Head Case

by Kendra Moreno

  “What’s going on?” Mitzy asks, her voice shaking. I hadn’t meant to scare her; I’m just pissed at the audacity of the bitch in the white coat.

  “Yoon is threatening to kick me out of Whisperwood and send me to a prison facility if I don’t stop seeing Crane.” I shake my head, grabbing the deck of cards from the middle of the table. I begin shuffling them to calm my nerves while Mitzy thinks over what I just told her.

  “Do you think he’s really going to kill everyone here, like he’s been saying?” She looks around the room, as if making her own kill list.

  With a sigh, I begin dealing the cards between myself and Mitzy. Rummy will calm my nerves. “I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “But if he does, I know exactly who I’d have him start with.”

  I look over her shoulder at the orderly who I’d love to see die first, and slowly. His leering smile shoots ice into my veins, and I return to the cards I’m dealing. Yeah, if Crane snaps and kills everyone, he should definitely start with that cunt.

  Chapter 19

  Crane

  We’ve been instructed that tomorrow, we’d be allowed to eat cupcakes to celebrate Halloween. I try my best not to let that get to me, the thought of “we’re giving you something everyone should be allowed to have but you aren’t normal, so you have to love us and behave” gets to me so badly, I know I won’t be able to eat anything they give us. It wouldn’t do me any good to starve myself, but the audacity, the treatment of everyone in this facility as if we’re all worthless, that makes me want to murder, to let H take over like he wants to.

  I want to see their heads roll.

  With only a day to Halloween, and H’s promises of growing power, I’m starting to feel less in control of my own body, but it doesn’t scare me like it should. The waking visions are so strong, I’m not even sure what’s real and what’s fake anymore. The blood splatter on the wall? It could be real. If I swipe my finger through it to check, it’ll just appear on my fingers, as if it’s truly there. I’ve been called out more than once for staring at my hands far too long, trying to discern if the crimson is there or not. Now, when I walk past other people, patients and orderlies, I don’t even flinch if their heads suddenly fall off. I refuse to think it’s real, because no one panics. I’m not sure what it says about me anymore that they don’t bother me. Sometimes, I’ll develop a shake, a tremble in my fingers. That’s the most reaction the visions can get out of me, now. That and the anger. Anger never leaves; a savagery sings in my veins as if demanding I act.

  But it is not time yet, H purrs. Almost, Crane. Almost.

  I don’t know whether I should believe his promises, but I’m starting to. I can’t ignore the slow buildup in my body, this feeling of catastrophe starting to work its way forward. Whatever is going to happen tomorrow, it’s going to be big, even if it’s not quite at the level H claims.

  My head twitches as my hand reaches up to trail along the walls out of my control. H has been doing that more lately. Sometimes, I feel like I’m in the back seat of a car careening out of control, but it’s never painful. I get the feeling that H respects me, far more than any sort of parasite or violent creature should. Whatever H is, he’s still human enough to care, to love, to yearn. Maybe that’s why I’m not afraid as my arm follows someone else’s directions. Maybe that’s why I no longer question exactly what’s happening. Go with the flow, right?

  Today is supposed to be another one of those horrible group therapies. I don’t have the patience for them right now, and I’ve already missed breakfast delaying the inevitable. I hope Kenzie isn’t worried about me. I’d hate to have caused her any stress. I can’t get enough of her, but I try my best not to overwhelm her. I’m not just a man, not anymore. I’m something else entirely thanks to H. I just don’t know what that is yet.

  When I walk into the common room, the tables are already pushed against the walls, the chairs spread out in a circle. Some patients are already there, slouched in their chairs. My eyes scan past them all until I find the one I’m looking for. Kenzie sits perched on the plastic seat, her posture saying she’s relaxed, but her eyes anything but. Those are trained on me, emotions swirling in her eyes, anger dancing there, but I’m not sure if it’s directed at me or not. Mitzy sits beside her, sitting cross-legged on her own chair. Her eyes are clear today, meeting mine with both concern and hope. Whatever Mitzy’s spies are telling her, perhaps, they’re asking her to trust me. I hope it’s not ill-placed.

  I make my way across the room and take a seat right next to Kenzie, my eyes locked on hers the entire time.

  “Where’ve you been, FG?” she asks, her fingers clenching and unclenching against her pants.

  “It’s been a weird morning.” I look away for a moment, lowering my voice. “I don’t know if there’s any separation anymore between H and I.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Kenzie asks, tugging on my pants and drawing my eyes.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You’re worried you’ll lose yourself,” she whispers, understanding immediately.

  I am not here to take over.

  “What if I already have?”

  “If you’d already disappeared, you wouldn’t be worried about it,” Kenzie points out. “I don’t think H is interested in locking you inside your own mind. It seems to me, from what I’ve seen, that y’all are going to end up equals, even if it sometimes feels like you have no control. He’s in your head, FG. If he wanted to hurt you, there are so many ways to do that.”

  I nod. “You’re right.”

  Of course, she is. Our Poppet is clever.

  “I have something to tell you,” Kenzie starts, but just as she tries to speak, Dr. Yoon strides into the room.

  Yoon’s eyes go right to us, analyzing our closeness. I stiffen, sensing something is wrong. Whatever Kenzie had been about to say, it deals with the Doctor. Kenzie clamps her lips shut as the room grows quiet, and Yoon takes a seat.

  “Welcome, everyone, to another group session. I hope everyone is enjoying the Halloween decorations.”

  A few murmurs answer her, most happy enough, although a few comments on the skeleton from the cafeteria break in. Normally, Yoon would glance around the circle at everyone’s answers, pretending like she cares, pretending we’re all just friends discussing the weather. Today, she’s apparently not okay with that bullshit because her eyes never leave Kenzie and me. My knee begins to shake in anxiousness.

  We should teach her a lesson. My fingers clench against the fabric of my pants involuntarily.

  “No,” I whisper, my head twitching as I fight the obvious pull H has on me. Now isn’t the time to act. It’s not even Halloween, I think in my head. We can’t.

  Yoon squints her eyes at me as someone starts to talk about how terrible the cafeteria food is. They’re insane, because the food has been great this week for once.

  All Hallows’ Eve, Crane, he corrects. And just because it is not time, does not mean we are powerless. I have let you ease into our merging gently, but it is time for everyone to fear us.

  “No.” I don’t realize how loud the word is until everyone in the circle stops and looks at me. My leg begins to shake harder, and a tremble starts in my fingers. “Sorry,” I mumble, and they start talking again.

  Kenzie glances over at me, her brows furrowed, studying me. “Are you okay?” Her voice is so soft, I doubt anyone else could have heard her.

  Barely, I shake my head once. I’m not okay, because something bad is about to happen. And I can’t just get up and walk out of here. That would draw too much attention.

  We are going to be fine, Crane, H reassures me, but it doesn’t work. As he speaks, blood begins to creep along the floor again, heading right for me, staining everyone’s standard-issue white shoes crimson. My shoulders tense, and I sit up straighter in my seat, glancing around to see if anyone else sees the vision. They never do. Not yet at least.

  “Crane.”

  I look up at Yoon, her lips pressed into a thin
line. “What?” I don’t have the patience for manners today, not when blood begins to drip down the walls.

  There is always time for manners.

  Around us, the orderlies tense, too, as if they can sense the growing storm. My head twitches again.

  “Tell me how your time has been at Whisperwood.”

  “I don’t have the capacity to deal with this today,” I grit out, my teeth clenched. Everything begins to tense, my muscles straining beneath my skin.

  “This isn’t an interrogation.” Yoon doesn’t blink, as if that’ll help. I want to tell her blinking doesn’t really matter when everyone’s insane, but the words won’t come.

  “Isn’t it?” I narrow my eyes, my shoulders so tense, the bones begin to pop from the tension. “Why don’t you ask me what you really want to, doctor?”

  Kenzie tenses just as hard next to me, her eyes glancing between us. I can tell she wants to reach out, but she restrains herself for now, waiting to see how it all plays out.

  Yoon studies us both, the clipboard and pen on her knee forgotten, as she looks for answers, for weaknesses. She won’t find any. H chased away any weaknesses I might have had, and Kenzie is as strong as anyone I’ve ever seen. Our only weaknesses are each other, but I think it’s a strength, instead. Yoon can try to get between us, but she won’t succeed.

  Yes, H purrs. Accept it, Crane. Accept us.

  “I already have,” I mumble, and my tension disappears, my body going completely relaxed as if all the answers to my troubles were answered. Well, now, that’s a fun thought. My body may be relaxed now, but my mind is a massive spinning ball of emotion. I’m angry, cold, calculated—I glance at Kenzie—loved.

  “Alright then,” Yoon says, crossing her arms. Someone should tell her it’s a defensive mechanism and not a power pose. “Are you and Mackenzie having relations?”

  I tilt my head to the side, and I can feel the unnatural pose, as if I’m more animal than man. My breaths come hard but not frantic. And I don’t tense as blood begins to splatter those around the circle, as heads begin to roll around, as everyone is so easily dead, but not. But the waking visions no longer touch two people in the room. Kenzie sits spotless beside me, the blood even going so far as to trail around her shoes.

  She is protected.

  Mitzy is untouched as well, staring around with wide eyes as if she sees the blood, but that’s impossible. These are my visions. Someone else can’t see them. Mitzy glances over at me, fear dancing in her gaze, but that’s not the only emotion. Excitement swirls in her dark eyes. Mitzy, it seems, is just as blood thirsty as Kenzie.

  Let me take the reins, Crane.

  I don’t hesitate. I don’t resist. I nod my head once, and power, like a live wire travels through my body, energizing my bones, and I roll my shoulders with it.

  “Crane?” Kenzie whispers.

  I grin. “Hello, Poppet.”

  Her breath whistles through her teeth. “H.”

  I turn my attention back to the doctor, still watching us, waiting for my answer. As blood begins to fill the room, pouring down the walls, I revel in it. Why had I resisted this feeling for so long?

  Mitzy squeaks and pulls her legs up higher on the chair, staring at the blood in awe and horror. “Do not worry, little mouse,” I speak, my voice full of gravel. “The blood will not touch you.”

  “Crane,” Yoon interrupts. “I asked if you and Mackenzie are having relations.”

  I turn my attention to her, a smile on my face. “Would it matter if we are, Doctor?” I can tell the tone of my voice, of H’s voice, makes her uneasy. Until this moment, Yoon hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting H face-to-face. She shifts in her seat and tightens her arms across her middle. The orderlies shift against the wall. When I look over at them, I realize there’s one other person unaffected by my vision.

  “I suggest we calm the tension,” Danny advises, taking a step forward, but Yoon shakes her head.

  “Yes, Crane. It would matter. Because relationships within these walls are forbidden.”

  “Lock the crazy people away and throw away the key,” I purr. “Pretend you want them to feel normal but tell them they cannot have the basic human necessities, such as love and comfort. How is that productive?”

  “Everything we do is for a reason.”

  “Is that so?” I run my tongue along my teeth before clicking my tongue. “Come now, doctor. You know that is not true.”

  “Are you and Mackenzie having relations?” she asks again.

  “Are you asking if we fucked in the supply closet yesterday?” I ask with a grin. Kenzie gasps, her fingers going to my knee and clenching in warning. “Are you asking if I taste her whenever I want to, if I make her scream against my lips, around my fingers, around my cock?”

  “That’s enough,” Yoon growls, standing up. “If you’re admitting to breaking the rules, I’ll have to send Mackenzie away. Is that what you want?”

  “Remove your hand from the patient,” someone snarls behind us.

  I turn, already knowing who it is. Vic stands there, his fists clenched tight, his eyes on Kenzie’s hand against my leg. Any anger I had at Yoon for daring to threaten us switches targets and lands on the asshole. The power that’s been building inside my body snaps and blasts from my skin, sending massive vibrations through the room, hitting each and every person inside. The bulbs above our heads explode as I stand. Kenzie and Mitzy cover their heads with a shriek. Danny jerks backward, his eyes wide. But everyone else, they don’t move. Not yet. Not until I’ve commanded them to.

  I reach over and curl my fingers against Kenzie’s hip, pulling her into my side, looking down at her fondly. “We begin,” I purr. “It is time to leave this hell behind, Poppet.”

  “What?” Kenzie stares up at me with wide eyes. “Crane . . . H . . . you’re on fire.”

  I look down at my body to see brilliant-green flames dancing along my pants, and up my skin. “Well, look at that.”

  Mitzy stares with open-mouthed shock at what’s happening, and I wink at her as all hell breaks loose.

  All the Orderlies except Danny lunge toward the other patients who turn into the feral creatures the doctor wants them to be. They start attacking, biting, screaming, and the orderlies let their viciousness take over, using any force necessary. Yoon stumbles backward, a victim of my power but helpless to do anything else but defend herself. She’s not a fighter. She’s a coward.

  As everyone attacks each other, as Danny starts yelling to break it up, to attempt and fail to calm everything down, I hold Kenzie close against my side and watch with glee as most of the patients turn their focus on Vic.

  “Demon,” Mitzy whispers, but it’s not in fear. Mitzy learned long ago to play nice with her demons, to dance with them rather than fight them. There’s awe in her voice, not fear.

  “What do you say, Poppet?” I ask Kenzie. “Am I a demon?”

  “Maybe,” she says, the sides of her eyes crinkling. “But I’ve long since accepted I’m going to hell. You don’t scare me, H.”

  We stand there, in the midst of hell, within the green flames that could be a trick of the light, surrounded by war, and smile.

  Chapter 20

  Kenzie

  Bending to pick up the DVDs, I glance around at the mess left behind from the chaos. Everyone had just . . . exploded. I look up at the flickering lights in the common room with a snort. Just like the lights had exploded. It was as if everyone was feeding off whatever energy was coming from Crane. Then he’d burst into flames. Green flames. If that isn’t some demonic shit, then—

  “No,” I whisper to myself. “You’re not crazy. People do not just spontaneously burst into flames in the real world, Kenzie.” I shake my head, sliding one of the movies into its place. The orderlies kept the movies alphabetized, so the residents with OCD tendencies weren’t upset by it.

  Then again, maybe I wasn’t hallucinating. Crane seemed to see whatever I was seeing. Whatever I thought I saw. I pinch the bridge of m
y nose.

  “How’s clean up going, kid?” Danny asks from the edge of the room with a broom in his hand. I look to him with a shrug of my shoulders. It’s clean up duty, what does he expect me to say?

  “Is Crane alright?”

  “Yeah, the director just wanted to speak to him. Vic kept saying Crane incited our mini riot—” Danny shakes his head, sweeping the pieces of a broken table into an overturned trash can. “He kind of did, didn’t he?”

  Biting my lip, I scoop up the rest of the DVDs and turn back to my task. “Maybe.”

  “But you still feel safe.” The sound of Danny’s sifting through the downed Halloween decorations has been like background music while I work. When he stops, the silence is telling. I know he’s watching me, waiting for my answer.

  “I do,” I answer firmly. I slip the last two movies into their places and move on to tidying up the books that got strewn around the reading section. Lots of people are going to be on lockdown for this. Vic took a beating, Yoon looked terrified, the residents had either been terrified or raging . . . it was insane. I swallow hard, thinking back to the way Crane looked at me, that green fire sparking across his body. He’d never been sexier than he was right then.

  A shiver races across my spine as I try to force a book closed; the pages are crumpled beyond repair, but still I try to close it. Finally I manage to wedge the book back into its place on the shelf. Snug in the little cubby, maybe the pages will flatten back out from the pressure.

  “What are you doing?” Crane whispers by my ear. I jump, turning around at the same time as his arms come around me.

  “Oh, my God!” I gasp, laughing against his chest. He kisses the top of my head, and we both look around at what’s left of the mess.

  “What did the director say?” I step back from him, catching Danny’s eye as he makes his way out of the room, pushing the full trash can. He says nothing, but the look on his face is telling. He’s giving us space to talk.