It was dark. Josiah chanted. Each syllable an alien sound from his throat. Slowly, steadily he intoned the words he had memorised from that odd piece of paper. He knew all of this had unsettled Fidelity, but it didn’t matter. It only mattered that he believed in what he was doing, in what William Shine had done so many years ago to protect this place. He knew he was stumbling into things he didn’t understand, but there was a wrongness to this place. A wrongness he hoped this chanting and a strange burial would set right again.

He was sore. Fidelity half expected his arms to be restrained as he went to lift them from the bed. They were not, but he was in a lot of pain just raising them.

“Fidelity. Hey! Fidelity… you there?”, came the hushed voice of Josiah. This had all started as a grand adventure, but now his boyish excitement seemed foolish. This adventure had turned into a nightmare. Fidelity grunted a response.

There was activity outside the cell door. A green hue, the sound of someone resisting and then the sound of a squeaking gurney wheel as they were brought away.

He dared not move for several long moments, but Josiah was impatient. Fidelity understood why. It was likely Josiah’s uncle strapped to that trolley. He patted his pocket. The flashlight was still there. Careless of whoever had thrown them in here. He clicked it on, using his hand to mask most of the light.

“Good… good. I have my knife, a lighter and some bullets still. Let’s see if we can’t fashion an escape”, whispered Josiah, seemingly a plan already forming.

The green hue from the torches dispelled little of the darkness. That chanting voice in the distance uttered vile, unknowable sounds. Josiah knew he had to counter them. He’d studied the paper again, remembering some of what Dr. Berger had been shouting earlier. He thought he had the correct enunciation now. He began to respond, his counter-chant the only weapon he had against this madness. 

The shattered glass snagged Fidelity’s shirt and tore through his skin as he reached for the latches inside. Even in the near darkness he could see the dark bloom of blood expanding across his white shirt. He slumped for a moment. This was all too much. He’d seen impossible things today and now he was breaking into an insane asylum. Insanity… yes… this was all one great insanity. He steeled himself. He needed to summon help. The phone in Berger’s office was the means to getting aid. The police would never believe his story, but the fire service… they would have to respond to a fire and a danger to the hospital’s staff and patients. He had a plan. It started with getting to that phone. He stood and pushed open the window to allow entry into Danvers State Hospital.

Josiah readied his blade as the maniacal Dr. Berger charged down the steps towards him. Behind Josiah Uncle Larry whimpered, the vicious assault would leave physical and mental scars for the rest of the old man’s life. Berger was the picture of rage, his reddened face contorted in voiceless anger. He closed rapidly. Josiah knew he’d have one chance. When the deranged superintendent was at arms reach Josiah lashed upwards with the blade. It caught him across the throat and tore upwards to the left.

Berger’s eyes widened, but not with the shock Josiah expected. There was a hint of a grin and then the doctor began to chortle, blood gushing with every dark sound. His steps slowed, but he moved inexorably passed Josiah, the reservoir seeming to be his destination. As soon as the first drops of blood hit the water the heavy, resonant booming began again… the waters began the lap agains the symmetric shore.

Josiah grabbed Larry, the leather restraints coming free from the destroyed gurney. He ran, as best he could… making directly away from the dying Berger and whatever foul vengeance was unfolding. It was a struggle, but he felt Larry propelling himself as best he could. They rose up the steps… the intensity of the booming rose… then the whole world went dark.

He and Larry were thrown a distance, clattering onto the ground. Debris landed everywhere. His ears rang.

Either it was all over or something horrible had restored itself…

Until next time,

Owen