Day 69: Intercom, Evening

[damned_intercom]

Patients might hear the wind blowing outside as the intercom turned on and they were gradually moved from the courtyard or somewhere surrounding the Sun Room and back to their rooms. The wind made a howling noise, something that almost seemed to hint at what was to come when darkness hit and night began.

But for now, everything was as pleasant as it always was during the day, with the Head Doctor chiming in to explain what was on the menu this evening.

"I'm sure you all had a nice, relaxing day as you continue on your journey toward good health, but now it's time to head back to your rooms and have dinner with your roommate before lights out. Tonight we're serving some seasoned salmon with rice pilaf on the side, and for those of you who are vegetarians we have a black eyed pea soup along with a dinner roll.

"Whatever you're having tonight, eat up and get some rest! We'll be seeing you again tomorrow!"

The nurses didn't say much about the fact that some patients had roommates who had been missing for a few days now. Normally there would be someone to take their place, but that didn't seem to be the case for a few people. The mystery behind that was clearly one that was going to remain unanswered, but at least the patients had a hot plate of food waiting for them on their desks.

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[girlsandgadgets]

"I'm not the only one," Edgar assured, holding up his hands so Gren could see the bandages he was sporting- the fabric wrapped around his palms and wrists, traveling down his forearms where the fires of his own magic had lapped against him, searing his skin. While no stranger to injury, he wasn't used to losing control over spells like that- then again, it had only been a year ago that he had though magic to be an extinct art.

He turned his eyes on his own wrists, continuing. "With patients turning into monsters, and some dead as a result, there are others who have had it worse. I hope you've not had the displeasure of running into one of the unlucky ones to change at night."

[stellarregions]

The sight of the bandages made him wince a little in sympathy. Too many people hurt because of this place, and none of them deserving it. At the mention of the 'monsters,' he cast his eyes down, as if the floor were suddenly very interesting.

"I'm afraid I haven't been that lucky," he replied with a grim smile. "I didn't know about what was going on, and barged in on something I wasn't prepared for." He supposed he was lucky, the injuries weren't so bad, all things considered, but their placement had made it more troublesome. He'd had to choose between the added pain of bandaging the cuts too tightly in order to keep his own secrets, or comfort at the cost of being exposed. He'd chosen the pain. It was like an old friend, now.

[girlsandgadgets]

Edgar nodded, casting his own eyes downward. "I see..."

He had to remember that they'd been prisoners for some time- while it didn't seem very long, it was relative to some of the other patients, the general populace's numbers fluctuating on an almost daily basis. People came and went, while others vanished into the night of the same day they'd arrived- he still didn't know what separated those who left from those who didn't, and given how little he felt he'd accomplished against the institution in his imprisonment thus far, he wasn't sure he ever would know.

He pushed a sigh through his nose, never willing to accept that answer. He was a stubborn thing.

"We were looking for a cure when it happened," he started, deciding it couldn't hurt to explain to Gren what had happened. It certainly couldn't make matters worse for Locke. "We weren't far from the patient blocks, so we managed to contain him in an empty room. I got clawed in the neck; the other man with me was already sick. We tried to secure our mutual friend again the next night, but he changed in the hallway. Things ended badly, to say the least."

[stellarregions]

"I'm sorry to hear that," he replied. It sounded a lot like what had happened with Hakkai, although worse, perhaps, because they had understood what was going on, and were trying to help. He'd just stumbled into what he suspected had been an attempt at outright murder.

He would have asked if they'd ever managed to find that cure, but from Edgar's demeanor, he was pretty sure of that answer already.

"There doesn't seem to be any limit to what they're willing to put us through, does there?" He couldn't see the end point of it all... had started to believe that maybe there simply wasn't any. The torture wasn't some means to an end, it just was.

[girlsandgadgets]

"So it would seem..." Edgar sighed again, pushing that lingering guilt aside as he pulled open his drawer, deciding to start getting ready for the night ahead. They had a lot to do, and had made so little progress.

"Or at least that's what they want us to think," he continued, sharp eyes turning to meet Gren. "That's all the more reason we have to get out of here. They're trying to break us."