Adapt

by Edward Freeland

  “Why? Can’t you face the consequences of the things you have done?”

  “Consequences. What the hell have I done? Should I be facing consequences?”

  “There’s a growing number that think you should,” she said.

  “This is unbelievable, can’t you just let me go?”

  “No,” she said abruptly. “You are sick. A professional evaluation of your wellness indicates that you may be a harm to others. We will help you and it will be done in here. I have to go, I’m afraid.” She got out of her chair and opened the door. “You should go and watch some TV, I think it’s just what you need,” she said.

  “That’s it, no consideration?” Daniel walked out of the door and said nothing more.

  The day moved as slowly as the last, the urgency gathering in his assertion to leave. Unreasonable doctors, pain he didn’t have before and he knew the ward was a prison in all but name. When he rang home his mother explained that Dominique had travelled up to visit as soon as she heard what was happening and that she would visit at six, and his parents would visit at seven.

  Daniel avoided everyone on the ward until his sister arrived. Jenny Green let her in with a card key and walked off in a hurry. Dominique stared at him, unable to hide her tears as she grabbed him and hugged him. She squeezed the breath out of his lungs. Her hands grabbing his top. “What was you thinking?” she said. Before he could answer she squeezed him again. “Don’t ever think of doing something like that again.”

  “It’s good to see you,” he said.

  “Look at you, your eyes, they look…” Dominique had never seen her brother in shock. The brother she knew would take on any problem. She knew him to be stubborn in his goals. She had never seen him fearful and helpless. She began to speak before being interrupted.

  “Who are you?” Daniel turned around to see the mad woman. You’re dead, he thought as she approached. She was pointing and shouting at Dominique. “I don’t like you,” the mad woman shouted. She moved closer, dragging her flip flops that barely fitted around her swollen callused feet, cracked yellow toenails reached out like claws. “Get out of here, this is my domain.”

  “I’m only seeing my brother,” said Dominique.

  “I don’t care, I’m going to hurt you. See how you like that,” she shouted. The woman lunged at Dominique. Daniel knew his sister could fend for herself but he automatically tried to control the irate woman. The patient didn’t acknowledge Daniel holding her; her eyes fixated on Dominique, she wanted her, nothing else existed for the mad woman at that moment. Daniel called out for help. Eventually a few nurses came to take the woman away. Her eyes turned to Daniel.

  “You,” she shouted. “I heard them say you’re dead. It was you they said. You’re dead. Dead.”

  Daniel turned to look at his sister. She looked devastated in the knowledge that he couldn’t leave with her. “We’ve got to get you out of here,” she said.

  “I have asked, the nurse said I’m facing the consequence and I can’t leave.”

  “We are going to try to get you out of here, you’re already in shock, you don’t need her at you all day. The staff didn’t even care; if you had pushed her over you would be in trouble.”

  “I’m not worried about her,” said Daniel. “It’s the staff I’m worried about. They drugged me up early last night. Before anyone else. I don’t mind if they come for me when I’m awake.”

  “I will speak with Mum and Dad, we will try and sort something,” she said. She kissed him on the cheek. “You keep yourself out of trouble.” After she left Daniel hung around. He asked to go for a cigarette at twenty-five to seven. Jenny Green let him out.

  “I’m not standing out here, it’s freezing.” A frost was due given the clear night. She lit his cigarette. “This is off limits after seven o’clock,” she said. Jenny then disappeared into the ward. Daniel puffed, breathing deep. He looked up at the building. Eyeing the handrail by the entrance and then glancing at the lip above the door. The window above the door was equipped with prison-like bars. Attached to the end of building was a steel fence. The fence was meshed so tightly not even his little finger could fit through. The barbed wire running around the parameter atop the twenty foot barrier gleamed under the full moon. Daniel sighed as he exhaled the cigarette smoke. They don’t want you to leave that’s for sure.

  Perspective

  “We will help your mind break,” said the nurse. Daniel looked confused.

  “Excuse me, I didn’t catch that.”

  “We will help your mind have a break,” the nurse repeated.

  “Oh.” Daniel felt the need to lie down, he lifted his feet onto the bed and relaxed onto his back. The nurse leaned forward.

  “Things are going to heat up now. You will see,” said the nurse. Daniel’s eyes felt heavy. He struggled to keep them open. The nurse stood at the foot of his bed. The room became blurry, his vision unable to focus. He moved his hands into view and tried to clear his eyes by staring at his palms. He looked over to the door and noticed a hazy white coat disappearing. He fought as long as he could until his eyelids had him submit.

  The nurse walked to the communal area where Ginger-beard, Scarface and Reggie were stationed. “It’s done,” said the nurse. “Give him a while and he will be as limp as a rag doll.”

  “It’s going down tonight,” said Reggie whilst rubbing his hands.

  “No, it’s not going down tonight,” said the nurse, “let’s be clear on that.”

  “How long will he be out?” asked Ginger-beard.

  “He’s dead to the world,” laughed the nurse.

  The four men walked to Daniel’s bedside. They stood over the unconscious patient, staring down on him like gargoyles.

  “What if he wakes up?” asked Reggie.

  “If he does it won’t be for long,” the nurse said waving around a syringe.

  “Are you scared of him if he does?” taunted Ginger-beard.

  “No,” said Reggie. “Although he had you on your back quick enough.” Ginger-beard ignored the comment and slapped Daniel around the face.

  “He’s not waking up,” said Ginger-beard as he reached to undo Daniels belt. “I will have that.” He loosened the buckle and slipped the black leather belt from Daniel’s waist. The men stripped him down item by item, first his jacket, then jumper, then jeans until only his watch remained.

  “He’s not going to need that,” said Scarface whilst undoing the watch strap. He dropped the watch on the floor along with Daniel’s dignity, all kicked into a pile.

  “Take him to the room opposite, the cameras are deactivated,” said the nurse. “There are no beds in there just a few chairs.”

  “What about other patients?” asked Scarface. The nurse laughed.

  “They can join in,” the nurse said through his amusement.

  Scarface gripped Daniel’s ankles, Reggie positioned himself to carry Daniel by the arms. “Out the fucking way,” said Ginger-beard shoving Reggie aside. “That’s why I kept this.” The belt unravelled out of his hand. He pulled the loose end through the buckle creating a loop. He grabbed Daniel’s pony tail, lifting his head off of the pillow, and secured the belt around Daniel’s neck. Ginger-beard wrapped the leather around his fist twice. He yanked Daniel’s head toward him and dragged the body out of the bed. Daniel’s legs hurtled to the ground, his heels made an uncomfortable cracking sound as they slammed against the tiles. The body fell into the position gravity took it. His hands sweeping the dusty floor, his head tilted to the right as the belt grew tighter. Ginger-beard led the way whilst the nurse held the door open. The corridor lights flickered as they had all day. They entered the designated room.

  Ginger-beard let go of the belt, sending it to the ground along with it Daniel’s head. Reverberating off of the walls was the sound of Daniel’s skull impacting. “Tiles sound hard,” said Ginger-beard. He used his foot to turn the body over. “No blood.” The body now lay face down. Daniel was kissing the tile, his eyes still closed, the b
elt still secured.

  “Turn him back over,” said the nurse, which Ginger-beard dutifully did. “The noose suits him.”

  “I think a nurse’s outfit would suit him better,” laughed Scarface.

  Reggie spat at the body, the saliva propelled toward Daniel’s chest. Ginger-beard followed with a shot of his own, landing on Daniel’s eyebrow.

  “We will make an example out of you,” said Scarface. “You sick fuck.”

  Ginger-beard moved back a step. Placing his left foot forward for balance he swung his right leg, kicking Daniel in his side. The force moved the body. He kicked again and a third time, each shot landing in the same spot. Scarface pulled out his phone. He towered over the limp naked patient, his phone lined up to take a full body shot.

  “Ha, I’ve got to have his portrait.” He moved toward the body, hovering over Daniel’s face, holding the camera a short distance away. “Look at the mug.” He spat on Daniel’s eyelid. Reggie picked up a chair and placed it next to the body. “Hold him up by the belt?” he asked Ginger-beard. “I’ll take one of him hanging.”

  Dr Cribson shivered as he came in from the cold. He closed the door and rubbed his hands in an attempt to warm them. He walked with purpose down the corridor. The sound of each step echoed, bouncing off of the walls. The lights above flickered. He stopped outside a door to his left. Standing silently in the narrow walkway his eyes fixed to the end of the long corridor. He listened for a moment. He turned and entered the door to his left. As the door opened he heard the words, “This is how I will hang you tonight.” His face was fierce with the sight before him. It was Ginger-beard holding a body up by a belt, whilst Scarface took photos.

  “There will be no hanging tonight,” said Dr Cribson. The small man threw his voice around the room with authority. “Get that belt off of his neck.” Ginger-beard acknowledged the order and did as he was bid. Daniel’s neck was red on release of the collar. “Look at the state of his neck. That’s not going to be gone by tomorrow.” He looked at the nurse. “I told you, have some fun but do not leave a mark.”

  “He had a fight earlier,” said the nurse. “We will say it’s a result of his violent behaviour if anyone asks.”

  “We will have to now, won’t we?” said Dr Cribson. “You clearly can’t be trusted to control the situation, I will have to segregate him for a few weeks.” Dr Cribson reached for Scarface’s phone. “Let me see that.” He scrolled through the pictures after snatching the phone. “Delete these immediately. Every one of them.”

  “You only said don’t leave a mark,” Scarface pointed out.

  “I thought it would speak for itself. Don’t leave evidence that the man was abused in my ward in his last days. A photo is evidence, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Yes, I guess.”

  “Delete them and never take one again. Do you understand?”

  “Sure,” replied Scarface as he began deleting the photos.

  “He is to be left alone from now on. I will have Jenny Green on tomorrow night; she uses her head,” he said whist looking at the nurse.

  “Why don’t we hang him tonight, say it was suicide?” suggested Ginger-beard.

  “I will tell you why. I gave him a good dose of iodine the night before he came in.”

  “So?”

  “I am awaiting the results from blood tests. If there is iodine in his system I will have to wait for it to flush out.”

  “Why does it matter?” asked Scarface.

  “If he took them, then his body is emitting a small amount of radiation as we speak.”

  Scarface stepped away from the body, “There’s radiation coming from him.”

  “If he took them, then, yes,” said the doctor.

  “The coroner may have something to say about that,” said the nurse.

  Daniel’s neck was reddening. He couldn’t feel his freezing back as his temperature cooled. His skin was pale as his blood responded to the cold and flowed to the organs. He was oblivious to the bruising developing on his side and at the back of his head. He knew of no radiation emitting from his body; even the doctor was unsure if this phenomenon was taking place. At least not yet.

  “If a man dies on this ward then a post-mortem will follow. A few eyebrows will rise and un-nerving questions will be asked. I don’t want to be in the unfortunate position of having to think of a valid reason as to why my dead patient happens to be radiating, with copious amounts of iodine in his veins.”

  “He will hang soon,” said Ginger-beard.

  “He will not hang. That poses awkward questions in itself. The possibility for his family to sue, the risk of my position being lost,” the doctor said. “He will die of asphyxiation. Questioning is much less of a minefield. I can blur the lines along the way and I get little more than a slap on the wrist.”

  “You live to fight another day,” Ginger-beard congratulated the body.

  “He is not going anywhere, I can assure you I will maintain control of him until the time is right. He has been violent. If we can push him to react he’s ours. A loose cannon is left in our hands as long as he is seen to be a danger.”

  “I may as well leave until then,” said Ginger-beard.

  “No, I would like you three to make his stay as disturbing as you can.”

  “That we can do,” said Scarface.

  “Good,” said the doctor. “I want you to push him, the staff will do the same in a more subtle fashion. If we can make him violent, get the response we desire, then our control is solidified. A cornered beast will lash out. And when he does we gain more control, it’s a simple equation.”

  “We will break him,” assured Scarface. “His mind will be a pressure cooker, desperate for release before the week is out.”

  “We will be with you,” said the nurse. “If he goes crying to anyone that the patients are bullying him he may be believed. If he says to anyone, his family, the police, anyone at all, that the patients, nurses and his psychiatrist are colluding against him, he will be dismissed as delusional, again falling back into our control. The man can’t win, he’s ours.”

  “We are now, all of us, in this together. We all lose if we don’t stick to the plan,” said Dr Cribson. “The police will never have a case, this man’s death will be forgotten by all of us and the only ones with questions will be his family.”

  “So long as I get to serve justice I’m satisfied,” said Reggie.

  Dr Cribson walked over to the body. He knelt on one knee and scanned the skin, looking for bruising or scratches he should be aware of. He stroked his goatee beard, staring at the red raw neck of his patient. He touched the marks then moved his fingers down to feel the pulse. “These marks are from the incident in the yard,” he said. He guided his fingers around Daniels scalp. “Has he taken a blow to the head?”

  “No,” said Ginger-beard.

  “His head was introduced to the floor,” said the nurse.

  “Another injury sustained in the altercation with yourself,” he said, looking up at Ginger-beard. His line of sight moved to the saliva running down Daniel’s face. “As for bodily fluids, I don’t mind if superficial, it’s the least he deserves.”

  “That’s good because there’s more where that came from,” said Scarface whilst gathering spit in his mouth.

  “It washes off,” said Dr Cribson, “but be careful not to let any enter his body.”

  “That’s a shame, I was going to see if he swallows,” said Ginger-beard.

  “You are on your own in explaining the existence of your DNA in a dead man’s body.” The doctor returned to his feet and slowly walked to the door. “Hose him down and return him to bed. The blood results will be available tomorrow and we will take it from there.”

  “Bye,” said Reggie.

  “Indeed,” replied Dr Cribson as he left the room.

  “I wasn’t informed of that,” said the nurse.

  “What, the fact the body’s radiating?” said Scarface.

  “Yes, I knew that a form of justi
ce was to be served where the law has failed,” said the nurse. “I didn’t know of exposure to radiation.”

  “It’s a good way to kill someone,” said Scarface.

  “But iodine won’t kill,” said the nurse. “It will destroy his thyroid, which creates its own health complications. It would have to be high amounts to really damage cells, giving the victim a premature battle with cancer.”

  “I would class that as an effective, fucked up weapon,” said Ginger-beard.

  “There are no guarantees,” the nurse said.

  The gargoyles once again lurked over the naked body.

  “I don’t want to be fucking radiated,” said Ginger-beard.

  “The particles will be passing through his organs, they will face the worst of it, what we are exposed to would be limited. Let’s take him back, then,” said the nurse.

  “Wait,” said Ginger-beard. He dragged the body so it was precariously seated, leaning against the wall.

  “We took him out for the night, we should have a little fun before he goes back.”

  “Who wants to break him in,” said Reggie.

  “Do it,” said the nurse. “Be quick about it.”

  Scarface stepped forward. “I will do the honours.”

  “Just be quick,” said the nurse.

  Daniel couldn’t awaken, he couldn’t defend, he couldn’t run, he couldn’t fight. He knew not that he was a victim nor the reason why.

  Self-Preservation

  Daniel puffed, breathing deep. He looked up at the building. Eyeing the handrail by the entrance and then glancing at the lip above the door. The window above the door was equipped with prison-like bars. Attached to the end of the building was a steel fence. The fence was meshed so tightly not even his little finger could fit through. The barbed wire running around the parameter atop the twenty foot barrier gleamed under the full moon. Daniel sighed as he exhaled the cigarette smoke. They don’t want you to leave that’s for sure. The fence was impossible to climb. I can’t spend another night in here, I know that something went on last night, he thought whilst touching the back of his head. The bump was encouragement, if needed, to take action. He had not seen his neck, and didn’t need to. He could feel it. He scanned the yard for an escape to no avail. The fence was designed to withstand the keenest of climbers.