CHAPTER 14
Thane looked at the hand . . . just the hand. It had reached the peak of its arc and was now headed towards his face on a slightly downward trek. Schwann had taken a little jump step, and unfurled his maimed hand in Thane's direction. It was an athletic move; he looked like an outfielder throwing home.
Time seemed to slow once Thane realized that Schwann had gotten close enough to kill him. Such was the case anytime that he found himself in danger. Adrenaline surged through his body, and his heart raced out of rhythm. It was more like a vibration in his chest than a beating organ. His senses heightened to a point where everything around him stalled. This usually afforded Thane enough time to make a clear, albeit quick, decision. This attack was no different.
I'm going straight at him.
Schwann came for Thane too high. He left his lower body completely unprotected. Thane lowered his shoulder and launched himself into Schwann's mid section with all the power he could muster. The force of the blow separated the convict's feet from the floor, and caused his menacing hand to bounce harmlessly off of Thane's back. They landed on the frigid hospital floor with surprisingly little sound despite Thane's best effort to drive Schwann through the foundation of the building. Only the crack of bone could be heard as the back of the convict's head bounced violently off the polished concrete.
Thane jumped up immediately after they hit the ground. Schwann lay motionless and asleep on the cold floor in front of him. The young deputy was satisfied. That was the most perfect form tackle he had ever pulled off, and nobody would be getting up from that. Not even Schwann. Thane thought that he might have even killed the man. There was no way Schwann's body could take much more abuse. A fractured skull on top of his butchered arm and bullet ridden body might just be more than he could survive. He found the thought of a world without Rudy Schwann in it to be oddly comforting.
I won't be shedding any tears for you . . . you sick bastard.
He was turning to check on Father Lucas when the black eyes of Schwann reopened and sought him out. The convict's face stretched back into a grotesque smile once he focused in on Thane. It was enough to completely unnerve the young man. He wanted out of this place and away from Rudy Schwann. Once again he looked for Father Lucas. He needed to see a friendly face, and he wanted affirmation that this was really happening. He didn't want to deal with this monster alone anymore.
Father Lucas was not there.
From the far end of the room, a policeman began screaming.
Something was happening back at the card table. A confusion appeared to have set in.
The table had been overturned, and he could see the other officers moving around frantically in many different directions. Babb was the one screaming. A figure dressed in all brown was holding him from behind. Through Babb's piercing cries and the confused voices of the other officers, Thane heard the laugh of a child. That sound sent the coldest chill he had ever felt racing up his spine.
Thane hesitated. It was all too much. People had always praised him for being so calm in the face of crisis, but this night had reached a level of chaos that felt foreign and unrealistic. He didn't have any idea what was expected of him, or if there was any sort of protocol to follow. He knew only that he had to go help out those other officers, no matter what they were up against. And he had a pretty good idea who that was.
He should have left this place earlier-after the incident in the hall. His instincts had told him to. Thane had always acted on his vital impulses before tonight, and he had managed to stay safe because of it. He acted on what he felt, and he dealt with the consequences later. Except for tonight. Tonight kept getting worse and worse, and he was right in the center of the storm because he put his job ahead of his own well being. He wouldn't make that mistake again.
I'm getting out of here. I don't care what anybody thinks. I'm gone . . . just as soon as I help these guys out . . . I'm gone. Things aren't right here.
Firecrackers exploded up by were the other cops where. One of them pointed his gun at a figure in brown. Thane realized that shots were being fired. He couldn't believe that one of those guys would discharge his weapon inside a hospital and in such close quarters. The poor bastard must have really been scared for his life.
That makes sense . . . I'm starting to feel the same way.
"It's time for you to be leaving Brother Thane," a familiar voice announced. Father Lucas had come back. From where Thane didn't know, but the priest was certainly welcome. Strangely, the old man looked refreshed and confident. He also spoke with authority in his voice. That was fine. If Father Lucas knew what to do, then he would certainly let him take the lead. At least he wouldn't have to deal with all this madness alone anymore.
Thane was just about to say something to the padre when things got even worse. Schwann started to get up. With his eyes focused on Thane, the convict raised himself up to a sitting position. He smiled the whole time. From the far end of the room, new screams of terror and pain mixed with Babb's. "What the hell is going on here father?" Thane asked. He spoke louder than normal; he hoped that Father Lucas could hear the desperation in his voice. "And what are we supposed to do?"
"You have to leave this place Thane," the priest answered. He spoke in that same compelling voice that he had used earlier. Thane knew then that he would do whatever this old man told him to, although he couldn't explain why. "The longer you stay here, the harder it's going to be for me to keep you alive . . . and that's all that matters anymore."
More activity commenced as Father Lucas finished speaking. Schwann was on all fours and trying to stand. Undoubtedly, he would attack again. A few beds away, the albino that Thane found so disturbing had risen up in his bed and began removing wires and tubes from his shell of a body. He turned his head with a sudden, bird-like motion, and stared directly at Thane with the same dark eyes and exaggerated smile as Rudy Schwann.
A cold fear tightened around Thane's heart.
On the other side of the fence, the screams stopped abruptly.
The albino laughed. It sounded familiar.
A shiver that felt like frozen lightning ran through Thane's body. He was through pretending that he wasn't scared. He was. The old priest had given him some good advice, and it was time to heed it. He was leaving, and he didn't give a damn what anybody thought about it. If Father Lucas thought that he could handle the situation, then Thane was going to let him try.
Prayers and God will probably do more good here than bullets and form tackles anyway.
Instinctively, Thane turned towards the gate at the end of the aisle to make his exit. He hoped that the other cops were all right. He thought that maybe he would check on them on his way out.
I gotta get on the other side of the fence. I'll be better then.
Thane rushed past the albino patient and reached to pull the gate open. It was locked. Through the cold chain link, he stared into the dark eyes of his keeper.
Thane made the sign of the cross, and said a little prayer of his own. Beyond the figure before him he could see the bodies of the other cops strewn about the break room. Some were writhing in pain, and others lay motionless. They were all bloodied. So was the man who had locked him in here.
While it only dotted his face and shoulders, both of the man's wiry arms seemed to have been dipped in gore. In his right hand he held a utility knife that was also painted with the blood of the police officers. Thick red drops fell from its blade as he let it dangle by his side.
Now that he was in such close proximity to the man, Thane could see for certain that this was the same person he had encountered in the hall earlier. He remembered the knife, the smell, and the chocolate uniform. He could even make out the name 'LUCKY' stitched into the uniform just above the man's heart. Thane recalled his conversation with Babb earlier, and realized that he was face-to-face with one incredibly disturbed janitor.
The man was eerily still. After locking Thane in with the convicts, he shut down like a toy robot switched to the off position.
Thane took a moment to get a closer look at his eyes, which still haunted him from their earlier meeting in the hall. From a distance, it looked like the man's sockets had been hollowed out, but now that he was up close he could see that was not the case. They were incredibly dark though. His entire eyeballs seemed to be heavily bruised, and the flesh of the sockets that held them was no better. Thane looked for any sign of trauma, but he found nothing—no swelling, cuts, or abrasions were visible on the man's skin. It almost seemed like Lucky had been kicked in the face from within his own skull.
Thane grabbed the big gate with both hands and shook the hell out of it. It wasn't going to open, but he had to at least try before he came up with another plan. It didn't budge, and neither did the janitor. He was trapped in here with Schwann and the others.
He turned back towards the prisoners to find that the albino was upon him. His heart raced and time slowed again. The scariest looking thing that he had ever seen was coming right for him.
Our father who art in heaven . . . I'm gonna try to take your head off . . . hallowed be thy name . . . you ugly son of a bitch . . . thy kingdom come. . .
Thane sprang forward and clothes-lined the albino perfectly. Its disease ridden body flipped backwards and crumpled to the floor behind the force of the impact. It lay still on the linoleum with its head bent at an impossible angle. He knew he had broken its neck, and was relieved that he had one less threat to deal with. His respite was short lived: it was interrupted by new movement all around the room.
The others were beginning to stir. Every patient in every bed was getting up and putting feet to the floor. Ahead of him, Thane saw that Schwann had made it to his feet. He heard a metallic "clank" from behind and turned to see the janitor, awakened from his stupor, unlatching the big gate and stumbling into the room. At his feet, the albino scurried around in a circle like a wounded spider, its head bent at a grotesque angle. Thane didn't move. Even as the thing began clawing at his boot, he stood frozen. All around the room wounded eyes and childish laughter focused on him and held him fast. The room began to spin. He would not make it out of here alive.
The demented convicts all began moving towards him. They were not quick or even steady; all moved with the same puppet-like motion as the janitor. Still they came.
Only Schwann acted differently from the rest. He moved fluidly and with purpose. Thane saw the convict side-step Father Lucas at the end of the aisle and head straight towards him. He viciously shoved one of the other inmates out of his path as he neared Thane. Once again he brandished his claw and prepared to strike. He looked stronger than ever.
"Round two," Thane whispered as Schwann closed in. A new surge of emotion flooded his system. His mind knew it would all be over soon, but his body would not let him stand here and die. All fear had left him the moment he locked gazes with Schwann. It exited his body like the latter part of a breath, and it was quickly replaced with anger. His heart filled with hate for Schwann, for these things trying to kill him, and for this entire night. They would eventually bring him down, but he swore to God and to himself that he would not make it easy for them.
I'm gonna show you a monster now Rudy Schwann. It's time for you bastards to be scared.
Thane lunged for Schwann in a rage driven frenzy. Immediately he knew something was wrong. He didn't cover nearly enough ground and stumbled to a halt right in front of the crazed inmate. He was completely vulnerable to an attack, and the albino hanging on his right leg was to blame. His fury shifted targets. The pitiful little thing still clutching at his uniform pants was the new focus of Thane's malevolence.
He shook it loose and began to savagely stomp on its head. There was no forgiveness in the sole of his right boot. The albino's fragile skull gave way after the second blow. The thin bones of its head were no match for the young deputy's violence. But Thane didn't stop. He was still pounding the albino's flattened crown when the bone of Schwann's claw entered his body. The pressure surprised him, but there was very little pain. It was, however, suddenly impossible for him to draw an adequate breath. He fell to his knees.
Still no air.
Father Lucas was saying something. Thane didn't care.
His eyes quit working properly.
He wasn't mad anymore—the anger left with the last bit of air that escaped from his lungs.