Wake to Escape

Shoutout to my partner for this #we-write: Hive account@hidave

Read the first part: Institution - Part One

_{Image by Gianni Crestani from Pixabay}

My Part

"So what's your plan now Mad Man?" I asked, almost nonchalantly, as I looked around the open space filled with patients who were supposed to be slightly saner than us.

Turns out those child's scribblings that made up our "escape plan" happened to be a whole different language all on its own-- more like code really-- and Ras made it his personal mission to get me to understand it one day at a time.

Days turned to weeks and now maybe the institution board got wind of our "silence" so now we got to go out and "play", or using the board's words, 'Merit for good behavior'.

That was why we were now here having lunch at the cafeteria, getting a 'lil leeway with the food being served to us even though it was still the same crap that we got brought to our ward. Still, this place had a better ambiance than the four corners of the room I shared with Ras.

I was eyeing the number of armed soldiers spread out in the wide hall who were watching us like hawks when Ras stood up from where he sat beside me before he patted me on the back and gestured for me to follow him.

Warily eyeing the guards again, I shrugged and stood up to follow Ras as he began to make his way under a walkway with a soldier standing above it, "Fast way to get shot." I muttered mostly to myself but stopped when Ras chose this time to speak up as he tilted his head back towards me.

"Who? Those guys?" He gestured upwards towards the soldiers with a regal air before a demented smile crossed his face, "They're just a bunch of slugs."

He snapped his fingers and water suddenly started raining down from the sprinklers overhead, catching all the stationed armed soldiers off guard. I stared up at the walkway that prevented the two of us from getting wet when Ras took a handful of my shirt and not too gently dragged me to a corner where there was a loose panel in the wall.

"In you go!" I was surprised by the short drop but immediately found my footing amidst the dimness and held a hand out towards what I thought was the wall. It was damp.

"Uhhh.." I immediately took my hand away from the wall just as I felt Ras slap me on the back, urging me to move it.

"C'mon junior, it's just a little ways forward!" I noticed he now had that upbeat tone to him just before I recognized the sound of waves lapping in the distance.

We emerged from what I assumed were the cliffs situated under the institution and I couldn't help but glance towards the water.

"No point in using those dragons to get us outta here. This is a job for Moby Dick!"

"That's... actually a sub." I tried to point out. It wasn't even really a huge submarine, it was more the size of something I'd read from some adventure book from long ago. What was that captain's name again? It reminded me of a fish..

"Yer callin' me Dick small?! Naw, that thing there's big ole' Moby! Ready to take us outta here!"

Mad Man Ras now gained a pirate's slur as he slapped something onto my chest. Looking down, I barely made out the wordings on the can. It was a fucking Pepsi.

"Now, it's time to wake up!" And before I knew what was happening, I felt Ras push me down the sub's opening, before I jolted awake.

No longer were there starships or dragons, and neither were there giant whales and miniature submarines. Instead, I was back at my dark room, staring up at the ceiling reflecting red and blue lights from outside as I slowly took in the sound of blaring sirens.

Groggily, I sat up and wobbily made my way towards my windows, stepping over both used and unused pieces of syringes and the occasional littering cans of soda. I glanced out and saw this part of my world as it still was, full of crap.

"Oh well.. still not a good time to stay woke, time to take another hit."

I huffed and sat down again, preparing another dose in a syringe.