Benji manages to offend nearly everyone.
Emma sat on the end of Sam's bed, feet under her. Her eyes were large and she wasn't smiling. "It was Doctor Spiner!"
"Yeah. Sucks, man." He sat next to her.
"It's so awful that they couldn't save him. What if we'd heard him sooner?"
"It wouldn't have made a difference, Emma. Don't get upset by it."
"But we were there. We heard him!"
"And we did what we could. It's not our fault."
"We saw the man who did it."
"We saw someone who might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. It isn't our fault."
"Aren't you the least bit curious who that was?"
"Sure, I'm curious, but I can't do shit about it."
"What if he saw us?"
"He didn't."
"How do you know?"
"Because," Sam took a deep breath. "If he'd seen us—if he just beat up the doc, he'd have come after us too."
Emma's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, my God, Sam! Oh, my God!"
"Shh shh. It's okay." He folded her in his arms. "He didn't see us. He won't know."
Carlos popped into the room. "Turn on the TV. We made the news!" He picked up the remote, clicking on Sam's TV.
The reporter stood outside the gates of Ravenwood. It was the same blonde who had interviewed Vera the day before.
"... Ravenwood Home. Last night, this rehabilitation facility was the scene of a grisly and bizarre murder. Renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Emmanuel Spiner, was found brutally beaten, by two of the residents. Apparently, the pair had gone out after lights out and found themselves wandering in the dark. According to the police, neither resident is considered a suspect. Police are also looking for this man, Gerard Hempe, who is missing from the lock down facility at Ravenwood."
A mugshot of a large, brutal looking man, flashed onto the screen. He fit the description that Sam and Emma had given the police. He was 6'4", solidly muscled, with multiple tattoos, including a pattern on his neck and chin, that at a distance might resemble a beard.
"Police urge anyone who sees this man to call them immediately. Do not approach. He may be armed and is extremely dangerous."
They cut to a commercial for a car dealership. Sam turned off the TV. Emma had curled up in a ball, and was rocking back and forth, whimpering.
"He's gonna find us, Sam!"
"He's not," Carlos assured her. "They didn't give out your names. Besides, he'd have to get back in here to do it. Do you know how locked up this place is?"
"He got out!" Emma screeched. "He got out and you don't think he can get back in?"
"He stole Spiner's name tag and keys," Carlos said. "They know that and the locks are being re-keyed as we speak. They also canceled the doctor's swipe card and they are changing all the passwords. You're safer here than anywhere."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Don't you worry. If anybody comes after you, Sammy and me will nunchuck they ass." Screeching like Bruce Lee, he did a few impressive kicks and thrusts with his fists.
"You've had some training," Sammy said, impressed.
"Little bit—about five years. Not as good as your bad ass, though," Carlos confessed.
"What can I say? I'm a troubled teen who got put in karate cause they didn't know what else to do with me," Sam said.
"Dude, do you know how many gay beat-downs I could have avoided? I started martial arts because of it. Second I came out, I started getting whooped. Actually, I take that back, I was smacked around a bunch before that, they just got worse."
©2020 Dellani Oakes
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