Page 49 of Breaking Sanity (Hell’s Asylum #1)

Alley

Baron just stares at me with his head cocked, thrumming his fingers next to his phone. He keeps looking at Annie then to the items on his desk, and finally back at me. He does this three or so times before his smile widens and he picks up a vile full of clear liquid.

“Alley will be speaking for you?” He stares at her and she nods. “Very well.”

Because someone with no tongue can totally speak for themselves.

I have to bite my inner cheek to keep myself from laughing at Raven’s commentary about how dumb his questions can be.

I don’t need to add any more reasons to piss him off.

Last night was good enough, since I was the one who knocked him out cold during The Reaping.

He would’ve caught us if I didn’t. Unfortunately, him hitting the forest floor caught Vaughn’s attention leaving me and the three I was trying to save, royally fucked.

“Do you know what this is,” Baron asks, lifting my chin with his thumb and pointer finger. Much like his psycho counterpart, Gunner, he tauntingly dangles the vial in front of me. It takes extreme concentration to not roll my eyes at him because he knows I don’t.

“No,” I grit, clenching my fists. The anger tears have thankfully stopped but my knees are starting to hurt and I have to keep myself from readjusting. I will not give him the satisfaction of knowing I am highly uncomfortable. He got the pleasure of making me cry, I think that is enough for today.

“It’s my own variation of a truth serum, keeps people honest,” he continues, releasing my chin and picking up a syringe. “It’s quite remarkable.”

“Baron,” I say, but it’s more of a question. I’m not following why he would need that.

“Yes?” He glances, flipping the vile upside down before slowly inserting the needle into the top.

“Why? Wait? But..” I stumble over my words as I realize what’s about to happen. This was never meant for Annie. He planned to do this to me all along! He fucking knew this was going to happen.

MOTHER FUCKING DICK PRICK!!

That is not an expression in any language, just saying.

“I haven’t lied to you once!” I push back from him as he loads the needle. I fucking hate needles. More accurately, I have a death fear of them. Well, these kinds of needles, not tattoo ones, I love those.

“No, you just hide,” he snaps standing up and towering over me. “Consider this a punishment for last night.”

I don’t get a chance to fully escape this maniac because Shadow hauls me to my feet by my waist then roughly pulls my arms behind my back.

He can’t be seriously helping him do this to me.

Like I get he is hired to do this, but he knows about my fear of needles.

Shadow knows why I hate them. Is he really going to let this happen?

“Please don’t,” I whisper, trying to keep the tremble out of my tone.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispers as he slaps the cuffs on before shoving me into an awaiting Baron.

My whole body freezes when he jabs the needle into my neck.

The liquid instantly burns the second it’s inside my veins and my head gets fuzzy.

The room starts to spin and I lose my footing.

Baron catches me and sets me on the couch next to Annie.

He props me up so the back of my head is resting on the top of the couch giving me the perfect view of the swirling ceiling.

“They will be here soon. You should be ready to talk by then,” he says, kissing my cheek. I feel Annie’s head rest on my thigh while she soothingly strokes my shin in comfort.

I try to focus on her touch to stop whatever black box is cracking in my head, but it’s no use as the ceiling opens a black hole while dark glitching shadows crawl out of it. My eyes feel like they are glued open forcing me to watch the creatures slither to each corner of Baron’s office.

“What the actual fuck,” I scream as one runs it talon like nails up my exposed thigh. Its head is still pointed down but there are flashes of light that spring to its face as it’s lifted.

“Hey Al,” he smiles as his muted caramel eyes meet mine.

“Corey,” I whisper.

“Miss me,” he asks, crawling to sit on the arm of the couch.

“You’re… You’re fucking dead!” I start to cry.

“Alley,” Baron shouts my name but I can’t take my eyes off Corey.

I haven’t seen or heard from him since he took his life during our eighth-grade year.

He and his older brother Dave, plus our friend Benji were my group growing up until they all moved.

Corey and Dave had to move back with their abusive father after their mom lost custody.

Corey couldn’t handle it and we talked almost every night after.

I thought he was getting better, and his mom only had a couple of months until their next court date.

Two nights before Christmas break, he and I were on the phone, but he was more agitated than normal.

I thought it was because of him and his girlfriend, Maya’s fight or that his brother tried to defend him from his father again.

No, he just kept repeating how life was too much and there was no escape.

I kept him on the phone and begged him not to leave.

To just wait and that his mom had a strong defense, she was bound to win.

He got off the phone in high spirits and told me that he loved me.

I went to bed after that. It wasn’t until the next morning that I found out after our phone call he plugged in his dad’s brand-new TV and jumped into their indoor pool with it.

Dave stayed with his father after their mom overdosed at Corey’s funeral.

I didn’t speak to Dave until 10 months later, as he drunk called me begging to bring his brother back.

He said he needed him to come back to help him deal with this hell.

Benji was too busy with his girlfriend Jean, who I couldn’t stand, by the way.

Dave and I talked for two solid hours. I just couldn’t talk him down.

He hung himself while on the phone with me in his dad’s office.

Despite the movies making it sound like a quick death, it’s not.

It took him a total of 4 minutes and 32 seconds to die.

Now that doesn’t sound like a long time but when you are screaming their name while listening to them choke to death it’s a lot.

Not nearly as traumatizing as one of my best friends Amelia shooting herself in the head while on the phone with me.

She was in an alcohol and drug induced psychosis.

The shot shocked me but her boyfriend coming into the house not even a minute after and listening to his breakdown was what truly got me.

Benji’s was the worst though. He slit his wrists after he got off the phone with me, only for me to arrive fifteen minutes later to check on him.

I found his suicide note stabbed to the bathroom door.

I read it with trembling hands, before I got the courage to open the bathroom door.

His lifeless body with glazed cloudy eyes staring at me in a water bloody grave will forever haunt me.

It was the note that he left that killed me.

The words that split my heart into two were “you are a beautiful person, Alley. Just not good enough to live for.” He left me the engagement ring he had originally bought for Jean before he caught her in bed with his other childhood best friend.

“Hey sweets!” Dave’s voice comes from my other side causing me to jump into a laughing Benji. I fall on my ass staring up at all three while using both feet to kick myself backwards and away from them.

“NO, NO, NO,” I start to scream.

“Alley,” Baron shouts again and this time he gets in my face.

They retreat to behind the bookcases and under the couch. The room snaps back into perfect view as I am being hoisted back onto the couch.

“What the fuck did you give me,” I yell.

“Little Devil, breathe.” My eyes snap to Gunner.

He is sitting on the coffee table. Avoiding his wide eyes, I look around the room.

Nik is standing by the door; Vaughn is leaned up against the center of the desk with Shadow and Eagle on either side.

Baron is hovering above me, eyes frantically scanning mine.

I swear worry flashes behind the forest green, but it disappears so quickly that I could be just wishful thinking.

“What the fuck did you give me,” I repeat more calmly.

“You try to avoid answering the questions or lie and your skeletons will come for you,” he answers, backing away.

“I didn’t say shit though.”

“That is what I found odd,” Baron says, tilting his head to the side. “Now speak for Annie.”

“What do you mean you found it odd?” I go back to yelling.

“Alley!” Gunner gets my attention. “Annie’s story.”

Fuck, right this is for Annie. I jump to my feet and start to pace to clear my mind, but I don’t hear Raven or Ember’s voice, so I am on my own.

I start to count my steps and take deep breaths.

My hands are cuffed behind my back so I will have to live without being able to pull on my hair to keep me grounded.

All in all, this is really going to fucking suck.

“Annie was set up,” I start. “Melanie didn’t want just Nik, she wanted you as well, but you were focused on Annie.

I wouldn’t say it was in a good way. Carson just wanted all you back as one unit.

So, they joined forces and brought two guys from Alpha team, that piece of shit Logan from Bravo, and the coward from Delta.

The four guards wanted it to be like the old times before y’all took over. ”

“Why would they do anything for Mel,” Vaughn asks.

“She was fucking all of them,” Nik adds.

“Exactly and they wanted in on the “action” with all of us, instead of this game of 1940’s psych ward you have going on.

So, Melanie convinced Annie that she had a way to get rid of you for good.

Of course, the guards promised to help and if anything went sideways, they’d cover for her. It was all perfect minus one thing.”