Chapter 5 - The Hidden Ally
I spent the next two days heavily medicated, staring blankly at the padded walls of my cell.
Every time I tried to tell the nursing staff the truth, they simply increased my dosage.
I quickly realized that fighting them verbally was only solidifying Ryan’s fake diagnosis.
I decided to change my strategy and pretend that the medication was finally working.
When Doctor Evans visited on the third morning, I offered her a tired, apologetic smile.
“I think the voices are finally gone, Doctor,” I lied, forcing a look of deep remorse onto my face.
She looked incredibly pleased and ordered the orderlies to remove my leather restraints.
“Acceptance is the very first step toward healing, Sarah,” she said proudly.
They allowed me to join the general population in the recreation room for exactly one hour a day.
I sat quietly at a puzzle table, observing the exits and the guard rotations with hyper-focused attention.
A young janitor was sweeping the floor near my table, humming a familiar lullaby under his breath.
He accidentally dropped his broom and bent down to pick it up right next to my chair.
“Your sister sent me,” he whispered quickly, completely hiding his face behind a mop bucket.
I froze, keeping my eyes glued to the jigsaw puzzle in front of me so the guards would not notice.
“She received the frantic voicemail you left her right before your husband took your phone,” he murmured.
I had managed to pocket dial my sister Emily during the violent struggle in the living room three days ago.
“She hired me to work here yesterday just to find you,” the young man explained softly.
“I need to get out of here tonight, they are going to kill my baby,” I whispered back through gritted teeth.
The janitor slid a small, silver object underneath a puzzle box on the table.
“That is a master keycard for the staff exits, and Emily is waiting in a black car down the street,” he said.
He stood up and casually walked away to empty a trash can on the other side of the room.
I palmed the plastic keycard and shoved it deep into the waistband of my hospital pants.
That night, I waited until the night nurse completed her midnight bed check.
I slipped out of my room and crept quietly through the dark, sterile corridors of the facility.
I reached the back stairwell and swiped the stolen keycard against the electronic lock.
The light flashed green, and the heavy metal door clicked open.
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I stepped out into the freezing night air, completely unprepared for who was waiting in the alley.
Ryan was leaning against the brick wall, holding a suppressed pistol aimed directly at my chest.
