I run a hand through my hair, as my eyes dart between both of them.
“You seem to know an awful lot about trauma.”
Heather’s face falls, before she hides it away.
“I watch a lot of Dr. Phil.”
Bianca laughs loudly, and my gaze snaps to her as I’m stunned stupid. It’s the kind of sound you’d expect from an angel. Sweet and heavenly. I want to hear it again and again.
“What?” Bianca asks as I stare at her, like I’m watching an animal in the wild.
“I’ve never heard you laugh.”
Her eyes lift to mine as she meets my gaze, and says,
“Of course you’ve never heard me laugh. There is nothing amusing about the things I’ve been through since I’ve been here. Including what you have done to me.”
I swallow hard as the doors open, and immediately focus my attention on the strange sight in front of us. There’s a set of stairs, but where it’s going to take us, I’m not sure.
Taking Bianca’s hand in mine, I walk out and start up the steps, which are steep, with a wall at the top like the elevator had. It’s a bizarre set up, and I wonder, briefly, if it was Deaththat had this put in, or if it was Dr. Halstead. It’s also possible these two assholes worked on this together.
When we make it to the top of the stairs, I look around to the side, eye the badge reader to scan the ID card, and swipe it. The doors fly open like magic, exposing us to the outside world. The wind blows through the trees, as all three of us stand staring in disbelief.
The air smells crisp and clean, a stark contrast to the hell hole we’ve been living in. Instead of death, it smells like fuckinglife.
I walk forward, stepping into the night, and Bianca steps back.
“Thank you, Raven. I’ll never forget this.”
I turn and tilt my head at her, as realization dawns on me.
She thinks she’s leaving me.
I’m not a goddamn good samaritan. Is that what she thinks? I helped her escape to be a good guy? Not a fucking chance. I’m a self serving son of a bitch, and she isn’t going anywhere unless it’s with me. I did tell her we’d be leaving together, and I fucking meant it.
Before I have a chance to say a word to her, we all stare at the commotion on the other side of the trees. I yank Bianca with me, and Heather comes up on my other side, when I spot the crazies running out of the front door of the asylum. I have no idea how they got out, but all the dead staff members probably helped.
“That’s Amanda,” Heather gasps, as we spot the tiny brunette that talks to herself, whipping her clothes off. First goes her shirt, and then her pants. She’s running through the trees naked, and that is exactly why she’s going to be locked up again soon. Fucking idiot. She’ll be the first one the police stop and question. When she starts howling at the moon, I know it’s time for us to get out of here, before we’re spotted. The second someone gets to civilization, questions will be asked. When they find the dead doctor, I don’t want to be around.
“Come on. We’ll start walking towards a more populated area, so we can get transportation.”
Bianca stares at me with unshed tears in her eyes.
“I thought-”
I interrupt her. “I know what you fucking thought, Lunatic. You thought wrong. Now, let’s go, before these people attract unwanted attention. Unless you want to be tossed back in an asylum.”
She nods in agreement, but I can tell she isn’t happy about it. Too fucking bad. Where did she think she would go? I’m the only one with any cash. Unless she’s like me, and has a bunch of money in the ground, she wouldn’t make it long. Bianca is already starving. Visibly so.
“As soon as we get somewhere with food, I’ll make sure we stop, so you can eat,” I say as we start walking. It’s going to be a very long walk, at least twenty miles, so I scoop her into my arms and keep moving.
“What are you doing? I can fucking walk.”
Chuckling as Heather walks beside me, I say, “You’re underweight. I don’t want you burning any unnecessary calories. Once we get you fed, you can walk.”
She wraps her arms around my neck with a long sigh. I know I’m not her first choice, but I’m also not her last. As she lays her head on my shoulder, and sinks into me, I know that’s true. She has spent every day since she got to the asylum on guard, wondering what would happen to her next. I’m part of that, but I’m without a doubt the lesser of the two monsters. I’ll never let her go. And although Iwillhurt her, it’s in my nature, I’ll never let anyone else lay a finger on her. And I won’t beat her like her piece of shit husband did. Taking what I want when I want it, though? Also in my nature. DNA is a bitch. Blood is thicker than water, after all. I’ve tried through the years to ignore the monster I’ve become. I’m depraved, and part of it is due to my genetics,but the other part is because of what was done to me. Nobody gets the Bonetti name unscathed. It’s why, if I get my way, they’ll all die. First things first. Get the fuck out of the state of Kansas.
Ifell asleep in his arms while he was walking, and woke to Heather talking about how she’d be leaving us when we reach some place where she can grab supplies. I’m not sure what happened to her, but clearly she’s still angry. I did read a little about the cult she said she’s from, before I was committed. I remember thinking to myself that what I was going through could be worse. There were reports of underage marriages, sometimes to blood relatives. Not just underage. If I remember correctly, some were as young as eight.
