Somewhere Else (Part 1)
By Jectoons (JectCartoonMKR).
He sighed as the little rain drops fell through the window glass. Sitting in that corner, with the head in his hands, a pimp on the nose and a pain in the ass. "No more" he thought, "no more". There were some blood stains in his shirt, where the heart is supposed to be.
"You know you want it", claimed a sharp voice in his head. "You can't live without it. Also, who could care about that? For some reason you're trapped in here"
"The rain" he answered mentally. "It's because the rain, leave me alone. They don't want me to catch a cold".
"Sure thing, pal, sure thing. You were here before the rain, and you know it".
"No, I wasn't.... I... I just woke up. It's unfair. I don't deserve this".
"You know? I've been here, in your head, and maybe in this place for quite some time, and I believe I've learned something: everybody gets what they deserve. You made something, maybe not yesterday, maybe not last week, but you did it. And nothing can change it. You're trapped, man, like a lone sailor on a tiny island in one of those cartoons. Trapped, almost jailed, and you don't know why. Life's funny, isn't it?"
"No", he whined, "No, it isn't. Life's cruel. Why am I here!? Who are you, in my head!? And what's that funny tickling in my..."
He suddenly realized that he had been holding his left hand with a lot of strength. He released it and watched his blood-stained right hand accurately. Then his eyes fell on his left hand. It had three fingers missing, nothing but a big red wound left of each of them. And he, suddenly, as well, realized the immense pain he had been feeling since he had been awake. Since the rain had started. Nothing could describe that pain... though "loss" would be okay.
"...Island", he muttered between sobs.
"Why, that is one cute word", laughed that other self.
"You... you said this was an island a while ago... "
"So?"
"I dreamt of an island... I don't..."
"...quite remember? Yeah, I know. But that is not a problem: I do remember. Also I know why you have 3 fingers missing... and where are they".
He listened to the voice cautiously and then watched his fingers once again. The cuts seemed sort of irregular, like they had been chopped with... teeth. The truth fell upon him like a big safe.
"No. That can't be. I did not do that", he screamed.
"Yes, you did. While you were making that other thing you cut your own three fingers with your mouth and then swallowed them. Why? Well... I'd like to see you trying to remember".
He did remember some stuff. Like falling one time and that great pain in his fingers. But how did it all start? Curious thing, the memory. He struggled to find out what had happened and then, holding his left hand, he raised his bald head to look at the wet window. It was still raining. He started remembering... barely, just some flashing images and sensations. The first thing he remembered was the taste of his own fingers and blood.
Then there were some images that turned red after a little while, not allowing him to see. The mind seems to block painful memories. The pain was strong, he was starting to feel dizzy. Maybe if he had not seen his mutilated hand he would not have felt dizzy, but, what to do?
"Ha. Difficult, isn't it?"asked the voice in his head.
"Shut.... Up..." he managed to say. The world was suddenly fading in and out, then black came.
In dreams he saw himself in the island that voice had mentioned, but it was not exactly an island: it was some building in the middle of the sea, and he was on the roof. The sky was cloudy and there were lightings every now and then. He was standing in the edge while the air waved his hair; all he could do was stare at the sea, the mighty sea, that blue water mass that swallowed everything. Even itself.
Wake up.
Everything's blurry.
"Head hurts, I want to puke", he thought.
"Not just yet", the voice in his head answered, "unless you want to feel your own fingers coming up your throat".
He was lying on some sort of bed with white sheets. With great effort he raised his left hand to see it, and the wounds were covered by some now blood stained bandage. He somehow managed to sit and that was when some door he had not noticed before opened and a man in a white suit came in.
"Hello, Mr. Jenkins", the man in the white suit said "How are you feeling today?"
'So that's my name', thought Jenkins.
'Maybe', said the voice in his head.
"Uh, well... I'm a bit nauseous, but otherwise I'm ok, I guess... Eh... Who are you?" asked Jenkins.
"Good, good. My name is not important, so don't worry about it right now"
'He's dangerous. Don't trust him' said the voice in his head.
"Ah... so... well... where am I, then?"
"You're in Haven Mansion, Mr. Jenkins, a place for people like you".
"People like me?"
"Indeed. People who have lost their minds. And you are a very curious case, if I might add"
"...How so?"
"Hm. Somehow you managed to break through our security system and hide inside the broom room. It took us about 2 hours to find you, and when we did, you were fainted and had three fingers missing. Judging for all the blood in your face and in your mouth I guess you just ate them. Quite... unusual. But it's not as unusual as the fact that you were probably masturbating while you did it." The man in the white suit walked towards Jenkins and grabbed his left hand. He seemed to study it and then he left it where it had been. "You are recovering, Mr. Jenkins, so it's not that of a big loss. Sadly I can't say the same of your mental health".
Jenkins grabbed his mutilated hand. So he had masturbated while he chopped and swallowed his three fingers. The only thought of it made him sick.
"I'm hungry" he said.
"That's fine. But you won't eat until tomorrow. I have to follow the schedule, sorry. I'll leave you here in your room for the rest of the day. Maybe tomorrow I'll let you talk to other... patients. Oh, and by the way, you can't escape. The glass on that window" he pointed it "is made with some plastic with a complicated name, but it's almost unbreakable. And the doors are locked and under vigilance day after day. If you somehow manage to get out of your room and into the corridor you'll find a squadron of our Mental Soldiers who will kill you. We can't afford crazy people running all around the place. Have a nice evening, Mr. Jenkins"
And then he left.
"You can't seriously trust him" said the voice in his head, "But I do believe there are guards out in the corridor, so nothing we can do"
"Who are you?" asked Jenkins "And why am I here? I'm not crazy"
"I'm you... sort of. And, believe me or not, everybody is crazy in their own way. You can't be sane. No one is. Why don't we sleep? Maybe you can find why are you trapped in this 'Haven Mansion' in your dreams. Maybe you can remember your past"
"Maybe" Said Jenkins. He laid in that bed once again and closed his eyes. Soon he was asleep.
Black.
The sea was wild as Jenkins watched it from the edge of the roof. He turned his head and saw a big advertisement that said "Haven Mansion. Where nowhere is". He watched the sea again and some rocks too. The rocks seemed red, blood red.
Then he was seeing a kid with a terror face. And a scream. A high pitched scream. Then the sound of bone breaking against something hard, like a rock.