Nillium Neems Read Free Page A

of targets to let my rage out on only
made me angrier, until I was on the verge of mindlessly banging on
the door like some kind of lunatic. I actually was going to,
leaping off the bed and running towards the door, raising a fist to
begin. But I stopped as soon as I looked through the little window
and saw the Hooded Man standing outside, leaning nonchalantly
against the wall.
    Out of all of the inhabitants of my Home, he
was the only one that I really, truly feared. I feared him so much
that the mere sight of him sapped all of the anger from my soul and
sent me fleeing back to the safety of my bed. I spent the rest of
the day huddled under the covers so that he couldn’t see me. This
has not been a pleasant day.
     
    Nil, out.

Day 5
     
    Lockdown has finally been lifted. Yay. The
wardens must have decided during the interval that all of us lucky
patients needed a treat. Something to calm down our emotions before
any more killings happened. Fat chance. I would kill the first
monster that gave me the opportunity and that was that. Anyways, as
our little treat, they decided to take us all out to the Yard.
    The asylum that I live in
is basically shaped like a square, with the middle bit cut out,
which is where the yard is located. And the Yard is huge , probably as big as
a football field.
    We always look forward to spending some time
in it, since other than a bunch of wardens to keep an eye on us we
are pretty much left to ourselves. Some of my fondest memories are
of wandering peacefully around the Yard. Not quite frolicking, but
close.
    I did feel a bit weak today, not having
eaten anything. But you wouldn’t either if you had bloody oatmeal
and something weird with bugs in it as your only options. I just
hope they don’t force me on one of this IV-drip things to keep me
alive. I’d eat, if only they’d give me something edible. Maybe I’d
find some mushrooms or something growing amidst the grass.
    I avoided the other patients. I rarely got
along with them that well to begin with, and after everything else,
I didn’t want to be taken by a Monster unawares. And yes, some of
my fellow patients are Monsters too, though you usually can’t tell
unless you’re up close.
    So I headed for The Tree and sat down on the
grass beneath its canopy. We all call it ‘The Tree’ even the
wardens. Primarily, because it’s the only tree in the Yard. But
also and perhaps more so, because it had to have been a good three
stories high! It reached the roof of the surrounding complex, not
quite towering over Atrium Psychiatric Ward, but coming pretty darn
close all the same.
    Most of the bottom branches had been hacked
off of course, so that us patients couldn’t attempt to climb it.
Not that we’d be able to anyways, since most of us are in pretty
bad shape.
    I like to sit under the Tree when I’m out
here, since the stars in its upper branches are so very beautiful,
twinkling even in the bright light of day. Sometimes I wonder what
it would look like at night, the stars the only source of light.
Turning the Tree into a supernova of glowing wonder, something
magical beyond words. I doubt I’ll ever get to see it though. They
only let us out in the Yard during the day.
    I heard the shuffle of footsteps
approaching, and woke from my ponderings to see Jeremy approaching,
followed closely by Harold. I wouldn’t have minded Jeremy’s company
much, but Harold freaked me out. Out of all the patients he was one
of the few that I felt truly deserved to be here.
    Small in stature, only a little taller than
me, he always walked in a slightly hunchbacked manner. His nearly
bald head revealed every ugly pore on his skin, which constantly
seemed to be lightly sweating
    The few times I had tried to talk to Harold
he would never meet my eyes, staring past me instead, his own eyes
shifting back and forth, as if watching things that weren’t there.
Nut job. They shouldn’t let people like that near us innocent
patients.
    "What do you want,