Acid Rain by R.D Rhodes (ebook reader txt) 📕

I lifted my eyes up to the building across from me. Just like the outbuildings I had seen with Mrs. Mack, it didn’t look to be in use anymore – the windows were smashed and boarded up, the flash metal paneling had taken on a sickly brown tinge, and layers of moss had set in all over the roof.

How many buildings like that are sitting empty on these grounds?

What about Mrs. Mack? How is she? Forget about her, I told myself.

I remained at the window and kept trying to take deep, relaxed breaths. I focused as hard as I could on the earth-cloud of fog as it swirled around the cracked and flaking walls of that building. I watched its long grey fingers floating lazily through the air. And then I let my eyes rest on the lush green weeds that were growing from the brickwork. A sense of calm came over me, and I kept trying to control my breathing. To slow it down as much as possible.

Death comes to us all. And nature will outlast us.

I imagined the roots of those weeds setting in and slowly tearing apart years of man-made work. I couldn’t wait for it all to be done with, for every single building to be just like that one- Dead and quiet and long gone, and left still, while our ghosts or nature or whatever swarmed around it like that fog was doing.

Suddenly there was a rattle on the bedroom door. It jerked me back to reality and sent a thousand shock waves through my body.

“Aisha, it’s Hazel again. We have your medication here. Are you ready to take it?”

I spun around and looked desperately for something to use. But I had no furniture. My bag lay unpacked on the floor. I stayed silent. The world seemed to move in slow motion as I watched the door handle turn, then click open, and she stepped into the room.

Her brown eyes were guarded and cunning at the same time. Her tall, leggy figure stood there in the doorway. She held two pills out in her hand.

“Are you going to take this, or do we have to use force?”

I felt like a cornered rabbit. I sensed the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end. I tried to sound as brave and certain as I could, “I’ve told you, I’m not taking them.” I protested. “Please, I don’t need them.”

She shook her head in disappointment. “Okay, we’ll start off the hard way. Kev! Dale!”

The two men stormed in from behind her and marched straight for me.

My eyes shot around the room, they closed me down quickly and the only way around was across the bed. I went to jump but was hauled back. I felt the air whoosh out of me as I hit the floor. Their heavy weight bored me down. I tried to move my arms, but they were restrained. I tried to thrash my legs, but I couldn’t get them up.

“GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME! HELP! HELP!”

I could only stare at the floor as I felt my trousers being pulled down at the back. A cold hand went over my head and ground my face down until my nose was squashed. A sharp pain jabbed at my ass and stung into my flesh.

“AARGH.”

“Ssh,sh it will only take a minute.”

The searing pain shot through my left bum cheek and the needle prodded in again on the other side.

Then the anger in me faded away and was replaced by a detached calmness. A voice came from far away and seemed to swim into my eardrums and echo around my head, “We’re going to get off you now, now, now, if you can promise not to be violent, violent, violent. Are you ready for us to get off, off, off?” The voice was low and obscure and sounded supernatural, devil-like.

“Yeashh” came a muffled voice from within me somewhere.

I felt the weight lift from me. A hand pulled my trousers back up and before I knew it the door was closed, and I was aware that I was lying in an empty room again.

I tried to get to my feet but stumbled and fell back on the floor. A great tiredness washed over me.

Chapter 11

I awoke delirious. The room was spinning furiously. On my fourth attempt at standing I managed to get to my feet. I tottered and swayed onto the edge of the bed, rooting my feet into the floor.

I looked at the window. It was still foggy, there was still daylight, but I had no idea of the time. There was no noise coming from the other rooms, or from the corridor, from outside, from anywhere. Everything was so quiet. So quiet that I wondered if it was the drugs, or if I had just dreamed the whole thing up.

But then I felt a wetness ooze down the side of my chin. On autopilot my left arm came up and wiped it off, and just then I remembered Robert, and all my senses came flooding back.

Is that why he was dribbling like that? Medication?

My mind fast-forwarded to breakfast- and all those people sitting in front of the TV, and it all suddenly seemed to make sense.

Why didn’t I realize it then? Maybe I was too scared to? Or just refused to accept it? Fuck knows but it’s happening alright- they're all out of their faces.

My temples thumped, pain burned through my eyes, and all the while I could feel an empty nothingness drawing me in and promising safety and comfort.

What did Kev mean by that? Should I be worried? And what was with the forty-year-old twins at my table? The emptiness drew in again, promising no more thoughts. Promising freedom. Part of me wanted to