Page 2 of Dancing with the Devil

I hurried to the backdoor, jumping in excitement every so often as I tried my best not to laugh or make a sound.

I unlocked the door, and an icy breeze blew up against my bare arms and legs. A chill slithered down my spine as I shut the door before slipping my boots on.Oh, right. The pills.

I yanked my left boot off and turned it upside down. The pills—that I hadn’t been taking—collectively fell to the ground,making a noise too loud for my liking. I froze, my heart nearly skipping a beat as I looked around.

The silence alone was deafening.

I let out a breath of relief when no one appeared. I slipped my boot back on and sighed.There. Much better.

The lawn in front of me was huge, the fence ahead even higher.Oh, fuck me in the ass with a taser.

All I was wearing was my hospital gown. Not much protection. Though, I wore my gown differently. It was already ugly as is, but that didn’t mean I had to wear it in an ugly way too. With a resigned sigh, I sprinted toward the fence, the cold metal rattling under my grip as I hauled myself up. My boots scraped uselessly against the slick bars.

I started climbing… and climbing… and geez, it was a lot of climbing.

“Who the hell designs these places? And, what’s with all the fences? Afraid we’ll run off and reek havoc on the city?” I groaned, gripping the top rail. “We’re notcrazy, people.”

I gritted my teeth with shaking arms.You got this, Nirah.

A siren blared behind me, the loud sound tearing through the silent night.Yep, there it is. Didn’t take them long at all. It was probably Trish. She couldn’t imagine her life without me.

I glanced over my shoulder, spotting two orderlies charging toward me, their white uniforms glowing under the moonlight like overzealous ghosts.White is so not their color.

“Trouble! Get down!” Trish ordered, shining a flashlight directly at me and I swung my arm over my face in an attempt to protect my eyes. I squinted, feeling a smile spread across my face.

“Now, Nirah!” Archie—or how I like to call him, Archibald—growled.

I sighed dramatically, rolling my eyes. “Ugh, you guys are so clingy. This is why we could never make it work, Archibald.”

“That’s not my name!”

“Well, it is now!” I half chuckled, clinging onto the fence for dear,dearlife. I swung my leg over the top just as a strong hand wrapped around my ankle.

“Oh, no you don’t!”

I looked down at Archibald holding my boot and grinned. “Aw, you can’t let me go?” I jutted out my bottom lip, teasing him. “I’m sorry Archibald, it’s you. Not—me.” With a sharp twist, I kicked my free foot into his face, sending him tumbling backward.

“Fuck!” he groaned, landing with a thud and I smiled.

I threw both my legs over the fence but my grip slipped, and for a second, I thought, well, this is how I die.

But luck—adrenaline—was on my side. I crashed to the ground, my boots skidding on the grass. Pain shot up my legs, but I was too high on the thrill to care.

I could hear Trisha’s footsteps as well as more orderlies as they stomped toward the gate, all of them yelling and shining their flashlights at me. I got up with shaky legs and dusted myself off, turning my head back. “Bye Trish,” I grinned, sending her a finger wave before sprinting in the opposite direction.

“Trouble!”

More shouts erupted behind me, but I was already gone, disappearing into the night, leaving only the faint sound of laughter and the echo of my boots clicking against the sidewalk.

You fucking did it, Nirah Joy.

* * *

Don’t ask me how… but I awoke, laying on something hard on the sidewalk with the morning sun barely keeping me warm.

A car honked, and I groaned, rolling over.

Thud—