Back at the mental institution, Jack was in the breakroom being annoyed about something. It showed on his face because his eyebrows were raised and he was scratching his head erratically.

Gosh darn! What an absolute pain! he thought.

Jack didn’t get the answer he was hoping for from his visit to Dr. Cato. He had visited the doctor’s office and explained everything about his weird dreams.

After much consultation, Dr. Cato had said that Jack must have had an extreme case of “Vivid dreams or lucid ones.” He explained that they were just powerful feelings or illusions that feel real.

Jack didn’t think the doctor was too far off, but he was a doctor after all, so he guessed Dr. Cato was right. However, Jack hoped for more closure, but he guessed that was simply how things are.

Carolyn, who stood beside Jack, decided to explain more about Dr. Cato’s answer. “In some extreme cases, people have sleep walked while experiencing vivid dreams.”

Jack shivered. “Just hearing that gave me the chills. Hopefully I won’t do anything that bizarre!”

They left the break room and headed back to Jack’s room. He was tired, so he hopped into bed without washing.

Carolyn crossed her arms, “Not so fast young man! Go and march yourself into the bathroom. You have to shower before going to bed.”

Jack smiled and said, “Okay mom!”

That made her feel happy, so she played along.

As Jack finished and tucked himself to sleep, Carolyn handed him some sleeping pills so he could sleep well for once. She gave him a kiss goodnight and said, “If you start having bad dreams again just yell for me, Jack.”

She made her way out of the room and turned off the lights, leaving Jack alone within the cage of his own rising nightmares.

Jack examined the pills and read the label. (Sleeping pills, experimental medication for extreme cases of insomnium.)

“Hmm? Should I be taking these?” He chuckled. “Whatever. If it helps me sleep and not have these horrid dreams, so be it.” He took two out and swallowed them. He started to feel drowsy and to his surprise, he got sleepy.

Jack gently laid his head on the pillow and slowly became sound asleep.

When Jack awoke the next day, he was amazed that he’d slept really well last night and had no crazy dreams. He couldn’t wait to tell Carolyn that for once, since he’d finally had a good night’s sleep.

She walked into the room. “How was your sleep?”

Jack was filled with energy and relaxation. “The pills worked. I didn’t dream of anything crazy.”

“Are you ready to go to the yard? Hmm?”

“The yard huh?! I’ve never been to the yard before.”

“The yard is for both the mildly sane and juvenile delinquents to share, a place where everyone has an hour to hangout. Only a few patients from this building are allowed to go into the open yard, while the others are locked behind a huge cage located at the edge. It was for their safety, so they wouldn’t harm anyone, or more importantly, themselves,” Carolyn explained.

“Wow, sounds pretty cool and up to my liking!” Jack stretches his arms and lets out a relaxed grunt. “Yeah! Well, I should get ready then if you’re taking me, give me a minute or two.”

Caroyn smiles. “Alright, don’t forget to freshen up extra then so you can look extra handsome.”

“You know what Carolyn, for once I won’t complain about freshening up because it is a special day. So yes, I will!” Jack brushed his teeth, washed himself off, and put on some fresh clothes. He was ready.

”Are you ready to head out for breakfast?” Carolyn asked.

Jack was excited, so he grabbed her hand and nodded. Then they walked towards the cafeteria and to their surprise, they bumped into Dr. Cato.

He grabbed Jack’s hand and shook it. “Jack! How are you? You got a good night’s sleep I see?” he said, with his usual smile.

For once Jack was in a good mood, so he too also had a huge smile on his face. “Yes I did doctor!” He pointed at Carolyn. “Carolyn here helped me out. Without her, I wouldn’t have gotten a good night’s sleep.”

Dr. Cato looked at Jack strangely and cringed. “Umm... Caro? Never mind. Say Jack, how about I take you to the yard today?”

“That’s okay, I was already heading outside with my nurse Carolyn.”

“Okay…?” Dr. Cato scratched his head and seemed a little confused. “You’re quite the imaginative one, huh? But listen, I want you to be careful. Those kids from the juvenile school are little no good bastards.” He quickly covered his mouth. “Excuse my French, Ahem! So don’t get into any trouble, alright?”

“Okay Dr. Cato, I’ll definitely try my best to avoid those kids. As long as I have my nurse waiting for me, then it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Dr. Cato smiled and patted Jack’s head. “Take care kiddo. I knew you were a cheerful young man.” He left and headed off in the opposite direction.

Jack didn’t like the way Dr. Cato reacted to him just now, it even made him raise an eyebrow out of confusion.

Jack then scratched the back of his head. “Why did Dr. Cato give me such a confused look, and what was with the whole imaginative compliment?” He then looked up at his nurse, “You have any idea why he reacted that way to me Carolyn?”

She raised her shoulders and only giggled. “No clue, but it shouldn’t concern you, so don’t worry about it. You shouldn’t let this bother you and ruin your excitement for the yard, so lets be on our way now.”

Jack blows out air, and moans. “Okay, I guess.” But to not kill off his excitement he brings back his smile and is the one to lead the walking this time.

Carolyn continues to smile as Jack now took lead.

Carolyn and Jack then headed off to the cafeteria. Jack got his breakfast and sat at the table where he normally sat at, then ate all the food moderately fast. Carolyn reminded him to slow down or he’d choke on his food.

Those words… Those were the exact same words my mother told me once. Remembering his mother’s advice, Jack apologized to her, but he was just so excited. He was finally getting some fresh air, but his curiosity couldn’t handle it.

He was always wondering to himself about why he got a nurse as nice as Carolyn, but none of these other patients did? They were just your typical care takers. Jack wondered if he was really that special? Maybe the doctor liked him that much?

”Are you ready to go, Jack?” Carolyn asked.

Jack nodded. She smiled. He grabbed his plate and threw it away. They finally exited the cafeteria, so now it was time for them to go to the yard.

They walked through many parts of the building that Jack had never seen before. He didn’t like it, because this part of the building creeped him out. All he heard was even more intense screaming and banging on the doors from all the patients. He figured this must be where they kept all the mentally unstable ones. He was glad he hadn’t gone completely insane… yet.

All of a sudden, Jack could see the entrance to the yard, but he couldn’t help but smile with relief. He looked at Carolyn and for the first time, Jack held her hand the entire time. She glanced back at him with a beautiful smile.

“Thank you for always being there for me,” Jack said.

She patted his head, then kneeled and grabbed his shoulders. “Jack, you don’t have to thank me. I chose to take care of you because I know that you’re special, but more importantly…” She pointed at the yard. “There’s someone out there who needs your help, your guidance, but most of all… your love.” She then hugged him tight. “I know you’re the right person. I’ll be right behind you.”

Jack wondered if she was talking about his friends. That did make him feel great and retained what little humanity he had left in him. A gasp of surprise parted from her lips when Jack wrapped his arms around her. He held onto her tightly, thanking her over and over again.

“Thank you, Jack. But you need not to thank me yet.”

Jack found that comment strange to say, but at least he could tell she was grateful for his gratitude.

She slowly opened the doors, and the moment those doors started opening, the sunlight hit Jack’s face so hard that he had to cover it. The sun’s rays penetrated his pale skin. He could feel himself already tanning. The brightness felt as if the sun was deliberately targeting his eyes.

As the sun’s light faded away, Jack could finally look at the yard and… it was huge. There was so much space to move around in, and there was a big fountain in the middle, a spot to play basketball, and a part of the yard to hang out in and relax. The last spot was where Carolyn had talked about, which was the caged area where all the unstable patients were located. Jack knew he definitely wouldn’t like to be placed behind all that. It seemed overshadowed by gloom and regret. He thought that if he were insane, he’d go bat shit crazy being placed behind that cage.

“I hope you have a nice time. I’ll pick you up when the hour is up,” Carolyn said.

“I’ll try my best to have fun,” Jack said as he watched her head back inside. He looked around to see what he could do first.

Should I do basketball…? Hmm, NAH! How about… Mmm, NAH!

Jack sighed and already felt out of place. “Maybe I’ll just sit at the fountain and stare at the water.”

As Jack walked towards the fountain, he accidentally bumped into someone. “Heyyy! Watch where ya walking, or are you trying to get a little something hmm?” The random guy sounded hilarious to Jack, so he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

“Sorry!” Jack quietly chuckled. “I was just walking to the fountain. Sorry for bumping into you.”

“Oh! Aren’t chu well mannered!” He made girly poses and flicked his hand very feminine-like. “That’s okay, boo! Don’t you worry bout a thing! I always have boi’s bumping into me… if you know what I mean?” He puckered his lips and made a weird pose.

Just looking at how he expressed himself, it made Jack feel uncomfortable. “I’m gonna go now. Uh… Thanks for not beating… me up, I guess?”

The strange guy struck another feminine pose, then placed his hand on his hip and snapped his fingers with the other. “It’s okay, boo boo! Trust me honey, I ain’t that type of guy. See ya!” He walked away, swaying his hips from side to side.

What a weird guy, Jack thought. He talked funny, but at the same time, he was really uncomfortable to be around. Jack wanted to ask why he acted that way, but ehh! None of that mattered now.

He took a seat on the fountain’s base and stared at the water. His reflection mirrored off the water to remind him of how much a mess he looked like. He stared at himself, wondering if he’d ever be the same again. Would he regain normality, or would he ever see the outside again? And more importantly, would he ever live a normal life… ever again?

As Jack sighed off all his sorrows, he took a good glance at all the spots around the yard and noticed a huge tree that stood out, along with an empty spot with someone sitting there all alone.

That’s strange, Jack thought.

He tried getting a good look to see who it was, and noticed it was a little girl.

Why is she sitting all alone in the shadowy darkness?

She appeared to have black hair, really black hair, black as tar. But it wasn’t that long, it was trimmed near the edge of her ears. She wore different clothes than the rest of the patients, and her skin was as pale as chalk. Jack assumed that perhaps being below the shadows and staying inside that long would make a person that pale. Or maybe she had social anxiety, or she was antisocial, or perhaps it was both.

As Jack continued staring, all of a sudden, from the corner of his eye, a lot of kids started popping up and gathered around her. She appeared to be panicking, so Jack got up from the fountain and walked towards the crowd. He wanted to see what was going on, but of course he was cautious and stood a good distance away from everyone else. The kids started taunting her, pointing their fingers at her, surrounding her.

“Freakkk!” shouted a kid.

Another kid pointed his finger and spat at the girl. “Disgusting freak! Go rot in hell!”

One kid walked up to the girl and pushed her with the force of his foot. She fell over and yelped. “You should just kill yourself brat!” He then walked back into the crowd.

A tall kid threw a huge wooden cross at her. It hit her head pretty hard, and a small stream of blood trickled down from her scalp and landed on the ground, staining the gravel where she crouched on all fours.

“Spawn of Satan!” the kid shouted. “That’ll teach you!”

They all continued taunting her and kicked gravel in her direction. Hearing all these kids laugh at her drove Jack’s heart towards pain and agony. His brain rattled with hatred.

That poor girl.

She howled and balled herself up in a corner. The kids decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to start spitting on her. Some decided that it’ll be better to just throw dirt at her too.

Jack wished he could help, but he couldn’t… he didn’t want to get in trouble with anyone. Instead, he started walking away, doing everything to sustain his emotions under control so he wouldn’t snap like he had earlier. But before he could, Jack heard an innocent yet familiar voice inside his head.

“Help her or you’ll regret it!” the voice said, sounding angry but sad.

Dr. Cato came outside and rushed to the girl’s aid, along with another man. All the kids dispersed from the girl, making it seem as if they weren’t involved, but the other man started yelling at the kids and got really aggressive.

“Whose voice was that in my head just now? Maybe I am going crazy!” Jack stared at his palm. “I know I keep repeating myself, but I can’t help myself. I think it’s happening sooner rather than later.” He took a seat on one of the benches close by, watching the show to see what would happen next.

Dr. Cato and the other guy, who seemed important, ordered everyone to get in line and mentioned how all activities were cancelled for the rest of the day. Then they both walked towards the little girl and carried her back inside.

Poor girl!

Jack guessed this happened all the time. He got up and walked back inside, then waited for Carolyn to escort him back to his room. However, he couldn’t help but feel so dang hopeless. He just wished he could’ve done something.

But what could have I done to help?

He couldn’t fight off all those juveniles since he knew they’d kick his butt. Not to mention that most of them were older than what he was.

After a few minutes had gone by, Carolyn arrived. She took Jack back to his room. As they walked, she asked, “So, how was it like out in the yard?”

Jack was still thinking about the girl, but he had to answer Carolyn’s question. “It was calm at first, but then it got really chaotic. There was a little girl… all alone.”

Jack didn’t notice Carolyn’s hand slightly twitch from hearing that.

“The kids taunted, spat, and kicked dirt at her. She was bullied horrendously, but luckily Dr. Cato and another man stopped the brutality.”

Then Jack told her the entire story, and upon gazing up at her face, he noticed she had a scary look. Her eyes were fierce with a glint in them, and her brows were furrowed. She guided Jack inside his room and they both sat on his bed. She sat down beside Jack and he felt a little afraid. He’d never seen her like this before.

Jack poked her and tried getting her attention. “Umm... Carolyn, are you okay?” She stared at nothing and her eyes seemed empty.

She finally snapped out of it when Jack grabbed her hand. “Oh! I’m sorry Jack. It’s just… I hate the fact that a poor girl like her is being tortured… It breaks my heart… It really does.” It looked like she was having trouble breathing. Carolyn had her hand over her chest and was starting to look more pale.

Jack held her, trying to warm her with his heat, but she noticed and thanked him.

Poor Carolyn, Jack thought.

He guessed telling her the situation about the girl hurt her sweet heart. He wanted to help, but he couldn’t because of what the doctor had told him.

Carolyn stood up and placed a hand against his cheek. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, until she expressed a gentle smile. Her eyes glistened.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered, “The time will come, when you’ll finally stand up for that girl.” She stood and as she was about to leave, she looked at Jack one last time. “And when that time comes Jack… make sure to take care of her.” She left the room and closed the door behind her.

What? What was all that about? Jack thought. That was kinda freaky. One moment she was sad then the moment after, she was smiling and her eyes glittered.

Jack felt like this place was a madhouse.

“The time will come, make sure to take care of her,” he repeated.

That phrase made Jack become confused. It frustrated him. He began biting his nails, feeling annoyed.

Hold up?! he thought. Did that mean Carolyn knew who that little girl was?

That was the only assumption that Jack could think of, and it made perfect sense.

Jack laid down and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what Carolyn had told him. Perhaps she was some sort of psychic? Jack knew to give it some thought, but in the meantime, he would try his best to enjoy himself and stay positive. After that, he could come to a conclusion, whether he should help her or not. He wanted to try and not to get involved for his own safety and just ignore it for now.

“I won’t make the same mistake I made with Veronica. But will I make the right choice?” Jack sighed and placed his palm over his eyes. “Hopefully I will make the right choice, because at this point, I don’t think I’ll ever get… her forgiveness.”

***********

Dr. Cato and his partner tucked the girl into bed, then they walked out of a huge mysterious room and closed the door behind them. Dr. Cato seemed agitated, but he couldn’t help but slam his fist into the wall. “Those stupid students of yours are such degenerates! You better do something about those bastards if this continues… They’ll eventually kill her!”

His partner patted his back. “Not to worry, my dear friend. I’ll make sure those little shits get the punishment of a lifetime.”

They started walking to Dr. Cato’s office.

“Poor girl… I feel hopeless. We need to find a way to fix her problem. If we don’t, then it’ll screw all of us.” Dr. Cato stopped and looked back to her room. “I promised her father that I’d free his daughter. Everything is acting strange now, so we must act fast.”

“You’re right, but remember that God’s on our side, so we’ll be okay, my dear friend.”

When they arrived at his office, a nurse informed him that another patient was found dead in their sleep. Dr. Cato let out a deep aggressive sigh and informed the nurse to act fast. She understood and walked away.

His partner’s phone rang and the call was a parent from one of his students. She sounded extremely mad and informed him that her son started coughing black fluid and blamed him for getting her son sick in his dirty school. He chuckled and hung up the phone, then he turned to Dr. Cato, who seemed angrier. He walked into his office and sat down on his chair.

With his hands on his head, his partner noticed a file on his desk and picked it up. He opened it and read it, spotting the picture of a boy. “Jack Sa-Samr… A new patient of yours?”

Dr. Cato looked at his partner and smiled. “Yup… he’s a special kid.”

“Special? In what way?”

Dr. Cato grabbed a drawing of the girl. “Because… he might be the key to why things are acting so strange.”

His partner, who seemed shocked, took a good look at Jack’s photo again. “No?! You’re serious! Th-This… This is insanity! You mean to tell me that we finally…?” He grinned slowly and began to sweat.

Dr. Cato stood up with his fist clenched at his sides. “Yes… he’s the connection we’ve been searching for. At last we’ll finally find out what she wants.”

Both stared at each other, feeling that gleam of hope sparking within them, their intentions unclear and mysterious. An unknown plan was building between the two as the puzzle was finally coming to fruition.

Carolyn stood behind his door, listening in on their secret plan. With a scowl, she walked away. As her heels echoed, the anger she had towards the two rose. She walked back into the darkness of the hallway so she could return to the little girl’s room they had spoken about to ease her nightmares and the demon inside her.