(Sorry for my absence, I had a tooth go bad and had to have it pulled. I am healing up and feeling much better. I am ready now. I hope it was worth the wait.)
Old post for reference: (Emily watched the nurse leave and felt relief wash over her as the door closed. She was alone, and no one would be checking in on her until morning, so she had a great deal of time to process her feelings. She went to the window and looked out at the swaying trees of the forest. It was nearly dusk, and the sky was streaked with orange and pink. Emily felt comforted by the beautiful sunset, and it seemed to put her at ease.
I have a brother, our father is the reason we both ended up here, the Dr is doing terrible things to people in here, I have to get out or I will have the same fate as Dean.
It was still too early for her to try out the keycard, dinner would still be being served, so she sat at the desk and continued reading her book. )
"The wind howled and sent shivers up Patrick's spine as he slowly walked toward the old Amish barn, his flashlight lighting the way . A strong gust of wind banged the open barn door against the wall, scaring Patrick so badly that his trembling hand dropped the flashlight. The light went out, leaving Patrick in total darkness as he scrambled to find it. A growling sound from behind him made his blood run cold. Was it the wind? Patrick's fingers found the round plastic handle of the flashlight and picked it up. It flickered on when he banged it against the palm of his hand. He turned and cast the beam behind him, sure that at any moment one of the creatures was going to find him, but the path was empty. He continued on to the barn..."
Emily wanted to read more, but the building pressure in her bladder made her stop. After she relieved herself, she checked the time. Almost 8pm. She patted her pocket. The keycard was still there. She decided to take a walk and see how many people were still out and about.
The hallway to the right was deserted except for Don the janitor, vacuuming the carpet at the far end of the hall. She turned left, toward the cafeteria and lobby. Voices were heard coming from the cafeteria. She peered in the door and saw that all the tables were empty, the voices she heard were the two men in hairnets behind the counter, conversing about college football, and scraping leftover food into a big trash can. Emily spied a shiny wrapper in a basket on the counter. There was one granola bar left. She walked to the counter and grabbed it. The kitchen staff didn't even notice her presence.
Emily walked to the lobby, sat in a chair next to the empty reception desk, and unwrapped the granola bar. She could see down the hallway from this position. Don was still vacuuming, the kitchen staff were barely audible, but still talking. Emily sat quietly munching on the granola bar. By the time she finished it, no one had come into the hallway. She rose from her chair and threw the empty wrapper in the trash can at the end of the desk.
Emily's nerves were on edge as she removed the key card from her pocket and turned it over, looking at it and thinking about what she had to do. She felt a bit like Patrick from her book, apprehensive, but having to do what needed to be done. Surely this wasn't as hard as going to a dark scary looking barn on a windy night.
"The key card might not even work! If it does, and I get out, what about the creatures in the forest? Where would I go?" Emily thought to herself. Emily took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's now or never" she muttered as she walked to the door. She ran the key card over the sensor plate. There was a beep and a clicking sound. Emily gave the door a gentle push, it opened a few inches. Her heart was racing with excitement. She stood for a moment and inhaled deeply. It was the first breath of fresh air that she had had in months. She let the door close and the lock clicked again. Emily tried the door, it was locked again. The key card worked! She could get out if she wanted to! Emily quickly tucked the key card back in her pocket and went back to her room to try to work out a plan for her escape.
)
