

  “Dr. Talbert here,” he announced in a weary tone. There was a loud chirp from the other end. Talbert held the phone away for a second then abruptly sat up straight in his chair. “Damn it, boy, call a security alert!” Talbert launched back. “The wing must be sealed. He can’t be allowed to escape!”

  Dr. Talbert slammed down the phone, appeared alarmed, and ran his fingers through his thinning hair.

  “This can’t be happening,” he said under his breath.

  He looked at the phone and was about to pick it up when he heard the dull sound of bare feet running in the corridor outside his office. Dr. Talbert looked at his office door with wide eyes then opened his right hand desk drawer and removed an old revolver. Talbert stood and cautiously approached the office door and paused when he heard another door open. He cautiously opened the door and peered into the second floor hallway. The fire door to the stairway closed at the end of the hall. Dr. Talbert clutched his gun and hurried along the corridor.

  “Security to the east wing first floor, stat,” came Jameson’s voice over the intercom system.

  Dr. Talbert paused near the fire door. He was about to open it when smoke lingered into the hallway from behind him. He quickly turned and looked around the hallway. Smoke billowed from the nearby linen closet. He hurried for the closet door and threw it open. Flames engulfed the entire closet. Smoke now poured into the hallway. Dr. Talbert ran across the hall and pulled the fire alarm. Nothing happened. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

  “God, no,” he gasped then looked to the ceiling at the sprinklers. “Damn it, turn on!”

  Nothing happened. Dr. Talbert attempted to close the closet door, but it was too late. The flames were already at the doorway. He shoved the gun down the back of his pants and ran along the hall.

  †

  11:55 P.M.

  Roseanne walked along the second floor hallway and headed toward the lounge while carrying two cups of coffee. She glanced at the ceiling and appeared curious by Jameson’s intercom page. It was more his tone then the page itself.

  “Security?” she questioned with a dreary sigh. “Wonder who flipped out this time?”

  It wasn’t uncommon for security to intervene with a typically docile patient. Their actions were often erratic and to be expected. Roseanne entered the lounge with the coffee and her sweet, innocent smile returned. As she looked around, she saw that the lounge was empty. On the coffee table alongside a magazine lie a pack of cigarettes.

  “Asher?” she questioned and looked around with apparent confusion.

  Jameson’s voice once more came over the intercom, this time with the sound of panic. “Code red, east wing, first and second floor.”

  Roseanne suddenly looked up at the intercom in the ceiling, gasped with alarm, and threw both cups of coffee to the floor. She ran for the nearest fire e
xtinguisher.

  †

  12:05 P.M.

  Asher ran along the corridor on the first floor as smoke filtered throughout the halls. Several guards and nurses hurried into rooms and evacuated the patients. Some wore straitjackets while others didn’t require them. Several patients broke free in the chaos and ran amuck through the halls. One patient plowed into Asher and threw him against a nearby wall. Asher regained his balance and now coughed from the thick smoke.

  “Katie! Katie,” he called out while looking at each nurse he passed.

  “Where’s the fire department,” one of the nurses could be heard screaming hysterically as she battled with one of the unruly patients in a straitjacket.

  The patient slammed her into the wall with his shoulder, causing her head to strike the wall and knocking her to her knees. The patient ran back the way they had come, straight into the smoke. She clutched the wall for support and remained dazed a moment. Asher ran to her side and helped her to her feet. She had a freely bleeding cut on her forehead from where she’d struck the wall. Her eyes met his for a brief moment.

  “Oh, my God, Asher,” she suddenly gasped with panic in her eyes. “They’re all going to die! Where’s the fire department? The alarm never sounded. The entire wing is on fire!”

  “Where’s Katie?” he demanded to know while clutching her shoulders. “Have you seen her?”

  She slowly shook her head while dabbing the blood. She chattered softly in near hysterics. The flames were now visible just twenty feet up the hall. The screams of patients echoed throughout the floor. Asher turned toward the frightened, babbling nurse and gave her a firm shake.

  “Listen to me,” he said firmly and attempted to jolt her back into reality. “Get out of the building. Direct the fire department to this area. Do you hear me?”

  She uncertainly nodded. “Yes,” she said more firmly. “I’ll get them at once.”

  The nurse unsteadily ran along the corridor for the exit. Asher continued to cough. He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it over his nose and mouth. He hurried deeper into the smoke-filled hallway. Dr. Talbert assisted a panic-stricken patient, who cried out profanities. His eyes met Asher’s concerned gaze only briefly.

  “It’s gone,” he cried out while shaking his head. “No more can be saved. Save yourself!”

  “Where’s Katie?” Asher shouted out with more determination. “Did she get out?”

  Dr. Talbert stopped and stared at him with a blank expression on his face. The patient pulled away and ran down the hallway for the exit. Dr. Talbert jerked and watched the patient a moment. He looked back at Asher with the same blank expression.

  “Oh, Asher,” he gasped softly. “One of the patients--”

  Asher suddenly grabbed Dr. Talbert by the shirt with such force and vigor; he nearly pulled him off his feet. “Where is she?”

  Dr. Talbert’s eyes were wide with horror. He pointed down the hall just before the fire itself. “The archives.”

  Asher released him and charged down the hallway. He skidded to a stop just before the door, held his handkerchief to his mouth, and bolted inside. Flames were now seizing boxes of old documents at a tremendous rate and the smoke was so thick, he could barely see. Asher looked at the floor to his left and saw the blood. His look was horrified. He quickly followed the blood and looked down the first aisle. For a moment, he stood paralyzed and stared at the blood surrounding the redheaded nurse. He dropped his handkerchief, took two slow steps toward the dead woman, and then sank to his knees alongside her. Asher began to sob uncontrollably as he slowly touched her shoulder. He gently rolled her over and stared at the familiar face void of life. The large, gaping slit across her throat glared back at him as blood saturated her white uniform. She appeared to stare back at him, but there was no life in her eyes. There was an odd symbol carved into her neck just below the deep gash. Asher sobbed as he pulled her into his arms and cradled her face to his chest. He brushed his cheek to her red hair and stared at the burning filing cabinets while gently rocking Katie in his arms. He kissed the top of her head.

  “I won’t leave you, my darling,” he said softly while watching the flames. “Without you, I have nothing.”

  †

  12:20 P.M.

  Fire trucks surrounded the entire east wing of the institution as smoke and flames billowed from the windows. Firemen raced around the chaotic exterior of the building as the few nurses and guards attempted to gather the roaming patients in their hospital gowns and, in some cases, straitjackets. Several townspeople began to gather on the institution grounds just beyond the small cemetery and stared at the burning building with horror. An expensive black car pulled up to the fire trucks and a man in his early forties stepped out. He paused and watched the building burn as his mouth hung open. He was rendered speechless. Howard Norad, the hospital administrator, looked toward the main door of the institution as Dr. Talbert and Roseanne emerged from the building. He ran from his car and hurried toward them. Roseanne coughed uncontrollably and sat on the grass while Dr. Talbert aided her, now kneeling alongside her.

  “What happened?” Howard demanded to know as he stared down at them on the grass with the look of shock still present on his face.

  Dr. Talbert looked up at the administrator and slowly shook his head. “It was one of the patients. He somehow escaped his room and set fire to the linen closets on all three floors.”

  “The fire alarms?” Howard demanded. “What about the sprinklers? They couldn’t contain it better than this?”

  Dr. Talbert was silent a moment. He inhaled deeply and slowly stood, looking Howard directly in the eyes. “They didn’t work,” he said, hesitated, and then spoke softly. “It’s almost as if they were disconnected.”

  “The patient?” Howard demanded.

  Talbert shook his head. “I don’t know. He could have done it, I suppose.”

  Howard looked back at the burning east wing. “The patients?” he announced, looked around the yard, and then back at the young doctor. “This can’t be all of them.”

  “There was no warning--limited staff,” Dr. Talbert replied softly with remorse. “We rescued the ones we could and suffered many staff casualties.”

  Howard’s eyes were wide with horror. “How many didn’t get out?”

  “Twenty, maybe thirty,” Dr. Talbert said sadly. “It’s hard to say.”

  Howard held his head in his hands and groaned softly. The loss of the building was one thing, but the loss of lives would be devastating.

  “Mick!” came a frantic female voice. “Mick!”

  Howard turned to the voice and came face-to-face with a conservative looking woman in her late twenties, Jill Sutten. Jill’s eyes were wide with the same look of horror.

  “Where’s my brother?” she demanded to know.

  Howard looked at Dr. Talbert with question in his eyes. Talbert frowned and slowly shook his head. Howard shut his eyes and held his breath. Jill began to scream hysterically and called out her brother’s name while running toward the burning building. One of the firemen seized her. She fought against him while reaching for the building.

  “Mick!”

  Jameson ran across the grounds and approached Dr. Talbert and Howard. “Mr. Norad,” he gasped while out of breath. “We have a serious problem.”

  Howard looked at the burning institution then back at the young guard. “I know,” he replied coldly. “Round up the patients before they find their way off the property.”

  “That’s the problem,” Jameson replied with a look of concern on his face.

  Howard grabbed Jameson by the arm and pulled him away from Dr. Talbert and Roseanne. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you trying to tell me one of the patients may have escaped?” he demanded to know.

  “Not just any patient,” Jameson said softly. “It was Hal Burgess.”

  Howard’s brows knitted as the expression drained from his face. “Are you sure he’s not around or still inside the building?”


  “No, he attacked Tim at the gate. Nearly broke his neck. He was wearing a green scrub suit and a lab coat.” Jameson stared at Howard with a look of deep concern. “There was blood on the lab coat.”

  Howard rolled his eyes shut. “God help us.” He looked back at Jameson. “Alert the police at once.”

  Chapter Three

  1:00 A.M.

  The McMurray farm was nestled on a large parcel of land with sprawling pastures lined with wooden fencing. A large, black and white pinto pony grazed lazily in the pasture not far from the newer, two-story barn. The farmhouse was a much older, remodeled two-story home with an elegant wraparound porch and stereotypical rocking chairs on it. The night seemed peaceful so far from the bustle of town and the frightening scene at the infamous institution. The plump pony suddenly lifted its head and watched something. It snorted and pranced around excitedly at what it saw. Twelve-year-old Jacey McMurray looked out of her second story bedroom window as her pony neighed from the fence near the barn. Something had the pony upset. Jacey jumped from her bed in her colorful pajamas and ran to her mother’s bedroom next door. She entered without knocking. A man and woman jumped apart with surprise to the interruption. Her mother clutched the sheets to her naked body and forced a tiny smile while touching her flushed cheeks.

  “Told you to lock the door,” came a male murmur from beneath the covers.

  “Jacey,” her mother said while gently clearing her throat. “Were you having another nightmare?”

  “No,” she replied quickly. “Patches is running around the fence. There could be a wild animal out there.” Her eyes were suddenly wide. “Maybe a wolf.”