THREE - Episode 3

Short Story Tuesdays

Cross Creek was a madhouse more than Dr. Russell had ever seen it before. People trying to escape from every possible exit, the building illuminated with flashing lights from the police cars and fire trucks surrounding it to the dancing flames reaching out of some of its windows.

Naturally, authorities set up a perimeter, not that anyone was trying to get in, so Dr. Russell headed for a back entrance.

Through the smoke and frantic staff members that were just as distraught as the patients themselves Russell made his way down the corridors and towards Sam’s cell, one brave soul unlocking the doors of those locked away before worrying about his own well-being.

Russell’s heart sank when he found Sam’s door open, and nearly exploded when he found the room empty.

His cellphone rang.

“Sweetie, what’s going on? Are the kids-

“From the ears?! Ok, ok, try to calm down. The bleeding could be from something minor, like a perforated eardrum.

“You have to calm down…

“Yes, I’m here. I’m going to take care of it.

“I mean…”

Office.

With that thought Russell rushed off to it.

“Sweetie, I’ll call you right back. Stay calm. They’re in the best hands possible. Everything’s going to be alright. They need you to be strong. It will be over soon, I promise. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

His office door was open, and inside sat Sam, still restrained but this time in the doctor’s chair.

“Are you ready to listen now, doctor?”

“What are you doing to my kids?”

“This has already been explained to you.

“All these medical textbooks, and not a single one can give you the answer you’re looking for.”

“You need the medication, right?” Russell asked. “I’ll get you-“

“Too late for that now, doc. The only thing I need from you now is to listen. That and get this thing off me.”

Sam stood to his feet and turned around, waiting for Russell to comply.

“I tried to keep your kids out of it, but, well, you’ll understand soon enough.”

“If I remove you from the restraint you have to keep them out of it.”

“If you don’t, I can’t promise how much more time they have left.”

That was all Russell needed to unfasten the three straps. Sam removed the rest, then handed it out to him. “Your turn.”

“What?” Russell asked, shock and confusion putting him at a loss for thought.

“The only way for us to stop this from getting to your kids is for you to understand it, and the only way to do that is to abandon your ego.

“Put it on.”

And so Russell did, hesitantly sliding his arms through the straitjacket as if it were indeed something to be cautious of.

As soon as he had it on far enough Sam took over, getting rid of the slack and buckling it up.

“Is this really necessary?” Russell asked.

“I have to thank you, Dr. Russell.”

“Why is that?”

“Turns out, you were right. I needed time alone with it. Just me, the monster, and nothing else. The isolation forced me to find its origin. Here doctor, have a seat.”

Sam placed him in the seat that all of Russell’s patients were expected to sit in, then he took his own behind that authoritative desk.

“We last left off on the verge of discovery. You see, once I started getting preached at by all you psychiatrists I started thinking a little outside myself. What do you guys call that? When someone stands back and looks at things like a scientist? Object…”

“Objective.”

“Right. So that’s why I wanted to talk about my mom, cause it seems like things had started with her. Back when I was seven. Yeah, not even a three number”.

“She was pregnant with twins. I remember her stomach being so big. Me, Dad, and Kenny used to put our hands on it, asking the babies questions as if it were one of those Ouija boards. We were all so happy then, already planning to be a family of six by moving into a bigger place and buying more stuff.”

“On one of the first few days of moving in, I don’t know, maybe the third day, we were still unpacking, I started a game of hide and seek with mom, calling out to her from the kitchen and then running to go hide under the sink when I heard her coming.”

“This is a game we had played ever since I could remember. She’d run in, ask herself where I was, then start looking for me. Most of the time I’d end up giving myself up from giggling a little, and I think that’s what happened on this day.”

“It was the perfect hiding place, because the space under the sink led to a small crawl space that you couldn’t really see unless you put your head down there. This is why mom didn’t think I was down there when she first looked. And that’s what made me laugh a little, that she had missed it and was looking somewhere else now.

“I tried covering my mouth but it was too late. I could hear the doors under the sink opening again. She stuck her head in deep this time, and called out when she still couldn’t find me. ‘Sammy?’

“This time I was able to keep my giggle covered, but then I felt her fingertips on the end of my pants leg.

‘Ah-ha! I found you, Sammy!’ she said. ‘Come on out now, it’s time for lunch.’

But I wanted to keep playing, so I didn’t move, didn’t say anything.

‘Sammy, that’s enough. It’s time to come out now.’

I didn’t move.

‘Sam, get out here now. I’m putting pressure on the babies. You don’t want the babies hurt now, do you? Be a good big brother and come out now.’

“That’s what she’d call me whenever she’d start getting serious. Sam, not Sammy. But for some reason I just sat there, not responding at all.

“She was getting mad now. ‘Sam, I’m gonna count to three. You need to come out, now!’

“I could hear her scooting herself back out.

‘One, two…’

“On three I popped my head out from around the corner, just in time to see her lift her own in anger and hit the back of it against the bottom of the sink. It was like it all happened in slow motion, her face simultaneously twisting in shock and concern for the babies.

“I don’t know how she did it, but she was able to get a hand down to her stomach as her face fell to the floor. From the way she was positioned, that’s all I could see past her face, holding her belly with that protective hand.

“And the way she landed, her face staring up at me, her eyes scary wide, asking Why.

“Then they started getting heavy, like they were falling asleep. I called out to her, but now she wasn’t the one listening. Then just like that she was out, unconscious.

“At first, I was too afraid to touch her, begging her to wake up, but she wouldn’t. Then I realized I was stuck, that I wouldn’t be able to get past her. That’s when I started to cry. For me, for her, for the babies.

“I don’t know how long I cried, seemed like forever, but then dad and Kenny finally came home. In a panic he pulled us both out, then he called 911.