Darkest Night

by James Cherry

  The entire complex was huge. Three stories high and covering an area of five million square feet, the Mental Medical Center was the largest mental institution in the world under one roof.

  The doctor had researched information on the facility thoroughly. With the most advanced medical technology and security available, mental patients from all over the United States were sent to this facility. The mental patients ranged from depression to serial killers, with each section varying in degrees of security. Security ranged from total lockdown and isolation for the more dangerous and deranged inmates to the fairly unrestricted and open wings for the mild illnesses such as depression, alcohol, and drug addictions.

  Getting in or out of the main facility was virtuously impossible without clearance. Should a patient make it out of the building, an imposing array of chain link fencing, razor wire, and elevated guard posts complete with armed guards circumvented the area.

  They made three more turns down different hallways until they arrived at a steel door guarded by a single guard. The guard ordered the two men to leave all jewelry, watches, wallets, and loose change in a plastic tray. Once completed, the guard used a metal detecting wand on both of the doctors.

  Doctor Rosenberg swiped a card in a slot next to the door and a buzz sounded and the red light above the door turned green. The two men stepped quickly through and were greeted by another guard on the other side. The second guard did another quick search, patting down the two men by hand. He nodded his head in approval and motioned the doctors to continue.

  After travelling a short distance down the hall, Doctor Rosenberg stopped in front of a metal door. He waited until two orderlies joined them and protectively moved to each side of the door. One of the men handed Doctor Rosenberg a key ring. He unlocked the door and quickly stepped back as the orderlies stood at the ready with pepper spray in hand.

  Doctor Burch eyed the two men and turned to Doctor Rosenberg. He asked sharply, "Is that really necessary?"

  Doctor Rosenberg answered, "Yes, sir. The prisoner in there was Special Forces and he went crazy, killing his whole team while on a mission in Afghanistan. He is suffering from an acute case of paranoid schizophrenia and is not someone you want to turn your back on.” Doctor Rosenberg grinned and said, “He has delusions of giant man-eating birds."

  Doctor Burch shook his head in anger and replied, "I’m going in alone. Give us some privacy."

  The blood seemed to drain from Doctor Rosenberg's face and he stammered, "N-n-no. You can't go in there by yourself. I won't allow it."

  Doctor Burch scowled and said, "Listen, I have dealt with far worse patients. Nothing will happen to me." He turned and yanked open the heavy door. He quickly slid into the room and pulled the door shut behind him.

  The room was fully padded and there was absolutely nothing in the room, not a bed, a toilet, or even a chair to sit in. A disheveled young man wrapped in a straightjacket sat in the floor with his back to a corner. He had the look of a man with a broken spirit as evidenced by his slackened face and the dull, glazed look in his eyes.

  The doctor was shocked at the man's condition and how they were treating him. He had originally only intended to speak to Carter, but the disheveled and hollow look of the man steeled his resolve. At that moment he made a dangerous decision that could alter his life forever.

  The doctor approached Carter and quickly unbuckled the bindings. As he worked, he spoke softly, "I am Doctor David Burch and I am a friend of Bo Welsh. He is alive. He survived that night just as you did. I am here to get you out. Just trust me."

  The man slowly looked up at Doctor Burch and said, "Staff Sergeant Welsh is alive?"

  "Yes. He saw the flying creature that killed your team, and I have seen them as well. I believe you." The doctor paused in removing the straightjacket and stared into Terry Carter's eyes as he said again, "I believe you."

  Carter nodded in understanding and stood up. A light began to shine within his eyes again, an inner fire which burned bright, fueled by hope.

  The doctor unbuckled the last strap and the straightjacket fell away. He grabbed Carter's shoulder and said, "I need your help with something, but I need to get you out of this hospital first."

  Carter looked to the door and then back to Doctor Burch. He replied, "So what's the plan Sir?"

  Doctor Burch's smile vanished as he realized that he didn't have a plan. He said, "I really don't know. My first priority was to get in here. Now that I am here, I don't have a clue what to do."

  Carter grinned and replied, "There are normally two guards at the station outside with another two at a second guard station seventy-five feet from here. There are cameras every ten feet, and they would alert the whole complex to our escape. We wouldn't get out of this wing before two dozen guards would be on top of us. The surveillance cameras are all tied into the control room two hallways from here over in the administration wing. The breakers for the whole hospital are also contained within that room.” Pausing to take a breath, Carter continued again, “This wing is maximum security, which means that the ends of this wing are also locked with steel doors guarded by two guards, one on each side. All of the guards are armed with pepper spray and Taser guns.”

  The doctor stared at Carter in amazement and asked, “How do you know all of this?”

  Carter smiled in amusement and said, “In the Spec Ops they train us to consider all options in escaping captivity. I had entertained the thought that someone might eventually learn of my whereabouts and come for me.” Carter paused and tilted his head, “So, is Welsh here?"

  Doctor Burch frowned and said, "No, I just found out about you and haven't had the time to tell Bo. I flew straight here from D.C. to talk to you."

  Carter sighed and said, "It would have been nice if he were here. He could come up with a better plan."

  "What is your plan anyway?" inquired Doctor Burch. His nervousness was becoming replaced by genuine interest in the young man.

  "Medical emergency. If I were to go into convulsions, they would be forced to move me to the medical wing. The security is lighter there and the medical wing is next to the admin wing. If you could get into the admin wing you could disable the cameras and security system by simply turning off the power in the control room. There is a backup system, but you can disable that as well from the control room. There should be one or two guards at the most in that control room. You need to use your authority as a doctor and order them off, make up an emergency such as a suicide. Make them feel responsible. Just speak with authority and above all else, sound convincing. If you act like you know what you are doing, they should obey with no question.”

  Doctor Burch replied, “But they don’t know me, it’s not like I am a resident doctor here.”

  Carter shook his head and said, “Don’t worry about them not recognizing you as a resident doctor. There are hundreds of doctors that work here and it’s not possible for any guard to know all of them by name or sight."

  Carter paused as he allowed the information to sink in. When Doctor Burch nodded in understanding, he continued, "Now, since I am a maximum security prisoner, they will assign a couple of guards to watch me at all times. Once the power goes out, I will take out the guards and meet you in the main hallway. We can run to the front exit, and you can ask to be let out. Since the cameras will be down, the receptionist will not be able to see who is outside the door. The electric locks will also be down so she will have to open the door manually." Carter paused again as he pondered the escape plan.

  The doctor nodded and Carter continued, "Once through the door, I can take out the receptionist and remove my jump suit. Once out of my jump suit, we will be able to walk right out through the front gate and to your car. I will need a new set of clothes and I am not sure where to get some. That is the only flaw in my plan. "

  Doctor Burch smiled and said, "Don't worry about that, I know where to get some clothes. We can grab some on the way out.”

  "Great. Let’s do this," Carter said with
a smile.

  "One question, how do we get you to go into convulsions?" asked the doctor.

  "Like this," Carter said, and he fell heavily to the floor and his eyes rolled back in his head. Apparently he bit his tongue as blood flowed freely from his mouth and the red liquid dripped from the corner. His body quivered and jerked as if he were in the final stages of death and a pool of liquid formed in his crotch area, inundating the air with the smell of fresh urine.

  The doctor stared, amazed at the man’s flawless acting. Carter’s convulsions were so convincing the doctor wondered if they weren't real.

  Snapping out of his awe, the doctor yelled in panic, "Help. Carter is dying, someone help."

  The door immediately shot open and the two orderlies rushed inside, pepper spray at the ready. They took a step back at the sight of Carter’s quivering body and paused as if unsure as to what to do. Doctor Rosenberg cautiously stuck his head in the room and his eyes grew wide in surprise as he spied the convulsing body. He tripped and stumbled as he hurried into the room and knelt to examine Carter in his death throes.

  Doctor Rosenberg felt for a pulse. He turned to a bewildered orderly and shouted, "Hurry, get the med team down here now, this man is having a seizure."

  One of the orderlies rushed from the room to make the emergency call and a few minutes later a team of four orderlies, flanked by two security guards, arrived and they pushed a rolling gurney ahead of them and into the room. The four orderlies quickly lifted Carter onto the gurney and rushed the dying man to the med wing with the two guards in tow.

  Doctor Rosenberg turned to eye Doctor Burch with suspicion and asked, "What the hell did you do?"

  "I was just talking to him about that mission in Afghanistan and he collapsed," responded Doctor Burch, trying to appear as perplexed as he could.

  Doctor Rosenberg’s eyes settled upon a discarded crumpled leather and cloth bundle in the corner. Pointing to it accusingly and said, "Why was he out of his straightjacket?"

  "I let him out of it as he was no danger to me. If you would excuse me, I would like to see to his condition." Doctor Burch rudely pushed past Rosenberg and hurried from the room, doing his best to ignore the incessant and annoying questions from the man.

  Doctor Burch rushed through the steel doors and retrieved his personal belongings from the startled guard on the other side. It took him a moment to gain his bearings, and then he turned and jogged down a hallway with Doctor Rosenberg struggling to keep up.

  Spying a sign on the wall, Doctor Burch turned in that direction and continued his pace until he came to an intersection. He spotted another sign that stated the medical wing was to his left the administration wing to the right.

  Pausing, Doctor Burch turned to Rosenberg and said, "I see the medical wing there." He pointed to the sign and continued, "I will be okay from here. I will find Carter. If you would do me a favor, go and call General Crowell and tell him what has happened. I will be waiting for you where they have Carter."

  Doctor Rosenberg hesitated for a moment as if he wanted to say something, his mouth opening and closing as if he were a fish out of water. Finally, he just turned and quickly walked away.

  Doctor Burch waited until Doctor Rosenberg was well out of sight before he ran as fast as his feet would carry him down the administration wing hallway and skidded to a stop as he noticed the sign to the control room. His palms were sweaty, and he shook with nervousness but he took a deep breath and turned the doorknob to enter.

  The door was locked.

  "Of all the cursed rotten luck, damn it," growled Doctor Burch.

  As if in answer, the door opened and a skinny young guard peered out at him.

  The doctor remembered what Carter had told him about acting with authority and he balled his fists up at his sides, mainly in order to hide his fright, and pushed past the young guard.

  The guard sputtered in protest, "Sir, you can't be in here."

  The doctor stuttered nervously, "Y-yes." He stopped himself and took three deep breaths in order to settle his nerves. He continued again in a firm voice, "Yes, I can, I am Doctor Burch and we have a problem. A depression patient has just committed suicide right in the full view of your cameras. Why the hell didn't you alert anyone? Were you not paying attention?"

  The young guard’s eyes widened and he stammered, "I was watching the cameras, honest. I never saw . . ."

  Doctor Burch cut him off with a chop of his hand and said, “You are in big trouble mister, report to -” The doctor's mind raced as he tried to recall the names he had seen on the numerous doors he had passed. Remembering a name, he continued, "Doctor Darnall's office.” He pointed at the door and shouted, “Now!"

  "Doctor Darnall? He is a first shift staff psychiatrist, why would I need to go there?" asked the frightened young man.

  Thinking quickly, the doctor responded, "He is here now because the young man who committed suicide was one of his patients. He is calling your boss. Go now." He pushed the young man out of the room and shut the door.

  Looking around the room, the doctor let out a deep breath in relief. The room was empty with no one to stop him from completing his mission. Quickly scanning about, he immediately spotted a large breaker panel and he moved to stand in front of it. Grabbing the large handle of the main breaker with both hands the doctor pulled downward with all his strength.

  The handle gave way easily and the breaker clicked loudly in response. The entire hospital was suddenly plunged into darkness. Within a second the emergency lights and security system powered by the backup batteries began to click on but the doctor was already in motion. He stooped over the smaller emergency breaker and flipped that handle as well, and the hospital again plunged into darkness.

  The battery powered floodlights clicked on and the room was bathed in a luminous glow. Faint clicks from the hallway assured him that the flood lights all over the building were working fine and would provide light for their escape.

  He glanced about the room and spotted a chair. Grabbing the heavy rolling office chair, he used it to ram the handle of the main breaker. Upon impact, the handle bent easily into a ninety-degree angle but the doctor wasn’t satisfied. He moved to the opposite side of the breaker and hit the handle again and the handle snapped off and clattered across the floor. He moved quickly to the emergency breaker and was able to snap the handle off with one solid blow.

  The doctor glanced at the security camera monitors and nodded to himself in satisfaction when he saw that the entire security grid was down. Convinced that the guards would not be able to turn the power back on anytime soon, he hurried out of the room.

  The hospital was in complete chaos as doctors, guards, and patients scurried about in panic. Suddenly four guards pushed past the doctor and rushed into the control room he had vacated only moments earlier. He was surprised that the guards had responded so quickly and let out a slow breath in order to steady his nerves. He turned his head to take one last look at the control room and then raced into the main hallway.

  Pushing past the throngs of people milling about in the hallway, the doctor neared the intersection. Just as promised, Carter stood patiently in the intersection, awaiting his arrival.

  Carter immediately spied the doctor and rushed to his side. Leaning in close he said, "Great job, you could be a Delta operative yourself, if you would just lose that gut." He playfully patted the doctor on the belly and without another word, turned, and ran down the hall.

  The doctor struggled to keep up, but the constant running had taken its toll on his heavy, out-of-shape frame. He soon fell behind and lost Carter in the confusion of panicked people. Stopping at an intersection, unsure of which way to turn, a strong hand suddenly grabbed the doctor by the shoulder and the doctor jumped in surprise. He turned to look upon the smiling face of Carter.

  Carter said, "We are almost out. This hall leads to the exit. Now you said you knew where to get me some clothes?"

  The doctor stopped and slowly turned in a circle as
he attempted to regain his bearings. Spotting a door, he moved quickly to stand in front of it and his gaze fell upon the nameplate. Satisfied that he had found Doctor Rosenberg’s office, he turned the handle.

  He half expected to find Rosenberg within his office, but had gambled that the power outage would have drawn out the doctor. His gamble seemed to have paid off as the door opened to reveal a large and spacious room full of books, folders and filing cabinets, and in the center of the room sat a laminated oak desk with no one sitting behind it. The doctor scanned the room for a closet and spied it immediately. He opened the closet and sighed in relief as his gaze fell upon the rows of suits.

  He grabbed a suit and tossed it to Carter, and the man quickly changed. The doctor nervously waited for what seemed an eternity, but in reality the change only took a few minutes. As soon as Carter was done, they rushed out of the office and skidded to a stop in front of the exit door.

  Doctor Burch banged on the door and yelled, "This is Doctor Burch, I need out!"

  A raspy voice could be heard through the door, "Sorry, sir. This is a lockdown because of the power failure. No one is allowed in or out."

  The doctor yelled angrily, "Damn it, I need out now. General Crowell is expecting me back in a few hours. If I don't get out I will miss my flight back."

  The receptionist replied, "I am sorry sir, I can't do it."

  Carter growled in anger and shoved Doctor Burch aside. He took a few steps back, lowered his shoulder, and rushed the door. The wooden door buckled under the impact, and he fell headlong into the lobby.

  He stood quickly and leaped at the stunned receptionist his feet landing squarely upon her desk. He leaned forward and punched her in the face and the receptionist dropped like a stone, her thin glasses cart wheeling across the room.

  "Was that really necessary Carter?" asked the doctor in disgust.

  "Yes, for the success of the mission. Had we left her conscious, she would have alerted the guards,” Carter replied.

  Doctor Burch shook his head and said, "Couldn’t we have just tied her up or something?"