The Insanity Game
Chapter 2: Subways and Screams
After an hour of painful and somewhat claustrophobic subway journeys, I was on the outskirts of New Jersey, bordering between the next state.
But now the view in front of me was a little haunting. Standing silently at the large wrought iron gates, I waited to be let in. I could see a young woman dashing towards me, in her mid twenties I supposed. She suddenly stopped when I caught her eye, she regarded me for a few long seconds, staying completely still. Then without word took a key out of her white jacket pocket, and walked to the wall to my left, and her right. I heard a lot of shufflling and murmuring before the gate made a single 'eeeeeek' sound and the young woman pulled it towards her.
'Hey, I'm Gerard Way. I'm the new doctor here?' I said fairly confidently, her eyes trained on me. She stood as if she were ready for a fight. After mere milliseconds of her processing my words, she replied.
'Yes, yes, I know. You're the med student or something,' her previous frown had turned into a polite smile. I returned it.
'Yeah, psychology student actually but... same thing, almost.'
'I was close enough. I'm Dr Tate, but honestly just call me Bryn.' I smiled and took her hand, shaking it, albeit a little awkwardly. 'Come on, it's time we get you ready for your day. You have... some patients.' I laughed, I wasn't really expecting to be plunged head first into sessions with people. But hey ho...
We began walking towards the workplace when suddenly, I heard a shriek. Piercing, it made my own head hurt. The two of us looked over at the large, decaying building and I vaguely saw three silhouettes. Two of them I guessed, were guards, as they were restraining the third. Well, I hoped that's what they were doing.
'Don't mind her, you don't get her, little Christy Gold. She prefers being called Goldie, but she responds to either. She's... one of the total psycho's.' I smirked at her final statement.
'There's more than one?' I asked.
'Oh yes,' she said matter-of-factly, 'Christy, Dolly and Frank, Christy's probably the most far gone, Frank's, I don't even know. And Dolly? Wow. Just... pure evil. She is... or was, should I say. A cannibal.'
'Oh... well, that's just lovely. Do you get to have sessions with her?' I asked, I deperately wanted to know who I was looking after. But the most I could do right now was narrow it down by finding out who she had.
'Yeah, I've had her for three years. I get Dolly, Dr Toro gets Christy and you... you get Frank.' I get Frank? I get a total psycho on my first day? Fucking lovely.
By the time she had addressed the issues of lunch (which was a 12:30 for the patients and 1:30 for us) and how night shifts worked. We were inside the reception, and Bryn had left to find Dr Ray Toro. I evaluated my surroundings, olive green walls with dark wood accent. A typical colour to create the illusion of calm surroundings. A huge staircase lay opposite the front entrance/ I zoned out for a bit, leaning back against the wall to my left. There was a large oval table, which matched the accent on the walls in colour, set in the centre of the large open space. I heard footsteps and murmurs, concerned murmurs...
'You must be Gerard Way?' A man who looked around the same age as me stood directly opposite me. Across the oval table. He had brown eyes and a brown almost deflated afro. Bryn stood a few feet behing him.
'Yeah, you're Dr Toro, I take it?' I asked, making my way across to him and shaking his hand.
'Please, call me Ray. Everyone here does.'
'So be it, I understand I have a few patients today?'
'Yeah, we're only giving you two to start off with. You have Victoria Armstrong and Frank Iero.' He handed me a fairly weighted file and looked up towards the open staircase.
'If you sit at the table and read these? Your first session is at 10:30 I think, and it'll be most likely with Iero, Armstrong's not much of a morning girl.' I nodded in response, he continued. 'I have to go, I have to go do a morning session with Baby Doll.'
Baby Doll? Did everyone have pet names for each other here?
I spoke up after Ray paused and looked for my attention, it seemed it had momentarily drifted to my shoes while I pondered.
'Umm... Baby Doll?' I raised an eyebrow, Ray nodded and then laughed at himself. Possibly realising how confused I was at his nick name.
Or at least I hoped it was a nickname.
'We have two girls here, Dolly and Mia. Mia likes to be called Dolly, so in turn we call the actual Dolly, Baby Doll. Make sense?' Oh... I thanked God I wasn't working with a bunch of perverts.
Another scream, this time it was a different person. Still a girl, but there was less effort in her wail.
'Speaking of Baby Doll. I really gotta go Gerard, I'll see you at lunch.' he ran up the stairs and Bryn looked at me. She had been completely silent this whole time, I locked eyes with her and then threw the file on the table with an almighty Thud! Grabbing a chair, I sat down and opened up the file.
Bryn came and stood next to me. 'I have to go see another patient now, and give her the meds she needs. But at 10:30, go up the stairs and on the left there are three rooms. Iero'll be in one of them. I don't know which. It'll say in your file.'
'Thanks, I'll see you at lunch, right?' I was worried about being alone the whole morning. But it was something I'd have to deal with. I ran my hands through my hair when she nodded, turned away and walked up the stairs. Leaving me to look at my plan for the day.
Victoria, who was actually referred to as Victoria 'Vikki Venom' Armstrong in her file, wasn't to be woken up until 11am, then I would have a session with her in the last 2 hours of my day.
Apparently, I had Frank from 10:30 until 12 and then again from 2 until 3. I had an hour free, and at 4 I had to spend 2 hours with Vikki.
What a great fucking day...
But now the view in front of me was a little haunting. Standing silently at the large wrought iron gates, I waited to be let in. I could see a young woman dashing towards me, in her mid twenties I supposed. She suddenly stopped when I caught her eye, she regarded me for a few long seconds, staying completely still. Then without word took a key out of her white jacket pocket, and walked to the wall to my left, and her right. I heard a lot of shufflling and murmuring before the gate made a single 'eeeeeek' sound and the young woman pulled it towards her.
'Hey, I'm Gerard Way. I'm the new doctor here?' I said fairly confidently, her eyes trained on me. She stood as if she were ready for a fight. After mere milliseconds of her processing my words, she replied.
'Yes, yes, I know. You're the med student or something,' her previous frown had turned into a polite smile. I returned it.
'Yeah, psychology student actually but... same thing, almost.'
'I was close enough. I'm Dr Tate, but honestly just call me Bryn.' I smiled and took her hand, shaking it, albeit a little awkwardly. 'Come on, it's time we get you ready for your day. You have... some patients.' I laughed, I wasn't really expecting to be plunged head first into sessions with people. But hey ho...
We began walking towards the workplace when suddenly, I heard a shriek. Piercing, it made my own head hurt. The two of us looked over at the large, decaying building and I vaguely saw three silhouettes. Two of them I guessed, were guards, as they were restraining the third. Well, I hoped that's what they were doing.
'Don't mind her, you don't get her, little Christy Gold. She prefers being called Goldie, but she responds to either. She's... one of the total psycho's.' I smirked at her final statement.
'There's more than one?' I asked.
'Oh yes,' she said matter-of-factly, 'Christy, Dolly and Frank, Christy's probably the most far gone, Frank's, I don't even know. And Dolly? Wow. Just... pure evil. She is... or was, should I say. A cannibal.'
'Oh... well, that's just lovely. Do you get to have sessions with her?' I asked, I deperately wanted to know who I was looking after. But the most I could do right now was narrow it down by finding out who she had.
'Yeah, I've had her for three years. I get Dolly, Dr Toro gets Christy and you... you get Frank.' I get Frank? I get a total psycho on my first day? Fucking lovely.
By the time she had addressed the issues of lunch (which was a 12:30 for the patients and 1:30 for us) and how night shifts worked. We were inside the reception, and Bryn had left to find Dr Ray Toro. I evaluated my surroundings, olive green walls with dark wood accent. A typical colour to create the illusion of calm surroundings. A huge staircase lay opposite the front entrance/ I zoned out for a bit, leaning back against the wall to my left. There was a large oval table, which matched the accent on the walls in colour, set in the centre of the large open space. I heard footsteps and murmurs, concerned murmurs...
'You must be Gerard Way?' A man who looked around the same age as me stood directly opposite me. Across the oval table. He had brown eyes and a brown almost deflated afro. Bryn stood a few feet behing him.
'Yeah, you're Dr Toro, I take it?' I asked, making my way across to him and shaking his hand.
'Please, call me Ray. Everyone here does.'
'So be it, I understand I have a few patients today?'
'Yeah, we're only giving you two to start off with. You have Victoria Armstrong and Frank Iero.' He handed me a fairly weighted file and looked up towards the open staircase.
'If you sit at the table and read these? Your first session is at 10:30 I think, and it'll be most likely with Iero, Armstrong's not much of a morning girl.' I nodded in response, he continued. 'I have to go, I have to go do a morning session with Baby Doll.'
Baby Doll? Did everyone have pet names for each other here?
I spoke up after Ray paused and looked for my attention, it seemed it had momentarily drifted to my shoes while I pondered.
'Umm... Baby Doll?' I raised an eyebrow, Ray nodded and then laughed at himself. Possibly realising how confused I was at his nick name.
Or at least I hoped it was a nickname.
'We have two girls here, Dolly and Mia. Mia likes to be called Dolly, so in turn we call the actual Dolly, Baby Doll. Make sense?' Oh... I thanked God I wasn't working with a bunch of perverts.
Another scream, this time it was a different person. Still a girl, but there was less effort in her wail.
'Speaking of Baby Doll. I really gotta go Gerard, I'll see you at lunch.' he ran up the stairs and Bryn looked at me. She had been completely silent this whole time, I locked eyes with her and then threw the file on the table with an almighty Thud! Grabbing a chair, I sat down and opened up the file.
Bryn came and stood next to me. 'I have to go see another patient now, and give her the meds she needs. But at 10:30, go up the stairs and on the left there are three rooms. Iero'll be in one of them. I don't know which. It'll say in your file.'
'Thanks, I'll see you at lunch, right?' I was worried about being alone the whole morning. But it was something I'd have to deal with. I ran my hands through my hair when she nodded, turned away and walked up the stairs. Leaving me to look at my plan for the day.
Victoria, who was actually referred to as Victoria 'Vikki Venom' Armstrong in her file, wasn't to be woken up until 11am, then I would have a session with her in the last 2 hours of my day.
Apparently, I had Frank from 10:30 until 12 and then again from 2 until 3. I had an hour free, and at 4 I had to spend 2 hours with Vikki.
What a great fucking day...
11/1/13